Hostile

I needed to see what the kids were up to so once I joined Netflix, I put Hostel as my first pick. After sitting on the table for a week, we finally watched it.

It was just awful. Quentin Tarantino as producer and Eli Roth as director lamely make a case for the existence of this movie in that it is “Based partly on actual events”—but really, it’s Vorn. Vorn is a neologism created on this web log one sentence ago. Violence as Porn.

The movie’s narrative is as slight as a porno until the last fifteen minutes of the gore when it is revealed what the movie is about. Warning: spoiler coming for those who have not seen this splatter flick and want to endure it.

The story ultimately hinges upon men who pay to torture and kill people. It is just awful. Because it lacks character development, it presents true evil at its most existential. Maybe this is the genius of the movie. Actually, this is the genius of the movie.

Absolute darkness exists on earth. It exists in comic books. It exists in history. It exists today. It exists in this movie.

I have a friend, M, who shares with me an ease in conversations about sex and anything else. At a party recently, after a couple of drinks he said to me, “Don’t you sometimes look at a guy and want to grab him by his legs, hold him sideways and slam him into a cement wall? Watch his head crack open until it’s bloody pulp?”

I said, “No.”

He said, “I’d like to do it. Just to see how it feels. Come on.”

And I said as flat as the day, “No, not really. Things like that don't cross my mind.”

I did not judge him for it. I was actually in awe that he could admit it so freely. In fact, since he shows such restraint by not performing this deed, he should be applauded. But still, it was a shock to hear this from someone. I was almost jealous that I never felt that way. I was also aware of this chasm between myself and others. Was I missing something? Is he really off?

Big Jump:

I fear that insemination and aggression are part of the same impulse. If aggression was reduced and human beings were palatable, non-warring, peace loving primates, I bet the birth rate would decrease greatly. I bet the collective sperm count would decrease greatly. I bet the species would disappear. The species exists partly owing to this destructive force.
As long as there is insemination there will be this murder impulse. And there will be these movies. "And when you're done, just slip it into the mailer provided and once it is received, we will send you the next movie in your queue."