Review from Mondo Schlocko
Review by Tim Shrum
Source
THE SELL:
Frank a man who awakens in a motel room filled with dead bodies, a gun in his hand, and no memory as to what has happened. Things only get stranger when he discovers his body is not completely all his own, but he is instead pieced together with parts of other people. Soon he is chased by goons in the middle of the weirdness and madness he tries to get back in touch with his ex-girlfriend. The film is described as a crime/horror/romance hybrid, and is a homage to the Marvel comics of yesteryear.
THE SHORT VERSION:
A man awakens in a motel room with a smoking gun in his hand and a large bag full of cash. He does not know who he is or where is or why he just shot a few men in the room. Wasting no time he gets out of Dodge and finds himself rediscovering his mysterious and cloudy past while at the same time make a attempt at regaining the love of his ex-girlfriend. However, a former Nazi scientist, a group of reanimated goons, and a woman nicknamed Leather Girl have other ideas of how this flick should play out. A genre-twisting weird science hot rod thrill ride of a comic book and pulp fiction stylized tale which makes a valiant attempt at retelling the Frankenstein legend in a more modern and very unique way, while at the same time blending in some dramatic moments like a Richard Linklater film. Definetely a microcinema flick that raises the bar and that may hopefully change the way people view the so called “backyard films.” Highly recommended film for those who love all things pulp, weird, and indie.
THE LONG VERSION:
Not to be confused as a fan film or even spin off the film DUSK TILL DAWN, and as the screener press insert mentions this is not a porn flick despite the name. SEX MACHINE is a indie film that is like the film’s protagonist is made up of various genres, it’s part pulp, part comic book, a romance, a smattering of weird science gone wrong, a bit of the Frankenstein Monster legend, alongside a hint of Richard Linklater-esque dialogue-filled films. It twists every which way imaginable for good and for worse yet not once letting you down in the interest department.
The story kicks off with a literal bang. Gunshots echo in the dark with a fade in revealing the main character Frank. His head wrapped in bandages and a smoking gun in his hand standing in a motel room filled with dead people and a man begging for his life. This is only the start of a this very eccentric and unique story.
Wasting no time Frank dashes out of the room with a large bag of cash in his hands and the need to rediscover who he is and why his body parts have been replaced with those of other men including someone who had the tattoo Sex Machine.
Frank slowly remembers who is and the fact that he once had a girlfriend which he tries to get back into her life. But times have changed since Frank’s absence. His one time great love is not so hot at first for Frank and is unsure how to deal with the situation of a boyfriend who she believed to be dead coming back the way he has. Yet there is more to this tale as Frank soon discovers that he was once part of a former Nazi scientists U.S. funded covert experiment. A small army of other past experiments, including a woman nicknamed Leather Girl, descend upon Frank’s hometown on the mission of bringing him back.
For years a film that was shot on video no matter how well done or the format has always been cast aside as a backyard film. There have been a few successes that have broken out of that stigma, yet they have never had what would be considered a critical success worldwide. Hopefully with this flick it will change that opinion because not only does it look damn slick with the look and hip writing, but it does raise the bar in so many ways including on how the storyline and characters are handled.
Some have complained about the characters themselves and even the acting. To myself it was all part of the fun of it. Yeah sure the acting maybe could have been restrained here and there and perhaps improved in other areas. Yet look at this way, first off it’s a film filled with friends just making a flick, nothing serious, just having fun. Second of all, and this is important, it’s a pulp and comic book inspired tale, so obviously the characters and even way they are portrayed are going to reflect that.
Speaking of actors. Actor John Howell in what had to be a daunting role as Frank, pulled off this film like a well planned bank heist. Ericka O’Bar is also worth mentioning as Leather Girl who plays the role as a chain smoking femme fatale of sorts, part to cool school and mostly cold blooded killer.
The only faults that is that some of the action which I wished would be a bit more swifter and maybe even more choregraphed. After all by now most filmgeeks like me are now used to fast action flicks the TRANSPORTER, John Woo, and yes even to a lesser extent MATRIX.
The ending somewhat falls apart as well. What should have been one huge climatic of a ending only meets you halfway in your expectations. I was looking for a huge rumble with explosions and all of that jazz, however, there was not much of that happening. Do not get me wrong though. The ending works, and works well, and I you have to understand that it must have been budget and time that restrained the ending as well as other areas of the film. It’s always a hard decision for a filmmaker to whether or not to keep the crew fed or to get that one extra scene in to make it a bit more thrilling. So I really hold no grudge against the filmmaker Christopher Sharpe for that.
THE FINAL WORD:
Okay, so here is the deal. The movie rocks like Dracula’s Castle on a good weekend. It’s got the baddies, the good guys, strippers, the pulp, the romance, the violence, and more. It’s a thrill ride that starts with a bang and leaves you wanting to see more at the end. A must see.