Tag: The Room

[31 Days of Horror Part VI: Jason Lives] Day 3 – Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Cast: Alexa Vega, Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Brightburn, Paris Hilton, Ogre, Terrance Zdunich, Bill Moseley, Paul Sorvino

Screenplay: Darren Smith, Terrance Zdunich

98 mins. Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, language, some drug and sexual content.

 

Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, St. Agatha) came off his run of Saw films with several dark operatic fantasy/horror films, the first being Repo! The Genetic Opera. I remember being extremely excited for this one, having been such a fan of the Saw franchise. I even had a few college friends (I’m dating myself here) come by my dorm so we could watch it when the home video was released (in those days, we had to drive to Walmart to get such films). As I put the disc in (in those days, movies were on discs) and sat back with the others to watch, a momentary question popped into my head: what if it sucked?

In the not-too-distant future, organ failures have crippled the planet, and the corporation known as GeneCo steps in to aid the crisis by creating payment plans for organ transplants, but if you are unable to make your debts, they send the Repo Men, trained killers who take the organs by, likely causing in the client’s death. GeneCo’s CEO, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino, GoodFellas, Acts of Desperation) is sick and looking for an heir to his empire. Of his three children, he sees nothing but failure, so instead he looks to Shilo (Alexa Vega, Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, Christmas Made to Order), the daughter of his ex-fiancé, Marni. Shilo’s father Nathan (Anthony Stewart Head, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) wants nothing to do with the Largos, but he is in a situation where he cannot fight the family on his own while still keeping his sick daughter safe from the world.

Repo! The Genetic Opera has a lot of exposition to its science fiction elements, but it handles most of that info quite well through its operatic and amusing songs. Many of these songs stayed with me after watching the film once, and I kept going back to it. This is a strange movie, and I wouldn’t say that I quite loved it the first time I saw it, but the songs kept returning me to it, and it has now developed in me a cult following similar to other midnight madness films like the Rocky Horror Picture Show (though, not to that level) and The Room (though much better).

Anthony Stewart Head slays this movie. I had not been much of a Buffy fan when I first saw Repo! but I had others with me that knew of his abilities as an actor and singer, especially from the Once More With Feeling musical episode of Buffy.  That’s actually what got him the job for Repo! and it’s easy to see that it was a good call.

What’s so interesting about the casting for Repo! is how director Bousman took advantage of his small budget to cast the film with unlikely pairings of performers, some with singing talent, some with acting chops, some with neither (looking at you, Paris), and then performers who could mine the camp of the material, like Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects, American Exorcist) as the son, Luigi Largo. It reminds me of a term that the Russo Brothers came up with for their Avengers movies: strange alchemy. The way Bousman captures performers from wildly different backgrounds for Repo! gives it a special unforgettable quality that makes the cheesiness seem rather artistic.

Now, there’s a lot of things that don’t work. The film may have been too ambitious with its smaller budget, and much of the special effects look pretty poor. The idea to animate the flashbacks like a comic book sounds cool on the surface, but it does come off a little sluggish. Not all the songs work. Not all the performers do either. The ending leaves a bit to be desired. The film has its faults, but some of them actually aid the film while others detract from the enjoyment.

Repo! The Genetic Opera is not even close to a flawless experience, and it’s a movie that isn’t for everyone, but I suggest it to a lot of people looking for a fun musical experience that’s unlike a lot of films that came before it. Bousman tried to follow-up this film with two other dark fantasy/musicals in The Devil’s Carnival duology, but neither really hit where Repo! did. Repo! works due to a selection of amusing and mostly catchy music, a scene-stealer performance from Head, and a unique viewpoint from a promising horror director. Seek this one out.

 

3.5/5

-Kyle A. Goethe

 

 

For more 31 Days of Horror, click here.

For my review of Darren Lynn Bousman’s The Devil’s Carnival, click here.

For my review of the anthology film Tales of Halloween, click here.

For my review of Darren Lynn Bousman’s Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival, click here.

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[#2018oscardeathrace] The Disaster Artist (2017)

Director: James Franco

Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver

Screenplay: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

104 mins. Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity.

  • Academy Award Nominee: Best Adapted Screenplay [Pending]

 

No one would have believed that a film based on a book about the making of the worst movie ever made would ever happen, nor did anyone guess that the film would be acclaimed critically. From watching the trailers, I knew I had to see this.

Greg (Dave Franco, Neighbors, The LEGO Ninjago Movie) is a struggling actor who can’t get a break when he meets Tommy (James Franco, The Institute, In Dubious Battle), a horrible over-acting hack with aspirations for stardom and a unique outlook on his lot in life. Tommy convinces Greg to move to LA with him in search of fame. When that isn’t working out for Tommy, he decides to write his own movie: The Room. The mysterious Tommy seems to have the means to finance the film by himself, hiring script supervisor Sandy (Seth Rogen, This is the End, Kung Fu Panda 3) and lead actress Juliette Daniels (Ari Graynor, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, TV’s I’m Dying Up Here) to star opposite Tommy and Greg. But when mounting tensions on set and Tommy’s ego create chaos during production, a rift starts forming between the two best friends, leaving the film’s trouble production in jeopardy.

This is such a spectacular film about films, friendship, and passion. The feeling it gave me leaving the theater was one of such excitement and pure joy that I wanted to watch it again immediately. The tone is so fun and inspiring. The recreation of scenes from The Room were done so painstakingly that it’s easy to see the care that director/star James Franco put into the work. The plot meanders a bit on its way to the finale, but it’s hard to say that any of the film should have been cut.

Franco’s performance is something of merit as well. He was so convincingly real playing a larger-than-life character, not an easy feat for anyone to accomplish, but Franco does it with graceful measure. He should have received a nomination for his acting at the Oscars. Yes, I understand the political landscape involving Franco, but he still deserves the nomination.

The Disaster Artist is a beautiful love letter to The Room. The film is a true-ish recreation of the events involving the creation of one of the worst films of all time, and it also features some of the best cameos of any film ever, as well as the best use of “Rhythm of the Night” in existence. You think I’m joking. I’m not. The Disaster Artist is one of the more inspirational films I’ve ever seen. I highly advise you to check it out, even if you haven’t seen The Room (but see The Room, c’mon).

 

4.5/5

-Kyle A. Goethe

 

 

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[Box Office Report] Coco Wins Third Weekend!

Box Office Mojo is reporting that Coco, the newest Disney/Pixar animated film, has just taken the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row. Not much has changed this past weekend with the notable exception of the James Franco-directed The Disaster Artist entering the fray.

Coco brought in roughly $18.6 million as it continues its reign at the box office for the final weekend before bowing to Star Wars: The Last Jedi next weekend. Coco has had a lot of steam for a film that this writer felt was not given a large marketing push. The film proves that Disney and Pixar have the clout to carry a film just fine and it doesn’t hurt to have the stellar reviews that it has had.

The fifth film in the DCEU, Justice League, again took the #2 spot with $9.5 million. Justice League continues to drop and perform poorly after a very rocky production and mixed reviews for almost every DCEU film with the exception of this year’s Wonder Woman. WB seems to be very bad when it comes to publicity for its superhero universe, and some possible revelations from the higher offices have not helped.

Third place belongs to Wonder, the well-received release from Lionsgate starring Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The film currently sits at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes with Tremblay’s performance being a notable win. It took in $8.45 million.

In its first weekend of wide release, A24’s The Disaster Artist, chronicling the film-making journey behind the cinematic trash-heap The Room, took fourth place with $6.4 million. This is coming off the heels of director/star James Franco getting praise from the Gotham Awards.

Rounding out #5 is Thor: Ragnarok, the third film in the Thor trilogy, with $6.29 million. The MCU shows no signs of stopping as the very well-received Ragnarok continues to hold strong at the box office despite having been out for over a month.

There you have it. The top five of the domestic box office are:

  1. Coco ($18.6 million)
  2. Justice League ($9.5 million)
  3. Wonder ($8.45 million)
  4. The Disaster Artist ($6.4 million)
  5. Thor: Ragnarok ($6.29 million)

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think? Any surprises in this week’s box office report? Let me know/drop a comment below!

 

-Kyle A. Goethe

 

 

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