It’s true, you know. Betty White rocks.
You know what else rocks? Freakin BIRDEMIC! Holy cow. For those of you that were there last night, I am so glad I got to share in that experience with you. You’re good folk.
For those that missed it, I’m not sure I can even relate to you the weird, hilarious, completely off-the-wall nature of this film. It’s like The Room meets The Birds, but on a non-existent budget with some truly atrocious editing. Now I won’t knock the director for this; he made this film after work using his own paycheck, and from the stories he tells he recruited art school students who were not always the most professional folks to work with. He did the best with what he had, which was very little. That being said…HOLY CRAP. A few times I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. There were many instances where I sat in jaw-dropping confusion, stunned by a complete lack of logic on the part of the characters. (For instance, if a swarm of ravenous bloodthirsty killer eagles are on the loose, why do you leave the safety of your van and walk half a mile across a field to have a picnic?) The dialogue was, at times, terrible. At other times, terribly brilliant. Ramsey: “Where’s Becky?” Rod: “Taking a shit.” Brilliant. There were extended monologues by various characters about the evils of global warming (one by a random ornithologist they encounter in the park, and another by a “tree hugger” who lives in a treehouse amongst the redwoods.) There are so many little things I’d love to share with you, but I just can’t. You have to see them, experience them, for yourself. But I want to tell you! Machine guns! Mountain lions! Double-decker buses! Damien Carter! (No, not the well-known German dj…a big soulful man who likes to party with his family.) Gah! I just can’t comprehend this film. Its very existence is a gift to humanity.
I think one of the truly great things about this film (seriously great, not just “campy terribleness” great) is the discussion that ensued afterwards. I heard quite a few people with quite a few interesting interpretations. Amongst a few of us, the debate began over the reception of the film. The director, bless his heart, meant for this to be a serious film. He was going for greatness. And unfortunately, he just didn’t have the means. But throughout his introduction to the film, he kept referring to it as “a happy accident” that the film has been so well received as a comedy. And in the end, he is getting his film shown with a Hollywood premier (hosted by Tim & Eric), a showing at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin and many other theaters, and his next film has already been greenlit. So, although reception of the film isn’t what he’d intended, the end result is the same. So, as a writer/director, should he be disappointed?
I, being of the disposition that I am, say no. As an artist, you have to come to terms with the fact that you will never, ever, be able to control the way someone interprets your work. The same is true of every action you ever take in life. This is why miscommunications happen; this is why you hear people say “did that guy just flip me off?” and beat the snot of out some guy who really was just scratching his eye. You can’t control other people, and you sure as hell can’t control the way they perceive art. So, if it were me, I would just be happy that my work was being appreciated in some way. And I think that if that were my film, I would be able to recognize and appreciate the humor in it. It’s one thing if everyone walked out of the theater trashing the thing, but they didn’t. They loved it!
I can see the other side of the coin though. I can understand our friend who felt bad for laughing like he did when he realized that it wasn’t intended to be funny. And as a responsible human being, I think it’s important to take other people’s feelings (in this case, the writer/director) into account. But, if I did hear that he was sad and disappointed about the reception of his film, I would say this to him:
You brought joy to a room full of people.
By whatever method, that’s a pretty good thing, I say.
Yeah, like that. But with a suit shirt and no utility belt. Now I won’t just rip on the movie, it did have its moments. There was A LOT of blood, even for a vampire movie. Like bordering on Japanese bloodshed levels. There was one particularly badass scene at the very end where a whole room full of vampires are fighting and devouring each other, and they did it in a wide slow-motion shot that was awesome and laughable at the same time. And it had Willem Dafoe, which is always a good sign. I’d say they underutilized his awesome potential, but he was a likeable character and enough of a badass to be acceptable. (And I guess after making Antichrist, he was probably looking for something a little less…soul-crushing?) I’m not gonna tell you to rush out and see the movie immediately, but for a Saturday matinee it was a fun choice. 
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