Thursday, May 5, 2011

Week 35: Troll 2

Dear Avid Reader,

Rapture coming later this month. So the crazy people say.

People are crazy.

Let Me Give You Some Helpful Advice, You...Dwarves

People really are crazy. What is the difference between persistence and obsession? When is the line crossed?

Winners never quit. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Walk it off. Get back on the horse. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off.

No wonder people are crazy.

Half Man, Half Plant, The Goblin's Favorite Food

The problem is that persistence does pay off. Keeping your nose down is a good thing. Victory IS just around the corner.

But what about when it isn't. What happens to the folks who believe in the May 21st Rapture and it doesn't happen? Do they keep believing? Shouldn't they quit? Isn't it obvious that they've failed? At what point did the folks working on Troll 2 realize they were going to fail?

Was it at the first read-through? Was it when the goblin masks arrived? The double-decker bologna sandwich? The plant set dressing? When Mike Hamil showed up in a mullet and began his "sermon" as the preacher Bells? When they referred to the church as a house?

No More, No More Popcorn

The important thing is that they did not quit. And the result is a truly mesmerizing film. Despite the fact that everyone is woefully under-prepared for the task of making a movie, they pushed onward. They got it done. Winners never quit.

And I don't know how they ended up with such a great product. A film that is infinitely re-watchable and gripping. That's why Troll 2 is no longer a "bad" movie. It's not even "So-bad-it's-good". It is simply good. To me, a bad movie is boring. If you want to watch a bad movie, watch Cool As Ice, or The Pest. Those films are totally unwatchable. They are painful. Troll 2, on the other hand, is a great ride from beginning to end. It is fun to watch.

It's Goblin Spelled Backwards

And that is what we need to make room for in our film vocabulary. High production value, or basic production value, should not be a requirement for kinematic greatness. Rather, totally focusing on the enjoyment the film gives is the ONLY measure for film. All other measures are academic and are best left to the elitists in the their ivory tower.

After all, the tower is where they used to stick the REAL nutjobs.

Until Next I Blog,

James

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