CATCH OF THE DAY
Writer/Director:James Balsamo
Starring:James Balsamo, Jeff Kim, Edward X. Young
Availability: DVD Available at www.acidbathproductions.com
Rating:
Let me preface this review by informing you, the readers, that I am incredibly intoxicated as I write these words. Now, normally this wouldn't feel like something I would need to announce, but you see, it's my way of telling you that a James Balsamo film is not something you watch sober. His movies are epic stoner flicks, I Spill Your Guts being the sole exception. Stoned, drunk, tripping on mushrooms, whatever your vice. Just make sure to have them on hand before you hit play, because James makes movies that seem like they just want to party with you, and even though you're unsure of them, the enthusiasm is so strong, that you welcome them into your heart. I'm a fan of his work. Hack Job was pretty rough going, but he's only gotten stronger as a director. Now, if only he could learn how to record sound.
After writing the previous paragraph, I succumbed to the power of my marijuana intoxication, and, well, I fell asleep. In short, one should not review movies under the influence. Catch of the Day is Balsamo's latest opus, and it's definitely his most ambitious, clocking in at well over two hours. Now, you could make the claim that a film like this has no business being nearly 2 1/2 hours long, but the argument could be made that maybe James Balsamo just wants to give his fans their money's worth? There's not an awful lot of action packed into the film. There is a lot of plot, though. Plus, James has such a casual, laid back pace that he gives his films, so it never starts to feel as overstuffed as you might fear.
Balsamo plays Rod Davis, a hopelessly inept police officer with an entire laundry list of people who would love nothing more but to see him dead. Throughout the film, there are little clips of random people talking about all the ways Rod has done them wrong. This also offers an opportunity for several notable cameos, many that feel quite improvised. I don't want to spoil all the cameos here, but if you've seen any of Balsamo's previous work, you're aware that this is the sort of thing you can always count on in his films.
At the beginning of the film, Rod ends up killing all the leads in an important case, and ends up being put on beach patrol. Meanwhile, there an evil scientist named Dr. Jackal who is selling drugs by stuffing them into dead fish. Things get even more complicated when Rod ends up spilling a kilo of cocaine, and has an entire drug cartel out for his head. There's also the issue of his sister's kidnapping, and her Asian fiancee that just so happens to Rod's partner. Since Dr. Jackal is in charge of the cartel, naturally he creates a mutant lobster man to destroy Rod. It's all absolutely absurd stuff, but that's something that I'm perfectly fine with.
If there's one thing you can always count on in a James Balsamo film, it's a sense of absolute fun. Oh, and boobs. Sure, Bill Zebub might have him beat in that department, but James is no slouch. The effects for the sea creatures, for instance, are non-existent. We're talking the sort of cheap monster suits that even Ed Wood would have been too embarrassed to use in his films. It's pretty clear that James is a fan of horror films, because while most of his work is quite funny, there's always a genre element at play. I still think Cool As Hell is the best thing he's done, but this still ranks up there.
If you have an aversion to silly stoner humor, stay clear away. There are a few issues I had with the film. While I love his enthusiasm, he could have easily tripped a good 30-40 minutes from the film. This was a similar response I had to Bill Zebub's Scienceless Fiction. I also wish James would upgrade his sound equipment, because it's just so damn distracting when the sound of the wind overpowers the dialogue your actors are spouting. However, most of the performances were quite good, which is important in comedy, because if your actors lack the proper timing, it becomes almost unwatchable. James isn't a very stylish director, but he's more than competent. The cameos were great, especially one from the fucking man himself Joel M. Reed, the director of the exploitation masterpiece Bloodsucking Freaks.
Do I recommend this film? Sure, I do. It's fun, it's quirky, and is a perfect party movie if you happen to have a group of like-minded individuals. Is it essential? Of course not, but Catch of the Day isn't interested in being any great piece of art. All that is required is a handful of mind-altering substances, an ability to shut your brain off, probably wouldn't hurt to have a pizza guy on stand-by, and you have the recipe for a good time. You might hate yourself for it the morning, but like all great junk food, you know you'll be coming back to it.
Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...
Balsamo plays Rod Davis, a hopelessly inept police officer with an entire laundry list of people who would love nothing more but to see him dead. Throughout the film, there are little clips of random people talking about all the ways Rod has done them wrong. This also offers an opportunity for several notable cameos, many that feel quite improvised. I don't want to spoil all the cameos here, but if you've seen any of Balsamo's previous work, you're aware that this is the sort of thing you can always count on in his films.
At the beginning of the film, Rod ends up killing all the leads in an important case, and ends up being put on beach patrol. Meanwhile, there an evil scientist named Dr. Jackal who is selling drugs by stuffing them into dead fish. Things get even more complicated when Rod ends up spilling a kilo of cocaine, and has an entire drug cartel out for his head. There's also the issue of his sister's kidnapping, and her Asian fiancee that just so happens to Rod's partner. Since Dr. Jackal is in charge of the cartel, naturally he creates a mutant lobster man to destroy Rod. It's all absolutely absurd stuff, but that's something that I'm perfectly fine with.
If there's one thing you can always count on in a James Balsamo film, it's a sense of absolute fun. Oh, and boobs. Sure, Bill Zebub might have him beat in that department, but James is no slouch. The effects for the sea creatures, for instance, are non-existent. We're talking the sort of cheap monster suits that even Ed Wood would have been too embarrassed to use in his films. It's pretty clear that James is a fan of horror films, because while most of his work is quite funny, there's always a genre element at play. I still think Cool As Hell is the best thing he's done, but this still ranks up there.
If you have an aversion to silly stoner humor, stay clear away. There are a few issues I had with the film. While I love his enthusiasm, he could have easily tripped a good 30-40 minutes from the film. This was a similar response I had to Bill Zebub's Scienceless Fiction. I also wish James would upgrade his sound equipment, because it's just so damn distracting when the sound of the wind overpowers the dialogue your actors are spouting. However, most of the performances were quite good, which is important in comedy, because if your actors lack the proper timing, it becomes almost unwatchable. James isn't a very stylish director, but he's more than competent. The cameos were great, especially one from the fucking man himself Joel M. Reed, the director of the exploitation masterpiece Bloodsucking Freaks.
Do I recommend this film? Sure, I do. It's fun, it's quirky, and is a perfect party movie if you happen to have a group of like-minded individuals. Is it essential? Of course not, but Catch of the Day isn't interested in being any great piece of art. All that is required is a handful of mind-altering substances, an ability to shut your brain off, probably wouldn't hurt to have a pizza guy on stand-by, and you have the recipe for a good time. You might hate yourself for it the morning, but like all great junk food, you know you'll be coming back to it.
Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...
No comments:
Post a Comment