Quick. What's the worst movie you have ever seen??...Keep thinking, you can do better than that...
Well regardless, I'm sure any bad film shares at least one thing in common; they were trying to be good.
But what about the other way around, what about a movie studio that had no care in the world how well its films were received, didn't care about oscar nominations, special effects or anything pretentious. What about a movie studio focused on making terrible films that made no sense.
Such a thing actually exists. Troma Studios.
As close as it will ever be at least, Troma Entertainment is a studio (not really, an office in NYC)
that devotes itself to making low budget cheap thrill cult horror flicks. They are exploitation shock films showing off as much gore and nudity as possible. It's pretty much the epitome of the "B-Movie". It is the brainchild of Lloyd Kaufman, a Yale graduate who began a legitimate film career after college. Always a quirky guy and upset with people in the industry, Lloyd began making raunchy short films. His claim to fame was the movie, The Toxic Avenger, a comic book type cult film. From there, Troma was officially born and began its true independent glory. Such stars such as Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Costner, Marisa Tomei, Billy Bob Thornton,Trey Parker & Matt Stone and writer/director James Gunn(Slither) have all began their careers in Troma movies. Films like Blood Sucking Freaks, Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, Cannibal! The Musical, Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid, Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills and the soon to be released Poultrygeist! The Night Of The Chicken Dead are just some of what Troma has to offer.
You see, I first stumble upon Troma when I netflixed something called "Make Your Own Damn Movie" figuring I'd get some insightful advice. It turned out to be a big slap in the face of filmmaking made by Kaufman himself. It was poorly put together and the campy advice made you want Kaufman to eat a pile of toilet paper that you shat on, you know cause, he'd probably be into that sort of thing.
Then again, if anything it gets you thinking. What is filmmaking?, what should movies be? Art or Entertainment? Why should only a select few in Hollywood be monopolizing the business? With most professors, students, critics and the like claiming to talk of an "essence" of film, I mean, isn't all subjective really? So what do you think? What do you look for in your movies? Whats your take?
6 comments:
I think there's a serious differences between a "good bad movie" and a "bad bad movie". And I think you're talking about good bad. This brings me to Snakes on a Plane.
I've read some great reviews about how this movie TRIED to be good bad, and so wasn't exactly bad bad, but totally failed at good bad. Which is just bad. You follow me? Well, if not, Stephanie Zacharek's review in Salon really says it well:
"The expectation, I think, was that "Snakes on a Plane" would be a good bad movie, a picture that would free us from having to worry about quality and allow us to concentrate solely on dumb thrills and laughs. But it takes a degree of skill to make a good bad movie. And "Snakes on a Plane" never even allows itself to be truly dumb. The picture feels like a stunt, an exercise; it's winking and knowing every minute. This is a self-parody of a concept that's essentially beyond parody, a joke we're all in on to the point where it really doesn't matter whether we've seen the movie at all."
I concur. "Commando" will always have a special place in my heart, despite having some of the worst acting I have ever had the pleasure to witness. It gets by on Arnold Schwarzenegger's charisma and on its own dumb confidence.
I think it's pretty pointless to narrow films down to either art or entertainment, because it's both. Money is obviously a big factor, but once you take it out of the equation, film is like any other type of art. It's a form of expression, but it relies on an audience. The filmmaker wants people to watch it; he wants them to be entertained, and so that factors in to how the film gets made. It depends on how you look at it, like how eating meat is both wrong and delicious, depending on whether you ask a vegetarian or a normal person.
And yes, film, like all art, is totally subjective. I used to believe otherwise, but I realized that arguments for objectivity in artistic quality fall completely apart once you dig under the surface. It would be immensely difficult to describe what I look for in movies, but if I had to narrow it down to three words, I'd say "style", "substance" and "originality."
I'm curious if you've ever heard of Nightmare Weekend, which I've heard described as the worst movie. ever. It would probably fit well as a Troma film. It pretty much fits every category that you mention- ridiculous special effects (it includes a PUPPET), lots of gratuitous sex, and the best part of all? It was cheaper to shoot the audio seperately, so the whole film is dubbed.
How do I know so much about this film? My family made it. My grandfather was in the VHS business in the early '80s and found that there was a lot of money to be made in straight to video films. It was also a chance to employ all of his children for the summer (there's even a star-making role as Gas Station Attendant #2 by my father).
If you're in the mood for a great laugh at just HOW bad this movie is (and then you can tell people you've seen the worst movie EVER) let me know and I'll bring it in.
I concur that movies, like all art forms is designed to entertain. I firmly believe a sculptor has the audience/buyer in mind as much as a director does. As for the "essence" of film I think the beauty of all film industries are there ability to produce everything from tired schlock to thought provoking experimental stuff. So, as you can tell my value judgment was built into that last statement. However, that's not to say Jerry Maguire and The Wedding Planner aren't two of my favorite movies. If moviemakers get to make all kinds then we get to consume all kinds, and not be afraid to admit it.
I feel like I could talk about this subject a lot, but I think you pretty much nailed it all.
So all I have to say is. . .
Troll 2. Watch it. Love it.
Movies are just another way of organizing our lives into narratives so we can make sense of them. When I see a movie, I look for effective storytelling, I look for visual aesthetic and I look for general good filmmaking. The right way to handle a scene. The right lighting. The right sequence of cuts and edits. The right way to make an audience connect but disconnect and be able to judge objectively as well.
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