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67%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #12,787
...out of 20,725 movies
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The most insane 83 minutes ever put to film. This is the story of the worst rock band ever and their rise to fame. The Jerkbeast is the most creatively foul-mouthed bastard ever put on film. This story follows the development of the band "Steaming Wolf Penis" and their adventures on the road. Action, intrigue, violence, necrophilia? Sounds like the ingredients to a winner...
--IMDb
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The film Jerkbeast is a comedy, which is the only genre I have a tough time picking movies from that I think will bring me some entertainment. After immediately attaining an irresistible fondness for his short films and then a blind affinity for anything else he touches (from involvement in the art-punk bands Popular Shapes and The Intelligence to acting/writing roles in enticing indie movies yet to be widely released, like June and July and My Effortless Brilliance), I figured I should just go ahead and check out this co-directed/written feature-length film of Calvin Reeder's that I was so hesitant to give a chance before I was into his work. Though aware of the twisted nature present in Reeder's shorts, I wasn't too sure what type of comedic style I would find in Jerkbeast. In the end, I was fairly satisfied.
The story begins with a big ol' beastly jerk named Jerkbeast. He likes to cruise around on his scooter and relish in the senseless harm he dishes out on others. One day, he gets an underdeveloped idea and finds Marty who's shtick is having an obsession for killing rabbits with a hammer. With Jerkbeast needing the assistance of another person, Marty gets ahold of Benny who's shtick is being hideously ugly. (Let it be known that there is much wrong with the minds of these three.) Together they host a public-access program that allows viewers to call in which most always leads to insult wars. Once Jerkbeast feels they've milked the show long enough, he stumbles across a better idea, and the trio forms a punk band to further promote their hatred and blatant disregard for humanity balderdash (or something along those lines). The guys have a rough start but soon enough find themselves in talk with a couple managers and sign a record deal. Unfortunately, their managers are a shady duo, and the contract they had signed turns out to be exploiting the band. Shuffling through their contracted touring gigs while receiving zilch in the process, the group implicitly hopes for a way out and a way to get the proper recognition they feel they deserve.
This low-budget movie is filled with lowbrow and often random humor that ranges from necrophilia to someone listening to audio recordings of various celebrity footsteps. The whole film basically savors being innocently immature. Even though the sound, picture, and acting qualities are poor in most places, they don't encumber the overall value of the film by much; the shoddy acting actually works advantageously for a comedy of this ilk. One weaving feature that's sure to be enjoyed, whether it's due to the asininity or natural liking of, is the number of songs played about by the band, like "Corpsetastic" and their hit single "Looks Like Chocolate, Tastes Like Shit." For your information, if you are like me and enjoy these awful(ly silly) punk songs, the band is somewhat of a reality and actually have two albums available. Benny, Marty, and Jerkbeast's band name gets changed up several times during the movie; initially naming it Blood Butt, then finally settling with Steaming Wolf Penis.
Jerkbeast, with his wacky actions and surly voice, is such a quality comedical character who easily owns this movie (as it is justly titled). His frequently spat out sharp and curt comments always hit their mark and spark a laugh. Brady Hall is the man behind the giant papier-mâché (or a similar material) head, and he has a perfected tone and overall approach with the grumpy ogre. Thanks for that are attributed to the two seasons of the 2001 Seattle-based public-access show hosted by the three stars which is originally where the whole Jerkbeast-thing amassed. As the essence of it is briefly captured in this movie, their show was pretty much just an outlet allowing for people to call in and fling curse words or moronic lines of dialogue at them. It didn't amount to a whole lot I presume, excluding the spawning of this comedy, though it does mark ground from which the two gradually up-and-coming filmmakers Brady Hall and Calvin Reeder began. In addition, the two have worked together on a B-grade horror movie about Jesus Christ returning as a bloodthirsty zombie with a budget of $5000, promisingly entitled Polterchrist, but I'm afraid that it won't ever get around to seeing too much of the light of day. My broad reading about these guys tells me that they have much creative talent to offer. Hall has since gone on to direct the previously mentioned June and July and has also played a supporting part alongside Reeder by being the producer of his short films. I believe both men have strong ambitions in film and will see to achieving their goals with notable results despite current hindrances in financing strains.
There's no betting against it that the small group of people who followed the public-access show get a huge kick out of this movie, for there are a handful of references and jokes lifted from the program (although, there is no need for others to feel left out because the DVD contains a large amount of highlights from both seasons). With tons of one-liners and coarse language aplenty working as the gears for its humor, most of it comes off surprisingly fresh, especially when something jumps out from between the teeth of the foul-mouthed monster. Jerkbeast certainly is a perfect movie to watch with friends, and has a charm to it that will likely grow on you more and more with each viewing.
7/10
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#1:
grain of sand
- added May 24, 2008 at 7:08pm
love popular shapes
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