A SERBIAN FILM (2010)

You've heard the hype, so is A SERBIAN FILM as gruesome and fucked as everybody says? Probably, it's pretty fucked, but the tone of the movie wasn't mean-spirited at all, so that lessens the impact of the cruelty displayed onscreen. The biggest surprise for me though wasn't the "newborn porn" or the other depraved sex acts, but the fact that the lead character was played by Srdjan Todorovic from one of my favorite movies ever: BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT! That's fucking awesome!!!

Srdjan plays a semi-retired porn star, Milos, who has a nice-sized dong and has the ability to pop a rock hard boner instantly any time and maintain it for as long as he wants. Years earlier Milos was a big star in the porn world, but now he has a wife and kid that he loves dearly (that's never a good sign in a movie like this). He dreams of escaping to another country, but he doesn't have the money. Then a deal comes along that he can't pass up: star in a mysterious porno and get paid a large sum of money. Reluctantly, he agrees and very soon realizes that these dudes are completely fucked. Is there anyway that he can safely get out?

I liked the film, but not enough to recommend anything more than a one time watch. Technically it was much better than I expected it to be - the cinematography was quite impressive, the make up/effects looked good and the acting was good - but the whole film relies too heavily on the shock value and while that makes it fun during the first viewing I can't see how you could get any enjoyment out of watching it more than once or twice.

That said, Srdjan Todorovic was really good and his involvement alone is worth watching the movie. I just wish more of his stuff was available in America.

Side note: if you're interested in recent Cinema from this neck of the woods check out ZIFT. I really liked that movie a lot.

[SPOILERS!!!]
For those keeping score, here's the scorecard as I remember it:

• lots of tits
• a fair amount of dongs (real or not I don't know)
• naked pregnant woman giving birth then baby instantly raped (to death I presume) while mother smiles.
• naked woman doggy-styled then head chopped off and her corpse fucked
• numerous funny porno scenes
• brother getting his dick sucked by hooker while he watch a video of his brother's kid's birthday party
• father accidentally raping his young son's asshole while his brother rapes his wife
• guy punching woman in the face while she sucks his dick and a young girl sits nearby in a "Alice in Wonderland" dress smiling
• woman has teeth pulled out with pliers (offscreen) and then facefucked to death (onscreen)
• drugged guy raped in butthole by another guy
• guy has a boner rammed through his eyehole and into his brain killing him (highlight of the movie)

I think that's it.

BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT (1998)

"This is chaos!"

I love this movie. I've never had a desire to be an actual filmmaker, but BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT is pretty close to what I envision in my handsome brain.

Matko is a small-time swindler.  He lives in a large shack, with his teenage son, Zare, beside the Danube.  Matko is always coming up with (unsuccessful) ideas to make a quick buck.  His latest idea involves lying to a local mobster, Mr. Grga, to secure a loan to finance a train robbery.  He then involves another gangster, the psychotic Dadan (played by Srdjan Todorovic, in one of the funniest performances in movie history), to split the deal with him.  Unfortunately, Dadan double-crosses Matko and then demands repayment!  Being flat broke, Matko does the only thing he can do: agree to marry off Zare to Dadan's younger sister....but Zare has no plans on marrying Dadan's sister because he's in love with his girlfriend, Ida.

That's enough about the story. The real attraction here is the absolute insanity of this movie! It never lets up for a second. Right from the start, BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT blasts off like a rocket and it only get crazier as it goes! And yet, somehow, through all of the screaming and drug-fueled madness there is a sweet story of true love and family bonds.

I could talk much, much longer about WCBC (especially about Todorovic's absolutely brilliant performance or questioning why so many of the great actors involved with this film never appeared in anything else), but that would be unfair to anybody who hasn't seen the film.  Long story, short: BLACK CAT, WHITE CAT is an absolute masterpiece of storytelling and filmmaking, that deserves to be seen by anybody who loves Cinema.

Highly recommended.