For a film so set on camp, and only camp, Coscarelli dials the campy atmosphere down to about a four most of the time. He even manages to paint his character who thinks he’s Elvis as a rather dignified person. The entire concept of “Bubba Ho-Tep” is rather original. There’s a soul sucking monster at an old folks home, and to discreetly suck life, and not be noticed, it’s taking the remaining life from the residents there, and no one is drawing much of a stir. But Elvis and the black JFK decide it’s about time to stop this monster before they’re next in the war path of the undead mummy. “Bubba Ho-Tep” is a lot less a horror film, and much more of a film about the horrors of getting old.
Tag Archives: B
Broken Flowers (2005)
Never underestimate the power of karma. Don Johnston never will. Don has just broken up with his girlfriend, who urges him to get his life together and grow up. One day he receives an anonymous letter revealing to him that his son, who he’s never met, is looking for him. Jim Jarmusch’s tale of a lady killer who gets a jolt of reality facing his own mortality, is a clever and pretty interesting slice of life about a man whose life seems basically comfortable until he gets the announcement.
Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face (2006)
Co-director Longstreth once told me that Batman is pretty preposterous because he just doesn’t see how a man in a suit can scare criminals and provide protection. Because while his suit protects him from bullets, if a criminal wanted to shoot him in the face, he’d be down for the count within an instant. Longstreth just isn’t that fond of Batman, and neither am I, and one of his newest films pretty much sums up what he feels about the character. “Batman’s Gonna Get Shot in the Face” is a spoofing of the character Batman, a brutally overrated superhero. Now, Longstreth and Jacob Drake are big fans of the comics as I am, and the character of Batman is thrashed back and forth in one of the funniest online cartoons I’ve ever seen.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)
For the record, “The Ballad of Jack and Rose” is a film I’ve been dying to see since its initial release into select theaters. Often, indie films with utter potential to be pure gems arrive, and I’m beaming and anxious to watch it. “Ballad” is a film I’ve been trying to get a hold of for a long while. “Ballad” is a story of the last of the flower power free love generation. Jack, the father, is one of the last of the hippy generation who finds out he’s dying, and dying very soon. His death symbolizes the death of the hippy generation, and his daughter Rose is one whom will apparently carry it on against his will. They live on their own island, a deserted commune to be more exact, which they hold residence in, in spite of its lack of citizens whom moved on ages ago.
The Beast of Bray Road (2005)
At the start of “Beast”, a young bar patron drifts away from her friends after closing hours and is stalked and mauled to death by a werewolf. The beast grabs her, tears her apart, and howls into the sky. I enjoyed that. But, for no other reason I can imagine but to piss me the hell off, director Scott feels that even though we had that good opening signaling grand things, we could have done without it for another thirty or forty minutes, which in common sense land is a large portion of a film that doesn’t even hit the two hour mark, and that makes zero sense.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
“The Big Lebowski” is probably my favorite Coen brothers film so far, even above “Fargo” in terms of sheer brilliance. “The Big Lebowski” is sort of a celebration of being a man, or in other terms, it’s a celebration of being a dude. Or The Dude. Or duder. Or El Duderino. But the pure fact remains that Bridges is a pure bad ass in anything he’s in and he shows it by being simply “The Dude”. Don’t ever call him Jeff Lebowski, though, it’s the dude. And that’s just the way he likes it. The Dude who lives at the bowling alley, hangs out with his psychotic friends, experiences rivalries with other bowlers, and just has fun finds himself in a humongous crime plot one night after returning home. Upon his return he discovers someone pissing on his carpet and is beaten up in his apartment. It so happens The Dude has been confused with another dude by the name of Jeff Lebowski, a millionaire whose daughter has been kidnapped.
Big Boobs, Blonde Babes, Bad Blood (2006)
I was admittedly surprised with “Big Boobs…” because judging by the description I expected a glimpse in to making underground films, but surprisingly enough Alter Ego flaunts its most prominent director Shane Ryan with a compilation of his experimental and horror films. The films by Ryan featured are a mixed bag of weird, ridiculous, and very appealing. So, in turn I did get what I wanted, because the film enthusiastically boasts all of Ryan’s short films, while featuring making-of featurettes that many times last longer than the actual film. In one instance one of Ryan’s ten minute films is followed up by a twenty five minute making. It’s insane, but oddly watchable. “Big Boobs…” is never ashamed to admit it’s cheap and self-congratulatory, which adds to the fun experience of watching these films.