Insulting to men
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alextuxford — 9 years ago(June 19, 2016 04:39 PM)
I don't think there would be an issue if the gender roles were reversed. All of the seduction is more or less mutual and didn't strike me as predatory in a sexual sense. If the seduction scenes in the van were shown outside of the context of this movie they wouldn't be menacing or creepy at all, and that wouldn't change if the genders were changed in my opinion.
As for the men wading into the pool, I think that's just one of the mysteries in the story: there's no explanation for how a big black pool fits inside those flats, or for why no one seems to react to the strangeness of the setting. I saw that as an aspect of Scarlet Johansson's alienness that wasn't related to her sex appeal but rather to some sort of hypnosis or mind control or whatever. The men aren't ignoring the weirdness of the situation just because they want to get laid; something else is going on.
I sort of agree with you that the bus guy is a bit odd for accepting her advances when she's clearly not quite right, and the logger is a rapist so it's without question that he's not a good guy; but I have to disagree that the movie is insulting to men. I actually thought the first two guys that she seduces seemed pretty decent. -
famouserik — 9 years ago(June 19, 2016 07:06 PM)
I think the seduction van scenes are definitely creepy and predatory.
Even if I could send a friend a pic of the girl, the van, the house with address, I would still think I would end up dead if I went inside.
But not these guys. Guided by their penis, they don't care.
(doesn't matter if they are nice or not. They are too stupid to notice they are being let to their deaths)
We can't suppose there is some sort of hypnosis happening or it makes the rest of the seduction part of the story meaningless. Why then isn't the motor bike guy doing the man trapping ?
So all we see is stupid men let around by their dicks, an ethically compromised guy and a rapist. -
alextuxford — 9 years ago(June 20, 2016 01:30 PM)
I think there is definitely a disconnect between the point of view of the victims and the point of view of us as the audience. We see the completely black room and the descent into the pool, but the victims don't react to this at all. Their lack of reaction indicates a complete lack of rationality. If, as you seem to believe, this lack of rationality is caused solely by an all-consuming but naturally occurring desire to have sex, then I would agree that these characters are insultingly over-sexed male stereotypes. But I have to disagree that that is what was going on in those scenes. What we the audience are seeing is an abstraction - an endless black void inside a seemingly normal building - but this abstraction gave us some idea of what is happening to the victims. What is actually happening to the victims is probably far too complex and alien for us to understand visually. As I was watching it, it was clear to me that what I was seeing was not the same as what the victims were seeing or what Scarlet Johansson's character was seeing. If you didn't have that experience while watching: that's fine. We just have different opinions.
As for the van scenes, again, I think they are not creepy when taken out of the context of the rest of the film, nor do I think they would be creepy if the genders were reversed. Imagine a rom-com in which a young man asks polite questions and then offers a ride to a girl. While in the van, the two continue talking and become flirtatious. When the sexual tension rises, the man suggests going back to his house. Seeing as how the two are strangers, it certainly wouldn't be advisable to go straight back to his house, but I also don't think that it is an overly creepy suggestion given the circumstance. Again, that is just my opinion and you're entitled to yours.
If you got this far, sorry for the crazy-long post. -
famouserik — 9 years ago(June 20, 2016 04:27 PM)
Thats part of my problem with this movie. We are just supposed to assume that there are some sort of answers to whats going on but we are never let in on what is happening.
We can make assumptions, but if its some abstract then why show us so much of it, including the guy who isdeskinned.
But I guess we aren't supposed to care? And just slog ahead with the story of the alien who wanders away from her duties because Thats right! Sci FI cliche number 1. Aliens exposed to human culture will discard their own culture and lives and begin to understand how awesome being human is.
I still disagree with you about the van scenes.
If we know we are watching a Rom Com then we know nothing bad will come from a one night stand. (Except maybe a broken heart.
)
But these van scenes are like a prolog to Hostel, 3096 Days, a Rob Zombie movie or Room.
Any the men who submit to this seduction(even ignoring the strange black goo room) are oversexed idiots.
And again, the bus stop guy is ultimately creepy for his lack of concern at her obviously unbalanced behaviour.
Plus a rapist. -
joseph-argenio-622-182606 — 9 years ago(June 21, 2016 01:12 PM)
". . . the men . . . are oversexed idiots."
Hmm, yeah, that pretty much sums up my impression. Somehow I seem to have girlfriends & wives that other men, "friends", strangers, the guy down the street always want. Tell me I am the only one. -
karenzkritterz — 9 years ago(August 12, 2016 08:28 PM)
You cannot possibly be serious! Are you a woman? A mother? I am. I would walk through FIRE before I let my daughter (or granddaughter) get in a VAN with a strange man, no matter how nice he seems!! WTF are you thinking?? That's a headline waiting to happen. What would you tell your daughter to do if some guy pulls up and says, "Hi, sweetie! I've got some candy and a puppy here in my VAN. Wanna go for a ride?" Sweet Jesus.
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xerorei — 9 years ago(August 25, 2016 05:59 PM)
Somehow you turn a topic about
CONSENTING ADULTS
to you being a parent and children?
Lady I'm happy you're a concerned parent, and rightly so, but not everything has to do with your daughter and protecting a child.
NOBODY in this movie is a child, this subject speaks ONLY of consenting ADULTS.
And honestly if your daughter was A) an adult and B) stupid enough to get into a van with a stranger, then it'd be her own fault and her own choice.
AS AN ADULT
Evil men prosper when more evil men trick the good men into assisting their nefarious allies. -
elighffalk — 9 years ago(July 12, 2016 05:31 PM)
how about the wonderfully disturbing film I Spit On Your Grave? Yes RED FLAG. RED FLAGS are usually creepy beep thats what is so amazing! I do not like this film, because I find it boring and stupid, but not do to some gender war. I do not hate men nor women or anything. But I do not see why people focus on gender or anything like that in horror films. What ever gets you disturbed, outraged or scared (and you are obviously outraged by this film) would make a wonderful horror film. Ive seen Irreversible and I spit on your Grave and Cannibal Holocaust, Happiness, Mondo Cane, Pink Flamingoes and Sweet Movie, A Serbian Film, Last house on Your Left and Last Shift, Seul Contre Tous, Martyrs, Calvaire and Alleluija, Men Behind The Sun Megan is Missing and Haute Tension (blabla so on), and it might just be because I am a woman, that those crazy rape/female hatred/unempowering scenes are so creepy to me as a woman that I find them to be amazing horror films, Though as listed in that short list some films are also abusive towards men primarely, I still find them haunting and scary! Just be glad you finally found a film, that you as a man can feel truly abused by, and shocked to the bone! But if you want a film were men and women get abused equally, go watch Salo O Le 120 Giornatte Di Sodoma, and yes that is also terrifying and disturbing, even for both genders I would argue!
once again, I dont like this film though. But I think the "abuse towards men" argument is kinda useless. If the film is disturbing or creepy, no matter the gender, religion or sexuality, it has somehow fulfilled its main purpose, well or not. -
djkynky1 — 9 years ago(June 29, 2016 07:14 AM)
It's not insulting to men. Men just make up most of the worlds rapists and sex offenders, I was just surprised it took so long for her character to find one.
Only ever given 2 films 10/10
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xerorei — 9 years ago(August 25, 2016 06:01 PM)
Actually the numbers are pretty even, you just hear less about the womenat least you used to.
Seem to read/hear a whole lot about teachers being perverts with teenage boys, or that mother/son incest couple in texas, .or other things.
Evil men prosper when more evil men trick the good men into assisting their nefarious allies. -
Neuronhead — 9 years ago(August 10, 2016 05:56 AM)
I don't think it was insulting to men. But I think if the genders were reversed there would be outcry, and the producer and everyone involved with the project would have been vilified.
The men were literally pieces of meat to her.
I have no problem with men or women being objectified. It's the hypocrisy of many feminists that bothers me.
I choose to believe what I was programmed to believe -
stirling-1 — 9 years ago(November 16, 2016 02:14 AM)
Eh? You've just agreed withthe OP. The OP was saying the portrayal of men is insulting to men and you've just used the (bad) portrayal of men to refute his/her argument.
How do you write women so well?
I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability