SGT. KABUKIMAN N.Y.P.D. (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

SGT. KABUKIMAN N.Y.P.D. (1990) 

Label: Troma Entertainment
Duration: 105 Minutes
Region Code: Region-Free
Audio: English  Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.77:1)
Directors: Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz
Cast: Rick Gianasi, Susan Byun, Bill Weeden, Thomas Crnkovich, Noble Lee Lester, Brick Bronsky, Larry Robinson, Pamela Alster, Shaler McClure, Fumio Furuya

When it comes to Troma movies I am down for the classic Nuke 'Em High and the Toxic Avenger movies for the most part. I am also a fan of a few of the movies they've picked-up but have not necessarily produced themselves, I am thinking of Buddy Giovinazzo's Combat Shock, Astron 6's Father's Day and Drew Rosas' slasher Blood Junkie in particular. A few others like Mother's Day get a pass but if I am honest with you I don't care all that much for the Troma aesthetic, which is why I never sought out Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.. 

The corny action-comedy concerns the largely inept Sergeant Detective Harry Griswold (Rick Gianasi) of the N.Y.P.D. whom while attending a Kabuki play at the the theatre is accidentally is imbued with the ancient Kabukiman powers from a dying old man who kisses him with his last breath. This happens much to the chagrin of the old man's granddaughter Lotus (Susan Byun), who had hoped she would inherit the power of the Kabukiman. The movie pretty much plays out with the befuddled Detective Griswold not understanding what's happening to him while he begins turning Japanese, craving sushi and wearing a kimono. 

With the help of Lotus the reticent Groswold comes to embrace his new found superpowers and begins to hone his skills as Kabukiman before facing off against the diabolical businessman Reginald Stuart (Bill Weeden) and a crooked man of the cloth named Reverend Snipes. The former looks like a comic mash-up of former Tonight Show host Jay Leno and director Joe Dante. Reginald holds the key to an ancient curse which threatens to unleash The Evil One upon the world, eventually the evil ancient force does arrive on the scene and Kabukiman must save the world. 

A few scenes here and there made me laugh, which is about par for Troma, but at the end of the day this is just a cornball action-comedy from Troma that did almost nothing for me. We have a few decent training montages and some silly action sequences with Kabukiman beginning to use his super powers, which consisted of throwing deadly chops sticks, turning people into human sushi rolls, tying criminals up with Asian-noodles, and using his Japanese hand fan to cause a powerful whirlwind, which was all a bit too corny for my tastes. I don't even know how to begin explaining how he turned someone into a pile of hot dogs!

Audio/Video: Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. arrives on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer framed in 1.77 widescreen, the image offers some decent detail in the close-ups but it does look like there's been some digital tinkering applied to it to remove excess grain, it's not the worst I've seen from Troma by any means, in comparison to Rabid Grannies this one looks okay. The colors are mostly vibrant with the reds and greens popping, the black levels are adequate and there's some decent  contrast. Troma again go with a lossy Dolby Digital audio option, the stereo track is nicely balanced, clean and free of distortion, no subtitles are provided. 

Onto the bonus features we an audio commentary from co-director Lloyd Kaufman who offers a detailed info track that touches on the origins of the movie and how they achieved certain shots with plenty of the self-effacing humor we've come to expect. There's also an interview with Sgt. Kabukiman actor Rick Gianiasi, a full episode of Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner featuring Brian Quinn of the TV show Impractical Jokers, a karaoke of the theme song for the movie and other Troma-centric extras. 

Special Features:
- New Intro by Lloyd Kaufman (6 Mins) HD 
- Interview with Sgt. Kabukiman Himself, Rick Gianiasi (7 Mins) HD 
- Kabukiman's Karaoka (3 Mins) HD 
- A Full episode of Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner featuring Brian Quinn (Impractical Jokers) (12 Mins) HD 
- Stupid Moments in Troma History (3 Mins) 
- Audio Commentary by Lloyd Kaufman
- Trailer (4 Mins) 
- Tromadance 2015 Highlight (5 Mins) HD 

I know this is a beloved Troma movie with a large fan base but I do not count myself among them. I found the comedy dull and the movie to be overlong, but I am not a Troma fan either so there's that working against it. The disc from Troma looks decent and there are some good extras, but for me this is only notable as the original source of the infamously recycled scene of the car flipping over and exploding which seems to have been reused any many time since. 2/5

TROMA'S WAR (1988)

TROMA'S WAR (1988) 

Label: Troma
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 91 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Director: Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz
Cast: Carolyn Beauchamp, Sean Bowen, Rick Washburn

Synopsis: Before there was "American Sniper" and "Lost" there was TROMA'S WAR! A tropical vacation turns deadly when a passenger plane full of American tourists crash-lands on a remote Caribbean island! Those who manage to survive the flaming wreckage band together in search of safety, only to discover their island is home to a vicious terrorist organization. Bullets fly and flames light up the jungle as the survivors are hunted, captured, and pushed to the limits of human endurance…until they decide it’s time to declare WAR! Gloriously restored in explosive HD, TROMA’S WAR is Troma at its loudest, biggest, and most action-packed! 

A commercial jet airliner originating out of Tromaville crashes on an uncharted island somewhere  in the Indian Ocean, most of the passengers perish in the fiery crash but a small group of survivors crawl from the wreckage and regroup, soon discovering they've crashed on some covert terrorist training camp where all the anti-American groups of the world seem to have converged. You have the usual assortment of Islamic bombers, some neo-Nazis and even a pig-faced American among them. The group of survivors is lead by a 'Nam vet turned car salesman, sporting a loud Hawaiian shirt, the guy is pure nuts, but just maybe nuts enough to lead the band of survivors against a horde of American-hating terrorist. 

Troma's War is an insanely violent and fun movie, loaded with corny comedy and sorely stereotyped characters with plenty of nude women, which is sort of what Troma all about. On top of that there are lots of crude 80s practical special effects providing no shortage of gore and plenty of bloody squibs, exploding boobies and genital harm, this is ferocious good fun, just be prepared for the usual Troma cheapness, there's no escaping it, though this apparently cost three-million to make, which is A LOT for a Troma movie.

The cast is fun but the acting is predictably awful, though some of the dialogue is priceless stuff, the delivery might be a bit off but the writing is super silly and fun, this is a slice of trash cinema gold right here. Of course Troma never fears to go the completely tasteless route and this time offer a the character "Señor Sida" (Mr. AIDS), a terrorist with unsightly lesions over his face and body who leads a brigade of AIDS-infected soldiers in hopes of spreading the terrible disease throughout the US, at one point raping a young woman and infecting her, played for comedic effect, of course. I would hesitate to call this - or any other Troma movie - a classic of 80s film, but its certainly a fun, trashy actioner from Troma that's worth a watch if you love 80s cheese and that trashy Troma aesthetic. 

Audio/Video: The film arrives on Blu-ray from Troma for the first-time in widescreen, the image looks pretty decent out of the gate with some minor print damage and a few scratches, nothing too egregious and sporting a layer of natural looking film grain. Then when the action sequences kick in you really notice some compression artifacts, the macr0-blocking begins to overwhelm the action sequences, it is rather unsightly and yet another issue with a Troma Blu-ray, which is unfortunate, I wish they would just have someone like Vinegar Syndrome handle the transfers for all their vintage titles, VS have been doing a great job with titles they've licensed from Troma, such as Graduation Day and Sugar Cookies, both of which received phenomenal HD transfers without any unsightly glitches. Audio comes by way of an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track that sounds well balanced and clean, no issues other than Troma still refusing to go the lossless audio route in the year 2015. 

Onto the extras we have quite a bit of cool stuff, beginning with an audio commentary with writer/director Lloyd Kaufman who goes into quite a bit of detail about the production of the movie and the various New York locations and the ensuing battle with the MPAA and the cuts they were required to make to get the R-rating. 

There are various cast and crew interviews, beginning with 'Post War Reflections' with Kaufman briefly interviewing stars Sean Bowen, Joe Fleishaker and Jessica Dublin, and then into 'Veteran’s Day: A Post-Tromatic Reunion' with director Pericles Lewness and Joe Fleishaker reminiscing about their time making the film. There's also an interview with Weapons Coordinator/Actor Rick Washburn who played the 'Nam Vet car salesman Parker in the movie. New and exckusive to this Blu-ray edition is a new intro from Lloyd Kaufman featuring the Toxic Avenger, plus a 20-minute conversation with Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz whom reflect on the making of the movie, the low-budget challenges and dealing with the MPAA. 

Special Features:
- New Intro with writer/director Lloyd Kaufman (3 Mins) HD 
- Director’s Commentary with Lloyd Kaufman
- War Memories with Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz (20 Mins) HD 
- London’s War (1 Mins) 
- Post War Reflections with Sean Bowen, Joe Fleishaker and Jessica Dublin (5 Mins) 
- Interview with Weapons Coordinator/Actor Rick Washburn (3 Mins) 
- Veteran’s Day: A Post-Tromatic Reunion with Pericles Lewness, Joe Fleishaker (10 Mins) 
- Original Theatrical Trailer (3 Mins) 
- Troma Trailers: Retunr to Nuke 'Em Hight Vol. 1 (3 Mins) , Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol. 2 (2 Mins), The Toxic Avenger (3 Mins) 

Troma's War is a lot of corny Reagan-era action fun, it was a time of extreme American jingoism and Kaufman and crew put together quite a fun and bloody companion piece of sorts to the action movies that were coming out at the time, just way cheaper, cornier and with loads of boobies. The Blu-ray is a nice upgrade from the previous DVD versions but the compression issues that plague the transfer are gonna problematic for a lot of folks, you have been warned. 2.5/5

Blu-ray: CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (1986)

CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (1986) 

Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Arrow Video
Region: ABC (Region-FREE)
Rating: 18
Duration: 85 mins
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 with Optional English SDH subtitles
Cast: Janelle Brady, Gil Brenton and Robert Prichard
Director: Richard W. Haines, Lloyd Kaufman
Tagline: It Rotted Their Bodies. It Corrupted Their Minds. And That's The Good News.

Synopsis: At Tromaville High School the kids are revolting. Literally. The irradiated marijuana they’ve been buying from The Cretins, a tough gang of ex-star pupils turned atomic punks, is turning them into freaks. Girls are giving birth to demon babies, the nerds are developing super strength and there’s a monster in the school basement that eats honor roll students for breakfast.

The Film: Troma is not a studio I followed in the 80's with any amount of relish honestly  I always thought their output looked cheap and schlocky and in the 80's  that's just not where I was at, I was looking for slashers though I did have a fondness for Full Moon Entertainment straight-to-video so I guess I did crave a certain amount of camp. I must admit I have never even seen Troma's flagship film The Toxic Avenger (1984)  to this day haven't seen Class of Nuke 'En High  since it's original VHS release in the 80's and from that viewing all I could remember was there's something about a giant nuclear-waste induced hallucination about a giant-boner, so let's see how it holds up....

I love it! Tromaville High-school is located in the shadow of the Tromaville Nuclear Power Pant when an accident at the plant sends toxic nuclear sludge into the water school's supply. A nerdy doofus named Dewey drinks some of the waste straight from a water fountain and attacks one of his classmates while spurting green foamy liquid from his ears before leaping out a window PCP style to his oozing death. The Nuclear power plant of course denies any waste has contaminated the ground water blaming the unfortunate death on the fact that the youth came from a home with two microwaves, gotta love the 80's microwave dangers which was right up there with the Satanic Panic scare of the era. 

The school is full of awesome 80's punk rockers including The Cretins, former debate team all-star turned mutant punkers, who sell classmates irradiated weed grown at the power plant which ends up being smoked by preppie high school couple, the virginal Chrissy (Janelle Brady) and the jocular Warren (Gil Brenton), the toxic-laced THC send Chrissy into a lusty fit and the two finally get it on. That night Warren hallucinates a tree sized erection while poor Chrissy finds herself impregnated with a mutant creature which she vomits into the toilet in the restroom, the toothy offspring ends up in the school basement into a drum of toxic waste where it grows into nightmare sized mutant miscarriage that terrorizes the school. 

Class of Nuke 'Em High us just a ton of 80's schlock awesomeness, we get neon punks, mutated cretins, gooey and dated practical effects,horny teens, some nudity, bizarre drug culture and adolescent comedy - it's everything and more you would expect of a Troma film and then some.   

Blu-ray: The first thing I noticed was how great the film looks in 1080p widescreen, there's some print damage but the neon-colors are vibrant, the nuclear waste slime really jumps out at you. The black levels are decent, maybe not inky black but very solid, aside from some occasional dirt this is a very strong transfer. Sadly the only audio option is LPCM 2.0, and while that's a disappointment it's satisfactory in a less that awesome sorta way.

Special features are pretty nifty, not having really viewed previous DVD editions I think mostly vintage stuff beginning with a audio commentary from co-director Lloyd Kaufman who is always entertaining, a born showman and his commentary is candid and witty as you would expect, fun stuff. The Interview with stars Robert and Jennifer Prichard (4:41) features the pair speaking of how they met on-set, Richard portrayed the leader of The Cretins, Spike  in the film. There's a funny retelling of a asthmatic stalker with a limp who perused Theo for a time and  a masturbatory sauna scene. We also get a vintage Troma Studios tour with Lloyd Kaufman (9:19) featuring Kabuki Man and a naked chic in a shower - a classic Tromatic extra. The other significant extra is Seven Deleted Scenes (7:03) that don't really add up to anything astonishing but are appreciated 

Special Features:

- High Definition Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD transfer of the unrated Director’s Cut of the film 

- Audio commentary with Troma Studios founder and Class of Nuke ‘em High co-director Lloyd Kaufman 

- Interview with stars Robert and Jennifer Prichard (4:41) 4x3

- Theo Pingarelli on the Making of the Nuclear Power Plant Effect (0:40) 4x3

- Troma Studios tour with Lloyd Kaufman (9:19) 4x3

- Public Service Announcement by Lemmy from Motörhead featuring Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park 

- Deleted Scenes (7:03) 4x3

- Aroma du Troma (2:05) 4x3

- Troma Studios Trailer Reel (14:09) 4x3

Verdict: Great to see Troma's Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986) get a region-FREE dual-format DVD/Blu-ray from Arrow Video in the UK. We get gore, mutants, nudity and 80's drug culture awesomeness, a trash cinema classic. On top of that it's a damn fine audio/video presentation with some cool extras, highly recommended. (3 outta 5) 

DVD Review: PRODUCE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE (2011)

PRODUCE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE! (2011)

2-Disc DVD Box-Set

LABEL: Troma Entertainment
REGION CODE: All NTSC
RATING: Unrated
DURATION: 300 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Fullframe
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0
DIRECTOR: Lloyd Kaufman
CAST: David Cronenberg, Roger Corman, Avi Lerner, Monte Hellman, Joe Dante, Ernest Dickerson, Steven Paul, Mick Garris, The Duplass Brothers, Caroline Baron, Herschell Gordon Lewis, James Gunn, Darren Lynn Bousman

SYNOPSIS: When it comes to producing, no one speaks with more authority than Lloyd Kaufman creator of The Toxic Avenger and founder of the longest –running independent film studio, Troma Entertainment. Over the years he has discovered talents such as Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park, The Book of Mormon,) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) to name a few. Candid interviews, tips, tricks and tidbits scattered throughout the DVD give filmmakers practical tools for getting a movie shoot off the ground, keeping it afloat and seeing it through to the end – Lloyd Kaufman shows you how it’s really done. (from the DVD box)

Say what you will about Lloyd Kaufman and the quality of the films released by Troma Entertainment throughout the years, I know that there's a ton of what some might generously call stinkers among them, but they've been doing it for over 35 years. The simple fact is they've made a successful business of producing and distributing no-budget trash cinema and cult b-movie mayhem, that's no small feat. While it may not be for all tastes but I'll tell yeah that more than just a few folks out there are tried and true Tromaholics, they are legion. Troma is the longest-running indie film studio still in business today. Proverbial stinkers aside there are in fact many gems amidst the dreck; THE TOXIC AVENGER, CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH, POULTREYGIEST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD, THERE'S NOTHING OUT THERE and a handful of classic genre cinema titles they've only distributed under The Tromapiece Collection banner; COMBAT SHOCK, MAD DOG MORGAN, THE LAST HORROR FILM and a more recent entry, the very cool retro-80's slasher that I just can't say enough great things about, BLOOD JUNKIE.

What we have here is a companion piece to Lloyd Kaufman's best-selling book Produce Your Own Damn Movie! which is a sequel of the "how-to" book Make Your Own Damn Movie! and Direct Your Own Damn Movie!, each of those were followed with a DVD companion, too, but this is my first viewing of the series. This time out Lloyd sets out to answer the question of what exactly is a movie producer, how to raise money for a production, capitalizing resources, casting, securing locations and pre-selling your move among others.

PRODUCE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE is parsed into two separate discs. Disc one is a series of behind-the-scene vignettes filmed on a hand held DV camcorder by Lloyd himself in true cine verite style as he appears in various cameo roles and speaks to the directors, filmmakers and producers on the set of backyard horror films, indie fright flicks and multi-million dollar productions.

Not in any order and possibly missing a few folks along the way we meet n' greet director Greg Lamberson (SLIME CITY) on the set of SLIME CITY MASSACRE while he shows us how to make our own damn inexpensive green screen. Lloyd visits The Godfather of Gore - Herschell Gordon Lewis (BLOOD FEAST) -  on the set of his film THE UH-OH SHOW in which our fearless moderator Lloyd cameos as a dapper pimp. Watching Herschell and his staff contemplate another term for dildo is priceless. Then onto visit to the set of SLITHER director and Troma alum Jame's Gunn's vigilante justice feature SUPER. Next up is Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II) who's filming a remake of Troma's MOTHER'S DAY featuring cameos from both Lloyd and brother Charles, who directed the original film.

There are also behind-the-scenes set visits and cameos on Richard Griffin's NUN OF THAT, a low budget nunploitation flick from the director of Lovecraftian film BEYOND THE DUNWICH HORROR. in the film Lloyd cameo's as none other than his holiness the Pope whom delivers a Papal Pardon. Lloyd's cameos are classic Kaufman, fun, silly and terribly acted not unlike a lot of the Troma films really. Others sets visited include KILLED ON THE 4th OF JULY directed by a 16 year old named J.D. Lifshitz who was inspired by Lloyd's Direct Your Own Damn Movie!, Ted Moehring's indie Giallo BLOODBATH IN THE HOUSE OF KNIVES, a period horror film called UNDER THESE HILLS by young filmmaker Sam Bahre, Mike Huecks MIDNIGHT ORCHIDS in Berlin, Germany, behind-the-scenes on Jeff Burr's (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III) SURVIVAL (working title), on the set of BAD GIRLS BURN IN HELL with actress Devanny Pinn, a film in which Lloyd's head is blown up. The SF/X guy on the film didn't realize that Lloyd had a beard before hand so he has to improvise using some fur from a teddy bear, that's the wonderful improvisational nature and necessity of indie filmmaking right there. It's an interesting filmset located in a town that had been condemned by the state government for lead poisoning, not sure I would wanna be on that set. Lloyd is willing to risk life and lung for our entertainment, that's dedication.  There's also a nice segment of director William Instone  on the set of JON who instills upon us the value of treating your crew right and exploiting strip clubs, that's good advice for young filmmakers and young men in general.

The second is stuffed with on-camera interviews with a variety of known and lesser known directors, producers and filmmakers. Of the two formats I prefer this one, I've always preferred interviews to behind-the-scenes special features and this entire film is one gigantic bonus features. Joe Dante (PIRANHA) speaks on GREMLINS and how the studio practically begged him to make the sequel, about the opportunities he was lucky enough to have had in the industry and the dismal future of filmmaking, it's not very uplifting in my opinion. Dante is someone so informed, so enthusiastic about filmmaking that I wish the entire disc had been filled with his recollections and insight, great stuff.

The Duplass Brothers, directors of BAGHEAD and THE PUFFY CHAIR, speak about making short films and the opportunities afforded to them after being accepted into the Sundance film festival. Producer Steven Paul (DOOMSDAY) gives a from the ground-up perspective on obtaining the rights to Marvel's GHOST RIDER on through finishing the film while Avi Lerner (THE BLACK DAHLIA) similarly recollects ramping up production on Stallone's RAMBO. The DP on Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING, Ernest Dickerson, speaks about the nebulous nature of the producer's role, the do's the don'ts, the benefits of being a producer versus a director and the availability of funding from outsider sources; shipping magnates, realtors and such.

Monte Hellman director of TWO LANE BLACKTOP and some notable acid westrens speaks of producing Quentin Tarentino's RESERVOIR DOGS, what makes a good producer and pointing out that by his standards Lloyd's iron-fisted producer model would be unacceptable, feeling producers should be hands off, a facilitator not a creator. He also speaks about the importance of pre-selling films to foreign markets, all of this is spoken of while he toils away in his kitchen preparing a morning ritual of coffee, pancakes and eggs, it's all very Zen. CAPOTE producer Caroline Baron, who started her career as a production manager on Troma's TOXIC AVENGER, drives home the point that Troma's legacy truly is anyone can make a film. Her own career a prime example of someone who came into the industry with no experience and worked their way up through the ranks through trial and error. There's a nice nostalgic segment as she finds the original Toxic Avenger production diary in her office, it's a pretty fascinating look back, even Lloyd seemed mesmerized by it.

Creator and producer of Showtime's MASTERS OF HORROR Mick Garris reminisces about breaking into the business as a writer and catching the notice of Spielberg circa AMAZING STORIES, and working his way up to a point where he doesn't have to chew on turds anymore (obviously he doesn't watch his own films). There's a fun bit with yet another Troma alum Trent Haaga (CITIZEN TOXIE) that opens with a staged masturbatory intro that is very Tromatic. Haaga goes onto discuss a script he penned called POOR THINGS that got picked up by some novice producers. The script gained some notice and was cast with Shirley McClaine, Channing Tatum and Lindsay Lohan in the leads until it fell victim to the producer's avarice and Lohan's drug bust, completely derailing the project. He also speaks to the value of a good location contract following a bad experience with DEAD GIRL which he wrote and expounds on what he considers the good and bad of Troma's business model.

Of course what good would PRODUCE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE! be if it did not feature the American king of schlock films, Roger Corman. The Cormster looks back at producing independent cinema for so many years (and still going strong), the differences between then and now, producing CYCLOPS for the Syfy channel and what his current business model is, it's a bit dry as Corman sometimes is but still a good watch.

VERDICT: Coming to this is a non-filmmaker I still found it quite fascinating from the perspective of a special features enthusiast and film nut. If you're a young filmmaker I can't say this is THE answer to all your questions about producing a film but it does pose many useful tidbits worth pondering, and it's quite inspiring seeing these filmmakers toil under sometimes adverse conditions to put forth their vision on film for the masses. Lloyd is a great host of course, he's smart and funny, he hits on the young ladies and pokes fun at himself at every turn, fun stuff.

DVD Review: Stripperland (2010)

Stripperland (2010)

Label: Cheezy Flicks
Rating: R
Duration: 90 mins
Video: Widescreen 16x9
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Director: Sean Skelding
Cast: Ben Sheppard, Jamison Challeen, Maren McGuire, Ileana Herrin, Hank Cartwright, Daniel Baldwin, Lloyd Kaufman, Shel Bailey, Brad McCray, Linnea Quigley, Boyd Banks
Tagline: First They Dance, Then They Kill!


Film: Sean Skelding's straight-to-video Stripperland is a rather blatant send-up of the zombie apocalypse comedy Zombieland (2009) that injects some Zombie Strippers (2008) sleaziness into the proceedings. When a mysterious virus called "zimbo" turns women everywhere into slutty man-eating tramps it's every man for himself. "Idaho" (Ben Sheppard) is an awkward guy who meets up with ass-kicking "Frisco" (Jamison Challeen) after a chance encounter at a grocery store. The dork has an established set of rules that help him evade the slutty hordes while Frisco is  a man on a quest to obtain baked confections made from scratch, not Twinkies which you can get anywhere, fuck that shit. After a brief introduction they team-up and set out on the road where they soon encounter two more survivors; Virginia (Maren McGuire) and West (Ileana Herrin). Together the quartet head towards the West Coast where lies the promise of relative safety.  Wow, this film isn't so much a send-up of Zombieland as an indie remake injected with some tits and ass. Don't get me wrong though for the film is actually quite entertaining. I suggest a few beers just before and continuing throughout for maximum enjoyment, it seemed to work for me.


Ben Sheppard is obviously riffing on Eisenberg's dorky guy persona and his whiny narration and dialogue grated on me at times but he did have a nice delivery with good comedic timing. Jamison Challen steps in for Woody Harrelson with some fun dialogue but his flat delivery stunted some rather witty one liners. Our female protagonists do well for themselves but don't seem to get much in the way of decent dialogue. While they're not relegated to eye-candy status (except for one scene) they just don't get enough to do, though they do kick some ass once or twice. We also get some nutty cameos throughout the film that I thought were pretty entertaining. When the group head to the mall they meets a pimp named Maestro played by Boyd Banks who's appeared in George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005) and Diary of the Dead (2007) as well as Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead (2004) remake, that's quite  zombie pedigree.  The group also encounters the rapper "Double D" played by Daniel Baldwin who survives by rapping to the stripper zombies who just can't get enough of his mad MC skills. Make sure to check out the music video in the special features. Troma impresario Lloyd Kaufman appears in a flashback scene as Idaho's father while actor Thom Bray, perhaps best known for getting run-thru with a bicycle by Alice Cooper in John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (1987), makes an appearance as a nutty scientist that's a tip of the hat to Dr. Logan from Day of the Dead. Perhaps the nuttiest cameo comes from 80's scream queen Linnea Quigley of Savage Streets (1984), Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Night of the Demons (1988) as "Grambo" a heavily armed ass-kicking Grannie. .


There's a lot to enjoy with this film if you can get by the derivative nature. This is a good looking low budget production with some sharp editing and a lot of blood n' guts. With a title like Stripperland I was expecting more sluts than guts but to my delight we get some very well done practical effects, it's quite a bloody affair. Sure, there are quite a few digital effects shots too but they are tastefully done and don't draw too much attention to themselves. The comedy is actually quite witty with some funny homages to Star Trek, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, a rocking soundtrack and some fun cameos.


On the downside, the film is a bit long and the gags do start to wear out their welcome towards the end, I think there's at least 10 minutes that could be excised without detriment. Another critique would be that the film too slavishly adheres to the Zombieland formula. The comedic writing was strong enough I think the film could have departed from it's source material and branched out a bit. A scene meant to replicate the Bill Murray cameo is a bust for me, it didn't work at all and feel extraneous.  


DVD: Stripperland comes to DVD from IMD Films and Cheezy Flicks with a 16x9 widescreen presentation. It'a low budget film and while that can't be denied I think the film is pretty sharp looking. We only get 2.0 stereo audio but it handles the dialogue and soundtracks quite well. We get 2 audio commentaries, some deleted scenes, a blooper reel, 2 music videos, 3 featurettes, 3 trailers and a fun collection of drive-in concession/intermission reels including an Orange Shasta advert narrated by Mr. Cunningham himself, the late Tom Bosley.


Special Features:
- Commentary with the Writer, Director and Editor
- Commentary with SF/X
- Blood Guts and More Blood - SFX (4:46) 16x9
- The Kickass Begins with the Celebrities of Stripperland (6:47) 16x9
- First They Dance, Then They Kill! - The Girls of Stripperland (12:31) 16x9
- Music Video: Daniel Baldwin aka Double D "Club Life" (3:33) 16x9
- Music Video: Smoochknob "Weirdo" (4:21) 16x9
- Deleted Scenes (9:31) 16x9
- Blooper Reel (3:50) 16x9
- Drive-In Fun (5:17)  1.33:1
- 3 IMD Trailer (5:16) 16x9


Verdict: I came to Stripperland with very low expectations having had some knowledge of director Sean Skelding's previous film, an erotic send-up of I Am Legend and what I knew of it wasn't very good.  Stripperland simply is what it is - an entertaining send-up of Zombieland chock full o' sluts and guts, no more no less. If you enjoyed Zombie Strippers (2008) or  Jake West's Doghouse (2009) this film will definitely appeal to your
particular tastes.  2.75 outta 5

http://stripperlandthemovie.com/

DVD REVIEW: The Walking Dead Girls (2010)

THE WALKING DEAD GIRLS (2010)

LABEL: Cheezy Flicks
RELEASE DATE: March 22nd 2011
REGION: Region 1 NTSC
ASPECT RATIO: 16x9
AUDIO:  Dolby Digital
DURATION: 70 mins
DIRECTOR: Tyler Benjamin
CAST: George Romero, Bruce Campbell, Linnea Quigley, Boyd Banks, Lloyd Kaufman

PLOT: The Walking Dead Girls is a behind-the-scenes look into zombie culture in the United States and the obsession into ""Sexy Female Zombies"". What is it about Zombie Bimbos or ""Zimbies"" that are starting to gain the worlds interest? Why are zombies now in mainstream culture and seen in advertising from JCPenny and Sears? With interviews with zombie master maker George Romero and cult movie star Bruce Campbell from ZomBcon 2010 and so much more. Also with a rare look into the making of a Zombie Pinup Calendar, behind the scenes of ""Stripperland"" and ""Clublife"" Daniel Baldwin's hip hop Zombie music video debut. ""The Walking Dead Girls"" is a sexy look into the zombie phenomenon created by George Romero that is 40 years in the making.

FILM: What we have here is a breezy made-by-fans documentary that sets out to give watchers a glimpse into zombie culture through behind-the-scenes footage of the Zombie Pin-Up Calendar photo shoot and interviews with actors and directors of zombie genre film. It's a pretty casual affair hosted by the lovely and pink-haired Luna Moon.  The films starts off with a George A. Romero interview and rightly so, despite what some may think of his latest films the man undeniably redefined the zombie genre. It's a decent interview and while it covers stuff we've heard many times before on commentaries, interview, etc.  we do find out that George's favorite food is Middle Eastern cuisine. Sure, it's a fluff piece but it's always nice to hear Romero discuss his films, his legacy, and the social commentary found in all his films.  This interview pretty much sets the pace for the remainder of the film as most of the interviews are pretty shallow, not too in-depth and often off topic. Off topic like John Amplas the star of George A. Romero's MARTIN (1977) who seems an odd choice as that films is a vampire flick and has nothing to do with zombie culture other than Romero directed it. Don't get me wrong I think it's a fantastic film but it seems out of place here in this context. One of the more interesting interviews is scream scream Linnea Quigley who I recall so fondly from her iconic roles in RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985) and NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988) as she discusses her career as a scream queen and her role in the forthcoming film STRIPPERLAND (2010) and she even demonstrated several different scream techniques, fun stuff.  The Ladies of The Evil Dead make a brief appearance and let me just say that these gals seem like a ton o' fun and even provided a group scream for the fans, and if I may say so Ellen Sandweiss is still an attractive lady. Speaking of the EVIL DEAD (1981) Luna Moon interviews Bruce Campbell who really comes across as an arrogant bastard who cared little to talk about zombies and instead plugs his TV series BURN NOTICE, maybe it was an off night but he seemed dismissive and disinterested. After the Linnea Quigley segment the interview with Troma impresario Lloyd Kaufman is a definite highlight. This is a guy whom is 10x more interesting than the best Troma film in my opinion. He's charismatic and well-spoken while discussing his introduction to film while attending Yale where he counted future Commander in Chief George W. Bush and director Oliver Stone as classmates. Kaufman who recently has been outspoken in regards to net neutrality recounts allegedly being asked to join the nefarious Skull and Bones society and the downfall of independent cinema distribution and television programming under various presidential administrations. A very interesting personality and it may be a bit surprising if all you know him by are the goofy Troma DVD introductions. And let's not forget the real draw of the film, the behind-the-scenes photo shoots with busty pin-up girls from the Zombie Pin-Up Calender. These were fun if redundant buts as the models are asked a series of similar question like would you rather be a zombie or a vampire and why. While I prefer a bit more substance in my docs this was a lot of fun and at only 70 minutes it flew by.

DVD: The film is presented in 16x9 enhanced widescreen and looks pretty good. It appears to have been shot on consumer grade digital video equipment, it's a real made by fans for fans production and there ain't nothin' wrong with that. There are no subtitles included or supplemental materials.

VERDICT: THE WALKING DEAD GIRLS (2010) is a fun spirited zombie culture documentary made by fans for fans and it definitely wears it's zombie heart on its sleeve. While I don't think it's particularly illuminating and it may have a ton of rewatch value it is certainly entertaining and includes zombie cheesecake photo-shoots with busty ladies made-up as zombies, so how bad could it be, right? Definitely not essential viewing but probably a fun rental for you zombie nuts out there. 2.5 outta 5