Well, it's a little later than I promised, but I'm a busy man. The 10th Anniversary Cheese-A-Thon was great! Ryan and Mike put some video clips together commemorating the movies and people of Cheese-A-Thons past, and I helped with printing out the official programs and the various awards we gave to attendees.
The movies were all past ‘Thon favorites (save one), and are now retired from the repertoire.
First up was the classic Plan 9 From Outer Space directed by Ed Wood. It was no better now than when we watched it at the first Cheese-A-Thon, but it’s still hilarious. Notable points include the consistent switching between day and night, the obvious replacement of an actor at several spots in the film, the flimsy cardboard sets and props that bend and buckle under the slightest breeze, the horrible horrible dialog, and the complete lack of plot coherence. Oh and the pie plate UFOs.
Next up was the perennial disaster known as Mac and Me. This is a pretty blatant E.T. rip-off that features, among other things: Giant sea-monkey aliens that suck Coca-cola out of the ground, a rubber dummy little girl being flung around a room by a vacuum cleaner, a little boy in a wheelchair going over a cliff, a dance scene at McDonald’s, and the same little boy in a wheelchair perishing in a massive gas station explosion. It’s got everything!
Then we suffered through Manos: The Hands of Fate. I’m still trying to figure out why.
The fourth film on the roster was one of my personal favorites, Troll 2. I think this is pretty much the best movie ever made. From the terrible acting, to the ridiculous plot, to the cliched camera trickery, to the awful costumes and effects, to the Mormon cast running around in burlap sacks, to the young man suffocating under popcorn, to the complete lack of trolls in the movie, there isn’t a minute of this masterpiece that doesn’t bring me ecstatic joy. Seriously.
And finally, we all mostly slept through Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy, which was basically made as an excuse to get young Jane Fonda to float around a room naked in zero gravity. This one has it all, too, but despite that it’s still pretty tough to watch. It’s not one I’m sorry to see go into the Cheese-A-Thon vault – ne’er to return.
So there you have it. I believe there’s some photos out on Flickr from Ryan and Melissa, and Mike posted the video clips online too. Enjoy!
No comments yet.