The Ghastly Love of Johnny X

I had the absolute pleasure of watching The Ghastly Love of Johnny X with Will Keenan the other night. In this world of mostly unoriginal garbage and reboots coming out of Hollywood, this was a very refreshing treat. It has everything you want in a movie. There's love. There's tragedy. There's comedy. There's song and dance numbers. There are plenty of crazy bad special effects. There's rambunctious youth running wild. It IS the total package. It reminded me (just a hint) of Rocky Horror and it has a lot of MST3K type moments in it. Anyway, if you are looking for something really fun - check this film out. Support the "B" movie people!!

A catchy film that hearkens back to the old B&W juvenile films of the 50s and 60s. The soundtrack also reminds one of the works of Bernard Herrmann, Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice) as well as The West Side Story. I had a chance to speak to Mr. Bunnell and found him to be the real deal. Considerate and passionate about the trade, he was very gracious with his time spent with me. If you ever get the chance to screen this film at a theater, by all means, do so. Run, don't walk!

There are a lot of issues with this oddball movie, but the first thing that should be mentioned in any review of it is the wonderful performance of De Anna Joy Brooks, who pretty much single-handedly makes this movie kind of worth watching. In a film with a serious identity crisis, she is the one person involved who seems to understand how the movie should be played, a knowledge apparently not even possessed by the director.

It's hard to know exactly what this movie is aiming for. There are elements of 50s B-movie biker flicks, Ed Wood-style train wrecks, and Broadway musicals, but there's not a sense that the director knows how to mix these together. While it has cheesy sci-fi elements, it doesn't appear to want to be a send-up of bad movies, like the brilliant The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. The musical numbers contain some pretty good songs (notably What's Up With Johnny) but are undercut by a lack of performers who actually know how to dance (only the guy with glasses looks like he's had any training). The biker elements are neither extreme enough to be parody nor effective enough to generate much drama. The movie also suffers severe pacing problems; scenes or individual shots just go on too long, and I'd trim a half hour from the hour and 45-minute movie.

Also, the "b" movie effect they seem to be going for is undercut by really nice choreography. Yes, it's strange to fault a low-budget movie for well-framed shots and beautiful lighting, but it just underscores the sense that there is no real vision for what this movie should be.

Or I should say there would be no vision if not for Brooks. Giving a funny, sexy performance, she offers a stream of snappy patter and knowing glances that makes every moment with her on screen work. Every time she is gone, the movie turns into a muddle.

There are a few other good performances in the movie, mostly from the older, more experienced actors (I love Paul Williams' bit as a kooky talk show host). But many of the bit actors have limited acting chops, and the guy playing Johnny lacks the bigger-than-life presence needed for the role.

I hope Brooks and the cinematographer have a chance to put their talents towards a worthier project.

'THE GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Sci-fi musical comedy flick about a gang of deliquent misfits, from outer space, who are exiled to earth and trying to find their way home. It was produced and directed by Paul Bunnell and written by Bunnell, Steve Bingen, Mark D. Murphy and George Wagner. The film stars Will Keenan in the title role (who's probably most well known for playing Tromeo in the Troma flick 'TROMEO AND JULIET') and it also features a supporting cast which includes Creed Bratton (Creed of 'THE OFFICE' fame), De Anna Joy Brooks, Reggie Bannister (of 'PHANTASM' fame), Les Williams, Jed Rowen, Kevin McCarthy (of 'INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS' fame) and veteran actor Paul Williams. The movie was made on a budget of just $2 million and was the lowest grossing film of 2012! I found it to be a pretty amusing and fun time at the movies.

The movie begins, in outer space, with Jonathan Xavier (Keenan) being exiled to Earth by The Grand Inquisitor (McCarthy). Johnny then spends his days causing trouble, on Earth, with his gang of troublemaking friends. His girlfriend Bliss (Brooks) recently dumped him and ran off with his 'Resurrection Suit'; which is a powerful uniform that can control others. Johnny will now stop at nothing to get the suit back and win back Bliss's love. Multiple musical numbers follow as the plot also involves Johnny's gang helping a music promoter (Bannister) put on a show with a dead rock star (Bratton).

I really love the style and enthusiasm of this 50s throwback sci-fi flick. Bunnell really got the mood and feel right; of the B movies from that era. I'm not from the 50s but I remember watching a lot of movies from that time period, growing up as a child, in the 70s and 80s. So even for me this movie has that magical 50s nostalgic feel. The acting is all good and the music numbers are well done and catchy as well. It's definitely not a flick for everyone, some will find it downright stupid and silly, but it should more than please it's target audience (if they ever see it).

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I think this was a very fun retro movie and a tribute and spoof of the 1950's sci-fi and juvenile delinquent movies. Creed Bratton was very funny as a zombie entertainer. It has a GREAT look to it in scope and the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The music is good and I really enjoyed this. Some of the film score and songs stayed with me many days later. It also was very nice to see Kevin McCarthy and Paul Williams in this movie. The very last film shot on Kodak Plus X 35mm black and white film stock. A very entertaining film. Very campy. I think this film will continue into the future as a major cult film. I am so glad it was shot on real film stock and not on digital format equipment.