G-Men From Hell

Rating:
Summary: B-movie comic book masterpiece!!!
Review: Do you like movies about g-men (particularly movies about g-men who escape from Hell) who encounter damsels in distress,noirish murder plots, mad scientists, robots, the Devil, AND a cheetah themed superhero? Then this is definitely the movie for you! Then again, there aren't too many movies that combine all these things and more.
The G-men in question are Mike Mattress and Dean Crept, two characters who appeared in the Michael Allred created series Grafik Muzik, and in the easier to obtain Madman Comics. These days Mr.Allred has gained much attention for his work on X-Force and X-Statix for Marvel comics. His early comic effort is brought to life here, as much of the dialogue and plot is taken directly from the comics. This is a much more faithful adaptation than most comic based movies.
As a really cool bonus, there is also a commentary track with Mr. Allred and his wife, comic book colorist Laura Allred. To my knowledge this is the first time a comic book based film has had commentary with the comic's creators rather than the filmmakers. Very cool indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I'm a big fan of Mike Allred's work, particularly his early Graphic Muzik stuff, which is where the G-Men From Hell first debuted. That said, I didn't really love this movie, and if you're not previously familiar with the G-Men in comic form, I can't imagine you'd like this movie at all. Despite its low budget, it really had some recognizable actors, I'll give it that. But the plot seemed muddled and the film and sound quality, or lack thereof, didn't help either. Plus, what the heck was the point of Cheetah Man? He did nothing in the film. Listening to Mike Allred's commentary was odd because he's apparently completely oblivious to the movie's problems, apparently loving every frame of the film. Perhaps it's because it's a movie of his characters. I suppose that would make me like it more, too. But alas, they aren't my characters and I didn't. Just read Madman comics instead!

Rating:
Summary: Not Great Art, but definitely Great [Stuff]!
Review: It's a theatre of the absurb, tongue-in-cheek genre conflageration combining the hard-boiled detective yarn, faustian tale, gangster epic, superhero noir and mad scientist flick.

You know it's great [stuff] when this many analytic terms can be used to describe a B-movie that actually works.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best comic book films, ever.
Review: Spider-Man. X2. Blade. These are all movies that are on the top of peoples comic book-film lists...but the fact is one of the best comic films ever is one not many have heard of. I am a huge fan of Mike Allred and never before have I seen an adaptation of a comic book that so perfectly hit the nail in the head as this one. If your a fan of comics, b-movies, or looking for something just a bit different, this is your choice.

Rating:
Summary: A great comic-book movie
Review: Two corrupt FBI agents, Dean Crept and Mike Mattress, are killed and wind up in Hell. Convinced that they don't really belong there, they find a means of escape and use it to get back to earth. Their plan? Do good deeds to earn their way into Heaven. They open a private investigation agency as a means to do said good deeds. It isn't long before a sexy, leggy blonde comes walking in, convinced that her husband is planning on having her killed...

Based on an unfinished comic by Mike Allred, this film fleshes out and completes the original story. As Allred says in an interview on the disk, the film doesn't merely adapt his story, it enhances it. For readers familiar with Allred's quirky, snappy pop-culture world, this film will feel as comfortable as a pair of old slippers. Not only are the obvious elements there (Allred characters like Crept, Mattress, Dr. Boiffard--familiar to readers of Allred's Madman series--and an oddball superhero, The Cheetah) but, astoundingly, the film creates a look similar to an Allred comic. It's bright and colorful, with enough odd camera angles and movement that it completely captures the just-left-of-realistic feel of his work. The story and script capture that same Allred magic, humanizing the bizarre with gentle touches, like Cheetah-man's relationship with his loving wife/girlfriend/whatever. It's a moment that isn't expanded upon at the expense of the rest of the movie, but it shows us that this is a man with a complete life, not just a pointless, oddball fixture in a weird universe.

(Speaking of weird universes, this disk also includes Allred's own no-budget feature, Astroesque, which ties into his comic Red Rocket 7, as well as a CD from his band. I keep telling myself that maybe if I watch it just one more time, it'll make sense. Hasn't happened yet, but maybe next time...)

This isn't necessarily a movie for everybody. It's extremely stylized and doesn't try to tone any of the weirdness down. (What do you expect from a film that features Robert Goulet as the Devil, and Vanessa Angel doing her best Marilyn Monroe impersonation? Not to mention a guy running around in a Cheetah costume.) But it's well-acted and cleverly directed, and thoroughly entertaining, if you just let it into your heart.

Rating:
Summary: A great comic-book movie
Review: Two corrupt FBI agents, Dean Crept and Mike Mattress, are killed and wind up in Hell. Convinced that they don't really belong there, they find a means of escape and use it to get back to earth. Their plan? Do good deeds to earn their way into Heaven. They open a private investigation agency as a means to do said good deeds. It isn't long before a sexy, leggy blonde comes walking in, convinced that her husband is planning on having her killed...

Based on an unfinished comic by Mike Allred, this film fleshes out and completes the original story. As Allred says in an interview on the disk, the film doesn't merely adapt his story, it enhances it. For readers familiar with Allred's quirky, snappy pop-culture world, this film will feel as comfortable as a pair of old slippers. Not only are the obvious elements there (Allred characters like Crept, Mattress, Dr. Boiffard--familiar to readers of Allred's Madman series--and an oddball superhero, The Cheetah) but, astoundingly, the film creates a look similar to an Allred comic. It's bright and colorful, with enough odd camera angles and movement that it completely captures the just-left-of-realistic feel of his work. The story and script capture that same Allred magic, humanizing the bizarre with gentle touches, like Cheetah-man's relationship with his loving wife/girlfriend/whatever. It's a moment that isn't expanded upon at the expense of the rest of the movie, but it shows us that this is a man with a complete life, not just a pointless, oddball fixture in a weird universe.

(Speaking of weird universes, this disk also includes Allred's own no-budget feature, Astroesque, which ties into his comic Red Rocket 7, as well as a CD from his band. I keep telling myself that maybe if I watch it just one more time, it'll make sense. Hasn't happened yet, but maybe next time...)

This isn't necessarily a movie for everybody. It's extremely stylized and doesn't try to tone any of the weirdness down. (What do you expect from a film that features Robert Goulet as the Devil, and Vanessa Angel doing her best Marilyn Monroe impersonation? Not to mention a guy running around in a Cheetah costume.) But it's well-acted and cleverly directed, and thoroughly entertaining, if you just let it into your heart.