View Full Version : Troma is close to folding?
Katatonia
08-13-2007, 05:36 AM
...or just rumored by Fangoria?
Like them or not, they're about as independent as they come.
From Wikipedia:
The Future of Troma Studios
As of 2007, Fangoria Magazine reported that Troma Studios is close to folding as a company, perhaps as soon as it finishes its newest independent feature film Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. Fangoria Magazine also reported that Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, was the first Troma film that was funded out of pocket by Kaufman himself.
Today, Troma still produces and acquires independent films, despite many financial hardships and limitations.
Troma Films has distributed many films from third parties including Trey Parker's Cannibal! The Musical. Lloyd himself encourages independent filmmaking, making cameo appearances in many low-budget horror films-- occasionally for free. Among his more recent appearances is in former collaborator James Gunn's directing debut, the box office bomb Slither.
As of 2007, Kaufman next film, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, finished principal photography in the summer of 2005. The movie is slated for release, after several delays, in the summer of 2007.
Also, check the AB UK forum thread: http://www.anchorbay.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=12295
Go buy a lottery ticket, you just made your 7,777th post.
X-human
08-13-2007, 06:11 AM
Don't know about Troma. If it's true though that would suck because their acquired catalog is very good despite whatever anyone says about their original output. I doubt much if it will be released by anyone else do to the current market situation.
Speaking of which; I do know that Panik House and CasaNegra have both gone out of business. Also Synapse Films picked up Horrors of Malformed Men and Snake Woman's Curse but from reports at Horrorfind Don May Jr.'s said they already know they won't turn a profit on those releases. You can read about it at DVD Maniacs: http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11237&page=6&pp=15
In the "indie studio would you miss most" thread I mentioned that Panik House, CasaNegra and Synapse Films are all studios I cherished very much along with Mondo Macabro and Onar Films. I very much doubt the later two will still be in business by this time next year. I also know the purchase of Halloween's unused footage doesn't sound like it panned out the way Don May hoped either, since Anchor Bay has decided not to use it for the foreseeable future.
I'm afraid this is only the tip of the iceberg. When you look at the fire sales Full Moon's been having on eBay, I wonder if they're doing much better.
dwatts
08-13-2007, 06:36 AM
Wait, their future relies on Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead? Well that's all over then. :D
Good bye Troma, if I'd had the opportunity I'd have thrust the knife in sooner myself. As it is, it was a slow death (maybe). I don't know what all the untalented bimbos eager to sell their bodies via their beasts are going to - where the old poor joke will end up - or whom will license older films so they can have horrible DVD releases. But we'll manage I reckon.
onebyone
08-13-2007, 06:48 AM
Speaking of which; I do know that Panik House and CasaNegra have both gone out of business. Also Synapse Films picked up Horrors of Malformed Men and Snake Woman's Curse but from reports at Horrorfind Don May Jr.'s said they already know they won't turn a profit on those releases. You can read about it at DVD Maniacs: http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11237&page=6&pp=15
In the "indie studio would you miss most" thread I mentioned that Panik House, CasaNegra and Synapse Films are all studios I cherished very much along with Mondo Macabro and Onar Films. I very much doubt the later two will still be in business by this time next year. I also know the purchase of Halloween's unused footage doesn't sound like it panned out the way Don May hoped either, since Anchor Bay has decided not to use it for the foreseeable future.
Troma closing? I could care less because they're crap. However, this news makes me very, very sad. :cry:
I wonder whatever is going to happen to CHAINED HEAT and RED HEAT.
RyanPC
08-13-2007, 07:03 AM
The end of Troma can't come soon enough in my opinion. Just because they are truly independent doesn't mean they're good. ;)
ArrowBeach
08-13-2007, 07:24 AM
I don't know what all the untalented bimbos eager to sell their bodies via their beasts are going to - where the old poor joke will end up - or whom will license older films so .
Probably to E! Cinema.
Maybe a better label can do a better restoration for THE CHILDREN!
rxfiend
08-13-2007, 07:40 AM
The end of Troma can't come soon enough in my opinion. Just because they are truly independent doesn't mean they're good. ;)
exactly! I hate how people always say they're independent like that's suppose to make them special.
I definitely won't lose any sleep over this. Maybe Asylum will follow suit soon? One could always hope...
Sinister Ash
08-13-2007, 07:53 AM
it's sad to hear that true indies are losing. it's tough to make a film with out big companies nowadays. now what would toxie do? (don't get me wrong, lots of it is crap, but hey, I give them credit for sticking it out to make films outside of the hollywood circle).
Shannafey
08-13-2007, 02:55 PM
This would definitely be a shame!!
maybrick
08-13-2007, 02:59 PM
Maybe it could have been avoided had Lloyd made an attempt to retool his operation and deliver something of good quality for a change.
baggio
08-13-2007, 03:00 PM
I hope this is not true. They don't put the best stuff out there, but I give them a lot of credit for surviving this long.
Rockmjd
08-13-2007, 03:02 PM
They haven't had anything good since Terror Firmer and that was in '99. They were great during their heyday, though.
Wait, their future relies on Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead? Well that's all over then. :D
Good bye Troma, if I'd had the opportunity I'd have thrust the knife in sooner myself. As it is, it was a slow death (maybe). I don't know what all the untalented bimbos eager to sell their bodies via their beasts are going to - where the old poor joke will end up - or whom will license older films so they can have horrible DVD releases. But we'll manage I reckon.:lol: :lol: :lol:
I'd read about this at least a month ago and laughed because well, there's just so much to laugh about there. I almost posted it but I didn't dare to dream it was true, so as not to jinx it, of course. I guess we'll see if they actually fold or if this is just some stupid ploy for aid, money or publicity. In the meantime, I'll keep my good champagne, confetti and noisemakers in the closet, ready to grab at a moment's notice... just in case. :D exactly! I hate how people always say they're independent like that's suppose to make them special.Seconded. I can probably find about fifty terrible indie or unsigned bands on Myspace whose music I'd never buy because it's clearly subpar and that's one point I've always agreed with: just because it's indie doesn't make it good or worthy of my praise at all. Not by a longshot.
17thJuggalo
08-13-2007, 05:27 PM
I love Troma and it would surely suck to see them go. I think most of the hate that they get is a bit unwarranted. Sure, their releases aren't top notch, but there simply aren't alot of companies who have the balls to release the stuff that they do. They embody the "counter-culture of film making" and there won't ever be another company like them.
If they could actually muster up enough money to get Poultreygeist a wide release, it might be the shot in the arm that they need to get back on track. At least a quality DVD release (hold your jokes pal) of this movie and some good promotion would help them out too. The movie has been getting rave reviews and its social commentary is very fitting in this day and age.
dirkwu
08-13-2007, 06:08 PM
Good riddance. Troma has a place and that place is the forgotten past.
Kaufman = Goon. Canceled his own eBay auction because he was disgusted that the original Toxie script was only fetching $400.
What frustrates me about Troma is that Lloyd has had several opportunities to make the company some much needed dough, but fudged every one of them up because of his need to stay "truely independent." I'm pretty sure I remember reading about New Line Cinema wanting to do a Toxic Avenger flick but Lloyd disagreed with them so he cancelled the whole thing.
baggio
08-13-2007, 07:38 PM
What frustrates me about Troma is that Lloyd has had several opportunities to make the company some much needed dough, but fudged every one of them up because of his need to stay "truely independent." I'm pretty sure I remember reading about New Line Cinema wanting to do a Toxic Avenger flick but Lloyd disagreed with them so he cancelled the whole thing.
but isn't that the whole point of the company? Why sell out to do a Toxic Avenger remake?
maybrick
08-13-2007, 07:49 PM
but isn't that the whole point of the company? Why sell out to do a Toxic Avenger remake?
Why? So he can fund other Independent movies and stay in business. There's no point in being absolutely militant about your ethics if it's just going to destroy your livlihood. Anyways, Just because he options out the right to a larger company to make a Toxic Avenger movie doesn't mean he has to make the entire catalog of Troma up for grabs. Toss New Line a bone, reap the rewards, and go back to making Independent movies. Life is all about give and take.
dwatts
08-13-2007, 08:07 PM
--hey embody the "counter-culture of film making"--
Wait - they're the counter-culture? If that's what they represent, then bring me big corporate movie making -coz the counter culture truly sucks.
Why? So he can fund other Independent movies and stay in business. There's no point in being absolutely militant about your ethics if it's just going to destroy your livlihood. Anyways, Just because he options out the right to a larger company to make a Toxic Avenger movie doesn't mean he has to make the entire catalog of Troma up for grabs. Toss New Line a bone, reap the rewards, and go back to making Independent movies. Life is all about give and take.
Yup. Make Troma a stepping stone. You'll get more money, you'll give more people careers. Squelching something for the sake of art and integrity (and yes, I just said the words "art" and "integrity" in a Troma thread...that shows you how absurd it is that Troma would hold onto their product like that) is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
At my film festival, we often hope we can provide a way for our amateur filmmakers to get their foot in the door of the moviemaking biz. One guy who directed a film we showed is now in Hollywood, making typical Hollywood drivel. Yes, we mourn his loss of originality, but he ain't waiting tables anymore either.
Troma could have done the same.
X-human
08-13-2007, 08:57 PM
I don't think it's quite so simple. Look at what's happened with Charles Band letting Paramount distribute the Puppet Master series. Paramount decided they don't like horror any more and discontinued production. Full Moon was shit out of luck. They also sold off control of the series, and instead we get Sci-Fi Channel's take which did a fine job of killing off the franchise. Best I think Full Moon can do legally are compilations like Legacy. Now they're selling small runs of "found" stock just to make a buck. Hollywood just wants to chew you up and spit you out.
Troma's been around for awhile now, Lloyd's not stupid. If he dropped out of the New Line deal, I'd suspect it's because we wanted to avoid something like what Charles Band's digging himself out of. Maybe he would have a bit more money, but he may loose total control and once the money runs out he'd be even worse off. You look at John Carpenter, John Waters and George Romero's sell offs and have to wonder what they really got in return.
What's the phrase, "I'd rather be a ruler in Hell than a servant in Heaven." I couldn't agree more.
onebyone
08-13-2007, 09:07 PM
You can't give Kaufman a pass because Charles Band has been known to have the business sense of a stoned toad. If Kaufman's so smart, he could make the *best* deal to help out his company.
Of course, not that I care.
RyanPC
08-13-2007, 11:36 PM
Kaufman's an annoying prick. I can't believe I bought his book on "filmmaking"--after seeing the first five minutes of that piece of shit known as Terror Firmer, I realized that I had made a big mistake.
That said, I still enjoy the original Toxic Avenger. :D
dayglo
08-13-2007, 11:52 PM
I can't say this upsets me in any way since almost everything they have done is utter shit. Save for Tromeo and Juliet, I say good riddance. :)
Why sell out to do a Toxic Avenger remake?
I think they already did that with the Toxic Avenger animated series, toys, t-shirts, lunch boxes, etc. A remake really wouldn't have hurt their independent street cred.
deplop cinema
08-14-2007, 04:40 AM
Troma is amazing. Lloyd's the type of guy you either love or hate. Yeah, their in-house stuff has sucked the past decade, I'll admit that. And the fact that EVERY Troma movie centers around Tromaville and is so damn Tromacentric hasn't helped them either - in fact it gets fucking annoying. Howeverrrr... Their catalog of aquired films is awesome. Yeah they're all low budget crap, but low budget crap is FUN. Their Roan label that releases oooold films has some HISTORIC stuff made by icons like Rod Serling and John Wayne. Without Troma so many cinematic gems like Redneck Zombies and Bloodsucking Feaks would've never been seen and forgotten in time. They were releasing obscure horror long before Anchor Bay or Synapse, so at least give them some props for that. In my opinion Lloyd is hilarious. A genius maybe even. His perverted sense of humor is sick and unrestrained and I love him for it. Troma is surely piss poor financially. They always have been and always will be. However it's probably all just a publicity stunt to get people to buy Poultrygeist, at least I'm hoping it is.
Zillamon51
08-14-2007, 04:50 AM
The only Troma movies I enjoy are The Toxic Avenger (classic) and Class of Nuke 'Em High (mildly amusing). After the old Toxie sequels sucked, I avoided Troma for years. I saw bits and pieces of things, all of which seemed stupid and gross just for sake of being stupid and gross. None of it was actually funny. Then, I rented Toxie 4, that was supposed to be some big thing. I got to see a grown man dressed like a baby smothered to death with his own shitty diaper. No more. I won't miss them or their garbage.
Mattster
08-14-2007, 05:07 AM
Troma sucks. Good riddance. They made shitty films that exist for no other reason than to make money off of people who think they're cool and subversive for liking the worst movies on the face of the planet.
Look at what's happened with Charles Band letting Paramount distribute the Puppet Master series. Paramount decided they don't like horror any more and discontinued production. Full Moon was shit out of luck. They also sold off control of the series, and instead we get Sci-Fi Channel's take which did a fine job of killing off the franchise. Best I think Full Moon can do legally are compilations like Legacy. Now they're selling small runs of "found" stock just to make a buck. Hollywood just wants to chew you up and spit you out.
Wait a minute... Charles Band letting Paramount distribute his films? Paramount was the best thing that ever happened to him. They gave him his budgets and promoted his films heavily. Without Paramount Full Moon sucks... why? Because it's just Charles Band. He made bad decisions and fucked a lot of people over. No one wants to work with him or give him any money now. The SciFi movie was a one-time deal that has no affect on future Puppet Master films. It stands alone.
Their Roan label that releases oooold films has some HISTORIC stuff made by icons like Rod Serling and John Wayne. Without Troma so many cinematic gems like Redneck Zombies and Bloodsucking Feaks would've never been seen and forgotten in time. They were releasing obscure horror long before Anchor Bay or Synapse, so at least give them some props for that.Wow, well, I respectfully disagree with just about everything you said, but I will reply to these statements.
1. The Roan Group existed way before Troma ever had anything to do with them. They built a great reputation of releasing rare, old films all on their own, with wonderful restorations, for many years without the help of Lloyd who apparently wouldn't know real, quality restoration work if it slapped him right upside his head, if his own Troma label DVDs are any indication.
2. Redneck Zombies a cinematic gem? In my opinion it should have stayed buried in the back of the yard, covered up by a pile of dog turd, which then should have been set on fire, just for good measure. But again, those are just my own thoughts on the matter. :D
3. As far as companies releasing rare old gems, I'd much rather give props to Something Weird. At least they seem to care about their releases and make an effort to make their DVDs truly worth owning, chock full of vintage shorts, trailers, commentaries and other goodies... rather than filling it with a bunch of new, unfunny "Troma-centric" content and slapping about three dozen Toxie heads all over the packaging.
I guess it's all about preferences but, obviously, these are merely my own. :)
Livingdead102
08-14-2007, 06:06 AM
I would be very sad to see Troma go.
DrHerbertWest
08-14-2007, 06:28 AM
Every one has their own opinions. I think Hammer is a very overrated studio and their films usually bore me. I'm not going to blast them, though, and say their output is horrific. To each their own.
I'd be sad to see Troma go. Not because I support them but because it'd be yet another company folding.
Livingdead102
08-14-2007, 06:37 AM
Fantastic! Great News!!!!! Yay! No more shitty movies with terrible transfers!
Oh, well, if Troma must be sacrificed so that no company ever puts out a shitty movie with a terrible transfer, then by all means, cut off Toxie's balls.
X-human
08-14-2007, 07:15 AM
Wait a minute... Charles Band letting Paramount distribute his films? Paramount was the best thing that ever happened to him. They gave him his budgets and promoted his films heavily. Without Paramount Full Moon sucks... why? Because it's just Charles Band. He made bad decisions and fucked a lot of people over. No one wants to work with him or give him any money now. The SciFi movie was a one-time deal that has no affect on future Puppet Master films. It stands alone.
At first Paramount looked to be a godsend I agree, but as I've stated they're the ones holding Full Moon back now by keeping Puppet Master in the vaults. Their in action are only preventing Full Moon from using their Puppet Master franchise to its full potential. I don't see how you can argue that Paramount discontinuing releasing of the Puppet Master series is a good thing for Full Moon today.
My point was that perhaps New Line would have helped Troma in the short term, but in the long term could have done more harm than good. We don't know what deal New Line wanted to work out with Lloyd. Perhaps at the time it seemed no deal was the best deal for Troma in the long run. New Line probably wanted full rights, not limited rights.
I'm not saying either Charles Band or Lloyd Kaufman are great producers but I'd hardly consider Hollywood a magical wand that instantly makes things better for anyone who works for the system. History has shown the opposite.
Mattster
08-14-2007, 07:34 AM
At first Paramount looked to be a godsend I agree, but as I've stated they're the ones holding Full Moon back now by keeping Puppet Master in the vaults. Their in action are only preventing Full Moon from using their Puppet Master franchise to its full potential. I don't see how you can argue that Paramount discontinuing releasing of the Puppet Master series is a good thing for Full Moon today.
I never said that discontinuing the films was good for Full Moon. It's a joke of a company right now and it's not entirely because of Paramount's severance from them, but also because of how Band chose to run the things afterward.
I want Puppet Master on DVD more than anyone. I agree that Paramount is being shitty by holding the series hostage, but without Paramount we wouldn't even have it to begin with.
mutleyhyde
08-14-2007, 10:14 AM
Every one has their own opinions. I think Hammer is a very overrated studio and their films usually bore me.
You suck. :mad:
:p
Wayne Manor
08-14-2007, 10:38 AM
Ironically, "Poultrygeist" was the only Troma film inside of 10 years that even looked vaguely good. They improved their comic timing a bit on that one.
But yeah, mostly, who cares. Good night, unfunny man.
maybrick
08-14-2007, 12:30 PM
I guess it's all about preferences but, obviously, these are merely my own. :)
They're not "merely" you own. Trust me. I feel the exact same way. :)
dirkwu
08-14-2007, 01:30 PM
God I wish Kaufman could read these reponses, maybe it might elicit just a little regret.
You suck. :mad:
:pI KNEW that would catch your eye. :lol:
Regarding what you replied to... I couldn't disagree more about Hammer myself, but y'know, opinions, assholes, blah blah. :D
DrHerbertWest
08-14-2007, 02:54 PM
I KNEW that would catch your eye. :lol:
Regarding what you replied to... I couldn't disagree more about Hammer myself, but y'know, opinions, assholes, blah blah. :D
As I said, to each their own. Some are ecstatic to see a company like Troma go. Some people feel lots of different ways. Oh well.
Yes, that's exactly what I was saying... opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one. You know how the quote goes, I assumed. I wasn't saying you were an asshole or anything if that's how you took it. :lol:
baggio
08-14-2007, 04:26 PM
Bottom line is that when the straight to video "era" was just kicking off, IMO Troma and Full Moon kept me well entertained. Now there are hundreds of direct-to-video films flooding the market each week. This was unheard of years ago. In the past these two companies among a few others like New Line were a highlight of every video store.
So of course compared to now, their stuff dosen't compare to films that have $20 million plus budgets (talking about straight to video). And let me tell you, I've rented a few of those bigger budgeted movies and they flat out are terrible. At least with Troma, they don't take themselves seriously, and offer some sort of entertainment whether it be from laughs, gross outs, etc...
Anybody looking for Troma for oscars needs a reality check. But if you want to see a guy get beat to death with his own arms, then Lloyd is your man.
MorallySound
08-14-2007, 05:51 PM
This is sad news if it's true. :(
X-human
08-14-2007, 08:16 PM
[Full Moon is] a joke of a company right now and it's not entirely because of Paramount's severance from them, but also because of how Band chose to run the things afterward.
I fully agree.
As for Lloyd and Troma, I think they'll come out of it. Just like Hammer never really died, worst case some shell of an existence will remain for Troma and Lloyd will still be making movies somewhere someplace. Someone will snatch up the back catalog and hell we might even get a few decent releases out of it all.
I wonder about Roan though, if Troma really went under I'd imagine the company itself would be lost in the shuffle. I'm sure its material will be well recycled in the public domain community though.
maybrick
08-14-2007, 08:54 PM
Uhhh..... yeah, Hammer DID die. Somebody owns the rights to the name, but they stopped production on anything 25 years ago.
dwatts
08-14-2007, 09:21 PM
Bottom line is that when the straight to video "era" was just kicking off, IMO Troma and Full Moon kept me well entertained. Now there are hundreds of direct-to-video films flooding the market each week. This was unheard of years ago. In the past these two companies among a few others like New Line were a highlight of every video store.
So of course compared to now, their stuff dosen't compare to films that have $20 million plus budgets (talking about straight to video). And let me tell you, I've rented a few of those bigger budgeted movies and they flat out are terrible. At least with Troma, they don't take themselves seriously, and offer some sort of entertainment whether it be from laughs, gross outs, etc...
Anybody looking for Troma for oscars needs a reality check. But if you want to see a guy get beat to death with his own arms, then Lloyd is your man.
You don't really think people like myself hate Troma because we don't know our history, or that we prefer budget films over low budget ones, do you? Troma can't write - none of their people can act - the Direction sucks - and they grab distribution deals for movies I'd like to watch and put them out in horrendous prints stamped with juvenile extras that can't easily be skipped. That's the problem. ;)
maybrick
08-14-2007, 09:35 PM
I hate Troma purely based upon how they treat/package the movies they buy up for distribution. I could give fuck all about the relative merit of the ones they actually produce. I've been known to enjoy a few of them over the years, although truth be told, the last one was Tromeo and Juliet (mostly because of Lemmy) and that was at least a decade ago.
X-human
08-14-2007, 10:55 PM
Uhhh..... yeah, Hammer DID die. Somebody owns the rights to the name, but they stopped production on anything 25 years ago.
Yeah... But in theory they could produce more movies, after all they announce as much every 3 years or so. A large chunk of their films are still in distribution. Worst case Troma would probably end up like that. Hence my choice of words "shell of an existence." That's all I said. I don't see what's to contradict from my statements.
If Troma were to go under I wonder who would go for Troma's Al Adamson material. I could see EI Independent Cinema’s Retro Shock-O-Rama line jumping on a lot of Troma's back catalog. I think Something Weird Video is too cheap to go for any of it, unless it's a real fire sale. Cannibal: The Musical would be something though that someone like Synapse Films would certainly dive for. Spruce up a transfer, get some input from Matt & Tray and you've got a great shot in the arm for any distributor.
satans-sadists
08-14-2007, 11:12 PM
If Troma were to go under I wonder who would go for Troma's Al Adamson material. I could see EI Independent Cinema’s Retro Shock-O-Rama line jumping on a lot of Troma's back catalog. I think Something Weird Video is too cheap to go for any of it, unless it's a real fire sale. Cannibal: The Musical would be something though that someone like Synapse Films would certainly dive for. Spruce up a transfer, get some input from Matt & Tray and you've got a great shot in the arm for any distributor.
I would love to see another company issue those Al Adamson movies (Dracula VS Frankenstein, Satan's Sadists, Angels' Wild Women, Blood of Ghastly Horror) with better transfers. These four are the only dvds I own with the Troma label. The commentaries and new introductions by producer and Independent International partner Sam Sherman are great fun, but the transfers and all of that Troma bullshit propaganda is beyond tiresome.
Media Blasters did a far better job with the Al Adamson movie Hell's Bloody Devils on dvd.
MrKateB
08-14-2007, 11:37 PM
I have to agree with Dr. West in that it's sad because it's yet another company folding, and one more step towards homogenization (sp?)....BUT, I so f**king fully agree with Luna and Dwatts...I'll be there in spirit blowing a noisemaker with party hat on...
They lost any inkling of support I could have mustered for them when they screwed up The Children. To me, there is no excuse for that in today's day and age...
maybrick
08-14-2007, 11:51 PM
They lost any inkling of support I could have mustered for them when they screwed up The Children. To me, there is no excuse for that in today's day and age...
And that brings up another great point. The sooner they go under, the sooner somebody else acquires the rights to The Children (among others) and remasters it properly. It's a possibility anyways.
Shit maybe some company will even be able to produce better transfers of the bit of okay original flicks they produced. I'm still mad that the deleted scenes for Terror Firmer were in widescreen and looked ten times better than the actual film itself.
Wez4555
08-15-2007, 05:44 AM
:cry: so this means ill never get my 20 disc uber edition of redneck zombies! NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO! :(
maybrick
08-15-2007, 05:52 AM
The tape I have of The Children was issued by Rhino. Why and how the heck did Troma get a hold of it? Rhino was a piss pour DVD company at first, but they've really caught on to the media pretty fast. And it just dawned on me: why doesn't anybody talk about Rhino ever? I don't have too much experience with them, but their Monkees and Krofft season sets are superb! If Rhino did The Children now I bet it would look great.
Mortis
08-15-2007, 08:38 AM
Shitty or not, I like Troma and I'd hate to see them go.
Gore Lunatic
08-15-2007, 11:56 AM
^ I feel the same way. I met Lloyd Kaufman a couple of years ago at a signing in Dvd Planet and I think he's a pretty funny guy.
baggio
08-15-2007, 04:04 PM
"It's obscene to be spending $50 million or $200 million, or whatever it takes these days to make a Hollywood movie, on something as frivolous as a movie," "We think that movies should be made on modest budgets and that schoolteachers ought to be getting the money."
-Lloyd Kaufman
Coverdale
08-15-2007, 04:13 PM
I guess I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, Troma did have their time in the sun in the 80s when home video was getting started, and their very early stuff (Mother's Day and the first Toxic Avenger) were minor classics.
However, there was DEFINITELY a lack of quality control as the years went on and they almost became a parody of themselves (a parody of a parody?) Plus I never forgave them for their Stendahl Syndrome DVD transfer. I think most of their DVDs promised more than they could deliver in both the features and extras departments.
And someone else made a VERY good point: Something Weird is everything that Troma only WISH they could have been.
baggio
08-15-2007, 04:32 PM
However, there was DEFINITELY a lack of quality control as the years went on and they almost became a parody of themselves (a parody of a parody?) Plus I never forgave them for their Stendahl Syndrome DVD transfer. I think most of their DVDs promised more than they could deliver in both the features and extras departments.
And someone else made a VERY good point: Something Weird is everything that Troma only WISH they could have been.
I see here on this thread, often attacking their "dvd transfers" and using Something Weird as one example of what Troma's not.
Well Something Weird is a publishing company of vhs and dvd transfers. They DON'T make movies. Troma first and foremost makes films.The whole idea of this thread is about Troma possibly going under. I could care less about those crappy dvd transfers of films that they bought rights to. I'm only worrying about the films they make. And it will be sad to see the company go under.
I'm only worrying about the films they make.
And those transfers suck too. The Evil Dead was made for less money than most Troma films (by a bunch of college students no less) and looks loads better than their in-house stuff.
Rockmjd
08-15-2007, 05:56 PM
And those transfers suck too. The Evil Dead was made for less money than most Troma films (by a bunch of college students no less) and looks loads better than their in-house stuff.
Out of every 100,000 students, you'll maybe find one that has a shred of the talent that Sam Raimi does, and it took him 3 years to get it completed.
My only gripe with Troma is their careless DVD production. As for their films, I don't understand all the hate. Most of the DTV stuff I see at Blockbuster or on the Sci Fi Channel isn't any better. If I don't like something, I just don't watch it, and I wouldn't celebrate a company going out of business regardless. I don't get that at all.
Hellbilly
08-15-2007, 06:22 PM
As a bad movie fan part of me would indeed miss Troma, but on the other hand I'd rather see some or most of their stuff and especially their pickups getting a proper re-release on DVD by another company.
Here's hoping for neat widescreen transfers of Beyond Evil, Play Dead, The House On Tombstone Hill and yes -
Nightmare Weekend :D
The Chaostar
08-15-2007, 06:41 PM
If only Lloyd could put quality transfers out there...
If only he could release proper anamorphic widescreen versions of many of the stuff he owns... He owns the negatives so its more about being lazy than anyghint else...
He wasted many good opportunities, that's true. Still, it would be a very sad thing, for me, to see TROMA fade away. One of the most enduring experiences I had in a midnight screening was with TOXIE and TROMEO AND JULIET.
And I do hope someone gets the ROAN catalogue because they do have some great films.
On the other hand... what could TROMA offer in the age of HD and Blue Ray?....
dwatts
08-15-2007, 11:29 PM
--On the other hand... what could TROMA offer in the age of HD and Blue Ray?....--
Yet another Tox Box?
:lol:
This was a seriously good question.
maybrick
08-15-2007, 11:40 PM
They had no problem transferring murky second hand VHS copies of movies like The Children and Frightmare to DVD. Somehow I could see them taking the same prints and using them on blu-ray, only this time cropped to fit a widescreen.
Rockmjd
08-15-2007, 11:41 PM
I'm still pissed they never released The Complete Toxic Avenger box with the 21st Ann Edition plus the cartoon. Now I need to rebuy all of them, maybe they'll have a going out of business sale. :lol:
fceurich39
08-16-2007, 05:54 PM
i was really disapointed with the children dvd transfer i have the rhino vhs that is crystal clear they said they couldn't find a good print they must have not tried looking very hard i am sure the old vestron vhs transfer is even good i do hope they release poultrygeist before they fold considering that looks funny and cheesy
Mattster
08-16-2007, 06:02 PM
i was really disapointed with the children dvd transfer i have the rhino vhs that is crystal clear they said they couldn't find a good print they must have not tried looking very hard i am sure the old vestron vhs transfer is even good i do hope they release poultrygeist before they fold considering that looks funny and cheesy
Does anyone read your posts anymore?
Punctuation. Capitalization. Tools of our language.
fceurich39
08-16-2007, 10:57 PM
Does anyone read your posts anymore?
Punctuation. Capitalization. Tools of our language.
anyone care? no we are not in school jerk off!!!!
Mattster
08-16-2007, 11:15 PM
anyone care? no we are not in school jerk off!!!!
I didn't realize I had to be in a classroom to speak English properly.
DrHerbertWest
08-17-2007, 12:25 AM
Ftw!!!!!!!!
X-human
08-17-2007, 01:55 AM
Ftw!!!!!!!!
Keep it down! Some of us are here to learn so we can get into a good college so we can afford to bang the cheerleaders when we're older making $$$.
The Chaostar
08-17-2007, 01:42 PM
from Troma's site....
CONTEST FOR MILWAUKEE PREMIERE OF POULTRYGEIST
Bring a group of friends to see Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, and get a chance to hit the town with a real live chickenhawk! Yes, you could…
WIN A DREAM DATE WITH LLOYD KAUFMAN!!!*
Yes, that’s right, Troma is stooping to new lows in shameless self-promotion!
Contest rules:
The person who organizes the largest single group of ticket buyers to the 7:00pm or 9:00pm screening of Poultrygeist at the Times Cinema in Milwaukee on Friday, August 24th, (as determined by Times Cinema staff), will be taken out with a friend for Cock-tails (or milkshakes for those under the legal drinking age) by Lloyd Kaufman following the 9:00pm screenings.
Support Independent Art! Support your alcohol habit!
Ply Lloyd with public compliments, and he will ply you with booze!
*Not necessarily your dream, or anyone’s dream, really. . . In fact, Lloyd Kaufman never even had a date in high school, so really this is probably more like his dream. Especially if it involves oil, a crowbar, and several jars of peanut butter.
Poultrygeist is one of this summer’s films not from the makers of 40Year Old Virgin…. But it was made by a 61 year-old virgin. (Not counting Eskimo kisses.)
Spacevis
08-17-2007, 03:39 PM
The quirky persona he always puts on when he appears on his DVD's aside, Lloyd actually looks like a very intelligent, charming and interesting guy. Having read his first book about the history of Troma, I was surprised by how witty and sensitive he can actually be. Going on a date with him must be an awesome experience and I actually think you might get to see another Lloyd than the one we're used to. But maybe that isn't neceserally a good thing for the die hard Troma fans.
I think this stunt is very Troma-like and although I think their latest stuff is pure garbage (and not the good kind of garbage), I appreciate them keeping up the Troma spirit and doing stuff like this.
The Chaostar
08-17-2007, 04:50 PM
Having met the guy and interviewed him for HOURS in Venice, I agree. He is indeed an intelligent and sensitive man, but I guess that doesn't go along with his Troma persona...
WIN A DREAM DATE WITH LLOYD KAUFMAN!!!*
Yes, that’s right, Troma is stooping to new lows in shameless self-promotion!
Ply Lloyd with public compliments, and he will ply you with booze!
*Not necessarily your dream, or anyone’s dream, really. . . In fact, Lloyd Kaufman never even had a date in high school, so really this is probably more like his dream. Especially if it involves oil, a crowbar, and several jars of peanut butter.Ew. If you put out on that dream date, will he promise to put you in his next shitty movie? :(
dwatts
08-18-2007, 06:59 AM
from Troma's site....
CONTEST FOR MILWAUKEE PREMIERE OF POULTRYGEIST
Bring a group of friends to see Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, and get a chance to hit the town with a real live chickenhawk! Yes, you could…
WIN A DREAM DATE WITH LLOYD KAUFMAN!!!*
Yes, that’s right, Troma is stooping to new lows in shameless self-promotion!
Contest rules:
The person who organizes the largest single group of ticket buyers to the 7:00pm or 9:00pm screening of Poultrygeist at the Times Cinema in Milwaukee on Friday, August 24th, (as determined by Times Cinema staff), will be taken out with a friend for Cock-tails (or milkshakes for those under the legal drinking age) by Lloyd Kaufman following the 9:00pm screenings.
Support Independent Art! Support your alcohol habit!
Ply Lloyd with public compliments, and he will ply you with booze!
*Not necessarily your dream, or anyone’s dream, really. . . In fact, Lloyd Kaufman never even had a date in high school, so really this is probably more like his dream. Especially if it involves oil, a crowbar, and several jars of peanut butter.
Poultrygeist is one of this summer’s films not from the makers of 40Year Old Virgin…. But it was made by a 61 year-old virgin. (Not counting Eskimo kisses.)
Yeah - this "ad" pretty much sums up why they're so annoying. I don't know the guy personally, and whether he's nice or not doesn't matter one way or the other. His movies suck - and his business should most definately die. He'll find a job somewhere else no doubt - maybe as a doorman or something since he's so nice.
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