Tusk
(2014/Kevin Smith/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Film: B+
Tusk
(2014) is an odd turn for Kevin Smith, pitting him back into the
world of horror after Red State which he made a few years ago.
Tusk is a far more interesting film and stars Michael Parks,
Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment and Genesis Rodríguez. (not to
mention a meaty more-than-cameo by Johnny Depp). Of all the
performances in the film, Michael Parks really knocks it out of the
park with his creepy turn as Howard Howe. It is also worth
mentioning that Johnny Depp and Kevin Smith's daughters also have a
brief cameo in the film as store employees.
In
the supplements, Smith reveals that this entire film was birthed in a
podcast that he had with his Producer Scott Mossier and became a full
out reality in a years time. The result, in my opinion, is that Tusk
is not only one of Kevin Smith's best movies but a well executed
torture-mystery that stomps away the bad taste of The Human
Centipede films and is soon to be a cult classic.
Friends
Wallace Bryton (Justin Long) and Teddy Craft (Haley Joel Osment) host
the popular podcast The Not-See Party, where they find and mock
humiliating viral videos. He announces plans to fly to Canada to
interview the Kill Bill Kid, an Internet celebrity famous for
severing his leg. In flashbacks spread through the film, it's
revealed that Wallace was originally a failed standup comic who
became popular with his increasingly vicious podcasts, which upsets
his girlfriend Ally (Génesis Rodríguez) and leads to fights
accusing him of selling out.
Upon
arriving in Manitoba, Wallace is surprised to learn that the Kill
Bill Kid committed suicide. Upset that he flew to Canada for
nothing, Wallace decides to stay an extra day and find another person
to interview. He finds a handbill from someone offering a room in
his home for free and the guarantee of hearing a lifetime of
interesting stories. His interests piqued, Wallace arrives at the
mansion of Howard Howe (Michael Parks), a retired seaman in a
wheelchair. Howe tells the story of how a walrus he named Mr. Tusk
rescued him after a shipwreck. Wallace then passes out from the
secobarbital laced in Howe's tea. When he wakes up we discover that
Howard has in store for Wallace is more than torture but a new
life... as a human walrus.
Once
he has gone missing, Teddy and Ally start on a desperate search for
their lost friend and soon befriend an unusual retired Detective
(Depp) who helps lead them to the eerie house of Howard Howe in a
stunning climax that is not to be missed (or spoiled!).
The
picture and sound on the disc don't disappoint with a 1080p high
definition transfer with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a
lossless English DTS-HD 5.1 MA (Master Audio) track that is loud and
in control. Subtitles are also available on the disc.
Extras
include...
20
Years to Tusk
Deleted
Scenes
Making
of Tusk Featurettes
Audio
Commentary by Kevin Smith
And
the Smodcast that inspired the film
All
in all, this is a film that horror fans really shouldn't miss. It
has an unusual blenty of dark comedy, horror, and drama that is
really interesting and really top notch performances. In all
reality, Tusk is probably one of my favorite films of the
year.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
