User Reviews

Then you MUST see this! You must also see it if you want an in-depth insiders look at the frustrating "guerilla film-making" style at work in New Jersey-based Troma Studios. This feature-length documentary, about the production of CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER, PART 4 (and contained on that film's collector's edition DVD), is a long series of migraine-sized headaches from the scripting stage, to the casting stage, to the filming stage and, yes, right up to the finished product and L.A. Premiere.

Watch casting sessions go bad when front runners for the Toxie role don't show up! Watch Lloyd spend half a day trying to explain to an inept production assistant how to remove numbered papers from the script! Watch as the lone camera breaks as infuriated extras fume and suffer heat exhaustion in an non-air conditioned school building! Watch what happens when miles of film are already in the can and the lead actress refuses to lose her top during a crucial lesbian scene! Watch incompetent pyro and firearms technicians at work! Watch lead cast members show up on the set flagrantly late, or worse...flagrantly late and hung over. Yes, you will be reaching for the horse tranquilizers before it's all over...

As disorganized as the "studio" seems to be, and as profane, immature, unreliable and smug as much of the cast and crew seems to be, it's amazing they managed to pull it all together, but they did. Kaufman himself comes off as an enthusiastic kook, as expected. Troma fans will enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes clips and/or interview snippets featuring the likes of Trent Haaga, Debbie Rochon, Joe Fleishaker and James Gunn. Perrenial tabloid regular Corey Feldman also makes an appearance here and during one of the more unbelievable segments goes to great lengths to hide his identity (if he thinks a Troma movie will do HIS career any harm at this point, he's sadly mistaken). We even get a trip to the Playboy mansion where Hugh Hefner, B-movie goddess Julie Strain, her husband Kevin Eastman (creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and former Playmate of the Year India Allen (who was later sued by Kaufman over a failed DV production that would be partially salvaged in TALES FROM THE CRAPPER) pop in to say hey.

It's alternately interesting, informative and irritating. However, if you plan on making a film one day, you will learn some valuable things about what NOT to do if you want to make it through without losing your sanity.

My God, this is some pretty good stuff. My fave part is what I am referring to in the summary...which involves a 7 or 8 year old kid, some funny stuff. Anyway this documentary is really interesting. I want to be a filmmaker someday, so this helps a bit. My God, everything they went through to make this film it is crazy. Lloyd is a good guy, and so is Trent...enjoyed watching Lloyd have little fits over script revisions and stuff like that. Fun stuff! You can learn a lot from Lloyd, and his crew. And learn tons of film facts, it is just great. A good fun time. Make sure you watch CITIZEN TOXIE before viewing this, it gives lots of spoilers if you have not seen the film. You can get this in the CITIZEN TOXIE 2 DISC COLLECTOR'S EDITION or the upcoming MAKE YOUR OWN DARN MOVIE boxed set.

APOCALYPSE SOON is a behind-the-scenes documentary exploring the making of Lloyd Kaufman's CITIZEN TOXIE, the fourth film in his TOXIC AVENGER series. Inevitably this documentary turns out to be funnier and more engaging than many films put out by Troma themselves, because it shines a spotlight on low budget filmmaking practises, and many of the absurd situations are very funny indeed. Kaufman comes across a lot stricter than I imagined, but there's plenty of goofiness here as well as an endearing enthusiasm for the craft.