American Mary is a strange story of revenge and finding one's niche in the world. It's easy to dismiss as a hack/slash piece of pulp, but I have to admit I enjoyed the film for its weird elements. It provides antagonists who are easy to hate and a protagonist who has a questionable lifestyle, yet is still very likable, due in no small part to actress, Katharine Isabella. She's smart, funny, and does a nice job handling a really bizarre story line. BE WARNED, this story is NOT for everyone. It has some very disturbing elements and is highly graphic in nature. That being said, the movie combines drama, dark comedy, and gore in a way I, as a viewer, found interesting. This is not a horror movie. Viewers going into the film with that notion will be disappointed. Again, this is a weird and graphic film and not for those who are easily (or even not so easily) disturbed. It has a questionable message and is weird in ways one may have never considered. It thought is was inventive and strange and I enjoyed the unexpected trip.
177 Reviews
A medical student with financial problems finds her way into the "field" of body modification.
rterenzini30 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
American Mary
CreaturewiththeatombrainUK27 January 2013
American Mary is a sleek and sexy film that is unpredictable and fairly unique. The story is dark, daring and entertaining, and solid production gives it clean and smooth look. It's body modification theme is edgy yet tasteful, and at times quite thought provoking. Katherine Isobelle plays the lead brilliantly; cold and brutal, but at the same time, empowering and elegant.
As for Faults, well, American Mary is a great film, but it peaks two-thirds of the way in, and by comparison it's ending feels a little timid and noncommittal.
Now, this is a bit over critical on my part, and it's only a minor flaw, but one that stands out as there are so few in the film. It's the cameo from the Soska sisters, I get it, I do, If I made a horror film, I'd want to be in it too, but this just wasn't the parts for them. Although I suspect they probably wrote it with themselves in mind. It's only a short scene but one with so much potential. The Soska sisters play big characters in a scene that could have been wonderfully unsettling, but instead its a bit flat and clumsy. The girls just didn't have the physical presence or screen confidence required to fill out the roles.
American Mary would have been excellent if it wasn't hindered by a few minor flaws and a weak ending. Overall, a delicate, but by no means tame, addition to the torture porn sub-genre. This film could easily become a horror cult classic, and deservingly so. I will be interested to see what the Soska sisters do next.
As for Faults, well, American Mary is a great film, but it peaks two-thirds of the way in, and by comparison it's ending feels a little timid and noncommittal.
Now, this is a bit over critical on my part, and it's only a minor flaw, but one that stands out as there are so few in the film. It's the cameo from the Soska sisters, I get it, I do, If I made a horror film, I'd want to be in it too, but this just wasn't the parts for them. Although I suspect they probably wrote it with themselves in mind. It's only a short scene but one with so much potential. The Soska sisters play big characters in a scene that could have been wonderfully unsettling, but instead its a bit flat and clumsy. The girls just didn't have the physical presence or screen confidence required to fill out the roles.
American Mary would have been excellent if it wasn't hindered by a few minor flaws and a weak ending. Overall, a delicate, but by no means tame, addition to the torture porn sub-genre. This film could easily become a horror cult classic, and deservingly so. I will be interested to see what the Soska sisters do next.
One of the most original horror films of recent years American Mary is a darkly comic gore-fest about revenge and back-street body modification.
harmern14 August 2013
One of the most original horror films of recent years American Mary is a darkly comic gore- fest about revenge and back-street body modification.
Mary (Katherine Isabelle) is a promising and dedicated medical student who, like all students at one point or another in their studies, falls foul of financial difficulty. Lured into the world of body modification by the handsome prices offered by weirdos with a desire to make themselves more unique, Mary finds a way to continue her studies whilst earning some pretty good money. Wrongly assumed to have become a prostitute by her creepy professor she is invited to a sleazy surgeons party unaware that he has ulterior motives that make her new found profession start to take over her life.
American Mary is one of few horror films that's focus is on the female character's strength. Mary goes from being a hardworking model student to a psychotic body modification surgeon in a seedy strip club where she originally auditioned to work. The transformation from quiet student to headstrong surgical dominatrix after being violated is both empowering and contradictory of the traditional representation of women in horror. Katherine Isabelle is as charismatic as she is beautiful and she completely owns the character. She maintains an air of mystery which makes you constantly question her intentions towards the people she meets and her performance will keep you on your toes.
Darkly comedic and completely twisted American Mary is one damn good reason for women in the media to be more prevalent in the horror genre; there's no fluff in this film, no cliché crap and very little predictability. It has no eye-roll moments of exploitation and Isabelle's performance is empowering for women as well as easy on the eye for the men; a good balance that excludes neither gender from the audience like so many horror films do. The Soska sisters show their love for the horror genre and its brutality but also its more sexy side (which is weird considering all the blood, but there we go!) and American Mary is clearly a labour of love and not just some uncared for cliché torture porn that's been churned out as a money maker. The settings are seedy and dark and the sleazy underbelly of society is well portrayed but in an almost desirable fashion that enables us to see how easy it is for Mary to get sucked in to this world where money comes easily if you're willing to leave your comfort zone.
If you can ignore the occasionally questionable performances American Mary is an all round brilliant horror film that sucks you in to this brutal, seedy, sexy universe for 100 minutes and refuses to let your attention slip. What happens to Mary's professor is as genius as it is disturbing, but you will have to watch to find out for yourself.
Mary (Katherine Isabelle) is a promising and dedicated medical student who, like all students at one point or another in their studies, falls foul of financial difficulty. Lured into the world of body modification by the handsome prices offered by weirdos with a desire to make themselves more unique, Mary finds a way to continue her studies whilst earning some pretty good money. Wrongly assumed to have become a prostitute by her creepy professor she is invited to a sleazy surgeons party unaware that he has ulterior motives that make her new found profession start to take over her life.
American Mary is one of few horror films that's focus is on the female character's strength. Mary goes from being a hardworking model student to a psychotic body modification surgeon in a seedy strip club where she originally auditioned to work. The transformation from quiet student to headstrong surgical dominatrix after being violated is both empowering and contradictory of the traditional representation of women in horror. Katherine Isabelle is as charismatic as she is beautiful and she completely owns the character. She maintains an air of mystery which makes you constantly question her intentions towards the people she meets and her performance will keep you on your toes.
Darkly comedic and completely twisted American Mary is one damn good reason for women in the media to be more prevalent in the horror genre; there's no fluff in this film, no cliché crap and very little predictability. It has no eye-roll moments of exploitation and Isabelle's performance is empowering for women as well as easy on the eye for the men; a good balance that excludes neither gender from the audience like so many horror films do. The Soska sisters show their love for the horror genre and its brutality but also its more sexy side (which is weird considering all the blood, but there we go!) and American Mary is clearly a labour of love and not just some uncared for cliché torture porn that's been churned out as a money maker. The settings are seedy and dark and the sleazy underbelly of society is well portrayed but in an almost desirable fashion that enables us to see how easy it is for Mary to get sucked in to this world where money comes easily if you're willing to leave your comfort zone.
If you can ignore the occasionally questionable performances American Mary is an all round brilliant horror film that sucks you in to this brutal, seedy, sexy universe for 100 minutes and refuses to let your attention slip. What happens to Mary's professor is as genius as it is disturbing, but you will have to watch to find out for yourself.
The female of the species is deadlier than the male...
Red-Barracuda12 January 2013
Even at this early stage this interesting feature from Canada has the look of a future cult movie. It's decidedly left-field in subject matter. In it a female medical student with financial troubles turns to the shady world of underground surgeries. Before long she is carrying out more and more outlandish procedures. Pleasingly this one is directed by women. It's ridiculous in this day and age how rare it remains for women to be given the director's reigns. This film shows that the female vision can be very twisted and macabre indeed. The directors are identical twins Jen and Sylvia Soska who appear in a cameo as Eastern European sisters who crave bizarre body modifications. Their direction is very stylised but with grit where necessary. I'm not usually queasy when it comes to movies but I can honestly say that one surgical scene left me looking away. The third female presence is star Katherine Isabelle of Ginger Snaps fame. She is very good in a dark and sexy performance. She is a great anti-heroine and her revenge moment on a man who attacked her is one that had me inwardly cheering.
Seeing as this is a Canadian horror film perhaps a comparison with David Cronenberg is inevitable. But in this instance it's a fairly relevant one as in many ways this is another example of the body horror sub-genre. It's a film that combines contemporary sadistic horror with a view of an unusual subculture of people who modify their bodies through surgery. It isn't a very story driven film to be fair and it sometimes lacks a bit of overall dynamism but this is only a relatively minor observation and it is pleasingly original for the most part. Overall the feature could perhaps best be described as what would happen if Clive Barker was to direct a film that combined elements of Hard Candy and Audition.
Seeing as this is a Canadian horror film perhaps a comparison with David Cronenberg is inevitable. But in this instance it's a fairly relevant one as in many ways this is another example of the body horror sub-genre. It's a film that combines contemporary sadistic horror with a view of an unusual subculture of people who modify their bodies through surgery. It isn't a very story driven film to be fair and it sometimes lacks a bit of overall dynamism but this is only a relatively minor observation and it is pleasingly original for the most part. Overall the feature could perhaps best be described as what would happen if Clive Barker was to direct a film that combined elements of Hard Candy and Audition.
Another gem from the twisted twins.
jackmeat1 May 2013
Movie review:The twisted twins, Sylvia and Jen Soska, are back with their second full length feature. Now that people are taking notice to their talent, this time they have a budget (although they did need to take out a second mortgage to get the project off the ground). Anyway, this movie is about Mary, a brilliant med student studying to be a surgeon. Of course, money issues arise, as seems to always happen to college kids, so she decides stripping may be the way to go. While "interviewing" for the job, a strange occurrence puts here in the helm of a situation where she is needed to perform surgery at the club for quick cash. She soon realizes that maybe under the table surgical procedures may become a way to make money, so when a woman tracks her down after finding her resume at the club, she takes on a second patient. Mary finds herself juggling the task of student and surgeon on the side. Well, the life of being a student is crossed when she is invited to a "party" where she is the guest of honor, so to speak, and the world of the actual surgeons take a toll on her as she is drugged and raped. This incident pushes Mary over the edge and she takes matters into her own hands. This movie does a wonderful job weaving the tale of a woman that is forced into a life she wasn't prepared for, that of BME and revenge. It follows her downward spiral balancing reality with the virtually psychotic road she has chosen. The movie is much more polished than it's predecessor and it shows in the quality of camera-work and editing. The acting is very well done by Katherine Isabelle as Mary, and the other actors hold their own in their respective roles. Of course, the blood and gore is there, but not as extensive as their previous effort. It really wasn't needed for the story the twins wrote. American Mary had a limited theater release so you may or may not have had the chance to see it. If not, I again highly suggest that you see this movie. It is good to see new talent emerging with entertaining movies that don't follow the cookie cutter mold Hollywood has been giving us. 6.4/10 IMDb 6.0 . I very much anticipate the next release from these two.
Not bad at all
clairelou20086 March 2021
that was hell of annoying
petersenk2212 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Boy, these two sister for sure have no frigging clue about how to tell a story (by film). Don't get me wrong, I think that's (at least potentially) some good material right here - body-modifications in the context of horror. Come on! That sounds a lot more promising than your next silly zombie/ghost/fantasy flick. And I'm pretty sure someone capable (in telling a story and filmmaking - both separate problems) could tell one hell of a story somewhere along that "Blody Mary".
First to the story-telling: so you have that idea about a film with extreme body-modifications. Great. I already smell(ed) all kind of horrors. But where would you take such a thing and what would you do with it? What side of the human nature are you going to explore? Something along the lines of mutilation/self-destruction versus correction or beautification? Or rather something more wicked along the lines of Frazer's "On edge"?
Nope. You won't get much of anything the like or even slightly interesting. Unforuntately the soska sisters aren't much of explorers (which great film-makers, or more generally story-tellers, are!), so they don't explore (as in illuminate) anything. Not in particular anyways. This is a film where "being raped" is all the character development you'll get. But mind you, this is no "Irreversible". Not at all.
Why was this rape-plot even necessary? As a catalyst? Nah... just to setup that revenge-sub-plot. And why was that really necessary? Because there would be no horror left. That's why. You see, that's the main problem: since not exploring anything, the soska sisters didn't manage to come up with a good (or horrifying) main plot. Extreme body-modification? Sure, no big deal, just count from 100 to zero and you'll be fine! They wake up and live happily ever after. Nothing else happens. No complications whatsoever. Nobody dies. No drama. Nothing. Just the barbie doesn't want to be regarded as sex object, that's why she 1) got herself huge breast implants(?! - and don't even try to argue here; we clearly are shown the scarfs from that booby-surgery) to then 2) remove the nipples (they might have removed brains in an additional step...).
So there's nothing. Let's have some rape and then we can have the revenge-horror! DUUHHH. Also there is a cop that doesn't do anything, but hurray: another useless and derivative sub-plot! They tried so hard to create any kind of suspense... it's not even funny and it doesn't work on any level.
Second; the filmmaking: it's horrendous. There is no flow, cuts and whole scenes are more often irritating than not. Ultimatively the soska sisters struggle with film language. A lot (to the point that it gets hell(!) of annoying!).
First to the story-telling: so you have that idea about a film with extreme body-modifications. Great. I already smell(ed) all kind of horrors. But where would you take such a thing and what would you do with it? What side of the human nature are you going to explore? Something along the lines of mutilation/self-destruction versus correction or beautification? Or rather something more wicked along the lines of Frazer's "On edge"?
Nope. You won't get much of anything the like or even slightly interesting. Unforuntately the soska sisters aren't much of explorers (which great film-makers, or more generally story-tellers, are!), so they don't explore (as in illuminate) anything. Not in particular anyways. This is a film where "being raped" is all the character development you'll get. But mind you, this is no "Irreversible". Not at all.
Why was this rape-plot even necessary? As a catalyst? Nah... just to setup that revenge-sub-plot. And why was that really necessary? Because there would be no horror left. That's why. You see, that's the main problem: since not exploring anything, the soska sisters didn't manage to come up with a good (or horrifying) main plot. Extreme body-modification? Sure, no big deal, just count from 100 to zero and you'll be fine! They wake up and live happily ever after. Nothing else happens. No complications whatsoever. Nobody dies. No drama. Nothing. Just the barbie doesn't want to be regarded as sex object, that's why she 1) got herself huge breast implants(?! - and don't even try to argue here; we clearly are shown the scarfs from that booby-surgery) to then 2) remove the nipples (they might have removed brains in an additional step...).
So there's nothing. Let's have some rape and then we can have the revenge-horror! DUUHHH. Also there is a cop that doesn't do anything, but hurray: another useless and derivative sub-plot! They tried so hard to create any kind of suspense... it's not even funny and it doesn't work on any level.
Second; the filmmaking: it's horrendous. There is no flow, cuts and whole scenes are more often irritating than not. Ultimatively the soska sisters struggle with film language. A lot (to the point that it gets hell(!) of annoying!).
I watched this just to see Katharine Isabelle.
svartamoln8 January 2015
There's no doubt she is by far my favorite actress and all started when I watched Ginger Snaps. In my opinion she is definitely an underrated actress who's acted in several movies but few of them have played such an important role in her acting career like this one and of course Ginger Snaps. American Mary is a well-developed movie that I very much liked it because it combines blood, flesh, drama and a good storyline with such a great acting from Katharine Isabelle besides I must confess that I'm totally delighted by her work, I really but really loved it. The movie is interesting from beginning to end, funny at times but mostly intense and what I liked the most was the evolution of Mary, at first you're gonna see a student, pretty and very smart living alone, working and doing little things in order to get some money but you'll end up seeing someone totally different, a girl with no fears, vindictive but mainly unstable. Well, in case I hadn't said enough I wanna add the fact that unlike the typical gore movies where you'll only see deaths and blood with no sense, American Mary has a very good storyline about revenge.
Now you might be wondering why after this review I gave only 8 stars out of 10 and that's because of the ending, I didn't like it but I'm not sure if another one could have been better. Anyway, it's worth watching.
Now you might be wondering why after this review I gave only 8 stars out of 10 and that's because of the ending, I didn't like it but I'm not sure if another one could have been better. Anyway, it's worth watching.
Amazing female-led slasher
hunterjpetrick6 August 2019
An undeservedly-acclaimed torture flick
benjaminfeatherston24 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
"American Mary" is the story of the medical student who is drawn into the seedy underworld of illegal body modifications. Despite the praise this film and its directors have received, it's a mess of lazy writing, stale revenge-flick tropes, and predictable torture scenes.
The first act is promising. Mary Mason is a medical student who is flat broke, and goes to a strip club to apply for a sleazy but high-paying gig that will keep her afloat while she finishes her medical degree. When the mob boss running the club suddenly needs to prolong a mutilated man's life, he enlists her help. Before long, Mary is getting lucrative referrals for increasingly bizarre surgeries.
Initially, the film appears to deliver on its promise. Katherine Isabelle is convincing as a competent but vulnerable woman who is out of her league. The narrative is smart and compelling. However, it does not take long for the film to go off the rails and lose us completely.
(SPOILERS FOLLOW)
Mary is invited to a university faculty party where she is raped by a trusted instructor. While many skilled writers and directors are able to handle the subject matter of rape intelligently, here it's used as a lazy plot device to get her to wholeheartedly turn evil and embrace a life of crime. This new Mary dresses like a dominatrix, enjoys inflicting pain, and revels in the criminal element which once frightened her. It's a huge change brought about in an extremely contrived manner, and it takes the audience out of a film in a way which never allows us to fully return.
Mary goes on doing more and more extreme surgeries, but there is nothing really driving the film from this point on. The revenge on the professor is dispensed with almost immediately. The story then plods on with surgery after surgery and the occasional bout of vengeance, but we already know how the story will end. There's no suspense, and we are left to wait until the directors have decided that they are done with us.
The Soska Sisters have drawn acclaim for being a much-needed female voice in the male-dominated horror genre. It is thoroughly undeserved. Even if this film had not used rape as a plot device, there is nothing here that hundreds of male directors could not have offered us. The body modification horror is actually quite banal; we're supposed to be shocked by suspension piercing, horns, and sub-dermal implants which are actually completely legal and known to anyone familiar with the real-world body-modification community. "American Mary" is the worst kind of horror film, the kind that fails to shock, scare, or amuse its audience.
The first act is promising. Mary Mason is a medical student who is flat broke, and goes to a strip club to apply for a sleazy but high-paying gig that will keep her afloat while she finishes her medical degree. When the mob boss running the club suddenly needs to prolong a mutilated man's life, he enlists her help. Before long, Mary is getting lucrative referrals for increasingly bizarre surgeries.
Initially, the film appears to deliver on its promise. Katherine Isabelle is convincing as a competent but vulnerable woman who is out of her league. The narrative is smart and compelling. However, it does not take long for the film to go off the rails and lose us completely.
(SPOILERS FOLLOW)
Mary is invited to a university faculty party where she is raped by a trusted instructor. While many skilled writers and directors are able to handle the subject matter of rape intelligently, here it's used as a lazy plot device to get her to wholeheartedly turn evil and embrace a life of crime. This new Mary dresses like a dominatrix, enjoys inflicting pain, and revels in the criminal element which once frightened her. It's a huge change brought about in an extremely contrived manner, and it takes the audience out of a film in a way which never allows us to fully return.
Mary goes on doing more and more extreme surgeries, but there is nothing really driving the film from this point on. The revenge on the professor is dispensed with almost immediately. The story then plods on with surgery after surgery and the occasional bout of vengeance, but we already know how the story will end. There's no suspense, and we are left to wait until the directors have decided that they are done with us.
The Soska Sisters have drawn acclaim for being a much-needed female voice in the male-dominated horror genre. It is thoroughly undeserved. Even if this film had not used rape as a plot device, there is nothing here that hundreds of male directors could not have offered us. The body modification horror is actually quite banal; we're supposed to be shocked by suspension piercing, horns, and sub-dermal implants which are actually completely legal and known to anyone familiar with the real-world body-modification community. "American Mary" is the worst kind of horror film, the kind that fails to shock, scare, or amuse its audience.
sensational
danthsmith31 August 2012
After a very lackluster 2012 Frightfest Festival with only a very few memorable films and much straight to video crap this came as a sensational blast. After a great deal of stuff showing rape as fan boy entertainment this was brilliant. The Soska Sisters have added a feminist spin to a Cronenburgesque tale of body modification and surgery. There is a lot of stuff here about body image and The reason this film was so compelling a many but include: 1. Oscar worthy central performance which makes it the best Horror acting for ages. 2. Sheer unpredictability 3. A horror film by and about women 4. Real setting not a suburban Disneyland 5. Cool and stylish direction that thankfully restrained itself when you thought you were just about to witness something that might need a sick bag. 6. Make up and prosthetics that showed you stuff you definitely won't see in the average Horror. I could go on but you really need to see this if you like Horror and it deserves to be seen by a wider audience (although I doubt ti will succeed with a multiplex crowd)
A cut above? Hahaha.
dfranzen7022 February 2019
This movie grew on me. It's great fun watching poor Mary (Katharine Isabelle from Ginger Snaps) transition from an overworked, money-deficient med student into a hardened lass with an affinity for slicing and dicing. Hey, got trouble paying for tuition and other bills? No sweat, let's do some body modification surgery on people! Fun for everyone! This is a pretty gory, gruesome movie, and *maybe* it ends a little too neatly for my tastes, but it's well executed. The directors also cameo as special (and creepy) clients of Mary.
An Exceptionally Poor Try
Foxbarking6 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I was at first a bit hesitant to watch this movie, because the description made it seem like torture porn. Only after seeing many reviews that did not paint it as such, I decided to give it a try. In retrospect, I wish someone would have called it torture porn to keep me from watching it.
Getting that out of the way, I am not labeling this movie as torture porn, but it is the furthest thing from it. I have to commend the filmmakers for taking a concept that screamed of a torture porn plot but avoided making it such. The writers and directors tried to make this film less about the body modifications as it was about the change in personality of the lead character. However, they did such a poor job doing this that they should have just made an idiotic torture porn movie.
"American Mary" is basically a film about a poor med student who begins to take body modification jobs to keep her bills paid. At first she is reluctant to do so, but this changes over time. When one of her former professors drugs her and rapes her, she quits med school and after beginning a long revenge scenario with him, she becomes a very distant shell of what she previously was. The nice girl trying to get through school becomes emotionally blank and immorally bankrupt.
This movie fails because its plot is way too unlikely. Mary's change happens too quickly and it seems to come about as the means for a plot device and not her character. By the time you get half way through the movie, any sympathy for Mary is gone. She has no morals and no redeeming factors.
This is a dreary and boring and terrible film I suggest you skip over.
Getting that out of the way, I am not labeling this movie as torture porn, but it is the furthest thing from it. I have to commend the filmmakers for taking a concept that screamed of a torture porn plot but avoided making it such. The writers and directors tried to make this film less about the body modifications as it was about the change in personality of the lead character. However, they did such a poor job doing this that they should have just made an idiotic torture porn movie.
"American Mary" is basically a film about a poor med student who begins to take body modification jobs to keep her bills paid. At first she is reluctant to do so, but this changes over time. When one of her former professors drugs her and rapes her, she quits med school and after beginning a long revenge scenario with him, she becomes a very distant shell of what she previously was. The nice girl trying to get through school becomes emotionally blank and immorally bankrupt.
This movie fails because its plot is way too unlikely. Mary's change happens too quickly and it seems to come about as the means for a plot device and not her character. By the time you get half way through the movie, any sympathy for Mary is gone. She has no morals and no redeeming factors.
This is a dreary and boring and terrible film I suggest you skip over.
Dark and Twisted
billcr125 April 2013
Mary is a promising medical student who has a traumatic encounter with a surgeon who is her professor. Things turn bloody when after a few surgical body modifications to earn money, Mary seeks revenge on her attacker. The sadism is pretty stomach turning, and the film uses Schubert's Ave Maria once and Bach's version twice before it is over, a very strange choice of music, indeed. The premise is interesting and Katharine Isabelle is compelling in the lead. The patients seeking bizarre physical alterations is fairly disgusting. Jen and Sylvia Soska are the directors, and judging by this work, they are seriously disturbed women. The movie is extremely dark and it kept me interested to the last scene which was a bit disappointing. As a thriller, it is slightly above average, and a 6/10.
Great little Revenge horror flick.
Michael-Hallows-Eve27 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This film starts of quite well and gets you involved in the story from the beginning. It was made by the Soska twin sisters and it tells the story of a medical student trying to work her way to becoming a great surgeon. But as she finds out there are people who like to take advantage of you when you are trying to make ends meet. It stars Katharine Isabelle (GINGER SNAPS) and she plays the role of medical student Mary Mason very well. The Soska twins have a little role each in the film also. I did like the story and how it moves along and some of the scenes are quite cringe worthy. The plot has a revenge element to it and you understand why Mary ends up doing what she does. This would have to be one of the Soska's better movies to date in my opinion. A great little horror flick. I give it a solid 7.5 out of 10.
Had a lot of potential, but needed more dialog and character depth
witster185 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Shame too, because the actings fine, the gore is rather well done, and the sensual/twisted edge works too.
"American Mary" is borderline b-movie marathon worthy, and will probably eek onto the list because of the starving genre. The films set-up is solid, but right when these characters started to show some remorse, it got interesting, and Then it ended.. A bit abruptly and unsatisfyingly too.
The two female leads saved a shoestring/somewhat inept script, and the film isn't particularly stylish considering its flashy subject matter.
The rape scene and the torture scenes are the most effective scenes so it didn't drop the ball completely. I'm not a "it's great" or "it's horrible" guy on this one. "Mary" should keep fans of the horror genre pacified, but there have been better examples with lesser acclaim(see Hostel). It's alright. Could b worth a re watch down the road 60/100 again the two leads make this worthwhile, but not mind-blowing.
Defo needed more character exploration, a better script, a bit more in the style/music department. Could have been great.
"American Mary" is borderline b-movie marathon worthy, and will probably eek onto the list because of the starving genre. The films set-up is solid, but right when these characters started to show some remorse, it got interesting, and Then it ended.. A bit abruptly and unsatisfyingly too.
The two female leads saved a shoestring/somewhat inept script, and the film isn't particularly stylish considering its flashy subject matter.
The rape scene and the torture scenes are the most effective scenes so it didn't drop the ball completely. I'm not a "it's great" or "it's horrible" guy on this one. "Mary" should keep fans of the horror genre pacified, but there have been better examples with lesser acclaim(see Hostel). It's alright. Could b worth a re watch down the road 60/100 again the two leads make this worthwhile, but not mind-blowing.
Defo needed more character exploration, a better script, a bit more in the style/music department. Could have been great.
The sexiest murderess on screen in a poor, irrelevant attempt to shock.
TheSquiss21 January 2013
I was fortunate enough to attend a screening of gory horror American Mary followed by a Q&A session with the co-writers and directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska, and star Katharine Isabelle. Okay, scrap the 'fortunate'. And the scariest parts of the evening were the claim by the Soska twins that "Some people have said this is the best film they have ever seen!" and the bloke who told us all about the operations he was due to have on his legs before enquiring from the trio if he should go ahead.
There's very little good to say about American Mary. I entered the screening room with high hopes and departed wide-eyed and dismayed. It's embarrassing to laugh at unintentionally funny moments in a film but there were plenty of them. American Mary is indeed shocking, but not in a good way.
American Mary is clearly a vanity project from two girls whose executive producer parents apparently (part) funded the project. Two girls who have watched Human Centipede once too often. Two girls who are trying reeeeally hard to be rebellious and shock the world by doing naughty things on screen and swearing pointlessly and with embarrassing amounts of emphasis on each expletive just so we get how rude they're being. Such pain! Even in the Q&A they tried desperately hard to shock; the first sentence out of their mouths referring to some scallywag as a f****** c*** and then repeated, over-egged obscenities punctuating inane responses to toadying fanboy questions. Oh, to have been shocked and offended. That would have been a joy compared to the embarrassment of watching three children showing off to a roomful of adults. There's an old adage: If you want to be seen, stand up; if you want to be heard, speak up; if you want to be respected, shut up. I saw, I heard, I departed and I averted my gaze.
American Mary is a horror flick about a disenchanted surgery intern, Mary (Isabelle) with financial worries who is sucked into the very dark side of plastic surgery aka body modification aka freakish mutilation. It starts out as a way for Mary to earn money (via torture and creating Barbie lookalikes) then becomes a hobby and finally a way to exact revenge and satisfy her perverse whims.
I don't have a problem with the subject matter; it's great to be challenged. I have a problem with the dire script, the god-awful cod accents (the worst of which are from the Soska twins who cast themselves as, um, freakish twins) and the horrendous sound mix that changes mid-scene (!) and at one point had us all looking over our left shoulders to work out which member of the audience was moaning, only to realize it was the character off-screen in an entirely different direction! Random scenes are plonked into the film to separate others and to imply the passage of time. A cringeworthy scene in which Mary learns some news of her grandmother prompts further smothered guffaws and is just one more reason to condemn this amateurish tripe. This is just one long, clumsy, pointless film that really wants to be offensive but succeeds in being virtually irrelevant.
Certainly there are a couple of moments when the stomach twinges with the implied gore, but mostly the horror is in the performance. Paula Lindeberg is so ridiculously excessive in her performance as the plasticized Ruby Realgirl with her squeaky voice and clapping hands that Isabelle comes across as subtlety incarnate. Antonio Cupo plays strip joint owner Billy Barker as though auditioning to play Mark Ruffalo and when John Emmet Tracy wanders on to the screen with intended sincerity as Detective Dolor, the thud was the sound of many jaws bouncing on the floor. Why does an American detective in an American film set in America have a 'British' accent? Well, according to Soska and Soska it's because they wanted their detective to sound exactly like their hero Clive Barker. It would appear no-one told them Barker is a Liverpudlian who now speaks with an LA drawl. Yup, that's about the level of American Mary.
So why does American Mary earn two stars? Because the art direction triumphs, the set is pretty, the principal prosthetics are perfect and Mary's costumes get progressively sexier as the film rolls on. Costume designer Jayne Mabbott is by far and away the star of American Mary and by the time Mary dons her red surgeon's gown in a reference to Dead Ringers, Mabbott has made her the most erotic murderess on the big screen.
Perhaps next time Soska and Soska are let lose with a camera they should be 'encouraged' to spend their budget on a few more talents like Mabbott.
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.
There's very little good to say about American Mary. I entered the screening room with high hopes and departed wide-eyed and dismayed. It's embarrassing to laugh at unintentionally funny moments in a film but there were plenty of them. American Mary is indeed shocking, but not in a good way.
American Mary is clearly a vanity project from two girls whose executive producer parents apparently (part) funded the project. Two girls who have watched Human Centipede once too often. Two girls who are trying reeeeally hard to be rebellious and shock the world by doing naughty things on screen and swearing pointlessly and with embarrassing amounts of emphasis on each expletive just so we get how rude they're being. Such pain! Even in the Q&A they tried desperately hard to shock; the first sentence out of their mouths referring to some scallywag as a f****** c*** and then repeated, over-egged obscenities punctuating inane responses to toadying fanboy questions. Oh, to have been shocked and offended. That would have been a joy compared to the embarrassment of watching three children showing off to a roomful of adults. There's an old adage: If you want to be seen, stand up; if you want to be heard, speak up; if you want to be respected, shut up. I saw, I heard, I departed and I averted my gaze.
American Mary is a horror flick about a disenchanted surgery intern, Mary (Isabelle) with financial worries who is sucked into the very dark side of plastic surgery aka body modification aka freakish mutilation. It starts out as a way for Mary to earn money (via torture and creating Barbie lookalikes) then becomes a hobby and finally a way to exact revenge and satisfy her perverse whims.
I don't have a problem with the subject matter; it's great to be challenged. I have a problem with the dire script, the god-awful cod accents (the worst of which are from the Soska twins who cast themselves as, um, freakish twins) and the horrendous sound mix that changes mid-scene (!) and at one point had us all looking over our left shoulders to work out which member of the audience was moaning, only to realize it was the character off-screen in an entirely different direction! Random scenes are plonked into the film to separate others and to imply the passage of time. A cringeworthy scene in which Mary learns some news of her grandmother prompts further smothered guffaws and is just one more reason to condemn this amateurish tripe. This is just one long, clumsy, pointless film that really wants to be offensive but succeeds in being virtually irrelevant.
Certainly there are a couple of moments when the stomach twinges with the implied gore, but mostly the horror is in the performance. Paula Lindeberg is so ridiculously excessive in her performance as the plasticized Ruby Realgirl with her squeaky voice and clapping hands that Isabelle comes across as subtlety incarnate. Antonio Cupo plays strip joint owner Billy Barker as though auditioning to play Mark Ruffalo and when John Emmet Tracy wanders on to the screen with intended sincerity as Detective Dolor, the thud was the sound of many jaws bouncing on the floor. Why does an American detective in an American film set in America have a 'British' accent? Well, according to Soska and Soska it's because they wanted their detective to sound exactly like their hero Clive Barker. It would appear no-one told them Barker is a Liverpudlian who now speaks with an LA drawl. Yup, that's about the level of American Mary.
So why does American Mary earn two stars? Because the art direction triumphs, the set is pretty, the principal prosthetics are perfect and Mary's costumes get progressively sexier as the film rolls on. Costume designer Jayne Mabbott is by far and away the star of American Mary and by the time Mary dons her red surgeon's gown in a reference to Dead Ringers, Mabbott has made her the most erotic murderess on the big screen.
Perhaps next time Soska and Soska are let lose with a camera they should be 'encouraged' to spend their budget on a few more talents like Mabbott.
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.
Hell hath no fury like a female surgeon scorned
larry-4117 October 2012
Co-writers/directors Jen and Sylvia Soska, the Twisted Twins, have created a highly stylized, exquisite entry in the horror subgenre known as the women's revenge film. This is the bloody nightmare an angry young female surgeon might have after watching "I Spit on Your Grave."
We open on an extreme closeup shot of lovely Mary Mason (Katherine Isabelle) in her kitchen, sewing a turkey with careful precision. It isn't Thanksgiving, though, and there are no guests arriving. She's just practicing her surgery skills as a budding med student. But when professional relationships run afoul, fowl just isn't an adequate substitute for the real thing. And just when you think you know where the film is going, our hearts are touched by Mary's benevolent foray into a world few are aware of. So begins the occasionally chilling, often twisted odyssey of "American Mary."
There's much praise to go around for this talented ensemble cast but, more than anyone, it's the exquisite Katherine Isabelle who brings the Soskas' script to life. Isabelle so inhabits Mary that she creates a totally original, unique character that raises the bar for all the actors around her. The reversal of roles in this narrative is clever and crafty. To be more specific would reveal too much. Things are not as they seem as stereotypes are shattered at every step of the way.
The look of "American Mary" is a study in the almost-forgotten techniques of creative filmmaking. Single point lighting is used liberally, as Mary moves in and out of the shadows of the strange new world she's created. More than in most modern films, the color palette is central to subliminal psychological changes transmitted to the viewer. Black, the color of death, and red, the color of love (and blood), dominate in key scenes and trigger subtle emotional cues that slyly blend in with the milieu.
Peter Allen's original score magnificently balances contrapuntally with the gruesome on screen action. Lush classical strains underscore unimaginable real-life horrors. We're watching a ballet of death. The more terrifying the images, the more charming and delightful is the opera in our heads. The beauty of the soundtrack belies the ugliness beneath.
"American Mary" boasts some of the most stunning camera-work of the festival. Cinematographer Brian Pearson exhibits such passion for the material that every frame is like a painting. Editor Bruce MacKinnon allows the film to proceed patiently, another departure from the typical genre production. Locations are like characters unto themselves, and the set design reflects that with tremendous attention to detail that allows the photography and music to work together with the backdrop to help propel the story.
This is true art, rarely seen in cinema today. It's a slightly more civilized, 21st century take on torture porn with high production values and a killer narrative but there's much more here than meets the eye. Yes, it's hard to watch at times, but those who appreciate movies the way they used to be made won't want to turn away. In "American Mary" we gorily discover that hell hath no fury like a female surgeon scorned.
We open on an extreme closeup shot of lovely Mary Mason (Katherine Isabelle) in her kitchen, sewing a turkey with careful precision. It isn't Thanksgiving, though, and there are no guests arriving. She's just practicing her surgery skills as a budding med student. But when professional relationships run afoul, fowl just isn't an adequate substitute for the real thing. And just when you think you know where the film is going, our hearts are touched by Mary's benevolent foray into a world few are aware of. So begins the occasionally chilling, often twisted odyssey of "American Mary."
There's much praise to go around for this talented ensemble cast but, more than anyone, it's the exquisite Katherine Isabelle who brings the Soskas' script to life. Isabelle so inhabits Mary that she creates a totally original, unique character that raises the bar for all the actors around her. The reversal of roles in this narrative is clever and crafty. To be more specific would reveal too much. Things are not as they seem as stereotypes are shattered at every step of the way.
The look of "American Mary" is a study in the almost-forgotten techniques of creative filmmaking. Single point lighting is used liberally, as Mary moves in and out of the shadows of the strange new world she's created. More than in most modern films, the color palette is central to subliminal psychological changes transmitted to the viewer. Black, the color of death, and red, the color of love (and blood), dominate in key scenes and trigger subtle emotional cues that slyly blend in with the milieu.
Peter Allen's original score magnificently balances contrapuntally with the gruesome on screen action. Lush classical strains underscore unimaginable real-life horrors. We're watching a ballet of death. The more terrifying the images, the more charming and delightful is the opera in our heads. The beauty of the soundtrack belies the ugliness beneath.
"American Mary" boasts some of the most stunning camera-work of the festival. Cinematographer Brian Pearson exhibits such passion for the material that every frame is like a painting. Editor Bruce MacKinnon allows the film to proceed patiently, another departure from the typical genre production. Locations are like characters unto themselves, and the set design reflects that with tremendous attention to detail that allows the photography and music to work together with the backdrop to help propel the story.
This is true art, rarely seen in cinema today. It's a slightly more civilized, 21st century take on torture porn with high production values and a killer narrative but there's much more here than meets the eye. Yes, it's hard to watch at times, but those who appreciate movies the way they used to be made won't want to turn away. In "American Mary" we gorily discover that hell hath no fury like a female surgeon scorned.
There's something scary about Mary.
BA_Harrison28 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Katherine 'Ginger Snaps' Isabelle stars as cash-strapped medical student Mary Mason, who decides on stripping as a means of extra income (she certainly has the right qualifications for the job!). During her interview ("strip off and show us what you've got"), Mary's career takes an unexpected turn, her boss-to-be offering her an alternative way to earn big bucks: as a back-street surgeon fixing up shady characters in need of medical attention.
Mary's reputation as an unscrupulous medical genius for hire soon reaches the ears of stripper Beatress Johnson, part of the on-line body modification community, who pays her $10,000 to perform an unorthodox operation on her friend Ruby. Mary's improved financial status doesn't go unnoticed by her instructor Dr. Grant (David Lovgren), who surmises that his star pupil is on the game, and that it would be perfectly OK if he got himself a freebie. Drugging and raping her at a party proves to be a bad idea, however, for Mary isn't about to take that sort of thing lying down (OK, she does take it lying down, but you know what I mean).
With a little help from her strip-club owner pal Billy (Antonio Cupo), Mary exacts bloody revenge, but seems to lose most of her marbles in the process...
As you can probably tell, American Mary, directed by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, is a rather preposterous tale, one that frequently borders on the ridiculous in its desire to be as demented as possible; as such it is difficult to be absolutely certain of the filmmakers' intentions. Is this supposed to be a serious, tragic body-shock horror experience in the vein of fellow Canadian auteur Cronenberg (whose film Dead Ringers gets a visual reference) or a sly parody of the genre with split tongue planted in pierced cheek?
Whatever the case, American Mary is certainly a consistently entertaining experience thanks to its provocative 'body modification' subject matter, excellent in-your-face gore, and Isabelle's bold central performance.
Mary's reputation as an unscrupulous medical genius for hire soon reaches the ears of stripper Beatress Johnson, part of the on-line body modification community, who pays her $10,000 to perform an unorthodox operation on her friend Ruby. Mary's improved financial status doesn't go unnoticed by her instructor Dr. Grant (David Lovgren), who surmises that his star pupil is on the game, and that it would be perfectly OK if he got himself a freebie. Drugging and raping her at a party proves to be a bad idea, however, for Mary isn't about to take that sort of thing lying down (OK, she does take it lying down, but you know what I mean).
With a little help from her strip-club owner pal Billy (Antonio Cupo), Mary exacts bloody revenge, but seems to lose most of her marbles in the process...
As you can probably tell, American Mary, directed by twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, is a rather preposterous tale, one that frequently borders on the ridiculous in its desire to be as demented as possible; as such it is difficult to be absolutely certain of the filmmakers' intentions. Is this supposed to be a serious, tragic body-shock horror experience in the vein of fellow Canadian auteur Cronenberg (whose film Dead Ringers gets a visual reference) or a sly parody of the genre with split tongue planted in pierced cheek?
Whatever the case, American Mary is certainly a consistently entertaining experience thanks to its provocative 'body modification' subject matter, excellent in-your-face gore, and Isabelle's bold central performance.
The Worst. UGH.
jan-soutar12 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I can't help but live post about this movie called "American Mary" on Netflix about a woman who's studying to be a surgeon but winds up getting into extreme body modification and goes on a murdering spree. Spoilers ahead, ACTUALLY NO, F THAT, YOU CANT SPOIL THIS MOVIE ANY WORSE THAN IT ALREADY IS... Here goes:
OK, got it, Goth Katy Perry lookalike wants to be a surgeon but she's broke so she becomes a stripper. Sure, I'm with you on this ride...
Wait, she gives her medical resume to the douche bad actor Mark Ruffalo lookalike strip club owner?!? Wow, way to figure out that exposition hole writers...
Huh?!? She's not even in the club 5 min and they're asking her to sew up a dude for $5k? You know what, fine as long as Mark Ruffallo Jr stop talking, or even stops being in the movie at all.
And now she's oddly getting clientèle referrals from a woman who's surgically modified to look like Betty Boop named Beatrice. Interesting, still kinda with you.
Wait, this other lady wants to look 100% like a doll and get all her lady bits hacked off and sewed up. Really writers?! You don't think it takes more than a hacksaw some stitches and an hour to make that happen...? This is an insult to trans-gender in my mind.
Dude, the acting and writing is SOOO BAD. All the male characters are one dimensional and all the female characters are caricatures. It's just... Bad.
Also not one actor has chemistry with another.
Just IMDb'd this flick and the writers are Female. Why would you write such horribly underdeveloped female characters? How is that even possible? And you're twins?!?
Just saw they also directed it. Soooo... Yeah. SMH.
Oh god, and the guy who plays the husband of the doll girl, ugh. He gets psychotic because she looks like a doll now. Jesus. Also that's horrible writing just to make more gore and bloodshed for the camera.
Why are all the men in this film so outlandish? Not one of them has a subtle thought. Actually I don't think the writers know the meaning of the word.
Actually after that Asian dude just yelled "I'm a cutter MF'er!!!" I'm sure they don't know the definition of subtlety.
IN WHAT WORLD DO YOU JUST TAKE A GLASS OF WHISKEY FROM A WEIRD CREEPY DUDE AT A PARTY THAT IS 90% MEN WEARING BLACK CARRYING AROUND VIDEO CAMERAS??? THIS IS THE WORST PSA EVER. (Or perhaps maybe the best??)
Her college doctor professor drugs and rapes her so now TORTURE HIM WITH BODY MODIFICATIONS IN A STRIP CLUB BASEMENT. YES. SURE. WHY NOT.
OK, the chemistry between the bouncer and Mary is the first time I saw genuine chemistry. Really good scene for him.
Ugh. Penis guy = friend of director who can't act.
WHY IS THE COP British?!? Please someone explain this to me!!! Also why do bad writers use their characters names in every piece of dialog?!?
Also: LESBIAN SIAMESE TWINS WHO BITE POOR STRIPPERS TONGUES OFF FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON?!? WTF. SERIOUSLY. WTF.
The Mark Ruffalo lookalike scummy strip club owner is so bad it's laughable.
Really?!? She's going to intimidate some poor girl because she gave a BJ to her strip club owning, bad actor, no chemistry having, Mark Ruffalo lookalike D-Bag? Thank you for setting all the feminism that you built up in the beginning of this film back to Zero. Ugh.
And now she's going to give the D-Bag a lap dance and then stab him because "dream sequence"
Seriously, the metal looking bouncer is the best actor in this film. He's awesome. Even as a background performer. Not kidding.
Hasn't THIS WOMAN LEARNED NOT TO ACCEPT WHISKEY FROM STRANGERS?!? How many times do you need to get drugged woman?!?
So wait, the husband of the doll woman decides to kill his own wife, Betty Boop and Her?!? WORST PLOT POINT EVER. UGH.
Oh yeah, right, she's totally gonna stitch herself up with 2 scissors and nothing else and not go into shock. Totally believe that.
Uh-oh, Mr. "I'M A British COP IN America FOR NO REASON" just figured her out.
Wait, she died?!? SHE F'ING DIED AND THATS THE END OF THE MOVIE?!? THE DOLL GIRLS HUSBAND AND HIS PSYCHOPATHIC KNIFE SKILLS ARE WHAT GETS HER KILLED?!? HOW ANTI-CLIMATIC CAN YOU GET?!? WHATS THE POINT OF THIS MOVIE??? NOW I WANT TO SCREAM AT THE WRITERS AND DIRECTORS IN THE FACE. THANKS NETFLIX. KEEP IT CLASSY.
OK, got it, Goth Katy Perry lookalike wants to be a surgeon but she's broke so she becomes a stripper. Sure, I'm with you on this ride...
Wait, she gives her medical resume to the douche bad actor Mark Ruffalo lookalike strip club owner?!? Wow, way to figure out that exposition hole writers...
Huh?!? She's not even in the club 5 min and they're asking her to sew up a dude for $5k? You know what, fine as long as Mark Ruffallo Jr stop talking, or even stops being in the movie at all.
And now she's oddly getting clientèle referrals from a woman who's surgically modified to look like Betty Boop named Beatrice. Interesting, still kinda with you.
Wait, this other lady wants to look 100% like a doll and get all her lady bits hacked off and sewed up. Really writers?! You don't think it takes more than a hacksaw some stitches and an hour to make that happen...? This is an insult to trans-gender in my mind.
Dude, the acting and writing is SOOO BAD. All the male characters are one dimensional and all the female characters are caricatures. It's just... Bad.
Also not one actor has chemistry with another.
Just IMDb'd this flick and the writers are Female. Why would you write such horribly underdeveloped female characters? How is that even possible? And you're twins?!?
Just saw they also directed it. Soooo... Yeah. SMH.
Oh god, and the guy who plays the husband of the doll girl, ugh. He gets psychotic because she looks like a doll now. Jesus. Also that's horrible writing just to make more gore and bloodshed for the camera.
Why are all the men in this film so outlandish? Not one of them has a subtle thought. Actually I don't think the writers know the meaning of the word.
Actually after that Asian dude just yelled "I'm a cutter MF'er!!!" I'm sure they don't know the definition of subtlety.
IN WHAT WORLD DO YOU JUST TAKE A GLASS OF WHISKEY FROM A WEIRD CREEPY DUDE AT A PARTY THAT IS 90% MEN WEARING BLACK CARRYING AROUND VIDEO CAMERAS??? THIS IS THE WORST PSA EVER. (Or perhaps maybe the best??)
Her college doctor professor drugs and rapes her so now TORTURE HIM WITH BODY MODIFICATIONS IN A STRIP CLUB BASEMENT. YES. SURE. WHY NOT.
OK, the chemistry between the bouncer and Mary is the first time I saw genuine chemistry. Really good scene for him.
Ugh. Penis guy = friend of director who can't act.
WHY IS THE COP British?!? Please someone explain this to me!!! Also why do bad writers use their characters names in every piece of dialog?!?
Also: LESBIAN SIAMESE TWINS WHO BITE POOR STRIPPERS TONGUES OFF FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON?!? WTF. SERIOUSLY. WTF.
The Mark Ruffalo lookalike scummy strip club owner is so bad it's laughable.
Really?!? She's going to intimidate some poor girl because she gave a BJ to her strip club owning, bad actor, no chemistry having, Mark Ruffalo lookalike D-Bag? Thank you for setting all the feminism that you built up in the beginning of this film back to Zero. Ugh.
And now she's going to give the D-Bag a lap dance and then stab him because "dream sequence"
Seriously, the metal looking bouncer is the best actor in this film. He's awesome. Even as a background performer. Not kidding.
Hasn't THIS WOMAN LEARNED NOT TO ACCEPT WHISKEY FROM STRANGERS?!? How many times do you need to get drugged woman?!?
So wait, the husband of the doll woman decides to kill his own wife, Betty Boop and Her?!? WORST PLOT POINT EVER. UGH.
Oh yeah, right, she's totally gonna stitch herself up with 2 scissors and nothing else and not go into shock. Totally believe that.
Uh-oh, Mr. "I'M A British COP IN America FOR NO REASON" just figured her out.
Wait, she died?!? SHE F'ING DIED AND THATS THE END OF THE MOVIE?!? THE DOLL GIRLS HUSBAND AND HIS PSYCHOPATHIC KNIFE SKILLS ARE WHAT GETS HER KILLED?!? HOW ANTI-CLIMATIC CAN YOU GET?!? WHATS THE POINT OF THIS MOVIE??? NOW I WANT TO SCREAM AT THE WRITERS AND DIRECTORS IN THE FACE. THANKS NETFLIX. KEEP IT CLASSY.
American and bloody
kosmasp29 October 2012
Female directors are rare. Female horror directors even rarer. Female twin sister directors who do horror movies? Well we found one pair and the movie I had the pleasure to watch was really good. The idea as it is might not be original (especially if you follow the media, there are some cases of this beauty craze in Russia and other countries), but it does fit fine into this story.
Plus we have a great female lead. You might feel that her drive is slowed down at one point mid-through the film, but that would mean you're missing the point. It's more character driven than story driven. And it works that way. Social commentary and other things included of course. Watch it if you can
Plus we have a great female lead. You might feel that her drive is slowed down at one point mid-through the film, but that would mean you're missing the point. It's more character driven than story driven. And it works that way. Social commentary and other things included of course. Watch it if you can
"You're gonna make a great slasher."
Hey_Sweden17 October 2014
Modern imitation of some of David Cronenbergs' filmography is nonetheless interesting and watchable on its own terms. It's really more of a drama than a horror film, with touches of gore and dark comedy, and is slow paced enough that it may have some viewers fumbling for their remotes. It plunges the audience into a world of sordid and off putting characters in a tale of sex and fetishism. Ultimately, it works its way towards a somewhat conventional finish, but getting there is still an amusing enough experience.
The lovely Katharine Isabelle, best known for her role as Ginger in the "Ginger Snaps" series, stars as Mary, a promising med student in desperate need of cash. So she accepts the offer from nightclub owner Billy (Antonio Cupo) to patch up a mangled associate of his. This leads to offers from other people, people who are into radical body modification, to perform a variety of "underground surgery". As Mary is immersed in this world more and more, it really takes a toll on her well-being.
If it weren't for Ms. Isabelle, who looks extremely sexy in a variety of outfits, this would have been a little harder to get through. She delivers an engaging lead performance, and is believable throughout Mary's personality arc. It is fun to see Mary take her new business so seriously that she dismisses one potential patient who's willing to settle for something as mundane as piercings. And we do get to see a number of individuals who've had some pretty nasty things done to themselves.
Some people may want to note that at least the gore in this movie is serving the story and never *becoming* the whole reason for its existence. The effects are generally well done.
Sibling directors Jen and Sylvia Soska (who also cameo in "American Mary" as the German twins) do have some potential, so it will be intriguing to watch the progress of their careers.
Six out of 10.
The lovely Katharine Isabelle, best known for her role as Ginger in the "Ginger Snaps" series, stars as Mary, a promising med student in desperate need of cash. So she accepts the offer from nightclub owner Billy (Antonio Cupo) to patch up a mangled associate of his. This leads to offers from other people, people who are into radical body modification, to perform a variety of "underground surgery". As Mary is immersed in this world more and more, it really takes a toll on her well-being.
If it weren't for Ms. Isabelle, who looks extremely sexy in a variety of outfits, this would have been a little harder to get through. She delivers an engaging lead performance, and is believable throughout Mary's personality arc. It is fun to see Mary take her new business so seriously that she dismisses one potential patient who's willing to settle for something as mundane as piercings. And we do get to see a number of individuals who've had some pretty nasty things done to themselves.
Some people may want to note that at least the gore in this movie is serving the story and never *becoming* the whole reason for its existence. The effects are generally well done.
Sibling directors Jen and Sylvia Soska (who also cameo in "American Mary" as the German twins) do have some potential, so it will be intriguing to watch the progress of their careers.
Six out of 10.
BORING and DRY
m_habib8218 February 2013
Okay, so after reading and hearing some good reviews, I finally got the time to view this film. It was a very slow start and the acting seemed very wooden and amateurish to say the least. The film has no atmosphere and was not engaging at all. I had to check twice if I was actually watching the same film for which I had read the reviews just to make sure I wasn't watching some cheep parody or knock-off. I find it astonishing how anyone sees anything in this film, the only thing I can rate about this film is the theme of body-mod and objectification. Everything else scores a big fat ZERO. Finally, horror is meant to be scary or frightening, this was horrifyingly rubbish, and frighteningly boring.
Decent entertainment in shallow horror about body modification
filmbizarro10 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Plot: Mary Mason, a medical student studying to become a surgeon, gets into some shady business when she applies for a job to get some extra cash. The young student is quickly thrown into a world of body modification, and she is becoming the go-to person for the most extreme of modifications.
Our thoughts: I might be in a minority of reviewers: I never watched or wanted to watch "Dead Hooker in a Trunk". It should've interested me, but it never did. It happens with certain titles, and this was one of them. It certainly didn't help that my partner on the website reviewed that one, which means I didn't even have a "professional" (hah!) reason to watch it. I haven't had much interest in the Soska sisters, and that's nothing personal, but when Katharine Isabelle got attached to "American Mary" I'll admit to being interested. As a huge fan of the "Ginger Snaps" trilogy, why wouldn't I be?
"American Mary" (it could be called "Canadian Mary", since Katharine is Canadian and so is the movie, but let's not be silly now!) tells the story of Mary Mason. She's a medical student who hopes to become surgeon one day. Hell, she's far along too, and quite a good student to boot. If you ignore her attitude, of course. She's more skilled than the majority of her class. But being a student of any kind means you're probably broke, just like Mary is. Her desperation leads her to apply for a job as a stripper, but the job interview takes a weird turn when someone associated with the club is in need of surgery - quick. Mary's dragged in and she has to perform surgery on this really messed up man. It's quite the job for a medical student to do, but she does it. And it changes her. People hear about what she did, and she gets contacted by people that are into extreme body modifications such as trying to look like a doll or Betty Boop. Mary soon throws away her ambitions to become a typical surgeon, and becomes a popular name in the underground world of body modifications.
What is the rise and the fall of a movie like "American Mary"? The rise for me most definitely is that Katharine Isabelle plays the lead role. She's a really likable actor, and it's hard not to want to watch a horror movie with her in it. Another rise (you know I mean "positive thing", right?) is that the storyline is quite to the point and easy to get into. Also the effects are quite good.
Let's look at the negative things of "American Mary", which are often much stronger than the positive things. Most importantly is that I find little-to-no character development in our lead character. Even though Katharine Isabelle is likable, her character is not. And her character remains equally unlikable from start to finish. It would be understandable if a nice girl (nice girls can be strong too) becomes hardened and "bitchy" through-out the things that happen in the movie, but Mary starts with bitchy attitude and ends with bitchy attitude. There are just a few scenes that show anything beside that in her, and that's a real shame.
Katharine Isabelle is still the better actor in the movie, hands down, and I don't mind watching her even if she's not likable. Several actors are less than fantastic, and sadly that can be said about our director duo too. The moment the two of them enter the movie it becomes rather silly with their German accents. The kind of focus that is put on the two characters makes you think that they would be a big part of the story down the line, but they aren't. It's understandable if directors put themselves or people they know in movies, but I don't know what the reason for this kind of attention to two characters is if they are not gonna be important. No surprise, perhaps, that they decided to make their characters the most odd ones in the movie - if you could choose your own role in a film, I'm sure you'd want something that stands out too. But Jen, Sylvia, you should probably rethink putting you in too much focus just because you are in the movie.
"American Mary" lacks a lot of things that would draw me into the movie. But it works as a rather shallow horror movie about body modification. It has several scenes that are underwhelming in both emotion and artistic decisions, characters that you don't develop, failed attempts at shock. Let's be honest - in 2013 it takes quite a lot to come off as shocking, and you either have to really show the most despicable things imaginable, or have us so invested in our character that it hurts us when they are hurt. "American Mary" is a few hundred miles away from that. I don't think it's a terrible watch, and some parts of it are quite alright so it definitely works as weekend entertainment.
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Our thoughts: I might be in a minority of reviewers: I never watched or wanted to watch "Dead Hooker in a Trunk". It should've interested me, but it never did. It happens with certain titles, and this was one of them. It certainly didn't help that my partner on the website reviewed that one, which means I didn't even have a "professional" (hah!) reason to watch it. I haven't had much interest in the Soska sisters, and that's nothing personal, but when Katharine Isabelle got attached to "American Mary" I'll admit to being interested. As a huge fan of the "Ginger Snaps" trilogy, why wouldn't I be?
"American Mary" (it could be called "Canadian Mary", since Katharine is Canadian and so is the movie, but let's not be silly now!) tells the story of Mary Mason. She's a medical student who hopes to become surgeon one day. Hell, she's far along too, and quite a good student to boot. If you ignore her attitude, of course. She's more skilled than the majority of her class. But being a student of any kind means you're probably broke, just like Mary is. Her desperation leads her to apply for a job as a stripper, but the job interview takes a weird turn when someone associated with the club is in need of surgery - quick. Mary's dragged in and she has to perform surgery on this really messed up man. It's quite the job for a medical student to do, but she does it. And it changes her. People hear about what she did, and she gets contacted by people that are into extreme body modifications such as trying to look like a doll or Betty Boop. Mary soon throws away her ambitions to become a typical surgeon, and becomes a popular name in the underground world of body modifications.
What is the rise and the fall of a movie like "American Mary"? The rise for me most definitely is that Katharine Isabelle plays the lead role. She's a really likable actor, and it's hard not to want to watch a horror movie with her in it. Another rise (you know I mean "positive thing", right?) is that the storyline is quite to the point and easy to get into. Also the effects are quite good.
Let's look at the negative things of "American Mary", which are often much stronger than the positive things. Most importantly is that I find little-to-no character development in our lead character. Even though Katharine Isabelle is likable, her character is not. And her character remains equally unlikable from start to finish. It would be understandable if a nice girl (nice girls can be strong too) becomes hardened and "bitchy" through-out the things that happen in the movie, but Mary starts with bitchy attitude and ends with bitchy attitude. There are just a few scenes that show anything beside that in her, and that's a real shame.
Katharine Isabelle is still the better actor in the movie, hands down, and I don't mind watching her even if she's not likable. Several actors are less than fantastic, and sadly that can be said about our director duo too. The moment the two of them enter the movie it becomes rather silly with their German accents. The kind of focus that is put on the two characters makes you think that they would be a big part of the story down the line, but they aren't. It's understandable if directors put themselves or people they know in movies, but I don't know what the reason for this kind of attention to two characters is if they are not gonna be important. No surprise, perhaps, that they decided to make their characters the most odd ones in the movie - if you could choose your own role in a film, I'm sure you'd want something that stands out too. But Jen, Sylvia, you should probably rethink putting you in too much focus just because you are in the movie.
"American Mary" lacks a lot of things that would draw me into the movie. But it works as a rather shallow horror movie about body modification. It has several scenes that are underwhelming in both emotion and artistic decisions, characters that you don't develop, failed attempts at shock. Let's be honest - in 2013 it takes quite a lot to come off as shocking, and you either have to really show the most despicable things imaginable, or have us so invested in our character that it hurts us when they are hurt. "American Mary" is a few hundred miles away from that. I don't think it's a terrible watch, and some parts of it are quite alright so it definitely works as weekend entertainment.
More reviews at FilmBizarro.com
Surprisingly Good and fun to watch!
RockPortReview6 April 2015
The body modification sub culture is sort of the like the old time carnival freak show. People surgically mold, sculpt and pierce their way into something else but the person on the inside stays the same. The 2012 film "American Mary" features Katherine Isabelle, the breakout star of 2001's "Ginger Snaps", as a Med student who finds herself performing body mod surgeries that she finds out is quite good at.
Being a poor college student Mary Mason answer's a Craig's List style ad for a sleazy strip club owned by an even sleazier younger guy. During her "interview" something goes terribly wrong outside and Mary if offered $5,000 to do some impromptu surgery on some guy. She is freaked out but does it. Word gets around to the underground body mod culture and she is approached by some pretty strange characters to help them finish their work. Isabelle plays Mary perfectly, she is desperate enough too take these strange jobs, but is still grounded and very professional. She provides a desperately needed service to the extremely rich who believe she is an artist who works in the medium of skin.
She is first pursued by Beatrice who has transformed his/her body into Betty Boop. After completing a surgery on her for $10,000, her friend Ruby comes calling next. Rudy is transforming her body to look like an anatomically incorrect Barbie Doll and has a few things cut off and one thing sewn up. The film has a darkly comedic thread throughout. Ruby, Beatrice and the others are all portrayed as good people on the inside, but different on the out. While the exact opposite is true about the other so-called normal people.
Back at school Mary is invited to a swanky party thrown by one of the big shot surgeons, but she has unknowing just stepped into the lions den. She is drugged and raped by the surgeon, but little does he know the unique skills that Mary has recently acquired. Mary exacts swift and painful revenge upon the Doc. Making him her test subject for new procedures, keeping him alive and aware the whole time.
"American Mary" is full of interesting unique characters and well played throughout. It was written and directed by the Soska twins, Jen and Sylvia, who also play parts as customers to Mary. They bring a real sense of authenticity and care to the film, that would have been lost had it been done by anybody else.
Being a poor college student Mary Mason answer's a Craig's List style ad for a sleazy strip club owned by an even sleazier younger guy. During her "interview" something goes terribly wrong outside and Mary if offered $5,000 to do some impromptu surgery on some guy. She is freaked out but does it. Word gets around to the underground body mod culture and she is approached by some pretty strange characters to help them finish their work. Isabelle plays Mary perfectly, she is desperate enough too take these strange jobs, but is still grounded and very professional. She provides a desperately needed service to the extremely rich who believe she is an artist who works in the medium of skin.
She is first pursued by Beatrice who has transformed his/her body into Betty Boop. After completing a surgery on her for $10,000, her friend Ruby comes calling next. Rudy is transforming her body to look like an anatomically incorrect Barbie Doll and has a few things cut off and one thing sewn up. The film has a darkly comedic thread throughout. Ruby, Beatrice and the others are all portrayed as good people on the inside, but different on the out. While the exact opposite is true about the other so-called normal people.
Back at school Mary is invited to a swanky party thrown by one of the big shot surgeons, but she has unknowing just stepped into the lions den. She is drugged and raped by the surgeon, but little does he know the unique skills that Mary has recently acquired. Mary exacts swift and painful revenge upon the Doc. Making him her test subject for new procedures, keeping him alive and aware the whole time.
"American Mary" is full of interesting unique characters and well played throughout. It was written and directed by the Soska twins, Jen and Sylvia, who also play parts as customers to Mary. They bring a real sense of authenticity and care to the film, that would have been lost had it been done by anybody else.
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