a review of
Not even vaguely a good movie, but it had a few things going for it that kept it interesting:
- A surprisingly good surf/jazz soundtrack by Frank Sinatra Jr. At times, it reminded me a bit of an Angelo Badalamenti score.
- Some genuinely crazy moments, like when the main character's artist buddy unveils a huge-breasted mermaid sculpture (modeled on the first victim, murdered only hours before) and wonders aloud if he should give it to her parents as a memento. (He does.) There's also a part where a goofy-looking lion puppet leads the beach kids in a bonfire singalong, as well as some of the wildest rear-projection driving effects that I've ever seen in a movie.
- An ending that is literally telegraphed five minutes into the picture, where it's so obvious where it's all going that I actually spent most of the movie wondering if it was a red herring (or any other kind of fish). It wasn't!