Lloyd Kaufman revisits Nuke 'Em High with last week's release on blu ray.
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| "Wanna see us do the Toxic Avenger?" |
While Troma’s popularity has waxed and waned over the
decades (with it peaking in the 1980’s) they have persevered on and never sold
out to Hollywood just to make a buck. They cater to independent directors and
have always allowed film makers complete freedom and creativity. This has resulted
in some very trashy, low-budget affairs but they always maintain a certain
amount of charm and as such have garnered a fiercely loyal following. I am a
huge Troma fan and I grew up watching their films and have fond memories of
catching them on late night cable television.
Return to Nuke ‘Em High has all the elements of a classic
Troma film but with some elements and references to current pop culture—it’s a
great mix of retro nostalgia and at times, biting satirical commentary and
parody. The toxic nuclear menace of the original film has been updated with an
evil organic foods company named Tromorganic Foodstuffs Conglomerate, and it
fits in well with the modern obsession with food and the marketing hype
associated with it. Of course, since this is a Troma film, there are giant prosthetic
dicks, male and female nudity, sexual exploits, “duck rape” and people melting
into goop mixed in with the political commentary—and that’s just how we like
it.
The acting isn’t very good most of the time but everyone
hams it up the best they can and it makes the movie hilarious to watch. The two
female leads aren’t the best actresses but they have to do some crazy stuff and
they make up for it with lots of enthusiasm. They also get naked a lot, if that
floats your boat. Lloyd Kaufman has a
pretty large role in the film and he does the old-fashioned, vaudevillian
shtick well. A lot of the humor reminds me of Mad Magazine and it occasionally
seemed dated and silly.
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| "Well......so much for clown school!" |
-Michelle Kisner