Oof... and I thought it was hard making it through Rollergator.
I will eternally sing the praises of Donald G. Jackson on the merit of his 1986 feature, Roller Blade (an insane post-apocalyptic nunsploitation flick that has to be seen to be believed) but after the '80s Jackson and Scott Shaw developed "Zen Film-making". The idea is nice - make a film without any script or ideas and construct it via editing - but since Shaw and Jackson regularly employ actors with little talent and seemingly even less imagination, the results invariably fall flat. These Zen films are excruciating; more like endurance tests than entertainment. Granted, I haven't seen all of them, and the Zen films that take place in the Roller Blade universe are fun for those with a high tolerance level for ineptitude, but Yin Yang Insane in particular is an Olympic event. Don't let the 40-min runtime fool you. The film (more accurately, "video") consists of a number of extended takes of Robert Z'Dar driving a crappy SUV through the desert and muttering to himself. The plot is incredibly bare bones, so simple ideas that could be conveyed in a single line are cycled through endless variations.
"What's that up ahead?... A detour... Now I'll be late... They're always doing construction... never when you want them to be... my wife will be wondering where I am... can't believe I gotta take this detour... I've been driving so long... just wanna get home... another detour..."
AND ON, AND ON, AND ON. It's almost Beckett-like, really. Basically the first 15-20 minutes are a static shot of Robert Z'Dar's face as he says nothing interesting. There is a short scene at a gas station, which is the only part that "picks up". Then the final 15 minutes feature Robert Z'Dar slowly walking around an empty ranch, looking into each horse stall.
The best thing I can say about Yin Yang Insane is that it reminded me of the silly camcorder movies I used to make with my friends when I was a kid. But heck, even my 12-year-old self had the decency to make a cut once in a while. So if you are ever tempted to rent this for $2 on Amazon, just go to Youtube instead and watch some home movies. You'll enjoy them much more than Yin Yang Insane.
I've given Yin Yang Insane 2 stars instead of 1 because
1. I like the ridiculous title
2. It's not, like, morally reprehensible
3. The scenes where Z'Dar's doppelganger laughs were funny
