OK Eli, in that one statement, you proved yourself not only to be totally full of yourself (as if your five different commentary tracks on Cabin Fever didn't already create that impression), but utterly clueless-about Americans, about Slovakians, and about why people are upset over your movie. Just be glad you didn't depict your main villain as even vaguely resembling Mohammed.
New winner for the "dumbest excuse" award.
Slovakia is a beautiful little country and the people are very nice. Slovakia is very safe.
The only thing you need worry about there are Gypsy villages, where you can be robbed. Slovakia happens to have Europe's largest Gypsy population.
About the biggest thing you have to watch out for in Slovakia is Gypsies and Polish Truck Drivers...
"Government officials in Slovakia have expressed their concern that new backpacker horror movie Hostel makes their country appear dangerous."
Slovakia is a country?
I can see the point of their anger, but you have to set a film somewhere. Does Texas Chainsaw Massacre mean that Texas is a dangerous place? Are all italians Mafiosi?
Bratislava is about the cheapest nice city anywhere. I was there four years ago with my wife -- perhaps things have changed by now -- and we could get a complete dinner with wine and dessert for $20. You could get bottles of great beer for $0.50 at bars.
From what I saw of the trailers for this movie, you couldn't pay me to sit through it.
That's it. I was going to see this but I'll watch Hell freeze first. I'm tired of being "schooled" by mouth-breathing creative types who haven't done an honest day's work in their entire lives.
My favorite local film critics take on the movie.
Written by David T. Lindsay
Hostel [R]: Underpants on their big head, after Abu Ghraib caused liberals to mewl and puke, I half expected picket lines to form in protest of such a smug-ugly torture yarn. But then of course, director Eli Roth doesn't show Baathists being victimized, only white American boys and their Japanese allies at the mercy of foreign sadism. When roving packs of Eastern European street jackals ascend on tourists, demanding money and bubblegum, and beautiful girls are used to lure unsuspecting Americans to dungeons for dismemberment, it dawned on me that the inspiration here is lifted out of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer! What? You didn't expect Roth to act on an original idea, didya?
Not that I'm defending Hollyweird garbage, but I think the Slovakians are going a little overboard on the sensitivity meter, here. It's ONLY a movie, not a Michael Moore fictionmentary.
This dreck won't pull in enough box office to affect tourism in Slovakia. Take a breath and get a grip, guys!!
cabin fever was lame, but that Cerina Vincent is smokin' hot.
Ziggy Palffy ping?
HA! That train-wreck of a movie ALONE was enough to convince me that Eli was a complete twit! You actually needed the commentary tracks to confirm it? ;)
Sigh. Slovakia? The film "Eurotrip" shows that you can live like a king in Slovakia for less than $1.83. And "Independence Day" shows that a computer virus can not only cross OSs, but also interstellar hardware differences. Hollywood's not known for its authenticity.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
"But director Roth insists his aim in making the film was not to offend Slovakians but to highlight the ignorance of US cinema-goers. He says, "Americans do not even know that this country exists. My film is not a geographical work but aims to show Americans' ignorance of the world around them." "
So, he wants to assure Slovakians that he was not trying to offend them, only point out how stupid Americans are???
Just so long as he was offending Americans instead of Slovakians, I guess that makes it okay.
Well, dang it. I had my tickets purchased, my bags packed, and my torture instruments nice and shiny-bright. I thought it was a documentary.