Gamer

On occasion, repeated viewings of a film can reveal intriguing nuances and subtleties missed the first time around, broadening appreciation and understanding. This isn't the case for Gamer, a movie that would probably be more entertaining if dubbed in German. A second glance at this one led to confusion surrounding non-linear editing and the amusement of the act referred to as "teabagging," popularized by John Waters in Pecker, wherein a man presses his genitals on another's forehead. Fuelled almost entirely by a Ministry-style soundtrack, an abundance of bared boobies, slow motion explosions and rapid editing, there is a seeming satire of technology as dehumanizing mode of consumer complacency amongst this tale of human avatars. Gerard Butler plays a prison inmate controlled by a third-party gamer in a real-life multiplayer shooter called Slayers. While the spectacle takes the world by storm, the mastermind behind it all (played by Dexter's Michael C. Hall) rakes in billions, manipulating the enterprise, to his benefit. There are a few subplots, one of which involves Amber Valetta getting molested by a man with a pig nose, which act primarily as a means to deliver more depravity and shock, with naked, obese men and darkened sex dungeons. In the three-part "Making of" documentary included on the DVD, the producers discuss not fully understanding the script as it was on the page, citing similarities to The Matrix in its obliqueness. This amusing comparison aside, it would be interesting to see if the finished product provided any sort of clarity. If nothing else, it certainly demonstrates that Neveldine and Taylor have a very specific vision, not entirely dissimilar to what one might expect from a 12-year-old boy. Also included with the DVD is a brief supplement on the use of the Red camera, along with a feature-length commentary with the directors, Amber Valetta and Terry Crews, where sex with Zoe Bell's throat, post-decapitation, is discussed, along with the wonderment of the female posterior.