NEW KIDS TURBO is apparently one of the top grossing films in The Netherlands. It started out as a web series that spawned a TV show, and eventually made it to the big screen thanks to some help from Comedy Central. The feature length version takes place in a small town in Holland in the 90's and revolves around a group of jobless morons in tough economic times and their plight to "never pay for anything again." The fellows all sport terrible 90's fashion, complete with white trash rocker mullets, jumpsuits, stone washed jeans, and mustaches for miles. They pretty much just spend their days tooling around and calling each other cunts constantly. When a local newscaster picks up on their buffoonery and runs a story on the idiots, they unwittingly incite an uprising that soon garners them some serious attention from the country's leaders and military.
While this plot line and the boy's ridiculous antics seems like a great formula, this film just didn't make me laugh. I've heard from several people who absolutely loved the film, and I just find myself questioning if we even saw the same movie. There are a few gags that got a chuckle out of me, and the grandeur and scope of the thing is quite admirable. Overall though, I guess I just didn't get it. I
must not be in on the joke or something, or perhaps it would have had more punch if I was Dutch. I have the feeling that fans of the original web series and TV show are the ones this film is really for. I also get the feeling that while the feature is completely lost on me, perhaps the NEW KIDS in short form is a better medium for this particular brand of inane humor.
Nevertheless, it was revealed by two of the actors in the Q and A following the film that shooting for the sequel, NEW KIDS NITRO, has already wrapped. Perhaps I'll try again on the next go around and feel differently, but NEW KIDS TURBO was a total disappointment.
Next up is Penumbra, a dark little tale from Argentinian director Adrian Garcia Bogliano. The story begins on the day of a rare solareclipse with Marga, a ballsy lawyer who is on the verge of negotiating a lease on a property that she and her sister own on the wrong side of town. When the real estate agent she is supposed to meet with finally arrives 45 minutes late, Marga's already short fuse is nearly burned down to the end. In addition, the strange, almost inept behavior of the agent has Marga in full-on bitch mode. When she excuses herself to go across the street to buy some coffee, she further solidifies her bitch status when she tasers a beggar which prompts the locals and even a neighborhood cop to label her as loco. In a huff, Marga returns to the apartment to find that the agent has been joined by some mysterious associates. Soon enough, Marga discovers that real estate is not the MO of this strange group after all, and she has had the unfortunate luck that their meeting coincides with some other business they have regarding the solar eclipse. Things get crazy y'all!
PENUMBRA is a fun little film that definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Every scene is wrought with ominous undertones that hint of pending doom, and the final payoff is pretty terrific. While Marga may initially be clueless about the intentions of her eventual foes, the directors let the audience in on at least a bit of the secret from the beginning which helps maintain some serious
tension as Marga slowly pieces it all together. Actress Cristina Bondo delivers an amazing performance that forces the audience to question whether they are cheering for or against their supposed heroine, and with a satisfying twist, it turns out to be Marga's bitchiness that ultimately seals her fate. Great stuff.
Annette Kellerman
