PG: Psycho Goreman

  "OK, here's the deal man. Winner is champion of the universe, loser gets buried alive," says precocious moppet Mimi (Nita Josée Hanna) while putting her hands on the ball. "Got it?"

 "That's fair." says his brother Luke (Owen Mire).

 As butt-rock guitars wail into the soundtrack the kids launch into a match of crazy ball, a made up game full of arcane rules. We get close ups of the kids running, throwing balls at each other, doing a jumping jack flash face-off...
 Then the guitars suddenly stop and the cameras pull away, and the game is shown as it is, not as the kids see it.

 It's a hilarious, extremely well made scene that captures so many things so well I'm kind of in awe of it. It doesn't just get you caught up in the kid's ridiculous game, it's also a pitch-perfect recreation of a certain type of 'Extreme!' 90's commercials aimed at kids, it's a great representation of children's state of mind, it's setting up plot points for later (Crazy ball will return). And it's full of funny bits of trash talk and John Woo-style ball throwing.

 Best of all is the punch line: once Mimi finally wins (with a bullshit move called a switcheroo, which will also factor in later) it cuts to Luke digging a full-sized grave under Mimi's smug supervision.

 While digging, Luke stumbles upon an ancient tomb with some sort of gem affixed to its lid. Fooling around with it, Mimi manages to take the artifact just before they get called to bed.

 The tomb was really a prison to an ancient galactic menace (Matthew Ninaber wears the suit, voice by Steven Vlahos), and the removal of the stone sets it free after eons in stasis. Upon reviving he tries to resume his reign of terror; Unfortunately for him, the gem Mimi retrieved allows its bearer absolute control over him. And she obviously uses it to basically make the ancient evil her pet. She and her brother dub him Psycho Goreman... PG for short.

 To say much more would spoil the fun in this ridiculous, twisted spoof of such early nineties' kid's entertainment as The Power Rangers (well, maybe The Guyver is a better comparison) and Urban Commando. There's a bunch of cool monsters as alien forces come to hunt down PG, and a lot of entertaining confrontations between PG and avowed little maniac Mimi. Director Steve Konstanski (off the Astron-6 collective) is an effects guy, so we get lots and lots of gorgeous, extremely expressive practical effects both for creatures and gore.

A Power Rangers-like fight ensues. <3

 The acting might be a sticking point for some (Mimi can be a bit much), but I loved it. The kids obviously are having a blast, with Luke given the thankless role of the straight man, and Mimi running around chewing scenery with abandon and spouting some truly inspired lines. The humour leans bizarre, and is very, very funny.

 It might not look it, thanks to some exemplary practical FX work, but it is a pretty low budget movie, and sometimes the script displays that slightly-stretched feel indie films get when trying to fill out ninety minutes. But all of the scenes and developments are worth at least a couple of good jokes, a great line, or a cool effect, and none overstay their welcome.
 Psycho Goreman is unpredictable, well made, agreeably disturbed, and it gets the period its spoofing down to a tee (stick around on the end credits for not one but two tailor-made songs.) I frigging adore this movie.