Club Dread (2004)

Who Encourages Them and Where Do They Get Their Money?

Now that I've seen three Broken Lizard movies (and they wisely left their name off their third stinkbomb, BEERFEST), I can say that this "comedy troupe" is horrible. Where did they come from? How do they get funding to keep making lame comedy after lame comedy? What will it take to stop them?

It doesn't surprise me to see good reviews here since I imagine most of the four or five star reviews were written by young and unformed viewers who have yet to develop any type of comedic taste and discretion.

If you're over 15 and like Broken Lizard, you are clearly brain damaged or have been subjected to such horrific child abuse that you're one trauma away from recalling alien abductions. Seek counseling. And start watching other comedies, GOOD ones. Not Broken Lizard, not Kevin Smith. REAL comedies.

You're only encouraging these guys by buying into this fertilizer.

June 22, 2008

DREADFUL IS MORE LIKE IT

I was not one of the many who loved SUPER TROOPERS. Having seen numerous movies made by comedy troupes that turned skits into films like KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE and THE GROOVE TUBE, I knew that these comedic groups could put together something good. Not so here. I found the movie more juvenile than many and in this day and age that is saying a lot.

The same holds true for their second big screen endeavor. The jokes and humor found here are sophomoric at best, the kind of jokes that poor radio DJs and first year high schoolers laugh at. Worse yet, this movie has a hard time trying to decide just what kind of movie it wants to be. Is it a horror film or a comedy? It tries to be both but not enough so to have it succeed at either.

The movie revolves around a tropical resort, owned by a mildly successful singer named Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton), that revolves around his series of hits. Coconut Pete is obviously based on Jimmy Buffet, a fan of the film I have heard. Songs that focus on drinking exotic alcoholic drinks and chasing women are the mainstay of Pete. And the same holds true of this island resort where nearly everyone is guaranteed to match up with someone. And that is the whole function of this resort it seems.

The movie begins with a trio of counselors running off into the jungle and hooking up only to be slaughtered by the mysterious killer running around on the island. Dressed in a native type disguise, he carries a machete and isn't afraid to use it. One by one the camp staff begins to find themselves killed off. As their numbers dwindle, they become more concerned about just who the killer is, not trusting one another and sticking close together. That is until it interferes with the plot device of having them be alone.

The movie is an excuse for well endowed actresses to remove their tops and teen jokes to be made about women in general. None of the characters are believable, something that I realize has never stopped a horror film from being made, but in this case they are really far out. Everything from an English speaking dreadlocked tennis pro to a hefty masseuse with a magic touch for orgasmic release.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing for me was that as I watched, I found myself trying to decipher just what it was that this group was trying to do. Was it really a comedy? If so it wasn't funny (except for the Buffet references). Was it trying to be a horror film, paying tribute to those not so distant classics of slaughter on vacation? Again, if so it failed as the prepubescent gags got in the way.

The group here needed to focus, to make a choice, and then they might have made a decent movie. Instead we are treated to a horror film with laughs that fall flat. Or is it an unfunny comedy with people getting hacked to pieces? This movie fails on both counts.

I've heard that the Broken Lizard group has another film in the works already. I would like to think that they would learn from their mistakes. But since that didn't happen from SUPER TROOPERS to this one, I doubt it. Perhaps the most mystifying question of all is that with all of the stories out there to tell, all of the movies that could be made, theirs get the green light. Let's hope someone in Hollywood wakes up soon.
March 13, 2008

Great College Movie

Club Dread isn't for everyone. I think it's hilarious and fun but the humor is very "frat boy." The jokes are usually sexual and the movie has some very bloody parts to it but I would recommend it for anyone who is a Jimmy Buffett fan or if you like Brittany Daniels. The humor is crude but some will enjoy it immensely. The nudity is gratuitous but that's what you get with this style of humor. In all, I liked the movie. March 2, 2008

this is a good movie!

dispite what you may have heard in the other reveiws this is a good movie.
most people were expecting a bloody slasher flick. but this movie is more
of a comedy than it is horror. it also has almost all of the characters from super troopers. it is not as funny as super troopers but still has
some laughs in it. if you are a person who likes movies that are hated by other people you will love this movie! trust me! July 3, 2007

Stupidly Funny

Love this movie. Goes great with Supertroopers and Beerfest. A nice trifecta! May 9, 2007

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