Who's going to see "Tusk"?

I wanted to like that one too (especially with Eliza Dushku having a lead role) but it was painful to sit through. It took me about three days of watching it in fifteen-minute bites before I could finish. It was just emabarassing. It claims a Kevin Smith writing credit, but it woundedmore like something Mewes wrote himself. I'm praying that 'Tusk' is better than that.

Sure, but 'Red State' went through some pretty sharp right turns too. It started off like a teen sex comedy in the first act, turned into a psychodrama in the second act, became a war movie in the third act, closed out the fourth act as a quasi-supernatural mystery story and then ended on a humurous and cynical note.

My optimism is dwindling as I read more and more bad reviews online, though. This ain't looking good. Maybe not 'Groovy Cartoon Movie'-level bad, but still not good.

 

Don't blame anyone for waiting to see this once it's available on some sort of 'on-line/rental' type deal-y.

 

I think there's a difference between liking Kevin Smith because he makes movies that fans will enjoy versus liking Kevin Smith because he makes movies that only fans will enjoy. I've stood up for his films over the years (including "Mallrats" and "Jersey Girl") because I detected a certain kind of humanism behind the humor that resonated with me. The positive reviews I recall for "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" bear that out - It was something I always knew was there, but I think a lot of people didn't know or remember it.

Saying Kevin Smith is intentionally doing some kind of Zappa turn seems to me as likely (and palatable) as Green Day or Weezer making a Zappa-inspired record.

Sure, but "Red State" was more tonally similar across those parts. The first "sex comedy" section was still somewhat low key and indie in tone, not like an "American Pie" sequel. And even in that section, the presence of Aben Cooper was alluded to. The progression between genres you note is still mostly believable within the same story. Only the ending really faltered for me, the last scene seeming to fly in the face of and undercut what came before.

To build on your comment about the diverse parts of "Red State," imagine if the section where the kid (Jared) was trapped in the cage was followed up by a section where Jared's neighbor tried and failed comically to break into Jared's house because nobody had been home to let Jared's dog out in the yard. That's vaguely what the second half of "Tusk" felt like.

 

I realize now... I have NOT seen the "Super-Groovy Cartoon Movie".
I guess I'm glad I haven't !

 

I agree with this -- I even liked it even past the first half....but the very end....one year later....that was ridiculous. So overall -- a pleasant surprise!

 

Just watched Tusk, and I don't really know what to say about it. I feel the same as I did after seeing Rubber.... the movie is just so bizarre that I'm not sure whether I liked it or not! Definitely one of the weirdest films I've ever seen.

 

watched this several months ago with a buddy on my amazon prime account. pretty bad. I'll still probably watch Clerks 3 though.