| Index | 8 reviews in total |
First of all I will say that the DVD release of this is very good
quality for an independent film and it is packed with features that
make it well worth seeking out.
Now onto the main course. This is an amusing, somewhat creepy (a few
times downright horrifying) tribute to HP Lovecraft, or is that PM
Lovecraft. I must say that by the end of this film I knew less about
Lovecraft than I did before I viewed this film. Basically this is an
anthology of short films inspired by HP Lovecraft and the whole thing
is linked together by the inanely hilarious antics of an incompetent
Investigative reporter played by Biff Juggernaut's very own Elias.
Overall, the films are well crafted and entertaining. There is a wide
spectrum of approaches from slapstick to film noir through to an
amusingly straight take on "The Statement of Randolph Carter" that
brought to mind older takes on Lovecraft on early 60's TV programs such
as The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone.
Highlights for me were "Bug Boy" and "Alecto" which really got under my
skin and freaked me out. Not unlike late night readings of Lovecraft's
Stories as I thought to myself "This is corny, how can this scare me?"
but after I finally put the book down and tried to sleep every howl of
wind, creak of floor, or shadow of tree limbs out side the window
pulled Lovecraft's monsters to the forefront of my thoughts.
I think that the low point for me was "History of the Lurkers" but
other than that one this is a good independent blast!
I have to suspect that some if not all of the previous five reviews are
from people involved in the film. I have a hard time believing that
five people all thought LoveCracked was that great with no one saying
otherwise.
This is a collection of shorts from different directors/actors, all
linked by an HP Lovecraft theme, and all done in different ways. In
between the shorts are quick comedy segments.
For originality, you have to give it a high score. I haven't seen
anything else like this or even close. Some of the shorts were pretty
good, notably the "Randolph Carter" story. Some were pretty bad. That's
what you get with an anthology.
The comedy in between shorts is lame. The "investigative reporter" bit
got old about two minutes in and didn't get any better. It just wasn't
funny. All he did was talk to people who knew nothing. That was
supposed to be funny, the idea that nobody this guy interviewed
actually knew anything about ol' HP; it might have sounded funny on
paper. In practice, it just came off as a bad attempt at comedy.
There was a soft-core edit of "Re-Penetrator", which was totally lost
on me. Since there is full frontal nudity and this is an indie
collection, why bother to edit it down? Seems like they were trying to
avoid the perceived stigma of porn. All they did was screw up what
could have been one of the better shorts.
The production quality was good where it was supposed to be; some of
the comedy bits had intentional bad production but that's as it should
be. The soundtrack was OK, even good in places. The acting was better
than most indie projects. Where the whole thing broke down was the
comedy; they really need to find a better writer, otherwise it's just a
bunch of non-funny bits added to what could have been a decent
anthology.
A very creative spin on H.P. Lovecraft. The combination of horror plus
comedy is something that I enjoyed very much! The DVD extras were very
cool to view. The Easter Egg and Music Videos were exceptional! Keep
'em coming Elias and T.O.T.S., you guys together exude explosive vibes!
I am looking forward to seeing whatever future projects that springs
forth from such talented individuals.
Kudos also to each and every film-maker presented in LovecraCked the
movie. It was nice to see the many different styles that everyone
presented. It is definitely an honor for me to have this particular
DVD, as a part of my growing DVD collection.
Imagine Monty Python directed by Dario Argento, and you have this crazy collection of nine gore/comedy skits. The linking thread for these surreal bloodbaths is a Monty Python like reporter doing an investigative report of famed horror author H.P Lovecraft. Cameos by famed Troma intern Lloyd Kaufmann and punk rock princess Joanna Angel pepper this savage bit of DVD fun. My only complaint here is that while Juggernaut made a film with a very original look, and format, leaping from dismemberment to giggles, he throws in some rather tired clichés. During the closing credits we see "funny" out-takes off in the corner. Some scenes are pretty much direct repeats of famous Python sketches. Biff, when somebody says, "You know, Biff how we see in all those movies where they (insert cliché here.) We can do that." Just ignore them, Biff. Anyway, fun, sick movie Biff.
The concept of an anthology film project comprised of humorous adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft material never would have occurred to me but obviously someone at BiFF JUGGERNAUT Productions was "cracked" enough to give birth to such a bizarre concept. Given that this film is a collection of other filmmaker's material with varying degrees of quality, shooting formats and aspect ratios, the whole thing meshes together surprisingly well and the wrap-around segments featuring Director Elias as a kind of eccentric roving reporter delving into...something...related to Lovecraft somehow manage to tie up a few loose ends while unraveling several dozen in the process. There's something very charming about films where your roving reporter and his subjects are all completely dubbed; I guess it satisfies that Mondo movie jones that I have.
Lovecracked stands on its own as a fun and entertaining experience,
hosting a collection of short stories tied together with an oft
humorous narration, but what makes the DVD stand out even more is the
addition of so much enjoyable extra content.
My fiancé and I enjoyed the extra content almost as much as we enjoyed
the main future. This DVD stands as a great indication of what can be
done by creative and intelligent people even when they don't have an
insane budget to burn though.
If you're looking for a fun time and a great party movie, then I full
heartily recommend the Lovecracked DVD.
If you love independent cinema, or H. P. Lovecraft, definitely check
this movie out. It shows that you don't need to be associated to with a
huge studio to make a witty, well made film.
Elias as the hapless journalist leads us through a compilation of
shorts which embody the spirit of Lovecraft, but at the same to are
quite humorous. And what other movie can boast having aliens, zombies,
and snowmen?
The only thing I would say is if you haven't read Lovecraft, I think
some of the references and jokes which I enjoyed may be lost on you,
but nonetheless I would still say to check it out!
This is cutting edge, avant-garde, underground, horror film-making. Scream XI this is not. Neither is this the next installment from Hollywood's digest of McHorror films. These are original pieces of artlike raw sugar cane. Like all things new and original there will be resistance to fully appreciate the films on this anthology. However, this is a compliment. Many of the short films in the anthology could easily be expanded into feature length films. There is no doubt many of the films will generate controversy and criticism. It's apparent the executive producers enjoyed successfully (unlike Cloverfield's gimmick) the act of unprocessed cinema. It is true that a 100 million dollar fat-cat budget would smooth out the edgesbut then again look at Kevin Costner's Waterworld. One can even surmise that the producer's were satirizing the over-inflated, unnecessary budgets of Hollywood. There are hilarious flying fake bats on strings and an obviously unplugged microphone that the host absurdly pretends to talk into throughout. Alas, my only fear is that after the success of this anthology the producers may regress into another (lost soul) John Carpenter.
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