Warthog-2

This flick had a budget too big for its own good. What would have been a cheapo stream-lined sleazefest became a turgid cesspool of ham-handed irony, over-addled "wit", and banal social commentary. The result stems from a very rare circumstance in Hollywood: over-generosity. The leash placed on Russ Meyer and Gene Siskel was overly long - the studio must have been in shock after hauling in this pair.

This colossal waste of celluloid is the worst motion picture I have ever chanced to witness. Unlike the many exploitation flicks of that era, including the rest of Russ Meyer's work, it cannot even rank as compellingly bad, like "Barbarella" or "Kitten With A Whip". "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls" is so egregiously awful that it becomes an arrogant, insulting, irritating piece of trash.

Normally I would recommend viewing a film that would merit such a strong claim, which would serve to bolster the statement. But being a kind and merciful warthog, I recommend the opposite: Miss this one.

"Plan Nine" is so studiously, hysterically bad it becomes endearing to the viewer. As I mused during my first viewing: Is this total trash or a tour-de-force? There's no way it was intended as anything other than high camp...right? I'm not supposed to be laughing so hard, am I? The definitive scene features an angry alien chiding the earthlings on their propensity for violence: "Stupid! Stupid humans!": inanely written and ineptly delivered, trite and yet a cogent, insightful statement- a truly surprising soliloquy in a movie like this. "Plan Nine": so stunningly pitiful in execution it evokes sympathy, making it compelling and watchable. I paraphrase an excellent comment above: "Plan Nine" is marriage of cinematic Vision and Incompetence that is rarely surpassed. What an achievement! It's enough to make a Warthog cry... for the cast, crew and director.

Good movie about a singer whose popularity serves for societal manipulation. The rather timid rock star is part of an effort to control English youth by coercing them into accepting the government line, which is subtly expressed in his lyrics and behavior. The concept of using rock for social control is a bit dated, but try reworking it in the context of modern consumerism: Huge corporations and their musician-sponsors. Why, Madonna and Michael Jackson would never

allow their artistic talents to be used to get people to buy Pepsi, right? The Beatles "Revolution" in a Nike ad is out of the question, true? Janis Joplin's estate wouldn't allow Mercedes-Benz to feature her tune about the car,

correct? We aren't being manipulated by that old time rock and roll, are we? Not even to buy "Like A Rock" Chevy trucks? Paranoid enough? Then you'll enjoy "Privilege".