Leofwine_draca FUNLAND is a locally made US comedy drama shot in Georgia. The tale is about a run-down amusement park that's purchased by a ruthless company who decide to keep on a single employee, a crazy guy who thinks he's a clown in real life. This is a bizarre movie, low budget and shot in a real-life fairground. It's an interesting backdrop but the story doesn't really know what it wants to be and feels sluggish and uninvolving as a result.

lost-in-limbo The mob takes over a theme park where the owner mysteriously dies, and they go about making changes. One being that the resident clown mascot of many years is fired, but Bruce Burger who's pretty much lost in his character takes it hard by seeking vengeance. It's hard not raise an eye-brow on this low-budget production. The poster artwork is very misleading, as you could say it paints something rather horrifying, even dark. But that's not entirely the case with this very tongue-in-cheek, black comedy. Yeah it's a comedy, but no horror/thriller. Sure there are few bizarre (wax figure, dead people and hand puppet coming to life) and edgy moments, but it's offset by certain buoyant and colourful exchanges like out of some goofy 1980s comedy. With this all in mind, I still didn't mind the oddball nature of "Funland". I thought worked in parts. The dry script and animated acting was spot on, even if it came across amateurish, but the creativeness and unpredictability shines through. You're never too sure how things would pan out, but it does seem to get crazier and warped the further along it goes. Even if the presentation is limited in styling, the director does a really competent job in getting everything to come together. David Lander's performance as the unhinged clown was nothing short then incredible, especially watching his descent into madness and mental breakdown.

Woodyanders The evil mobster outfit the Di Mauro family take over the amusement park Funland after they bump off jolly nice guy owner Angus Perry (a solid and engaging portrayal by William Windom). When the Di Mauro clan fires loopy and unhinged clown Neil "Fred Burger" Stickley (well played with demented aplomb by David Lander of "Laverne & Shirley" fame) from his job, the already bonkers Stickley loses what little sanity he has left and vows revenge. Director Michael A. Simpson, who also co-wrote the wacky script with Bonnie and Terry Turner, mines a very quirky and inspired line in often amusing and occasionally downright surreal dark humor: Funny comedic highlights include the park's black employees being forced to work at a watermelon stand, Stickley's priceless eulogy at Perry's funeral, some hilarious PA announcements, a crazy rap song and dance routine in the park cafeteria, Stickley's conversations with Perry's ghost and an imagined Humphrey Bogart (veteran Bogie impersonator Robert Sacchi, who also hams it up in a second part as ruthless Mafia capo Maurio Di Mauro), an outrageous strip drag number, and several Klu Klux Klan members going to Funland wearing their infamous white hoods and robes. Moreover, we also get extremely broad, yet still sidesplitting caricatures of homosexuals and Italian-Americans. This film further benefits from sound acting from a capable cast, with stand-out contributions by Bruce Mahler as amiable executive Mike Spencer, Clark Brandon as the brash Doug Sutterfield, Jill Carroll as the sweet Denise Wilson, Mary Beth McDonough as the snippy and abrasive Kristen Cumming, and Terry Beaver as the smarmy Carl Di Mauro. Kudos are also in order for William Vanderkloot's crisp cinematography and the cool rockin' soundtrack. A real hoot.

shampoocell I'm sure many people sit down to watch this film expecting horror. Although the chintzy tagline does suggest an even chintzier slasher flick, this movie rises above that genre. It's not a slasher flick at all, which is just fine. If anything, I would definitely classify this film in the Dark Comedy genre. It's almost an amusing and mocking look at insanity. The story is an interesting one, and a very creative one at that. Watch it if you enjoy a good chuckle, but not if you're looking for some cheap gore or contrived "pop-out" scare tactics. Prepare yourself for lots and lots of ethnic stereotyping, but done in such a way that it mocks those who actually believe in such stereotypes. The thing that makes this film a dark comedy is not only its ability to poke fun at bigots by catering to their ridiculous beliefs, but also at the utter random (and often crude) humor. If you enjoy films like Better Off Dead and I Love You to Death, it's almost guaranteed that you'll like this movie.