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Excision: Unrated
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (17th May 2013). |
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The Film
 One of the true joys of cinema is sitting down to watch a movie starring an actor you’ve always known to play one type of role, but in this instance you find them playing against type and absolutely crushing it. Regardless of what your feelings for that actor were before, watching someone quite literally transform from what you’ve known them to be can be a highly rewarding experience… when they nail it. AnnaLynne McCord is an actress who has traditionally been known to play a man eating, sexually voracious nymph with looks that could bring any man to his knees. She’s mostly known to viewers of “Nip/Tuck” (2003-2010) as Eden Lord, the constant foil via her sexual prowess to just about everyone on that show. Most recently, she appeared on the rebooted “90210” (2008-2013), which I’ve never seen but the promos make it fairly clear that she’s the hot, conniving chick that everyone wants. A real stretch, I know. So, although I’d heard some rumblings about how good she was here I still expected more of the same. I was so very wrong. Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) is an awkward, unpopular high school student who often appears unkempt, with little regard for her appearance or perception. The only things that seem to interest her are her erotic dreams, which typically involve death, mutilation, and surgery. She’s morbid to the point of ridicule; during a sex ed discussion she asks if someone can contract an STD from having sex with a dead person. Even a rite of passage like losing her virginity is dealt with in a disturbing, psychotic manner. Her home life is a wreck – her mom (Traci Lords) is a domineering, WASP-y woman who champions religion as a means to deal with her issues; her father (Roger Bart) is mentally checked out of his marriage; and her younger sister, Grace (Ariel Winter) suffers from cystic fibrosis. Pauline’s mental state isn’t so much crumbling as it is becoming distorted, causing her to think that drastic actions need to be taken to fulfill her endless desires. I don’t toss around terms like “revelatory” often, but I can’t think of any other term to describe McCord’s performance here. I honestly expected something akin to her previous works – since who would ever cast such a beauty in a role that completely eschews ALL of that? – but, much to my surprise, she was transformative on screen in a way that caught me off guard. For one thing, her looks have been significantly reduced. Her blonde hair is now a dirty brown, with very little attention paid to it. She seems to be wearing no makeup, revealing a complexion that showcases some spots of acne and greasy skin. Her visceral fantasies are handled perfectly. They aren’t painted in exquisite detail; rather they’re only focused on exactly what turns her on the most. Background elements are simple and unimportant; she appears to move through space angelically, with little effort. Everyone has had some type of fantasy at one point or another, sexual or not, and I thought the film did an admirable job of capturing the essence of what our mind produces in these times. Pauline isn’t just satisfied with having lurid dreams, though; she wants to act out her fantasies. The matter-of-fact way she gets a boy to agree to help her lose her virginity bordered on gallows humor, but the actual act itself is anything but once she gets into the moment. And, true to her character, nothing fazes her in the least. She’s about as apathetic as they come. As good as McCord is, she needs a solid supporting cast to back her up – and she’s got it. Traci Lords kills it as her exhausted mother who just wants a malleable child, but instead she’s saddled with two that require a large amount of attention. Lords and McCord really nail the screwed-up-mother-daughter thing. Many of McCord’s actions in character can be seen in her mother, which they sort of hint that she’s acquired from her own messed up mom as well. Ariel Winter, who is best known as the brainy daughter Alex on Modern Family (2009-present), performs solid duty as Pauline’s younger sister afflicted with a terminal disease that she is well aware will kill her. Winter imbues the part with some fantastic emotion that will be crucial to some of Pauline’s actions later in the film. There are also a few familiar genre faces that pop up in what are essentially glorified cameo roles. Malcolm McDowell plays one of Pauline’s teachers who finds her to be rather difficult. The role is so minimal that no dynamic is really explored, though. "Twin Peaks" (1990-1991) own Ray Wise plays the school principal. I don’t care how minor his role is, seeing him in anything never gets old. Smut director extraordinaire John Waters plays a priest who attempts to give Pauline some guidance, but he finds her to be challenging at every turn. I found it interesting that, despite her clear dislike of the church and its dogmatic views, Pauline often speaks to God. Her prayers are more like a one-way conversation, candidly discussing her urges and often finding justification in her actions by assuming it’s all part of a larger plan. But, you know, her being completely psychotic and all I’m sure she’d find justification and guidance within herself just as easily. The only real issue I had with the film presented – and it’s minor – is that they should’ve taken the ending a bit further. The note it ends on works well enough, but I actually felt like we needed a bit more closure on things. I won’t get spoilery, but for a film that already runs under 90 minutes long it could’ve used a little more meat in some areas.
Video
The film’s 2.40:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image hits Blu-ray with a solid transfer that only exhibits minor deficiencies. It doesn’t look like much post-processing has been done, allowing the natural elements of the image to come through with great clarity. Color reproduction is spot-on, especially during the fantasy scenes that feature bold primary hues literally bleeding out all over. Minor details could have been a bit stronger, though. There are also a few shots that appear a bit soft; nothing major, but it’s there. This is what I consider an “all natural” HD image, meaning it takes full advantage of the definition and clarity high-def provides but nothing more.
Audio
The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit is mostly subtle, but that’s also a big part of its strength. There aren’t many, if any, big moments here, so the track has to rely on more ambient cues to expand the sound field. Without delving into specific examples, as there as many, every scene has carefully crafted sounds placed at the right moment to envelope viewers. It isn’t that they’re revelatory, or that other films haven’t done similar work, but things just… work. The score is suggestive of sinister things to come, never breaking into a frenzy intended to stir up tense viewers. I particularly loved the work done during the climax, as the music is just as unsettling as what’s being seen on screen. It might not dazzle, but it is perfectly commensurate with the film. Subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
The only extra here is an audio commentary with writer/director Richard Bates, Jr. and actor AnnaLynne McCord. The track itself is great, with Bates able to recount numerous stories and informative bits about all aspects of the film – since he did write & direct it – but McCord’s infectious enthusiasm for the work really shines through. Of course, listening to this you’ll be wondering things like: - Why isn’t Bates’ short film this was based on included? - Where are all the deleted scenes they keep mentioning? Since this is likely the only release it’s going to get, I find that a tad frustrating. Oh yea, we also get a couple of bonus trailers (1080p) for: - “Chained” runs for 1 minute and 35 seconds. - “The Victim” runs for 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Packaging
The 25 GB single disc comes housed in an eco-case. I love the cover art, which can be flipped either way to show Pauline’s fractured personality.
Overall
This isn’t a film that I see a lot of people liking. Most (read: younger) viewers will think it moves too methodically and there isn’t enough “action”, but I found that McCord’s performance, which is what you’re watching the film for in the first place, was nothing short of fantastic. This is for fans of films featuring mentally disturbed people who finally hit a tipping point and begin to crack.
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