Big Ass Spider!

It's very interesting to me that tons of B-Movies are becoming mainstream these days. There used to be a time when these schlocky flicks would only be seen by the purest of cinephiles, and the general public would be oblivious that there were such types of cinema gracing the big and small screens around their neighborhood. Not to mention, the only way to catch these fun films was in the back of your local video store, or late at night on some obscure cable channel. But nowadays, thanks to networks like SyFy, or film companies like Alamo Drafthouse, more and more B-Movies are being made, with a bigger audience clamoring to watch the latest giant monster and natural disaster destroy the world.

Most recently, a movie named 'Sharknado,' which was literally about a tornado made of sharks that ripped through giant cities, killing people left and right, not only aired at primetime on a national network, but received some of the highest ratings of that genre. The film made the rounds on national news, and created a firestorm of discussions and fan clubs across the internet. Needless to say, these grindhouse type movies are here to stay for a while, and I'm okay with that. And that's why writer Gregory Gieras and director Mike Mendez decided to make a movie called 'Big Ass Spider', which is about, you guessed it, a big ass spider that attacks and destroys a large city, and kills tons of people.

Mendez and Gieras knew exactly what they were getting into in creating this homage to old monster movies with this recent take on these B-Movies. While the premise is absurd and over-the-top, the execution and filmmaking is that of a great Hollywood movie. With it's super low budget, the filmmakers really went the extra mile to not only make this film a lot of fun, but a true cinema experience, one you won't soon forget with it's fun CG spider, dry comedy, and high-octane thrills.

Our main hero here is Alex (Greg Grunberg) who is an exterminator with a heart of gold, as he enjoys capturing the animals and insects rather than killing them. He heads to the hospital after being bitten by a spider only to find out that a bigger spider has escaped from some guy's chest, and has a few special skills. One skill is that it grows at a super fast pace to the size of a skyscraper. It wouldn't be a B-Movie without some form of government official in the midst of the disaster, but at least here we get the amazing actor Ray Wise as that official to try and take care of business.

For those of you wanting to see some fun and gruesome deaths, don't worry, your appetite will be satisfied, as there are plenty of innocent bystanders enjoying their day in the beautiful city who become impaled by a giant spider leg, eaten, or spun into a cocoon. Mendez's camera makes the film look like it was made on a budget ten times its size with some impressive pans and shots, while Gieras' script has this short 80 minute film never letting up on the action and thrills. And while the acting in this movie won't win any awards, Grunberg sure knows how to carry a movie with charisma, wit, and charm. And I have to say, 'Big Ass Spider' is big ass fun and should be seen with friends.