Funny Games U.S., an art film that aims to be the next torture movie, coming to our big screens this week. Who will be tortured? Read on… Warning spoilers!

There is nothing funny about “Funny Games,” and the only game seems to be between the audience and writer/director Michael Haneke.

If you sit through the movie, he wins. And you lose.

An art house take on torture porn, a trend even teenage boys have grown tired of, “Funny Games” is about two young men who take a vacationing family captive and then torment them while promising to kill them.

If you’re waiting to hear what else goes on, give up. That is the sum total of the movie. It’s one big ball of icky attitude, violence and nihilism.

True, it’s extreme, and those who appreciate extremism for its own sake might find “Funny Games” interesting. If, that is, they missed “Saw” and “Hostel” and other examples of the now burned-out genre.

And while those films may have been inspired by Haneke’s original German version of this film, made a decade ago, still, dude move on.

Indeed, the only truly shocking thing about this film is the talent involved.

It stars Naomi Watts, who also produces, and while it offers that most physical of actresses plenty of screaming and running-snot crying opportunities, you have to wonder what she was thinking. Same with Tim Roth, who plays Dad to Naomi’s Mom.

Of course, when it comes to villains Michael Pitt and Brady Corbett — both dressed in white and coming off fully crazed — the film was a chance to enter cinema’s never-ending competition for creepiest killers ever.

However, too bad they came way late to the race. If it were fresh, “Funny Games” would still be pretty bad. But stale, it’s downright awful. Give this movie a miss really!

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Official Movie Poster

Singapore Date: 17th April 2008 Language: English Running Time: 112 mins Rating: NC16 Genre: Thriller Tagline: Shall we begin? Starring: Brady Corbet, Noami Watts, Michel Pitt, Tim Roth Directed by: Michael Haneke Company: Belladonna Productions Singapore Distributor: Shaw Organization iZone Rating: 4/10 Official Website : Funny Games U.S.

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Movie Trailer

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