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Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives
Israel Luna
Krystal Summers, Willam Belli, Erica Andrews, Kelexis Davenport, Jenna Skyy, Tom Zembrod
(La Luna Entertainment; US DVD: 9 Nov 2010 (General release); UK DVD: 9 Nov 2010 (General release))
Somewhere around the late ‘90s, drag kitsch went from agreeable taboo to television mainstay. With noted female “illusionist” RuPaul ruling Logo with his various impersonator enterprises and the “tran” prefix moving from the once scandalous “vestite” to dating show obvious “sexual” in pop culture commonality, the time seems ripe for a queer-ccentric horror romp where gay humor and genre contrivances go head-to-head. The result? Something called Ticked off Trannies with Knives. While the title is relatively self-explanatory, the film itself is somewhat schizophrenic. On the one hand, it has enough glam girlfriend diva dishing to support such hilarious homo-witticism. On the other hand, the I Spit on Your Grave-like revenge-angle is very nasty indeed, turning everything campy into something quite cruel.
When performers Emma Grashun (Erica Andrews), Tipper Sommore (Jenna Skyy) and Rachel Slurr (William Belli) learn that their gal pal Bubbles Cliquot (Krystal Summers) has got a black eye, they rally around her in true boys-as-girl power style. Even domineering mother figure Pinky La’Trimm (Kelexis Davenport) promises payback. Unfortunately, things get sidetracked by the evening’s lip syncing showcase, a trip to a local bar, and an invitation from Emma’s man Nacho to hang out and have fun. When all but Tipper and Pinky agree, they end up coming face to face with Bubbles’ psychotic ex, Boner. Soon, Nacho and his Hispanic homie are joining in on the baseball bat and switchblade swinging action. After waking from a coma, Bubbles is told by Rachel and Pinky about that fateful night. With the help of bar owner and supposed martial arts master Fergus, they will learn the art of the knife, find Boner and his buddies and exact their own brand of high glamour vengeance.
As a crossover attempt by gay writer/director Israel Luna into the world of direct to DVD schlock, Ticked Off Trannies with Knives has its moments. The opening sequence, where we are introduced to the five fabulous ladies who will lead us through this comic nightmare, is brilliant. It highlights the personalities involved without devolving into cartoon or cliche. Even better, when the quintet hang out for drinks and dishing, the vibe is electric - and then the plot starts to kick in. Frankly, everything that happens with Boner and his gang of hate-crime committing hombres is predictable, pointless, and painful to watch. We are never prepared for the juxtaposition in tone: the club material is so fun and boisterous that when we witness favored characters brazenly beaten to death, it really kills the mood. Luna tries to revive it with a couple of cinematic in-jokes (missing reels, unexplained narrative developments) but it doesn’t work. Ticked Off Trannies takes a real risk with such a bold back and forth. It’s a possibility, however, that never pays off.
We don’t really care if Boner and the boys live or die - their reasons for raping and killing our heroines are as rote and routine as the standard homophobic hated spewed in 2010. They have no redeeming qualities, so we instantly recognize that Luna is setting them up for the slaughter. They aren’t complicated villains, just trashy archetypes readied as fright fodder. If getting there is half the fun, then Ticked Off Trannies with Knives should have amped the camp. Oddly enough, Luna is quite happy to go all out during the violent sequences, but doesn’t allow a real outrageous ethic overwhelm his comedic material. There are great jokes here, delivered by a wonderfully evocative and engaging cast. Even when we lose a pair of them to the preordained terror, their spirit infuses every non-abusive frame. Yet all we get is more Boner, more Nacho, and more bloody baseball equipment.
Luna’s motives may be noble - he has stated in interviews that he wanted to shine an irreverent light on all the crimes he sees against transsexuals - but his goal only make matters worse. Instead of lingering on the punishment, showing us step by step how our ladies are lured to their horrific fate, he should have included more scenes of sensitivity. When Bubbles comes out of her coma, Pinky and Rachel are there to provide some pointed (and rather funny) comfort. Elsewhere, empowering words are spoken and supported. But then Luna undermines it all again with a last act confrontation that plays right back into the film’s flawed weaknesses. Again, Boner and this boys are just cardboard cutouts. Giving them almost half of the storyline is antithetical to Ticked Off Trannies with Knives’ ideals.
Thankfully, we can hang on to the bitchy brilliance of our cast. Erica Andrews gives good chica, while Jenna Skyy truly sells the loud and proud parts of her persona. The lack of additional screen time for these two is a crime in and of itself. As for the rest, Kelexis is like a drag Mary Poppins - practically perfect in every way - while William’s dumb blond bravado adds a hilarious counterpoint to everything that happens. About the only member of the babe brood not wholly holding up their end is Ms. Summers. While she looks the part, she also appears lost during several of the more memorable comic moments. She’s definitely fierce and full of energy, but Ticked off Trannies with Knives needs strong central figures to help us forget the horrors we’ve seen. All but one of the gals do their best to aid in such motion picture misdirection.
In the end, Ticked Off Trannies with Knives is one of those movies that’s not quite as clever or cheeky as it thinks it is. It’s fun at times, and deeply disturbing at other instances. The actors and actresses all deliver with a kind of gusto that goes from inviting to off-putting, and Luna’s style can best be described as advanced grindhouse point and shoot. There is nothing here to distinguish it from other high concept indie efforts except the casting and the lifestyle choices involved. It’s refreshing to know that gay-themed material is not simply languishing with its own specialized entertainment space. Ticked Off Trannies with Knives should have been better. Instead, it constantly battles itself until it implodes.
