A Smoked Out Review of the Saw Movie Franchise pt.1
Art by lukeh01
The air is becoming crisp and the autumn nights are becoming chilly enough to throw on a jacket despite the LA temps getting up to 86 degrees this week. Halloween has always held a special place in my heart and I try to honor it by watching certain horror flicks throughout October. You might remember when I watched the entire Hellraiser franchise for content's sake.
Well guess what? We’re watching the Saw movie franchise and reviewing each flick. I’ve seen only seen the first one, but I took a soft break from watching horror movies for a number of years because I was worried about my energetic vibration. However, I harbor too deep a love for horror so I relapsed and I’ve been back at it ever since.
Saw (2004)
Dark, murky but focused vision and a helluva way to jumpstart the franchise. Moral conflict and a question of gratitude for your life. Jigsaw’s HQ is on Stygian St. That’s a dope ass Easter egg. Average people in desperate circumstances. Saw teases us with the promise of bloodshed, gore, and violence but doesn’t deliver until the third act climax. Everything ramps up majestically and the little plot twists/reveals still get me despite watching this countless times already. 4/5 blunts
Saw II (2005)
This entry feels a bit looser than the first Saw. We get to met Jigsaw aka John Kramer in the flesh and hear his monologues about gratitude for life. The pit of needles was intense. The Last House on the left is where the convicts are trapped with the cop’s son. Cool flick 3.5/5 blunts
Saw III (2006)
Intense beginning with the cop from Saw 2. It’s funny how the black cops looks at the white cop crazy after he says all he had to do was release himself from the chains and walk out the door. “All he had to do?” You dumb motherfucker. Putting an explosive device around a doctor’s neck and linking it to your heart rate to keep you alive is pretty genius. The tests within tests are insane. I know they hit you with a plot twist at the end of every movie but this was the most satisfying one for me. Holy shit. This is my favorite entry so far. 4.5/5 blunts
Saw IV (2007)
Helluva intro with the tape hidden in John’s stomach. The mute vs the blind guy was clever and tough even though hearing a tape for at least one of them would have enhanced it. This was one was pretty fun in terms of the variety of kills. Plus we learn more backstory and lore about Jigsaw. And we meet his wife. The testing of the cop Riggs was harrowing and once again we’re left with a crazy ending. 4/5 blunts
Saw V (2008)
This is the first entry where I’ve become bored or maybe desensitized to the franchise. Maybe it’s the lack of Jigsaw. The copycat killer thing does help fill in some patches but something about this film feels off or maybe forced. The two cops looking pretty similar doesn’t help either. It’s not bad, it just doesn’t stack up to the other movies. The other movies are a lot more tightly written. Something about this feels sloppy and uninspired. 2.5/5 blunts
God’s Leftovers made the Wonderland Awards Final Ballot, which is amazing. I remembered being on the fence about putting this out into the world, but this book does well in terms of sales and has gained me a base of fans. Thank you to everyone that took the time to vote. We’ll see if the little engine that could will take home the gold…
Currently Watching: Love, Death & Robots Season 3 & Lost Season 1. & Gen V
I stumbled across Gen V which is a spin-off of The Boys and I was pleasantly surprised. I’m a big fan of The Boys comic book series and the show’s great too. The spin-off is intriguing, violent, and well worth your time.
Currently Reading: Full Throttle by Joe Hill & Cosmic Horror Monthly #2 & An Altar of Stories to Liminal Saints by Rios de la Luz & Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy by Hailey Piper
Currently Smoking: Papa’s Herb Pre-roll
Listening: Black Tapes Podcast, The Danny Brown Podcast, The Higherside Chats
Back in the 8th grade, I remember voting for Slim Thug as best rapper of the year and feeling this conviction deep in my bones. I still have these positive feeling swell up even when I hear “Midlife Crisis.” Thug links up with a therapist and gets a lot off his chest.
I have no idea what Rice Spice is rapping about, but I need her in my life. People are hating on Korean drill, but she’s aggressive, confident, and both the beat and her dress goes crazy.
Don Trip is aging gracefully and you can see the maturity and wisdom deepening his music. He has the entire family seated around him and he’s seated like Jesus at the Last Supper with a red Adidas track suit on. He waxes about the importance of money and his close position to abundance.
Nas has hit a sweet spot in my hiphop taste palate. His 50th birthday party serves as the backdrop as his spits effortlessly over the Hit Boy beat. It’s a star studded affair with many hiphop greats and Nas embodies maturity as one of the best aging veterans in the game.
Until next time…
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