RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS
THE PROJECTIONIST
(seen at Nolacon II)
Film reviews by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1988 Mark R. Leeper
RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: I think pretty much everybody knows that a sequel to a cult film cannot be as good. Of all the films that have tried to imitate ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW's success the real sequel, SHOCK TREATMENT, is one of the lamest. RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES fits the principle on a technicality. It is, to all intents and purposes, not a sequel. A mad scientist is creating imitation humans and he makes them from tomatoes. If he made them from mushrooms or turnips the film would have a much smaller audience. Stylistically, RETURN is very different from the original in a lot of ways, not the least of which is that it is often a lot funnier. Among other things it takes a funny and well-deserved swipe at product placement and another one at RAMBO. This film isn't LION IN WINTER but considering it is a low-budget sequel to a not-very-funny spoof of horror films, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES surely beats the point spread. Rate it a low +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS: In spite of its title, this film takes itself pretty seriously. several diverse odd characters are at an isolated Scottish inn. Each has his own melodramatic problems when out of the sky pops a flying saucer complete with an odd-looking alien woman and a powerful robot. Her mission is to kidnap a man and bring him back to Mars as breeding stock. There is nothing like an alien woman with a deadly raygun and a menacing robot to help earthlings get their lives in order. Even making allowances for the vintage, this film is an interesting historical artifact. Stylistically much like STRANGER FROM VENUS, and a cut below MAN FROM PLANET X. Rate it a -1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
THE PROJECTIONIST: This film covers 24 hours in the life of a movie theater projectionist. And nothing much happens to him. "Dull stuff," you say? Oddly enough, no. See it--it is very worth seeing. Our projectionist lives in a series of fantasy worlds. There is a fake fantasy world he creates for his friends. In it he has a desirable young woman who is very interested in him. Then there is his real fantasy world in which he is a costumed super- hero. Then there are little short films he creates for himself in his own mind including two about the world of the future: one optimistic, one pessimistic. All this is in stark contrast to our hero's real life. he lives in a squalid little apartment and has to deal with an unreasonable boss (Rodney Dangerfield in his first film role, apparently). There are some remarkable people working at the theater, but the boss sees them as only cogs in a machine that makes money. Chuck McCann plays the title role and shows some versatility and breadth. Rate it a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
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