They
drink a lot of beer in Milwaukee. That might explain this movie. Somehow it
manages to be utterly absurd and mysteriously otherworldly, in an extremely
weird DIY sort of way. The hunt is on for a Great Lakes kaiju, but each plan produces
evermore disastrous results in Ryland Brickson Cole Tews’ Lake Michigan Monster, which screens this weekend at the 2019 Flyway Film Festival.
As
the blustery Captain Seacoast explains in his opening monologue/debriefing, he
has assembled a crack team of oddballs to hunt the monster that killed his
father. The details of his watery death to tend evolve with each successive
telling, but whatever. Seacoast will have his vengeance and he is willing to
pay handsomely for it. To that end, he has recruited “weapons expert” Sean
Shaughnessy, sonar technician Nedge Pepsi, and dishonorably discharged Navy
seaman Dick Flynn.
Visually,
Michigan Monster is wildly stylish
and gleefully inventive. Clearly, Tews never met a sight-gag he didn’t like. He
definitely applies the Mel Brooks scattergun approach to comedy, but he is even
more manic. When it misses, the film is an awkward viewing experience, like
watching a fish flop around on dry land—but when it is funny, it is
off-the-wall hysterical.
Tews
similarly goes all in playing Seacoast, in a performance that might be
something like Kelsey Grammer portraying Popeye the Sailor after pounding half
a case of whiskey. It’s his show and he runs with it. Probably Beulah Peters
makes the most headway undercutting him as the sardonic Pepsi. She also has an
extended colloquy with Daniel Long’s Flynn on Seacoast’s mangled syntax that
would make Howard Hawks beam with approval.
The
entire cast is admirably game for Tew’s madness and they fully commit to their
nutty personas. Yet, it is the art and design team as well as the camera crew
(which includes most of the cast) whose work really distinguishes the film.
Frankly, it is rather amazing how trippily surreal Michigan Monster gets.
Admittedly,
this is perfect example of a love-it-or-hate-it movie, but nobody can fault
Tews and company for a lack of effort and energy. Anyone who thinks they might
be remotely interested should check it out, because it is hard to envision it
getting a wide theatrical distribution. Recommended in the spirit of good humor
for cult film fans, Lake Michigan Monster
screens today (10/12) and tomorrow (10/13) at the Flyway Film Festival.
