There will be blood

Cinema | February 26th, 2016

Really bad movies can be a really good time. And when it comes to so-bad-it’s-good films, it’s hard to beat the 1982 movie “Pieces.” How much fun is it to watch an insane serial killer trying to create a human jigsaw puzzle using body parts, and college students — specifically young co-eds on the tennis team — are his main target.

According to Randal Black, who is one of the people behind Grindflick’s Movie Night at the Aquarium series, “Pieces” is a “strange, singular type of movie experience.” He says that the director of the film, Juan Piquer Simon, apparently had high aspirations for the film, but he “just kept missing all the marks!” Simon, who died in 2011, also directed “Slugs: The Movie” and “Extraterrestrial Visitors.” Black asserts, “there is so much wrong with ‘Pieces’ in terms of screenplay, acting, editing, but that’s also its most endearing quality!” Black says that it is a “have to see it to believe it” “trainwreck” quality that makes it very entertaining. “Pieces” is very gory, “a splatterfest,” according to Black.

The movie stars Christopher George (“Rat Patrol,” “City of the Living Dead”) and Frank Brana (“Return of the Living Dead”) as detectives trying to solve a bizarre series of homicides, as well as Linda Day George (television’s “Roots” and “Mission Impossible”) as a former tennis player-turned undercover-cop.

Although it only has a 22 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, he retains a cult following with loyal fans because of logical absurdities, mistakes, atrocious overdubbing, and odd dialogue. Horror critic Jacob Knight says that the film is “‘Airplane’ with chainsaws, yet the picture was never meant to be a parody.”

Many fans of the film find the often ridiculous dialogue the best part. Some choice lines include: "The killer is someone that is either on or near the campus!" and “You'll be playing so much tennis it'll be coming out of your ears!” and "I'll send you a box of lollipops."

Black and others put together the Movie Night at the Aquarium series to help make up for less events in our area during the winter months. Movie Night at the Aquarium has a fun atmosphere, complete with popcorn, and while seating is provided, feel free to bring your own comfy lawnchair. Grindflicks is in its sixth year of events and Black wanted to bring something new to the scene. It is just more fun to watch outrageous films such as “Pieces” with a like-minded audience.

Black plans on rounding out this winter’s offerings in April with an Italian, science fiction monster movie, “Creatures from the Abyss,”which features radioactive plankton and mutated fish. He hopes to come back next winter with more Grindhouse movies. Check out Grindflicks’ Facebook page for information on upcoming events.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Movie Night at the Aquarium’s Screening of “Pieces”

WHEN: March 3, 8 pm

WHERE: The Aquarium (Dempsey’s upstairs), 226 Broadway N.

COST: $7 at the door

WEB: https://www.facebook.com/grind.flicksfargo/