SoulMaid

Ariztical

Where is the forthright lunacy and dark humor of the good old days of underground films? Where's the next John Waters? This fun but flawed movie might point the way. Its hero, Moses, is a blowsy New Ager who makes a buck doing housecleaning in his underwear. He's also afflicted with temporal lobe seizures that he thinks are messages from the divine, especially after they lead him to a heavenly new boyfriend. But his bulletins from beyond get scary when they herald the arrival of Glintentica, a magical creature with a grudge against the gays. Soon this spiteful spirit possesses Moses, and he's on a mission to rehabilitate every queen he finds. Can the power of true love, and one very determined fag hag, save the day? Give the makers of this low budget silliness props for goofy originality, and kudos to the cast for hitting the right blend of sincerity and camp (lead Joe Schenck, in particular, shows great range.) If this movie were about 20 minutes shorter, it would be a perfect guilty pleasure. Unfortunately it's poorly paced and sags in too many places, and has a final act that's so incomprehensible you're left wondering if some pages were missing from the script. But perhaps that adds to the Z-movie charm.