Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

"At the end of Mercury's next journey, the dragon shall dance through the hoop of Jupiter. If, at that moment, the monkey will ride the jaguar and the tiger will feast on the nubile...the order of the universe will be such that The Evil One will reign supreme for eternity. There is only one being who can confront The Evil One..."
Passed down from The Ancient Ones.

Harry Griswold (Rick Gianasi) is a Sergeant with the New York City Police Department. While attending the Kabuki theatre, he witnesses the murder of a Japanese man. The dying man contains the spirit of Kabukiman and manages to transfer the spirit to Harry (along with some live worms which are necessary for the transfer). The murdered man's granddaughter, Lotus (Susan Byun), must then complete the process AND train Harry in perfecting his new super powers. The completion of this process also involves eating more live worms! You will have to see this to believe it. That is REAL dedication to playing a role realistically! The transformation of Harry Griswold to Kabukiman is hilarious. It doesn't work too well at the beginning.

Harry does not recycle Budweiser cans. He uses them to creatively decorate his apartment. Rick Gianasi plays Harry with a naivete that is endearing. It's fun watching his very odd body movements and weird facial expressions. You will think of eating raw fish in a totally different way after watching this movie! And...consider twice before inviting a clown to your child's birthday party.

Rembrandt (Thomas Crnkovich) works for the sleazy and very corrupt Reginald Stuart (Bill Weeden), wears a long blonde wig and has a REAL taste for blood. Reverend Snipes (Larry Robinson II) is stealing from his parishioners and Jughead is played by Brick Bronski of "Class of Nuke 'em High" (II & III). These are just a few of the outrageous characters in this Troma Team spoof of Hollywood's big-budget super hero movies.

If you have never seen a movie by The Troma Team, you are really in for a mad ride. Nothing is sacred to these guys and they have an irreverent style that is unequalled. They poke hysterical fun at everything and have a fondness for spurting blood and bare breasts (not necessarily together). If you are strictly PC, The Troma Team will change THAT for you! There are very silly sound effects, cheesy special effects and gore galore. There is nothing that is off limits for The Troma Team and they really appeal to my sophomoric sense of humor!

There are some very different renditions of "Madame Butterfly" throughout this movie and you'll find yourself humming it for hours after the movie ends. Near the beginning of the movie there is a bum sitting on the curb that is a doppelganger for Sam Kinison! Maybe he came back for a cameo. Cool!

Runtime: 1:44

This film is available on DVD, VHS, cable or satellite.

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This column is dedicated to those films that most of the world missed!