Rick Trembles’ Motion Picture Purgatory, Volume 2 (Book)
Scott A. Johnson
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Reviewed by Scott A. Johnson
Written by Rick Trembles
Published by Fab Press
For a long time, we here at Dread Central have been privileged to have cartoonist/critic/crazy person Rick Trembles among our staff. No matter what the film, no matter how bad or how good, Rick’s crudely drawn, dementedly funny cartoon reviews leave many laughing and still more scratching their heads. A while ago, Trembles’ work appeared in the collection Rick Trembles’ Motion Picture Purgatory, and, like any great book, this one demanded a sequel.
For those unfamiliar with Trembles’ singular method of film review, flip back through our site for a few examples. We’ll wait. Back? See what I mean? With his propensity for dick jokes, his twisted cartoon style, and his knack for breaking films down to between six and eight panels, Trembles’ critiques are, in many cases, better than the films they review. Case in point, check out his review of Van Helsing.
But variety is the spice of life, and Trembles does his best to mix it up. Not only does he review horror flicks, he also reviews documentaries, foreign films, and films he genuinely likes. That last one may be a stretch because he’s at his best when he’s skewering the bad movies.
Okay, to be fair, Picasso he ain’t. All of Trembles’ reviews come with artwork that looks like it came from a perverted kindergartener. But that’s part of what makes the book so damned funny and so brilliant. Say what you will, but the stick-figure orgy just inside the front and back covers kept me giggling for about an hour, and I still can’t get the image out of my head. No orifice is forsaken, no perversion avoided. These are the cartoons you got in trouble for drawing when you were in grade school.
If you’re not a fan of Trembles’ work, and I know that some are not, this volume serves only as a thumb of the nose to you. If you are a fan, this book is a must have compilation with more than 200 of Trembles’ weirdo reviews.
4 1/2 out of 5
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