| Troma are notoriously cheap. Recycling stock footage, recruiting fans to work for nothing but the love of it and a few cheese sandwiches, and even using hollowed out Rockmelons (or cantaloupes for our North American visitors) to simulate head crushings. But one thing that Troma have rarely skimped on is their DVD releases. Unlike the major studios who release bare bones DVD�s knowing full well that they�ll later release seven different collectors editions to milk hapless consumers out of every last cent, Troma have always gone above and beyond on extras. The �Troma Triple B-Header� is no exception. Here we have not one Troma movie, but three on the one disc. Commonsense would tell you that jamming so much on one DVD would result in three unwatchable pixilated messes, but the Troma team have avoided this with some new kind of technology known as V3. Eat your heart out George Lucas with your THX. This is the biggest technological advance for Kaufman and co. since an actual flushing toilet was installed in the Troma building back in �88. �Man goes in the golf buggy, golf buggy goes on the green, killer lawnmower�s on the green� our killer lawnmower�. The first cab off the rank is �Blades�; basically a scene for scene parody of �Jaws�. Kind of like �Jaws� meets �Caddyshack�. This one�s actually a lot better and a bit more intelligent than you�d expect. There�s even a dissection scene when the wrong lawnmower is caught. Upon examining the catcher, grass and chewed up golf balls are found, but no body parts. This one apes just about every scene from the big shark movie, and is one of the better Troma pick-ups. Not a classic by any stretch, but an enjoyable enough way to kill some time. And I give extra points for the filmmakers being able to make an entertaining movie based around one of the most boring sports on the planet. Next up, we have �Blood Hook�. When mid-eighties fashions meet a fishing tournament, there�s little doubt that something�s bound to happen. A demented killer is offing hapless anglers with his own custom rod and tackle. Of course, the director of this one throws in a few red herrings (knew I�d get a fish joke in here somewhere). Not great, but not entirely dissatisfying either. This one is a bit like the sport of fishing itself; not exactly exciting, a lot of waiting between anything happening, best enjoyed with a few cans of suds, but a fairly relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Finally, we have �Zombie Island Massacre�. A title like that suggests a self-serving action packed zombiethon. Actually, it�s a tale of smugglers and reggae. With shades of a Scooby Doo mystery thrown in for good measure. Not a zombie movie sadly, but still less painful to sit through than a Barbara Streisand musical. So the Troma Triple B-header literally is a mixed bag of exploitation just released from Stomp Visual. While none of these titles would exactly be worth shelling out your hard earned wages for on their own, as a collective they make for a good bargain. Maybe it�s just my age, but I�m a sentimental soul as far as cheap eighties slasher flicks are concerned. Takes me back to the days when cheap films dominated late night t.v. rather than even cheaper infomercials. Good to have lying around the house for a rainy day. Entertainment : 3 out of 4 Watchability : 2 out of 4 Overall : 2.5 out of 4 Reviewed by Blake |
| TROMA TRIPLE-B HEADER |