Abbreviated Entry...
So most of June has been pretty brutal for me schedule-wise. Big Time Life Events™ of close family members (weddings/funerals/reunions) have conspired to make the movie-every-day thing rather difficult. I've still managed to watch one every day, but the end result of everything life has thrown my way is that I'm as exhausted as I've ever been. So to keep my sanity (and this blog going), I'm going to do things a bit differently for a little while - I watched the movies, but rather than the standard entry, I'll just do a little synopsis, a little imdb research, quote some of the reviews (can you do that?) and bounce off of them. Followed up by my general impressions.
Okay, thanks!
Gila!
Giant Gila Monster attacks town - just like in 1959's The Giant Gila Monster (which I have only seen on MST3K). Pretty straight-forward. Altough Gila! does things a little differently. Rather than update it and have it set in the present day, Gila tries to recreate the vibe of the original and keeps it set in the 50s. The whole thing is filled with vinatge cars, aw-shucks heros, and corny dialogue. I mean, it's undoubtedly done through modern eyes, and the budget kind of hampers them from getting the full effect (you get the idea that most of the costumes are not vintage clothes but rather whatever was at the local Goodwill at the time). But I'd say Gila! is a loving ode to simpler times of movie-making, and I was pleasantly surprised that it worked as well as it did.
This is an incredibly lame re-make of the 1959 film "The Giant Gila Monster". The original directed by Ray Kellogg. The special effects in the original included a real gila monster and miniature sets. This movie includes a CGI gila monster created by "Billy" on his PC in the next door neighbors basement. He is all of 9 years old.
One overwhelming reason to remake this movie was someone had access to vintage cars!
-Thanks "berleecrawford" via imdb
And this Gila is from famous-to-some exploitation director Jim Wynorski, who knows his way around a set by now. (imdb credits him directing 100 films in the last 30 years! Check it out if you want to see some good titles.) It's decently directed for a TV-movie (I'd have to guess SyFy) and has a good sense of humor. The CGI Gila monster is indeed terrible-looking. But if you know what you're getting into, I think it works in the spirit of the thing. Plus, you see it right away, so if you're all like "F-that" and want to turn it off you don't end up wasting much time. And, I don't think you could use an actual lizard these days... although it may be interesting for someone to try.
And I'm not a car guy by any means, but they do have some cool old cars in the film. I'd guess someone close to the film's production had a connection with a classic car collector or something. It's pretty neat and adds a great deal of authenticity to the film... it sounds stupid, but I honestly don't think think it would have worked without the cars. They don't have enough money for costumes or sets to reasonably sell the timeframe, so the fancy old cars do that work for them.
A giant gila monster terrorizes a sleepy small town. It's up to local hot rod racer Chase Winstead (a solid and likable performance by Brian Gross) to save the day. Director Jim Wynorski, working from a compact and eventful script by Steve Mitchell, William Dever, Jim Nielsen, and Paul Sinor, relates the entertaining story at a zippy pace, maintains an utterly engaging good-natured tone throughout, stages the monster attack set pieces with flair, and offers an affectionate evocation of the 50's period setting (the vintage cars and the 50's rock soundtrack in particular are both spot-on). Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast... the titular CGI beast looks pretty cool. Kudos are also in order for Ross Headley's sharp cinematography and the spirited score by Al and Jon Kaplan. An immensely fun flick.
-Thanks "Woodyanders" via imdb
Gila! moves at a good pace and is primarily concerned with just being fun. I think it will only really appeal to people that have a soft-spot in their hearts for old monster movies, but it had the right mix of nostalgia and good humor to win me over. It's not necessarily well-acted all the time, but "enthusiastic" is a great description. People seem to be enjoying themselves in Gila!, and that carries over to the viewer. Horror-wise, there's not an awful lot to enjoy here - humor is more the order of the day rather than tension or scares, and the attack scenes are nothing noteworthy. (You know, the kind of CGI attack where a person just disappears in a spray of blood. I guess it could be considered bloody, but it's so fake-looking that I don't think anyone could seriously be offended by it.)
Overall, I dug Gila! I was pretty much expecting SyFy level garbage, but I guess the law of averages works in their favor sometimes. I guess it's easier for me to swallow intentional corniness through the lens of nostalgia? Because I legitimately enjoyed this much more than anything they're putting out now (monster mash-ups a la Sharknado).
Gila! certainly isn't for everyone, but if you're like me and are (a) a fan of old monster movies, and (b) easily amused:
I would recommend this film.
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