The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell

I got a chance to catch The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell at its World Premiere at the L.A. Film festival. I would unabashedly recommend the film--especially to indie film-lovers and cult flick-enthusiasts worldwide. The filmmakers worked wonders in bringing a post-apocalyptic satire to the big screen on a meager budget.

The acting is, at times, pitch perfect and the story is a kind of Oh Brother Where art Thou meets Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas set in 2097, New America. The cinematography, editing, graphics and animation sequences are stunning and visually entertaining.

The film is a bit unconventional in structure, but the History Channel documentary/comic book style of the film is original and works well. While it has political and social overtones, the comedic setups were usually paid off with satisfying hilarity. The film started a bit slow, but it soon took off and kept me on the edge of my seat the rest of the way.

As this is only part one, I hope the filmmakers will be granted the budget and name talent to make part two even better than the first installment.

This is the biggest pile of crap I have ever watched. DO NOT RENT! The makers of this movie should be band from ever making another movie. It starts with some what of a plot, then fades fast to nothing. I think I would rather watch paint dry then to as much as looking at the cover. The actors were awful, the plot faded fast, filming left to much work to be done. Not one good thing to say about this crap movie. If you rent this movie you will waste your money. I really enjoy National Lampoon movies, but this was a waste of time. Learn to write, learn to act, learn to produce, and learn to direct. I feel I should sue these a-holes that made this movie for money wasted on rental cost and time lost.

I attended the world premiere of this film at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival and enjoyed what I saw very much. It is hard to explain this movie to someone who hasn't seen it...and I think that is a good thing, as it needs to be experienced to appreciate it for what it really is. This film is a completely visceral experience from beginning to end. The use of sound, special effects, on-screen graphics, etc. engage all of your senses and really draw you into what is happening on-screen. For first-time filmmakers, the creators of this (soon to be) trilogy should be lauded for their decision to employ numerous ambitious techniques to produce a successful, dark, funny, apocalyptic tale. Job well done for all parties involved! :) :) :)

I also attended the midnight screening at the LA Film Festival on Friday, June 23, 2006. I liked the film and got the impression that most everyone else did as well.

For a midnight showing, I was impressed that nearly every seat was filled. There was also more audience participation than I'm accustomed to, for the audience cheered when the title appeared, laughed and clapped during the film, and stayed for the credits. More so, about three-quarters stayed to learn more about the film during the Q&A that followed -- an impressive audience at 2:30 a.m.

I've never seen a movie quite like this one. It had a quick pace, over-the-top violence and gore, a sarcastic wit, and at least a dozen characters. It's one of those films you wish you could see again, in not to simply catch and appreciate all of its humor.

Starting with the title, this campy, hilarious, New American film is gushing with the zeal of the youthful, hip, and edgy filmmakers. Charting a primordial course towards a new genre, Writer/Director/Lead Kevin Wheatley and his directing collaborator Johnny Gillette, along with co-conspirator Cameron Pierce, have touched on something quite new and fresh. Hearkening back to the multi-format style of some of their predecessors like Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, the filmmakers lucidly blend time-shifting storytelling with "expert" testimony, hand drawn animation and graphics with live action, and clever writing with strong performances.

A first attempt at making a feature film is usually marred with over-acting, technical blunders, and misguided "post-fixes". This film, however, is an overachiever for these first time filmmakers. Their strong storytelling skills shine through in their History Channel-on-mescaline style, and the wait for their next foray has already been too long.

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