A madman‘s mutterings: Pussycake

Pussycake (AKA Emesis – El amor Mata) 

directed by: Pablo Parés

Written by: Maxi Ferzzola

Starring:

Macarena Suárez

Anahí Politi

Florencia Moreno

Aldana Ruberto

Sofia Rossi

Macarena Suárez Dagliano

Where to watch it: screen box streaming service; worldwide distribution; raven banner

When a favorite cult director of mine makes leap from regional underground superstar to a film with an international release and a bit of a budget, I get understandably excited. When I found out it was the story of an all All woman rock band trying to survive a Bizarre outbreak… well… I was understandably excited! Cool concept! Cool Director! Scream box subscription procured!!

Pablo Parés  is super Rad! his flick Plaguea zombie mutant zone  (Wich he directed alongside Hernan Saez) is a legit masterpiece of micro budget Argentines zombie mayhem.  

I always wondered, “What could this guy do with a budget?”

What indeed Mr. Parés… what in Deed…

Our Adventure opens with some love craft style Science S’pearmint goes awry turning the practicing young scientists and his Folks into into zombie like mutants. Fast forward One, catchy tune and a poorly edited live performance (where is Dragon sound when you need them) and Fried engine later we are knee-deep in familiar zombie apocalypse clichés…

“We’re is everybody”

And Then my friend… THEN we go completely off the tracks! The film dives headfirst into a goofy ugly Instagram filter acid trip of a music video.  Our tripping Guitarist stumbles upon a Group Motel Hell style captives.  THEEEN our first attack!!! We are 20 minutes in and In this movie is already given up the goods!! 

Pussycake manages to cover it’s overused tropes with a deliciously Quirky frosting and bake it on high with an Undeniable breakneck pace. 

Our rock ‘n roll survivors suffer their first infected bandmate and disemboweled Manager before you could sing The opening line of “we got the Beat”

The Bands break into a house that just happens to be the Home from the beginning (What a coinci  winky dink)

The contradiction of crazy ideas and post apocalypse playbook is almost jarring!

They split up (check)

Bass player leaves infected band Mate alone (check)

Bass player makes a sandwich (Rock ‘n roll and Monster fighting is hungry work…check)

Weird zombie Muppet comes out of a overflowing bloody toilet (che…. Wait what?)

(have I mentioned the weird cloaked zombie fighting mutant dood yet?) 

You’re constantly left off guard not having any idea what the fuck could happen next. even the shit we’ve seen before is really happening too fast to be irritating. And if the conceptual whiplash isn’t enough there’s some downright disgusting stuff here to keep you on your toes!!

It’s quite refreshing. 

The zombies/infected are pretty gross and pretty cool! They sort of move like Deadites! There’s also a very welcome dose Night of the creeps /slither style stuff Swishing around amongst all the other homages and innovations. it’s a a good mix of Cliché to and outlandish. The innovations are as simple as the carbon copies, it’s like that time I had peanut butter on a hamburger simple filling delicious.

It’s not all  Burgers and  Peanut butter though, there are some weird tonal stuff, stuff that just really doesn’t jive. 

There is a very thoughtful Romance that seems like it’s in the wrong movie. Sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the chaos  Despite the fact the film has kind of hung its hat on it. The Relationship of the drummer and singer is well executed from an  Acting point of  View, heck maybe it’s executed  too well? The tenderness and sincerity of it just seems out of place here like something pure And real in the middle of a Looney Tunes cartoon . It’s strange though mehapes  by design. Another during turn in this outrageous please sloppy roller coaster ride!  One failing twist intern comes in regards to some pretty heavy stuff put out there early on. Some sickening trauma in the past of our final girl front woman . This darkness is in direct contrast of the flicks goofy gooey B-movie adventure, Especially in times it pops up mid Ridiculous action scene. Even if this was put here intentionally to prevent us from getting flat footed it delves too far away from the rest of the dark house Carnival ride we’ve  otherwise enjoyed.

I guess you  can’t ignore the ludicrously on the nose Murderous monsters who vomit white fluid into the mouth of someone to “impregnate” them with gross alien eggs.  Then you lean that nonsense up against the implied very serious trauma our Lead singer survived ….. .. Annnnnd wellll … yuck.

 A unfortunate  byproduct of the flicks breakneck speed your not really  given enough time to care about any of The characters. Honestly  With the exception of the romance between drummer and singer everyone else and their deaths essentially interchangeable.

I realize this is a very personal complaint and perhaps I’m complaining about not getting something I wasn’t promised, but I also didn’t really get the “girl power” kick ass Hero fest I was hoping for. I was legitimately hoping  for something  way more like The end of Sam Levinson Assassination nation by way one of  Parés Goretastic epics.  

There are some exceptionally stupid decisions made by The titular band and wile it never veers  into sexist or degrading territory I feel they missed opportunity to craft a modern horror hero.

But hey!

Maybe I’m just projecting.. I mean who’s ever heard of a band that fights monsters???? 

Pussycake is a good time. A Real real good tim. Wile I don’t think any of its lofty themes neither social politically or Lovecraftian horror hit a satisfying crescendo, It moves so friggin fast I don’t know that it matters!

This flick should’ve started with a Ramones style 1-2-3-4 because it rockets at you with all the intensity of a kick ass punk song that starts and ends before you can get too fussy over it silly lyrics or simple chord structure. And because of this it renders most of my complaints moot because at The end of the day I got exactly what I expected from a movie called “pussyCake”

A quick aside 

Recently I reviewed a flick called  The sadness which was AS gross if not grosser than this film. Where 

P -cake succeeds and the sadness fails is in both in Tone and intent. 

filmmaker Rob Jabbaz  Debut film delivered it’s pandemic Mayham with an angry unflinching Mean resentful nasty sneer. 

With The sadness, Jabbaz wants to shock and punish its viewers wile Parés manages to temper his gruesome this with a free wielding fun spirit that that Feels more like a rewarding adventure then an indictment on enjoying cinematic violence. I suppose in musical terms it’s like the difference between the misfits and cannibal corpse. The evil Streaks versus Necrophagia. 

But I digress… any way in regards to all things “ girl groups“  Pablo Parés Cake… and umm… well ya know… 

I dig it!!!!! Check it out!!

Till the next time!!!!

Lovingly misspelled and terribly written by…

….. Your favorite madman!

Dynamo Marz!!!