‘The Collection’ revels in pointless gore
A few years ago, audiences watched in horror as Arkin ( Josh Stewart) endured all manner of torture in Marcus Dunstan’s “The Collector.”
Now audiences get the chance to cheer/squirm along as Arkin exacts revenge in Dunstan’s follow-up, “The Collection.”
The sequel, which made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, picks up with Arkin escaping from the Collector’s box during a sexually charged entrapment party at a dance club. But the Collector won’t go long without a victim. After destroying dozens of people with his wicked assortment of crushing and slicing tools, the Collector takes gorgeous Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) hostage.
Arkin’s escape may be the salvation Elena needs from the demented Collector. Emma’s father, injured in a car crash at the movie’s beginning (a weird subplot that is somehow supposed to make us feel a special bond between father and daughter), hires a team of assassins to invade the Collector’s compound and secure Elena.
They’ll use Arkin as the tip of their spear and their bait.
Austin will have a presence at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Richard Linklater’s “Bernie,” a dark comedy about a bizarre East Texas murder, was nominated for best feature. Linklater’s film, based on a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth, is joined by crowd-pleasers “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Keep the Lights On.” “Bernie” star Jack Black received a nomination for best actor, as did former Austinite John Hawkes for “The Sessions.”
Austinite Matthew McConaughey garnered two nomi-