Something About Huckleberry

Every so often, I'll be confronted by a movie that defies explanation.  I'd like to think this happens to every film critic, but not every film critic will blunder upon an anomaly with the buggy heft of 1960's The Ship of Monsters.  This thing is review-proof.  The Mexican import is a corporeal freakshow, and I mean that in the most loving way possible.  At first, this aberration seemed poised to depose Spookies as my default go-to for "creature suit" shenanigans.  Can you imagine?  I was ready.  By that, I mean that I slipped on a condom before hitting play.  Y'know, just in case.  You can never be too safe!

In the end, Ship wasn't the bespangled crown I hoped to hoist aloft in the royal quadrangle that is my bedroom.  Christ, the perverse coronation you must be envisioning; I'm painting the wrong picture.  Forget metaphors.  This wasn't the b-movie to end all b-movies.  Still, it's worth watching.  The plot pits a singing cowboy (yep, this puppy is part-musical) against a camarilla of monsters, each one a virile male from a different planet.  I mention their potency because they were kidnapped by Venusian vixens to propagate an entire race of beings.  Needless to say, the special effects are a riot.

Ship milks all it can from its cracked premise, but there isn't much else to milk.  Why does everything I type sound so filthy???  I'll mold your silence into a segway to talk about another flick I caught yesterday.  If you haven't seen Pennywise: The Story of It, rectify your fanatical failings pronto.  It's an engrossing documentary that recently premiered on Screambox, a streaming subscription-based service akin to Shudder.  Off-topic, but enough nerd-catering streaming services already.  I'm going broke over here!

I'm done mewling.  Pennywise features interviews with every living talent associated with the 1990 miniseries.  There is also invaluable footage of the stars who left us too soon.  It's neat being able to see John Ritter's real-time reaction to the puppetry used in the finale.  The doc acknowledges the elephants in the room (i.e. the novel's orgy scene), which is gratifying to hear as a fan of both the book and the film(s).  Of course, Tim Curry's inclusion is an added bonus.  Seriously, you need to watch Pennywise: The Story of It.  And if that's your main course, The Ship of Monsters can be your huckleberry (feel free to substitute your dessert of choice).