(2000)
Dir - Lloyd Kaufman
Overall: MEH
In many ways a contender for the most Troma of all Troma movies, Lloyd Kaufman and his band of shameless misfits go to all the extremes conceivably possible in Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. As Stan Lee of all people announces at the beginning, this installment disregards the last two "rotten sequels", but canon concerns are hardly of importance. What is important to all parties involved is cramming fart noises, body liquids, and offensively juvenile jokes in every possible frame and line of dialog. Dialog such as "Somehow your wiener has miraculously turned into a vagina", "I have become...the Retarded Revenger", "Fill my chocolate starfish with your chunky chunky dick snot", and "Oh gross, this whisky tastes like pregnant lady piss". Kaufman keeps things moving at a frenzy, forcing any opportunity to make fun of the movie's own way off-color stupidity, as well as retarded people, minorities, racists, and homosexuals. For fans of Troma's unabashed, gross-out shtick, this one has everything to disgust, appall, and please. For everyone else, just leave out the please part and you get the idea.
(2006)
Dir - Gil Kenan
Overall: GOOD
This full-length debut from animator/director Gil Kenan, backed by the production studios formed by both Robert Zemeckis and Stephen Spielberg is a conventionally charming and witty family movie with enough macabre elements to please horror fans. Monster House features the same motion capture animation used in Zemekis' The Polar Express from two years prior and it is innocently cartoony and as effective as any Pixar property currently being made. The well-known supporting cast of Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, Maggie Gylennhaul, and Jason Lee fare well and funny enough against the three leads in Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, and Spencer Locke, though Nick Cannon is a bit obnoxious as a stereotypical, skittish police rookie. The story while not intricate or mysterious is kept engaging due to Kenan's flowing direction and pacing, plus the script by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, and Pamela Pettler, (all of whom have noteworthy resumes of their own), has enough amusing components and mild sprinklings of adult humor present to keep older age demographics tuned in. It is nothing too astonishing, but it achieves its goal as fun, expertly crafted popcorn fare.
(2007)
Dir - David Bruckner/Dan Bush/Jacob Gently
Overall: MEH
Boasting a promising enough creative team behind it, (including one of the Southbound and V/H/S directors David Bruckner), The Signal has an excellent premise and some very funny moments, but does not bring its working elements together by the end. Broken up into three segments, (each handled by one of the three filmmakers), The Signal can be reviewed more as an anthology horror movie even if it tells a single story. Beginning on a creepy and interesting note, the second act goes a jarringly different route and the film becomes a full blown comedy for about thirty minutes. Though it is still certainly enjoyable, the tone shift is very harsh and arguably a little sloppy. So whether or not it was a good idea to make it more episodic is really up to the viewer's particular taste. The final act though kicks right back into serious gear and by that point, things unfortunately becomes a bit tedious, (this is another movie where characters get the ever loving shit beat out of them to the point that they should be crippled, brain dead, or dead dead and instead keep dramatically reemerging with all of their strength and speed). There are a few too many elements that tarnish the experience, though it is impressive enough in most respects.
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