Cave Women on Mars (2008)

 Today's slice is...

'Cave Women on Mars' (2008)

IMDB describes the film as...

"It is the future. 1987. Great scientific advances have allowed mankind to achieve that which previously only existed in speculative fiction - space travel. But, on the eve of humanity's first manned mission to the red planet, no amount of speculation could adequately prepare us for the unexpected discovery of... CAVE WOME ON MARS!"

This was the 3rd film of the talented Christopher R. Mihm and starred some familiar faces to the Mihmiverse like Daniel Sjerven, Josh Craig, and Brooke Lemke.

I enjoyed this one very much! It was a space adventure about two astronauts who set their cool retro looking ship down on the planet Mars and while exploring the planet, discover warring tribes of cave women.

Once again Mihm's film is in black & white and has a real '50s B-Movie quality to it. He is certainly a master of his craft.

The movie has cheesy dialogue, a cheesy alien creature, some great references to great pop culture films and tv shows like Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, The Princess Bride, and Star Trek.

The fact that this film was set on mars and had the cool retro space ship and felt much like a Star Trek away team adventure makes it my favorite of the three Mihmiverse films I've reviewed so far. The retro ship and the interior ship bridge set design and the astronaut's costumes were my favorite parts of the film.

The special effects were well done and it looks like some green screen work was even done in this film.

As always, Mihm has nailed the look of a classic '50s style B-Movie and the actors were perfect in their roles and delivering their dialogue in the best cheesiest way possible. Loved it!

You can purchase this DVD or Blu-Ray along with cool Mihmiverse artifacts at the filmmaker's website: www.sainteuphoria.com.

Stay cheesy my friends!

- Patrick Shawn Bennett

It Came from Another World (2007)

 Today's slice is...

'It Came From Another World' (2007)

Here's how the director describes his film on IMDB:

"'It Came From Another World!' chronicles the continuing adventures of everyone's favorite 'a-rockin' scientist, Professor Jackson. First introduced in 2006's "The Monster of Phantom Lake," Professor Jackson (Josh Craig) finds himself tasked yet again with saving the planet from certain doom. When Professor Jackson's colleague and best friend Dr. Frasier (Mike Mason) doesn't return from a scientific expedition in the deep woods, the Professor is sent to find and retrieve him. While searching, the Professor and Canoe Cops Sven (M. Scott Taulman) and Gustav (Mike Cook) stumble upon an enigmatic meteorite that may hold the answer to Dr. Frasier's disappearance - and something far more cataclysmic than they could ever imagine! Can our intrepid heroes unlock the secrets of the mysterious "rock from outer space" before its otherworldly power threatens not only the fate of the entire universe, but Professor Jackson's wedding plans?"

Last night I re-watched the 2nd film of director Christopher R. Mihm. What a treat! It was slower paced than the first, but it had all the cool '50s cheese that you would expect from a Mihm production. It was in black & white and the actors were fantastic and delivered their lines brilliantly with extra cheese. The special effects were well done. 

Actress Shannon McDonough who played the character Julie Ann Saint Marie was exceptional in her performance. I also really enjoyed the amount of screen time that the canoe cops got in this one. I'd like to see them in their own web series ala cliffhanger serial some day.

Another fantastic Mihmiverse film! This movie was also chocked full of references from Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Star Trek, right down to a climatic battle between the main scientist hero and an alien that has taken over the body of the scientist's friend. They fought with canoe paddles which paid homage to the Star Trek original series episode "Amok Time" where Kirk fought Spock with those metal pole weapons. Cool stuff. Big references from films 'The Wrath of Khan'' and 'Return of the Jedi.' Mihm's ability for lacing retro pop culture right into his screenplays is exceptional and the scenes are sure to bring a smile to every nerd's face. 

"It Came From Another World' (2007) is another Christopher R. Mihm hit! I loved it. Go check it out along with all his other feature films. You can purchase his DVD or Blu-Rays along with other super cool Mihmiverse artifacts at his website: www.sainteuphoria.com.

Keep it cheesy my friends!

- Patrick Shawn Bennett

The Monster of Phantom Lake (2006)

Today's slice is... 

The Monster of Phantom Lake (2006)

The IMDB description says "A mutated monster terrorizes campers in the woods of 1950s Wisconsin."

This film was written, directed, produced, filmed, edited, and much more by my friend Christopher R. Mihm.

His website says: Christopher R. Mihm is the writer, producer, and director of the films of the "Mihmiverse," a series of award-winning, loosely interlinked feature-films which pay homage to 1950s-era "drive-in cinema."
Mr. Mihm's filmmaking career began in 2006 with the release of his first retro-style film, "The Monster of Phantom Lake." Made on a nearly non-existent budget, the film went on to garner much critical acclaim, appear in numerous film festivals, win multiple awards and, to this day, continues to screen across the world."

I watched this film again this week and decided to do a review of it and help spread the word of the "Mihmiverse" films to those who haven't heard of them.

Although this film looks like a 1950s, cheesy, black and white movie... it's not. This is a modern movie shot and edited to resemble a 50s style film. Christopher R. Mihm nailed it. I like to tell people it's like someone found an old studio vault and inside there was this unreleased '50s B-movie that nobody has seen, until now. He achieved the look, feel, and style of those glorious old monster/sci-fi films of the atomic age. "The Monster of Phantom Lake" is  fun, funny, perfectly written, perfectly acted, perfectly shot, and perfectly edited... a masterpiece that pays great homage to those old films.. The music is very appropriate too. Yes, I did say the word "perfect" a lot. Sure, the acting was purposely over the top and cheesy, some of the shots might have been out of focus, and the monster costume looks super low-budget.... but when I say "perfect" I'm saying it was perfect in being what the filmmaker intended it to be. It worked!

I enjoyed the storyline. A crazy war vet is transformed into a lake monster, sort of like the origin of Swamp Thing, and terrorizes some high school graduates that are on a camping trip.

The characters were fun and there was great development to them. You actually felt for them. The filmmaker captured the clothing styles and the dialogue and slang of the era. If you were flipping channels late one night and came across this film you would think you were watching a legit '50s flick.

Mihm managed to find period vehicles for the film which greatly added to the illusion. 

He shot this movie on a video camera that allows you to shoot in 24 frames per second that gives it a film look, just what Mihm was looking for.

If you've never heard of Christopher R. Mihm or of his Mihmiverse films then you are really missing out. They are awesome and have a large cult following worldwide. He makes at least one per year and I can't wait for the annual title to come out. When I open my mailbox and find that his latest Blu Ray has arrived in my box I immediately cancel all plans I had for that evening and rush straight home to immerse myself in the retro, cheesy, beautiful journey that I know awaits.

Give his films a try. I'm sure you will like them. You can buy his DVDs, Blu Rays, and cool merchandise at his website: www.sainteuphoria.com.

If you watch one, drop us a line and let us know what you though about it.

You can also listen to the Pop Ninja Podcast episode where we interview Christopher R. Mihm about his films. Here's the link: 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1265612/9365214-the-pop-ninja-podcast-season-2-episode-34-54

Stay cheesy my friends. Until next time...

- Patrick Shawn Bennett