I've heard that that movie is pretty good. Plus it stars Bruce Campbell as Elvis.
Bubba Ho-Tep is
Teh Awsums!
The movie defies genre. By "defies" I mean it punches genre in the nards with brass knuckles while screaming horrible obscenities about it's mother. It is, however, a skillful, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable mix of soulful retrospective, light action, and dark comedy performed by a talented, dedicated cast who obviously having a ton of fun with the parts. Written/directed by legendary B-cinema hero Don Coscarelli (who doesn't get near the mainstream respect he deserves), the movie production was a labor of love by all involved. It shows in spades.
This is the role Bruce Campbell was born to play. He absolutely
nails it. Add to that the near perfect on-screen chemistry between he and Ossie Davis. You can tell they are having a helluva good time with the characters. Brian Tyler's score is a little repetitive but it perfectly fits the movie. Add to that the spot-on visuals and incredibly good sound design. If you have a surround system, use it. If not, wear headphones. You'll thank me later. Writer/Director Don Coscarelli put this thing together on a shoestring but you'd never know. The man is a master at making a four-star feast from bologna sandwiches.
The movie has that certain something that comes from a talented, experienced, and devoted cast & crew focusing all their effort, care, and enthusiasm into characters, story, and putting a not insubstantial amount of time and thought into making the most of minimal production resources. They had to, funding gave them no other choice. The result is a deliciously unconventional romp on the odd side of cinema.
The premise, for those who've never seen it: Elvis didn't die. He wanted some personal freedom so he swapped places with an Elvis impersonator, who then promptly died. No one believed the swap story and wrote him off as nuts. Now he's just another old fogey Elvis Wannabe who's stuck in a nursing home in Mud Creek, Texas. That is, until Bubba Ho-Tep shows up...
Brad
