Ooga Booga

Oh my...

Face Palm

Charles Band strikes again.  This time it's not his general sub average effort involving puppets.  No, this time Charles Band has a message.  This Charles Band is going to do a film about racism, and the horrors it creates.  Oh my dear Mr. Band.  I don't mean to be rude to a person I've never met, but let's be honest... the only message your films ever give is generally "help me." 

Let's give this a quick look and you do readers can see my point.  It starts with a children television show.  Said host of said show is a hobo/clown/pig and is too busy boozing up and playing with his little piggy to bother with the kids so they naturally fire him.  This entire bit seems like it is from a way different movie, but here is how they shoe horn it in:  seems the only fan he has left is our boy scoutish, self reliant, African American hero.  After being fired he calls for his only friend to.. well I don't really know why.  Anyhoo he reveals to our hero that he is going to make a fortune by making racist dolls in china.  One of these is our Ooga Booga dressed as a stereotypical "African native" even with a bone in his nose.  As a reward for our hero being such a good friend he gives him an Ooga Booga (yes that does sound nasty)  Now I don't care how booze bitten you are, this cannot seem like a good idea or a real tribute to friendship.  The even more amazing thing is our guy takes it. 

Sooooo now with an Ooga Booga he goes to a convenience store.... um because.  It is established the slushie machine is malfunctioning and shocking him and then the store is robbed by idiots.  Our hero tries to save the clerk who was shot when he's shot by racist cops.  He's left for dead but his blood interacts with the short circuiting slushie machine and suddenly he's in Ooga Booga.  Now he's sort of a mini hulk in that whenever he encounters racism his eyes go red and he goes ....well not medieval let's say late Georgian on their asses and most nastily their eyes.  He joins up with his girlfriend to go find all the racist bastards to blame and kick some ass, and that dear readers is the story of Ooga Booga.

I have to say as bad as this film is, it is one of the better films of late period Charles Band.  The production is generally crisp, some of the actors seem actually eager, and the puppet is not a total embarrassment beyond it's stereotyped design.  Still, Band  tries sooooo hard to create a film about racism that it just gets unintentionally funny.  I mean it's beyond even cartoon racists.  We are now at like stick figure racists.  One of the many shames is that film misses a real moment of a person suddenly trapped in the body of a stereotype.  He just seems to roll with it with very little trouble.  I guess a little thought would be out of place here.  It was nice seeing Karen Black relive her role from Trilogy of Terror but stunt casting only gets you so far.

If you have a taste for Band go for it, otherwise avoid.  You might hate Spike Lee but Bamboozled did everything Ooga Booga did ten times better and left the audience much food for thought.