Movie Report, July 15th, 2009

[Jacques Treatment]

One aspect of this should go into the "Nightlife" section as much as in the "movie" section, in that the Painted Lady in Hamtramck has a movie night every Tuesday (unless there's some special event). However, since this is more a recap of the movies shown, I thought I'd mention them here, for people looking for movies to want and buy.

Movie 1: "Terror Firmer"

This Troma film proves that Lloyd Kaufman can be a low-brow (or perhaps "even-lower-brow") version of Mel Brooks. Done as a "behind the scenes" movie about the making of a movie in the Toxic Avenger series. In this movie, he plays "Larry Benjamin," the blind director of the low-budget film in question, which is also plagued with a serial killer. The movie sends up Troma's own movies, complete with gratuitous nudity, plenty of gunge, gore, and rude bodily functions... along with the occasional pointless explosion. Part of what keeps it funny, from my point of view, is that the events in the movie wind up mirroring events in the movie the characters are *making*. The movie (and the movie within the movie) are both ridiculous, but if the audience watching the film is receptive, the laughter becomes contagious. All in all, it's pretty skillfully done... even for a non-Troma film.

Movie 2: "Fall of the House of Usher"

This was the original Samuel Z. Arkoff version, with Vincent Price starring as Roderick Usher, in the retelling of the famous short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a very atmospheric movie, and part of what makes the movie work is how well the spooky stuff is put together. Richard Matheson, who worked on the "Twilight Zone" television series, cut his teeth on projects like this one, and it shows. For people looking for a movie with a modern-style pace, go elsewhere, but people who enjoy Vincent Price, slow buildup of mood, or an appreciation of filmcraft from before the age of constant digital editing, it's well worth watching.

--J,

thinner than Ebert