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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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 Posted - 05/24/2007 : 02:52:27
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Having recently hit the ripe old age of 40, I made a list of things that I had to do before I die of old age.  To cut a long story short, one of them was to watch Monsturd. I noticed Amazon had it for $6, so I added a copy to my latest order of CDs.
I was expecting the worst. IMDb score was 3.8, that usually means forget it (only 200 voters though). I feared it was going to be a steaming pile of shite, and beyond redemption, i.e., one of those low-budget films that was simply bad, with no redeeming qualities at all. I was expecting to dispose of the DVD somehow after watching it (e.g., give it to another fwfrer who just had to watch it), or perhaps hide the DVD in the back of a cupboard so nobody visiting my house would ever see it, I didn't want to try and explain why I'd bought a crappy poo-monster movie. 
But, Monsturd now takes pride of place on my DVD shelf... in between LOTR and MOTP. I'm pleased to say that it was far better than I would have dared hope, and I'm not parting with it... ever!  It was a comedy, nothing more, nothing less. It wasn't always funny, but parts of it were hysterically so. There were some hilariously memorable lines, and segments that were so ridiculous that they were simply funny, but deliberately so.
Some favourite bits and interesting facts:-
- Writer/director/actor/producers Rick Popko and Dan West had been best friends for 20 years or so, since school. They play a classic comedy duo as screwball cops, they fed off each other extremely well. And yep, they could act, in the B-comedy way.
- The movie cost US$3,000 to make. Repeat, the total cost for making this movie was US$3,000. No actors were paid. All work was done by themselves or volunteers. All actors were friends of Popko and West.
- The movie was made over two years in weekends and evenings in San Francisco. One year filming, one year editing and production.
Funny plot points:-
- The poo-monster is a serial killer... in poo form. His name is Jack Schmidt.
- He kills people by entering their toilet from the sewer when they're 'on the throne'. 
- He writes scatological one-liners on their toilet walls. Yep, toilet graffiti.  It shouldn't be necessary to point out what he uses to write his messages. 
- The town inhabitants are told to avoid using their toilets until the cops have flushed out the poo-monster. Unfortunately this coincides with the annual chilli-eating festival (that's chili-con-carne in some parts of the world). And yep, it's extra hot and spicy. 
- The grand finale involves a confrontation with the poo-monster. The cops are armed in Wyatt-Earp style, but on one hip is a toilet plunger, on the other a toilet roll (with dispenser). They also have diapers (nappies) on their heads, are armed with haemorrhoidal suppositories, and giant squirter guns filled with laxatives. Oh, and a container filled with 1,000,000 flies to eat him once he's been disintegrated by the laxatives.
Anyway, you get the picture. It's completely ridiculous, but shows that with dedication and hard-work, a supply of free labour, and an infantile sense of humour it's possible to make an entertaining movie for US$3,000. I enjoyed it more than Spiderman 3 or Pirates of the Caribbean 2 at any rate. I won't be watching those two again, but certainly will give Monsturd a number two viewing.
Oh yeah, there was also a funny 20 minute collection of bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage.  In some cases during filming there was nobody behind the camera, they'd set it up, hit record and run onto the set and do the scene. And poo-makeup was applied by fingertip and consisted of a pot of chocolate mousse from the fridge.
I was disappointed in the IMDb score, I can only assume that some who watched it were expecting something other than what they got. Not quite sure what you'd expect from a movie entitled "Monsturd". So I gave it 10/10 and lifted the score from 3.8 to 4.0. Overall I'd give it a 7 though.
An interview with Rick and Dan.
Rick and Dan's website.
So, is anyone else gonna admit to watching this steaming pile of shite? |
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thefoxboy 
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 03:02:15
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Shit yeah.
Will post later about it. |
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 05:04:35
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Watched this just recently, a good friend of mine sent it to me. (it's back in the post)
It's such a laugh, you got to love movies that the makers know are stupid and they make it just for the laugh.
There are some great lines in it, my fav is when the girl in the cafe asks the cop if he wants some glazed doughnuts, his reply...
"Why don't you sit on my face and make me look like a glazed doughnut". Another scene, the cops are driving down the street warning the residents of the dangers and he says something to the effect of "you must obey me, I'm a cop and I have a megaphone"
You can see that they are having fun acting this movie out, not like some B-Grade movies that are trying to be serious.
Sean forgot to mention that the Monsturd was in Butte county.
5  's up
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GHcool
"Forever a curious character."
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 05:28:45
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| Wow! $3,000 for a movie that was distributed! And you said it was actually pretty funny? This might actually be worth looking at. I love watching these kinds of labors of love made on the cheap. They might not always be great films, but they are often very interesting. |
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TitanPa 
"Here four more"
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 06:44:47
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I saw it was on Netflix. So One day I added it to my list. Then to not seem crazy by my wife I took it off my list. I didnt know how to explain why I wanted to see it.
What's next Sean? Chatterbox?? |
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 07:03:18
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quote:
Originally posted by TitanPa
I saw it was on Netflix. So One day I added it to my list. Then to not seem crazy by my wife I took it off my list. I didnt know how to explain why I wanted to see it.
What's next Sean? Chatterbox??
Chatterbox is way too expensive.
I looked.
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Joe Blevins
"Don't I look handsome?"
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 20:31:53
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| Personally, I'd love to see a series of Fourm posts on "The Much-Reviewed, Little-Seen Movies of FWFR" in which brave Fourumers actually sit down and watch these infamous flicks. I've reviewed many of these, but I've seen very few of them. (Except "Bambi Vs. Godzilla," of course.) |
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TitanPa
"Here four more"
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 21:15:18
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We should create a movie of the month club. Pick an obscure movie and then watch it and then report back and talk about it. Sounds like a cool idea. Wonder if we can get Oprah to host it. If she's too busy...maybe Bafta will do  |
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RockGolf
"1500+ reviews. 1 joke."
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Posted - 05/24/2007 : 21:21:27
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| Just wondering, since the 4321films.com website has e-mail addresses for the people who created it, has anyone wrote them to let them know just how popular this film is? Given the style of humour they seem to use, I'd have to think this would make their day. |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 01:37:26
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quote:
Originally posted by TitanPa
I saw it was on Netflix. So One day I added it to my list. Then to not seem crazy by my wife I took it off my list. I didnt know how to explain why I wanted to see it.
What's next Sean? Chatterbox??
Ah, you should put it back on your list. Watch it one day when your wife is out. 
I wouldn't mind watching Chatterbox just for curiosity, but as foxy said it's too pricey. |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 01:38:16
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quote:
Originally posted by R o � k G o 7 f
Just wondering, since the 4321films.com website has e-mail addresses for the people who created it, has anyone wrote them to let them know just how popular this film is? Given the style of humour they seem to use, I'd have to think this would make their day.
Yep I emailed them with the link to Monsturd at fwfr. |
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Joe Blevins
"Don't I look handsome?"
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 03:20:31
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I'm guessing the best way to find a movie like Chatterbox is to look through one of those rapidly-vanishing old-school video stores which still carry a lot of old VHS titles, many of which have NOT come out on DVD (and may never). Looking on IMDB, I see that the movie had a couple of different video distributors, so there might *still* be copies to be found at small-time video rental places. You know, those mom 'n' pop video stores with the big oversized video cases.
For one awful year, I lived in a small town in Illinois (which, out of good taste, I will not name). This town was surrounded by farmland on all sides, and there really wasn't a whole lot to the town itself. But, citizens, they had a video store. This was 2002-2003, and DVD was just barely beginning to make its presence known there. What they had was shelf after shelf of old VHS tapes probably manufactured in the 1980s. I'm talking: Hollywood classics from decades past; foreign flicks (both artsy and trashy); B horror flicks; practically everything Fellini and Kurosawa and Bunuel ever made; all the early John Waters films (even the ones that will never come out on DVD because of music rights issues); old documentaries and shockumentaries; and all those weird, random movies with goofy titles/posters/etc. that you used to see in video stores all the time. Of course, by the time my year there was up, a Family Video had moved in and driven them right out of business. (Before they closed up shop, I convinced them to sell me some of their choice titles. I wish like heck I'd bought more of 'em.)
Does anyone here remember the Golden Age of small-time, independent video stores? For the aspiring film fanatic, it was paradise. They had a few new releases here and there, but most of the store was taken up with oldies. You could really get an education in cinema... and see all of the weird cult movies that you'd only read about. Do any of these places still exist? |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 04:04:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Joe Blevins
Does anyone here remember the Golden Age of small-time, independent video stores? For the aspiring film fanatic, it was paradise. They had a few new releases here and there, but most of the store was taken up with oldies. You could really get an education in cinema... and see all of the weird cult movies that you'd only read about. Do any of these places still exist?
There's one in my town (50,000 people). It tends to stock new off-beat DVDs, and has piles of old worn-out VHS movies. But, I suspect it's days may be numbered, there never seems to be anyone in the store. It's competing with at least two other chain-DVD-rental stores, not to mention the netflix equivalents. I think the only reason it still exists is the owner is a millionaire movie-buff who owns a few other local businesses and commercial properties, and is prepared to take a loss on it.
I haven't rented a movie locally for at least a year, the online rental agency I use is soooo much cheaper, more convenient and it's library is so much bigger. Having said that, there are still plenty of movies I want that I can't find.  |
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 04:37:53
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I remember when Video (Beta) first come out, well in Australia anyway.
Video stores started opening up everywhere and were charging something like $500 just to become a member of the store, membership allowed you to rent the movies. Yes, you still had to pay to rent them. |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 05:35:43
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quote:
Originally posted by TitanPa
We should create a movie of the month club. Pick an obscure movie and then watch it and then report back and talk about it. Sounds like a cool idea. Wonder if we can get Oprah to host it. If she's too busy...maybe Bafta will do
It would be an honor and even an honour to make like some Whoopi - though I ain't in her league! And hosting's about all I could expect with this one as I'm unlikely to have seen or be seeing any of these, ahem, classics!
Someone else might have to organize it, however. Then just tap on my star dresssing-room [rolls eyes in a George Clooney in Oceans 13 kind of way]
Sounds like fun!
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thefoxboy
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 05/25/2007 : 06:51:27
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quote:
Originally posted by TitanPa
I saw it was on Netflix. So One day I added it to my list. Then to not seem crazy by my wife I took it off my list. I didnt know how to explain why I wanted to see it.
What's next Sean? Chatterbox??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i49FXTM9X2g |
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Monsturd - spoilers!
