 |
| Images courtesy of The Horror Section |
Joe Begos returns to his chosen cinematic realm with the fluorescent doused alien abduction flick, Jimmy and Stiggs. The film is a testament to independent cinema that takes full advantage of its low budget with all practical effects work and one location, Begos’ own weed infused apartment. Unfortunately, despite the fun nature of his his newest movie, this is a massive step in the wrong direction for the director of Bliss and The Terminator inspired Christmas Bloody Christmas.
Begos has a gift for lighting and making the best of having no money to work with. All of his releases are drenched in colorful hues and are saturated in practical effects and blood. Jimmy and Stiggs is no departure. Yet, the script here is abysmal. The two title characters talk like 12 years olds that have never used the ‘F’ word before. The way they speak makes the lack of any real screenplay quite apparent as they literally talk like a couple of dirtbags off the street let alone two indie filmmakers that claim their best days are behind them. It’s actually uncomfortable to listen to grown men repeat fuck, fucking, and fucker over and over again. It’s all relative to their total disregard for creating an engaging story. Even the lowest of no budget features have actual dialogue. Case in point, they claim this movie is heavily influenced by Evil Dead which just so happens to feature actual adult speech patterns.
Despite being a fun and brainless 80 minutes for stoners, Jimmy and Stiggs doesn’t deserve to have Eli Roth’s name attached to it. When Begos first started, he seemed like he might be one of the next big directors in horror. Unfortunately for his career and his viewership, Jimmy and Stiggs is a blunt force trauma to his career. Of his current catalog, this is purely amateurish in all departments. His use of unending goo and grotesquery in a confined space is super cool to watch but it’s just so pointless and narratively void of anything resembling a plot that it wears thin after about 35 minutes. You can respect the DIY nature of the movie but can still critique its annoying self- awareness and lack of anything resembling a story.
As the first feature from Eli Roth’s new label. The Horror Section, this is not going to do anything for the brand or the genre. There's a bit to grasp on to in the visual department. But as an actual film, this is like a high school project replete with baseline writing and immature handling of addiction. I had high hopes for Begos when he started. He's proving that his bag of tricks has already run out. Even the aliens were bored with this one.
-CG