Being in a house where the walls are covered in DVD's may seem like a entertainment wonderland, but have you ever tried to make a quick decision on something to watch with all those options? It's bullshit!
Sometimes I just want someone to throw a bluray in my face and say "Watch THIS!".
Such is the case (pun intended) with Jeff Liebermans "Remote Control".
Recently, JL posted a thingy on facebook about how the stock levels of his collectors edition DVD and Blurays of the film were dwindling and to get in before you had to deal with all those Ebay pigfuckers shilling their way to financial glory.
Shamefully, I didn't have any money to grab myself a copy at the time (sorry Jeff). With the current conversion rate of American to Australian Dollars, it makes it pretty cost prohibitive to buy too much from the US these days. Plus, I had never seen Remote Control before, so I was also hesitant on laying down the dosh on something I had no real idea about.
A good ol buddy of mine however, had seen the film on TV back in the good old days, and has always expressed fond memories of it. He has been wanting to show it to me for ages, but has never been able to acquire a copy on video to show it to me. Imagine his surprise when he found out about the bluray being available. Needless to say, he just threw his money at it.
So after a couple of weeks and a strong recommendation after a viewing, my friend threw it to me, said: "Catch, motherfucker," and I took it home to view with my other half.
For those not in the know, the basic story is a guy called Cosmo (Kevin Dillon) who works in a video store with his pal Georgie (Christopher Wynne). Recently, they've been hiring out to the local populous a video named: "Remote Control" which everyone seems to be going nuts over. What seems like a cheesy sci-fi film made in the 50's actually winds up being a deadly mind control device that turns people into crazed mutant maniacs.
That really just explains the first couple of minutes of the film.
It's wonderful, because the film was made in the 80's and is obviously a throwback to the sci-fi films of yesteryear, but at the same time when I watch it now it has the merit of having a great 80's vibe whilst maintaining that distinctive 50's scent.
I don't really know how much I can say about the film itself. It gets me the same way other films from the era do, with heavy waves of nostalgia, not just for the era the film was set in, but with the whole video store aspect as well.
I get a really warm feeling seeing a video store packed full of people; it's a sight I haven't seen in a long long time.
However, upon the first viewing, I had a small complaint.
This was in regards to what seemed to be large chunks being sliced out of the film. It was glaringly obvious to me when I watched it. I mean, I looked away for a minute and the whole plot progressed a bunch. I was left feeling that I had maybe fallen asleep for ten minutes of the film (which has been known to happen - but not in this case).
Talking to the friend who lent me the film about this issue, he threw a rebuttal in my face that left me without speech (temporarily). He just said "But that was one of the great things about it!".
With this friend, I told him that the main reason that Maniac Cop 2 was better than the first (SPOILERS) was because they killed Bruce Campbell and set the excess baggage he brought to the film free. He said something along the lines of: "I can't enjoy the film because they killed off the best thing about it with no sense, no glory, no nothing." I personally think a katana to the throat is a glorious way to bite the dust. But I replied with: "That was the best thing they could have done, it was the only way it could have happened, and that's what made the film great!" I THRUST the new bluray in his gob, and said: "Watch it AGAIN!!! You son. of. a. bitch." I'm surprised he didn't return it a charred lump.
ANYWAY!!! He made me realise something that I generally use as a rule for every film that I watch, and that is for films of this calibre, to ignore shit like that. The film is fun, weird, energetic, nostalgic, violent (but not outrageous), exciting, and outside of the box so to speak.
So in conclusion, Mr Lieberman, I have purchased the DVD from you regardless of the USD to AUD conversion rate, because it fucking rocked. And I like it more and more the more I think about it.
If there are still some copies of the bluray or dvd left and you want to grab it (and you fucking well should) go to this link: http://www.jeffliebermandirector.com/
And finally - Jennifer Tilly... just because...
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