But then after this show, I realized I needed to finally see “Das Experiment”. This episode led me to the film I think I’ve hated more than anything I’ve seen in years. It’s so much more crushing to hate something you expected to love, by a director who wowed you so much the first time.

Jay, I think I’m really with you about what you said about the Excorcist situation and how it might apply to the Invasion, that maybe its unfair to blame the Wachowskis.

I loved Downfall, placed it high in my top 100, and very much looked forward to Das Experiment. Rented it this week, and despite its great reputation, I ended up hating it more than about 99% of all bad movies I’ve ever seen.

My dislike for “Das Experiment” falls pretty much in line with the negative reviews that came out when it was released. This is a complete clumsy mess in storytelling, with the escalation of violence being so unbelievably portrayed that it just becomes frustrating, boring, over the top bullshit. Whether its rape, pissing on people, the box, taking the fight to the scientists, the film is so desperate to shock you into buying what its trying to say about power and the line between fantasy and reality that its just plain… sad. I am genuinely depressed now, and am now probably going to have to defend McTeague and the Wachowskis against a lot of what is being said. As much as I liked ‘Downfall’, with only two films under his belt, after what I’ve seen it seems just as likely to me now that the movie was unsalvageable before Joel Silver’s buddies touched it than it is that we got a Terry Gilliam-esque case of misguided studio intervention.

Marina, you nailed it. The other version actually engender an emotional response, this one is dead in the water, some scenes are technically competent, but the compromise of singular vision (my assumption, heck maybe Hershbeigel made a crappy movie, we won’t know unless blessed with a proper directors cut) killed any chance of an emotional gut-punch.

Andrew, I’m shocked that you even considered watching RH3. I’m like Kurt, I’ve been avoiding this thing like a contagious plague.

As for “The Invasion”, I’m on the fence but leaning to dislike. On the one hand, I didn’t mind bits and pieces of the film (though as a whole it didn’t work) but what gets me most is that I didn’t get anything from it. No emotional response either way. It’s just sort of there. Which is too bad because there are good bits in there and the film *looks* good.

Another great show guys.

http://www.filmgrotto.com/2007/08/23/robocop-20th-anniversary-broken-in-canada/