Pep Squad

I saw this film at the AFM after seeing the trailer -- which by the way was an equally marvelous piece of work. Most everything works in Pep Squad -- music, cinematography, editing, acting, story. Sure, there are some wooden performances. That comes with low budget indie fare. But it never detracts from the overall flow. In fact, when I think back to my viewings of Carnival of Souls (which I think is another Kansas product) and other films considered cultish, Pep Squad holds up very well, indeed.

Special mention needs to be made of three elements. Brooke Balderson as Cherry is amazing. She not only made what could have been a single dimensional comic book character seem real and multi-dimensional, but she even created a wierd form of sympathy for the character. Betty O., playing the part of the principal who replaces Lester the Molester (yes, this is a strange story) adds just the right amount of zest to the overall mix of characters and story. Finally, the score, by Concrete Blonde frontwoman Johnette Napolitano, was perfect. I saw the film in a theater with full stereo sound and the impact of the music with the imagery was fantastic. I imagine that a lesser sound system would certainly detract from the overall experience. (In fact, I recently saw a screener video of the film and, though good, the TV speakers were really inadequate.)

If you're a Concrete Blonde fan, if you're between 16 and 28, if you ever were in high school and felt like killing the principal (figuratively if not literally), if you are/were ever tired of having to mindlessly just accept what those in power impose --- then you'll have much fun with Pep Squad.

Okay,

It's not absolutely terrible. It's just, well a feeble attempt at humor, art, and drama. The performances suck generally. It looks as if there was no director on board. There are some original ideas, but their execution was guided by an apparent pre-schooler. It looks kind of like an experiment. The cinematography is excellent though. See this movie if you want to feel better about the movies you've made or if you like really bad B-movies with a mediocre plot and stupid story.

This totally made me think of all those great 80s movies - only, with David Lynch or some sicko remaking them with some guns and lots of bad language. I think the F word was the only one in the script. Except for the genius DIE TERRA DIE part... And the GYNOCOLOGIST remarks.

This is up there is my TOP 10 fave movies of all time. And the music is awesome.

Brooke Balderson and Amy Kelly have more energy than any other actress in their age group. Seriously, it comes bursting through the screen. I haven't ever experienced viciousness like that. In any movie. EVER. This is one piece of work!

Think of an extremely low-rent version of "Heathers," and you've got "Pep Squad." That sums up the flick in a nutshell. I must give credit where credit's due, though. The film has a nice visual appeal to it. I liked the cinematography, I liked the wild color schemes, I liked the costume designs. But without good acting, a film has no redeeming value. I'd rather watch a film with little visual appeal, with good actors and sharp dialogue (i.e.: "The Brothers McMullen" or any Edward Burns film). The actors either recite their dialogue in monotones or scream it out like they're in a bad soap opera. This is why I don't badmouth most mainstream actors. Let's face it, most actors who are mainstream are mainstream for a reason. If they're not "great" actors, they're at least competent. People badmouth Leo DiCaprio, but when was the last time you saw a movie where he recites the dialogue as if he's reading it off the page? It's a shame, because the director seems like he knows his stuff when it comes to mis en scene (sp). At the same time I can't totally praise Steve Balderson (the director). He did write the screenplay, which contains some horrible dialogue. He might be slightly racist too, since there's a black principal in the movie, who inhabits a culmination of African-American stereotypes.

Slick production values and insanely great performances from Brooke Balderson and Amy Kelly elevate this film far above 'b-grade;' but the director also manages to maintain a camp sensibility throughout that's tantalizingly reminiscent of John Waters at his best. This would make an outstanding double-feature with "Female Trouble"!