Club Dread.

Review #2425: Club Dread.

Cast: 

Broken Lizard [Kevin Heffernan (Lars Bronkhorst), Erik Stolhanske (Sam), Steve Lemme (Juan Castillo), Jay Chandrasekhar (Putman Livingston), Paul Soter (Dave "DJ Dave/DJ Drugs" Conable)], Brittany Daniel (Jenny), Bill Paxton (Pete "Coconut Pete" Wabash), M. C. Gainey (Hank), Lindsay Price (Yu), Julio Bekhor (Carlos), Dan Montgomery Jr (Rollo), Elena Lyons (Stacy), Tanja Reichert (Kellie), Richard Perello (Cliff), Ryan Falkner (Marcel), Greg Cipes (Trevor), Michael Weaver (Roy), Nat Faxon (Manny), Samm Levine (Dirk), and Jordan Ladd (Penelope) Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (#1121 - Super Troopers, #1122 - Beerfest)

Review: 

"Yeah, I think the key was to try to keep the tone consistent...Often with comedies you kind of drift off into things that couldn't happen, so we tried to sort of keep a cap on things and make sure they all fit in the same movie."

A comedy horror movie might as well have had a lightning rod attached to it for folks to not exactly gravitate to it. This was the third film from the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, which you might remember had done two previous films: Puddle Cruiser (1996) and, well, Super Troopers (2001), which like this film was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Sure, maybe there was something already familiar with "referential" horror like Scream or with "parody" in Scary Movie [2000] (or Student Bodies [1981], a movie I totally didn't pull out of my-*). But since I didn't care to actually see Scary Movie, Club Dread doesn't exactly have the problem of being pale in comparison to some other comedy horror movie. But I guess some people might wonder if it actually is a horror movie with comedic elements - oh who cares? The important part is having fun with a movie that tries to ride with the hit-or-miss elements that come with its ensemble. Either you go with the schtick in its various characters that come and go (as one does when slashed) or you just don't because, oh no, a movie with thin characters is a hell of a thing to swallow: horror, comedy, or whatever. Made on a budget of just under $10 million, the movie was not a major success at the time of release in February of 2004. There apparently was an unrated cut of the movie released on DVD that made the movie run nearly two hours long (118 minutes) that basically is just there to extend scenes without being a "director's cut". Chandrasekhar was brought in to direct the film adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard in 2005 for his next film, while Broken Lizard returned together for Beerfest (2006).

Sure, the jokes can be hit or miss, and sure, it does have a bit of a problem in actually getting to where it wants to go for a 103-minute runtime that isn't quite a whodunit. Compared to what the troupe did before and after this film, Dread is firmly in the middle between Troopers and Beerfest, but I would call this one a winner over the latter mainly because it proved a charming enough ride in goofy slasher meandering. This time, the lead presence is mostly in the hands of Heffernan, who makes for an affable presence to try and carry a movie that tries to hold up on a few one-note jokes (hey, everybody gets one accent try) and mostly gets away with it. Stolhanske plays it straight enough that being the one behind the whodunit isn't too far of a stretch to goof it up. Hit-or-miss stuff needs at least one fun presence, and Paxton basically makes it a ride worth being on for as long as he plays the schtick of basically doing a riff off Jimmy Buffett (apparently, at Paxton's request, they showed the movie to Buffett, who got a kick out of it). There is an infectious charm that comes out in playing a washout that you might wish made it to the end. If you dig the routine that it sets out in goofy slasher hokum (a sequence involving costumes comes to mind alongside the climax in splitting ridiculousness), you can roll with the movie just fine, but I totally get that it won't exactly inspire the pants to be scared or laughing at every nook and cranny.  As a whole, it won't be for everyone, but I dug the end result of having a goofy R-rated time with just enough chuckles with at least some enthusiasm for the slasher genre that might make for a worthy recommendation if you're up for a casual time.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

*butt. Well, if it make you feel better, October will give me plenty of chances to look for horror movies out of the blue.

Beerfest.

Review #1122: Beerfest.

Cast: 
Jay Chandrasekhar (Barry Badrinath), Kevin Heffernan (Phil "Landfill" Krundle / Gil "Landfill" Krundle), Steve Lemme (Steve "Fink" Finkelstein), Paul Soter (Jan Wolfhouse), Erik Stolhanske (Todd Wolfhouse / Young Baron Ludwig), Nat Faxon (Rolf), Will Forte (Otto), Ralf Möller (Hammacher), Mo'Nique (Cherry), Eric Christian Olsen (Gunther), Jürgen Prochnow (Baron Wolfgang von Wolfhausen), Cloris Leachman (Great Gam Gam Wolfhouse), Donald Sutherland (Johann von Wolfhaus), Blanchard Ryan (Krista Krundle), and Gunter Schlierkamp (Schlemmer) Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (#1121 - Super Troopers)

Review: 
Beerfest is the fourth film from Broken Lizard, released two years after Club Dread (2004), with the inspiration for this movie being a chugging contest at a beer garden in Australia that the group had. Admittedly, this is a film that does have the standards of a mediocre sports movie, just piled with a bunch of gags throughout an 110 minute run-time. The main five do manage to create a fair bit of laughs, for the most part. Soter and Stolhanske serve as the leads for the bare story that accompanies the film, each doing okay with what's given. Chandrasekhar carries this character of talented pathetic nature with competence. Heffernan is fairly entertaining at times. Lemme does okay, although some of the gags with him prove a bit too obvious. Leachman provides some warmth for brief but welcome times. The other members of the cast have their moments of amusement, although nothing too particularly greatly funny. The adversaries (highlighted by Forte) do prove serviceable, silly in their toughness that can be appreciated. For me, I felt that while the first third worked fine with its setups, the other parts come off a bit sluggish, with the pacing not working particularly well with what probably could've been a shorter experience. By the time it gets to the climax with its competition, it's more of a stagger than a sprint. The competition is fine, having a fair amount of amusement (and things you'd expect) that make it fairly worth it, I suppose, and it ends neatly enough without being too forced. Thinking back to Super Troopers (which was seven minutes shorter) reminded me that while it wasn't always a consistent film to go with, it seemed to gel better with its gags and pace that seemed a bit less tiring overall. For people looking for something wild and silly, this may prove up your alley well enough, particularly if you are in the right flavor/mood for something like this. For me, I thought it was an okay venture, but it isn't consistent enough to really think of it as a clearheaded winner.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Super Troopers.

Review #1121: Super Troopers.

Cast: 
Jay Chandrasekhar (Trooper Arcot "Thorny" Ramathorn), Kevin Heffernan (Trooper Rodney "Rod" Farva), Steve Lemme (Trooper MacIntyre "Mac" Womack), Paul Soter (Trooper Jeff Foster), Erik Stolhanske (Trooper Robert "Rabbit" Roto), Brian Cox (Captain John O'Hagen), Marisa Coughlan (Officer Ursula Hanson), Daniel von Bargen (Police Chief Bruce Grady), James Grace (Officer Jim Rando), Michael Weaver (Officer Samuel Smy), and Dan Fey (Officer Jack Burton) Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar.

Review: 
It is interesting to think about a movie such as this and see the nature of its success and upbringing-the byproduct of a comedy troupe known as Broken Lizard. The troupe, which stars as the main trooper group for the film, originated at Colgate University in 1989, although it only became the five-man troupe people know in later years (as was the name, since originally one of the names was "Charred Goosebeak"). It is pretty easy to see influence from films such as Animal House, Caddyshack and Police Academy when it comes to the comedy stylings that this film has in its approach - to have a bunch of ridiculous fun. This was the second directed feature from the group, after making Puddle Cruiser (1996). Super Troopers was their first major release, with a final budget of around $3 million that premiered on January 19, 2001, at the Sundance Film Festival. After its premiere, it was bought by Fox Searchlight Pictures, which distributed a general release the following year, with the film being a minor success, making $20 million at the box office while inspiring a cult following that led to a sequel in 2018. meow

It is easy to see why this has endured as a cult classic in the years that have followed its release - it's a silly movie, but it's one that knows what its going for with its audience and reaches for amusement with skit after skit. Whether involving wordplay, sight gags, or some sort of mix of both, this is something that managed to warm up to me because it was satisfactory with being wacky. There are more hits in it than misses, with some of the gags in particular sticking out pretty well - such as one involving syrup or a word challenge. The plot is thin, but the film will prove to win itself over by having enough payoff while keeping a good sense of humor that doesn't prove distracting. The main five are entertaining to watch together, such as Chandrasekhar and Stolhanske, who each make for good fun people to follow with. Heffernan proves amusing, playing it with obnoxiousness that lends laughs that contrasts pretty neatly with the others - such as his request for a "litre" of cola. Lemme and Soter prove amusing, making for some amusing shenanigans alongside the rest that generate good times. Cox and von Bargen play the authority roles the way you expect, but Cox is a warm one to go along with while von Bargen makes for an amusing adversary. Coughlan rounds out the cast with significant screen-time (aside from a brief cameo from Lynda Carter), and she does stand out in her own way from the antics played with the others, making for a welcome addition. The 103 minute run-time feels fine to sustain itself enough, with the first and last thirds of the movie holding up the best, never riding the waters of annoyance nor being too slow. The film pulls itself into something to like with the charm that it tries to pull with the numerous gags it likes to throw at the audience, and it has a range of success with the fun it tries to have that I can recommend, provided one is in the right mood for it. meow

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.