Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Lake Michigan Monster Blu-ray Movie Review

The Lighthouse 2: The Reckoning.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 29, 2020

Is there something in the water in Wisconsin? By which I mean, is there something in the water people are drinking in Wisconsin, as opposed to some horrible Loch Ness Monster type creature hiding in the depths of Lake Michigan (though there may indeed be one — or several — of those as well). As I’ve joked in some previous reviews, I discovered shortly after falling in love with and then marrying a woman from the tiny Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls that Wisconsin was inarguably the center of the known (and, considering its cinematic output, more about which in a moment, unknown) universe, though in the inimitable words of one William Butler Yeats, this particular center will not hold, resulting in some really odd films at times. A number of titles have either crossed my actual review queue or come to my attention in some other, more generalist, way that have featured the so-called Badger State, including two wildly disparate documentaries, American Movie and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox, which actually feature Menomonee Falls itself. A couple of horror films put out by Arrow over the past year or so also featured northern Wisconsin’s Eagle River area (where my wife's family has a wonderful cabin on one of Wisconsin's multitudinous lakes), including Trapped Alive and The Chill Factor, but for those wanting their quasi- horror outings to take place in a relatively more urbanized environment, Lake Michigan Monster may fit the bill, though its allusions to Milwaukee are fleeting at best and the entire film is so completely surreal that it probably doesn’t matter what state it’s taking place in, other than a state of arguably altered consciousness.

Perhaps the fact that this film's writer, producer, director and star bears the unusual, some might even argue grandiose, name of Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, is as good an indication as anything as to the hyperbolically gonzo proclivities of Lake Michigan Monster. The editing often resembles the cinematic equivalent of free association, and to state that the veritable "fourth wall" is broken would be misleading if only for the fact that it suggests a fourth wall was extant to begin with. The basic story concerns Captain Seafield (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews), who insists his father was abducted from a fishing boat and then killed by a monster emerging from the depths of Lake Michigan, even if some (many?) elements of his story don't exactly withstand close scrutiny.

Seafield assembles a supposed "Team of the Century" to help in his quest to avenge his father's death by killing the beast. These acolytes include weapons expert Sean Shaughnessy (Erick West), sonar operator Nedge Pepsi (Beulah Peters) and erstwhile (and dishonorably discharged) Navy man Dick Flynn (Daniel Long). Ultimately another character named Ashcroft (Wayne Tews), Seafield's brother, enters the fray as well. A number of basically identical plans are undertaken, each with very slight differences after the previous attempt fails, and all with cheeky "mission titles" like "Master Baiters" (which may give some indication of the level of some of the humor in the film).

The first part of the film is often stylistically inventive, with animated sections and askew framings that make Orson Welles' efforts on Citizen Kane seem tame by comparison, but the jokes are probably too repetitive, and often unabashedly juvenile, so that things may be hit or miss even for those who are enjoying the overall ambience of the piece. However, once things tip into totally surreal territory in the last fifteen minutes or so, both the film's stylistic flourishes and the smartness of its writing improve, though whatever it's all supposed to "mean" may have been swallowed up itself by some lurking nemesis.

Lake Michigan Monster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lake Michigan Monster is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following generic verbiage on the transfer:

Lake Michigan Monster is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio with original 5.1 surround and stereo audio. The High Definition master was provided by director Ryland Tews.

Time prevented me from listening to all three of the commentaries all of the way through, where this might have been addressed, but I'm not sure whether this was actually shot on 16mm, or made to appear so through some of the same digital tweaking which has obviously been used to alter the imagery in various ways, including intentional distressing and damage and other stylistic choices like pretty radically pushed contrast. The result is unabashedly lo-fi, but detail levels are often quite winning, especially in the almost comically intense close-ups that are frequently utilized. The differences in contrast as well as some of the other tweaks applied can mean clarity and detail levels ebb and flow (no nautical pun intended), and some of the special effects work can be a little on the soft side as well.

Lake Michigan Monster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lake Michigan Monster features a nicely wrought DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which provides some surprising immersion (again, no nautical pun intended) despite the film's obviously very low budget. There's some good rumbly LFE that pulses from the subwoofer and the glut of outdoor material provides good placement of ambient environmental effects. Dialogue (evidently all post-looped, so sync is loose, as they say), effects and the wacky score are all presented with fine fidelity and some nice dynamic range. Optional English subtitles are available.

Lake Michigan Monster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cast/Crew Audio Commentary features Ryland Tews, Daniel Long, Beulah Peters, Erick West and editor Mike Cheslik, sober.


• Drunk Audio Commentary features the same group, drunk.


• Critics Audio Commentary features Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Emma Westwood.


• Effects Breakdown (1080p; 9:51) is a fun split screen comparison of some green screen source material, storyboards, and the final film version.


• Dear Old Captain Seafield (1080p; 5:15) is a "music video" of sorts, albeit with more of a karaoke lyric sheet than actual imagery, of the film's theme music. The Seafield Monster Sextet performs.


• Interview in a Cabin (1080p; 9:03) features Ryland Tews and Daniel Long at the Fantasia Internation Film Festival in July 2019.


• Interview in a Bar (1080p; 12:43) features various cast and crew at the Beloit International Film Festival in Feburary 2019.


• Interview by a Fire (1080p; 23:58) is an audio supplement which features editor Mike Cheslik on Mark Borchardt's Cinema Fireside in December 2018.


• L.I.P.S. features "season one" and the pilot for Ryland Tews and Mike Cheslik's hybrid animation/live action sci-fi comedy web series.

  L.I.P.S. Season One (1080p; 22:13)

  
  

  L.I.P.S. Pilot (1080p; 7:15)

• Arrow Video Channel Promotional Videos

  Call to Action (1080p; 1:51)

  
  

  Filmmaking Guide (1080p; 3:05)

  
  

  Manufacturer's Guarantee (1080p; 00:52)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:04)


• Behind the Scenes Photos (1080p; 14:30)

Lake Michigan Monster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tews is on record as stating two of his primary influences for Lake Michigan Monster were Sam Raimi and Guy Maddin (Maddin gets a special thanks in the closing credits), while commentators Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Emma Westwood cite another source which compared the film to Maddin and SpongeBob SquarePants, so if you're familiar with any/all of those referents, you may have at least some idea of what's in store for you here. The comedy doesn't always connect, and some of it's undeniably stupid (which may in fact appeal to some), but the film is genuinely inventive in its presentational aspects, and Tews himself is often hilarious as the overbearing Seafield. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package quite interesting. At least for those looking for something a little (a lot?) different, Lake Michigan Monster comes Recommended.