coyotepoet

Watching Michael Fredianelli's latest low-budget opus THE BIG SLEAZE is like being at the state fair and riding one of those old school roller coasters being run by a drunken carny. You feel scared and kind of dirty during the experience, but when it's over you want to get right back on. Writer/director Fredianelli casts himself as sleazy scamming slacker Chuck Peterson who, through a series of mistakes and misadventures, finds himself the suspect in a triple murder investigation, on the lam from gay Asian snuff filmmakers, and involved in a plot to blow up Disneyland. The film begins a bit slowly and the extended dialog in some scenes tend to bog down the early part of the film. But Fredianelli's caffeine-fed hopped up performance keeps you involved until the film starts to take on a life of its' own and the thrill ride really begins. The plot gets sillier, the characters get funnier, and the payoff is more than you could have ever hoped for.

This is an action comedy that throws the kitchen sink at the viewer. Some of it works and some of it doesn't, but it is worth taking the missteps to get to the comedic payloads that lie ahead. While some of the dialog is uninspired, much of it is laugh-out-loud funny. The action highlight is a riproariously funny shopping cart chase scene. The Disneyland scenes and the final shootout are inspired comedic genius. But the real joy of THE BIG SLEAZE is the cast of supporting characters that Chuck becomes involve with. Robert Amstler as European "rouster" Steve Harlow, Thomas Gallegos and the kid Kyle, and Henry Lee and Michael Nose as Asian gangsters are particularly noteworthy. Some of the soundtrack choices as well as the animation also have their moments to shine.

THE BIG SLEAZE is outrageously over the top and perverse. It may not be the perfect ride for all, but for many it will be a wild ride well worth taking.

"The Minstrel Killer" is a 2009 low-budget thriller which is an homage to 1970's low-budget thrillers. It is filled with bad acting, hideous dialogue, and ridiculous plot twists. In other words it's odd, campy, homemade fun. The story revolves around a series of gruesome murders in 1970's Texas. Director Michael Fredianelli (who with his moustache looks like porn actor Ron Jeremy) portrays police investigator Tex Holland, a racist with a chip on his shoulder and investigative techniques that make Barney Fife look like Sherlock Holmes. In the midst of Tex's murder investigation, he gets involved with a family of cannibals, attempts to reconcile with his unfaithful wife, and eventually comes face to face with the killer. This film has a lot of flaws but not being familiar with Fredianelli's previous work, it is sometimes difficult to know how serious this film takes itself. The cannibal scenes have some neat action sequences, but it is basically a subplot that goes nowhere. A scene with Tex and a black prostitute is somewhat weird but doesn't further the plot or tell us anything about Tex that we don't already know. The early murder scenes are extremely well done...very creepy and intense. The musical score is very original and effective in capturing and setting up the mood of the more suspenseful scenes. There is a great scene where we see the minstrel killer dancing for his eventual victim. This scene is the highlight of the movie and the use of the audio recording used to score this scene is nothing short of brilliant. The final scene with Tex verbally abusing the killer while the killer is physically abusing him is so far over the top that it works. The racial undertones in the film are unsettling for most of the movie, but the ending worked to finally justify it all. This film is no low-budget masterpiece by any means, but I recommend it if you are looking for some shlock/shock diy entertainment.