Mad Max? Bah! Batman? Oh you got to be serious. Snake Plissken? Nah son, these guys don’t deserve to be in the hall of fame for badass loner heroes. Ladies & Gentlemen, may I present to you ‘The Skid Kid’.
A 1991 short film created by Glen Gurner, The Skid Kid is what the cover boasts as “The crime fighter of the 90’s” as he rocks black chest armor, a helmet, kickin’ boots & acid washed jeans; nothing oozes early 90’s badassery like acid washed jeans.
A 1991 short film created by Glen Gurner, The Skid Kid is what the cover boasts as “The crime fighter of the 90’s” as he rocks black chest armor, a helmet, kickin’ boots & acid washed jeans; nothing oozes early 90’s badassery like acid washed jeans.
The film revolves around Scooter Spielberg (Yes, that Spielberg) who hones special black boots which allow him skid around at breakneck speeds. Along with that, he stops robbers from stealing cars using his karate. Why steal cars? It’s Missouri, I’m pretty sure that’s all there is to do down there. So The Skid Kid (Scooter) skids around in a well done stop motion effect, beating up robbers until the FBI steps into the picture to arrest Scooter & obtain the power boots (Which run on Cola & none of that cheap stuff). Why do the FBI agents want those boots? Because they’re the FBI & they want everything, that’s an excuse, right? So The Skid Kid evades the cops & FBI in stock orchestral music & triumphs over the evils of Missouri thugs!
I could sit here & call this film ‘Crap’ or ‘Abysmal’ like any Cinema Snob would do, but I won’t. I could tell Glen Gurner had dedication & a vision to make this film, despite limitations. It shows in how the stop motion effects were handled; stop motion isn’t easy or quick. The script isn’t really A-grade, it’s badly written & corny which is an A+ on my book. The acting & actors aren’t SAG members, but I’m pretty sure the people on screen were both proud & having fun, it’s clear that Glenn used friends & locals as his cast to make this film & I cannot really get angry at the actors or Glenn. These are the kinds of movies that are shot on a Saturday, to a room of people for fun. It’s just a fun jolly time that reminds people that movies don’t have to have deep meaning, symbolism or a $200 million in budget. Yeah. It’s nice to have films with symbolism & relatable themes that make you think, but come on, have a little mindless fun once in a while.
Is ‘The Skid Kid’ worth your time? Yes it is. This isn’t some indie production or a big studio flick, it’s a film done by a kid who wanted to entertain rather than suck the cash out of the film viewing public. It’s full of charm & honesty that impresses aspiring filmmakers and people who don’t really look at films in a snobbish way. Sure, the film can be riffed & criticized, but at the end of the day ‘The Skid Kid’ doesn’t hurt anyone.
Is ‘The Skid Kid’ worth your time? Yes it is. This isn’t some indie production or a big studio flick, it’s a film done by a kid who wanted to entertain rather than suck the cash out of the film viewing public. It’s full of charm & honesty that impresses aspiring filmmakers and people who don’t really look at films in a snobbish way. Sure, the film can be riffed & criticized, but at the end of the day ‘The Skid Kid’ doesn’t hurt anyone.