MEATBALL MACHINE

Few films live up to their claim of unparallel weirdness and violence. Meatball Machine not only deserves such a moniker but surpasses it. A well oiled, eccentric, and unapologetically bizarre monument of surrealism and the absurd, this mean-spirited yet shockingly humorous concoction is experimental horror at its most brazen and unreserved, daring you to like it, daring you even further to completely understand it. And not everything herein is easily understood. Not should it be, for that is precisely one of the chief points and effects of this fear-fest. Not everything is spelled out, not everything is given a precise summary. In short, nothing is what it seems, and, still more terrifying, some things are.

A devoted homage to, and revitalization of the look, feel, and themes of horror, science fiction, and the grimly fantastic, Meatball Machine is a screaming portrait of madness and mayhem. Alien parasites (the worst kind!) invade the unsuspecting Earth. Possessing the capability to forge biomechanical weapons out of the very bones and flesh of human beings, these aliens forces turn their unwilling hosts into shit-crazy killers, mirroring in their actions and behaviours the Nordic Berserkers of old. These killing machines, no longer restrained by polite social convention, seek out other human beings to kill in the most extreme and sloppy ways -- much to our delight and shock. Amidst this depravity a sick love story plays out, one which is both tender and insane, as the young 'star-crossed' lovers are dripping with slimy tumor-like abrasions. Copious moments of bad taste ensure!

Mirroring scientific experiments that have resulted in races of insects and germs being killed off through infecting chief members of their races, and thereby enticing them to kill off other members of their species until that species is extinct, Meatball Machine plays loose and bloody with an idea that, oddly enough, surfaces at about the same time as Joe Dante's The Screwfly Solution. Like the later, this film deals with the possibility of alien forces using medicine/science to infiltrate key members in our species to kill out other members of our race. Their the similarities end, as Dante's film forwent the usual humor to focus on tragedy, and this work of mayhem emphasizes wet chills and thrills without as much attention pointed at satire or serious minded warning. This isn't to say that the film doesn't have something to say. Indeed, it says much, just with a more splattery and irreverent tone. This is one of its chief delights, as blood and slime coat the walls red and yellow, and mankind murders itself. A lover letter to gore and crime, violence and dark science fiction, this is also a broad, not-so-subtle condemnation of our species and culture. The love story angle, while not necessary, brings a more human interest to the plot, and adds diversity to all the trauma. Do-directors Junichi Yamamoto and Yudai Yamaguchi prove themselves to be witty and completely immersed in genre filmmaking, bringing a fresh sensibility to a stale idea. This sense of freshness and grass-roots efforts makes the cheap production values and occasional slip ups in story structure and performances easier to dismiss. Just enjoy the filth and follies on the screen, and watch the genre's messiest exterminators clean house.

TLA's Danger After Dark moniker presents Meatball Machine with its customary polish, treating a cheaply made film with surprising devotion. Featured in 1.77 anamorphic widescreen, the picture is marred only slightly by grain and occasionally dark colors. Of course nothing can cover up the fact that the film was made on the cheap, but rather than be a detriment this actually lends further grind house appeal. Audio is included in 2.0 Stereo, and is free from most distortion. Extras are enjoyable if not essential, including the short film "Reject or Death," a Making Of Feature, the original short that began this story's journey to production, and, finally, the Necrobourg Creature Design Illustrations.

Review by William Simmons