3/6

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09/22/07

C

Other than displaying a textbook awareness of its ancestors, Behind the Mask offers next to nothing

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08/09/07

5/5

A mini-masterpiece... one of the best indie films in recent memory.

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07/19/07

2.5/4

has it weak parts but also some very strong ones

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06/30/07

N/A

While kudos and curtseys belong to the filmmakers and the whole cast, the real standout is Nathan Baesel as the title character.

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06/25/07

3/5

Fun stuff, though the jokes ultimately miss as much as they hit

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06/22/07

85/100

Behind the Mask isn't a bad movie, but it is a decidedly minor one, a short pumped up to feature length that impales itself on its own hook: After you've explained all the tricks, it's impossible to have your act perceived as genuine magic.

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03/30/07

3/5

Unfortunately, we've seen this jolly inventory of slasher-flick clichés before, in other parodies dating back to "Scream." And with not much new to contribute, "Behind the Mask" starts running out of narrative momentum about two-thirds of the way through.

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03/23/07

B

A deconstructionist horror comedy that owes a debt to Scream and the 1992 Belgian film Man Bites Dog, Mask nevertheless has enough pitch-perfect wit to lay claim to its own patch of postmodern, movie-loving snarkiness.

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03/22/07

2.5/4

Lacks the bitter resonance of its obvious predecessor, Belgian filmmaker Remy Belvaux's 1992 Man Bites Dog.

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03/16/07

2/4

About two-thirds in, the movie shifts gears disastrously. Made me want to haul someone into the cutting room for revenge.

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03/16/07

3.5/4

The wait is over. Endlessly imaginative, rigorously crafted, and extremely frightening, Behind the Mask is as good as horror gets.

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03/16/07

2.5/4

The script's laughs are too widely spaced. Even before the plot takes a third-act turn into the land of kill-by-the-numbers slasher movies, the jokes drip when they should be gushing.

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03/16/07

3/4

If Scott Glosserman's witty slasher spoof had celebrities, it would probably be a success like Scream or Scary Movie. As an indie, it's more apt to be a cult fave. Either way, it's a must for those who like thrills laced with humor.

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03/16/07

3/4

There is a lot of cleverness at work here, especially when the movie switches from the Blair Witch-style shaky camera to more accomplished and atmospheric low-budget lensing.

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03/16/07

3/4

The dialogue has wit, and the rug gets pulled out from under us and the characters in several short, sharp jolts. At a certain point, Behind the Mask loses the tatty digital-video and immerses us in cinema.

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03/16/07