Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
Watched May 30, 2009

SYNOPSIS
Well, there's tomatoes that are killing people. It's one of those titles that basically explains the movie without me having to explain it. Alright, synopsis over.

SHORT REVIEW
What should have been pretty much the greatest movie ever created is alright, but tries too hard and often fails.

REVIEW
If you're not intrigued by a title like "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes", then you're either not human or are one of those snooty film losers that look down upon anyone who watches anything but Oscar winners and obscure Russian movies. If you are human and can appreciate bad cinema, then I'm pretty sure you're wondering if "Killer Tomatoes" is good enough to spend ninety minutes of your life on.

Short answer, it had so much potential, but it didn't really use it. It's not a complete loser though, the film is actually pretty funny at times. The tomato attacks are great (a stand out is the first kill in the movie, where a tomato kills a housewife but I have no freaking idea how), and there's some really humorous moments, like the man disguising himself as a tomato to infiltrate their system or the guy who always wears his military uniform and a huge parachute that hurts much more often than it helps.

However, the film seems like it tries way too hard at points. I'm pretty damn sure that the filmmakers tried to make this as bad as they possibly can, but then they try adding twists and turns to the plot that seriously muddle the film up. Plus, I have no idea who any of the characters were or what their purpose to the plot was. I don't know what Mason Dixon and his squad were trying to do. I don't know why that one girl was spying on them. And I don't know who the hell the guy is who believes he can control the tomatoes. I was pretty lost when it came to characters and plot. Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention because I was too busy eagerly awaiting the next tomato attack.

And, unfortunately, for every good joke, there's a few really bad jokes, and not "so-bad-they're-funny" jokes like they should be. Just stupid jokes that try too hard to be stupid.

But, man, is the music good. I love the "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" theme song that they play during the opening credits. I also love "Puberty Love", as it's quite possibly the worst song ever created. I need to have that song. I need to. Now.

Overall, I enjoyed "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes", except sometimes it just was dull. A lot of the jokes failed miserably, and the filmmakers' attempts to actually add a real plot to the movie actually made the film worse. I think I should probably give the film 2 chainsaws, but I can't deny that the film made me laugh out loud at some parts, which is more than I can say for a lot of films I watch. So, I give "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" a disapponting, but still okay:

3 out of 5 chainsaws (AVERAGE)

P.S. I felt that the film tried way too hard to emulate "Airplane!", but then I looked both films up, and it turns out this came out before "Airplane!". Maybe this was an influence on that spoof classic we all love. Whether or not this is true, "Airplane!" is still the much funnier movie.

Psychos in Love (1987)

Psychos in Love (1987)
Watched May 30, 2009

SYNOPSIS
Two psychos fall in love because of their shared hobby for serial killing and shared intense hate for grapes. There's also a cannibal plumber on the loose.

SHORT REVIEW
"Psychos in Love" is pretty damn funny all the way through, and I'm glad it's finally got a proper DVD release so the underrated film can find a new fanbase.

REVIEW
I'd never heard of "Psychos in Love" before I looked at a list of the new horror DVD releases and saw it on there. It sounded interesting, but I still wasn't completely sold. Then, I read some reviews for it, and they said that the two psychos bond over their loathing for grapes. Any film that uses hating grapes as a plot point is something I need to see, ASAP. So, I promptly put the film near the top of my Netflix queue and waited.

Well, the film came yesterday, and what an interesting little film. First off, the film is not supposed to be taken seriously at all. And that's a good thing. The film has a pretty black sense of humor throughout, so if you're into that kind of thing, it might be a good idea to pick this one up. I found it pretty hilarious.

I hate reviewing films that I liked, but I can't really find much to say about it. "Psychos in Love" is one of those films, so this review probably will not be that long.

But, I do know why I liked the film. It's entertaining from start to finish. There are a few great scenes, like the first couple times that the psychos rattle off a monologue about how they hate every type of grape (they continue to repeat this monologue, and while it gets a little less funny each time they repeat it, it's still pretty humorous) or the scene where they happily tell each other for the first time that they're mentally unstable. It's quite funny how nonchalantly they treat all the murders throughout the film.

However, I do have a couple complaints. First off, there's a lot of jokes that don't work. I realize that they can't all be zingers, but there's some real "wow-that-really-wasn't-funny-at-all" moments in the film. Fortunately, the funny bits outnumber the unfunny bits, so it's easy to overlook the stinkers.

Another mild complaint is the synopses of this film made it sound like the cannibal plumber was a big plot element, but in reality, the guy gets about five minutes of screen time, and only about two of those are with the psychos in love. It's a mild complaint, but I felt they just added in the plumber subplot at the very last second to add a little substance to the film. I don't know why, it just felt that way with how quickly they wrapped up the whole subplot.

But those are just minor complaints that definitely don't ruin this funny and original piece of work that really should be much more well-known than it is at the moment. Hopefully the DVD release helps the film find an audience and it's remembered as a cult classic as it should be. "Psychos in Love" gets:

4 out of 5 chainsaws (VERY GOOD, SEE IT)