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Although it’s been off my radar for quite a while now, I can remember the days when I used to love watching South Park. Back in those halcyon days of middle school, South Park was the perfect combination of raunchy humor, ultraviolence and poop to set my developing imagination running wild. Over the years South Park has become more focused on making fun of whatever new thing has passed by the pop culture shitpipe lately, and my interest has waned as I’ve found other programs, but who knows what I’d be like if not for the influence of Mr. Matt Stone and Trey Parker? I’d probably be some kind of fine, upstanding member of society rather than the socially maladjusted misanthrope that I am today, and where would be the fun in that?
Before Matt and Trey took the world by storm with South Park however, they were punk kids who wanted to try their hands at being filmmakers, and the first film they made was a little project known as Cannibal! The Musical. Released in 1996 by the schlock-meisters over at Troma, CTM is a parody of the bevy of films detailing the westward expansion of Americans in the mid 1800’s, and more specifically of Oklahoma!, the genesis of the field. Matt Stone plays Packer, the only man ever convicted of cannibalism in the United States, who supposedly killed and consumed his traveling party on the wintery slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Through flashbacks and the power of song, Packer weaves the sad story that lead to his imprisonment to a plucky female reporter. A story that involves Mormons, trappers, the promise of gold, an ill-fated journey to Breckinridge, and a mysterious figure known only as Leeann. As you might expect, the story that got Packer into prison isn’t the full story, but as is often the case in movies and in real life, the truth is stranger than fiction. And if you’re wondering how strange it could possibly get, please remember that these are the guys who created a talking turd who gives presents to children on Christmas.
It stands to reason that if you’re not a fan of South Park, or other Parker/Stone projects like Team America: World Police, then you’re not going to like this movie. For people who do enjoy that kind of humour, this movie is a prototype for what is to come. It’s a bit shaky in places, and as a musical it barely hints at the success Matt & Trey would achieve with the Book of Mormon, but the songs are catchy and the movie is blatantly ridiculous, so it adds up to a decent movie. If you looking for a movie inappropriate for kids by good for Halloween, you might consider picking this one up.
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