Movies
Gnaw (V)
“Gnaw isn’t completely inept. Admittedly, it’s mostly in focus. A couple of the violent set-pieces are an admirably gory mess, enhanced by a syrupy, chunky red-black blood that looked like it was a bitch to work with. But Gnaw lacks tension. And wit. And scares. It’s cookie-cutter torture-porn, as generic as a white-labeled can of creamed corn. “
Gnaw reveals its torture-porn aspirations before the opening credits have even started rolling. Start with a jerky-cam sequence featuring a dirty, nightie-clad girl, panting as she runs barefoot through the forest. Then her inevitable capture by a mysterious figure pursuing in a big oily truck. And of course, a super gory torture scene staged in a grimy basement, in which the girl screams and wails until she dies, just to let the audience know that this movie means business. Roll opening credits. And you’ve got yourself some torture-porn.
Not to be confused with the sequel to Food of the Gods (har), Gnaw takes a handful of horny, indistinguishable British 20-somethings and throws them into a secluded mansion to flirt, fuck, and babble about bullshit, all while a bunch of POV shots accompanied by heavy breathing watch their every move. Even at a scant 76 minutes, Gnaw manages to squander its first two acts on fake scares and some truly godawful relationship dialogue. [Bloke #1: “You fancy her, don’t you?” Bloke #2: “No.” Bloke #1: “Bollocks!”] When the friends discover a dinner table laden with all manner of pastries and meat pies, it’s easy to see where Gnaw is headed. But Jesus, it sure does take its sweet time getting there.
Finally (finally!) a couple of the friends go out exploring on their own, and the lurking voyeur, a stubble-headed hillbilly cannibal who’s been silently watching the action for about 45 minutes now, finally gets his ass into gear. Working with a limited weapons arsenal (bear traps and a man-sized BBQ fork) and occasionally dressing up in a hooded cape and fur mask, the hillbilly methodically whacks the British buddies one-by-one in a series of rote, tedious death scenes. No spoiler alert necessary. You know how this movie begins. You know how it ends. You’ve seen it before. We’ve all seen it before.
Gnaw isn’t completely inept. Admittedly, it’s mostly in focus. A couple of the violent set-pieces are an admirably gory mess, enhanced by a syrupy, chunky red-black blood that looked like it was a bitch to work with. But Gnaw lacks tension. And wit. And scares. It’s cookie-cutter torture-porn, as generic as a white-labeled can of creamed corn.
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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