UFO FEVER
A Lofi Entertainment Release

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: So their line is as follows:

"In September, 2002 the Ganes family, residing in the town of Bayonne, New Jersey, set out to win one million dollars by capturing an actual UFO on video and proving the very real existence of extraterrestrials. Their dream, however, was shattered by their sudden disappearance in October 2002. They were neither seen nor heard from again. Their home movies, taken during their attempts to uncover the mysteries of outer space, were recently discovered. Perhaps they will aid in understanding what happened to this courageous American family..."

REVIEW: Maybe if there was more time between seeing "House of 1000 Corpses" and UFO FEVER I'd be a bit more generous here. However, life is too damn short to spend time watching garbage. And to the rest of you aspiring filmmakers with digital video cameras out there, there is a fine line between being able to technically create a feature length motion picture and art. So just because you can make a movie doesn't mean you should. Think before you shoot!

The filmmakers claim this is a comedy. However, it has more in common with a freak show. The main attractions here are all trailer park trash, literally. There are two white kids who think they're black, an alcoholic mother, a hypochondriac and lazy father, and as many stereotypes as the filmmakers found actors to play. At the beginning I laughed, somewhere near the middle I was upset, and by the end I felt insulted. I shouldn't have been surprised, considering that Troma Films, the company that gave us the Toxic Avenger, distributed the filmmaker's previous video, "Rockabilly Vampire."

Yes, video. This is not a film. It was shot, edited, mixed and finalized digitally. There are no aliens and the minute of special effects isn't special. The writers didn't actually come up with a screenplay. They drafted "a scene-by-scene outline for the film that contained no scripted dialogue." The actors came up with their lines during rehearsals. They did use an actual trailer park location in Bayonne, N.J. The film boasts a soundtrack featuring several bands from Long Island, NY. Other than the opening and closing credits, I can't say that I heard as much music as they claim is in the video.

Technically, filmmaker Lee Bennett Sobel has come up with something he can present to an audience, proving he has the technology to make a video down pat. The film's climax takes place by a garbage dumpster. I had the strange feeling that the filmmaker is sending a subconscious message to viewers, but that is probably open to interpretation. The truth is that UFO FEVER will probably appear on more video rental store shelves then it will ever have its title displayed on the marquees of theaters. Let the renter beware.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.lofientertainment.com/ufo/

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