I remember watching “The Cheerleaders” on skinemax back in the mid-nineties when they were never afraid to expose audiences to the delights of the grindhouse sub-culture. “The Cheerleaders” is one of my favorite bits of grindhouse fare ever made, a bonafide entry in the rare cheersploitation sub-sub genre that explores the lives of a group of jail bait teenagers who partake in lustful delights as a form of sexual expression. Particularly there’s jail bait Stephanie Fondue who is the Lolita of the group, indulging in group activities when the occasion calls for it. “The Cheerleaders” actually has a hilarious and clever premise to it, and one that will stretch in to two more movies.
Tag Archives: Comedy
Take Me Home Tonight (2011)
“Take Me Home Tonight” operates on the basis that we still give a squat about the eighties and thanks to the financial failure that was this film in early 2011, it’s great to hear America isn’t budging in their resounding boredom with the decade. This was only further remedied by “MacGruber” and its eighties crapola that touted the same sentiment “Take Me Home Tonight” does. Director Michael Dowse’s film doesn’t so much want to be a coming of age film from the eighties so much as it wants to be an eighties film. It takes every chance to define itself as the decade love letter that it almost convinces itself that it’s a movie ripped from that decade.
The Hangover Part II (2011)
It’s nice the producers of “The Hangover 2” loved the original so much they gave us the same movie again except in Bangkok. Unoriginal sentiment? Yes, but “The Hangover 2” deserves it for being an unoriginal movie. Unusually dark and lacking in the adventurous tone the original possessed, “The Hangover 2” is essentially the same formula except switched and mismatched for the audience to believe they’re watching something new. Of course, I put myself in to the mindset of the writers and wondered where else they could have gone with the sequel. It’s called “The Hangover,” there was a first movie about a hangover, and now we’re back to the sequel which will deal with what exactly? A hangover, I presume.
Scream 3 (2000)
Bereft of the typical doldrums of the previous films, “Scream 3” at least tries for something new and unique in the end. And while that doesn’t result in a watchable movie it’s at least admirable for its attempts to do something interesting. While “Scream” examined the crime, “Scream 2” examined the fall out from the crime where the idea became the institution, all while “Scream 3” explores the institution becoming so steeped in sensationalism that the crime has all but been snuffed out as a memory and urban myth. This sets the stages for Sydney’s return in the final installment of the first trilogy of “Scream” where she’s not a recluse living among her own devices avoiding the outside world. But fate comes knocking at her door when Ghostface returns anxiously looking for Sydney who has gone in to hiding and has taken on a new moniker and profession.
Just About Famous (2010)
I really hope Blue Collar Films manages to re-visit “Just About Famous” someday, because there is at least ninety minutes of entertaining material to be tapped from the lives of celebrity impersonators and their confrontations with people who are convinced they’re the iconic celebrities they resemble. However as a fourteen minute feature, “Just About Famous” is a hysterical and absolutely entertaining documentary about the lives of a small group of celebrity impersonators who resemble some of the most famous people in America, for better or for worse.
Ninjas vs. Vampires (2010)
Director-Writer Justin Timpane is back and he’s bringing fanged fucks with him in the sequel to his highly entertaining “Ninjas vs. Zombies.” Except this time he’s armed with a bigger budget and a cast with more acting abilities this go around. The versus titles are a niche in the Straight to DVD market, so Timpane is already ahead of the game with the sequel to his franchise which sees an innocent bystander fall to the clutches of a vampire attack only to be saved at the last minute by the Ninja clan who arrive in time to hunt the vamps, but not prevent our protagonist from becoming a vampire.
Ninjas vs. Zombies (2008)
I love how in the very middle of the film when hero Randall has lost all hope he’s greeted by the vision of a young girl who insists the only way to beat the zombies is ninjas. Almost as if that’s been the natural choice for every decision involving zombies in pop culture. Ninjas, duh! “Ninjas vs. Zombies” is the pop culture ode that I could definitely get behind. Sure it’s micro budget and lacking in solid performances, but it’s such an unabashed celebration of this ridiculous concept it’s tough not to enjoy. I’m not surprised there’s a follow-up on the way, that’s for sure.