Father's Day

It's hard to mention "Father's Day" without talking about the controversy surrounding it. It all started in 2010, when it was announced that Troma was going to help finance a movie based on a mock trailer made by a Canadian collective known as Astron 6. The movie eventually got released in festivals and midnight screenings-and when it came time for a DVD/Blu-Ray release, word got out that there were problems between the two. Apparently, Lloyd was selling bootleg copies of the movie, and that the Astron 6 logo was not included on the poster. I don't know if this is true, but if it is, then that really sucks. Especially when the end result is probably my favorite Troma movie, and is the best thing they've done in forever (I'm not a "Citizen Toxie", "Terror Firmer" or "Poultrygeist" fan to be honest.)

The story is one we all know well: As a kid, Ahab saw his father become raped and murdered by serial killer Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdoch), who has a thing for dads. Years later, the spree continues, and Father John Sullivan (Matthew Kennedy) and a gay street hustler named Twink (Conner Sweeney) want a now adult Ahab (Adam Brooks) to stop this father rapist once and for all. However, things are going to be hard, as Fuchman also has his eyes set on Ahab's sister Chelsea (Amy Groening.) To make matter worse, it turns out that this killer isn't all he seems to be.

First things first: This is not a movie for the squeamish. There's multiple scenes of male rape, tons of male nudity (some of it comical, though there's also plenty of female nudity to go with it), graphic gore and even genital mutilation. In spite of all that, this is actually a comedy that serves as both a homage and a satire of exploitation films. Think what would happen if a Canadian sketch comedy troupe like The Kids in the Hall did a horror/comedy, and you might be close. Thankfully, it's also frequently funny, with at least 98% of the jokes hitting their target. Next to "Black Dynamite", this is the funniest Neo-Grindhouse movie I've seen. Plus, it has the best Lloyd Kaufman cameo ever, as he shows up as both God and Satan.

On top of that, it's also very well made. The direction is top notch throughout, and actually manages to do what most micro-budget (this cost $10,000) movies can't do and makes it look at least 10 times it's budget. The acting is also good, with everyone hitting the right tone and managing to make their characters interesting (Twink is my favorite. Dude's hilarious.) Add a dead on score, great make-up and gore effects, great one liners and tons of enthusiasm and literal blood, sweat and tears to make it, and you have yourself a winner.

"Father's Day" will not be for everyone. Those who are easily grossed out or offended (hell, even those of hardened sensibilities will find themselves cringing) will most likely avoid it. For me though, this is one of the best exploitation tributes I've ever seen, and is a must for fans of Troma or warped comedy in general.

A demonic character known as Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdock) has been out and about for a long, long time, raping and murdering fathers with gleeful abandon. It's up to a one-eyed recluse named Ahab (Adam Brooks), a solicitous young priest, Father John Sullivan (Matthew Kennedy), and a delinquent, Twink (Conor Sweeney), to vanquish this beast, and save the soul of Ahabs' smoking hot sister Chelsea (Amy Groening).

It's not surprising that the notorious Troma company would have been involved in this joyously classless story. Certainly it bears a number of their trademarks: the over the top gore, the defiling of good taste, the blasphemy, the hammy acting, etc. Written and directed by a filmmaking collective known as "Astron-6" (including our three leading actors), it's made to look like the first movie in a late-night TV triple feature. If you're a fan of Troma, or are at least familiar with the way that they do things, you're likely to have fun with "Father's Day", as it careens from one outrageous sequence to another.

The gore and creature effects are great fun, use of various Canadian cities (including Winnipeg, this viewers' hometown) is effective, and there's a hearty helping of amusing and catchy music. There's plenty of bare skin revealed by the attractive female cast, and the performances are, in general, suited to the material. Kennedy, in particular, is a hoot, especially when he dies and goes to Heaven, and then spends all his time there trying to get damned to Hell, because that's where he needs to be to help his friends. Viewers will be delighted with the cameos by the guy playing God and The Devil.

Diverting entertainment for anybody who desires politically incorrect, cinematic insanity.

All you need to know: there's one hysterical moment where Ahab does Chelsea doggy style.

Seven out of 10.

A one-eyed vigilante with a troubled past, a teenage rent boy and a disillusioned priest team up against a demonic, father-raping killer from hell.

With all the faux-grindhouse movies being made these days it was only a matter of time before someone got the great idea of parodying them. Father's Day, from legendary producers of low-budget trash Troma, takes all of the conventions and clichés we know and love and mercilessly exaggerates them, and in the process, actually manages to replicate the look and feel of genuine exploitation movies far better than most serious attempts at doing so.

The directors, of which there are five, have the look and feel spot on—from the fake 'recorded off late-night TV' intro, to the distressed, gaudily lit imagery (flickers, lines on the picture, hairs caught in the camera gate) and the excellent lo-fi electronic score—and the cast all do a great job (even Lloyd Kaufman is bearable).

As is the case with many a Troma movie, good taste isn't very high on the agenda, meaning that the film more than delivers the goods when it comes to offensive material: forced buggery, genital mutilation, and incest all get a look in, and there is enough nudity and splatter to satisfy even the most jaded of trash movie fans. Even though the studio's typically puerile humour is a little hit and miss, and the finale in Hell perhaps stretches things a touch too far, Father's Day is a whole lot of fun that shouldn't be missed by any self-respecting movie deviant.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

FATHER'S DAY is a gory, disgusting, perverted mess... in a good way!

After several years, the notorious Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdock) is back to rape and mutilate anyone in his path. Especially dads. No kidding, this guy is one of the most nauseating killers to ever (dis)grace the screen!

Now, it's up to an unlikely trio of would-be crimefighters (Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, and Conor Sweeney) to track down this odious monster and do what must be done.

This movie goes out of its way to be offensive and revolting, hitting just about every red button along the way. It's also hysterically funny. If you enjoy absurd, crackpot cinema with bite, then you can't go wrong here!...

Father's Day is a Troma film and such as these production type movies, it isn't mainstream and certainly for a specific niche audience. There is most definitely a certain charm and bizarreness that makes this film worthwhile and engaging to watch. A lot happens and it is completely unpredictable in which direction it takes.

It is cheap and the over the top special effects look as such making nothing exactly shocking but more so disturbing and somewhat cringe.

The plot starts off relatively slow but once the lead character of Ahab (who sounds like he's doing a Batman voice impersonation) is further brought in, the film gets going.

Troma films shouldn't be judge by ordinary standards. They are not exactly "good" in the same way that mainstream Hollywood films might be good. They are "good" by being as insane and over the top graphically with cheesy acting as possible.

Containing boundary pushing gore, everything is intended to be offensive and sick. It works since it feels quite original and very "out there". It is gory, sick, depraved, self-knowingly silly, and entertaining if you're in the right frame of mind. Sure, however it succeeds in doing the exact thing it sets out to.

The ending is somewhat of a cop out and sort of drags on, when we see the final reveal, although quite unpredictable in a sense.

Like Troma films, Father's Day isn't for everyone, though for fans of Troma or oddball, unconventional spoof comedy/over the top cheesy unrealistic gore films, it's certainly watchable.