In recent years , the world of modern cinema has consistantly become much more superficial, and seemingly terrified of allowing audiences to think for themselves. It seems that our once cherished movie screens have been overrun by shallow feelgood whimsical romantic comedies , and creatively devoid hundred million dollar event movies. Cinema has become so homogenised that it is unlikely that social commentary will ever play a major part in the filmmaking process again. Studios these days are unwilling to risk offending any section of the moviegoing public by producing groundbreaking films like 'Taxi Driver' ,'Deliverance', 'Dawn of the Dead' , or 'Straw Dogs'.... Movies that gave audiences not only entertainment, but gave them something they could take home with them, something to give the grey matter a workout. Ironically the only studio that actively includes social commentary in their films is Troma, an independant studio who's films are usually dismissed as stupid and/or crude by so-called educated critics. Their productions, and movies they've picked up for distribution regularly have a lot more intelligent social commentary than your average inoffensive Oscar winner.
Take 'Bloodsucking Freaks' for example , a film that has been most unfairly criticised by many as being among the worst ever made. Director Joel M. Reed created a highly intelligent satire lampooning the arts community. Sardu, the master of the Theatre Macabre performs Grand Guignol style shows for terminally hip art-crowd audiences. What the audience doesn't know however, is that he's really killing these innocent young girls on stage. The whole movie is a statement about the line between art and excrement being an extremely thin one. Sardu even tells us at one stage that sadism alone only leads to imprisonment. But when it is mixed with a little story, and some ballet, he is hailed as an artist. Critics who blasted 'Bloodsucking Freaks' obviously missed the point entirely.
'Combat Shock' is a bleak look at the life of a Vietnam veteran , and possibly the most depressing movie ever made. Hollywood would never take a chance on depressing people these days unless the movie ended happily ever after. It is a snapshot of a veteran on the skids, and certainly a much more realistic look at the Vietnam experience than most movies I've seen based on the conflict. For years Hollywood gave us ridiculously implausable takes on the subject through movies like 'Missing in Action' , and 'First Blood' ....not to mention their even more lame sequels. 'Combat Shock' also tackled the subject of heroin addiction years before 'Trainspotting'.
'Class of Nuk'em High' was a very prophetic look at events which would later transpire in schools across America. In the movie, some honor students are exposed to radiation and are transformed into mutants who terrorise their classmates. This is similar in many ways to events at Columbine, and other schools accross the U.S. 'Class of Nuke'em High' was very much an allegory about feelings of alienation, discontent, and a failure to fit in. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for this movies popularity among angry loners all over the globe.
'The New Gladiators' , directed by the late great Lucio Fulci is also a prophetic film. It is set in the future, where a deathsport called 'Killbike' is the highest rating show on television. This movie is more relevant now than ever, with societies current obsession with reality television. It really isn't much of a step from 'Survivor' to watching gladiators duel on motorcycles. 'Mothers Day' is another Troma movie that takes a dig at our obsession with television. It's about a family of backwoods hicks who have learn't everything they know from the tube. Needless to say, they treat visitors to their backwoods hideaway in an excessively violent way....just like on t.v.
And lastly , 'Terror Firmer' is a celebration of truly independant cinema, and also a swipe at the overcommercialised mainstream film industry. The Steven Speilberg loving killers motive is to shut down the Troma production to save family values, but if the killer is an example of good family values, we can only deduce that sacharine coated Hollywood fare is detrimental to our own well being. Generally Hollywood movies promote false sets of values, a false sense of self worth, and a highly unrealistic measure of who is a success in life, and who is a failure. Mainstream cinema can only serve to produce more deranged individuals like the one in 'Terror Firmer'. Perhaps I've been looking too deeply into these Troma classics, but at least they have inspired me to look below the surface, unlike your average blockbuster event movie that invariably leaves you feeling cheated.