Manson, My Name Is Evil

This movie started out okay. Until it cuts to a scene with the girls sitting out by a fire and talking about how they are from divorced families and looking for a purpose in life. It was so corny and stupid, I had to laugh. The rest of the movie has that feel. I think the guy who played Manson could have pulled it off well, had he gotten a good script to work with. I was waiting to see how they would portray him and knew it would be amusing. Just like how the media portrayed him. It was pretty pathetic how he was presented, like some demonic possessed god-man. In the first scene, he is up on a cross, like that is his normal thing to do. The script for this movie is awful, what were they thinking. It's almost directed like a play, not like a movie. A lot of this is also do to the terrible acting by the girls, some of it is okay, but when they speak, it can get very bad. I liked the real vintage clips that were inserted. A lot of the music was good, I heard The Black Angels, 13th Floor Elevators, good stuff. They portrayed the racist, pro-war conservatives pretty well. I think the movie had some pretty well done scenes. Just failed in executing the characters better, leaving you with a flawed feeling while watching it.

This 2009 Canadian Movie attracted much professional criticism over its deceptive titles: (1) Leslie: My Name Is Evil; (2) Manson: My Name Is Evil; (3) Manson Girl. A title was finalised after its release, but its not clear what that is, as the movie is listed on other websites as one or the other. According to IMDb the movie is categorised as a Comedy Crime.

Comedy Crime? What is that? A ridiculous crime? A joke about the crime? A laugh at the rich & famous who couldn't use their wealth to save themselves? A laugh at the victims?

The movie is a kind of 'Abstract Art', that showcases the movie's music composer, Paul Kehayas, who literally adds volume to feature the great soundtracks and powerful lyrics of the movie - a bit like heavy metal music is associated with devil worship. The music in this movie desensitises the audience, whilst the lyrics uemphatically draws the viewer's eyes back to the screen.

The main subject is Leslie Van Houten - a murdering member of Charles Manson's 'Family'. However, there is a plethora of storylines, surrounding the 'era' of the Charles Manson Murders.

Whilst I Am still struggling to find the 'Comedy' in the IMDb's categorisation of this movie - the mood of the movie gave me the impression that it was in defence of the Charles Manson Family - 'not the crimes' - but the family members. There is definitely a bias towards the Manson Girls, particularly Leslie.

I found the ending & end credits surprising.

I attended the World Premiere of "Leslie, My Name is Evil" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Gregory Smith stars in this Canadian feature from writer/director Reginald Harkema. Loosely based on the 1960s Charles Manson murder trial, "Leslie, My Name is Evil" is a surreal comedy filled with whimsy and camp. That such a horrific event in American history can be the basis for humor may offend some, but there is a long history in cinema of biting satire which, when infused with the right creative spirit, can be entertaining as well as enlightening. Smith's brilliant performance as the "boyish juror" carries this freaky film, which is destined to be a cult classic for those with a good sense of satirical satanic humor. Fans of the actor's portrayal of Ephram Brown in the long-running television series "Everwood" (2002-2006) will love his positive innocence and dominating presence in contrast to, arguably, some of the most despicable characters in history.

Leslie (Kristen Hager) is one of Manson family on trial and Perry (Gregory Smith) is interviewed to be one of the jury. He has to postpone his wedding as the jury gets sequestered. In flashbacks, the two characters journey through two different sides of America after the JFK assassination.

This is trying to be a surreal telling of the trial. It has some good potential but the director has no skills to pull off the surrealism. There is no style to it other than a faltering attempt at being off-kilter. It's clunky and poorly executed. This is like Oliver Stone without the filmmaking skills.

There's no indication anywhere that this film is a dark comedy, probably because no one would rent it. I don't personally feel like the subject matter should be made into a comedy, but some people might like that sort of thing. If I had known that this was a comedy, I would not have rented it. The acting is pretty atrocious, too.