Thoughts on George A. Romero's "Monkey Shines".

[JDFP]

So, I finally broke down and watched "Monkey Shines" earlier tonight. And... well... I liked the monkey... My favorite character was the spider monkey, Ella. Honestly, I felt bad for the little monkey. She's somehow "connected" with Allan and feeding off of his vibes of wanting to destroy all those around him and she acts upon it. But, the little bugger isn't an "evil monkey" -- she's just a loving monkey trying to please her master not realizing that she's really doing wrong. The ending is really tragic as I was rooting for Ella to be saved from this quadriplegic asshole (there goes my invitation to the American's With Disability's dinner later this year) and properly taken care of from someone that would really love her. Allan got off way too easy. With the "connection" that he and Ella had (which really makes about as much sense as those fang teeth he grew in scenes of the film, but hey? Who gives a shit if it makes any sense? It keeps the plot flowing!), he's really the one responsible for the death of these people, and at the end of the film he's rewarded by being able to walk again? I feel bad for his girlfriend, maybe he'll get pissed at her one day when she didn't grab a beer for him quick enough and start verbally abusing her and finally snap on her. It also begs the question of how he ended up getting away with his friend being dead in his living room floor ("Yes, officer, my spider monkey killed him!") without spending time in jail. Wait, I'm applying logic... shame on me... Eh, at least it was better as a flick than "Land of the Dead" and just proves that only one thing is more frightening than zombies... pissed off spider monkeys who are fueled by the rage of their masters! j.p.

[SymphonicX]

Hmm, the thing is it was the Ella's body and mind that was fucked with - not Allans. Don't tell me you've never fantasised about killing someone who's wronged you....we all have! We just don't/can't act on it... These natural thoughts were carried out by a f**ked up monkey that was made f**ked up by experimentation - so the monkey had to die... Alan on the other hand is innocent because he simply went through what a lot of us go through - feeling wronged, betrayed, then fantasising about some sort of petty vengeance as a ways of getting back - bearing in mind this guy went from athlete to wheelchair bound and unable to move any part of his body below the neck - that's gonna affect anyone badly and he felt a natural resentment, hatred and pain because of what he was going through....this happens all the time with traumatic situations and it's no surprise he took it out on his mother, friends etc etc...completely natural and believable....what you don't need during those times is a mind reading monkey that will blindly act out your wildest revenge fantasies when you're going through something as traumatic and deep as losing the use of your entire body... But christ man, if my wife cheated on me with the doctor who failed to fix my back and missed loads of problems therefore tempting me to suicide by dry cleaning bag I'd feel pretty fucking resentful too...! ---------- Post added at 08:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 AM ---------- Also I actually think its a great film by george - one of his best studio movies, next to The Dark Half. Ella was a fantastic monkey, performed brilliantly and the final scene is pretty awesome...the cheesy wrap up to the story is a bit silly and I don't get what you mean about fangs? lol My favourite scene is where Alan bites his lip til it bleeds and Ella starts licking the blood off him, signifying their union from then on... I mean there's no real explanation as to why injecting the liquified brain of a child into a monkey would make it read the mind of a quadrilipegic - but then u can come to any sort of reasoning to explain that... Still lead actor was fantastic as was the scientist friend...and also David Early as the surgeon in the operating room, making a small cameo...awesome.

[DubiousComforts]

It also begs the question of how he ended up getting away with his friend being dead in his living room floor ("Yes, officer, my spider monkey killed him!") without spending time in jail. Did you ever stop to think that perhaps just maybe it had something to with him being stuck in a freakin' wheelchair and not being able to move from the neck down? the cheesy wrap up to the story is a bit silly and I don't get what you mean about fangs? lol I mean there's no real explanation as to why injecting the liquified brain of a child into a monkey would make it read the mind of a quadrilipegic - but then u can come to any sort of reasoning to explain that... The "happy" ending was forced upon Romero by the studio and the protagonist doesn't "grow fangs," although there is some intentional blurring of the lines between man and monkey. Almost every Romero film deals with themes of dual nature. There isn't supposed to be a logical explanation regarding the monkey experiment. It's intentionally ridiculous just like most animal experimentation which is a huge business centered on grabbing as much funding as possible. Electroshocking the testicles of cats in order to see if it adversely affects their sex drive sounds blatantly stupid, too, yet that was a real experiment that some asshole dreamed up in order to con the NIH out of grant money. Monkey Shines is a excellent film trapped in a poor, uninspired advertising campaign and stuck with an ambiguous, interesting title. It needs to be called something like Killer Demon-Monkey Serial Axe Murders or else the dimwits just don't get it. Btw, quadriplegics protested this film when it was initially released.

[bassman]

I enjoyed Monkey Shines, as well. The Dark Half is probably my favorite Romero flick from the two/three in that period(post-Day, pre-Bruiser), but Shines had some interesting ideas.

[JDFP]

Did you ever stop to think that perhaps just maybe it had something to with him being stuck in a freakin' wheelchair and not being able to move from the neck down?. Still doesn't explain why a dead body is lying on the floor. The "monkey killed him and also threw in a hair dryer into the bathtub and killled my mom!" defense is a tad far-fetched, don't you think? Yes, it could happen, but it's not highly likely when other people are involved. I could see a monkey possibly biting someone to death, but it's a bit of a stretch to go beyond that. I don't get what you mean about fangs? lol Watch the scenes with Allan and Ella. If you look at his teeth you will see that they have grown by some extent and are sharply pointed at the end. These aren't exactly "vampire fangs" but his teeth have grown a sharp edge at the ends (like animal incissors). I also enjoyed "Monkey Shines" as a flick, as I also liked "The Dark Half". It makes me wonder what happened to Romero directing the occasional horror flick? Sure, it may not be a big-budget flick but it would be good to see him try his hand at something other than the same old same zombie scene (I'll try to ignore "Bruiser" as it was beyond bad). j.p.

[SymphonicX]

Bruiser would've been OK if he'd have cast an American actor as the lead and gotten rid of the asian "model" and everything she ever appeared in.... the story was good but again suffered from awful marketing. Also the film lost its way towards the end when it turned into a slasher film for some reason.

[Mr.G]

Monkey Shines is ok and I didn't care for Bruiser. I still haven't seen the dark half. Outside of zombies, my favorite GAR flick is Knightriders. Awesome movie!

[DubiousComforts]

Still doesn't explain why a dead body is lying on the floor. The "monkey killed him and also threw in a hair dryer into the bathtub and killled my mom!" defense is a tad far-fetched, don't you think? Certainly not. There are monkey bites and scratches on the male victim who has also been doped by his own syringe, there's monkey pee and poop all over the place, the house is a wreck and there is a dead monkey -- all evidence to support an animal running amok before it was killed. The only human suspect is a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, which gives him an iron-clad alibi for all of the murders except for the monkey (his teeth will match the bite marks on the dead monkey to further support his story). There is also a witness: the girlfriend who was only knocked unconscious. By far, the most ridiculous, far-fetched scenario would be claiming "the cripple did it!"

[EvilNed]

I kinda like Monkeys. Preferably Lancelot Link!

[SymphonicX]

Does anyone remember that monkey that bit his trainer's face off? Literally mauled this woman's face and hands so badly she had no face left...I'd never heard of it until seeing Newswipe the other day where Charlie Brooker brought up the human interest side of the news and cited this as an example. Truly truly shocking, not least because of the coverage they gave it....scary!

[JDFP]

He hissed at the parrot."Yep," the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you," The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?""Moses," replied the bird. The burglar laughed.Tampa Bay RaysTexas RangersToronto Blue Jays "What kind of people would name a bird 'Moses'?""The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler 'Jesus'." I want some of whatever the hell this guy is taking. And a banning in five... four... three... j.p.