This two-disc edition sets a new standard for
sheer amount and quality of extras.
The outtakes are pretty amusing. We get to see
Ron Jeremy flubbing lines, Hank coping a feel,
Lloyd screaming, and Fleishaker REALLY flubbing
lines.
The deleted scenes section is a little annoying
because with each scene played, the screen flips
between the prior menu and the deleted scenes
menu. Nevertheless, some of the deleted scenes
are worth checking out. There's a great
line from a Weekly World News reporter who decides
to go look for that paper's most recognisable
icon. Ron Jeremy had a funny scene where he claims
to have a prepared speech, but it's discovered
he's pulling a hoax. Another mostly good
scene focuses on Lloyd receiving an Oscar in an
alternate universe. One scene to definitely check
out is the press conference Noxie calls. The scene
is way too long, and would never work in the film,
but has a pretty cool idea. Noxie and co. have
recruited underlings, and they're all minorities
or females made up like Nazis. Even the women
sport Hitler 'staches, which I thought was a pretty
cool way to piss off the people who would support
those fascist ideals. Most of the other cut scenes
were no loss to the film, but there is an extra
gore effect (complete with bad pun), an extension
of the clock racing gag, some news satire that's
just not punchy enough, and some wisely cut hero
bonding fluff.
From the deleted scenes I ventured into the Citizens
of Tromaville area. This menu also flips between
screens after each selection, which was still
annoying. The citizens stuff is mostly behind
the scenes things. There is much more on the bonus
DVD, but here there's some additional off-camera
goofing; the chance to see Toxie get made up;
Ron and Al crafting a scene; some general cast
stuff; the perils of having Corey Feldman in the
film; and brief interviews with Hank the Angry
Drunken Dwarf and James Gunn, author of Scooby
Doo. The best thing in this section is
crewmember Zork's plight to keep a part
with all of one line, the integral bit being the
naked video he submitted to Lloyd.
And the extras are just getting started. There's
not one, not two, but THREE commentaries. Lloyd
has a solo commentary, which is up to his usual
standard. The track is full of self-deprecation,
but also gives lots of info and remains enjoyable.
Credit where it's due, Lloyd doesn't
just bash the people who he didn't see eye
to eye with on the set; he often trys to address
their pleasantries too.
The cast commentary is much more chaotic than
Lloyd's, with various people leaping in.
They all seem to be recorded separately, but the
Tito character seems to mouth off at some of the
others, so perhaps he was recorded to link the
other people's comments. The commentary
is quite jumpy, and it's difficult to keep
who's who straight. At least it's
fast paced, anecdote filled, remains listenable
throughout, and is sometimes funny. This track
is harsher on the film than Lloyd's, in
particular around the editor's handling
of the action sequences. The story of attempting
to cast midgets for the climax varies greatly
from this track and Lloyd's, so somebody
is fucking with somebody else.
The editor's commentary is funny and they
actually manage to find new things to talk about.
It was very entertaining to hear them justify
their cuts and edits in a very faux aggressive
way. They point out a few things they would change,
and present a different take on the fight scenes
the actors claimed were messed up by the editors.
The editors also clear up the mystery of the changing
aspect ratio, and constantly point out the production
office. It seems that there were location scouts
on Citizen Toxie, but the only
locations they found were really close to the
office.
Those are the listed extras, but there's
also a bunch of Easter eggs. One within the film
itself is that the alternate 'evil'
version of Sarah is named Claire. This is a reference
to the actress that played Claire in the two discarded
prequels being such a nasty nut job.
As for things you actually find on the first
disc, there are also plenty of those. Press left
on 'Citizens of Tromaville' in the
extras menu to get the DVD credits. Press down
on 'Scenes' in the main menu to see
Debbie Rochon giving a very tongue in cheek (I
hope) discussion of her character. To see the
Toxic Poodle cartoon, press left on 'Play
movie' in the deleted scenes. Press down
on James Gunn in 'Citizens of Tromaville'
to see Tito and Sweetie looking for crack. Press
left on 'American Tragedy' in the
deleted scenes to get the commentary by the editors
option. This can also be heard by toggling the
audio selection while in the scenes, and the option
is listed on the box, so maybe I'm just
not seeing the obvious way to select it. And,
the most important egg of all, press right on
'Play movie' in the audio menu to
see a rehearsal of the lesbian scene that was
shot before the lead actress refused to do that
scene nude.
Virtually every time I explored a menu, I found
something I'd previously missed, so there
could easily be many more eggs.
If that was all, the disc'd still be a
great addition to any collection, but you also
get a bonus DVD with the feature length documentary
Apocalypse Soon. The film is a hilarious look
at the disorganisation problems that plagued Citizen
Toxie. It's clear from very early on Lloyd's
going to have serious problems, as his utterly
clueless AD demonstrates that inserting new pages
in the script is one of the world's most
complex procedures. Apocalypse Soon is much better
than any Real World bullshit, and captures some
real idiocy. One girl, some soft core star, complains
that she was cast as a girl that beats up people
with her boobs. When asked what she did in her
audition, she says she beat people up with her
tits. My favourite section is about the world's
greatest stunts, including a pitiful flaming fall
down some stairs, a car accident gone wrong, and
a three foot leap onto a soft mattress. The documentary
is nearly two hours and twenty minutes long, and
is thoroughly pleasing. Who wouldn't want
to see Lloyd constantly lose it?
Some pre and postproduction footage, along with
some extra production footage, is also on the
disc. Be sure to check out the production assistant
section for the guy who claims he should be a
writer and watch his aloofness crumble under minor
interrogation. There's also a 'Rashamoron'
section which demonstrates just what an annoying
idiot the lead girl is, in case you missed that
from the bonuses on Toxie III.
The second disc also has many eggs, most much
better than the ones found on the first disc.
On the main menu press left on 'Apocalypse
Soon' to get the DVD credits. Also press
left on 'Wild Lines with Lisa Gaye'
to see Corey Feldman having GREAT difficulty understanding
two different actors having played Kabukiman.
Then press right on 'Naked Old Guy'
for a pointless egg, the stuff with Ron and Al
forming a scene also found on disc one. Still
on this menu, press right on 'Playboy/Troma
launch' to see a music video. I'm
sure the band is listed, but I didn't really
care who it was. In the conception menu, press
right on 'Script Meeting' to see a
wacky Jamaican meeting Lloyd (this guy can also
be seen briefly in the film). The best egg of
all, though, is found in the post menu. Press
down on 'back' to hear Lloyd ramble
for over two minutes about Project Greenlight
on the Apocalypse Soon filmmakers' answering
machine.
|
