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Los Angeles, CA
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| Article Published: Thursday, February 05, 2004 - 7:08:35 AM PST |
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Sci-fi spoof aims low, raises much laughter "The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra" is a pitch-perfect re-creation of the cornball, Grade-Z science-fiction movies from the 1950s, the kind of films that used to dominate late-night television before infomercials and sitcom reruns. Writer-director (and star!) Larry Blamire obviously loves these movies, and in his fun little homage, he has all the elements down pat - tin-eared dialogue, wooden acting and no-budget effects and costumes. The film's knowingness and expert (such as it is) execution override any concerns you might have about sitting through a 90-minute salute to stilted cinema, although "Cadavra" will certainly appeal most to those who cut their teeth on Roger Corman movies. But the beauty of Blamire's deadpan work here is that you don't need to bring special knowledge into the viewing, just a healthy appreciation of classic camp and rubber-suited space mutants. Shot in black-and-white with the "new miracle of skeletoscope," the film follows the misadventures of dedicated scientist Paul Armstrong (Blamire) and his perpetually cheerful wife, Betty (Fay Masterson, channeling Mary Tyler Moore from "The Dick Van Dyke Show"), as they venture into the woods looking for a crashed meteor and its "atmosphereum" so Paul can "do science." They aren't the only ones looking for the fabled substance: Two stiff space aliens (Andrew Parks and Susan McConnell) need atmosphereum to repair their disabled space ship, and the film's title character has enlisted a mad, muddled scientist (Brian Howe) to find it as well to restore the vitality to its bones so he can RULE THE WORLD! This leads to a series of hilariously protracted encounters between the warring parties, as well as to the creation of the bewitching Animala (Jennifer Blaire), a sexy Catwoman type possessing hypnotic dancing talents. There's also the aforementioned rubber-suited space mutant roaming the forest. (Ranger: I don't want to frighten you folks, but a farmer nearby was terribly mutilated. Paul: Well, this certainly throws a damper on the evening. Ranger: Sorry, but we take our horrible mutilations seriously in these parts.) What happens obviously isn't as important as the careful attention Blamire pays to getting all the awful elements just right. You have to be good to be this bad, and judging from "Cadavra," Blamire is very, very good. ---
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