UltraChrist

[Matt Pniewski]

UltraChrist features Jesus's return to Earth. Unable to reach a modern day youth culture, he dons a brightly colored spandex in battle against sin. Immediately recruited are his costume designer, Molly, a sweet girl who has shunned religion after being felt up by priest, and a couple of lesbians who believe that 'All love is Holy."

However, when Christ returns to earth, so must Satan. Enter Parks Commissioner A.C. Meany. A.C. meany is played by a man named Samuel Bruce Campbell, and he embodies the part. Not since "Oh God, You Devil" has Satan been portrayed so well on screen. He manages to give a great performance in a movie where dialog is always stilted, forced, or poorly timed.

Samuel Bruce Campbell is an actor who gives an Oscar worthy performance in a movie that one would guess was written and directed by some stoned college students.

Of course, the movie is really funny at times. A particularly brilliant moment involves Jesus's realization that, for his big show in the park, he was tricked into signing form "666". Or perhaps more memorable is when the Parks Commissioner brings forth history's greatest Sinners- Adolf Hitler, Vlad the Impaler, Richard Nixon, and Jim Morrison.

All the laughs are put to an end, however, the moment you notice that the camera has been out of focus for several moment. At other points, lighting is so scarce that that you can barely make out an actor's face.

In the end, the final sin (so to speak) of the movie is the pro Christian Pro Sex message. I'm not concerned whether or not the message is true, but rather, whether or not the filmmakers believed it to be true or if they just found it funny. See, it comes off as a punch line to a joke. Why are you going to make a movie with a message if you don't even care about the message?

Compare to something like "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter", a movie that is exactly what is sounds like. A low budget movie, shot of 16 mm with all the sound work done in post production. It looks completely polished compared to this film. It also, despite the fact that it seems like one gigantic joke, Jesus Christ vampire has a message that you believe is coming from the heart of the writers. It's earnest, and they mean well.

UltraChrist is not only a bad movie, but an incompetent one. I can't completely shove it aside though, because as I mentioned before, it did have some big laughs.





And now, the Sinners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTdyk0xnivw  

[Call Me Apple]

That looks incredibly stupid, possibly offensive.
I hope it flops.  

[Matt Pniewski]

Call Me Apple

That looks incredibly stupid, possibly offensive.
I hope it flops.

Its offensive if you take things too seriously. It's actually so absurd that it diffuses any chance of being offensive, because it's really not worth the brain cells needed to understand just why it is offensive... if that makes sense.


It's like in the Producers...... When they thought Springtime For Hitler would offend people to no end. But it was so over the top and bizaare that audiences couldn't take it seriously. The movie diffuses itself by being as absurd as it is.

It is, however, painfully stupid and inept. The only thing I find offensive about it is that these people got paid money to pretty much put no effort or thought into a production. here I am going broke working on productions that are sometimes not the best, sometimes pretty good, and these guys pretty much put somebody in a spandes suit with a cross and they get a distribution deal. Now that IS offensive.

It came out years ago, and is getting a cult following now. Pretty much because of how bad it is. People, like me who enjoyed "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" wanted the same sort of blasphemous but still good natured send up are watching this, and finding it's not quite the same. The movie is a soulless void, but with some hilarious jokes.