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Pretty Good

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN (3 outta 5 stars) Canadian director John Paisz came out with some brilliant short movies back in the 80s... culminating in the brilliant "Crime Wave". He showed great promise at the time... his work sharing many surface similarities with the work of David Lynch. But for almost 15 years he seemed to disappear from the world of film... doing a little TV work in Canada and not much else. Well, he finally came back in 1999 with this zany B movie parody film and, while comes nowhere near the quality of his earlier work, it does have enough wit and style to make it worth seeing. The movie starts out TERRIBLY... so don't let the first five minutes put you off... it does get better. Man-eating aliens come down to a small Twin Peaks kind of town and start noshing on the citizens. Luckily a world famous atomic scientist (Campbell Scott) is passing through town to lend a hand. The movie's story isn't quite as well-scripted as the more recent "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" but it does have some very funny lines... and some bizarre characterizations (the way-too-friendly brother and sister, the town policeman who goes around singing his own jazzy theme song). If you're in the mood for something silly you could do lots worse than this. Choicest lines: "An atomic scientist's life can be very lonely. There aren't many atomic lady scientists, after all." "I got backbone! Matter of fact when I was born I had a tail, too! That's just MORE backbone only it's furry!" "A genetically engineered band of devil worshiping serial killers... or a Sasquatch type thing? I don't like the sound of that!"

Top of the Food Chain (A.K.A. Invasion!) is a very wacky film, but I recommend it to anyone with a good sense of humor, especially if you like parodies. The humor is delivered deadpan but takes turns you'd never guess. There are all the clichéd characters you could expect in a B-grade horror movie - the religious nut, the pompous scientist, the surly policeman, various suspicious characters, and the smart and spunky love interest - but each of them deviates from the norm in their own way. This is a low-budget film but that actually is a strength for a parody of other low-budget films. This is one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time. It reminds me of Airplane, although it's more subdued and yet more daring in its humor. Rent it if you get the chance.

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It is the best spoof on B Sci-fi movies I can think of. The deadpan delivery of Campbell Scott, as well as the twists and turns never get old. Nigel Bennett is also a great addition as the vacuum salesman. I just had to buy the DVD so I could watch it over and over. I rate it a 10/10.

What a wild ride "Invasion," aka "Top of the Food Chain," takes us on! Sometimes it sticks to its 1950s Scifi spoof premise, and then suddenly there's a moment of Twin Peaks -- done skit comedy style. Lots of sexual humor. I was surprised by the effects. We expect cheesy effects on these low budget Canadian films, but some were very good -- chilling but played for laughs. Meanwhile, the gags just keep coming and coming, in fact, many are tossed away. Some are visual and others more conceptual. A great scene is the ad-hoc autopsy performed on the kitchen table. I don't know if I love the ending, yet it's all in keeping with the preceeding anarchy. Nigel Bennett is great, as usual. And I liked the performance of Fiona Loewi as Sandy, the hotel gal. I see that she's recently been in some genre television shows as well.