Father’s Day (2011) (Limited 4 Disc Version) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By:Astron-6
Starring: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney, Amy Groenig
Rated: UR/Region O/1:78/1080p/Number of Discs 4
Where to get it: Troma Entertainmet
The urban legend known as ‘The Father’s Day Killer’ began some years after the demise of serial rapist/murderer Chris Fuchman. Since the 1970s, the use of contraceptives has tripled in North America alone and a generation of fathers fell asleep with the covers pulled tight, buttocks clenched. The story has become a fire-side cautionary ritual on camping trips, often used by fathers to warn their sons of the dangers of unplanned pregnancy. That deep seeded fear of penetration, violation and eventually death waned as the murder and rape of fathers continued to decline all over the world. Unfortunately those numbers didn’t remain low, and it would seem that the legend is not yet complete.
To try to put into words the madness that is Astron-6’s Father’s Day isn’t at all easy. It’s rude, it’s offensive, and it’s probably the film with the biggest set of balls I’ve seen in a while. I can respect the hell out of a movie that pushes the envelope. And when all is said and done, it’s possible that Father’s Day doesn’t just push it, it crumples it up and tosses it away. What follows is a true modern-day Grindhouse film, that both honors and pays tribute to such films as, Thriller, but it also packs a modern-day punch that sticks with you, pulls you in, and makes it so memorable that it’ll stick with you long after viewing it for the first time. In a nutshell, it’s everything I had hoped it would be and more. Some folks could be slightly turned off a bit by the over the top nature of the film. One minute you’re seeing a massacre take place at a strip club and the next you’re seeing people tripping out on poison berries. Not that you should have expected anything less from a film about a madman that stalks, kills, and rapes fathers. But I do think there are a few brief moments when the joking nature of the script could catch a viewer off guard a bit. But it’s best to keep in mind that as wild and brutal as things get at times in this film, I do believe it’s still a bit of a parody and a satire at heart.
Yet, as the story takes some very weird and disturbing twists and turns that take you from the realistic plot to a bit of a spiritual one, I can’t help but think what you get is pure genius. As goofy as some characters can be, you still like them. And the story keeps you tuned in no matter how far out of left field plot turns seem to come. At the end of the day, I didn’t like some of the more blasphemous spots in the film. Things do get REALLY weird when the film hits it’s home stretch. Yet, I can’t find it in me to hate on those things that much when I think about the film as a whole. And I also can’t deny that what I saw, as crazy as it was, was perhaps one of the best things to hit film in years. Father’s Day shows that not all hope is lost when it comes to films in general. In a current world packed full of remakes, Astron-6 could be the saving grace for fans of originality and film. Things get taken on a whole other level with Father’s Day. And it’s a level that rises above about 99% of everything else that is being released to theater and DVD. When Father’s Day wraps up on the screen, you may be shocked and a little disgusted, but you’ll also KNOW you just saw something awesome. Having revisited the film again for this updated review, I think its time we finally bump up the score on this one. A great film stands the test of time and is just as much fun on a re-watch as before. This one is and as a result I’d upgrading the overall rating to match the quality of the film.
Disc 1 (Blu-ray)
– Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Disc 2 (DVD)
– Theatrical Trailer
– Deleted Scenes
Disc 3 (DVD)
– Lloyd Kaufman Introduction at Comic-Con
– Deleted Scenes (Same as disc 2)
– Original Father’s Day Foreskin
– Original Father’s Day Extended Foreskin
– Animated Foreskin
– TV Foreskin
– Behind the Scenes Slideshow
– Make Your Own Damn Fuchman
– Make Your Own Damn Tire Iron
– Roll Out the Blood Carpet: Father’s Day Premiere Nights
– Troma & Astron-6 Charm Festival of Fear
– Create Your Own Damn Award Winning Movie Poster The Dude Designs Way
– Super Tromette Elena Recreates the Low Life
– Father’s Day Article at Rue Morgue Magazine
– Babies the Fathers Gave Birth to Before Birthing Father’s Day
– Patricide Honor Roll
– Make Your Own Damn Green Screen! (A Lesson by Lloyd Kaufman)
– How the Director Sells His Own Damn Movie
– Radiation March
– Interview with South Park’s Matt Stone
Disc 4 (CD)
– Music Sampler
