The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell (2006)

Overrated

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This movie is a particular type of "theater of the absurd". Think of something like "The Bed Sitting Room" post-apocalyptic, surreal movie starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. Of course, it's more gore-bent. However, it's the kind of violence where you can see spurting blood but never have to look directly at the source. The improbable storyline makes just as much sense as a nuclear holocaust. Leo Coco is a study in psychosis. The budget is so low that they couldn't afford to "break-in" the costumes. The clothing is tattered and holed, but spotlessly clean, even with all that blood.The only scene that looked improvised was the chainsaw-starting scene. It looked cinema verite to me and even funnier in that context.I was pleasantly surprised that "gamma radio" could be picked up on a 1940s AM radio with a wooden cabinet. There are little touches throughout the movie, such as oddly pronounced words "eating human flash" vice "flesh" and "eviskerated" for "eviscerated".In short: broad, bold and ultimately funny enough to sit through once.

This movie was made by a bunch of white guys that went to school together. Well there's nothing wrong with that, except it looks like it was made by a bunch of white guys that went to school together. 90 percent of the cast are white males about same age. It's almost like watching a bunch of guys at boys camp who turned the camera on themselves. The movie has no plot. It simply repeats the same action of blood bath after blood bath. There are some funny scenes and comedic bits. But they don't redeem the flat monotony.The graphic cartoon scenes are used to cover the stuff that was obviously beyond their budget or resources to do, and not done very well at that. Anything that can't be done with white guys running around on the beach covered in blood is done with cheap animation.I went to see this film after seeing the trailer, which makes it look like a Tarrentino piece. Well, the trailer scenes are as good as they ever get. Ther rest of it just repeats the same kind of mundane, inane comedy. It works at times, but it gets boring after the same stuff comes at you over and over. It's more like a string of Satuday Night Live skits than a movie. It's a hit-you-over-the-head-with-it kind of comedy. I can see where the story idea is intriguing. But, in this film post apocalyptic America is much like Medevil England. In fact Wheatlry says the story ideas came from that era. He plans to make a Part 2. I guess he thinks he's Tarrentino or maybe doing a parody thing.At the opening in LA, Wheatley mentioned he will bring back pretty much the same cast in part 2. He was asked if he might consider a more diverse cast in the next one, to which he replied, well yea, sure.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy this incredibly out-of-the-box, stylized cinematic treat at the LA Film Fest, and feel completely encouraged that the next generation of filmmakers will usurp the mainstream machine's unimaginative grip on the industry.The movie rolls by at a rapid pace, introducing you to barrage of creative characters in a well-established world of the future. I was very impressed by the comedy blended within the gory and bizarre realm of New America. Bravo to the entire crew that brought this film to fruition, because the hard work clearly paid off. I found myself quoting and reliving some of the most hilarious and brutal moments after I left the theater.Keep an eye on this crew of filmmakers!

Frankly, I was dragged to this movie by my girlfriend who works for a major development company in town. The screening was at Midnight on the Westside and I was dreading it. She had heard good things as this movie has quiet buzz growing around it already.In the end, she was right. I left the theater thinking I had seen the start of something big.For starters, the film looks amazing visually. It has a great "look" and intercuts with some cool animations and after-effects style shots. Very high production value for an indie.Secondly, the movie is hilarious. Sure, I might have a sick sense of humor, but if you love off-beat humor (like Wet Hot American Summer or Wes Anderson) mixed with a little bit of gore (which is also very well done) then you'll love this movie. It reminded me of a cool graphic novel.Not to mention there are a bunch of young actors in this movie who will make names for themselves. Truly some great performances! I could rave about this movie for 3000 words, but I won't. It's a shame that sometimes movies as great as this can't find an audience. If people just get a chance to see this movie, it is destined to become a cult hit.