TURISTAS CLIPS

I don't know but listening to the rich white Tourist whine about wanting to go home at the end of the Turistas trailer evokes a bit of a smirk. Is that the best they can do for a kicker? Too bad the rest of the trailer looks so interesting. I'm not a big fan of the torture genre (it is a genre by now isn't it) at all. Interviewed Eli Roth, heard him out, and have watched the seemingly endless series of gored up remakes that seem to splatter the screen at least one a week but beyond a certain fascination with Special Effects I find pretty much the whole lot of 'em forgettable.

True Roth did try to instill Hostel with a moral center- we are supposed to be disturbed watching this stuff, the way it victimizes everyone. But he wasn't able to provide a true enough through line. Like High Tension, the recent Hills Have Eyes and others, the focus was blood, bloood and more blood.

But Turistas is a film that seems like it might have some real energy so perhaps there is a spark of originality as well? John Stockwell's previous credits Into The Blue and Blue Crush actually showed the man some flare with a lense even if the doofy plotting got in the way. But writer Michael Ross edited the excellently entertaining Wrong Turn. Dare I hope for a strong subtext dealing with American expansionism etc. I'd be more interested in a deeply empathetic look at how the "American Dream" affects the very heart and soul of what it means to be a person. I've had many friends, missionaries in Central America and Mexico who assure me that the incredible poverty there has done little to dull the true joy of congregations and communities who have made a life out of virtue and spirituality. Willing to share whatever they have, with no thought of getting something back these people often leave a much greater impression on my friends than the other way around. This is of course in direct contrast to the wasted potential of America's vast rescources which basically are spent on those who already have more of everything than they need. Texas Chainsaw and the original Hills Have Eyes did a great job generating discussion about the haves and have nots and of course Romero's zombies are always a good reminder that there is a real humor to be found in watching the living being eaten by the dead. Perhaps it's all too much to attend screenings after screening hoping to find a little intelligence much less craft in my favorite genre but I won't be giving up any time soon, Turistas will probably get my attention before it hits DVD.

For those equally curious here are some clips

The Seen It But Let's Watch It Again Anyway TV Spot

and of course

Roughly a minute of star Josh Duhamel being interviewed about the film.