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| Beautiful frame from the outrageous Psycho Goreman (2020) |
I was wondering
if There Will Be Blood (2007) is a
film about menstruation. Okay, after this appropriate with Astron-6 joke, we’ll
head on to the reviews…
Reviews:
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Manborg (2011) poster
Manborg (2011)
During the Hell Wars
in which vampire Nazi Count Draculon [Adam Brooks, later in The Editor (2014)] and his goons of
alien-looking monsters aim to take over our planet and annihilate our
population, it becomes the destiny of a dead soldier [Matthew Kennedy, later in
The Void (2016)] to become the
titular half man-half robot hero to save our asses.
Directed and
produced by Steven Konstanski (who also wrote the screenplay, with Jeremy
Gillespie) on a stunningly low $1.000 budget that looks at least a hundred
times larger on screen, this is a love letter to 1980s action films both
cheapies and blockbusters. Therefore it is awkward that it relies so heavily on
CGI (the whole thing looks like an application form for a job position at the
SyFy channel and virtually every shot is digitally enhanced), but you can feel
the effort and love put to it, which is no small feat in itself. Following its
premiere at the Fantastic Fest of Austin, Texas, it became a cult sensation
among fans of faux grindhouse cinema.
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The Editor (2014) poster
The Editor (2014)
Film editor Rey
Ciso (Adam Brooks, who also directed, with Matthew Kennedy) is well-past his
prime working for big and prestigious productions. Following a mental breakdown
that granted him a stint at the psychiatric clinic of Dr. Casini (Udo Kier, no
introduction needed) he is now working for Italian giallo films of dubious
quality, and if that’s not enough a series of murders surround him, in a
scenario of life (or rather, death) imitating art.
From the
deranged minds of Astron-6, the production team responsible for faux-grindhouse
opuses such as Father’s Day (2011),
comes this tribute to the giallo films we grew up with. It is poking fun to the
genre, but it is obvious that it is done so with love and affection. There are
cigarettes and copious amounts of nudity from gorgeous performers everywhere
(where the hell is the JB bottle?), as well as so many aesthetic choices (the
production design is beyond excellent) that reveal that the team behind it ‘got
it’ perfectly. I am a big fan of the genre, and this had me constantly smiling
and chuckling, especially during many of the scene re-enactments from the
classics. It is apparent that the filmmakers did thorough research (they seem
to know the genre inside-out) and this can be spotted even in the tiniest
details that appear to be literally in every scene.
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Psycho Goreman (2020) poster
Psycho Goreman (2020)
Narcissist young
girl Mimi [Nita-Josee Hanna from Books of
Blood (2020)] and her nerdy brother Luke (Owen Myre) upon digging on their
home’s backyard they discover a mysterious stone, which turns out to be the gem
that controls the titular alien monster (played by Matthew Ninaber and voiced
by Steven Vlahos) that aims to destroy the galaxy, but luckily it becomes –
even against its will – best friends with the kids.
Written and
directed by Steven Konstanski (who also produced, with Stuart F. Andrews and
Shannon Hanmer), this is featuring Hollywood-style storytelling (seriously, the
whole thing could have been penned by Steven Spielberg) albeit delivered with
monsters and splatter, the way only the Astron-6 team could have done so.
Essentially a story about a middle class family putting their shit together
thanks to the heroism of its kids, this feels like a James Gunn movie (which is
always a good thing) and it is the team’s most polished film.
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