bml84
I actually saw this at a special screening in Glasgow, with a talk held after. Three people walked out (that I saw). Lucky people..I never thought it possible for a film to be both boring AND offensive, but there's always the exception.Really laughably bad and inept in every department, and insultingly pretentious to boot. Cod philosophy throughout betrays an outlook of a juvenile English Lit student trying too hard to impress. Oh, and a tip for revisionists. Comparing fascism or any 'ism' to a sexual sadist is pretty pointless. Sadists torture for any sake- and its rather worrying that the laughable reasons our killer gives don't point this out more to most viewers. Fascists generally kill/torture for a purpose-sadists for sheer enjoyment.But this is beside the point- its poorly made and executed regardless. Insulting to the intelligence and boring in the extreme. Best Avoided.
EVOL666
Apparently there's some sort of big "controversy" over this film - personally I don't see it - this film is neither shocking, nor graphic, so what's the big deal??? That said, BOY MEETS GIRL is not a horrible film by any means - my MAIN problem with it is that it drags on for far too long. I think this film would have been much more powerful and "shocking" as a 20-30 minute short, cutting out most of the needless and boring dialog that runs this film to "feature" length. I'm all about dialog and character development when necessary - but the endless monologues from the main girl made this one hard to stay awake through...Short and sweet - guy meets a hooch at the bar and heads back to her place for some puss. She gives him a drink and turns on some porn (sounds like the perfect "date" so far, right???) - next thing ya know, homeboy's knocked out and restrained in Bar-Slut's basement. What ensues is some pretty inventive but non-graphic torture, interspersed with way too much boring dialog...There ARE some positive things about BOY MEETS GIRL. The camera-work is competent (almost reminded me of old Buttgereit stuff in it's "style") and the acting by the few leads is believable. A couple of the torture scenes are imaginative, but lack the "payoff" that I expect in a film like this. Again, if they cut a good 40 minutes or so out of this film, I feel it would have had a much bigger impact. Yet another case of a film that gets the reputation of being "shocking", and "controversial", that just doesn't pay off. Worth a one-time look to "underground" film buffs, but most of my other gore and sleaze pals will be bored by this one...6/10
CJL
One of the many things I love about DVD, as a medium, is the way that so many wonderful films that never got the video release they so richly deserved have being unearthed from the vaults and unleashed on the viewing public - usually a public that can't even remember them from the first time round at that.One such forgotten gem is Ray Brady's "Boy Meets Girl" (1994, UK) which although responsible for huge amounts of controversy upon its theatrical release (BBFC not liking its subject matter, for some reason!), never seems to get mentioned by many folk any more. Luckily, after being banned on video in the UK since its inception, it got a nicely put-together R2 DVD release in 2002 so now there's no excuse for having not seen this terrifying slice of thought-provoking brutality... The film begins, as the title suggests, when Boy Meets Girl in that all-too-familiar setting of a divey little bar somewhere. Girl is French, quite the 'randy little tart' it seems, so Boy thinks he's struck lucky, especially when she takes him back to her flat, plies him with wine and asks if he'd like to watch some porn with her. It's all very exciting but after a glass of wine he starts to feel a bit woozy and ... oops! Quicker than you can say "she drugged your drink, dude!", Boy wakes up to find he is in a small room with black walls, strapped into a dentist's chair. Girl is not actually French at all. She's also not particularly nice either. Bad things ensue. VERY bad things... and she wants to film it all.I'd love to tell you more, because the way I've put it probably makes it sound like one of the "Guinea Pig" films (which it's quite a far cry from!), but I also don't want to spoil the plot for you. I WILL however go as far as to say, the entire thing takes place in the black room with minimal cast members (which all lends it quite a 'theatrical' feel), so major cred points distributed all round for creating such a continuously tense and edgy atmosphere that keeps you guessing and utterly engrossed right up until the final few grotesque scenes.There are so many things in this deeply unusual film's favour that enable it to be so effective. The direction, despite an obvious shoestring budget, manages to be stylish and taut, using camera trickery and plot-contextual switching between film and video to keep things looking lively. The acting is surprisingly strong, considering the relative obscurity of the cast members. Danielle Sanderson (sadly never seen in anything else) is nothing short of unforgettable, playing her unstable character with a disarming mix of light and dark. One minute she's soothing, sensual, almost maternal and the next she's positively fearsome, spewing forth verbal bile with the maniacal savagery. It would be so easy for some of her dialogue to be delivered with a large side order of ham, but Sanderson makes her character believable through the intensity of her performance. I *really* wish she'd made other films. It's tragic to think of such an incredible talent being wasted.Of course, what REALLY makes this movie is the razor-sharp script, unpredictable and surprisingly complexed as it is. On top of its constant heartfelt assaults on the (at the time very hot) topic of violence in media, it relishes in playing with your mind and your personal politics, when it comes to morality. The lines between good and evil, right and wrong, continually shift (along with the viewer's sympathies). It's almost disorientating, the way the characterisations manipulate perceptions of what's going on and, by the time the plot reaches its ferociously visceral climax, the impact is made all the greater, because you're being made to THINK about what's going on instead of just watching it through zombified, desensitised eyes."Boy Meets Girl" is one of the more genuinely disturbing films I've seen. Obviously being creeped out by the movies is a very subjective, personal thing but, like I say, this one definitely did it for me. The closest comparisons I could make would be to place it in a similar category to "Man Bites Dog" or "Audition". Fiercely original, darkly comic at times but ultimately very harrowing indeed.Overall Rating: A no-budget 9.5 out of 10.
