Fantastic Fest Double Feature: Machete Maidens Unleashed! and Sharktopus

 Fantastic Fest is an Austin, Texas film festival that specializes in horror, fantasy, sci-fi. I was lucky enough to attend the screening of Mark Hartley's follow up to his 2008 documentary on Australia's exploitation scene, this time about the Filipino exploitation scene, and the premier of Syfy's new creature feature on a double bill that revolved around Roger Corman. 

In Mark Hartley's documentary, Machete Maidens Unleashed!, he explores the American B- movie, low budget film industry's use of the Philippines and its people as a vehicle for making cheap movies with the popular elements: beasts, blood and breasts. Pro-Americanism, a "Wild East" (an Asian Wild West) climate where everyone was packing heat, the fact that so many people would do anything for a little cash, and exotic jungle sets proved the perfect mix of elements for low budget film makers looking to capitalize on the popular genres of drive-in fare in order to turn a profit. The film featured insightful and funny interviews with directors, including Roger Corman, actors, and film critics. Of course, the film also featured hilarious trailers and clips from Filipino exploitation films such as Corman's The Big Dollhouse, a women in prison type film, and For Y'ur Height Only, a movie about a Filipino midget James Bond, as well as many others.

The director, in a Q and A beforehand, mentioned that unlike other documentaries, we wouldn't learn anything from this film. I'll have to disagree with him, as not only did I feel like I learned quite a bit about Filipino filmmaking but, also, a little bit about Filipino history in the '70's and '80's. And, even if I  hadn't learned anything substantial, I would have at least learned that there are a lot of really awesome movies I have to get my hands on. Overall, I found Machete Maidens Unleashed! to be a lot of fun and a superbly entertaining look into a genre of film that's often unfairly overlooked. 

Next up was a Q and A with Roger Corman himself. Also in attendance was his wife, Julie. In reference to a comment made in an interview from Machete Maidens Unleashed! someone asked if Corman was really in it for the money. He and his wife's answer was a hilarious (and I'm paraphrasing): "What? Are you fucking kidding me? Of course." Then he and his wife received a "Syfy Imagine Greater" Lifetime Achievement Award that was, for some reason, some sort of sword.  

The introduction to Sharktopus really set the mood for the film to come. It was going to be fun, it was going to be campy, and should not be taken too seriously. The director, Declan O'Brien, and the Cormans cheekily warned us that Sharktopus was under the impression that the movie was about his plight, but when he found out how evil he had been portrayed he became upset. It was an amusing segue into the film, and a hint  that even the filmmakers didn't take the film too seriously. And, really, how could you? It's a movie about a half-shark, half-octopus military experiment gone wrong presented on the Syfy channel. If you take something like that seriously, you're doing it wrong.

Like I said, this movie was fun. A lot of people like Mega Pirhana and Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, and yeah, those films have their moments. But, I've seen better. Sharktopus is better. It surprises me that those films get a lot of attention when Syfy and the Asylum have put out so many better films with more than just a few entertaining moments in films that are, overall, rather boring. Sharktopus is not boring. Everything about Sharktopus works, from the ridiculous premise to the campy death scenes to the slightly douchey characters. And, of course, it features Eric Roberts, who is always awesome.

One death scene I found particularly hilarious features the Sharktopus jumping up to grab a bungee jumping woman. The Sharktopus itself is particularly hilarious, as well. It has the head of a Great White Shark, with huge superfluous (read: awesome) spikes sticking out near the gills, with the tentacles of an octopus. And, it was created to fight pirates. Seriously. Apparently military scientists drop a lot of acid when brainstorming. 

Really, it's just a fun movie. As Declan O'Brien's previous ventures with Syfy show, he knows how to play to the B-movie genre and craft a film that's not only entertaining from start to finish, but hilarious too. 

Sharktopus premiers tonight on Syfy at 8:00 central time. I'm going to watch it again, and I hope you don't miss it.  


This article is also posted here and here at badmovienite.com.