The Midnight Meat Train (2008, USA)

I love movies that deal with the art world. You know what happens all the time in the art world? You get introduced to a big-time gallery owner one day, take the photo she asked for later that night, then the day after you get invited to be a part of a group show. What’s with all these myths about starving artists?

Oh yeah. The gore. There’s lots of it! Faces exploding everywhere! Tons of digital blood! What exactly was I thinking when I decided that The Midnight Meat Train would be an appropriate hangover movie? I watch horror flicks from time to time, but I’m not really into splatter. I blame the Bradley Cooper factor. Why else would I, feeling somewhat nauseous, decide to rent a movie about a guy who takes people apart with instruments typically reserved for livestock?

Then again, I did love Ryuhei Kitamura’s Versus, the best damn zombie samurai yakuza film ever. Kitamura’s touch makes Meat Train more stylish than most slasher films, but there’s one major flaw as far as atmosphere is concerned – never, ever try to pass off Los Angeles as New York City. The subway, in particular, looks all wrong. It’s too shiny! And too spacious! Since a big chunk of the film takes place in the subway, and because Cooper’s photographer character is obsessed with capturing “the heart of the city” (I have never once heard someone say something like this about L.A.) I ended up getting a little stuck on the issue. These are apparently the things that I notice when I watch horror movies.