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BLEAK FUTURE REVIEWS
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FANGORIA REVIEW OF BLEAK FUTURE
Reviewed by Logan DeSisto of Fangoria Magazine
The future is not at all bleak for the little sci-fi/comedy/mutant show that could, BLEAK FUTURE. Shot mostly in the deserts of California with a Super-8 camera, the film faced countless problems during production, finally making it to DVD almost 10 years after it was completed. Although the movie was once available on VHS, the disc comes packed to the gills with more special features than accompany most major movies. The feature itself has been color-corrected with a completely new soundtrack added; not only has fresh music been composed, but every line of dialogue was rerecorded by the actors a little over a year ago, as was each sound effect, and it has all been painstakingly matched with the final film. What results is a beautiful, crisp look and sound that gives the impression that BLEAK FUTURE was made last year, not almost a decade ago.
According to the nifty “The Way The World Ended” clips scattered throughout the film, the events of BLEAK FUTURE are not too far off: In the year 2009, world peace was finally realized. Lasting a mere three years, however, the harmony was short-lived. During this time, Earth was revolutionized through countless technological and scientific advancements. Sickness was destroyed and famine eliminated, and a little project called “Pangaea II” began. In an effort to make the planet even closer and more united, measures were taken to unite the continents themselves, making Earth look like it did at the beginning of time. But the project went horribly wrong, causing a nuclear war that wiped out all of civilization as we know it. That date was November 1, 2013.
Some 500 years later, the film follows the adventures of Slangman (Frank Kowal III), a traveling salesman of words and relics from the 21st century. The self-proclaimed smartest man in the world, Slangman is on a tireless search for an oracle of ancient wisdom called The Source, which he believes holds the power to enlighten the world. During his journey, a number of people eventually join him on his quest; a tongueless Scottish warrior (Billy Baldwin lookalike Brad Rockhold), a stupid blonde actress (Wendie Newcomb) and a hippie (Frank’s brother Steven A. Kowal). Their search leads them to the ends of the earth, and pits them against not only crazed mutants, but crazed humans as well.
BLEAK FUTURE is ridiculously fun to watch, and all the actors are so ludicrously over the top that you can’t help but laugh even when they’re just walking around in the desert. The story is extremely well-written, meshing elements of MAD MAX, Monty Python and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS into a surprisingly coherent narrative. The special FX are on par with some major Hollywood productions, with the mutants looking appropriately disgusting. Although most of the makeup is full-face masks, they are astonishingly expressive and able to convey more expressions than the actors themselves. Most importantly, BLEAK FUTURE is a labor of love for everyone involved, and it truly shows in the final product. You can tell that everyone had fun while making it, and because of that the viewer has fun watching it.
The DVD boasts a plethora of special features, including seven behind-the-scenes minifeaturettes, over 500 never-before-released production stills, filmmaker/actor bios and cast and crew commentaries. The featurettes, ranging from the first script read-though to a fun trip to Del Taco, are entertaining while also making it clear just how difficult the lensing actually was. Although there is no question that everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly, we’re also treated to the technical, climactic and vehicle problems the BLEAK FUTURE team had to endure. It rained, cars got stuck in the mud, cameras fried and makeup took what seems like forever to set. But through it all, they remained in good spirits, demonstrating the strength people can exhibit when they’re doing something they love. Included in this section are deleted scenes and bloopers, the latter of which are very funny and worth a watch on their own.
The crew commentary is a gem, reuniting writer/director B. Scott O'Malley, co-producer Marc Campos and makeup FX creator Travis Rindahl, each bringing his own anecdotes and memories to the table. The listener learns so much about the film and the behind-the-scenes shenanigans that one can only develop a deeper affinity for it. O’Malley also proves his intense love for the project, claiming he has been working on it nonstop for the past 10 years and pointing out scenes that were shot specifically for the DVD release. The cast commentary (with the Kowals, Rockhold and Newcomb), however, falls sort of being worth a listen. Filled with long patches of silence and comments that have nothing to do with the movie at hand, the only thing it reveals is just how small the cast really was. (Steven Kowal is in almost every scene in one identity or another.)
Another frustrating factor of this DVD involves the bonus features that the case copy claims are hidden on the disc. They must be hidden really well, because I’ve been looking for the past week and cannot find them for the life of me. Beyond that, however, BLEAK FUTURE is a terrific disc for anyone seeking a fun, unapologetic and insane peek into the centuries ahead.
Buy this awesomely-cheesy no-budget indie cult film, available on our EPIC DVD-9 PACKED WITH TONS OF BONUS MATERIAL AND EXTRA FEATURES for just $14.99! Limited edition! Order while you can!
MJ SIMPSON - of SFX Magazine - Review of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by M.J. Simpson
The DVD of Bleak Future arrives bedecked with praise. “This movie is awesome,” says Aint It Cool News. Well, they say that about almost everything (although to be fair, the entire budget for this film was probably less than some studio publicists spend on promoting crappy blockbusters through Aint It Complete Nonsense).
“The energy and enthusiasm of Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste,” says Nathan Shumate at Cold Fusion Video Reviews. Well, I know Nathan slightly through discussion boards and I find his reviews to be accurate and insightful (and entertaining). I trust this guy’s judgement.
But hey, what’s this third quote? “Funniest sci-fi film in years,” says ‘Mike Simpson, SFX magazine’. What the heck does he know about anything?
Ah, I love DVDs that have quotes from me on the back! And I love even more films which, when rejigged and rejogged for a super-wicko DVD release actually include me in the ‘thank you’s at the end! I do recall reviewing Bleak Future when it was released on VHS in the UK by the old Screen Edge label in 1998. And I did indeed write that quote and, having watched the film again nine years later, I stand by every word of it (all five of ‘em). Bleak Future really is one of the funniest science fiction films of recent years. What is more, I’ll go further. This isn’t just comedy for comedy’s sake, this is actually one of the best post-apocalypse movies ever made.
It’s always tempting with post-apocalypse films to compare them to Mad Max (or Mad Max 2) but two titles jumped into my head while watching the Bleak Future DVD and they refused to go away. If I had to stop writing now and sum this film up in one sentence, I would say: ‘Bleak Future is Beneath the Planet of the Apes meets The Bed Sitting Room.’
But I don’t have to stop writing now. I can go into some detail about why this movie is so damn good.
In a world of ruins and deserts, Slangman (Frank Kowal) wanders across the land. Possessor of a large dictionary, he makes his living by selling definitions of words (I particularly like the idea that the exchangeable currency in this world is batteries). Self-styled ‘most intelligent man in the known world’, Slangman is irritable, self-confident and often exasperated. Searching for the mythical ‘Source’, said to be a repository of knowledge from before the great cataclysm, he gathers around him a small coterie of acolytes. There’s Atlatl (Brad Rockhold), a mute Scottish warrior; Femme (Wendie Newcomb), a bimbo actress; and Brother Alfonze (Steven A Kowal - Frank’s brother) a hippy hermit.
Standing in his way are a range of ‘mutants’ including Doctor Obvious (Rob Cunningham) who also believes himself to be the smartest man in the world; King Malice (played by a guy credited only as Bones) and his mutant court; and the terrible Malathion Man (Tom Johnson) armed with what appears to be highly acidic urine.
As Slangman and co. stumble across the patchy desert towards the Source, we break off occasionally for documentary footage of what happened to the world. An era of unprecedented peace and prosperity led to the development of the Pangaea Project, an attempt to move the planet’s tectonic plates to create one super-continent without countries or borders. The film’s climax is both the end of Slangman’s journey and the culmination of the documentary, the latter explaining the circumstances of the former. In this respect it reminded me of a terrific SF novel I once read, The End of the World News by Anthony Burgess, which used a similar structure but with three narrative strands.
The thing about post apocalypse movies is that, their setting generally being a featureless desert, it’s the characters that make them. And Bleak Future has great characters. It’s a wonderfully restrained film that doesn’t try to go overboard on ‘clever’ dialogue but instead lets us learn about the characters through their reactions to the world around them.
And it’s a marvellously constructed world, a credible, crumbling fin-de-civilisation wilderness which has created its own rules and its own society from the remnants of what was once there. You can believe that there are still actors staging crappy fringe theatre - and that in a world without TV or radio, people might actually watch such stuff. You can equally believe that hordes of insane warriors charge around with swords and sticks. You can believe anything if it’s presented with an intelligent, satirical bent.
When I first saw Bleak Future on that Screen Edge VHS, in those far-off days when ‘DVD’ was still a sexually transmitted infection, it was a rough and ready thing. It was clearly a labour of love. Shot on Super-8, the grainy, sometimes wobbly image looked like a real, grown-up film. There was nothing digital in those days except watches and alarm clocks so you either shot on 16mm if you could afford it or Betacam if you couldn’t. The former looked polished and left you unfairly compared with the 35mm big boys, the latter invariably looked like a wedding video. But there was a grittiness to Bleak Future that marked it out as something special, something that somebody really, really cared about.
Well, God bless Brian O’Malley because he has managed to upgrade Bleak Future into a minor masterpiece - without losing that same rough and ready feel. For three years he used modern technology to make the old film look like it would have done when new if today’s technology had been available back then but had worked like the old technology did when the film was made. D’you see?
The film has been re-edited and digitally doodah-ed; tints and tones have been added; pick-up shots have been filmed in the same locations and seamlessly integrated; the entire dialogue track (so often the achilles heel of enthusiastic low-budget movies) has been recorded with all but one of the original cast looping their own lines. I no longer have that old VHS so I can’t make direct comparisons, not that I need to. The new version of Bleak Future is a thing of beauty - that’s all you need to know.
And what a package on the DVD: literally hundreds of stills, designs, pieces of artwork and publicity materials. Stacks of behind the scenes footage and commentaries which document the incredible story behind the film. The scenes with the stuck truck are priceless. This is one of the best value DVDs I have ever seen, packed with so much stuff it would take you weeks to get through it all. Sometimes a multiplicity of extras masks a shoddy feature but not in this case. On the Bleak Future DVD, the extras complement the feature magnificently, creating an all-round entertainment package that means you may never have to leave your armchair again.
But what of the cast and crew of Bleak Future? Where did life take them after making this film? Frank Kowal was set decorator on some of Steve Oedekerk’s ‘thumb’ spoofs and was production secretary on Roger Corman’s Black Scorpion TV series. Wendie Newcomb worked on the digital effects on Black Scorpion and a few other pictures. Steven A Kowal was a runner on Black Scorpion (I sense a pattern developing here). Producer/co-writer Steve Darancette went on to pen episodes of Krypto the Superdog and Biker Mice from Mars. Most of the cast and crew simply returned to normal life. As for O’Malley himself, he made one more feature, Minimum Wage, and worked for Roger Corman for a while, including a stint as script co-ordinator on, unsurprisingly, Black Scorpion.
In a way, the fact that Bleak Future has not been followed by a string of other indie movies makes this all the more special. O’Malley seems to have dedicated most of his life to Bleak Future in one form or another and it shows, the love shows, the passion shows. I mean, yes, the guy really needs to put this behind him now and get out of the house a bit more, maybe kick a ball about in the yard or something, but you can’t fault his dedication. This is the sort of feature film that you get to make only once, before you realise how much ridiculously hard work is involved - which is ironic because in a sense he has made it twice.
Are you getting the impression that I rate Bleak Future highly? You’re damn right I do. This was one of my favourite films even before O’Malley stuck my name in the end credits. A brilliant piece of fantasy storytelling, a hilarious comedy, a penetrating satire on the human condition - and that’s just the Making Of featurette. The movie itself is all this and more. In fact, this deserves something that I have never handed out in all the years I have been running this website. Brian Scottt O’Malley, I award you...
MJS rating: A+
Buy this awesomely-cheesy no-budget indie cult film, available on our EPIC DVD-9 PACKED WITH TONS OF BONUS MATERIAL AND EXTRA FEATURES for just $14.99! Limited edition! Order while you can!
AINT IT COOL NEWS Review of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by The Mouth
My first piece of rich stuff today is BLEAK FUTURE, a wholly entertaining feature-length post-apocalyptic action comedy directed by B. Scott O'Malley and produced by Steven Darancette. This film is hilarious! Think Six-String Samurai and a Boy and his Dog meets Peter Jackson's Bad Taste by way of Monty Python with dashes of Evil Dead and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy thrown in for flavor.
BLEAK FUTURE begins with the chronicle of the way the word was in the early 2000s, the time right before society as we know it became incredibly close to perfect, before ending tragically. These history lessons are peppered throughout the film, as it is broken up into chapters.
We are quickly introduced to SLANGMAN, our hero. Slangman's purpose is to carry knowledge to those who have none, for a price paid in precious batteries. Whether what he teaches the ignorant, mutated masses is correct or not, only Slangman knows...for he is the most intelligent human alive (as far as he is concerned, anyway.)
A post-apocalyptic moronic Indiana Jones, Slangman collects archaeological fragments of the lost world, such as toilet paper and soda...or was that can really a hand grenade? The most important thing he is looking for is "The Source." The source is the key to unlocking the history of our time, via a golden disc that is brought to our dear Slangman by a mute Scotsman.
Slangman and the Scotsman (named Atlatl by Slangman) carry on an epic journey North, braving Nomads, shantytowns, hippie preachers, mutants, bald women, and the mutant who took Atlatl's tongue...all for the name of THE SOURCE.
This movie is awesome. Shot on Super 8 and digitally transferred to video, I understand that it was shot for a really low budget. This astounds me, because the make-up is superb...mutants come alive in this one with some really great designs that I had never seen before. There's plenty of realistic blood and gore...it would make both Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson very, very happy.
The scenes are shot and framed well, and the action sequences are fast-paced and cut quickly, without ever confusing the audience (something even big-budget movies like Battlefield Earth sometimes fail to do.) Pacing is so important in independent projects. I think that's possibly the first thing that sets a film apart from the rest of it's independent brethren. A lot of different effects are applied to the sky and background throughout the film, really giving the overall feel of a scorched, battered earth.
Also, the music throughout the film, as composed by director B. Scott O'Malley is perfect. It keeps the mood on target without distracting you from the film.
For the life of me, I have no clue why some distribution company has not picked this film up for some sort of distribution. Either theatrically, or at least for video, hell...a good run on Joe Bob Briggs' Monstervision... or something!
DVD VERDICT REVIEW of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by Judge David Johnson
The Charge: Mutants. Damn.
Opening Statement: A 10-year-old low-budget splatter festival finds new life in the digital world. Is this tale of deranged mutants running amok in a post-nuclear holocaust wasteland worth your time?
Facts of the Case
Following a failed attempt to unify the people of Earth into one big happy family, the entire planet goes belly-up in an orgy of nuclear mayhem, leaving behind a barren wasteland. Mutants and eccentric human leftovers commingle in a tenuous peace. Slangman (Frank Kowal) is a traveling salesman and wordsmith, who drops by mutant base camps to pawn off 21st century memorabilia and boast about his ever-expanding knowledge. One day he meets a wandering mute warrior Scotsman (Brad Rockhold), from whom he learns about a mysterious oracle called "the Source." It is there that Slangman sees the opportunity to become the smartest man in the world and the two begin a quest to track down the mythical Source.
Along the way they pick up a dopey blonde actress (Wendie Newcomb) and they encounter a burned-out hippie, some idiot nomads and the sinister, bazooka-wielding Captain Obvious, who wants to beat Slangman to the Source so he can become all-powerful.
The Evidence
There's a lot of stuff working for Bleak Future, and, unfortunately, a couple of big things that work against it.
Because I'm writing this on the day after Thanksgiving and the residual effects of the tryptophan are still coursing through my system, I'll lay out the stuff I like about this movie. First, it's unlike anything I've seen before. Er, maybe that's not entirely accurate as it reflects heavy influences from other films (more on that later), but the way the flick looks and moves, and the over-the-top plot, offers a truly interesting experience.
What you'll notice out of the gate is the film's look, a washed-out grainy visual treatment, often peppered with ridiculously bright pastel colors (especially in the background). This approach gives Bleak Future the appearance, of, well, bleakness, and I actually dig it a lot more than corny video stock, the usual lifeblood of homegrown features like this one. The colors and textures fit the (intentional) cheap, schlocky feel of the movie.
And, ultimately, it is that cheap, schlocky feel, combined with a tireless pace and some half-decent writing that gives Bleak Future some legs. The plot is simple—one man's quest with some weirdos in tow—but the back story is pretty boffo: the unified government decides to blast the continents with satellites and reverse continental drift, creating a new super landmass called New Pangea, which ultimately leads to widespread violence. It's a goofy take on the usual post-apocalyptic theme and the whole radioactive mutant angle allows for some very good makeup and gore work.
The focus zooms in on the exploits of Slangman, Atlatl the Scottish warrior and Femme, the blonde, and these three are responsible for shouldering the majority of the comedy burden. And this is where the film unraveled for me. Atlatl was decent (we all know Scottish dudes are intrinsically funny) and his violent tendencies paid off in over-the-top bloodshed, Femme had the dumb blonde shtick going, well-played by Newcomb, but, frankly, after 20 minutes with Kowal's Slangman, I was prepared to eat a bullet. The guy just lays it on so thick, overacting with such reckless chutzpah I felt like I was back in high school, sitting at the lunch table with the loser kids who reenact scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The performance is among the most grating I've had to endure and it's a no-win situation: if 1) it was purposefully horrid and cheesy it's still horrid and cheesy and not any less bearable 2) if the guy was trying to be funny then what a catastrophic misfire.
And since I mentioned Holy Grail, it is clear that writer/director B. Scott O'Malley was a fan (along with Peter Jackson's Bad Taste, no doubt), as there are many, many moments in the film that ape Python lunacy; I was expecting those guys in the "Nomad" scene to start belting out "Ni!"
So, good makeup, some sharp jokes, lots of energy and a unique look are blighted by an incredibly annoying character and some unflattering knock-offs. Still, if you're in the mood for a Peter Jackson-flavored splatter-comedy wannabe with some good ideas, it might be worth it to give this a whirl.
The full frame and 2.0 stereo track aren't technical marvels but they get the job done (again, that's the way the movie is supposed to look). There are a ton of extras, though: a behind-the-scenes featurette, outtakes, deleted scenes, two commentary tracks (one with the cast, the other with director, producer and makeup artist), over 500 stills, production sketches, bios, a map of the Bleak Future world, technical details and DVD-ROM accessible wallpaper, script, and the MP3 movie soundtrack.
Closing Statement
Bleak Future has some fun moments (the Scottish rampage of carnage in the finale is delectable), but some major irritants keep me from getting too excited about this flick. Great DVD, though.
The Verdict
Not guilty—with reservations.
THE FILM FIEND Review of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by The Film Fiend
B. Scott O'Malley's criminally unseen 1997 sci-fi comedy Bleak Future is, quite frankly, mind-spankingly hilarious. Obscure thespian Frank Kowal stars as Slangman, an uppity wasteland junk peddler who believes himself to be humanity's only hope in the bizarre post-nuclear landscape he calls home. His quest: to venture across the endless desert until he locates The Source, a mythological thingamabob which may or may not contain the holy grail of human knowledge. Along the way, he'll enlist the services of a tongueless savage and a would-be actress of questionable intelligence, as well as all sorts of deranged mutants, beat poets, and bald megalomaniacs. Every single gesture, facial expression, line of campy dialogue, and hideous mutant freak contained within this gloriously over-the-top motion picture is exaggerated to the point of absurdity, turning even the most mundane situations into giddy cinematic bliss. Kowal, of course, is the secret to the film's success; the man's ability to comically distort his face is second to none, recalling those bygone days when Jim Carrey wasn't in it strictly for the paycheck. Bleak Future is as close to brilliant as no-budget sci-fi comedies can get. At any rate, it's a hell of a lot better than The Postman. If you enjoyed Bad Taste, you'll probably die masturbating over this one.
Recipe For Success: Snazzy Make-Up Effects + O'Malley's Tromafied Direction + Dystopia By Way Of Monty Python
In The Future: Egg beaters are very important objects.
MATT STAGG's Review of BLEAK FUTURE for Skullring.org
Reviewed by Matt Staggs
Whenever I receive a screener to watch from Cinema Epoch, I know that I’m going to be in for something different: usually some kind of genre bending freak-out masterpiece that’s going to stick in my brain like chunky peanut butter and never, ever leave. The latest in this line of whacked-out masterpieces is “Bleak Future”, a gleefully insane take on one of my favorite genres: post apocalyptic sci-fi.
The fevered brainchild of Roger Corman protégé Brian S. O’Malley, “Bleak Future” is the epic tale of self-styled “Smartest Man in the Known World” Slangman – a salesman of marginally useful knowledge and useless 21st century knick-knacks - and his sidekicks, Atlatl the mute Scottish highland warrior and Femme the painfully stupid bimbo actress, as they search the searing post-nuclear wasteland of the 21st century in search of “The Source”, a repository of ancient wisdom.
“Bleak Future” plays havoc with the standards of post-apocalyptic cinema, simultaneously skewering and celebrating them in a spirit akin to the treatment King Arthur and his bunch received “Monty Python’s Holy Grail”. Everything from “Mad Max” to “Thundarr the Barbarian” (“Ariel, Ookla – Ride!”) gets a comedic nod, and even if they’re handled roughly at times it’s only because they’re so obviously well-loved by the film’s creators.
Although “Bleak Future” is a low-budget movie, the visual effects are anything but shabby. Designer Travis Rindahl conjured up a fantastic collection of mutants for this picture, with appearances that range from laugh out loud funny to downright unsettling.
“Bleak Future” is the movie that midnight screenings were invented for, and if you’re looking for something that can simultaneously gross you out and tickle your funny bone you may want to check this one out.
See, I told you so. back to top
Buy this awesomely-cheesy no-budget indie cult film, available on our EPIC DVD-9 PACKED WITH TONS OF BONUS MATERIAL AND EXTRA FEATURES for just $14.99! Limited edition! Order while you can!
FILM FAN ADDICT Review of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by David Carter
Though there are many films that deal with life after the apocalypse, they almost always have the same vision of the future. Post-apocalyptic cinema started in earnest in the 1950s, and with the spectre of nuclear annihilation hanging over the world’s head practically all films dealing with the subject have used atomic destruction as a central theme. George Miller’s MAD MAX set the tone for latter 20th century post-apocalyptic cinema as evidenced by the fact that the future is most often depicted as a wasteland scattered with relics of the past civilization. In 1997 young filmmaker B. Scott O'Malley put a comedic spin on the dystopian future in his cult film BLEAK FUTURE.
Starting in 2009, the world began down a path to peace that led to global unification in 2012. The peace was short-lived, however, and a nuclear war completely destroyed the majority of life on the planet, save for small pockets of humans and a large number of mutants. It’s in this world that Slangman, self-proclaimed World’s Smartest Man, makes a living selling his knowledge and the few artifacts of the past he finds. Slangman is hunting for “The Source,” a place he believes holds all of the past world’s knowledge. A mute Scotsman he dubs “Atlatl” offers to guide him to The Source and protect him from the hordes of mutants in their way. Along the way the pair picks up a ditzy actress named Femme and run into a strange hippie who warns Slangman that finding The Source will mean destruction. As the motley crew draws closer, they find that they aren’t the only ones searching for The Source and they have a fight on their hands when they finally reach it.
BLEAK FUTURE positions itself as an offbeat comedy in the style of Monty Python or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It doesn’t live up to that high standard, but it is pretty funny for a low budget sci-fi comedy. Other elements of the film far outshine the comedy, however, particularly the well done and interesting plot. The short sequences from a historical filmstrip inserted at various points are the film’s bright spot; these display an intelligent humor that is usually non-existent in indie comedies. Especially of note though are BLEAK FUTURE’s special effects. The mutant make-up effects are not only better than the average low budget film, but I’d go as far to say that they are comparable to most Hollywood productions. The effects are so good that they have the added benefit of making the entire production seem to be of a higher quality by association.
Cinema Epoch has brought BLEAK FUTURE to DVD on one of the most impressive discs in recent memory. Cast and crew reunited to rerecord the entire dialogue of the film and the print has been color corrected and improved from the initial release. In addition to the technical improvements to the film, there are several hours worth of bonus material on the DVD and several DVD-Rom features. Fans of the film will want to take the time to check out the deleted scenes and outtakes, which have the same brand of humor as in the feature. The disc boasts what is probably a record eight subtitle options, including Pig Latin which makes for an interesting viewing experience.
BLEAK FUTURE seems to be tailor made to become a cult hit on DVD. Somewhat similar to the acclaimed indie film SIX STRING SAMURAI, BLEAK FUTURE actually predates that film, though it received far less attention. If you’re a fan of indie comedies it’s definitely worth a look. As with most cult films, you’ll either love it or hate it, but it seems likely that film will appeal to a large segment of science fiction audience.
DVD TALK Review of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by Bill Gibron
The Product:
As a generic rule of thumb, certain things just don't mix. One of the most obvious examples is science fiction and comedy. It just won't take. Make light of a light year or jest about a supernova, and audiences abandon ship for the safety and security of a genre that won't offend them. For a long time, media minds respected the volatile nature of basting outer space with slapstick and kept the futuristic funnies to Spock's cocked eyebrow. Big screen attempts have also been shoddy. Fan favorite Spaceballs may be someone's idea of manna from a meteor shower, but for most the spoof is nothing new in the Mel Brooks canon, more Borscht than asteroid belt. Luckily, B. Scott O'Malley never listened to this ridiculous motion picture maxim. If he had, we wouldn't be blessed with the wonderfully engaging, thoroughly hilarious end of the world nuttiness known as Bleak Future. Like George Miller mashed with Peter Jackson, this satirical shape of things to come is one of the oddest, most endearing entertainments to come out of the outsider arena in quite a while. It's a gangly geek fest just waiting for the right collection of nerf herders to embrace its cool cult craziness.
The Plot:
The world has been devastated by science gone squirrelly and a ragtag group of survivors have reimagined society as a series of tribes. On one side are the mutants, individuals horribly twisted by the effects of radiation. On the other are some half-witted humans who the fiends frequently use as slave labor. Among them walks Slangman, the smartest individual in the known world. Selling his word knowledge (read: a dictionary) for the only valuable monetary unit in this desolate wasteland – batteries – Slangman spends his days looking for "The Source". He believes that, upon finding it, he can restore the planet to its former glory. On his journey, he meets up with a tongue-less man who he names Atlatl. He acts as a bodyguard of sorts for Slangman. After visiting one of the desert's many poetry slam coffee shops, our hero falls for a stupid blonde bimbo named Femme. He buys her, and then soon regrets the decision. As the band travels North, deep into mutant territory, they meet up with Brother Alfonse, and a group of angry ogres lead by The Malathion Man. In the end, however, it is Dr. Oblivious who holds the key to Slangman's success. He knows the location of the desired "Source", but refuses to divulge the secret in fear of destroying the world all over again. But Slangman will not be sated. He will continue on his quest to save the planet from the Bleak Future that appears to be its doomed destiny.
The DVD:
Good golly Miss Molly just what kind of mind bending peyote based hallucinogens are B. Scott O'Malley and his filmmaking pals actually on? If the brain draining brilliance of Bleak Future is any indication of their opiate saturated state, these people are the indie equivalent of Timothy Leary. It is hard to describe this surreal sci-fi stunner, a piece of potent post-apocalyptic anarchy fashioned after the famous funny business of legendary laugh makers such as Monty Python, The Kids in the Hall, and Douglas Adams. Bleak Future is simultaneously smart and stupid, realistic and retarded, inspired and insipid, wholly original and a complete and utter rip off. It borrows liberally from such future shock spectacles as the Mad Max movies, A Boy and His Dog and A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, starting out as a solid spoof of your standard speculative fiction before becoming a frighteningly inventive take on humanity, horror and the universal lack of Armageddon coping skills. Offering up a believable premise, set of sensationally realized characters, and a directing style that cribs from the likes of Kubrick and Lucas, Raimi and Tarantino, O'Malley and his mates have made a true kitsch classic – the kind of movie that 'Netwads will go nutzoid over for decades to come.
One of the most remarkable things about this potty production is how O'Malley manages to overcome the hopelessly homemade traits of both his art direction and his cinematic standards. This is no-budget wind-up camera creativity at its most mesmerizing. By actually embracing the less than professional elements that result from using lousy film stock, limited lens selections and amateurish actors, Bleak Future finds its own unique aesthetic – and then it just grinds that groove right down into the ground, beating it like a deranged dead horse over and over again. Any attempt at finding a hidden deeper meaning or a sensible social commentary is absolutely hopeless here. When you are dealing with mutants who have little slobbering heads hanging off of their faces, when boring beat poetry is the entertainment standard for a post-nuclear annihilation society, when a dictionary is worth more than a single human life, any inherent missive statement gets a little lost in the psychotic shuffle. By amplifying his heroes histrionics and vaulting his villains' idiosyncrasies, O'Malley - along with co-writer Steven Darancette - delights in playing with our post-modern motion picture expectations. How else would you defend a hero whose a hopeless wuss, or a bad guy who bargains about as badly as an American tourist in a foreign flea market.
But there's much more to this movie than lofty goals and grandiose ideals. Relying on some very realistic make-up effects, Bleak Future has some stellar moments of massive arterial spray. Yes, gorehounds will lap up the excess of grue put up on the screen, as mutant heads are cleaved in half and swords carve limbs cleanly from unsuspecting bodies. Even more impressive, O'Malley's men do a great job of giving the creatures a clever, distinctive look. Sure, sometimes we can see the "zipper" and more than a few faces look like well done Halloween masks, but all this does is make the movie that much more endearing. Special kudos must also be given to several members of the cast. Frank Kowal's Slangman is hilariously arrogant, given to fits of foolish pride even as a bazooka is trained on his behind. As his mute kilt-wearing survivalist pal Atlatl, Brad Rockhold gives a great silent comedic performance. Other standouts include Tom Johnson as Malathion Man, Rob Cunningham as Dr. Obvious and someone named Bones as Shithead the Nomad. Sure, some of the jokes land with a burned out wasteland thud and the finale takes a little long to wrap up its varying narrative threads, but these are minor quibbles for what is a thoroughly entertaining end of the world romp. While the future pictured here may be bleak, the outlook is bright for O'Malley and his merry band of peculiar pranksters.
The Video:
Again, it must be said that the image provided for Bleak Future is a great big grainy mess. Thanks to the advances that digital remastering has made in the last few years, a lot can be done with a scrappy little Super 8 muddle like this movie. Luckily, the picture offered by Cinema Epoch (via Koch Vision) is a 1.33:1 full screen delight. Color corrected and enhanced to maximize contrasts, the gray-speckled visuals are charming in a real retro reject kind of way. The technical techniques employed by O'Malley and his mates really give the compositions a considered gloss of schlock. It definitely provides the movie its own funky, junky feel.
The Audio:
Equally impressive is the new Dolby Digital Stereo mix manufactured exclusively for this new DVD release. Bleak Futures history is one loaded with technological challenges, and many viewers felt the original Super 8 recording strip was tinny and atonal. By replacing almost all the audio, including sound effects and dialogue, we are blessed with a real sense of cinematic ambience. It also adds a goofy b-movie vibe to the entire presentation.
The Extras:
Cinema Epoch really outdoes themselves here, piling on the bonus features to the point where the DVD actually feels overloaded. We begin with a pair of audio commentaries, one featuring O'Malley and a couple of crewmembers, the other offering up several of the movie's many day players. Of the two, O'Malley's is the best. It offers the most information on the film's problematic production, and highlights the horrors that face many independent filmmakers. The actors are fun to listen to as well, though their discussion tends to be more a trip down memory lane than a daily diary of a movie shoot. Equally engaging are the numerous featurettes, many recorded during the making of Bleak Future. They act as our window into the troubled world of this otherwise excellent effort. We see a day completely ruined by rain, the extension work required to execute the special effects, and a collection of deleted scenes and outtakes. Add in an amazing set of galleries featuring over 500 stills, bios and filmographies, and an interactive map of the "known world" and you just begin to breach the surface of this title's contextual treasures. From a pure product consideration, this DVD is one terrifically tricked out treat.
Final Thoughts:
Mindset is the most important element to consider when one comes to Bleak Future. If you are super serious in your love of science fiction, if you believe the genre allows for the ultimate discussion between man, nature and the mysteries of the cosmos, you should spend your time trying to channel the remnants of Carl Sagan and leave this deranged DVD alone. If, however, you can cotton to a buffoonish brave new world loaded with more funny stuff than forecasts of mankind's destiny, then by all means, give this arcane speculative slapstick a try. Highly Recommended for its nutty narrative, intriguing ideas and overall digital packaging, Bleak Future proves that incredibly inventive material can come in the most minor of moviemaking packages. Everyone thinks that all it takes to make a film is a camera, a crew, and a cast. But B. Scott O'Malley's madcap masterwork argues that talent trumps all potential technical expertise. You do actually need a little inspiration to get something as silly as this wicked weirdness to work. Without it, you're just another outsider looking in.
Buy this awesomely-cheesy no-budget indie cult film, available on our EPIC DVD-9 PACKED WITH TONS OF BONUS MATERIAL AND EXTRA FEATURES for just $14.99! Limited edition! Order while you can!
COLD FUSION VIDEO Review of BLEAK FUTURE link
Reviewed by Nathan Shumate
This movie is further support for my friend Chris’ thesis, which I’ve mentioned several time around this site: The premise for any movie can be turned into a comedy by putting the words “Wackiness ensues when…” at the start. Despite that, post-apocalyptic comedies are few and far between; in fact, the only other ones I can think of offhand are Hell Comes to Frogtown (more of a tongue-in-cheek action/adventure than a pure comedy) and Six-String Samurai. (I’m speaking, obviously, of intentionally humorous movies, not movies so pathetic and piss-poor that they can inspire nothing but derisive laughter. There’s no shortage of the latter.)
I think the main reason for this is that comedy is what happens to other people. Everything from a banana peel-induced pratfall to a first visit with a fiancee’s parents is funny only if you aren’t currently sharing that situation. Put a person in traction, or schedule a trip to the intended’s home for the coming weekend, and suddenly the comedy loses its yuks. Comedy isn’t funny when it’s us.
And during the main boom of post-apocalytic adventure movies in mid-’80s, it WAS us. The threat of mutually-assured destruction was keeping many an American awake at night. No one would have been able to see the funny side of it, because during the days of nuclear brinksmanship, there WAS no funny side to it. (Come for the movie reviews; stay for the psychoanalysis of Western culture!)
And by the time the Soviet crumbled and foreign relations weren’t based on a philosophy of perfectly balanced antagonism, the trend had passed. The glut of bottom-scraping post-apoc adventures at the local video store had buried any innovation in the subgenre, as well as all viewer enthusiasm. The field was too played out to sustain a parodic or satirical version. People by and large just weren’t interested anymore.
But fans eagerly go where the general populace fears to tread (or simply doesn’t want to), which means that eventually there would necessarily be at least a couple of comedic takes on the tropes and cliches of the genre.
The protagonist of Bleak Future goes by the name of Slangman (Frank Kowal), a bearded and bespectacled wanderer in a world that greatly resembles Death Valley. Actually, rather than a wanderer, he’s more of a traveling salesman — but what he’s selling is information! He has, to the best of his (and anyone else’s) knowledge, the last book in existence: a dictionary. And for a price (usually measured in batteries or some other commodities), he’ll tell you what a word means. Granted, it’s usually a word he’s used just to fish for customers, but hey, you gotta create a market, right? He supplements that with other found objects for sale: egg beaters, Pepsi cans, etc.
When one local mutant lord (with an extra face growing out the side of his head) makes the obvious leap — that he ought to just get his hands on the book, instead of dealing with the middle man — Slangman find himself on the receiving end of a mutant ass-whupping, and the only thing that saves him is –
– a mute Scotsman (Brad Rockhold). How could you dislike any movie with a mute Scotsman sidekick?
Said Scotsman, after whupping the whuppers, gives Slangman a valuable artifact: A beat-up golden CD. Slangman instantly recognizes it as coming from The Source, the fabled library and repository of all pre-apocalypse knowledge. And being something of a knowledge-worshipper (all right, he’s a knowledge geek), he immediately sets out northward to find the source of the CD, with the grunting Scotsman in tow. (He dubs the Scotsman “Atlatl,” after his proficiency with spears. Never let a pseudo-intellectual name a Scot.)
Their journey takes them through the homes of hostile tribes, as tradition dictates. Well, “hostile” may not be the word for it. The only people they encounter are “nomads” that don’t appear to travel anywhere; they just stand around wearing cloth-paper cleansuits, speaking in fake Cockney accents and acting grotesquely stupid. But that’s okay, because Slangman and Atlatl’s true danger is behind them: a black-clad mutant, Atlatl’s former master, who wants the golden CD. (Boy, wouldn’t they all be surprised if it just turned out to be a home-burned collection of alternative MP3s or a warez copy of PhotoShop?)
Also following in tradition’s footsteps, they find themselves at the only commercial establishment to be surviving in the wasteland. That’s right. A bar. And there, Slangman beholds a vision of loveliness — a blonde airhead named Femme (Wendie Newcomb) performing on stage in a little two-woman dramatic scene that lacks the thespian merits of a preschool graduation. (I’ve been to a preschool graduation recently. I know.) But blind to her inadequacies, he purchases her from her partner for a Twinkie. (Go ahead. Tell me you wouldn’t trade just about anything for the last Twinkie in the world.) She’s kinda like “Whatever” about the arrangement, which really isn’t bad as slavery goes; he really just wants to admire her and stuff.
Until he discovers that the blonde hair is a wig. Then he’s repulsed by her. Atlatl, on the other hand, gets a sudden case of the hots. Such is love in the post-atomic world.
Things get increasingly surreal as the movie goes on. Part of it is a direct outgrowth of technical limitations; the Super 8 filmstock on which the movie was shot varies wildly in hue. The sound, while always (mercifully) audible, also varies, with some scenes sounding like they were recorded on a wax cylinder.
But that’s nothing compared with what the plot does. Along with their increasingly strange interpersonal squabbles, the threesome also encounters a beatnik holy man (Steven Kowal) who knows all about their quest and warns them in the strongest possible stoner terms against seeking The Source. Also on the trail of The Source is Dr. Obvious (Rob Cunningham), a zoosuited mastermind with an… um… interesting haircut. Don’t forget that mutant on their tail, either. Eventually, it all comes down to a whole lotta violence, and Slangman in latex lingerie.
I’m not the only reviewer to be reminded of Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste, not just because of the low budget, but because of the energy and enthusiasm on the part of both cast and crew that shines through the technical limitations. Not that Bleak Future is nearly as memorably extreme as Bad Taste, but I’d like to think that the people who fell in love with Peter Jackson before Dead Alive and later films brought him into the international spotlight would also see a lot to appreciate in Bleak Future despite the technical demerits.
Which leads me to one of those ambiguous, inconclusive conclusions. (And I don’t even have the excuse of being a post-modernist.) I enjoyed this movie. I understand, though, that a lot of people wouldn’t. And I do have to admit that, in the inevitable comparison between Bleak Future and Six-String Samurai, the latter is clearly the superior movie, both in inspired premise and in technical execution. But if you a) have seen plenty of post-apocalyptic movies, b) have enjoyed those movies, and c) have enjoyed making fun of those movies, you’ll probably be able to see and appreciate the merits of Bleak Future.
August 2006 Update: Brian O’Malley has recently put together a fully-loaded DVD for Bleak Future, and brother, it’s entirely worth it; I try to review movies with a presentation-blind mindset, but the improvements here minimized my complaints and accentuated the pleasure of the viewing experience. The footage has been color-corrected (within reason — it’s still Super-8 film stock, which is part of its charm; I updated the screencaps above from the DVD), and the dialogue track was re-recorded in its entirety, with the complete original cast (less one) returning to voice their parts. Plus two commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, photo galleries, production diary, the entire shooting script, and MP3s of the full soundtrack… And a back-cover quote from yours truly. Available only from Anarchy 101, and you won’t regret it.
Some Notable Totables:
- body count: 19
- breasts: 0
- explosions: 2 (plus 6 in stock footage)
- dream sequences: 1
- ominous thunderstorms: 0
- actors who’ve appeared on Star Trek: 0
Buy this awesomely-cheesy no-budget indie cult film, available on our EPIC DVD-9 PACKED WITH TONS OF BONUS MATERIAL AND EXTRA FEATURES for just $14.99! Limited edition! Order while you can!
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