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 Last
night I was invited to an early test screening of "Repo: The Genetic
Opera," which was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed all of
the "Saw" sequels to date. All I knew about the film was that it starred
Paris Hilton and Paul Sorvino, and that it was a musical. The trailer I
watched on You Tube didn’t exactly thrill me or cause me to obsess over
seeing the film... but hey, free movie. So I was surprised to find I
really enjoyed it, though I don't think that will be the universal
feeling (the guy next to me walked out after a half hour). And my take
on that? Good art can incite reaction, whether positive or negative, the
fact that it draws from the reaction, feeds from it... makes it more
than worthy of a look. The film's multiple storylines all revolve around
Geneco, a company that specializes in organ transplants, which we are
told is the new plastic surgery (the film takes place in 2057). The
company president is a dying Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), and his
children, including Paris Hilton and Bill Moseley, are eager to take
over once he expires. Meanwhile, a young girl named Shiloh (Alexa Vega)
is suffering from a rare blood disease, and her surgeon father (Buffy's
Anthony Stewart Head, who we all adore here at UPBEAT) is perhaps a bit
too overprotective of her.
 He
works as a Repo Man for Geneco, "reclaiming" organs from patients
who failed to keep up with their payments, but is having second thoughts
about his line of work, especially when his latest target is Blind Mag
(Sarah Brightman) who was a dear friend of his late wife and also
Shiloh's godmother. How all of these plot threads come together is part
of the fun of the film, so I don't want to say much more. What I really
liked about the movie, besides the fact that it was just so out there
and different, was how the songs never really quite stop. If the
characters aren't singing, there are always instrumentals to bridge the
vocal numbers. At first it's a bit strange, because I am used to
musicals that are more song— talk— song— talk, and not all of the songs
are full-fledged numbers (more than a couple are just a few brief
lines), but once the movie's plot picks up steam there is no reason for
the music to stop, because it's pretty fast and pausing would only hurt
the pace. The energy the film has is unparalleled; if you thought
"Moulin Rouge" was a sensory overload— you haven't seen anything yet.
 I
wasn't too familiar with some of the cast members, such as a
guy named Ogre (he's from a band called Skinny Puppy— sorry to say I am
not familiar with them) as one of Sorvino's sons, but I was still
surprised to discover that they were all rather excellent singers. Even
Bill Moseley carries a tune quite well, and I do have to admit, Paris
can really sing. The cuts I heard from her album debut sounded like a
machine, but you can tell it's really her singing here, and as an
actress she fares far better here than in "House of Wax" (her role is
also not very large compared to Vega and Head). There might be hope for
her yet. The film's co-writer, Terrance Zdunich also has a role as a
grave robber/drug dealer, and he's largely in the film to dispel
exposition, but he also has one of the film's catchiest numbers. Bousman
has cast from all sorts of backgrounds— opera singers (Brightman), rock
singers (Ogre), child actors (Vega), theater actors (Head), old school
actors (Sorvino) horror stars (Moseley), and...whatever it is Paris
Hilton does, and it actually works almost flawlessly. The songs vary
from ballads to opera pieces to big rock numbers, so the varied cast
fits the bill. One thing I'm not sure about is the "horror" aspect.
While there's a lot of killing and substantial film gore (mostly
courtesy of Moseley and Head's characters), it's not exactly scary or
suspenseful (nor is it supposed to be). But I think Lionsgate will have
some trouble marketing it to the people who are expecting "Jigsaw
Sings!" or something, because the violence is mostly played for dark
laughs. The closest film I could compare it to would be "Phantom of the
Paradise," but even that doesn't do it justice. I don't envy whoever has
to figure out the best way to cut a trailer for the film (the current
one is basically just one song in its entirety— doesn't really explain
what the film is about though). It's hard to even write a review. I
wouldn't even know what genre to call it— it's horror, it's a musical,
it's a comedy, it's even got some light sci-fi and dramatic stuff.
 In
short, some movies you just have to experience for yourself, and
this is literally one of them. Put aside any expectations you might have
based on the cast or the filmmakers, and just take it all in slowly.
Trust me, you'll be thrilled, shocked, surprised and downright amused.
But no musical is truly complete without a score and musical producer
Joseph Bishara is the man behind the madness. The soundtrack of Repo! is
one you could put on your iPod and play repeatedly. We should all be so
lucky as to have the talent of Sarah Brightman, Joan Jett, and Poe
working with us. Bishara honors that opportunity and finds a way to
create a completely novel style of rock opera. Repo! may not be for
everyone and that’s okay. Plenty of people hated the theatricality of
bands like Kiss or the flamboyant behavior of Tim Curry as Dr.
Frankenfurter. That didn’t stop those who loved it from turning them
into cult heroes. In an age of cookie cutter films not worth our time,
Repo! is a refreshing story that takes tremendous risks and reminds us
what it’s like to, gasp, [dare I say it?] have a good time at the
movies! Outlandish, outrageous, and above all things outstanding, it’s
time for Repo! The Genetic Opera to step out of the shadows and into the
spotlight. UB
 
 
 Musical/Horror
Paul Sorvino as Rotti Largo
Paris Hilton as Amber Sweet
Bill Moseley as Luigi Largo
Anthony Stewart Head as Nathan Wallace/Repo Man
Alexa Vega as Shilo Wallace
Sarah Brightman as Blind Mag
 
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