The year of gross-out scenes
By Sharon Eberson / Friday, Oct. 31
Ewwwwwwwwwwww. I've been saying that a lot lately at the movies.
Normally, you couldn't possibly get me to a movie with scenes that will go down in the annals of gross-outs on film. I'm getting a little sick just thinking about some of what I've seen. And what's weird is, I'm not talking about gory horror flicks or films of the "Jackass" variety. No, these three movies were must-sees on my list, so I gutted it out and managed to hold down my dinner.
The only movie I threw up at (what, you never throw up at movies?) this year was the monster-and-mayhem film "Cloverfield," and that was all about the jerky, hand-held camera work and my motion sickness (yes, I was the woman in Barbara Vancheri's review who made a beeline for the bathroom).
Noting that I did not see "Saw V" or any of its predecessors, here are the three scenes that will make my all-time list as the grossest displays on screen that I have managed to sit through:
Spoiler alert! Movie's names are first, so if you haven't seen it, you may want to wait to read it.
1. "Tropic Thunder" -- The movie I've laughed at the most this year, because my un-PC meter must be out of wack. The fake guts hanging out of a soldier in one scene were laughable even to my weak stomach. But then came the decapitation scene. That's when the director (played by Steve Coogan) is blown to bits, with only his head is left intact. Ben Stiller's character assumes the head is a movie prop, in the context of the script, and proceeds to stick has hand inside before he realizes that it might just be the real thing. Gross!
2. "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" -- I've heard people talk about the vomit scene in "Trainspotting" when the bathroom scene in "Nick & Norah" comes up. (Oops. Didn't mean to say "comes up.") Anyway, this scene involves a very drunk young women vomiting into a bus station toilet -- and a piece of chewed gum. All I could think of as I watched was, actress Ari Graynor deserves at least an MTV Movie award for pulling this off. Discussing this scene, a colleague asked, "What about the gross-out scene in 'The Exorcist'?" That was pretty bad, but there was nothing realistic about. It's the touch of realism that makes rate high on the ICK meter.
3. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" -- It's in theaters starting on Halloween, so beware of a spoiler here. There's a scene that director/writer Kevin Smith calls "the [poop] shot" that he said his movie couldn't do without. It's one I could have done without, personally, and it's one of two scenes that almost cost the movie its R rating. At least it goes by quickly, which is the best I can say about it. I wish I had been able to ask Smith, during his Q&A at The Oaks last weekend, why he felt it was necessary to the film, which otherwise has a sweetness amid the occasional graphic sex, jokes about anal sex and other crude comedy you'd expect from the director of "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy." He also did the sentimental "Jersey Girl," too, remember, and gave George Carlin roles in that film and "Dogma" . . . but I digress.
This is about gross-outs, after all. And "Zack and Miri" will always have a special place near the top of my gross-out list.
What are your top (I don't think best or worst applies here) gross-out scenes? Please comment below.