Seeking Distribution: Monster From Bikini Beach
Monster from Bikini Beach…what to say? It’s possibly one of the strangest mash-ups I’ve seen. Taking the innocence of the early 1960’s and mixing in some fresh garbage, Russ Meyer, and Troma to give you, the audience, a slice of cinematic bile so good your top will pop off!
Okay, first off, what did not work with Monster from Bikini Beach is the plotting. The movie itself is filled with interesting characters and witty dialogue (“I just hate c-c-crime!”), but they’re all built into a plot that feels like two different movies. That is not to say that neither of the movies were interesting, but it really shows that the idea behind the film never could properly flesh itself into a feature film without padding, which is very unfortunate. My only other complaint is that sometimes a freeze-frame would hold for an extraordinary amount of time before cutting to another scene.
What held this movie together, though, was a combination of acting, direction, and the monster. There was not one mistake made in the casting of characters for this one, every actor played their part perfectly, I especially appreciated the woman who played Boom-Boom who took ditzy to a new level. The direction was also very strong, Darrin Wood shoots the monster with care, and the knife fight scene between “Pinky Maldenano” and the two thugs is hilarious, reminded me of Grease. Finally, the monster itself is great, although there is a scene where you can see a smiling face inside of the suit, but that’s awesome too.
I may have started this article off with heavy criticism, but I wanted to end with the positives so that you’ll forget whatever complaints I had and watch this movie, it’s completely wonderful.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
One more thing: This movie featured dubbed audio, which is a brilliant solution to having crap sound in your flick.
Interview with Christy Savage, DP and Producer on MFBB:
Seeking Distribution (SD) – How long did it take you to make ‘Monster from Bikini Beach’ and how did you fund the production?
Christy Savage (CS) – We funded the movie primarily out of pocket with one small investor. Everyone worked for free and helped out. It, unfortunately took longer to shoot than we planned…we had just started shooting in the fall when our original monster was destroyed in a traffic mishap. We built another one, but unfortunately we had to postpone the majority of exterior shots till Spring because of the trees and weather (can’t fake summertime in the winter, unfortunately).
SD – How long have you been involved with film production and what kind of future do you see for yourself in it?
CS – Darin (Wood-director) and I have been working together in one aspect or another of film and video for over 15 years now. After MFBB, We feel we’re finally in a position to really start raising money and doing legitimate movies that will get distribution. We’re in it for the long haul and are expecting to really start raising some eyebrows with our next 4 projects.
SD – What is your favorite:
-Constellation?
CS – Probably Orion, cause he’s tough and always easy to find.
-Sandwich?
CS – Gosh. I am a fan of the sandwich and while I’m fond of a lot of them, it’s hard to beat a good old-fashioned grilled cheese.
-Album, why?
CS – Ack. This one’s hard for me. Today I will go with The Cramps’ BAD MUSIC FOR BAD PEOPLE though, since Lux Interior just died this morning.
SD – If you could change one scene in any film, what scene would it be and why?
CS – Yikes! Another hard one. I wouldn’t want to mess with anyone else’s art…however, I would totally take the lame zombie baby parts out of the remake of Dawn of the Dead…an otherwise excellent film with that one stupid flaw.
SD – Any upcoming projects to look out for?
CS – Hell, yes!!! We will be raising money this spring to shoot our next feature PLANET OF THE VAMPIRE WOMEN later this year. Then, over the next couple of years, we’ll also be making a super-exciting Giant Beast on a rampage flick, an action-packed Zombie Extravaganza and a terrifying monster-infested Crime-Noir story. Scripts are done and the wheels are in motion…get in touch with me if you know any investors!!!
And of course, we’ll also be doing the 9th Annual TRASH FILM ORGY Midnight Movie Film Festival this summer (July 11-Aug. 15th) in Sacramento at the beautiful Crest (and haunted) Theatre!
SD – Where should we go to buy dvds or contact you?
CS – You can buy DVDs of MFBB directly from us at our website http://trashfilmorgy.com/
And I’m totally accessible by e-mail at christy@trashfilmorgy.com
SD – Any tips for those novice filmmakers out there?
CS – Whatever you do…don’t give up! Make your movies!!! But really…learn the business side of filmmaking, too, or no one will ever see them!
If you would like your film to be a part of the Seeking Distribution series, contact us at ptkruz@jojevis.com. No submissions ignored!
What are the three words guaranteed to humiliate men everywhere?’Hold my purse.’