On one hand, the folks of Troma are true independent filmmakers, striking a blow for the First Amendment with every movie they make. On the other hand, they make movies with jiggling breasts, tons of sex, severed body parts, and crushed melons for brains. Troma fills the void left behind by John Waters when he went semi-respectable.
"Terror Firmer" is the low-budget maverick's grandest statement for freedom of expression--its biggest blow against the empire. The flick is "Babes on Broadway" crossed with "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," with a touch of "Pink Flamingos" for good measure. The plot, such as it is, involves Troma trying to finish the latest entry in its "Toxic Avenger" series while dealing with the ultimate critic--a serial killer bent on shutting the production down.
I'll say one thing for "Terror Firmer"--it's funnier than Waters's "Cecil B. Demented" and much more repulsive. I can't recommend the movie entirely (although I never found it boring), but Lloyd Kaufman's (the director's) book "All I Need to Know About Film-making I Learned from the Toxic Avenger" is a hoot and worth reading.
I admire Troma's spirit, if not necessarily their movies. We need these guys now more than ever.
"Terror Firmer" is the low-budget maverick's grandest statement for freedom of expression--its biggest blow against the empire. The flick is "Babes on Broadway" crossed with "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," with a touch of "Pink Flamingos" for good measure. The plot, such as it is, involves Troma trying to finish the latest entry in its "Toxic Avenger" series while dealing with the ultimate critic--a serial killer bent on shutting the production down.
I'll say one thing for "Terror Firmer"--it's funnier than Waters's "Cecil B. Demented" and much more repulsive. I can't recommend the movie entirely (although I never found it boring), but Lloyd Kaufman's (the director's) book "All I Need to Know About Film-making I Learned from the Toxic Avenger" is a hoot and worth reading.
I admire Troma's spirit, if not necessarily their movies. We need these guys now more than ever.