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Everyone is talking about the big October release of SAW 3. The SAW franchise has dominated October movies for 3 years now. They all talk about what crazy games Jigsaw will have in store for his victims. What will be the big twist at the end of the movie. Will Dr. Gordon reappear? Is Adam really dead? How much gore are we in store for?
I'll be the first to admit that I join in on all the fun and games for the SAW franchise. I'm well aware of the flaws in the film, the poor acting, and how it is unrealistic. You won't get an argument out of me on that. On my online reviews, I gave the first SAW a solid 3 stars and noted the great writing as to how the story unfolded and had you guessing the whole way through. It was a well-written narrative. All of the poor acting, choppy editing, and other stuff I was able to turn the other cheek to. Because the story had me on the edge of my seat.
I gave SAW 2 only 2 stars and noted the story was rushed and felt like a regular horror film. Victims getting killed off in assembly line fashion with no real drama attached to it. The story did not unfold in the same fashion as the first. You already knew who was going to die first, then second, and the characters had little to no development and were basically just meat to be slaughtered for the sake of horror.
But I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the heck out of it and had a lot of fun with it.
What is the appeal of the SAW movies?
I recently viewed A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET special 
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edition DVD and it reminded me of all the old horror movie franchises. The JASON franchise was also one of them. People love a franchise. They know the characters, the first couple of films, and the background. It is fun to follow. Look at TV shows like 24. They take you from week to week with new developments and twists. We are there every step of the way. They play us like bagpipes and we smile during it all.
The simple term to describe the SAW franchise is "fun."
Back when I was starting my first year of college, me and my best friend would go to the movies every Friday. Class ended at 3pm, we would go home, have a quick bite to eat, and get ready to hang out. Hang out at the mall, have a late dinner, shop, etc. At 10:30pm it would be movie time. From about August to October, we would see previews, trailers, and hype for SAW. This got me way interested and ready to see the movie right away. The trailers did just enough to peak my interest.
That is vital to a franchise. A trailer. Don't give too much away, don't spoil the ending, don't go too over board. Give us just enough to get our curiosity peaked and our hands in our wallet ready to fork over the dough. Without a good trailer, it makes it a lot harder. You have those 2-3 minutes to sell us on your product. Either we are in, or we not. Simple as that.
The next thing that got me interested was the poster for SAW. It was unique, weird, and caught my eye. Upon leaving the theater, I would see posters hanging for the film, 
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weird stickers, and again, I couldn't wait for it to come out. A good trailer, and good poster is a damn good start. I am safe to assume I was not the only person who noticed all of this.
Third and most importantly was the Internet. They used their site, IMDB, and other online message boards to get the word out. Let's face it, a lot of us spend too much time online. We are going to find out about it. If you tease us enough with good hints, you will get our money. They did clips here and there from the film, and the clips had me counting down the days until this flick opened up.
All the hype is there, now is something even more important than the Internet: The movie itself!
Before I go into detail about the film, let me take you back to 2 years ago. October of 2004. The Ray Charles movie was out, GRUDGE was out, SAW was coming out. You had people PACKED all over the place. Waiting in lines, sitting down waiting, and there was something in the air. Excitement to go to the movies. Where did that go? Anyone know? Can you get it back? Please.
There was something in the air that night. The theater was packed for an hour before the film started. People were yelling random comments. They knew they were ready to see something special. Something they would be talking about for hours upon leaving the movie. Once it was over, the audience walked out in shock, amazement, and enjoyment. It was a damn good time.
That same experience will reoccur on October 27th. Oh yes, there will be fun.
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Every other Tuesday
Expect the unexpected from Tony as he'll give you his columns on the way movies used to be, the way movies are, and the way they should be.
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| Tony Farinella |
Tony is an Oak Lawn, IL based film reviewer and columnist looking to have fun and share his unique views on film with everyone. Tony also has an unhealthy obsession with Vanessa Lengies, but that is neither here nor there.
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