Cult films do not arise from strategic marketing or a Producers like plan to make a movie bad enough that investors would never have to be paid back. The best of the worst come from sincere attempts by the artistically inept who at times manage to bring about a cinematic sense of wonder and amazement such as the likes of Spielberg,Lucas,Peter Jackson and M. Knight Shyamalan-the only difference being that folks tend to say "What?" rather than "Whoa!"
The newest heir to the movie mediocrity throne is Birdemic:Shock and Terror,a "romantic thriller"(according to the director)with a standard love story you'd find in a typical Hollywood film right down to the bad acting that gets caught up in a wave of violent attacks by our suddenly ferocious feathered friends. If this sounds like a certain Hitchcock classic to you,you're not entirely wrong but did that movie have a cool theme song like Birdemic? I think not!:
Birdemic is the bizarre brainchild of James Nguyen,who worked on this movie for about four years and even tried to get it accepted at the Sundance film festival. It wound up being screened elsewhere and gaining a huge audience that spread the good word on just how bad it was.
The movie has been getting quite a bit of media buzz lately,with the likes of Awesome Show's Tim and Eric being major fans of Birdemic(they hosted a special screening of the film in Austin) as well as write-ups in the New York Times,Time Out New York,USA Today,Entertainment Weekly and even an ABC World News Tonight segment.
Things are certainly looking up for Nguyen,who has gone from a ten thousand dollar budget for Birdemic to a million dollar one for his next project charmingly titled "Peephole:The Perverted". He could be the Ed Wood of the millennium,folks-don't say I didn't warn you:
I have not been fortunate enough to experience Birdemic in any theater near me,but it is on my Saved list at Netflix. The movie was brought by Severin Films who plan to release it in a new DVD edition(the previous one from Moviehead Pictures is no longer available). I hope that the wait isn't too long because there are some questions about Birdemic that need answering,like why are eagles and vultures the only birds attacking everyone and is bottled water and cheese really the best items to stock up on as your group is on the run from flocks of deadly fake flying fiends?:
They say that genre films can reflect the times they were made in and that holds true for the top as well as the bottom of the barrel. Birdemic may just be the cult movie flavor of the month or the freshest trend setter on the block destined to pave the way for other hopeless movie making hopefuls. One thing is for certain;thanks to Birdemic,wire coat hangers are not just a Joan Crawford joke anymore:
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