TRICLOPS– Alpha New Cinema / Oldies.com – Director Brett Piper– released May 17 ,2016 -80 min- Color DVD Region 0 – $ 7.98
http://www.oldies.com/product-view/1098D.html
Brett Piper is the Bert I. Gordon of the New Millennium. Like Mr. Big, Brett writes, directs, does cinematography, edits, and does the effects in his films. Doing Bert one better, Brett is an accomplished special effects stop motion animator (no enlarged iguanas* or grasshoppers here).
Even more impressive, his average film budget** is about the same (or even less ) than that spent by Mr. Gordon on his first film in 1954 (that film was KING DINOSAUR, shot for $15,000 in black and white ,released by Lippert Pictures ).
Brett’s latest effort is perhaps his most loving tribute to Bert ,the king of Do-it-Yourself Filmmakers . The film TRICLOPS is basically an homage/remake of B.I.G.’s THE CYCLOPS (Allied Artist,1957).
Not to be confused with Brett’s earlier effort, PSYCLOPS (Edgewood Entertainment, MTI ,2002), TRICLOPS concerns Samantha Katzman (Erin Waterhouse) who is searching for her lost fiancé Glenn Edwards. Edwards’ plane supposedly crashed in a mysterious crater, and so she gets a team to help her in the manhunt. Flying over the crater, the plane is swarmed by a strange flock of bat like creatures that forces the plane] down. Landing, they find a lot of other freakish mutated bugs, killer plants and creatures.
Searching the area, they encounter the Triclops (Kurt Jordan, though producer Mark Polonia donned the outfit on occasion), a gigantic three eyed mutants. Could this be Edwards?
The film is a love letter to the films Brett grew up with, containing visual and verbal references to many effects films from the 1950s and 1960s. Keeping his already tiny budget low, Brett recycles many animation models from previous films to populate the irradiated canyon.
To me, the Triclops is a bit of a disappointment. Since Brett is such a wonderful animator, I had hoped that her would animate the title creature. For time and to save himself the extra work, he put a mask and gloves upon a performer. Supposedly the makeup went through various permutations before the one used was picked.
The actors in the film have appeared in previous films for Piper, except for Miss Warehouse’s gamely goes through the wringer for director Piper, and will be appearing in his next film, OUTPOST EARTH (currently in post-production).
The film is more entertaining than the majority of the films that I have come across on the SY FY channel, and with often better effects.
The DVD boasts an audio commentary with Piper and the cast (with Miss Waterhouse phoning in literally her comments). Also included is a blooper reel.
If you are one of those who says why can’t they make monster films like they used to, then seek out TRICLOPS.
-Kevin G Shinnick***
For any D.I.Y. filmmakers seeking distribution, ALPHA New Cinema is looking for your films.
In the last few years, they have distributed films as varied as DOCTOR MABUSE (2013), AMICUS HOUSE OF HORRORS, SAM Z ARKOFF FANEX FILES, ASTRO ZOMBIES M3 CLONED, COLD HARBOR, THE DEATH OF POE, MAGDALEN, THE SERPENT’S TONGUE, SEX LOVE & FANTASY, TALES OF DRACULA, and many more.
Contact Brian Krey at briank@oldies.com on how to submit your work for review.
*- I know it sounds like a sexual euphemism
**-THEY BITE (1996,MTI) was rumored to have had a budget of $130,000.
***- full disclosure – I appeared in Brett’s film SCREAMING DEAD(EI) in 2003.
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