How could a film that involves high-school murderers, cheesy effects, self-aware Scream namedrops, and Dane Cook suddenly become a must-see movie of SXSW? It does so by being the next film from Torque director Joseph Kahn. Torque remains a legendary film for it’s brilliant madness, made up of completely shameless cinematic excess. It’s a film that totally owns itself, and has led to famous DVD Reviews (formatting is a bit wonky these days, but still worth the read) and list entries on this very site.
It’s been a number of years since Torque debuted, during which Joseph Kahn has continued churning out the high-profile music video that make up the bulk of his output. Doing work for musicians like Lady Gaga, Eminem, and dozens of other notable artists in the last two decades, he’s no small fry in the music video world. His new film Detention though, which will premiere at SXSW, is a more modestly-funded effort that looks like it will transcend its budget to reach the plateau of insanity we would hope for.
The trailer below is from MTV (via Bloody-Disgusting, who adds the logo above), and while it starts off as another self-aware Scream-style teen horror comedy, it escalates into something else, something that I can’t quite understand but must see as soon as possible. I need to know what the hell that spaceship is all about, for example… The film is sharp-looking, has the kind of immature but chuckle-worthy humor you’d expect, and features that moving camera that just won’t quit.
You can be sure I’ll be catching this at SXSW. If you need further evidence why, take a look at the Torque trailer still hosted at Apple, or start looking up Kahn’s music videos, listed right here. He’s responsible for some big ones.
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