HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH?

TREMORS

 Tremors is a monster flick that came out January 19th 1990, it was made for $11 million and stands out, as well as holds up, as a kick ass horror/comedy film with western flavor. I’d also like to mention that the movie runs 96 minutes, which I feel in most cases, for genre flicks, is a perfect running time.

In a nutshell Tremors is fun and has a simple set up. Two Handymen named Valentine “Val” McKee (Kevin Bacon) and Earl Basset (the one and only Remo Williams himself, Fred Ward) are tired of doing shit jobs (literally) for no real money in their small ex-mining town of Perfection, Nevada, so they decide to leave for the nearest town of Bixby in search of a better life. On the way out of town they find Edgar Deans, the town booze hound, on top of an electrical tower, dead from dehydration. This only stalls their plans for an hour or two because they take the body back to Perfection, but then the duo is back on the road for Bixby; until they come across another resident, Old Fred, a sheep farmer who is killed by something that seems to come…from underground. That’s the set up, and from there it just gets better by the minute. The script is very sharp with no fat, and really gives its leads a lot to work with. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward carry the movie well, and their chemistry is great. The movie also has a great cast of supporting characters that you really wanna see make it through their ordeal; there are a few stand outs as well, particularly Micheal Gross (The dad from Family Ties) as a survivalist/gun enthusiast, who’s character could have easily been written off as an asshole, but ends up being quite likable and heroic. He arguably has the best scene in the whole movie, which I’ll let you discover for yourself.

The creature design is clever and exciting . The “Graboids” (as they are called in the film) are an amazing feat in practical effects that puts most CGI to shame. The fact that the “Graboids” look believable and the actors get to play off something thats actually on set really enhances the film. I also would like to mention that the way the filmmakers manipulated the environment to show where the creatures are traveling, without actually showing the creatures, reminded me a lot of JAWS in its ingenuity.

In conclusion, Tremors is a creature feature that I hold fond memories for, it’s a damn fine B-movie. If you love films like Gremlins or the aforementioned JAWS, you just might love Tremors.-GC

MACGRUBER

Some movies don’t get the respect they deserve. A mullet-loving badass, MacGruber (Will Forte), with a love for Miata’s, car stereo’s, and poorly constructed plans, has been called back to save America from nuclear destruction. The madman behind this attack, Dieter Von Cunth, is played by Val Kilmer, which makes this movie awesome by that fact alone. Here is a list of the WWF wrestlers that comprise MacGruber’s team of killer-stoppers: The Great Khali, Kane, The Big Show, Mark Henry, Chris Jericho, and MVP. Also Ryan Phillippe adds a bit of rationality to the good guys. This movie is filled with one liners and ridiculousness. If you enjoy films along the lines of Wayne’s World or Dumb and Dumber, and don’t mind a little violence, check out this film.

Some of the awesome adventures in this film include:

Having sex with Maya Rupolph’s ghost and Kristen Wigg. (Possibly the most shocking and hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. I’m sure most women find it horrific.)

MacGruber is afraid of guns, but will “rip throats.” (Throws a pack of throat lozenges) “You’re going to want to take the whole pack.” (throat rip.)

Celery.

Making home-made grenades.

If you’re able to enjoy things that are objectively terrible, awkward inside jokes, and nonsense, then don’t disregard this film. It received a lot of bad press from people who do not like good things. The previous reviewers are probably single and sad or married and miserable, taking out their frustration on Will Forte’s comedic genius. From blowing up friendlies to sticking a piece of celery in his ass (as a viable combat distraction), MacGruber is everything that you want in an 80’s action film, without actually having to watch an 80’s action film.

Go buy this film and watch MacGruber “pound some Cunth!”- TA