Thursday, March 8, 2007

The Bad Film Festival

The bad film festival in my living room continues. Last night I was afraid that the John Candy/Eugene Levy anti-classic Going Berserk might actually have merit - thus dampening the spirit of my VHS-a-thon. But I shouldn't have worried. This 1983 comedy features John Candy in a genuine struggle - he's a wonderful, subtle actor and it shows, even as virtually every scene is designed to sink the careers of all involved. Thankfully, that didn't happen. And since the popular movies of that year included Porky's II and Flashdance, we won't remember 1983 for its high film standards, anyway.

(Let me take that back. Thanks, Wikipedia, for ruining my life by forcing me to fact-check every statement I make any more. Great movies I loved from 1983: The Dresser, Koyaanisqatsi, The King of Comedy, A Christmas Story, Zelig, Silkwood.)

But there's something cringingly, masochistically pleasurable about watching bad films, even sans a Mystery Science Theatre-style partner to sit beside me making snarky comments while wielding the extra-large flogger.

Tonight's Feature: I'm hoping that a Raiders of the Lost Ark-ripoff from 1982 named The Ark of the Sun God will not disappoint. I kind of like the Olivia Newton-John style bandana on leading man David Warbeck's head featured on the box.

NTD

1 comment:

Mother of Invention said...

I don't think I've ever seen a John Candy film and that's strange since I'm Canadian and we heard a lot about him here. Maybe I'm not missing much?!