Indie Scene: "Who's Your Monkey," "Stupid Teenagers Must Die," and "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters"

Hey everyone, and welcome to Indie Scene. Before I begin my reviews, I want to begin by bringing up a little thing that went on in my UFC article this Monday. That night, I received a comment by a guy that went by the name David B. He said that he was an admin for FilmCritic.com but kept changing his story. He criticized the site and told me to “bring it on” (whatever that means). Anyway, I just want everyone to know that if ANYONE threatens a FilmArcade writer over an article or review (and especially one that was claimed to be plagiarized, though I looked all around FilmCritic.com and I couldn’t find that article), anonymous comments will be turned off and you would have to also become a member for Blogger in order to post comments, and a police report will be filed (we have ALL of your IP addresses when you log on). Major apologies to Christopher Null over at FilmCritic.com for taking time out of his day to help me. Thank you all, and let’s get on with this week’s edition of Indie Scene…


“Who’s Your Monkey”
2007
*** out of ****
Director: Todd Breau
Cast: Jason London, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes


I could tell you all of the numerous times where at least a hundred people say I have no sense of humor. I laugh at the most least funniest things (such as a guy dying on the toilet – sorry, but whenever I hear of something like that I can’t help to laugh… that’s how I want to die) and I won’t laugh at things everyone else laughs out. I’m usually considered an outsider, but fuck you if you think I don’t like to laugh. But I have to admit. I got a copy of “Who’s Your Monkey” (formally known as “Throwing Stars” back in Vegas) in the mail and had no idea what to expect from it. With a great cast (some are more well known that others) and a really funny premise, it would seem that it was almost too good to be true. But I kept my expectations low, put it on, and watched it. It isn’t perfect, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. Hell, everything up to the last twenty minutes I was really into.

Four childhood friends (Jason London, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, David DeLuise) come together one big night to help one of their friends to bury a body of a drug dealer that he killed in self-defense. Many problems arise, such as each other’s futures. Throughout the movie, “Who’s Your Monkey” introduces many cameos. A memorable one from Wayne Knight is one to go in the books. “Seinfeld” fans are sure to get a kick out of it. Out of the main cast, I have to say that Kevin Durand is my favorite. He reminded me so much of Robert Downey, Jr. in this film. Like I said above, the film is really funny, and the jokes are equally separated into different categories. The biggest problem, though, is the last twenty minutes. Out of the clear blue… well… I won’t give you the ending. “Who’s Your Monkey” was released into theaters March 28, 2008, and is currently playing in only five of them. If you want to see a good and enjoyable comedy before “Harold and Kumar,” “Baby Mama,” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” check out “Who’s Your Monkey” if it’s playing near you.


“Stupid Teenagers Must Die”
2006
**½ out of ****
Director: Jeff C. Smith
Cast: Jovan Meredith, Ashley Schneider, Devin Marble


“Stupid Teenagers Must Die” has been hailed by horror fans and independent fans alike as one of the best independent horror films of 2007. Expecting a great and really funny horror flick that makes horror films today look like pieces of shit (which, of course, most of them ARE pieces of shit), I went into the film thinking that it was one of the best. It is certainly a decent one, but one of the best? Hell no. I can think of ten other horror films that I’ve seen that came out in 2007 that were much better, including “The Mist,” “Bug,” and “The Girl Next Door.” “Stupid Teenagers Must Die” tells the story of a group of teenagers that decide to hang out at a guy’s house who killed his family and a few others I’m assuming. They decide to summon the spirit of this guy. Then weird shit starts to happen, people start dying, and everyone decides that they are no longer safe.

“Stupid Teenagers Must Die” is supposed to be a homage to the horror films back in the 80s (you know, the ones that would come out after every week), but instead, it becomes a parody of all of them. Many of the jokes are funny, but they are all things that we have all heard before. Many of the things going on throughout the movie are horror movie clichés, including the horny couple (which are LESBIANS) and the stupid preppy girl. But of course, I can’t help but mention that the black guy, played by Jovan Meredith, finally beats all of the stereotypes that most characters that are African American are given in horror films. The worst that I can say about the movie, aside from a few little side things, is that “Stupid Teenagers Must Die” has some really shitty cinematography. Jeff C. Smith, the director, writer, and cinematographer, does two of his three jobs. He failed by making his cinematography so shitty. The picture is almost always shitty, especially when the film is shot during the night-time. But like I said earlier, “Stupid Teenagers Must Die” is better than a lot of the horror films that were released last year, but it isn’t one of the best.


“The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”
2007
**** out of ****
Director: Seth Gordon
Cast: Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Walter Day


Have you ever seen a movie that you loved so much that you felt like you had to tell the entire world about after you finished watching it? After I finished watching “The King of Kong” on Sunday night, I must admit that I told every single person I talked to that night. It’s one of the most entertaining documentaries that I have seen since “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” and it is a topic that everyone can relate to – video games, no matter how addictive or competitive you are, there isn’t a fine line at the end. “The King of Kong” tells the story of a certain videogame – Donkey Kong. It’s a game that very few have beaten, through all of its hard levels, and most people can only get past the third level of the game. Billy Mitchell has held the record of receiving the most amount of points while playing Donkey Kong, also reaching the kill screen for Pac-Man. When an unknown by the name of Steve Wiebe comes along, Mitchell realizes he has some competition.

You can’t really say much about documentaries like this unless if you say that it entertained the hell out of you. I know not many people really like documentaries, but trust me, when you go into a film like “King of Kong,” you might think it is a documentary. Halfway through the film, you’ll forget that it is a documentary and begin thinking that it is a film that you will normally watch. That is what “King of Kong” really is. It’s just fun. It’s the usual underdog story with a twist of reality unleashed into the film. One guy is a scumbag and the other one is a guy that we root for throughout the entire movie. That other guy is the guy that everyone is afraid of, because he is better than the guy. Wiebe beats Mitchell’s score TWICE, but both times were ignored. The first time they thought it was because Wiebe was lying when they checked his machine at home. The second time it was because Mitchell handed in a game that, according to us at home, looked fake. But to everyone else that are his friends? The camera is just fucked up. “The King of Kong” is one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. Supposedly, they’re making the movie into a Hollywood film… and supposedly, I heard they’re casting Dane Cook as Billy Mitchell… JESUS CHRIST THAT MOVIE WILL SUCK! (I was kidding about the Dane Cook part, of course).


Well that is it for this week. Next week on Indie Scene, I’ll be reviewing a film called “Kush,” a brand spanking new horror flick called “Gutterballs,” and a great indie flick that was released last year that I bet none of you guys have heard of except for two. Have a great week!