Matt Mitler Movies

An unscrupulous stand up comedian attempts to claw his way to the top pf the game in this tragic-comic tale of backstabbing and butt-kissing. Danny Gold is an aspiring stand up comic whose overactive aggression drives him to crush anyone who appears to be standing in the way of his success, but when you make so many enemies on the way to the top what happens when there's no place to go but down? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Although it took eight years for cult director Frank Henenlotter to revisit the twisted world of Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and his basket-bound, mutant former Siamese twin Belial, this sequel picks up the plot mere moments after the original Basket Case ended, finding the psychically-linked brothers mangled but very much alive after the rather aggressive tiff that pitched them out a Bowery flophouse window. They manage to elude the authorities, escape the hospital (to avoid having to explain the dozen-or-so murders committed by gnarled, lumpy Belial), and eventually find sanctuary at the palatial home of Granny Ruth (jazz songbird Annie Ross), an eccentric activist who rallies the cause of "Unique Individuals" like Belial who have been ostracized by society for their horrific appearance and behavior. (Unique, indeed... Ruth's tenants run the gamut from a boy with 18-inch teeth to a woman who looks like a
hammerhead shark in a summer frock.) Although the pair soon grow quite accustomed to their new home, they are eventually forced to confront their murderous past, thanks to a tabloid reporter and a cynical cop, both of whom come to regret sticking their noses into places where such appendages tend to get bitten off. Henenlotter deserves credit for exploring new terrain in this interesting follow-up, but his reliance on outrageous makeup effects diminishes the effectiveness of the "Monsters Are People Too" theme -- it's hard to work up much empathy toward Ruth's charges, depicted as mute automatons by actors wearing 70 pounds of foam latex on their heads. Not that Henenlotter doesn't return to grotesque form now and then -- particularly for the most disgusting love scene on record and the effective shock ending, which paves the way for yet another sequel. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

All the disgusting possibilities presented by the age-old science fiction plot of aliens coming to Earth to seek human mates are explored in rude detail in this direct-to-video sleazefest. The story involves an investigation into a series of bizarre and violent rapes of young women throughout New York City -- all of which turn out to be the work of a rampaging alien who is able to change into human form at will. A police detective and a young doctor join forces to round up clues, which range from the bizarre accounts of the traumatized victims (all virgins, it turns out) to an unknown residue left on the victims' bodies. They eventually stumble on a network of catacombs beneath the streets of Manhattan, through which the zombified victims return to the alien's lair to take a mutual dip in the world's most nauseating Jacuzzi. This cheap, misogynist exploiter features hideous performances from virtually every member of the cast -- as well as loads of naked female flesh, disembowelments, exploding heads and alien goo -- and seems quite proud of its own tackiness. The alien scumbag even has its way with an elderly bag lady! Released as part of Wizard Video's "Too Gory for the Silver Screen" line, which also included such huggable classics as Headless Eyes. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi