Friday, March 23, 2012

The Giant of Bilbao

The Film Crew: The Giant of Marathon (2007)
The Giant of Marathon (1959)

I had high expectations for The Film Crew's assault on The Giant of Marathon, partly because I'd seen the film before and partly because a classic sword and sandal film should be like bread and butter for these guys.   Well, the bread is a bit stale and the butter needs some salt.  

I won't go into my issues with the film itself, because that's a whole other kettle of fish that should be examined at another time.   As for The Film Crew, this is a longer film than their other outings and I was pleasantly surprised by the general quality of the humor.  I think it's short of Wongo in many places, but it was especially nice to see some transgressive ethnic humor.  I can't think of the last time I've seen a film where someone insulted Basques, but....actually I guess Wild Women of Wongo was just one big pile of Basque jokes.  

Anyhow, The Giant of Marathon is a sufficiently ridiculous film (with Steve Reeves, no less) that all the great Hercules jokes could be trotted out.   I still can't help thinking that there was some meddling that prevented any of this humor from having a real edge, but at least the Basque stuff at the end had a little bark if not some bit to it.  

I guess I'd rate this at about the same level as Wongo in The Film Crew oeuvre, maybe even a little higher because of the funny hat sequence.    Nothing beats a good funny hat gag.   Except maybe a funny gag gag.  

So, while I think an angry drunk classics professor (I'm looking at you, Victor Davis Hanson) might be at least as funny providing commentary for this film as The Film Crew, I still think this Film Crew outing was worth watching.   And since it represents the last ride of The Film Crew before they moved on to Rifftrax it has a certain nostalgic appeal, if 2007 is a year you're feeling nostalgic about.  (I'm looking at you, Victor Davis Hanson.)

I suppose I should apologize for making fun of Victor Davis Hanson, because I have no idea if he's a drunk or particularly angry but since he's not of Basque heritage I'm not really afraid of him.   Unless he shows up at my door wearing a giant Athenian pediment as a hat, then I'd be both a little afraid and a little impressed by him, even if he's not Basque.  

Bill Corbett
Kevin Murphy
Mike Nelson
Bob Honcho....Mike Dodge
Bob Honcho's Secretary....Beth McKeever

Trailers
The Film Crew
In this ad The Film Crew burst into the Rhino Records offices and hold some people hostage while a rogue FBI profiler tries to negotiate with them to meet their demands all while a vampire apocalypse is due to happen in a mere 78 minutes.  

Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion
In this comedy special Zach Galifianakis plays a rogue FBI profiler who tries to negotiate with a coven of vampires who are trying to prevent copyright infringement.  

Bonus Features
1. An Apology From Mike Nelson
This series of apologies is the best thing that The Film Crew ever did.  

2. Commentary by Walter S. Ferguson  
I think this bonus feature may be a tacit acknowledgement of the failure of the humor of the The Film Crew in their regular identities.    Instead of coming up with funnier (and perhaps more transgressive) humor in their regular track they resort to creating this Walter S. Ferguson character in order to do some interesting things.    

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