Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully Demented !!!!!!!
Review: I stumbled across this movie on Starz one night.
I thought it look good so I watched it.
I laughed!! it was a great. It's a very demented movie!
which is the best kind. Truely diffrent and great parody
of 60's surf movies and teen horror films from that era.
If you love pure insaneity watch this movie!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Sending up "Beach Blanket Bingo" in a big way!
Review: I don't know why I had heard of this film, but I had. I don't know why I wanted to rent it, but I did. I don't know why I laughed all the way through it, but I did.... Yeah, I do know why I laughed. It was funny. It wasn't as purile as most modern "teen" comedies are, but it sure did have fun poking fun at the 60's beach movies like "Beach Blanket Bingo".
Charles Busch, who plays the part of the female detective, is absolutely a laugh riot: I truly believe he was channeling Kathleen Turner. The two hunky doofus boys who are more in love with each other than any of the babes...Nicholas Brendan, in a reverse take on his role on "Buffy", plays the major stud puppy here...Thomas Gibson in a reverse take on his televsion role as straight laced "Greg", plays a beatnik surfer dude. Beth Broderick, with her unbelievably sexy raspy voice, plays this films version of June Cleever with a twist.
Add to the hilarity of these portrayals, the premise that someone is killing off imperfect kids. So...we've got a beach movie murder? Right? Right! Ridiculous, right? Right! Funny? You bet!
The lines are outrageous. The costumes dead on. The portrayals ridiculous and accurate at the same time.
The is high camp! Don't expect serious - don't expect typical humor. But if you're over thirty, and remember those old beach movies, then you'll get a real blast out of this film.
Rating:
Summary: The weirdest film i've seen this summer
Review: jeez, this is a crazy movie. Where do I begin?A few days ago, I saw a preview for this movie on Starz, and it looked like it would be a funny satire of slasher flicks. So, the next time it was on, I decided to watch it. This is easily the strangest, most confusing film I've seen all summer. Overall, it's pretty entertaining, but it's dragged down by strange, dumb, undeveloped characters and the fact that it gets a little boring as it moves along. The film's protagonist, a girl named Florence wants to fit in with the surfing crowd. It takes a bit, but she finally gets accepted into the crowd, and her new nickname is chicklett. Other characters include her nerdy friend, a slutty girl, an actress hiding away, a snooby weelchairbound girl, the sweedish exchange student, a very odd woman police officer (who happens to be the film's screenwriter, and her mother. However, just as Florence is starting to fit in with the surfers, she relizes something is wrong. She has strange blackouts, that she can't quite understand. However, the blank outs are caused by her being a schizophrenic. Whenever she sees circles, she turns into the evil, snobby Ann Bowman, and whenever she becomes Ann, people get hacked to bits. The film is fun, and has some great one liners in it. However, there are flaws that cosideribly drag it down. One being is the characters. No one in the group of surfers is particularly developed well, nor are any of the surrounding characters. The only person developed well is Florence, everyone else is about as 3D as a peice of cardboard. Also, the film becomes a bit boring in between the murders. Aside from some entertaining bits, the film dosen't have anything that funny occuring during these parts. Don't even get me started on the acting either... So, overall, Psycho Beach Party is a somewhat entertaing romp, but will most likely bore most of it's viewers. I only reccomend seeing it if you really want to, otherwise, leave it on the shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious Period Parody Romp!
Review: I admit that I'm not familiar with any of Charles Busch's other work, but I'm definitely going to seek it out, now! Although *Psycho Beach Party* wasn't exactly perfect, I definitely give it high points for ambition and just plain hilarious fun! First of all, I must say that Lauren Ambrose and Beth Broderick were *excellent* in their respective roles as Florence "Chicklet" Forrest and Mrs. Forrest. These two actresses suited their roles perfectly--looking like they just stepped out of authentic '60s-era celluloid. I only wish the rest of the cast looked their parts as perfectly--some of the surfer boys coming close. Thomas Gibson seemed *far* too stiff in his role as Kanaka and I couldn't (until I investigated the credits a little more closely) quite figure out why Captain Monica Stark was played by a man (s/he is actually Charles Busch--who wrote the script). Other than that, I thought it was a terribly ingenious plot with the perfect smattering of funny period characters (the tomboy surfer-girl, her intellectual and bespectacaled friend, the surf-guru, the Donna Reed-esque mother, the runaway starlet, etc.) and vintage settings (the '60s beach, the drive-in movie theatre, the abandoned beach house, etc.). What makes this otherwise classic beach film parody so funny is the clever and hilarious way in which Busch insinuates contemporary themes like schitzophrenia, repressed homosexuality, S&M enthusiasm, serial killing, etc. into the plot. Let's face it--tomboy surfer girls are just so much funnier when they're suffering from schitzophrenia and might or might not be serial killers! Despite all this, I will say that the overall theme the film leaves you with is a little heavy-handed--that true perfection never really existed and was only a very thin veneer (even during beatnik luaus in the '60s) and that hating people because they're different is wrong, etc. It does, however, suit its subject matter perfectly. Therefore, run out and rent or buy this movie (or even go see the play if you can--and tell me how it stacks up!) as soon as you can and get some groovy laughs in, baby!
Rating:
Summary: Psycho for Psycho Beach Party!
Review: I came across this movie when I heard Nicholas Brendon was in it. (I'm a Buffy fan.) It took me awhile to hunt it down but it's a must see! From the opening scene (which was so confusing) to the last (which was so confusing) it was a hilarious comedic "horror" movie. While I didn't live in the 50's-70's I know enough about beach movies to get the surf lingo. The movie has so many funny bits you almost forget to look for the killer. With perfect costumes, dialogue and action this movie drawsyou in and doesn't let you leave, (alive.) I don't think I could ever get tired of Starcat and Chicklet!
Rating:
Summary: Freaky Fun!!!
Review: Based on Charles Busch's long-running stage play, this film focuses on Chicklet, a wannabe surfer girl with a split personality who becomes one of the many suspects when a series of murders hit the beach. An all-star cast, a fun plot, and a terrific performance by Lauren Ambrose save this film from becoming a total waste. I didn't really know what to expect from this film, but I was looking forward to it. I can't say that I;m extremely disappointed, but I was expecting better. It's a fun film, I'll give it that, with terrific and funny characters. All the characters are unique and outrageous, and the reason behind the killings is funny in itself, but the film drags on too much in the beginning and doesn't go anywhere until near the end, when it just becomes confusing with all the intentionally lame twists...its those twists that made the film better...Lauren Ambrose gives an incredible performance, she deserves so much better as an actress and this film proves it. Hopefully now with Six Feet Under, she can show off her acting talent to the world...this film however is strictly comedy, with lots of sex references, but hardly any skin, and no gore whatsover, so for all you gore hounds, steer clear, this is the wrong film for you. I did enjoy it though and will watch it again, it seems like the kind of film that grows on you after repeated viewings...If you're one of the people dying to see this film, check it out, if you had your doubts, stay away...
Rating:
Summary: Kimmy Davies Rocks !!
Review: I paid an ungodly 4 bux to rent this for one reason....Kimmy "roogirL'' Davies !! ......needless to say her brief cameos warrent using the FFWD remote quite a bit, but seeing her is definately worth the effort. The big PROBLEM is the director or some lost soul told her to NOT use her lovely aussie accent for the entire movie....translation = major bummer, they have her talking in some bizarre high pitch everytime she is on camera?? anyhow she looks awesome even in a flowery beach dress, but NO bikini can u believe that geezus, she is also not shown on the rental box whatsoever, good grief people ! ever hear of babe marketing 101??? as for the other ''actors'' (term used ever so lightly) who cares? HAHAHA , they're all unknowns HA. .......BEST scene by far is the beach dance where KIMMY D really gets n2 the sand and gives some killer moves and yuMMy smiles too !! worth a rent by all means leave her accent alone !! Geez Todd Michael Wiseman Ohio University College of Film/Cinematography
Rating: 
Summary: Pulls its Punches for the Film
Review: One of the reasons Charles Busch's parodies work so well on stage is the number of drag peformances that that make them high camp. In the stage play of this work for example he played the lead role of Chicklet and the beautiful sex kitten Mary Ann was also played by a man. In the film they are played by "real" girls and, as a result, much of the fun is lost. Busch does appear in drag in the new role of the police detective. But being the only drag performer makes him stand out glaringly. This coupled with his exagerated stage performance rather than a film performance only makes it worse. However, if the other actors had chosen to work in the same Susan Hayward look-ma-I'm-acting style of Busch the film might have made it. So, instead of being campy as the original, and as it should have been. The film doesn't achieve its potential. It's rather a mediocre version of the tedious (but often funny--still often unfunny) parodies the Abrahams brothers crank out. Let's hope that when Busch & Co. make another film they aren't afraid to go all out. (Mrs. Brown and her church cronies aren't going to come see it anyway.) Then it won't be so disappointing!
Rating:
Summary: Charles Busch is a genius
Review: First of all, anyone who comes up with the movie title "Sex Kittens Go Bossa Nova" deserves some sort of award or national holiday in their honor for that alone. I was sold on this movie way before the incredibly cool opening credits rolled. Actually, I was sold when we saw the trailer for it in the theater, and almost instantly said, "we're there". There's about a dozen different elements to this fun flick that would have made me see it if only one of them had been present. First, I've seen almost every 60's Beach Party movie (though I'm sure Charles Busch has most people beat on the number of times they were watched) and this is not only a hilarious parody, but the 60's detail down to the costumes, sets, make-up, and hair is so dead-on I wouldn't have been surprised to see Donna Loren or Deborah Walley show up. Check out the cover and poster art if you want to see how perfect it is. The soundtrack is really, really great, some of the best surf music that wasn't actually recorded in the 1960's I've ever heard. The plot is actually really clever, with one of the best twist-upon-twist endings I've ever seen. The opening credits and closing credits are great, and I'm sure any guys who didn't really want to see the movie but were dragged by their girlfriends will dig the hot Ann-Margret crossed with a Bada-Bing! girl go-go dancer. I first heard about this movie when I read about it in Fangoria, of all places. I was interested by what I read but thought, "they better not screw this up". Once I saw about 30 seconds of the trailer- which by the way is featured on both the VHS and DVD versions, along with a music video- I realized they knew exactly what they were doing. The movie actually has more of an actual plot than many of the 60's beach movies did (not that either really needed one). The plot centers on a series of Blood-Feast type murders in Malibu. In their search for the killer, the female police detective (Charles Busch, who is probably the funniest of anyone in the movie) focuses on Florence (Lauren Ambrose, almost as funny), who suffers from a very entertaining form of multiple personality disorder but doesn't know it yet. There's a huge number of great supporting characters, such as her love interests Starcat and surf God Kanaka. Bettina Barnes, a B-movie actress on the lam from Hollywood who is renting a haunted house on the beach, shows up to add extra glamour. Also especially funny-especially if you thought parts of those old beach movies got kind of homoerotic-are young beach studs Yo-Yo and Provoloney (next to John Waters, this movie has to have come up with the greatest names for characters of all time) who are suspiciously more interested in wrestling each other than checking out the chicks in bikinis. If this weren't enough, Busch also makes almost every single line include some sort of campy and hilarious 60's lingo. If you've read or seen the play the movie was based on, you know exactly what I mean. The young cast, which could have ruined the movie if they winked at the camera even once, are talented enough to take lines like, "Is this a beach shack or the Malibu branch of the CIA?" and "They look like beatniks...should I unpack my bongos?" and make them sound fresh and funny. Considering most of them probably weren't born until a decade or so after these type of movies came out (yikes), this is pretty impressive. Ambrose is perfect as Florence "Chicklet" Forrest/Ann Bowman, and if Busch (who played the part onstage) had to tutor her at all on how to play it, she picked it up pretty well. Busch has less scenes, but almost steals the movie- he's probably the funniest (and best) drag performer I've seen in a movie since Divine left us to go make heaven flashy. His facial expressions alone made me laugh so hard when I saw it in the theater that I was worried the usher might come over. Fortunately everyone else was laughing just as hard. There's plenty of shockingly raunchy jokes, but somehow the whole movie still seems as innocent and good-natured as if it were rated G. Ok, maybe not G, but you get the idea. Everyone involved in the making of the film obviously loved what they were doing -not only this movie, but also the subject matter that inspired it. A completely fun, clever but brainless, campy movie with an awesome cast, screenplay, wardrobe and soundtrack, perfect from the font used in the opening credits down to the last tiki torches. It's pretty hard for me to think of anyone who this movie wouldn't at least bring a smile to. You don't even need to have seen a Beach Party movie to have a good time-it's not all in-jokey (though those who grew up on those movies will probably notice and appreciate some smaller details more). Even if you have no idea who Annette and Frankie are, as long as have a sense of humor, you should still enjoy it. If you liked Hairspray...well, now that I think of it, most fans of Hairspray probably have already seen the movie. If you liked that movie, if you want to forget about your problems for 90 minutes and have a good time, if you're into surf or just surf music, or 60's movies, or if your favorite cocktail comes in a coconut shell or tiki mug, drop everything and rent this movie now if you haven't seen it yet. You'll have a blast. Dig it?
Rating:
Summary: Fun to the nth degree
Review: A wildly fun and campy satire of the old beach movies popularized by Frankie Avalon, and of the early teen slasher movies. It's not so much about the murder mystery, but rather about the main character who keeps switching personalities. For that alone this movie was worth it! And then there's the homoeroticism, the camp value, and the zippy lines, which all make this movie just great fun.
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