I enjoyed this. Awesome. I actually just saw the movie for the first time, because my boss practically forced me to, given it's one of her favorites. Why yes, I DO have the strangest boss ever. Thanks for asking. I gotta say though, the movie, for me, was... well I really enjoyed this little Youtube video, let's leave it at that. A.S.H. was, however, extremely badass. I would almost recommend the movie just to see what I'm officially calling Ripper times ten. Almost.

XanMan | February 01, 08:03 CET

There are at least three pictures from Repo! over at ROFLrazzi, which is a celeb captioning site (From the icanhascheezburger people, but LOLspeak is not allowed). I wanted to caption the one of Tony, but couldn't think of anything, since I haven't seen the movie.

But I might hop over there & do something like "Thrashing Ethan Rayne was just a warm-up."

ShadowQuest | February 01, 09:43 CET

I wish I had a boss that forced me to watch Repo.

Being an American school teacher I could probably get fired just for saying that I like this film.

Jayne's Hat | February 01, 18:16 CET

Have any of you guys seen it? Is it worth a viewing? Something about it just turns me off a little. It might be Paris Hilton. It's probably Paris Hilton.

streetartist | February 01, 18:30 CET

I tried to watch it, but it did not appeal to me. Didn't like the music much.

Caroline | February 01, 18:35 CET

Yeah, the music is really bad at times, but the story itself is pretty amazing. I just saw it last night, and thought it was creepy/hilarious/tragic. I definitely recommend it. Paris Hilton basically plays a sci-fi version of herself; she was probably my favorite part of the film. Sarah Brightman's performance was superb, even though her role was fairly small.

Buffy the Slayer Layer | February 01, 18:38 CET

Is the "blood & gore" aspect realistic, or cheesy like Sweeney Todd?

I'm not a real fan of "blood & guts" movies, but if there's more storyline to it than just Tony yanking out organs and playing with the corpse I might see if Mom will add it to her Netflix queue. Unlike I'll Be There this isn't a Tony movie I'll buy sight unseen.

I haven't heard anyone say anything about Paul Sorvino in this. Which is a shame, since he's a much bigger star than Paris "I'm famous because of my last name" Hilton.

ShadowQuest | February 01, 19:21 CET

Paul Sorvino was a great villian. This movie has just the right amount of camp to make it great. Personally, I enjoyed it and bought it right away but it is not a film for everyone. I highly recommend renting it first. Don't ignore it because of Paris Hilton. This is the role she was born to play! A spoiled, bratty, drug-addict heir.

wilder | February 01, 19:55 CET

My husband and I really enjoyed it, but wouldn't have seen it most likely if it wasn't for ASH. He did a great job and the music really displayed his great set of pipes. (It helped that he was also incredibly sexy throughout the movie!)

Jillybug | February 01, 20:22 CET

This will be spoilery. Not plot-point spoilery, but spoilery nonetheless, so be warned.

The thing with not watching it because of Paris Hilton is this: Paris Hilton knows who she is. We love to hate her and she knows it. She makes fun of herself, and though I would certainly never see something BECAUSE she's in it, I also think it doesn't quite make sense NOT to see something because she's in it. She plays into the general dislike. Like, wasn't there a horror movie where she was brutally murdered? I'm not sure, but I think so. She must have known, when she took the role, that people would be delighted to see that fictionally happen. And then in Repo (spoilers right about now), her face falls off. Yeah, it just falls right off. Now, re-read that sentence, and tell me that's not a girl who gets it.

Again, this is not a let's-all-get-behind-the-Hilton-girl post. I'm just saying watch the movie if you want. But don't not watch because of this single element.

XanMan | February 01, 22:11 CET

Bit of a mixed bag really. I watched it the other day with my sister and I must admit that we probably never would have seen it if ASH wasn't in it. He was amazing though. Really I can't be all that objective at all- but I found that his acting was brilliant and his voice superb. Just loved him in it, we thought he really got to show off his voice and acting. Without being too spoilery there were two very different facets to his character and he really played off of that well. So if you are a fan, watch it for him alone in my opinion.
There were also things I liked. Some of the visuals were darkly beautiful (a little Moulin Rouge, with a dark edge, in its sensory overload type of style). A few of the songs were quite catchy and had great build, but more than a few fell a little flat. Not being a big fan of opera I'm likely not the best judge but it often seemed like the songs suffered lyrically (and felt a bit unnatural) because of too much exposition being forced in.
As for the gore, it wasn't as bad as I expected. I'm not a big fan of the big scary gore and I was fine pretty much throughout the movie (just a few moments where the ceiling suddenly fascinated me so much I wasn't looking at the screen). Not a Paris Hilton fan either but her parts were on the whole in mercifully short bursts. She played one of Paul Sorvino's three children, which I considered the trifecta of bad acting in the film. But otherwise Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, ASH and Alexa Vega did nice jobs and displayed great voices. I also actually liked the underlying storyline, very interesting scifi idea. Like I said, worth the watch for ASH alone and it's something rather refreshingly non-mainstream.

onthedrift | February 01, 22:45 CET

Truth be told, the movie wasn't one of the greatest of all time. Yes, the songs were a little cheesy at times. Yes, the acting was a little atrocious at times. And yes, the plot and exposition seemed a little forced.
That being said, so much of the movie was likable that I still loved it, despite the camp. As others have said, ASH was unbelievably good. His voice was powerful and haunting and even downright scary when it needed to be. What's more, the relationship that was built between he and Alexa Vega was believable for two people in their situation. I defy anyone not to cry during the song "I Didn't Know I'd Love You So Much." Sarah Brightman was phenomenal. And Paris Hilton? A pleasant surprise. Her voice was even passably good at times, particularly during "Zydrate Anatomy." I agree that you should probably rent the movie before buying it, to see if it fits your tastes. But at least give it a try.
Cheers!

The Irish Cowgirl | February 01, 23:30 CET

I decided to watch this and was prepared to be underwhelmed. I am not a big fan of opera or of heavy rock but it sounded an interesting premise. The use of ASH in the lead role got my interest piqued and so I sat down to watch. It was fantastic. It was a sensory overload. I immediately bought the soundtrack after watching it and have been telling everyone I think might enjoy it to watch the trailer and decide if its for them. These You Tube videos are fantastic advertisements for the film and give you a real flavour so you can try before you buy!

fade2dust | February 02, 00:00 CET

I went with my film school kids. They hated it (as one said, if you want to shoot like you're filming through a fishbowl, clean the algae out first) but I loved it.

The sound quality in the cinema wasn't good, so I'm looking forward to watching my DVD.

redeem147 | February 02, 01:16 CET

I agree that it is a mixed bag. Some of the music is great, some not so much. The story is an interesting one, and I loved the intermix of live action and comic book cut scenes. And the cast was great- Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, and of course ASH. I even thought Paris Hilton (of whom I am not a fan) did a pretty good job. As someone else said, she plays kind of an extreme version of herself.

I say give it a watch. You'll either like it or you won't. ;)

shishkarobb | February 02, 03:44 CET

"Zydrate Anatomy" has become one of my daughter's new favorite songs, so I've been hearing it a lot, and that video of ASH definitely makes me want to see this. If it's not too scary, it might be OK for my daughter, too. (She's almost 15 & doesn't like to be scared, but was completely fine with Sean of the Dead--Is it gorier than that?)

jcs | February 02, 03:47 CET

This movie only gets better on Blu-Ray. The sound is amazing and the visuals brilliant. As for the Paris Hilton hate - she's in 12 minutes of the 90 plus minute movie with a fairly inconsequential role. And ya gotta admit, who better to play a spoiled rich girl, then, well, a spoiled rich girl? The story is more about the Repo man and his daughter (ASH and Alexa Vega). I love this film for all the campy, tragic, and unique qualities that made this film something I hadn't seen all year: something that wasn't a remake or a sequel.

As for the video - my new favorite curse is, "Ballocks, ballocks, ballocks, ballocks, ballocks, ballocks and bottoms."

BrowncoatG | February 02, 03:51 CET

Paris Hilton does not ruin this film!!!

I just wanted to point that out one more time. :)

Paul Sorvino has a really good voice as well, although his songs were not as inspired as Legal assassin or Zydrate anatomy.

There are a lot of people that like to prejudge this film because of who directed it or who is in it, but don't let that stop you from seeing it. The first 30 minutes are very good and then there are a couple high points after that. The gore is a bit unrealistic, but it is not totally fake either. It just fits the mood of the film.

I just wish one of the three songs that were up for Oscar nomination had made it. The songs they did nominate were not as original or catchy as the ones in Repo.

Jayne's Hat | February 02, 05:09 CET

When I first heard ASH was in it, I said, "Hmmm, what's it about?" and when I heard the premise, I said, "oh yeah, I'm in." I wound up downloading the music sampler and got addicted to it, bought the soundtrack, and I finally got to see the movie on DVD.

I pretty much agree with the reviews here-- not for everyone's taste, and a bit of a mixed bag, but I really enjoyed it, and so did my fella. It's not as gory as I expected (which was disappointing), and the visual style can get a little bland at times, but you've got to give it props for a creative concept. I wish there had been just a little more character development, but it was still fun.

I'm not fond of Paris Hilton either, but she didn't ruin it for me. She pretty much played herself, and it worked. ASH was sooooooooooooo brilliant, excellent acting, magnificent singing... :swoon: Terrance Zdunich was great as the Graverobber, even though it was a small role, and I liked Sarah Brightman and Paul Sorvino (though I agree that there was too much exposition during his songs.)

And yes, I did cry during "I Didn't Know I Loved You So Much," and I'd already heard the song a dozen times. But seeing them sing it... yup, it got to me. I'm glad we rented it, and now I want to get it for my birthday this month.

Hey Jayne's Hat, which songs got nominated? I'm thinking "Zydrate Anatomy" had to be one of them, it's so darn catchy!

Darkest Wicca | February 02, 05:35 CET

Yup, Zydrate Anatomy was one of them. The other two were "Chase The Morning" and "Chromaggia" (Blind Mag's last song).

The Irish Cowgirl | February 02, 09:07 CET

ASH rocks! That man can give me chills! And I haven't seen the movie.

korkster | February 02, 20:20 CET

Just to be clear, they didn't get nominated, but they were on the short list for nomination. I thought Legal Assasin was one of them but I guess Irish Cowgirl is right.

Could you imagine the Oscars ever nominnating a song (Zydrate Anatomy) that featured Paris Hilton though?
Since it is probably the best song of the movie it might have been recognized but then rejected just because they couldn't nominate anything with Hilton in it.
They probably considered Brightman's song a bit more, but it was not as good as the Zydrate song.

It would renew my interest in the oscars if they had nominated something from this movie, but it is never going to happen. In fact if a movie makes it to the oscars for something other than a technical catagory I am usually not interested in it anymore. I think Lord of The Rings was the last one I enjoyed that won non-technical Oscars. There are probably others I enjoyed that were nominated, but not many.

It's too bad the screenings of Dr. Horrible at conventions doesn't count as a limited release. I would have liked to have seen some of those songs up for consideration as well.

[ edited by Jaynes Hat on 2009-02-02 21:45 ]

Jayne's Hat | February 02, 21:41 CET

I just saw the movie last night and thought it was incredible. ASH was awesome and absolutely perfect for the role. As good as I thought it was, though, I honestly can't think of another person I know that would like it.

sammygeen | February 02, 22:10 CET

Thanks Irish Cowgirl and Jaynes Hat! I agree, I don't think much of the Oscars, the Emmys, or the Grammys these days. They feel more like popularity contests than institutions truly interested in quality... but maybe that's just because they always ignore all the stuff I like, except, of course, in the technical categories. To each their own, I guess.

Darkest Wicca | February 03, 01:50 CET

Agreed. Hell, I was even surprised Bruce Springsteen's song "The Wrestler" didn't make the final cut. The song is beautiful, and it won the Golden Globe for best song for Pete's sake! The academy sucks.

The Irish Cowgirl | February 03, 06:11 CET