Hey folks, Harry here.... Saw MUTANT ALIENS and loved it like chocolate covered breasts in the morning! Was never able to make a screening of SUPERTROOPERS and was majorly bummed because I've heard from just about everyone that it is funny as hell... ACK! Well the protein of the sea will fill you up and over... here ya go....
Ahoy squirts! 'Tis I, the hilariously crusty seaman Quint here once more with my last report from the SXSW Film Festival. Besides a film I reviewed earlier (Never Again) these two movies take the cake at being the most funny and the most fun flicks at SXSW.
SUPER TROOPERS- Meow, you might find yourself wondering how a movie with that title could be anything but cheese. I know that I resisted seeing the film. It wasn't until the day after the first show where I heard nothing but "Oh my God! You have to see this movie! It's hilarious!" So, I barely made it in to the second screening of the film at the mecca of geek coolness, The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, still not sure what to expect.
It was most likely going to be either a stupid, unfunny comedy or a drama/comedy... I have never personally seen anything but those two, never really seen a flat out comedy play a film festival before.
As Ginger Snaps was in the vain of great '80s no holds barred horror flicks, Super Troopers is in the vain of those great '80s R-rated comedies. It has the feel of a Caddyshack... or even the first Police Academy film. Meow, I can hear some of you cringing at that last statement. Don't. If you recall, movies like Revenge of the Nerds or Police Academy were pretty funny. The crappy sequels have tarnished the originals, but try to look past that and remember the originals.
Super Troopers is about a highway patrol division that's wild and is full of officers that like to fuck with the people they pull over. Play around with those they know are stoned, pull all sorts of practical jokes, etc. They basically clash with the local cops, the "real police." Think the different frat houses fighting with each other in Animal House.
The gags are frequent and often come out of left field. Whacky hijinks abound, just like in the good ol' days. There are lots of dick and fart jokes, but they are good dick and fart jokes and the fact that that kind of humor isn't the only type of gag the filmmakers have to throw at us sets this film apart from most of the shit comedy that's come out recently. The Farrelly Brothers, whom I love, attempted to recreate this feel of comedy in There's Something About Mary, but didn't quite succeed. Don't get me wrong, I love that movie, but it still felt like a '90s comedy (a good one, but still '90s). Super Troopers felt in every aspect like those whacky '80s comedies I grew up loving.
And there is great eye candy! Marisa Coughlan (Teaching Mrs. Tingle) is almost unrecognizable, but still amazingly hot as the female police officer that is lusted after by both the "real cops" and the highway patrol. Grrrrr.... she will be mine one day, oh yes. She didn't have her Cameron Diaz Swirling Ass moment in this movie, but I'm sure that film is waiting for me somewhere in the near future.
This film is directed by a guy named Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed a film called Puddle Cruiser five years ago. Meow, I haven't seen that film, but I've heard from a few different people that it's just as good as Super Troopers. I can't wait to find this film! In the words of Veruca Salt, I want it meow!!!! It stars the same people. From what I hear these guys are a comedy troupe. I should have known. Their timing together is fucking perfect and their eye/ear/nose/anus for humor is pretty damn amazing.
It seems that Fox Searchlight has picked this film up so I hope you guys get to see it sometime soon. If you're a fan of flicks like Stripes, Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, or any of the Police Academy flicks then you'll dig this movie. Even if you don't love those above movies, if you only visit that kind of humor every meow and again, if you like a good low brow comedy, I'm willing to bet you'll get your money's worth out of this flick.
MUTANT ALIENS- This is Bill Plympton's newest Independent animated feature film and lives up to the standard of Plympton's past work. Crude, hilarious, sure to piss some people off... God I love Plympton's style! He's keeping the Ralph Bakshi tradition of bloody, violent, sexy animated films alive. The sheer amount of naked cartoon chick screentime in the film is phenomenal. God Bless You, Mr. Plympton.
Ahem... Where was I? Mutant Aliens, the movie. It's about an astronaut that gets fucked over by his boss, Mr. Frubar, after he's launched into space. Mr. Frubar devised a plan to bring more money into the space program by creating a tragedy in space and having our astronaut hero read a prewritten letter asking the American people to help avoid another tragedy like his by sending all their spare money to Mr. Frubar. The fuel is gone and our hero is left drifting in space.
The astronaut leaves behind a little girl who dedicates her life to finding her father, keeping the hope alive within herself that he will indeed return someday unharmed. Fast forward about 10 years. His little girl has matured... Good God has she matured. Yowza! Anyway, she spots her daddy's ship coming in and races to find him, still alive, but with a new friend, a giant nose.
Not to ruin anything, but all hell breaks lose. Mutant Aliens run amuck and there are lots of gory, fucking hilarious death sequences. There's a cute little hamster looking thing... It's basically a jab at Pikachu... it's teeny tiny... but it eats men whole then shits them out instantaniously in a brick about 3 times bigger than its body. Fuckin' A!
Plympton finances his own cartoons and thus has total creative control. He puts as much sex (and there is a goddamn lot of it in this film, ladies and gentlemen) violence, religious satire (Drag Racin' Jesus rocks the earth) and whatever the fuck else he wants to include in his story. There is fucking animated bestiality in this movie, for god's sake! This man has huge hairy balls to make this film with the climate the way it is right now concerning higher than PG-13 material. "What? A cartoon with cannibalism, bestiality and all kinds of nasty things? How dare he!?!? Cartoons are for children! Children will want to see this movie because it's a cartoon and if they do, they'll go directly to their daddy's gun cabinet afterward, lock and load, then go shoot up that bitchy cheerleader that has been making fun of them for the last 3 years." You know, that kind of thing.
Most of Plympton's work has found its way to video somewhere. Sometimes it'll get cut a bit in the process, but I'm sure the uncut version will be waiting for those willing to take the time too look for it. Maybe Harry has Bill Plympton's webpage info? I didn't get one of his cards at the screening, but I know that Plympton has his own website where he sells his movies, books, original drawings and production cells. That kind of thing.
So, check out this movie if you possibly can. You might hate it, you might love it, but I guarantee you'll be thinking about it for a long time afterwards.
That wraps up my SXSW coverage for this year, squirties. Meow, keep yer eyes on the horizon, ladies and gentlemen. I got a few cool interviews comin' up for ya' and also will be spending time on the set of one of the coolest sounding indie projects in a long time. 'Til then, this is the crustiest of seamen Quint bidding you a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
