Best Worst Movie
As I’ve probably mentioned at some point, for the last year and half or so, I’ve been meeting up with a few friends every Tuesday for Bad Movie Night. We have a few beers, order pizza, and sit around and laugh/cringe/stare in disbelief at a lousy or confusing or misguided movie: Highlander II: The Quickening; Howard the Duck; Bionic Ninja; Gladiator Cop; Body Rock… we’ve been doing this for a while now and the list is extensive. But one of our all-time favorites (“favorite” being a relative term here) is a real classic of the genre, Troll 2. It’s hilariously inept, with laughable costumes, some of the worst acting ever put to film, and a ludicrous plot that not only has nothing whatsoever to do with Troll 1 but is actually about goblins. It’s about a family that makes the mistake of vacationing in a town called Nilbog… which is, of course, “goblin spelled backwards!”
Troll 2 is so much fun in its way that it’s developed quite a cult following, with midnight screenings and gatherings around the country. Best Worst Movie, directed by Michael Stephenson (the now-grown child actor who played the son in the movie) and focusing on the small-town dentist who played his father, is a fascinating look at the bad-movie-loving subculture, and at how the people involved in a film react to having it become famous – or infamous – for all the wrong reasons. It’s alternately very funny and, at times, touching, sad, and uncomfortable. And it’s well worth a watch.
In case you were wondering, tonight’s Bad Movie selection will be Robot Jox.
"OH MY GAHHHHHDDD!!!!" >;)
I LOVE terrible movies. I am ashamed to say I somehow missed this one. Yikes. I don't know why you had to throw Howard the Duck under the bus, though. There's nothing bad about that one. And when is the get together for the Garbage Pail Kids movie?
this is completely unrelated to this post, which is awesome as always btw
but ZOMG YOUTUBE FIND!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb0P6_dUu5A
[2] Are you kidding?? Compared to the source material, it was not even Howard the Duck. That movie killed the careers of both the producer and director, not to mention marked the beginning of the end for ol' George Lucas. Maybe it was not so much badly made as it was badly conceived.
I think any movie that includes cars unintentionally exploding in midair after falling over the edge of a cliff should be included in this suck festival...
[3] There was still poufy hair in 1992? Why don't I remember this?? (oh, because I was in Dee Cee then >;)
How can we discuss bad movies and not examine the brilliantly understated "Road House"? Or perhaps "No Holds Barred"
[4] Yes. I was kidding. Getting into discussions about enjoying bad movies can get complicated. In any case, Lea Thompson was cute as hell.
[7] So was Holly Robinson >;)
[6] I love Roadhouse. CLASSIC bad movie. Also, anything with Lorenzo Lamas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovg9g8-0YTo
Cannot recommend it highly enough. But don't watch it alone or sober.
Btw, Will, nice to meet you briefly the other night at Varsity Letters - thanks for coming out!
[9] It's what I like to think as "tastefully brief" >;) thanks, same here. I can only imagine you and Alex rocked that joint as I got there too late to hear you both (thank you so much, MTA!)
What is that awesome thing that the Swayze does at the end of Roadhouse? He punches through some guy's face or something. Oh wait that was The Punisher: War Zone. But something like that.
There are definitely different levels of bad movie though. Troll 2 is on one level; Howard the Duck on another; Roadhouse on yet another; Black Rain and Point Break on another still. Etc.
ROBOT JOCKS is up there. If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat...
Speaking of bad films:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/library-of-congress-adds-3-titles-to-list-of-films,19106/
NFIP president Lawrence Feldman said as workers shoveled every known copy of Hollow Man 2, Nights In Rodanthe, and Rock Star into a furnace burning at 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. "I'd like to thank our librarians for their painstaking work combing thrift stores for VHS tapes and personally deleting every known digital version of these unremarkable films." NFIP president Lawrence Feldman said as workers shoveled every known copy of Hollow Man 2, Nights In Rodanthe, and Rock Star into a furnace burning at 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. "I'd like to thank our librarians for their painstaking work combing thrift stores for VHS tapes and personally deleting every known digital version of these unremarkable films."