Customer Reviews

Tromeo & Juliet [Vinyl]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First thing you need to do before you read the rest of this review is read the title of the movie again...TROMEO and Juliet...it is a Troma film. Ok...now that we have that out of the way we can move on with the review.

This film is no Gone With the Wind, but then I say to you that Gone With the Wind is no Tromeo and Juliet either. Troma is not defined by your typical Hollywood rules where movies are concerned. Troma sits off in the dark corner of the big room where all the class clowns hang out and are just in their own world. Tromeo and Juliet does what Troma does best and does it better than ever before. I never really believed that I would enjoy something more than the Toxic Avenger coming out of Tromaville. This movie quickly took over the position as my favorite Troma film. The characters are over the top and fun. The script is funny and Tromeo's black fartin' dad is hilarious. A great cast of characters with an intelligent(as in Troma intelligent) script.

I personally thought the cook for the Capulets was far more sexy than Juliet, but what do I know. I will say one thing about some of the off color content...be warned if you are easily offended. There is plenty by which to be offended in this film. For instance, a freakshow who desires his sister in every way, a father who is freakishly attracted to his daughter, as well as plenty of other off color scenes. Did you expect anything less from Troma though.

Watch for the tons and tons of memorabilia from the other Troma films throughout this film as well as the party where you see a cast of characters from the other films to include Toxie himself.

I have to say that when the characters break into their "Shakespearean" dialog, it just makes me giggle. Very funny if you ask me.

Overall this is a pretty solid Troma film with a nice story done in vintage Troma style.

I've always had this fantasy that some thoroughly disreputable quick-buck movie would end up being brilliant. Like, what if some soft-core "Erotic Thriller" ended up having gutsy, breakthrough performances and a riveting plot? What if "Police Academy 12" was Oscar-worthy?

My fantasies came through with "Tromeo & Juliet." The very concept of a punk "Romeo" is brilliant - they conceived this before Baz Luhrmann's movie - but seeing as how this is Troma we're talking about, Lloyd Kaufman could have steered this in a very wrong (read: conventional) direction. Fortunately, they managed to find a young mad genius named James Gunn to write the script, and they found some hungry young acting talent who threw themselves into the project. And Kaufman, perhaps inspired by all this, finally directed like a man more concerned with making a good movie than cashing in on the quick-buck exploitation trends that nearly ruined "Troma's War" and "Sgt. Kabukiman."

Not that "Tromeo & Juliet" isn't a quick-buck exploitation movie. It is. It's also a hilarious and inventive comedy, an art film, a soft-core porno, a gross-out gore flick, a surprisingly moving love story, and - best of all - one of the most oddly faithful Shakespeare adaptations I've ever seen. Amazingly, it's all these things all at the same time, sometimes even in the same scene (check out Murray Que's final scene, in the tattoo parlor). "Tromeo" captures the spirit, the wordplay, and the abandon that so many staid Shakespeare movies completely miss. And it's one of the most energetic and creative movies you're likely to see.

I could gush on and on about "Tromeo," for it is my favorite movie. Now that James Gunn is a big-time - although still delightfully weird - Hollywood writer, I wouldn't be surprised to see a surge in "Tromeo" sales. This is a good thing. "Tromeo" is a completely unique and exhilirating movie, and it deserves a huge audience. It's not for everyone, I suppose (the close-up shot of the nipple being pierced will pretty much clear the room of those who should have stayed away in the first place). But if you like a little trash in your art, or art in your trash, give "Tromeo" a chance.

Oh - and the budget for "Tromeo" was $350,000, or about what it costs to cater lunch for a week on your basic Adam Sandler movie.

William Shakespeare's play Romeo & Juliet has been interpreted hundreds of times on stage and in films. Sometimes literally following the original text (which is, at times, vague in stage directions), sometimes in new interpretations where directors chose to show their own view on the piece. Some are good, many are mediocre. Lloyd Kaufman's film certainly stands out as one of the most original, modern versions of the bard's creation, It may be placed in a modern-day decaying New York and full of the modern-day anti-social behavior, body piercing, dismemberment and kinky sex (which, for the more than casual reader, Shakespeare himself wasn't shying away from), but at the same time it stays incredibly close to the overall feel and point of what the play is all about, which is quite an effort. Kaufman wrote the script with his co-director on the film James Gunn, who is now famous for writing two successful Scooby Doo movies, doing the impossible by making a perfect remake of an already perfect film with his script for Dawn of the Dead and directing one of the best horror-films of the year: Slither. Lloyd Kaufmans innovative directorial view alongside with James Gunns original and unrestricted writing make for an interpretation of Shakespeare's play that maybe not everyone will "get" immediately, but will certainly be recognized by a truly unique and highly important view on a classic play. With a script that is written entirely in iambic meter, appearances of Motorhead's Lemmy and an outrageous forceful soundtrack watching Tromeo & Juliet is something no one will ever forget. Apart from it's historical significance, Tromeo &
Juliet is a treasure for film-lovers of all kind. Not only for the script by James Gunn, now a good influence on Hollywood while working from the inside, but also because it features an early part of legendary actress Debbie Rochon. Well known by everyone familiar with films that are made on lower budgets. The 10th anniversary edition on DVD adds to all that by including so many as-yet undiscovered gems that not only all the information one could wish for about the film itself and the experience of making it is presented in ways that make it impossible to turn off the DVD, but also a very honest (and disturbing) look is given into the ways independent cinema has to surviver these days. In many ways the extra's on the disc are an invaluable addition to the already impressive amount given on Kaufman's film-school "Make Your Own Damn Movie". Furtermore historical items from the Troma vaults which include James Gunn, Debbie Rochon and other contributors to this masterpiece are included, and the film itself is, apart from looking better then ever, accompanied by no less than four audio-commentaries, each and everyone informative, excruciatingly funny and all done for serious addition to the film instead of the boring and nonsensical commentaries that are so common these days. There are new
commentaries (one with Kaufman and Gunn together), but also the one James Gunn did for the original release of the DVD but couldn't be included there for some of honesty he displays about some other people is present on this disc. With fan-recreations of a few of the scenes from the film, a video diary of Lloyd Kaufman's visit to the set of James Gunn's Slither and a visit the two brought together to Eli Roth's Hostel Birthday party and much more, this is the ultimate set everyone must own. Weather you are a film historian, someone interested in interpretations of the great Bard's work, a fan of great cinema, a fighter for independent cinema, a fan of James Gunn, interested in learning more on making films on a low budget, a fan of Lloyd Kaufman or whatever: this is the most important DVD-release of this millennium!

According to the Troma website, this 2-disc edition of TROMEO AND JULIET is going to include:

*4 different audio commentaries featuring writer James Gunn (SLITHER), director Lloyd Kaufman (THE TOXIC AVENGER), actor Sean Gunn (GILMORE GIRLS), film editor Frank Reynolds (IN THE BEDROOM) and Troma staff editor Gabriel Friedman (TERROR FIRMER, CITIZEN TOXIE, POULTRYGEIST).

*2 hours of interviews with cast and crew including Debbie Rochon (Ness), Tiffany Shepis (Peter), Sean Gunn (Sammy), Valentine Miele (Murray), Stephen Blackehart (Benny), and Lemmy (of Motorhead).

*GETTING HOSTEL WITH HOLLYWOOD: James Gunn and Lloyd Kaufman visit Eli Roth's birthday party.

*SLITHER-ING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD: A brand-new, expanded, uncut version of Lloyd Kaufman's video diary on the set of James Gunn's SLITHER.

*Deleted scenes, plus a featurette of James Gunn and Lloyd Kaufman commenting on the deleted scenes.

*Exclusive never-before-seen rehearsal footage of Jane Jensen and Debbie Rochon.

*Willie Wisely music video, featuring Andy Dick and Kara Monaco

*Classic Troma movie introductions featuring the cast of TROMEO AND JULIET

And more.

"Tromeo and Juliet" is to Troma fans what "Die Hard" is to Action fans, what "The Exorcist" is to Horror fans, and what "Tootsie" is to Cross-dressing fans.

The Bards Greatest Romance gets the Troma Treatment in the Grandest Scale. Lesbianism, Language, Gore... Everything is overdone Beautifully.

Its Storyline (and it's similarity's to the Real Romeo and Juliet) is pretty Inconsequential, but, as you've probably guessed, it's about Forbidden love between two teens whose Family's are Rivals. The makers cleverly (well, cleverly compared to a lot of their previous work) twist the more famous elements and make them more Modern, more Sick and more Funny.

The Acting is Oscar worthy, (keeping in mind I'm only comparing this to Other Troma films) Jane Jensen and Will Keenan seem to have a Genuine Attraction, which threatens to make the film... Realistic, a Realistic Troma film, Times really are Changing. The Rest of the performances bring the film back to the Troma Level we all know and love.

If you Know what you're getting in for, "Tromeo and Juliet" will Surprise with its Assuredness. If you are New to this sort of film, it Will grow on you... It always does.

Wow!

When I first saw this movie I was terrorizing some bungalow park with a bunch of friends. It was 2 Am and we sorta were getting sleepy when we zapped onto some weird movie channel and saw...

Lemmy! Motorheads frontman, introducing some sick movie, within a few minutes first blood was drawn and we didn't move until the flick was over.

This Troma edition brilliantly mixes the old shakespeare tale with modern day new york, mixing old shakespearian poetry with more contemporary dialog. the line "What light from yonder plexiglass breaks?" remains one of my favourites.

The movie can best be described as an erotic splatstick, a lot of nudity, a lot of blood and even more fun (sex + violence = cool!). I especially love the smash into the fire hydrant and the tattoo needle meeting someones eyeball.

This DvD has some brilliant extras on top of that. The troma tour is standard issue on all Troma DVD's but the feature length commentary with fellow sick mind Lloyd Kaufmann gives a totally new insight into this movie and the making of it. Top that all off with a bunch of deleted scenes and some trivia with the stars of the movie and you have a total winner.

This is a fast, fun story based on Romeo and Juliet. It's got all the perversions you expect from a Lloyd Kaufman enterprise: graphic gratuitous violence, kinky sexual violence, incest, interesting nudity, and things I'm not sure there are polite words for. It's also got stunningly high production values for a Troma film, a good plot (lots of liberties were taken with the story, especially the ending,) acting that doesn't feel like a parody of acting, and character development that are usually far outside the abilities of a Troma film. If you didn't know it was Troma, you'd still like it.

This is my first real Troma movie, although I have also seen Cannibal the Musical, (Not made by the troma people, but distributed by them), and after reading Lloyd Kaufman's book, I decided it's time I see a Troma Movie. It was either this or Toxic Avenger. Tromeo and Juliet is absoultly hilarious. It's sick, it's perverted, but mind-boggilingly funny. Sammy Capulet is the most awesome character ever. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!! P.S. The public service announcement on the DVD isn't bad either.

Wow.

Just when I think Troma can't break new ground & get racier, sexier, grosser, and overall more disturbing, I see Tromeo & Juliet!

I have always been a huge fan of their older films like The Toxic Avenger & Class Of Nuke Em High, but this one takes the cake!

Where I thought The Toxic Avengers 1 & 2 were gross, and violent, Tromeo & Juliet triples that!

Where I thought Troma's past movies hit a nerve and addressed social issues disturbingly, Tromeo & Juliet came along and just shocked me.

Virtually everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, every public taboo is addressed in this film. It is amazing.

I have a new Troma favorite and it is Tromeo & Juliet.

The basic story is Shakespeare's only demented the Troma way. Like the ads state, Kinky sex, body piercings, etc. They are all included here. What they don't mention are all the socially 'wrong' taboos they have included in here. There are gay men & women, boy loving priests, masturbation, high speed car chases, you know, everything that makes a Troma film great!

Even my friends who don't normally appreciate a good Troma film were on the ground laughing and said they loved it too!

I love it. This classic sits on my shelf next to Guin Turner's Preaching To The Perverted, and both are essential fringe/BDSM culture movies.

By far the most erotic scenes for me were those where Juliet is making love with the piercing and tattoo laden Ness, played by the divine Canadian-born Debbie Rochon. Debbie's Oscar-worthy orgasm sets an impossibly high standard for the rest of the movie, but it is still a first class piece of Pulp entertainment.

The other reviews have nailed it pretty well. Sex and violence, violence and sex. Yet even though the violence is of a Monty Python caricature nature, it pales compared to a lot of realistically portrayed violence as it appears in countless 'mainstream' movies.

It's basically a soft pornography movie with Alternate Reality classical pretensions, and goes infinitely beyond the excellent Di Caprio/Danes version of Romeo and Juliet in that regard.

Hilarious, crazy, sexy, whaddaya waiting for?