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GreenCine Movie Talk
	Cult Those films with a following all their own.	83

Tromadance!!!
	Topic by: sinisterguffaw Posted: January 21, 2004 - 3:14 PM PST Last Reply: April 16, 2004 - 4:24 PM PDT

author	topic: Tromadance!!!
sinisterguffaw	post #1  on January 21, 2004 - 3:14 PM PST   Even as I post, Tromadance 2005 is in the midst of it's final day of screenings in Park City, UT. As a resident of this not-so-colorful state, and as a fan of Troma (and independent cinema everywhere!), it was my privilege to witness a night of "Tromatic" debauchery on celluloid... or DV, as the case may be, and more often than not, was. (I'm starting to confuse myself...) It seems that every year, Tromadance gets better and better. However, I seem to get dumber and dumber, because I took the wrong day off of work. If I had been a valiant citizen of Tromaville, I would not be posting this right now, because I'd be in Park City, viewing reel after reel--or rather, video after video--of decapitations, dismemberment, gratuitous nudity, and other various sundries. Is that the correct usage of the word 'sundries'? Anyway, I took yesterday off instead, but the films didn't start until 5 pm. Today they run all day long, with a super fun party afterwards. And I'm stuck at work, feeding paper into a machine all day long. argh! But I digress... The reason for this post is to discuss all things Troma! I can't be the only Troma fan out there, and there is so much fun Troma Trivia to discuss! Such as "What Academy Award Winner starred in Troma's "Sizzle Beach USA"? and "Why was "Sizzle Beach USA" his best performance ever?" Also, "Seriously... Why does the star of 'Sizzle Beach USA' have to make so many terrible, TERRIBLE movies!??" Well, you don't have to answer the questions, but I just wanted to report on the State of Affairs in the World of Truly Independent Cinema. By the way, if anyone ever runs across a short film called "The Battle Between the Burps and the Farts", head for the hills. Oh, sweet merciful heavens, please HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!! RUN AS FAST AS YOUR FEET WILL TAKE YOU, AND NEVER LOOK BACK! Okay. I'll stop beating around the bush now. I guess what I'm really lookin' for here is Troma memories. After all, who can't recall with fondness the first time they saw the Toxic Avenger rip a crooks ears off, or the time the first witnessed the entire student body at Nuke 'em High mutate into freakish creatures after a Nuclear Meltdown? It's sharing time, people! Well, it's either sharing time or Martini Time... I always get the two confused!
Cinenaut	post #2  on January 21, 2004 - 5:12 PM PST   I'm not sure I've seen an entire Troma production. What titles do you recommend for a Tromaneophyte?
IWhitney	post #3  on January 21, 2004 - 5:20 PM PST   > On January 21, 2004 - 5:12 PM PST Cinenaut wrote: > --------------------------------- > I'm not sure I've seen an entire Troma production. What titles do you recommend for a Tromaneophyte? > --------------------------------- Bloodsucking Freaks is from their days as a distributor, not a producer, but it's still fantastic. No, really . Of the films they had a greater hand in, start with the first couple Toxic Avenger films and Class Of Nuke 'Em High.
sinisterguffaw	post #4  on January 21, 2004 - 6:31 PM PST   > Bloodsucking Freaks is from their days as a distributor, not a producer, but it's still fantastic. No, really . Of the films they had a greater hand in, start with the first couple Toxic Avenger films and Class Of Nuke 'Em High. > --------------------------------- Yeah... may wanna stay away from Bloodsucking Freaks until you've been "initiated." insert obligitory "menacing laugh" here. As far as Troma fare that should ease you into the bizarre world that is Tromaville, besides the classics IWhitney mentioned, I recommend (and I apologize for my lack of net savvy, you're gonna have to do a search on these because I haven't yet got the hang of adding links to posts): Cannibal The Musical Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD and Troma's War Once you've got the hang of it, you may be willing to take it up a notch to movies like: Beware, Children at Play Tromeo and Juliet and Terror Firmer An Honorable Mention goes out to the Killer Condom (suprisingly touching movie!), Teenage Catgirls in Heat (Risque, but if you like to MST3K movies with your friends, this one rocks), and A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell (Harrihausen-esqe dinosaurs, and I may have misspelled Harrihausen) By no means is this a comprehensive list, but it could give you a good intro to Troma.
sinisterguffaw	post #5  on January 21, 2004 - 6:37 PM PST   Oh, also, pretty much all Troma DVD's come with a gajillion extra features. Many of these features are of a helpful nature, aiding in the process of informing the viewer all about Troma. Some of the features are helpful in other way, like their colorful Public Service Announcements and 'titilating' quizzes. What great fun!
sinisterguffaw	post #6  on January 21, 2004 - 8:42 PM PST   > On January 21, 2004 - 3:14 PM PST sinisterguffaw wrote: > --------------------------------- > Even as I post, Tromadance 2005 is in the midst of it's final day of screenings in Park City, UT. I'm getting ahead of myself here... I MEANT Tromadance 2004!
hamano	post #7  on January 22, 2004 - 6:59 AM PST   My Neighbor Totoro is a Troma film. And even devout Christians liked it. Finally, a Troma film that both your kids and your Faithful will love!
Cinenaut	post #8  on January 22, 2004 - 8:42 AM PST   Ha! I've heard good things about Cannibal: The Musical.
sinisterguffaw	post #9  on January 22, 2004 - 11:43 AM PST   > On January 22, 2004 - 6:59 AM PST hamano wrote: > --------------------------------- > My Neighbor Totoro is a Troma film. And even devout Christians liked it. Finally, a Troma film that both your kids and your Faithful will love! > --------------------------------- That's right! I forgot about that! Of course, I think Warner Bros. or someone has since bought the distribution rights or something like that, but Troma gave us our first taste of Totoro! Hurray for Totoro!
Cinenaut	post #10  on January 22, 2004 - 12:04 PM PST   totorotroma?
sinisterguffaw	post #11  on January 22, 2004 - 1:15 PM PST   > On January 22, 2004 - 12:04 PM PST Cinenaut wrote: > --------------------------------- > totorotroma? > --------------------------------- My Neighbor Trom-toro! Troma has also aquired (sp?) some old classics from the Roan Group, as well as some old Al Adamson flicks.
underdog	post #12  on January 22, 2004 - 1:19 PM PST   > On January 21, 2004 - 3:14 PM PST sinisterguffaw wrote: > --------------------------------- > > Such as "What Academy Award Winner starred in Troma's "Sizzle Beach USA"? and "Why was "Sizzle Beach USA" his best performance ever?" Also, "Seriously... Why does the star of 'Sizzle Beach USA' have to make so many terrible, TERRIBLE movies!??" Would this be the troma-tized actor to which you are referring? A lot of well-known actors got their starts in "b-movies" -- and hey, Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2, which is more of a Z-movie (as in: Zmed, Adrian).
sinisterguffaw	post #13  on January 22, 2004 - 2:22 PM PST   > On January 22, 2004 - 1:19 PM PST underdog wrote: > --------------------------------- > > On January 21, 2004 - 3:14 PM PST sinisterguffaw wrote: > > --------------------------------- > > > > Such as "What Academy Award Winner starred in Troma's "Sizzle Beach USA"? and "Why was "Sizzle Beach USA" his best performance ever?" Also, "Seriously... Why does the star of 'Sizzle Beach USA' have to make so many terrible, TERRIBLE movies!??" > > > Would this be the troma-tized actor to which you are referring? > > A lot of well-known actors got their starts in "b-movies" -- and hey, Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2, which is more of a Z-movie (as in: Zmed, Adrian). > > > --------------------------------- BINGO! (Adrian Zmed Forever!!!)
sinisterguffaw	post #14  on January 22, 2004 - 2:33 PM PST   Some other notable persons who got their start in Troma: Vincent D'onofrio Marissa Tomei and Madonna... well, almost Madonna. She auditioned for a part in "The First Turn On" but didn't get it. And considering the cinematic 'gems' she has put out, perhaps it can be chalked up to a bullet dodged by the good people of Troma. Also, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, and Chevy Chase (to name a few) have all appeared in various titles that have at one point been distributed by Troma. Most of those titles are currently out of print and/or unavailable on dvd and/or are no longer distributed by Troma.
larbeck	post #15  on January 23, 2004 - 12:09 PM PST   > On January 22, 2004 - 6:59 AM PST hamano wrote: > --------------------------------- > My Neighbor Totoro is a Troma film. And even devout Christians liked it. > WHAT?? Now, some of my best friends are Christians and they are welcome for dinner, just don't marry my daughter (oops, too late - actually they did). But Troma and Miyazaki? WHOOOA!
ALittlefield	post #16  on January 25, 2004 - 4:52 PM PST   That would be Kevin Costner in SIZZLE BEACH USA, and yes, he has made a large number of sucky films since. As for Troma memories, I remember seeing a midnight showing of the first TOXIC AVENGER, and I find it kinda amusing. It's one of those bad movies that KNOWS it's a bad movie, which may make it good. What was really interesting was that I saw it again on video, and I quickly realized that the version I had seen in the theater was cut to pieces to get an R. The unrated version is insanely gorey(for the first time, we see a three stooges style eye-poke with realistic results!), which adds to the enjoyment of a film like this. So make sure you find that version. I have also seen SURF NATZIS MUST DIE!, which in no way lives up to the title. It's painfully dull. I also found TROMA'S WAR slow going.
sinisterguffaw	post #17  on January 25, 2004 - 5:56 PM PST   If it weren't for USA network's "Up All Night" programs in the early nineties, I would not be the man standing before you today! I didn't get to see a troma flick on the big screen until Terror Firmer. I was very repulsed by that movie... which is why it will forever hold a warm place in my heart. Also; despite having all the wonderfully gory scenes returned to the film in the Directors Cut, the Toxic Avenger still only clocks in at a little over an hour and six minutes!!!
sinisterguffaw	post #18  on January 27, 2004 - 10:06 AM PST   Okay, I'm gonna update this thread with a list of what played on Tues the 20th at Tromadance and give them a quick rating. But I'll have to do it later. I don't have the list in front of me. Also, Cinema Pubs are my favorite!
kodack	post #19  on April 16, 2004 - 4:24 PM PDT   High = Tromeo and Juliet Drunk = Srgnt. Kabuki Man Horny = The Chosen (Carmen Electra) > On January 21, 2004 - 5:12 PM PST Cinenaut wrote: > --------------------------------- > I'm not sure I've seen an entire Troma production. What titles do you recommend for a Tromaneophyte? > ---------------------------------