Telling the story of George Hardy, one of the stars of Troll 2, the sequel to nothing, with not a troll in sight (“we called them Goblins”), this is a documentary that probably entertains more than the mo

vie it references.  The film uses Hardy’s participation in the project, filmed twenty years ago when he was working as a new dentist in Utah, as a jumping point to explore the affection that a surprisingly large group of people have for this odd, straight to video, piece of cinematic history.  The viewer is able to go with George as he discovers the depth of the fandom that surrounds this work, from annual viewing parties to film inspired games and a couple who sculpted their own goblin masks. 

            Though the film is interspersed with many clips from the movie, the underlying theme is not so much the wonder that is Troll 2, but instead the unique experience that an audience has with any type of movie, even those of the supposedly worst caliber.  George remarked before the documentary began that he considered this project a love letter to Alabama, since it included many snap shots of his town and the people he is close to.  It would be more accurate, I believe, to call this a love letter to the movies.  Such a letter would be too banal if it centered on some outstanding work that was lauded so often that praise becomes another element of white noise, alienating the general public.  By focusing on this movie, we are able to strip away the pomp and circumstance of cinematic classics and see instead the simple, raw way in which a movie can grip on to people, to speak to something in them that doesn’t need fancy scripts, good acting, or even a rational plot.

            The director of Troll 2, a swarthy Italian who can barely communicate with his former actors (though apparently his language skills are much better now than they were twenty years ago, a fact that is most likely the reasoning behind each bizarrely performed scene), is at times a comic figure, and not comic by his own desire.  He does not see his film as bad in any way.  He honestly believes that what he made is a genuine portrait of the American family, a deep look into the things that threaten togetherness in the modern age.  And, from the perspective of his wife and the film’s writer, the inherent evils of vegetarianism.  As I said, this seriousness puts him in a comical position since even the deepest fans comment on the horrible state of his work.  In the end, however, his foolish stance is vindicated as he explains that the heart of movies is how they reach the heart of the viewer, by whatever method, whatever story, whatever mark of quality the critics put on it.  The fact that the movie garnered so much love, regardless of what the actors may complain about now (these “dogs” as he dubs them), makes it a success, makes it a classic.  This is the signature of the cinematic love letter, the summation of what the movie going experience is – sincerity of expression, if not necessarily tantamount skill.

            Loftiness aside, it was great fun, with a previous familiarity of Troll 2not required.  The only low point that I saw was in the treatment of Margo Prey, the woman who played the mother in the movie, which made me exceedingly uncomfortable.  I’m not sure what the intention of the filmmakers was, but it seemed that Margo’s life after her appearance in the movie was handled with great jest even though it was clear that she was suffering in some way, though we weren’t privy to what exactly her problem was.  This comic level was acceptable in the overly earnest director, but seemed highly disrespectful with her.  This of course could be a flaw in my own sensibilities.  Such complaint aside, Best Worst Movieis without a doubt one to see.

            As for Troll 2…..

            Obviously, after learning so much about the behind the scenes work and the adamant following afterward of this film, it is hard to resist seeing it for yourself.  In my case, I have to admit that I had Nilbog overkill fifteen minutes into the film.  It truly is terrible, accented by the fact that you’ve just watched an explanation of the extremely convoluted plot and seen many clips of the most hilarious parts.  Perhaps if I’d waited a few days to follow up I’d be a serious fan too, though more likely is the fact that “bad films” just aren’t my thing.

            Two things that can’t go unaddressed when you’re talking about Troll 2: homoeroticism and vegetarianism.  The men are always shirtless, sleeping close together in small spaces, and one boy won’t be accepted by his girlfriend’s family because he “spends too much time with his boys.”  In fact, the only women in this film, aside from the queen of the goblin people and a few zombie-faced goblins, are the mother and the daughter, one of whom we barely see and the other who is flat chested and lifts weights in her bedroom.  The most poignant bit of homoeroticism comes in a seduction scene where the goblin queen “pops corn” with one of the human boys, letting their sexual heat explode the kernels as the two gnaw on an obscenely phallic ear of corn.

            The evils of vegetarians are what drive the entire plot.  These evil creatures don’t believe in the consumption of flesh, unless that flesh has been transformed into a chlorophyll-spewing carcass after consuming foaming broth or eating green sandwiches (sorry, should that have been spoiler alerted?).  There’s not much to say about that angle aside from now we finally know how to defeat these leaf eaters.

            Thanks for that backpack, Grandpa Seth, we owe you one.

--
"Trust your own instinct.  Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else's."  -- Billy Wilder

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Monday August 23rd

Manly Hall 200 UA Campus - RSSA Get on Board Day Preparation Party! @ 5:30pm - 7:30pm We're going to have FREE PIZZA!! And you might even get a Religious Studies Tee for helping out! We'll be constructing a 2D Taxi for starters, and we're open to other ideas to improve our GOBD line-up. Hope to see everyone there! Read more »

Well That's Cool Note: This is a super worthy cause! The Executive Director is an Uber FOTS.

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I’d be fooling myself if I said that I didn’t have a weakness for front women in rock bands. My music collection is busting at the seams with Heart records, Karen O’s unmistakable growls, and everything that Jenny Lewis touches. So it’s no big surprise that it was love at first listen when I heard The Ettes’ “Shake the Dust” (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2006). The Ettes are a Nashville based band with a pretty straightforward garage rock sound. However, they’ve got Lindsay “Coco” Hames in their corner and her salty voice changes their game big time. Backed by the raucous drumming of Maria “Poni” Silver and the confident bass playing of Jeremy “Jem” Cohen, Coco shells out the lyrics with gusto and it pays off. The album “Shake the Dust” is a bright listen all the way through. The starting track “Reputation” lets the listener know that this album is a party, not afternoon tea. It’s delightfully brash and, like the rest of the songs that follow, barely flirts with the 3-minute mark. The songs “No More Surprises” and “It Ain’t You” flaunt Coco’s commanding vocals with aggressive lyrics. The twangy “Soft Focus” serves as a welcome reminder that the record was produced under Liam Watson, the man behind The White Stripes and The Kills.

           Let me begin by admitting that I view this movie with somewhat of a bias: I hate Ellen Page.  Yes, hate is a strong word, perhaps even too strong for this situation, but it gets the point across.  With her face frozen in bewilderment and her walk of aggressive sass, Page stuck out like a sore, gangrenous thumb amongst an otherwise stellar cast. Read more »

It's time again for a three hour tour down the Black Warrior river featuring awesome music and delicious beer. The music will be provided by New Orleans party folk rock band The Blue Party (www.bluepartymusic.com) and the straight ahead buzz saw Punk /Garage rock of Model Citizen (http://www.myspace.com/modelcitizen). The beer part of the evening will be provided by Good People Brewing out of Birmingham. They make some of the finest beer you've ever had as well a being the closest brewery to Tuscaloosa. On this special event a pint will run you $3. The cruise will leave port at 7:00 pm and return at 10:00 pm no one will be let on the boat after 6:45 so be sure to arrive early. The cost is $15 and I dare you to find great music great beer and a three hour paddle boat ride for less. We hope to see you there. Act now tickets are very limited and will sell out much like the last Brews Cruise. As always we could not do any of this with out our sponsers: Wilhagans / Little Willies, The Left Hand Soap Compony, The Pink Box Burluesq and the Alcove International Taveren. Please go and support these local companies that make our podcast possiable. We are over a 1/4 sold out already so go here and grab you tickets. If ordering please order hard tickets or print at home as this will speed up entry onto boat. We look forward to seeing you there! Read more »

by Bo Hicks

A really cool event is going on tomorrow, Thursday July 8th. One of wellthatscool's favorite people Elliott McPherson is having an art show at the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Tuscaloosa. The event cost $5 with the proceeds going straight to gulf coast relief. If the name sounds familiar it's because Elliott is one of the founding members of the Tuscaloosa based band the Dexateens. Elliott makes lightboxes from found objects as well as other discarded items that have a very delightfully southern feel to them. So how does a rocker end up making light boxes? Well the bio on elliottmcpherson.com I think sums it up pretty well.

" made the first “Lightbox” in a last-minute effort to complete an album cover for the band's self-titled release in 2004. That first Lightbox featured the same headphones that McPherson had used as a child to “listen to the rock and roll that my parents forbade me to listen to...Since then, every Dexateens release has borne a Lightbox on its cover...I like making art out of things that some might say are used up and ready to be thrown away. Folks don’t realize that when they use something, they put a part of themselves into that thing"

Elliott is a man of many hats that when not rocking asses or building lightboxes can be found running a kitchen and bath cabinetry business that he and his wife run together while raseing two sons. Elliott is a hard working family man that was one of the first people to show me that being from where we are is nothing to be ashamed of and in fact there is nowhere nicer then here in west Alabama. Since then I have been an ambassador of our community and I want to thank him for that. Your community is what you make of it and we are lucky to have Elliott in ours to make it cooler. So come out and check out some great art with some really great people. The event starts at 9pm and runs till 11:30pm and will feature local Tuscaloosa celebrities spinning their favorite vinyl LP's and 45's. Read more »

Click title for a gallery of pictures by David Smith

by Ally Nevarez

Earlier in June I had 700 miles of open road to drive, and a stack of CDs in my passenger seat. While albums generally do not make great navigators, they can be the best company.  Amongst my driving companions was the Los Campesinos! album Romance is Boring (2010, pictured to the left). A discovery made in the used bin at Oz Music, the band was originally comprised of 8 musicians from Cardiff, Wales who had all adopted Campesinos! as their last name.  Part of the Arts & Crafts label family, their lyrics are quirky and their tunes are catchy—what more can you ask for on an 11 hour drive?

The album starts out innocently enough with the bittersweet track “In Medias Res” that features unexpected vocal distortion, a confident horn, and sweet strings that serve as indicators of the variety and power of the rest of the album. The fast-paced title track “Romance is Boring” smugly makes light of ambivalent partnerships with an energy that causes closed-fist steering wheel drumming.  The mini-novellas “Who Fell Asleep In” and “The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future” are the most dramatic of the 15 tracks. They are so lovingly crafted that they never seem out of place, but rather contribute to the thoughtfulness of the album as a whole.

I have to admit, though, that I fell in love at track 7, otherwise known as “Straight in at 101.” The song is at times vulgar, but always smart and honest.  There’s hand clapping, cymbal smashing, and a killer spoken word finish that captures the frustration of every break-up.  The saddest part about just discovering this band is that on June 26, 2010 drummer Ollie Campesinos! left the group without a clear reason.  Despite the mysterious departure the album still rules—and so do their low-budget music videos.  Check out the videos for “Romance is Boring,” “There are Listed Buildings,” and “The Sea is a Good Place to think of the Future.” As always, you can findRomance is Boring on my employee picks at Oz Music, along with other Los Campesinos! albums that are just as energetic as this one.  I highly recommend it for fans of Pixies and The Shins.

  It may not have been able to tell me which exit was the right one or chip in for gas, but Romance is Boring was one of the best road trip companions I’ve had in a long time.  Whether you’re driving across the United States or just across Alabama, I hope it is for you, too.(ed. note Plese be sure to go support Ally at Oz Music, keep your money in town)            

--Ally Nevarez

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