Movie of the Week 4/4/2011: Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

I will be writing a post each week based on one movie that I have seen from that week.

Here is a list of films that I have seen this week that I would of had to choose from.

Tangled (2010) - Disney's re-imagining of the classic Rapunzel tale.  Can you imagine what her shower drain looks like?

Homicide (1991) - Another Montegna/Mamet collaboration.  People don't really talk like they do in a Mamet movie, but they ought to.

Despicable Me (2010) - Much better than I thought it would be.  Is it more creepy that I saw two children's films this week without children or if I had seen them with children?

Some Came Running (1958) - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine.  There is one simple message that is conveyed in this Frank Sinatra character study, Love stinks.

Note: Don't read this next blurb if you haven't seen Inception, Revolutionary Road or Shutter Island.

Inception (2010) - Just saw Inception for the second time and enjoyed it more than the first.  The first time I had extremely high expectations and was a little disappointed.  This second time I just sat back and enjoyed, I think I was too harsh the first time.  Also, isn't it a strange coincidence that in Leonardo DiCaprio's last three films he has been largely if not completely responsible for his wife's death.


I had the full intention of christening the "movie of the week" with the Cary Grant (one of my favorite actors) film, People Will Talk (1951).  But for a number of reasons that didn't work out.  Not the least of which is that I didn't see it.

What I have decided to write about is a film I saw at the Silent Movie Theatre Friday night . . .


KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE (1988)
Tagline: Alien Bozos With An Appetite For Close Encounters


KILLER KLOWNS DEMANDS A KROWD
A friend of mine invited me recently to a midnight screening of Killer Klowns From Outer Space.  To which I replied "I'll be there, I'm not Stupid."  Which is the perfect response because if you have an opportunity to see a movie like this with an audience you have to jump at it.  I have seen plenty of cult films in theatre and I haven't regretted any one of them.  As a matter of fact I rented this film Ricky Oh: The Legend of Ricky, it was supposed to be gory and cult cool.  I found it to be a little boring and almost too ridiculous to watch.  But a couple years later I was at a double-feature of Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn and Raising Arizona and there was a mystery film that was supposed to cap it off.  Guess what the last film was, that's right, Ricky Oh.  I almost left, but I had so much fun watching the first two films with an audience that I stayed.  I ended up having an incredible time.  Watching it with an audience allowed me to look at the film from a new perspective, and allowed me to laugh at the absurd instead of scoffing at it.  Killer Klowns From Outer Space is sort of like that, although I have enjoyed it in the past without an audience.  At the screening they doused the audience with popcorn at the same time that a clown shot a popcorn gun.  It was a great interactive moment, it was how I imagined a screening of Rocky Horror Picture might go down (with less dildos and dress up of course).

With an audience is where really bad acting really shines through.  Awkward exchanges with inexperienced actors that normally are tedious to sit through become hilarious, all it takes is one person to chuckle and then the whole audience erupts.  There is no shortage of these moments in Killer Klowns.  A lot of cult horror/comedies are funny because of these exchanges or because they tried to be scary and were so outrageously bad that it was funny.  This is not the case with Klowns.  Sure the acting isn't great, with the exception of John Vernon, but the film is trying to be funny and is successful for the most part.

If you are looking for a movie with an interesting story, plot or character arc this may not be the one for you.  It is about an alien species of Klowns that make a pit stop on planet Earth for a bite to eat.  There food of chose is . . . you guessed it, human flesh.  Killer Klowns is really a series of bits where Killer Klowns clown around while they kill people or with people that are already dead.  They use ray guns that turn people into giant cotton candies, ventriloquist acts with a dead men, drink blood through a crazy straw, throw acid filled pies, eat people with a shadow puppet and much much more.  And you may ask yourself how can you defeat such evil?  There is only one way, by destroying their red noses.  Some people die, some people live, either way it is a lot of fun.  And they leave it open for a sequel.


If you can't see it in the theatre, which almost no one can, rent it and watch it with a couple friends.  It is meant to be enjoyed with a group, if you watch it alone you will be missing out on the experience.  The last time I had watched this film before the screening was with a couple of friends in college, and we took a shot every time someone screamed.  Definitely a good drinking game movie, we had a great time, for a while at least until we got ridiculously drunk and then ridiculously sick.  It was worth every drop, in or out.





. Pixies
. Sweet Special Effects
. Knowing that you are ridiculous

Movie of the Month: The Accidental Tourist (August 2012)

This is Kasden's fourth writing/directing effort, the first being a masterpiece called Body Heat (which also starred William Hurt and Kathleen Turner, although with a lot less clothing).  He also happened to write Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Arc and wrote/directed the Big Chill.  

This film isn't nearly as good as the ones listed above and I think I may end up being alone on this, but kind of liked it or at the very least didn't hate it.  I understand all of Dan's points, but I think he may have been heavily influenced by a negative comment in the film about the food in Cleveland.  Also, I knew what Kasden did to his Grandma and I didn't say or do anything, and for that I'll never forgive myself.  And maybe I'm in the dark here but I happen to think "burnt out light bulbs" are very interesting.  I actually didn't mind William Hurts' character, Macon.  I too don't possess emotions so I felt as though I could relate at times with Macon, although some other times he was Macon me crazy waiting for him to do something interesting.  The plot could have been more engaging, but it was interesting enough for me.

Patty has some good points too, but "no redeeming qualities of any characters" that seems a bit harsh.  Bill Pullman's character will do anything to make his marriage work and looks great in both a crew cut and v-neck sweaters (if that isn't a redeeming quality I don't know what is).  The movie is certainly dreary, but I don't think that is necessarily a negative.  Also, you're right!  There are a lot of "tragedy - divorce - new lover . . ." movies out there, but this is the first one I have seen with a travel book writer that hates traveling and is emotionally saved by a dog trainer.

Geena Davis was convincing as the persistent dog trainer, Murial (I don't know if it was worthy of the supporting oscar that she got for the role, but she was good).  She just won't quit pursuing Macon, regardless of how many times he refuses.  My favorite part is when Macon goes to Murial's place to leave her the letter to say he couldn't come over.  He gives this big speech about his loss and how he isn't ready to be around a child, and she pulls him in by the sleeve like one of the animals she trains, and rewards him with a sleepover.  After that he falls in love with the child (not in a Sandusky way).  His ex-wife never really stood a chance.  I think that the main reason he ends up with Murial is because of the child, and his desire to play what could have been.  And I think Murial is after him for his money and the father figure he will be for her son.  And they both get what they want, everybody wins (except Kathleen Turner, she's the big loser in this one). 

All in all the movie seemed a little different, and kept my attention.  This is not a rave review, but it was okay.

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Movie of the Month: Blow Out (July 2012)

Blow Out; In Search of a Worthy Scream, But Comes Up with a Whimper

Brian De Palma’s Blow Out is about a Sound F/X (John Travolta) who accidentally records a car accident that results in the death of a presidential candidate.  Travolta manages to save a damsel in distress (Nancy Allen which you may know better from playing Robocop’s sassy female partner) from the back seat of the car.  Travolta is convinced by the police to keep his knowledge of the events to himself and away from the media as they attempt to cover up the candidate’s affair with the damsel.  Travolta would later listen to his recording and realize that a gunshot blew out the tire that resulted in the accident, it was . . . Murder!!!  He attempts to go to the police but he is dismissed as a crackpot, so he must investigate on his own.  The story unravels into a bit of mystery, but mostly suspense and few thrills.

De Palma has had a number of critical and financial successes such as; Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface, The Untouchables, Casualties of War andMission Impossible.  Many accuse De Palma of stealing Hitchcock’s style and ideas (which De Palma makes fun of with his Psychoesque opening), earning a reputation as a rip-off artist.  Although I believe there should be an emphasis on the “artist” portion of that reputation.  Almost every film is greatly influenced by other films, and I don’t care if you use techniques that other filmmakers have invented as long as you do it effectively.  That said, this wasn’t his most effective film (watchDressed to Kill if you want to see one of his more effective Hitchcockian films, and of course Carrie.)  There are a few moments of good suspense, and I do love a good split screen shot as much as the next guy but all and all it comes up a bit short.

The plotline is largely borrowed from Blow Up and The Conversation (both are far superior films), which I don’t mind because the tone is much different.  The film sets up like it is going to be a good mystery, but Travolta figures out it is a murder pretty quickly.  And after that he doesn’t really investigate much further, he spends a lot of his time trying to convince others of his story, but not really trying to figure out what is really going on. 

I was excited to see Travolta and Allen teamed together again after pouring pig’s blood over Carrie five years earlier.  Nancy Allen appeared in 3 of De Palma’s films (and was married to De Palma from 1979-1984), but this is by far her worst performance.  Her character was so annoying that I found myself rooting for Lithgow, who plays a psycho as well as anyone.  Travolta wasn’t good or bad, he was okay.  Dennis Franz is always good at playing a scuzzball, whether it be as a TV detective or head of security at an airport or in this case a con-man.

Travolta’s back-story working with the police department I found kind of laughable.  Lithgow’s deranged government mercenary (who seems far too deranged to be given the assignment of setting up the candidate) is the character that moves things along.  Killing women left and right so that when he kills Nancy Allen it will look the work of a serial killer, the only problem is he is only setting up himself as he is the serial killer.  It seems like there were a couple times he could have killed Travolta a few times, but chose not to because then who will save Allen at the end.  My favorite element of the story is actually when Travolta uses Allen’s near death scream in the horror movie he was working on.  I would have liked his character to be a bit more of a scumbag throughout as that moment defines him as.

All in all a couple good moments, but not a great film.  I really wanted it would be better being the first movie selected, but I hopefully it will spark some good conversation.