Fistswings '76

With films like Longlegs and Maxxxine and Civil War there is no way for these guys to keep up with Standalone films and with Alien movies like Romulus coming out shows that if they don't stick to their roots then it is going to keep struggling to generate interest half the time their website is bugged or crashes, the pictures aren't up to date, and the blog is extremely cryptic when it is working.

Personally I like these guys, I even think the skinny one is cute but I can't see them doing more than this which is unfortunate because everyone at their church party seemed to like them.

I hate to beat up on people because the actors all seem earnest they seem to actually try and write material for their movies too because the dialogue is thoughtful but a picture is worth a thousand words, but to even compare them to Troma would be polite.

Note: The physical violence onscreen goes too far one guy gets kicked so hard in the groin I'm sure he's still on the ground and the fist fight scene looks like something out of Bum Fights meets Backyard Wrestling Vol 1.

It could've used a bigger budget. The storyline is tremendous and I lol'd several times but if these guys are going to be a serious threat they need to be working with at least 100,000 dollars or ask their audience for money. If I am not mistaken they work at a gamestop in Brandon or something.

I wonder how they have been able to sustain themselves as a production company for so long with so little exposure. I see them every few years at a local festival called TBUFF but then they disappear.

When you write their website they never respond back. What do I need to do kidnap Sheriff Ringo (j/k lol you know what I mean like Stan not for real)

Fistswings is mids as far as other titles like Lefty Lucy and Tale from the Creek but it was still pretty cool concept but the budget needs to be more for the sequels. Why do they only have shorts and Lefty Lucy online for viewing? How can we see the other ones online? Thanks.

TLDR; I liked them more after learning more.

A few months back I logged in to IMDB and forgot that I had an account I made for some guys who asked me if I would review their film if they let me screen it for free, this was back in 2012.

Flash forward I try to log in to IMDB and find out that I have an account already and I was reminded of the movie Rock Bottom Creek and watching the movie. I don't remember too much about it but the review reminded me that the Sheriff was the local hero for the production company and everyone seemed to like him.

That made me wonder what happened to those guys and if any thing ever happened with that film since I had moved out west.

After a quick google search I found their website and it seems that they are still making movies. I haven't heard of any of them but they had a website now.

This is kind of nice considering most companies usually rely on social media so it's cook they have a personal website for their fans.

I ordered Fistswings and really liked it. Ryan Esteban joined the production team acting as director alongside Rock Bottom Creek directors Howell and Balewicz.

It is hard to say when a new director added to the flavor since the film seems to have the same feel as I remember Rock Bottom Creek having where you end up experiencing the film through the eyes of the villain versus the eyes of the victim. That means he must fit in nicely with the team.

That said this very much feels like their earlier work, keep in mind I haven't seen the other films yet but I really liked this one.

The two main brothers are played by Steve who was the main character in Rock Bottom Creek. They didn't bring back the girls from the other film either. Steve's acting has improved tremendously in the past ten years or so since I last seen them. I think this was a whole new cast to be honest. Other than Howell, Steve seems to be the only original member left with the crew. The cop in this one was really good too. He felt authentic and concerned for the people. I totally fell for him.

The other brother, Jud, takes a wicked shot to the nuts in this film too. I don't know how that guy is still standing because the dude that delivers the punt kick to his coin purse appears to be devastating. Like, seriously, this level of violence and beatings in this film remind me of their first film.

Another touching scene was the boy that saves the day is very unlikely and his mother is no saint either but she loves him. There was no father in the scene either so I kind of took it as a representation of the Mary with Son iconography presented in Catholic art.

Without exploring things too much this scene says a lot about the people involved in these movies. Without insulting them it's clear money is no motive for these guys.

The young man in peril was nice as opposed to a young woman, he never directly resists his kidnappers, and when given the chance he shows mercy and looks for advice. He is lost without his protector and is pretty much left to fight back, which he seems almost reluctant to attack this maniac, which for some reason was refreshing. The way he reacts and contends with Steve's character feels like a nice blend of Home Alone and Halloween in the second act. It wasn't scary but it was like Kevin meeting a psychopath more than two bumbling criminals.

The big misdirection is the participation of the female protector. She shows up in hot pursuit and with that opens the door on a world of chaos. I am pretty sure they filmed in the same locations as Rock Bottom Creek. I think the hotel is the same place. It is out near Tampa. This is fun to recognize location that I kind of remember. Like I said reading my old review flooded back my memories of living in Florida.

Casting wise this film is a sausage fest, it was nice to see that she meant business but is overwhelmed by the brothers and not left to simmer. Most of the time these films are like that because all the guys are buddies so them even having one chick on set lends credibility to them, I guess.

The movie seems to wrap up and gives you an over-time. Like what seemed like a one sided-game that the good guys come back tie things up and push things into overtime, only for your QB to purposely throw a pick and leave your jaw on the floor.

I did not see that 2th act, or extra inning, or whatever coming. I think an 8 is fair, they still have room to grow but they don't seem to be after that with this film. The movie is above average for a film you will probably never see or find on streaming.

Goodluck, Steve. It is good to see you guys are able to keep new crops of people involved. I wish you all success in the next decade. Howell and Esteban did a great job, I hope they continue to work together.

*New addition after doing more research and watching more of their movies

Turns out they re-branded as @Wemassacre sometime after their first film. This movie Fistswings has won two awards and it seems like Mick and Steve are creating new directors and filmmakers more than they are making movies. It seems like they are making movies more as a finished product of a class project than they are really trying to produce a big budget film to compete in theatres.

Ryan produced a short with them for an anthology and seems to have been groomed by Steve and Mike Balewicz like the Van Halens and Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth.

It turns out he was the old man in this movie as well. There website has photos and you get a true face reveal for who these guys are in real life. Steve like I said plays the most high strung antagonist in such a convincing way. There was no heightened reality with this guy. He was just balls to the wall the entire film. He always had a joke, an ancedote, a dig, or a threat. At the drop of a hat him and his brother Butch break out into fist-fights. The characters in their films always seems so bizarre and Lynchian.

After reviewing Fistswings the first time I've since watched Tales from the Creek, Lefty Lucy, and Creek County. I can't link my podcast on here for some reasons but if you search out their work you'll find my review probably. I tend to take a more light-hearted MST3K approach instead of giving everyone an A for effort but it's all in fun. These movies should not be taken seriously even if they are worth the effort. If you buy these films do not expect to be gettting a Steven Spielberg movie. This is like a local band who blows the door of a local joint, they're not equipt for playing the stadium and that's okay, they seem to sell enough to re-invest in themselves for this long.