Porn star Sasha Grey puts her heart into "Smash Cut"
SMASH CUT
Starring David Hess, Jesse Buck and Sasha Grey
Directed by Lee Demarbre
Written by Ian Driscoll
E1 Entertainment
Montreal-based filmmaker Lee Gordon Demarbre (Gordon?) channels Herschell Gordon Lewis (oh wait, I get it) in Smash Cut, his tribute to the gore pioneer. Genre veteran David Hess (Last House on the Left) stars as Able Whitman, a Z-grade movie director whose films are panned for their incompetence, especially their special effects. When a car accident provides him with access to REAL body parts, the increasingly unhinged Whitman uses them to give his films a more realistic sheen, resulting in the best reviews of his career. Needless to say, the body count rises as Whitman’s need for fresh meat increases.
Smash Cut is not a good film, but taken in the spirit in which it was intended — as a tribute to HG Lewis (who has a cameo) — it’s mildly entertaining. Porn star Sasha Grey, cast as a TV star whose sister is Whitman’s first victim, is sexy but wooden as the reporter who cottons on to Whitman’s depraved scheme, but it’s Hess whose relish for the role of an artist cock-blocked by producers makes it worth watching.
That said, we support film fan Demarbre and his enthusiasm for taking the piss out of mainstream moviemaking.
For the lowdown on Smash Cut, though, here’s Demarbre, screenwriter Ian Driscoll and David Hess:
