I noticed the TROLL 2 documentary is opening its festival run next week. So far it's gotten a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes! I seriously doubt it will be coming soon to a theater near me, so I'll have to wait for the DVD.
Here's the official site: http://bestworstmovie.com/.
I wonder if they interviewed Andrew for this?
Can't wait to watch this :smile:
I don't believe they interviewed Andrew, but both George Hardy and Michael Stephenson told me our names would appear in the credits.
Can't wait to see this, too.
I read a post by Michael somewhere that they're working on getting the DVD released but were running into a few roadblocks. Something about distribution. Not sure if they managed to get around them yet.
Quote from: Ash on April 24, 2010, 04:59:11 AM
I don't believe they interviewed Andrew, but both George Hardy and Michael Stephenson told me our names would appear in the credits.
Can't wait to see this, too.
I read a post by Michael somewhere that they're working on getting the DVD released but were running into a few roadblocks. Something about distribution. Not sure if they managed to get around them yet.
That's so cool! I can't wait to see if your names actually show up.
Quote from: Rev. Powell on April 24, 2010, 03:12:54 PM
Quote from: Ash on April 24, 2010, 04:59:11 AM
I don't believe they interviewed Andrew, but both George Hardy and Michael Stephenson told me our names would appear in the credits.
Can't wait to see this, too.
I read a post by Michael somewhere that they're working on getting the DVD released but were running into a few roadblocks. Something about distribution. Not sure if they managed to get around them yet.
That's so cool! I can't wait to see if your names actually show up.
Ash would deserve a credit much more than myself. I had the pleasure of trading emails with both Michael and George a while back. Nice people to talk to, and both had very practical attitudes about the movie. I remember that Michael is at the same point in life as myself, starting to raise little ones and going through those many tribulations. Putting together a feature documentary about "Troll II" had to be a lot of work for him, so my hats off to the Best Worst Movie crew for getting it done.
I'm hoping to see it out on DVD!
I know the operators of two film festivals in South Africa and I think I should contact them to see if they would be interested in screening this. :smile:
I don't normally watch documentaries, but this seems pretty good. I'll check it out when I get a chance. I wish the film festival would be around my parts.
Michael Stephenson has an account here on Badmovies.org and has posted several times on this forum.
I'll try contacting him to see if he'll post here to give us an update.
By the way, if you haven't seen it, check out our interview with George Hardy.
Andrew did the e-mail interview and I did the phone interview.
http://www.badmovies.org/interviews/georgehardy/
I'm gonna have to listen to it again. It's been at least a year... :smile:
Here's a great review of Best Worst Movie on Filmcritic.com:
http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/2009/best-worst-movie/
Awesome! This is gonna be sweet. Maybe the documentary might also influence a new generation of b-movie filmmakers.
Finally saw the Best Worst Movie this Friday at the Loft in Tucson, AZ. It will be playing there for the rest of this week, so if you live in Arizona, drop everything you are doing and drive down to the Loft and watch it now! My brother and I drove the two hours from Phoenix just to watch it.
I saw it opening night where it played and was immediately followed by a screening of Troll 2 itself, which had a surprisingly pristine print. Director and Troll 2 star Michael Stephenson was scheduled to be there, but couldn't make it due to personal issues. Something to do with his child being born, or other such nonsense. Luckily, the theater owners put together a live Skype interview, so there was some live Q&A.
Best Worst Movie is everything you are probably hoping it will be. We track several of the film stars and their absolute embarrassment over being involved in Troll 2 as it over time morphs into a celebration as they realize that their participation in such a god-awful film that has resonated with so many over the years can be, well, fun. The actors, especially George Hardy are the stars here. Normal people, some still trying to act, trying to wrap their heads around the Troll 2 phenomenon. Especially gratifying are their incredibly warm welcomes by bad movie fans at screenings of Troll 2.
Stephenson could have stopped here and had a fun diversion, but he tracks down as many people involved in the film as possible, and not all of them are ready to accept their bad movie fate as others. Some of them are legitimately troubled. For instance, the store owner Don Packard is a person with severe mental issues. He apparently was not acting in his scenes. His appearance at a screening of Troll 2 is actually one of the best parts of the movie. Other appearances, notably Margo Prey, are not nearly as comfortable. (It was good to see Robert Ormsby.)
And then there's Claudio Fragasso. Fragasso is fascinating. He's Italian, extremely prickly, and to say the least, egocentric. To Fragasso, Troll 2 is not a bad movie, and he is clearly not comfortable in the slightest when he is exposed to people who would say otherwise. Fragasso makes this movie for me. He's like the antithesis of George Hardy.
Not that Hardy doesn't have his moments. His reactions at the horror convention are fantastic.
I would have liked to see at least some scenes with Deborah Reed. Stephenson explained his decision to cut her from the movie in his Skype interview, but she was such an integral part of Troll 2. Well, she'll be in the DVD.
The documentary was followed by a screening of Troll 2 itself, which is an amazing movie to see in a theater. How often do you get standing applause to awfulness? Other than a couple of unfortunate professional drunks, it was an amazing screening. Did I mention what a great print of the movie they had? Did you know that Joshua's "double-decker bologna sandwich" was actually something like 12 slices of bologna? It was.
Sorry to say, I zoned out a bit during the closing credits. I was drinking something the theater, which sells alcoholic beverages, called a "Nilbog Quencher" followed by a beer known as "Hobgoblin." I did see that badmovies.org was thanked in the credits, but couldn't really pay much attention beyond that.
If you get the chance to see Best Worst Movie with an audience, jump at it. Other than that, I eagerly await the DVD release.
You know, a part of me laments knowing anything about the making of this movie. As somebody else says in this movie, Troll 2 is like a movie made by aliens trying to figure out what humans would find interesting, and failing miserably. But Michael Stephenson has put together a genuinely interesting story here, and it's well worth watching. Especially if you are watching it with an audience that is laughing hysterically.
If you like bad movies at all, this gets my highest recommendation.
I just saw it Friday in Gainesville, it was well worth the two hour drive my friend and I went on to get there.
As much as I liked it I feel the venue could have done more to promote it. They were showing Troll 2 right after it, and they could've made an event out of it. Sadly there weren't any cast members present. But none the less the documentary was well put together in a natural flowing sort of fashion. I always wondered what the people involved in the making of Troll 2 thought about the movie's status as being one of the worst movies ever made. I think people who are fans of Troll 2 or are knowledgeable about film making would appreciate this documentary the most.
Roger Ebert recently reviewed Best/Worst Movie and gave it 3 out of 4 stars.
Check it out:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100728/REVIEWS/100729987
It's about time!
BEST WORST MOVIE ON DVD! (http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2023%3Abest-worst-movie-dvddigital-release-details&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=167)
Pre-order the DVD: http://tinyurl.com/bwmDVD
Congrats guys- you do a fine service putting some love into these movies!
My group does a bad movie night once a month and did a troll II screening back in april- Best movie ever! it was the only movie we've seen with such an inception like plot twist- evil villain telling the grandpa ghost to go BACK TO HELL WHERE HE CAME FROM- turned it into a whole other movie, and the most talked of BMN since, hands down.
since then we've thrown so many more movies parties, but none had that special quality of... well, im not sure what the proper word for it. we've had irish kung fu flicks, revenge of the ninja and a steven segal vampire movie, and the only thing i can think would come to a distant second would be deathstalker II, or maybe that "highlander the source" movie.
because of people like you these gems get dusted off the racks and given a second chance- and stand as a big smack in the face to big studios who think with a big budget and actors they can make something without the passion of the little guys.
*big hugs*
The DVD comes out on Tuesday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4JVx1LvPIU
Netflix sent this film to me the other day and I immediately popped it in and watched it.
Overall I thought it was very good!
It was cool to see George Hardy! I haven't spoken to him since Halloween '08 and before that, I had many conversations with him...including a three-way thirty minute phone call with Michael Stephenson. Hard to believe that it was over three years ago when he & I got to shoot the breeze for over two hours on the phone (http://www.badmovies.org/interviews/georgehardy/). That was when all of the Troll 2 mania was just starting to take hold. I was proud to be a part of it and would gladly do it again!
Unfortunately, I am not listed in the credits, even though Michael Stephenson asked Andrew what name I wanted to appear. Andrew is mentioned but his last name is spelled with two "G's". (Andrew Borntregger)
Badmovies.org is also listed near the last of the credits.
Best Worst Movie is a great documentary. It's very well put together and Claudio Fragasso nearly steals the show until he comes off as a pompous jerk who likes to drive his actors like cattle. It must've really sucked to film Troll 2 under him.
The film does get a little depressing in parts like when Robert Ormsby says that he "frittered his life away", and the poor reception at the UK sci-fi show.
However, the good bits far outweigh any of the bad.
3.5 Stars out of 4 and a huge :thumbup:
Quote from: Ash on December 12, 2010, 02:30:51 AM
Unfortunately, I am not listed in the credits, even though Michael Stephenson asked Andrew what name I wanted to appear. Andrew is mentioned but his last name is spelled with two "G's". (Andrew Borntregger)
Badmovies.org is also listed near the last of the credits.
That's cool that Andrew and the site got mentioned. Sorry you got passed over, Ash.