Michael_Elliott It Came from Kuchar (2009) *** (out of 4) George Kuchar is a name not too many people probably know but he has over two hundred films to his credit. This documentary takes a look at what made his films so special and so different. Also on hand is his twin brother Mike who helped on most of the films.Director Jennifer M. Kroot does a wonderful job at telling the story of Kuchar and as I said I'm pretty sure most people aren't going to know who he is. It's pretty neat how the documentary explains the underground era of filmmaking and what made Kuchar so different from the likes of an Andy Warhol. We've also got underground filmmakers like John Waters and Christopher Coppola on hand to discuss the influence Kuchar had on them.This documentary does what any great documentary should do and that's make you more interested in the subject. I had never heard of Kuchar outside of THUNDERCRACK! but after viewing this film I went looking for some of his other work. The best thing is that both Kuchar brothers are on hand for interviews and George really comes across as a great guy and someone you'd love to discuss his work with.

ksf-2 Featuring interviews of John Waters, Atom Egoyan, Buck Henry, and even George Kuchar's cat, this is a fun, live, on-the- scene look at the Kuchar brothers, George and Mike and the making of their wild, bizarre, indie films. According to Wikipedia, George was hired to teach film classes at the SF Art Institute in 1971. Making these films, which starred monsters, wacky, offbeat people and gender-bending plots with his twin brother Mike, George was also a part time painter. We hear director Jennifer Kroot (who attended and worked at the SF Art Institute) asking the brothers questions about their tempestuous childhood, with conversations by the actors in their films, co-workers, and friends in the business.In 1965, Mike made "Sins of the Fleshapoids" probably the best known of their films, which J. Waters has said is one of his favorite films of all time. Mike also directed my favorite "The Secret of Wendel Samson", which was quite ahead of its time. It's quite ironic when early in the film, Mike Kuchar, missing teeth, and sporting a looooong beard, says "Old people.... are weird." Apparently, I'm not the only only amused by the brothers' manner and appearance, since Bill Griffith says he created the cartoon "Zippy the Pinhead" based on Mike Kuchar. We also hear the comments of Christopher Coppola, yet another of the Coppola offspring in the film industry.It's also interesting to note that "Statue in the Park" 1993, starring Mike Diana, is NOT currently listed in IMDb, and also not found on amazon. "Thundercrack!" 1975, (Marion Eaton) IS in IMDb, and purports to be in DVD format on amazon, but is "not available" for order. "Loads" 1985 (Curt McDowell) IS listed in IMDb, and the VHS tape IS currently available on amazon. Ascension of the Demonoids IS listed in IMDb, but not on amazon. Also not found in either IMDb or amazon are some of their obscure films, which are probably shorts: Cocktail Crooners, Paradise Gone, Garden of Goodies, Midsummer's Nightmare, and Secrets of the Shadow World. Too bad... Glad this documentary is helping us keep an inventory of these now missing films which will probably never make it to DVD. If you have the opportunity, find and watch "It Came from Kuchar". Well worth the 86 minutes spent watching this study of indie, bizarro films. Fun, entertaining, and a little chunk of history of the film industry. Distributed by Indiepix Films, it has 48 minutes of extras." I knew we wouldn't make any money because anything I work on is a financial disaster."-- George Kuchar:

asc85 Aside from the mostly positive reviews, I also was interested in seeing this film because it attracted famous directors like Atom Egoyan, Wayne Wang, and John Waters to speak about the Kuchars. These brothers were people I had never heard of before, but I enjoyed learning more about them, and they were both very likable. However, there were two noticeable holes in this documentary: 1. The brothers' sexuality is hinted at, but never really discussed. Why not? 2. With the exception of one, maybe two scenes, the brothers are never shown together on screen. Did they have a falling out? That seems to be the case, but it was never addressed. And it is quite noticeable.I wasn't asking for a hard-hitting expose on the brothers, but it's clear that this was a labor of love for the director. That's both good and bad. I'm sure the brothers asked her not to address the issues I raised above. Too bad for us.

maystie I went in to this movie at the SXSW festival having never heard of the Kuchar brothers; I just thought the description sounded intriguing. Boy, am I glad I took a chance on it; of all the films I saw during the festival, this was one of my favorites. It's a hilarious and sometimes poignant look at the world of underground filmmakers and identical (or maybe not) twins, George and Mike Kuchar.These guys have made tons of no-budget films since the 50s, including such classics as The Naked and the Nude, Lust for Ecstasy, Hold Me While I'm Naked, The Devil's Cleavage...and they are fascinating characters to boot. After looking at clips from their movies, it's easy to see that the Kuchar films heavily influenced John Waters' early works.I hope this documentary gets a distribution deal; it definitely deserves to be seen. If it plays on IFC or Sundance channel, do yourself a favor and check it out.