Pieces (1982)
Directed by Juan Piquer Simon
Grindhouse Releasing DVD
THE FILM
"Prediction Confirmed!"
"Another Verification of Prediction Previously Made!"
"A Third Verification of Prediction Made before that Second Verification of Said Prediction!"
Prof. Swift and Prof. Watson of the Journal of the Franklin Institute, along with the mighty Leverrier, have backed up the initial prediction of the poster for Pieces in regards to me. "It's exactly what you think it is!" Yes, it was exactly what I thought it was. Thank you, gentlemen, You may return to your Institutional Research. Last I heard, Swift & Watson were trying to verify whether or not Stephen King had scared the hell out of anyone with Maximum Overdrive. Results, so far, are inconclusive.
There's something about the disconnected dubbing of Pieces that makes all the random wandering from Kung Fu Professors to Awesome Studs to Tennis Playing Cops to Extreme Gore all the better. I've seen it on the big screen and I can tell you that (huge, in front of you) the film is nuttier than ever and, yes, you can see the lead guy's junk pretty clearly right before the Motorcycle-sounds-like-a-chainsaw scene.
Pieces is so, so good because the next bit of craziness is always just around the corner from the current bit of craziness. I will admit that the Instant Coffee making suspense scenes at the end try my patience, but only slightly, because I know what approaches. I watched this film for the first time late one night in the late 80s. Home from a debauched night out with friends, I sat on the couch in the Den and put "Pieces" on. And, even without independent verification, It was exactly what I thought it was. And, much like Don't Go In The Woods, when I was half-asleep the whole disconnected, random-jumping plotting and total disregard for humanity, scared the hell out of me.
I'm older now. I understand that the filmmakers were just trying to gross us out and, in between those moments, they were just filling time. But, unlike some slashers where character development is attempted, the makers of Pieces knew that we didn't care about that (mostly). So, they top-loaded this skuzzy mother with goofy characters saying odd things. The scenes in between the gory killings are actually more unpredictable, surprising and weird than the killings could ever be. Which is awesome because that makes the killings strawberry icing on the cake.
I didn't give out any plot because, if the film is "exactly what you think it is!", why would I try to describe what you think it is? Wouldn't that just be a waste of all our times?
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Wow! The Grindhouse DVD looks and sounds superb. To Me. And, I'm not yet "Widescreen", like Joe.
EXTRAS
There are interviews, trailers, an "Audience" Commentary track and…the best...the Spanish language track with an Original score! And, it makes the whole film feel different. Both versions are valid but, Momma, I love my CAM.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It cost me $4500 to get Independent Verification of what I thought about this film…but it was worth every penny. Pieces is a carnival of craziness filled with gore. It's got almost everything I want from a film of this sort. Pieces is part of my Bi-annual Rotation. Part of my Weird Movie life. And, when I watched Winter's Bone this weekend and Ree and her siblings rest on their bed…and it undulates beneath them...All I could think of was that One Loopy Gal smoking and talking about having sex on a waterbed. It's all one big tapestry, everything is interwoven. Just keep looking.
— Dan Budnik, 05.12.11 |
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