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Hobgoblins 2 (2009)
Not a B Movie
The unexpected but totally welcome sequel to Hobgoblins turns out to be a masterpiece of finely toned cheeseball comedy. Rick Sloane outdoes himself, as do all the cast members, in lovingly recreating and perfecting upon all of the details that made the original Hobgoblins what it was, with a plethora of improvements that truly do justice to its predecessor as well as its audience.
Hobgoblins 2 proudly flaunts its facade of a cheap horror flick to turn out to be a top-notch comedy, particularly for lovers of obscure low-budget movies. However, this sequel seems to transcend the genre of its degeneratively exploitative former to take on a veiled yet outright humor context. This time, the cheap puppet monsters seem downplayed in favor of further character analysis and an even more suburban exploration of the characters' daily lives. In this sense, the movie expands upon reinventing the characters from the first movie while remaining true to their motivations and foibles with impeccably fumbled writing and a harshly unrealistic-realism that lampoons young adult romance.
The settings are down to earth, albeit limited to a rather suburban setting. Jumping between the characters' homes and the caricature hospital is a bit constrictive, but do not seem out of place to the story. It is the extras that help give the most character to the environs, with their bizarre, almost Twin Peaks-esquire peculiarities that make their cornball routine fresh and lovable. If there's one thing this movie lacks, it's incompetence. Of special note is the attention paid to the characters' relationships: Nick and Daphne's oversexed and rabid romance, perfectly countered by Kevin and Amy's frigid and unfulfilling polar opposite relationship, with both refracted by Kyle's lonesome and misled desire for something perhaps more transcendental. And while we may question how these characters ended up hanging out together, there is little doubt that the actors exude perfect chemistry with one another, be the relationship of the characters friendship or courtship.
Even this self-aware spoof does maintain some flaws, however. For one thing, I find myself wishing for just a bit more "suspense" and more puppet wrestling, as the aftertaste of the movie feels like the entire film's a bit heavy on snarky talky scenes. As a fan, I also recall Kyle being somewhat quieter in the first movie, and sometimes I wonder if he wasn't a bit too unsympathetic this time around, but this speculation is perhaps a moot point. However, a major flaw is the fact that for the most part Hobgoblins 1 may be required viewing before its sequel in order to better grasp the self-referential humor or even the point of view from which the film is coming from. While this last point remains a more significant negative of the film, on the whole Hobgoblins 2 is not devoid of its plus qualities.
As previously mentioned, Hobgoblins 2 is both funny and loyal to the first film, exceeding the previous film for sheer quality by at least a fair margin, although the first Hobgoblins doubtlessly remains a classic from being featured on the immortal Mystery Science Theater 3000. The second film by far requires no such riffing commentary, and such treatment would only be awkward if not redundant, as Hobgoblins 2 is keenly aware of itself without breaking the fourth wall too much. Hobgoblins 2 also features an outstanding balance, that perfect pitch it needs to succeed, as it is fully capable of being unflinching without crossing the self-destructive line of shamefulness.
As a whole, Hobgoblins 2 is a Quixotic embrace with conceptualizing old standards to be fresh and exciting again. To create this level of fan service requires such attentive duty and caring for the genre that the entire cast and crew ought to be commended for their work, even in an era where people seem to know where you're coming from too quickly. Forgetting any tired cynicism, this film certainly feels like it was an enjoyable experience to make, which is important in any cinema. The essential factor in quality is that the subject be true to itself, and true to its audience.
I feel no qualms about using the following phrase as I feel it accurately pertains to this movie: Thank you, Hobgoblins 2, for teaching us to laugh about love, again.
Lucy: The Daughter of the Devil (2005)
Pretty much your typical Adult Swim shite-fest.
Pretty much your typical Adult Swim shite-fest.
Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil, is your standard pretentious foray into the post-South Park world of television, where there's no need to strain yourself by pandering to an audience that doesn't notice every episode is essentially the same bastion of sexually overtness and talent is substituted for words like THE F-WORD WHICH IMDb ALLOWS IN ITS QUOTES BUT NOT IN REVIEWS and "douche bag". Consider how hard core this show is for not only dealing with the over-saturated market of religion, but also for using the word "dildo" in an episode title. Irony is how "mature" themes don't necessarily make you a more mature person.
After South Park, much of television just became the same exact thing, following up on the hells of the old-yet-inexplicably-still-around Newgrounds website, which is notorious for such heavy-handed flash games such as Pico's Sociopathic Public Shooting. This show succeeds at not standing out from any other crap you see on Adult Swim that caters to cheap unshaven beer-belly pot-reeking white trash who listen to obnoxious music and are mistaken in thinking bad taste is an art form.
In its favor, this show's characters are very nearly at least one modicum above South Park in the department of sheer interchangeability for its characters. There's the idiotic red guy, and the titular, uninteresting, self-indulgent red-haired bitch, and your ninja/pirate/spy archetypes, but beyond that it's just extraneous use of your basic formula of cheap, crappy renders for the sake of lowering production costs in hopes of increasing profit margins while amusing the bottom 60th percentile. If you're a sociopath who doesn't realize that shock humor went out with the 80s and also hasn't noticed that there have been about a hundred times as many shows with Satan as a sympathetic character compared to shows about any other religion, then you're bound to be easily amused by anything with beer in it. In that case, fornicate yourself and die.
Final word: Almost as crappy and pretentious as Twilight, but thankfully not as popular.
Donkey Xote (2007)
If Ed Wood made 3D animation
Seriously, if you want to enjoy this movie, and I really mean this, watch this at like 3 in the morning when you're half tired but just CANNOT get to sleep. It really enhances the bizarreness of it all, the Pythonesque presence of Spanish text mixed with the fact it's hard to tell it's a dub, the fact that the Spanish don't need to make films so you wonder what's up anyway, the near-David Lynchian quality of insanity. Still, it's a hole lot better than vomitous Shrek, and they made three of those urinary-tract-infecting things so far.
It was night impossible for me to tell just what exactly was this movie's technique. It dawned upon me after a while that this movie is an expert at making inaction seem like action. Things almost happen until a character makes a complete 180 turn to detour everything to a halt. This sort of leads the movie to being told in almost episodic fashion. Although the movie almost touches on interesting aspects, details are nigh on impossible to follow, especially when you try to get to know who any of the characters are. The best scene to explain the bizarre behavior of the characters is when Sancho and QuiXote are being smacked across the face repeatedly without questioning why.
There are so many bizarre moments that will stand out in your memory as you watch this movie. It's as though this movie just comes AT your face. Primarily there's the scene with the horse enjoying himself just WAY too much at relieving himself, the manic ditzy girl grabbing her own boobs, Ed Wood's horse, the seemingly inappropriate insertion of dated pop songs, and still more.
The plot made as much sense as an episode of Twin Peaks, and the dialogue was like talking to a character from an Ed Wood film. But unfortunately you need to be able to understand these things before you'll get this movie. It's a good thing this was dubbed and not subbed, because otherwise you could just chalk everything up to mistranslation, and listening to Spanish would just make things even more confusing.
Just tell yourself one thing as you watch this: This movie's from Barcelona.
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
A stark portrayal of our grim post-modernist society
The film "Freddie Got Fingered" is a surrealist expedition into unchartered territory concerning the daily drama and inevitable failings of the so-called "nuclear family" as it progresses into the twenty-first century. The film is very surrealist, and the inclusion of Rip Torn (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Julie Hagerty (Noises Off), and a cameo role from Lorena Gale (Smallville) gives it a remarkably interesting star power.
The movie uses bombastic, exaggerated situational comedy to bring to light the grim Fruedian psycho-social issues that inherently exist within the familial rituals and tradition of our post-nuclear society, with regards to the social concept of "family". As the film shows to prove, the "nuclear family" as it were is no longer fit to provide the everyperson, represented by Freddie, with the basics of human survival and evolution while nurturing the instinctual romantic idealisms of the individual, represented by Freddie's desire to draw, the basest and most symbolic form of artistic expression. This failure to provide is shown in conjunction with the demands and applications of control put forth by government and indeed all societal institutions as such demands become incongruous with the evolving reality that the long-abandoned agrarian societies which we still subconsciously adhere to no longer apply.
I personally adore the "Fancy Restaurant" scene, which paints a stark expression (as the entire movie does, truthfully) on our society's cutthroat demands for the world of employment which as been thrust upon all individuals as an essential obligation. Also expressed in the scene is our modern society's misconception of social class in the true sense of the Marxist bourgeoisie archetype, and the mislead preconceptions held for an individual to improve upon their own "status". I only wish the movie had delved a bit deeper into Freddie's job at the cheese sandwich shop as it would provide a grand opportunity to expose the harsh conundrums of the farce that is service-oriented employment.
"Freddie Got Fingered" does all this as well as explores the gross realms of human instinct, and how what is natural becomes contradiction as it turns unnatural when compared to the expectations we hold as a society. The movie postulates that we as humans can barely comprehend our own natural impulses, and that perception lies somewhere beyond our own understanding as a flurry of seemingly disconnected events which we ourselves must attribute symbolic meaning towards, as expressed in the childbirth scene and the stud farm scene.
All in all, the movie pokes fun at our society as it becomes more politically and economically dependent, all the while screaming at a brick wall for the senseless contradictions which permeate throughout our society. The movie's strength lies in weaving these themes so naturally into the fabric of the story of the limits of a man's role in the family.
Simón del desierto (1965)
Intriguing in its Surreality
Simon of the Desert is a short film that is about than what you see at first glance. Simon is a messiah-like figure who remains steadfast in his goals, despite the forced temptations.
The movie may seem strange to modern audiences, with its old-world peculiarities. Although the story remains on the same plot point of Simon's asceticism and devotion to his principles, the movie does not drag.
Throughout the movie, it seems as though what we see is the movie's entire premise. However, it is the sudden and brief conclusion which turns around the movie entirely and reveals its startling and thoughtful take on what may be the true character of Simon. The ending is also highly open to interpretation, particularly on the perspective with which to regard the question of who Simon is.
Short, strange, and intriguing, this movie excels at what it sets out to do.