Unholy Comedy: Rapture-Palooza

Is it still sacrilegious if it's funny?  Well, yeah.  Even so, this movie is kind of both.  Today's film is Rapture-Palooza, an Indy film that has a lot of good Comedians in it.  The plot is pretty much designed to offend those who can't take a joke.  The Rapture happens, leading to the Anti-Christ taking over.  This guy, however, is more horny than anything else.  When he lays eyes upon our heroine, he wants to make her his.  So can she stop this unholy creature and protect her virginity?  The film, as I mentioned, features a slew of recognizable people in silly roles.  Among the Cast there is Thomas Lennon, Anna Kendrick, Paul Scheer, Craig Robinson (of D-War fame), Rob Heubel, John Michael Higgins, Rob Corddry and Ana Gasteyer (aka the only SNL Cast Member not to be in Southland Tales).  The whole thing was made on the cheap, but that doesn't stop it from being good.  To see if this film is worth going to Hell over, read on...

The film begins at the Ending, which is kind of a weird touch.  There are still many surprises to be had though.  Even so, odd choice.

So, the Rapture happens.  This is an early sign of the film's budget.  To be fair, they at least make it look amusing and really seem like it was an intentional choice.

In their defense as well, this is at least a Comedy.  If this were Reservation Road, i'd be singing a different tune.

In the first notable Comedian role, Lennon plays a Wraith (read: Zombie) who is more driven to mow his lawn than to kill/eat people.  I guess it works on the same logic as the Zombies in Dawn of the Dead going to the Mall.

Next we have the two Robs.  Rob Corddry plays the boyfriend's father, who took very quickly to working for evil.  Rob Huebel, meanwhile, plays the Anti-Christ's Head of Security.  They're both kind of dicks.

Oh and two other things.  1) Paul Scheer plays one of the Gate Guards and 2) That is a giant cannon in the background.

Robinson plays the Anti-Christ, a man who took over in kind of a silly manner (which I won't SPOIL).  He's all about base desires and pleasure, which leads to...

Him choosing our heroine (Kendrick) to be his new Wife.  Her Mother (Gasteyer) takes it well, I think.

Our heroes come up with a complex plan.  What could possibly go wrong?

Oh and if you think that a plan in Movie will work perfectly, you really need to watch more movies.

See- I told you so!  Now who feels silly?

I won't SPOIL the bizarre and convoluted Ending to the film.  Telling you what happens doesn't really do it justice anyhow.  Their looks say it all.

It's certainly a hard sell.  The film is funny alot of the time, but always 'off.'  That's intentional, mind you, but it is going to make it a bit polarizing.  There are weird gags like jerk grasshoppers (you have to see them!), insulting Ravens and all of the Anti-Christ's dialogue.  You want a sign of how evil he is?  In one bit, he talks about how The Chronicles of Riddick is an under-appreciated film.  Blasphemy!  Speaking of 'blasphemy,' the subject matter is sure to offend many people.  The title alone tells you how seriously they treat the subject matter.  Honestly, I'm not that religious, so I was fine with it.  That said, I can obviously see why it would bother people.  This is especially true about the Ending (which, again, I'm not going to SPOIL).  How it all resolves is certainly going to bother some people.  To be fair, if you make it to the end of a film called Rapture-Palooza, you probably are forfeiting your right to be offended.  As a whole, it's a mixed-bag of Comedy.  If you're a weirdo like me, you'll probably enjoy it alot.  If you're less weird, you'll probably find it to be 'okay' for the most part.  If you're easily offended, well, the film is called Rapture-Palooza.  It's like renting Cannibal Holocaust and then being offended at the Rape Scene in the Climax.  Yes, it is a rough scene.  At that point, however, you'll have seen live animals being killed, a girl impaled on a spike and, well, picked a film to watch called Cannibal Holocaust.  As far as this film goes, how can you say 'no' to that face?

Next up, Mondo Bizarro's 1,300th Post.  If you can guess what I'm going to cover, you're ahead of me right now.  Stay tuned...