Movie Details
| Title: | Best Worst Movie | |
| Director: | Michael Stephenson | |
| Year: | 2009 | |
| Genre: | Documentary | |
| Times Seen: | 1 | |
| Last Seen: | 03.14.09 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 03.14.09 | Alamo South Lamar | This Screening is part of event: SXSW 2009 Up next was a documentary about Troll 2, a movie I've never seen. For others that aren't up on the phenomenon, Troll 2 is considered by many to be the worst movie ever made (it was #1 on IMDB's Bottom 100 at one point, and had 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, well below Manos Hands of Fate and others). I was somewhat worried that I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the movie since I hadn't seen the source material, but nothing else was playing at this time that I wanted to see, so... SXSW Synopsis: In 1989, unwitting Utah actors starred in the undisputed Worst Movie in History: TROLL 2. Two decades later, the legendarily inept film's child star unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabamadentist-turned-cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker who come to terms with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure. Notes: And yeah, this was really great. It sort of served the purpose of having a friend who loves Troll 2 watch that movie with me for the first time and clue me in on its greatness. I'm planning on getting a copy and hosting a double feature of it and The Room when I get back to Dallas with some friends. The doc is a great look at what it is about certain "cult" films that makes them so beloved. The reasons are obviously myriad, but my sense of Troll 2 - and what I love about certain exploitation films that are undoubtably bad from a technical sense - is just the sense of joy and effort and lack of any kind of pretention or irony that soaks so much of cinema today. The doc also benefits from having a few really compelling characters, primarily George Hardy (the dad from Troll 2, who is now a small-town dentist and one of the most genuinely likeable guys I've ever seen on film) and Claudio Fragasso (the director of Troll 2, and who is one of the only people behind the film who hasn't embraced the fact that the film is - by most measurable terms - bad). There's also a host of minor characters, some of which are just funny (I'm thinking of the overly-proud European dude who did the score and - I'm pretty sure - never talks in the film, just smiles in a Droopy-type way at the camera) and others which are fairly heartbreaking (the actors who played the Nilbog store owner, the grandfather, and the mother). This movie is professional enough that I'll get some sort of release, so - and I'm pleased at how many times I've been able to say this this year - I'd recommend it. Highly. |