NIRVANA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE: Parody and Homage...Canadian Style

NIRVANA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE (Blu-ray)

2025 / 100 min

NEON/Decal Releasing

Review by Princess Pepper😽

Until this movie came along, I had no idea Nirvana the Band was even a thing. It was first a Canadian web series, followed by an actual TV show that ran for a couple of seasons. In both, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol play a couple of guys obsessed with getting their band booked at the Rivoli, a famous Toronto bar. They also use the set-up to parody various aspects of popular culture.

Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie expands the same concept into a feature length film, which is sure to please fans. But even if you’ve never heard of these guys, Johnson and McCarrol have the good sense to make it accessible to newcomers. No prior knowledge is required, so if nothing else, these guys could teach the good folks at Disney a thing or two about continuing a TV property on the big screen.

Storywise, the film is both a parody and homage to Back to the Future. For their next publicity stunt, Matt decks out the inside of their RV like the time machine from the movie. But when it surprisingly works, they end up back in 2008. While in the past, they have a heated argument and go their separate ways. Upon returning to the present, however, Jay has since become a rock star, while Matt struggles in a Jay McCarrol tribute band, the result of having altered the past.

"Wireless? Not in my lifetime!"

Complications and plot twists ensue, of course, some of them pretty clever spins on sequences from BTTF. But as a comedy with largely improvised dialogue, it’s kind of a mixed bag. While it’s occasionally very funny, Johnson’s character is really abrasive, his personality, dialogue and actions a little cringeworthy, which is probably intentional. The film is done in cinéma vérité style (including camera operators as characters) and many of the bystanders they encounter are unaware they’re in a movie, so their reactions to him are real.

But even if Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie is seldom laugh-out-loud funny, the story is fun, as are many of its satiric elements. And while Matt’s character isn’t someone I’d want to hang out with any longer than I have to, the friendship between him and Jay is ultimately charming enough that we’re invested in both of them. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FIRST EPISODE OF THE ORIGINAL SHOW

FEATURETTES - Back to 2008; Running Cable.

ALTERNATE OPENING, DELETED SCENE, POST CREDIT SCENES, OUTTAKES

HOME MOVIES

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Matt Johnson & Jay McCarrol; 2) By Matt Johnson & post-production team.

DVD COPY

VAMPIRE ZOMBIES…FROM SPACE!: More Homage Than Parody

VAMPIRE ZOMBIES…FROM SPACE! (Blu-ray)

2024 / 98 min

Cleopatra Entertainment

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Don’t be fooled by the deliberately silly title, which suggests yet-another “outrageous” zom-com thrown together by would-be auteurs operating under the conceit that being intentionally stupid qualifies as parody. Great parody has always been more than just making fun of stuff. It also displays genuine affection for the genre, which Vampire Zombies…from Space! does, sometimes quite brilliantly.

The title is indeed accurate, with a basic story that features Dracula (Greg Closter), who hails from a planet of vampires, returning to Earth in 1957 to take over the small town of Marlow by turning everyone into a legion of undead. Of course, the plot is just a vessel for the film’s collection of oddball characters, some truly funny dialogue and, of course, plenty of gory ‘splatstick’ action.

But really, this is more of a clever homage to horror-sci-fi films of the 1950s than pure parody, especially regarding the overall aesthetic. It’s shot in black & white, with deliberately hokey special effects. Yet at the same time, these effects are extremely well done, as is the production design. If it weren’t for the pristine image quality (probably because it was shot digitally), this could pass for a relic from the decade when the story takes place.

"Come-oooon Yahtzee!"

Though teen couple Wayne and Mary emerge as the main protagonists, the movie is stolen by Andrew Bee as police chief Ed Clarke, who’s hilarious without ever looking like he’s trying to be. Elsewhere, Closter makes an amusing Dracula, and look quick for none other than Night of the Living Dead’s Judith O’Dea as a Vampira-like alien.

Unlike similar films that quickly run out of gas and wear out their welcome, the cast, dialogue and special effects keep this one fun throughout its running time. And once the invaders’ inevitable weakness is discovered, the climax is similar to that in Mars Attacks!, only funnier. Vampire Zombies…from Space! is an entertaining (and great looking) horror comedy that’s worth seeking out. Despite the limited budget, there’s a lot of creativity up there on the screen, as well as an obvious love for the old movies it pays homage to. I think Ed Wood would be proud.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY

PROMOTIONAL CLIPS

DELETED SCENES

TRAILERS

THE X TRILOGY and My Cinephile Friend

THE X TRILOGY Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)

2022 & 2024 / 312 min (3 movies)

A24 Films

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

I have a cinephile friend who’s really into these movies. We aren’t so close that we regularly exchange gifts during the holidays. But if we were, I’d consider gifting him this nicely packaged Blu-ray boxed set of Ti West’s entire trilogy, even if he already has physical copies of them.

Ultimately, I think it’s releases like The X Trilogy that'll continue keeping physical media alive for those who still treasure it…such as yours truly and obviously you, since you’re reading this. For us, movies aren’t simply disposable entertainment to be consumed and discarded with the click of a remote. The ones we hold near and dear to our hearts are meant to be revisited and appreciated whenever we wish, now matter how much time passes. They’re meant to be proudly displayed on the shelves of our own personal libraries, even if nobody else we know actually cares about such things. 

Collector’s Editions are especially neat because nothing signifies one’s love for a particular movie or franchise like a big boxed set with great new artwork and physical supplements you simply can’t get digitally. That being said, The X Trilogy is obviously intended for people like my cinephile friend. The three films in this collection feature the exactly same Blu-ray transfers as earlier editions, and with the exception of new audio commentaries for each, there are no new bonus features.

Still, this is a really cool set. The outer box is as thick and sturdy as a hardcover book, with a transparent slipcover baring the titles and credits. The discs themselves are stored in a gatefold digipak, and along with it is a 64 page booklet loaded with great artwork inspired by the films (Maxxxine, in particular), as well as stills, concept art, storyboards, costume sketches, faux posters and an essay by Jon Dieringer. The overall package also set features interesting cover art.

Mia steps on a Lego.

As for the movies themselves…while I’m not quite as enamored with them as my cinephile friend, this is still a pretty great trio of horror films, each with their own unique aesthetic and tone (befitting the decades when they take place). The first film, X, is an obvious homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (at least visually), which has a group of young people renting a remote cabin to make a porno, but the old couple who own the place turn out to be murderous psychopaths. Loaded with sex and over-the-top violence, it’s well directed for a slasher film and features a star making performance from Mia Goth as Maxine (she also plays Pearl, the primary antagonist).

While X is a better than average slab of exploitation, Pearl is the trilogy’s highpoint. Trading in cheap & nasty thrills for disturbing psychological horror, this one is actually a prequel with Goth returning to play a younger version of the title character. Once again, director Ti West wears his influences proudly, this time drawing visual inspiration from the likes of The Wizard of Oz and other colorful classics of Hollywood's so-called golden era. With gorgeous production design & cinematography to offset an increasingly malevolent tone - and some extreme gore - this one is damn near a masterpiece. Goth is magnificent and probably should've gotten an Oscar nomination.

A direct sequel to the first film, Maxxxine isn’t quite as compelling, but is certainly a lot of gonzo, gory fun. With 1980s LA as the setting, Maxine (Goth) is a porn star trying to break into mainstream films. However, she’s also being stalked by someone who knows of her past. Concurrently, the notorious serial killer, the Night Stalker, is loose in the city, who may or may not be the same person terrorizing Maxine. There ain’t much subtly here, but the cast and performances are good, as are the spectacularly violent death scenes.

Is this version of The X Trilogy essential? Not really, but since when has that ever dissuaded a collector from sticking a set like this on their shelf? Consider it more of a great looking souvenir for people like my cinephile friend, who will certainly find this to be a worthy addition to his collection.

EXTRA KIBBLES

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET

X

FEATURETTES - That X Factor is a making-of featurette; “The Farmer’s Daughters” is the amusing faux-movie of the porno the group was shooting in the film (minus the porn, of course); Pearl Make-Up Timelapse is a visual of the process turning Mia Goth into the monstrous antagonist.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director of photography Eliot Rockett & production designer Tom Hammock.

TRAILER

PEARL

FEATURETTES - Coming Out of Her Shell: The Making of Pearl; Time After Time focuses on the film’s production design.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director of photography Eliot Rockett & production designer Tom Hammock.

TRAILER

MAXXXINE

FEATURETTES - The Belly of the Beast is a making-of featurette with interviews with most of the main cast; XXX Marks the Spot; Hollywood is a Killer focuses on the nasty special effects; Q&A with Director Ti West; Deep Dive with Composer Tyler Bates.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By production designer Jason Kisvarday & set decorator Kelsi Ephraim.

2 TRAILERS