SawVi

Best of the New Releases: Saw VI
I should pick Inalienable as the best new release of the week for its kick-ass cover, but I haven't actually seen it. I have seen Saw VI, however, and can attest that it is one of the best entries in the franchise. From my original review, "If Dunstan and Melton are allowed to keep the script as restrained as they've now proven they can, I think SAW VI is going to mark a very welcome turning point for the series. At the very least, it no longer has me dreading the idea of going back to this well 2 or 3 more times."

Paramount has hired Saw VI director Kevin Greutert and prime time veteran writer Michael R. Perry to create the sequel to last year's indie sensation, Paranormal Activity. Director Oren Peli made the film on a $15,000 budget but it went on to cash in over $150 million worldwide, boasting a clever web marketing campaign. Peli and Jason Blum will continue on with the series as producers and Steven Schneider (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance redux) will serve as executive producer. Ironically, Paranormal Activity 2 will be up against Lionsgate's Saw VII for this year's pre-Halloween weekend. After Saw VI grossed a mere $31 million in 2009, many are left wondering if the franchise is dying and if a Paranormal Activity series may be ready to take its place.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Peli is behind the new team stating, "These guys get it, and the fans won't be disappointed." The storyline about a a young couple who battle a malevolent entity after capturing evidence on tape will be kept intact. No word yet if the cast of four will return for the sequel and no clues as to whether or not Greutert will use the same approach as Peli--using unknown actors and setting the story in a singular location. That was part of the beauty of the first film and I'm leery that this aspect will remain.

If all this news sounds familiar, then you're probably thinking of the Blair Witch phenomenon, which fell flat after Artisan Entertainment pushed for a sequel on the coattails of a successful first go-round. Paramount is hoping to do the same after Paranormal Activity by spending $1 million a year to make a dozen or more low budget films, each costing less than $100,000. Peli's hotly anticipated Area 51, now in post-production, won't be part of this schematic as he'll be working with a $5 million budget this time.

I'm not sure if Paranormal Activity's mythology lends itself to another film. Personally, it didn't hold up for me upon repeated viewings and I've been exhausted by the constant coverage of the film, months after its release. I can't help but think this sequel is going to crush the subtlety of the first film and bleed it dry entirely. I have a deep respect for what Peli has done and want to cheer him on but I'm really torn. Where do you stand on things?

According to the good folks over at Arrow in the Head, Saw VI is apparently more than the rating boards of Spain can handle. The film has earned itself an X rating despite being wildly successful in all its other incarnations. What is it about Saw VI that has the Spanish MPAA's pantalones all in a twist? Did they get shipped an unrated cut? Or do they just like the idea of pairing it with Debbie Does Barcelona as a double feature? The craziest part of this whole story, in my opinion, is that the company that distributes the Saw films in Spain...is freaking Disney! Oh yeah, and Disney has pulled all its promotional material (television ads, posters, and the like) and is currently in a battle with the Spanish MPAA over the issue.

Just when you thought it was safe to assume the mega horror franchise would once again own another Halloween at the box office, Friday estimates are showing that Paranormal Activity ($7.5 million) beat Saw VI ($7 million), despite the fact that the latter is playing on over 1,100 more screens than the former. Could this finally be the year that a Saw film tanks at the box office? Could Paranormal Activity be the movie that keeps Jigsaw in check? And if Saw VI loses the weekend box office to Paranormal Activity (which early estimates are indicating), what will this mean for the Saw franchise moving forward?

Whether or not you liked Paranormal Activity, you really do have to give it props for being one of the most successful underdog flicks in history. Do you realize that if the film somehow manages to pull in a total of $100 million at the box office (after this weekend it could climb above $60 million), it will become the most successful Paramount film in modern history? As Deadline Hollywood points out, the movie was acquired for $300k and the studio only spent around $10 million on prints and advertising, so, says a DH "insider", "this will be the best return Paramount has ever had." I'd like to repeat that because it's definitely worth repeating: This little indie film could give Paramount the best return it has ever had. Remarkable.

More at Cinematical!

By Todd Gilchrist

Sorry to break it to fans of the Saw film series, but Jigsaw, a/k/a John Kramer is a self-righteous dick. In comparison to the Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers of the horror world, whose raison d'être is causing carnage mercifully bereft of deeper moral or instructional value, Jigsaw devotes a ridiculous amount of time thinking about what other people do with themselves, and effectively (if ironically) conceives his traps as object lessons in humility, compassion, and self-awareness. Personally, I find this high-handed moralizing far more painful than any evil device he could possibly design, but then again, that's why I'm not a fan of the series; that said, the latest installment in the Saw franchise appears to fulfill all of the demands of its audience and then some, making it a worthy and faithful entry in a franchise which at this point seems essentially designed to document people dying in increasingly inventive ways.

After a cold-open sequence where two loan officers compete to dismember themselves as an alternative to being literally screwed to death, Saw VI opens as Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) investigates Jigsaw's (Tobin Bell) latest crime – which, coincidentally, he helped execute. As he narrowly eludes discovery by his colleagues, across town a claims adjuster named William (Peter Outerbridge) becomes the victim of Jigsaw's next deadly game, while the long-deceased killer's widow Jill (Betsy Russell) carries out her late husband's final wishes. Soon, the paths of these various players intersect, but despite their various efforts to take control of their lives - and in some cases those of the others, it's Jigsaw himself who comfortably presides over all of them, even from beyond the grave. This time, though, his goal seems to be to drive his deadly game towards its ultimate conclusion.

Read the rest at Cinematical! (There's a twist at the end!)

I guess as every Halloween brings a new Saw sequel, each one will also merit a new parody video. Last year gave us the amusing Saw School Musical (since HSM3 opened opposite Saw V), and this year, Saw VI brings with it an early glimpse at one of Jigsaw's less effective traps. The Vault of Horror is responsible for bringing this one to our attention, and, well... you can see for yourself below, lest I go and describe the joke away. Suffice to say we could have used this clip as a "fate worse than death."

There's no need for a spoiler alert here, even if you haven't been keeping up with the Saw franchise it's common knowledge that it's villain Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) died a few entries ago. How they're going to incorporate the long dead trap-setter is actually the only thing that keeps me interested in the series. I'm just hoping that writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan break out Jigsaw's twin brother at some point.

The sixth entry is only a few weeks away and we're still without a full length theatrical trailer, but fans now have another 30 second spot to pour over. And surprise, surprise, the short trailer shows us that Jigsaw is still milling around, droning on in his sinister old man voice. Is it just another in the never-ending list of Jigsaw's vlogs? Is Saw 6 a prequel that takes place before he was on an autopsy table? Will theaters hand out motion sickness pills for the spinning camera?

Find out on October the 23rd!