Dead Meat

Even if you don't love Ron Jeremy, or understand his place in pop culture history, you will appreciate his contribution to Dead Meat. He is hilarious, even without speaking a word. The usual slasher ingredients are here (ingredients, get it? Ha Ha!) cheerleaders, boobies, questionable chili, a scary dude killing people, some escaped convicts, etc. You know the drill: pretty people end up in a scary house in the woods, and are killed off one by one after they have lesbian sex/take off their bikini tops/eat some chili. It totally rocks, right down to the sound track. The best part of this film is the writing, which is funny, surprising, and full of fun. The actors all seem to be having a blast, even in the Florida heat. The special effects are surprisingly awesome for an independent film. There is one that deserves particular praise, but I won't spoil it by telling you. Quality all the way! I saw this film at its premier, and loved it from start to finish. There are not many big budget movies that are able to keep my attention the way this independent film did. I hope to see more from the filmmakers in the future.

Andre the Butcher is about a satanic demon that took the place of a family man butcher who lost his family and takes up performing his profession on everyone that stops by. A ridicules film whose saving grace is that it is supposed to be demented, and that it is. Cheerleaders, convicts, and cops all get in on the act and fall prey to the butcher. Ron Jeremy plays the butcher in a way only he can. Of course with Jeremy, you would also expect to find gratuitous nudity. Luckily, it's the cheerleaders and not Jeremy. If you like mindless demented films with little redeeming qualities, this is for you. At some point during the film you will snicker and walk away shaking your head. Perhaps you can make it to the ending. And would someone please, please, kill that darn half a sheriff that keeps popping up on the screen. I bet he's even in the sequel.

I hated this when I first saw it, but then I thought about it more and realized it wasn't quite as bad as I thought originally. Still not very good though. It had its moments, like the cheerleader kung-fu. The obvious body double shots of boobs was just plain ridiculous. The only thing this movie has going is its silly humor. Most of it didn't work for me, but I can see where some people may appreciate it. I was pretty disappointed that this was not a super gritty creepfest like the box art implies. The tone of the movie is nowhere near as cool as the cover. Then again, these movies usually aren't. I should probably get used to that kind of disappointment.

I waited over 2 weeks for Andre to arrive thru Netflix and it was definitely worth the wait. There's not much to do in my town so I watch A LOT of movies, and all kinds. Andre The Butcher really didn't meet my expectations, which was a good thing. Andre is probably the best low-budget indie I've seen in the last 3 years. I call it an indie and not a horror film because there is a lot more going on in this film than just pretty faces and slasher gore. Unlike most shoestring digital movies out there, Andre actually has good actors, sharp dialog, good camera work and its just a damn funny movie. Yeah, its obvious this wasn't made with the budget of Titanic folks. But the filmmakers really got a lot of bang out of their buck.

The only negative thing I would mention is the boxart. The front of the DVD box makes it look like a straightforward gorefest, which is definitely not the case. I can see a lot of disappointed horror fans out there in this regard. I would recommend that horror fans and audience in general not get fooled by the sinister boxart. This is best described as a comedy with horror elements- the kinda flick to watch with the gang and a kegger. Once you understand the true nature of this film, it is a blast! I hope these guys make more movies, and more with that delicious hottie April Billingsley. She can lick chilli off my toes anytime! ;)

Every once in a while a surprisingly good movie surfaces. And lately it's low budget movies that manage to come up with something unique and entertaining. This movie is one such gem. No A-list actors, which is always a good thing unless in your world, RJ is an A-list actor. That does not mean that the acting is bad. All the main actors do an outstanding job, if you appreciate subdued acting. This is not hyperhysterical sceaming dialogue that goes as good acting these days. Granted that some of the secondary actors aren't all that great- I'm thinking about some of the cops. The actors here succeed in portraying their characters, young community college kids, horny, hungry, funny. The script is outstanding. First of all, there is a script, unlike most movies these days that give you fancy effects and no dialogue. The script is fresh, funny, witty, unique. What starts out as a mundane story line of stranded cheerleaders in the middle of nowhere turns out to have plenty of surprises in store. The special effects are good and quite gory at times. The girls are pretty and there is a seriously erotic scene here, something you'll never see in your megaplex. In fact, there are a couple of scenes that only independent filmmakers have the guts to create and there are a few of those here. I like that this movie is filmed on location in Florida and not in some Hollywood backlot or in LA. This is an outstanding effort by a group of people who seem to like movies and know how to make a good production with a limited budget. I hope to see more from them. Andre the Butcher II would be something to look forward to. You won't be disappointed with this movie if you like your movies light, entertaining, fun, and sexy. For sure this is a better horror movie than 95% of the junk that ends up in theaters and is marketed as horror these days.