Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Did you notice I didn't say his name three times in the last review? This ain't my first rodeo.

Okay then! I really don't know where to start with this honestly. When I first heard news of getting Beetlejuice 2 I wasn't fist pumping in victory or groaning in defeat, I was more curious if anything to see it and now that I finally have I am pretty happy to have watched it. It's a busy movie that almost makes the first one seem tame as we catch up with the Deetz' as Charles passes away, we get introduced to Lydia's daughter Astrid, and Mr. Juice is making moves in the world of the living to keep away from his psycho ex-wife. Shit happens. I am thrilled that it undoubtedly is a movie that just kinda does it's own thing, the nods and callbacks are there but there is way more new stuff to where it's not nostalgia shipping, it's very much a take it or leave it film and is unapologetic in how it tells the story. I respect such films. It was a lot of fun to see Michael, Winona, and Catherine back prominently and they haven't lost their edge. First bloody words out of Lydia and I was like damn she's still got it, and to see her very much having a midlife crisis with so much that has happened before and during this movie is understandable and it makes sense having her as the protagonist. Catherine O'Hara I feel is even funnier than the first, still a drama queen but a queen nonetheless! And well I'm a fucking mark for Michael Keaton and I sure as hell ain't gonna bash him here, they go more out there with Beetlejuice than even I thought possible but he pulls it off with a lot of humor and personality. All the new additions are equally welcome in my opinion, Jenna Ortega is a good balance playing a straightforward no bullshit teenager thrown in the mix of all this paranormal nonsense and I liked her avenue through the story. Justin Theroux is an oddball in this movie but may kinda sorta possibly be the funniest character in the movie, I dare say it's campy but not at all in a negative light. I honestly forgot Willem Dafoe was in this and though it's a bit part undoubtedly, the amount of character and this offshoot in the world of the dead was a nice surprise. I do however give just a teeny bit of good grief to this movie, Monica Belluci babe you need a better agent. I'm always so thrilled to see her in movies and then she's there for like 10 minutes and I'm just adoring the design of her character Delores and just wanted more. I'm not saying...cause that would be weird, but I'm just saying even stapled together the woman is a work of art. Moving swiftly on! The production design hasn't lost it's touch and is able to do much more with modern filmmaking, just to see more of the town in that exquisite fall atmosphere needless to say made me a happy camper! The humor hit more often than not from chuckles to wheezing guffaws even if it got weird at times. Though side note, maaaan this movie is gruesome when it wants to be like you wouldn't think this movie would have a fair share of blood and gnarly ass effects but you see blood spurts, exposed brains a plenty, and inventive background deceased characters that kinda wowed me. It's an odd sequel to an odd movie but entertaining regardless and I think even if you're a hardcore fan or just a casual moviegoer you can dig it. I give it 3 stars, 8/10, and with a title like that it's no mystery we are getting a third. Never thought this would be a trilogy but life can surprise you more often than you think.

And this is gonna be the start of a brief detour for me for the next few weeks, but I shall return before the end of September as always. It really is the deadest month for films, until then keep it real.

Beetlejuice

What the hell have I been doing for the past 9 years?? It worked out in the end but Christ!

I would have bet any amount of money I already reviewed Beetlejuice in the past, shit I've watched the movie several times since this shindig has started but never wrote a review. So how on earth do I sum up the plot of Beetlejuice? It's rather involved and has variety if nothing else. Centered around an everyday normal couple Barbara and Adam whose lives are cut short soon find themselves having to acclimate to the world of the afterlife, taking up haunting their house as new residents arrive but with no avail as a young girl takes a liking to their strange and unusual company. Enter our eponymous character as a proclaimed bio-exorcist who aids or more rather terrorizes both parties, leading to them trying to get the metaphorical genie back in the bottle. I haven't the foggiest idea how or why I got this tape before I even hit maybe even double digits so I've been a fan of this movie for quite some time, it was easy enough to roll with and it made me laugh. No friggin' clue either how Tim Burton got anyone to sign off on this or even sell it but it was a pretty big hit in 1988 and clearly has left an impact on pop culture in the 36 years since. The imagination of the world and the creativity to make that world real truly must be applauded, I wish I was that creative to come up with some of the imagery seen here. From waiting rooms of various deceased people, to sand worms on Saturn, to a spontaneous calypso dance performance it's kind of a marvel how unforgettable this movie is. But I think I can narrow it down to why, there just isn't anything else like it. I really love the cast here, with a script this broad the actors are that tether to grounding it so it isn't utter madness from start to finish. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are a really cute couple who navigate through the comedy and scares seamlessly, and you do want the best outcome for them. Winona Ryder as Lydia has become a cornerstone of goth culture and weird girls globally but she actually plays it pretty straight and humble, she's got some teenage attitude but is very likeable and is a breath of fresh air to see a more positive interaction with ghosts. And of course now comes the part where we get to talk about Michael Keaton and holy cow do I wish him and Tim made a lot more movies together! He really is one hell of a versatile actor and can somehow take this wise ass, slobbish, and pretty perverted character yet still make him enjoyable to watch! By all accounts we should despise this guy but iconic, quotable, and hilarious are the words that spring to mind when I see him. Shoutout also of course to Catherine, Jeffrey, and Glenn who fit just right in this movie and help make it better than it already was. The production design and special effects are half the fun of the film in my opinion mixing the mundane with the marvellously macabre, it just covers all the bases. Visually striking sets, prosthetics, creature effects with costumes and stop motion, it's a home run in that department. The score by Danny Elfman strikes that mischievous and eerie quality, not my favorite soundtrack of his filmography but a very good one nevertheless. It's just an entertaining and very funny movie, not in an overtly comedic way where they set stuff up for a joke a minute it's more natural in the dialogue, but hey it certainly works for me. I wish I could say it works for everyone, I won't divulge the name of the hapless dipshit who made the equation of weird=bad in their final thoughts on this film but I burned the bridge with them on it and never looked back. This is a great, odd, funny movie that hasn't lost a smidge of it's luster in the 20 years I have viewed it. 4 stars, 8/10, and boy howdy let me tell you I never thought the day would come where a sequel would be made so stay tuned for that!

Rewind This

I don't even want to call this a documentary, it's so much more a retrospective.

I absolutely adore Rewind This, it might be the biggest love letter to VHS I've ever seen. Again it doesn't really dig into the history of how VHS came to be, what it accomplished, and how it faded, it certainly touches on those things but really it's this look at so many facets of that industry. 90 minutes with credits can't do it justice, so it's very much like here when we do lightning rounds. They touch on how JVC came up with the idea, the competition with Betamax tapes, how studios sold the rights to get films on tape, they even delve into the adult market and how pornos made an impact, they discuss cover art for the boxes, tape trading and bootlegging, how independent filmmaking got a big surge thanks to the video camera, among other topics. It's all done with a lot of love and positivity, the range of interviews solidifies this point alone, we see some familiar faces from Adjust Your Tracking, but we also see video store owners, recognizable names of the horror industry, a good few japanese actors and filmmakers, and more that makes it undeniably real and even at times heartfelt. I will say this little special started off with an iron fist to my solar plexus, we start off at a Trader's Village and I was like huh I've been to one of those before, and then the city of Grand Prairie Texas pops up and I was half expecting to see 9 year old me on camera at any moment, never has any piece of media quite hit that close to home for me! After that I was glued to the screen, and honestly the more I think about it the more genuine appreciation and affection I have for this retrospective grows. Everything is just worn on it's sleeve here, it's the most candid and somehow unbiasedly biased documentary I've seen. It's dirt simple in terms of production but it's the stories, the experiences, the emotions showcased here that grabs you! Sweet Jesus God, when they start talking about the then modern landscape of media and how physical media is being put by the wayside um...Nostradamus himself couldn't have called it better and if anything reinforces why I try my damndest to buy the things I love. I have, hand over my heart, more than 1,100 pieces of music on my phone's library but I still buy CDs. I actually have a bevy of streaming platforms but with certain films and shows I wholeheartedly buy them. I am a hardcover book kind of Dude, I won't even touch a digital book. Now granted admittedly I'm a jaded old man who loves his anachronisms that is plain to see, yet I feel anyone can grasp especially when watching this why people not only hold VHS so dearly but advocate to own something for life physically. I'm really blown away by this. Adjust Your Tracking was the extreme side of the VHS fan spectrum, whereas this is more mainstream and as stated above focuses on the many aspects of the format. I couldn't recommend it higher, and hypocritical though it is you can watch both these documentaries on Tubi for free but I would gladly slap down money for the VHS copy of this celebration of home video. 4 stars, 8.5/10! And next week we look at something that I was positive I've reviewed before and was amazed I didn't.

Adjust Your Tracking

Fun fact true fact, both this and my next review have been sitting in my Amazon cart since about 2016.

So to finally get to watch this is pretty neat, I mean anything with VHS is up my alley. But holy fuckaroli I thought I was dedicated to good old fashioned videotapes, until I saw this documentary and the maniacs presented therein. Now it's not really about the history or commercial impact VHS had on the world, it's more about the hardcore collectors and their undying passion for what many people even in 2012 when they were filming this damn thing would deem obsolete. It's a very simple and straightforward project where they just film these guys about their experiences, memories, and love for VHS which does rather prompt me to join in the fun myself and tell tales. Although my collection is sparse compared to theirs and my experience with videotapes is rather limited to that 1995 to 2005 era, so basically the tail end of it all I am a stalwart believer in physical media and have a soft spot for this material. If the statistic presented in this documentary is true, 45% of VHS showcases whether movie, show, or other has not made the leap to DVD or even Blu-Ray kinda proves why I refuse to say it's dead or useless. Do I have nostalgic ties to it? Of course I do. I got 3 or 4 banana boxes filled with tapes and still watch them from time to time! So I can easily understand and appreciate the folks shown here and their dedication, it's undeniably a niche documentary for a niche group but it's interesting to hear their stories and see how they've built a community with likeminded people. That was easily my favorite part near the end when you hear them talk about how fun and rewarding it is to seek and hunt films either solo or with friends at these hole in the wall shops or even at yard sales and stuff like that, I mean it's gratifying to hear from my point of view. When I first moved down to where I live now, those first couple of months, I was trying to seek out any video store I could and every single one no longer existed. It was a bummer man but it was always something I enjoyed, Blockbuster was pretty much it when I was far younger than I am now and to wander the aisles and rent something I never would have seen otherwise was special! I love bopping around used bookstores and looking at stuff, I do still on occasion pick up a VHS tape if it's something I love and want to have. I love my old shit, I can't help it and I shan't do anything to stop it. I think it's pretty groovy to see people want to preserve history in any form they can, and you can tell the folks interviewed have the love for it even if the movie sucks. It doesn't help I was familiar with some of the movie titles they were throwing around and hearing some of the prices of money they dropped on certain films made me just shake my head and sigh heavily, but fans exist of all types of media where they accept it all good, bad, or ugly. I can't hate that! For a barely 80 minute look into extreme collectors of magnetic home video entertainment it was a fun watch and I'm just happy I got to ramble about something I love. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10!

Poultrygeist

I'm not disappointed.

Despite the absolute shitstorm hellscape I was briefly aware of on the production of this movie, Poultrygeist is my second favorite Troma movie now. The adage "art through adversity" exists for a reason and this might be the most biting and outrageous commentary on not only fast food but social outcry as well. Based around a fried chicken restaurant built on an indian burial ground we follow the plight of hapless dipshit Arbie who when confronted with his liberally minded and newly lesbionic girlfriend Wendy out of spite works at the fast food joint, as cross contamination with food and obvious green death goo births zombie chicken people and the fight to stay alive is on. Easily the funniest since Toxic Avenger both in the blunt lines and visual gags, you can tell they had a lot to say but credit must go to the actors who make it as funny as it is. Jason Yachanin is nothing short of hilariously dumb as Arbie, honestly to the point where he's an unlikeable prick who somehow still makes you laugh. Very few people in fact are present who you can cheer for! Kate Graham as Wendy slays me with some of her line deliveries and her run makes me almost weep just thinking about it now, and Wendy is unabashedly a stance on the mostly ditzy bimbo who's a try hard environmentalist fighting the good fight (or at least attempting to). Robin L. Watkins is our human villain this time around, the epitome of corpulence and greed as the restaurant chain's leader who does everything in his power to keep the food running amidst all the body fluids painting the walls. But is it parody if it's true? If legends have a kernel of truth to them, parodies have a thick layer of truth to them. My choice of favorite character is Hummus, mainly because every character gives her shit on her muslim heritage which is beyond unwarranted and she gets to save the day at the end, so I dig that. Oh did I mention it's kind of a musical too? It's not prevalent throughout, but we do get legit music numbers when characters sing their feels or have a debate complete with backup dancers, I won't lie it's pretty catchy. The special effects have never been more gross or bloody and while I'm not positive what the budget was it all came together super well, from the zombie chicken prosthetics, to the geysers of blood, to the shall we say creative implements utilized it's very impressive what all they got on screen. In fact it certainly sounds like a miracle there was even a movie at all, and I'm interested to watch the documentary for myself which is on record as required viewing material if you ever want to work at Troma. It certainly makes me appreciate the film all the more when you hear it's such a hassle to get done. We sure went out on a high note and I'm very pleased to have finally gotten my hands on that underground niche of shock cinema, but knowing me I kinda figured I would enjoy it anyway! And you're in luck if you sick bastards want in as well because every movie reviewed here and then some is available 100% free on Tubi. 4 stars, 8/10, and in the words of Johnny Olson come on down!

Tromeo And Juliet

I would easily watch this over the Baz Luhrman movie any day of the week.

Now is it shall we say faithful to Shakespeare? Nnnnno. But a funny adaptation it is, taking the romance of star crossed lovers and their feuding families and delivers it the only way Troma could. It's undoubtedly a passion project from Lloyd and took a long ass time to get backing enough to even start production, but he wanted to go for it and I must give credit where it is due. This was not a Kabukiman style production of over a million bucks, about $350,000 but the quality on the screen speaks volumes to the dedicated crew who worked on it. It takes a fine balance to quote Shakespeare among other classic authors and combine that with gore and lewdness, but it works well in my eyes. It certainly helps this is one of the strongest casts I've seen in a Troma picture, Jane Jensen and Will Keenan effortlessly captures that wide eyed romance just with a lot more banging involved, William Beckwith is a classically trained actor and ooh it has been a minute since I've seen a villain this damn hateable and just gross he may truthfully be the standout performance, Valentine Miele which is a name in and of itself something ol' William would come up with is such a little shit that he may be my favorite of the troupe, and if you need any confirmation as to why I enjoy this so much the whole story and narration is done by fuckin' Lemmy from Motorhead. That absolutely should have been part of every production of this play. Admittedly it's not as out there as some of the other movies I've reviewed this week, at least until nearer the end, and it takes such a street level view with this world known story that warrants at least one viewing. The production design, the extras, the soundtrack, the effects, all the pieces that make it come together give a lot of flavor and variety because let's be honest here Romeo & Juliet has been told too many times that it gets fucking boring! Goddamn if they showed this in my 9th grade english class I guarantee everyone would not only be glued to the screen but could write a hell of a report after the fact! It's a parody absolutely but that doesn't diminish the effect or relevance of it's being. If you wanted body piercings, lesbionics, loss of limb, and plenty of cussing in your theatre play look no further. It's entertaining as hell and we all know hell is pretty entertaining. 3 stars, 7.5/10! 21st century Troma here we come!

Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD

I don't know what's stranger, the film or how the film came to be.

Apparently this was an offshoot of a character in Toxic Avenger Part 2, and Lloyd being Lloyd made a joke about commiting to a kabuki character film when, I shit you not, word got spread and Namco yes the video game Namco approached Troma with a $1.5 million dollar budget to make a family friendly media icon. From the way Lloyd wrote about it he seemed rather disappointed he didn't commit to going full Troma or full kid friendly and kinda bounced back and forth. Me however? This is another great movie that I was so happy to have watched! I had a blast reveling in the ludicrous story of New York cop Harry Griswold getting entangled in a murder case and being imbued with magic powers, taking on an almost superhero persona of Kabukiman and going after a rich suit who orchestrated the killing. What I think helps tether it down to where it's not so outrageously stupid you can't enjoy it is Rick Gianasi as Harry, he has this Jack Burton quality to how he plays Harry a reasonable guy who has experienced some very unreasonable things, and somehow maintains dignity in that costume. Assisting him in learning his capabilities is Lotus played by Susan Byun who is just as amazing if not more so than Rick, she's a badass and just cracks me the hell up! Even the villain and his motley crew of henchmen are pretty entertaining, it's like everyone knew precisely what kind of movie this is and gauged their performances just right. That is some damn credit to the director and actors, cause while I undoubtedly love the movie I don't know if I could ever pull off acting in it. In a strange sense it nearly has this Power Rangers feel to it, and admittedly yes the tokusatsu sentai thing was very much around in 1990 but I don't think it had any influence on the production. It just feeeels like it, they even do the low angle front flip shot which is synonymous with that genre which makes me just enjoy it all the more. I know Troma worked very closely with a consultant as to not sabotage the film with offending japanese audiences so the over the top humor with the powers of Kabukiman I feel work just fine in the picture. It's a very solid production all around, very good directing around New York City, great cast as far as I'm concerned, the action is sparse but fun and memorable regardless, the humor is spot on for me and scratches that parody style Troma incorporates, and it's another home run for me this week! I feel confident in saying Troma's attitudes toward filmmaking is don't take shit from anyone only give shits, because they do not slack off. They make it work with what they can do and that's a pretty affirming stance with independent filmmakers everywhere. Strong recommendation once more, 4 stars, 8/10! One more for you from the 90s next time.