A few notable top film lists - Bottom of the Barrel Approved!

I'm usually not all for these lists that appear online picking the top films in a certain category; half the time the person writing the list really don't know what they are talking about. Only the IMDB Bottom 100 has provided one of the more decent lists in recent memory. But there has been a few lists appearing online that are worth checking, especially if you read this site regularly:

Wired compiled a list of exploitation flicks in time for the release of Machete in theatres, referencing some great titles like Lady Terminator, Death Wish 3, and The Car. The list can be read at http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/09/exploitation-movies/?intcid=postnav.

When the low budget horror Chain Letter was released, MSN Online provided a surprisingly entertaining list called the "Dumbest Horror Movie Plot", which includes a Bottom of the Barrel favourite Jack Frost. This list can be found at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39386825/.

Finally, film critic Michael Adams posted an article at Rotten Tomatoes of films so bad you cannot miss. This list, which came to fruition during the writing of his new book Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies: A Film Critic's Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made, contains a few golden standards as well as a few hidden gems. The list can be found at http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/showgirls/news/1868670/25_movies_so_bad_theyre_unmissable.

If there is another list worth checking out, strike back below with a link!

The B-Movie Title Generator

The Grasping Snake Trees From The Abyss
Revenge Of The Over-Animals From Earth
Voyage Of The Ice-Cream Horror From The Sky
It's The Possessed Vindictive Dwarf Swarm
The Scary Bloated Sexist Sheep From Darkest Africa
Son Of The Chocolate Trees
The Mammoth Aqua-Ooze
Tomb Of The Levitating Force Amoeba From The Phantom Zone

What do these all have in common? There were all created by the B-Movie Title Generator.

It's minutes of hilarious entertainment at the click of a button. See more at gandronics.com/bmovie

Finally! An educational forum for b-movies!

It's been a long time coming, but someone actually had the balls to run lectures around b-movies. Toronto's resident cinematic enfant terrible, Chris Alexander, has been running a film series called Film School Confidential, which is in essence a master class on b-movies. So far he's presented us with such classics as Horror Express, Lifeforce, Shriek of the Mutilated, and many other hidden gems. Think of it as wine tasting for b-movie lovers.

Here's a promo for the series, which started November 2009:


The film series runs every month at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto. More information can be found on Chris Alexander's website.

Know of any other b-movie lectures or film series that deserve mention? Let us know in the comments below.

Roger Corman interview on Rue Morgue Radio

You may remember my tribute to the great Roger Corman from back in September last year. It turns out Rue Morgue felt the same way about him and conducted a fantastic two-part interview with him on their weekly podcast Rue Morgue Radio. You can now find them in their archive at http://ruemorgueradio.com/?a=archives; Part 1 is on December 4th, 2009, Part 2 is on January 8th, 2010. If you're not convinced Roger Corman is a great man, interview ought to do it. Enjoy!

B.O.B. XMAS BUYER'S GUIDE 2009

Another year, another lovely mucky Christmas; time for another stupid buyer's guide! Here's a quick list for 2009:


Night of the Creeps have finally made their way to DVD. Many fans have been clamoring for this title for a long time now, so this should be on the top of your list.


Also finally making its way to DVD is Howard the Duck. For some reason, George Lucas decided not to revisit this film with some additional scenes and new special effects.


Less of a b-movie and more of a cool little flick, Hardware is another long sought out title that finally made its way to DVD. This hidden gem will leave you pleasantly surprised.


Finally, the coolest thing to get this year is Portable Grindhouse, a book about some of the greatest VHS art in history. Any b-movie lover knows that box art is how these films get discovered, so this should be high atop your list of purchases for 2009!

Have a mucky Christmas and bring on the new year!

The Toxic Avenger: The Musical

This is pretty wild! Following in the footsteps of Evil Dead, The Toxic Avenger has been transformed into a musical! Currently playing off-Broadway in New York, the musical has contains such catchy melodies as Kick Your Ass, Hot Toxic Love, Bitch/Slut/Liar/Whore, and You Tore My Heart Out. It is written by Joe DiPietro, its music by David Bryan, and both created the lyrics.

The nice thing about this is it has been receiving favourable reviews, and as result plans to tour across the continent, possibly hitting a town near you. No word yet on when the cast recording will be available, but you better believe that now it has become a surprise musical hit we'll be seeing a release soon! Follow this link to learn more about the show, including how to buy tickets.

Now that we've seen Evil Dead and Toxic Avenger turned into a broadway musical, what other b-movies would you like to see become a musical? Here are my picks:

• Tammy and the T-Rex


• Silent Night, Deadly Night (1 and 2)


• Motel Hell


• Troll 2


• Ricki-Oh: Story of Ricky

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the next great b-musical in the comments below.

B.O.B. XMAS BUYER'S GUIDE 2008

Christmas is coming fast, and I bet you haven't found a gift for that special someone yet. Don't fret, because Bottom of the Barrel is here to help. And we're gonna make it easy for you this year, for there is only one thing you should be getting this year:


The new 20th Anniversary DVD set of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 was released only a couple of months ago, and is really the only set that should be on your radar this year. It comes with with the four most requested episodes, an oral history of MST3K, a comic-con reunion, lobby cards, and best of all a Crow T. Robot figurine! This is a limited edition set that may sell out soon so get it while you can.


Looking for something else? Here's your stocking stuffer: the Horrified B-Movie Victims action figurine set. A set of minature figures of people running for their dear lives, you provide whatever horror it is they are running from: Godzilla, a teddy bear, a Transformer, a picture of your mother, whatever your sick heart desires. It's a fun, useless gift idea for the b-movie lover in your family.

Enjoy your nog!

Now Joel’s got a thing

On the last Compost Heap we told you about Rifftrax, a new MST3K-like website from alumni Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett. I’m sure many of you wondered after reading that whatever happened to series creator and original host Joel Hodgson. Literally days after reporting on Rifftrax came an announcement on Joel’s website where he too was starting up his own riffing series, also featuring other MST3K alumni. The result is Cinematic Titanic.


It’s still pretty new but you can already purchase a DVD with their hilarious commentary, an unknown b-flick called The Oozing Skull, as well as sign up for an email newsletter for any updates. And the crew is also available for parties!

So between this and Rifftrax, MST3K fans have more than enough options to fill the void left by the series. What else could you possibly one?

MST3k in the Digital Age

The hilarious minds behind the influential Mystery Science Theatre 3000 are at it again, although this time they’re not riffing on old public domain b-movies, they’re riffing on Hollywood!:


Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett of MST3k fame are geniuses! Why? Because they have started Rifftrax! This is a brilliant idea: these guys are now providing their hilarious commentary for mainstream Hollywood movies! Some of the movies they riff on include Spider-Man, Star Wars Episode II, Terminator 3 and Glitter, plus many more. What you do is pay a small fee to download an MP3 of their commentary. Then, just pop your own copy of the movie into your DVD player, sync the MP3 with the movie, sit back and laugh your ass off! This is taking MST3k to a whole new level and is exactly what us fans of the show needed to fill the void! It is an amazing idea, and kudos to the former MST3k gang for coming up with it! And for those that can’t justify buying an MP3, don’t worry it’s worth the cost.

Are you wishing you had more Mystery Science Theatre 3000 in your life? Rifftrax will solve that. Make sure to check it out!

Another Childhood Ruined

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the new theme song for the live-action big-budget adaptation of Transformers, performed by some unknown Linkin Park knock off. This is legitimate so brace yourself:



Pretty painful, isn’t it? It’s okay, you can cry if you want, no one will judge you. If that isn’t a sign of things to come I don’t know what is...

Uwe Boll is a Dick!

Here at Bottom of the Barrel, we love it when people make an ass out of themselves, especially film directors who deserve to be made into an ass. Take everyone’s favourite incompetent director Uwe Boll. As it turns out, he’s angry. He’s very angry. So angry, in fact, that he’s taking it out on his detractors. You see, Uwe works really hard on each of his films, and he loathes it when he reads those scathing reviews of his work. Seriously, though, put yourself in his position: a creative genius like yourself pouring all your energy into a kick-ass adaptation of a hit videogame (or so you think), pumping hours and hours into the writing and the production, compiling your masterpiece and finally releasing it to the public, and just when you think you’ve reached that pinnacle of cinematic triumph, your film gets the most negative reviews known to man, reviews so damaging it actually hurts to read them. Admittedly, you’d be pissed too. So, what does a man like Uwe Boll do when he received countless amounts of slack from scrawny film reviewers? Simple; He picks a fight with them.

Uwe Boll had a brilliant idea: invite his most caustic critics to a boxing match. He realizes that if they hate his films so much they might as well take it out on him. Of course, it has to be a fair fight, as in he has to be able to beat them, which is why he seems to have picked the smaller, skinnier fighters and avoid the ones that could potentially put up a fight. He cowardly knocks these inexperienced fighters to their asses, feeling that he gave them a fair chance to get back at him for wasting so many hours of their life watching his films, then goes back to making more cinematic shit. Instead of embracing his crappiness, he fights for respect. Maybe the reviewers were not exactly the brightest people for accepting the challenge (at least Chris Alexander of Rue Morgue was smart enough to know how ridiculous this event was and went along for the ride, adding his own hilarious seasoning to it), but seriously, what was Boll hoping to achieve with this challenge? Did he really want to get back at his critics? Was he desperate to find more funding for his films? Or did he just want to show the world what kind of untalented dick he really is? You decide by watching a video of one of the fights below:



Hey Uwe, wanna fight?