A Camaraderie of Mutants: Joe Bob’s Jamboree
Joe Bob Briggs is known for hosting The Last Drive-In on Shudder and AMC+. From October 6th-8th, hundreds of his fans (known as mutants or the mutant family) descended upon the West Wind Drive-In Theater in Las Vegas. They all came together to experience the Third Annual World Drive-In Festival. This is my Jamboree story.
The City of Sin
Flying into Las Vegas from the midwest feels like entering into an entirely different dimension. Flashing lights and chimes from dozens of slot machines greet you as you step off of the plane. I’m not superstitious but I am a little stitious, so I plunk twenty dollars in the first machine I see and win five dollars.
After picking up our rental car and checking into our hotel, all plans of adventuring in the big city went out the window. We order room service and I scroll through the platform formerly known as Twitter. Watching everyone arrive for the Jamboree filled me with a mixture of excitement and dread.
Jamboree Jitters
I didn’t know what to wear. What if people didn’t like me? Will I overheat and pass out? My husband hands me a drink and tells me to stop spiraling. But according to my therapist, I’m the best at spiraling. After a few sips and even more deep breaths, I veer back towards excitement.
Waking up at 6:30 AM is not ideal while you’re in town for a movie festival that runs from 2 PM – 2 AM. Alas, my east coast circadian rhythm doesn’t give a shit about what is ideal. Though waking up early on Friday did give us a chance to gather our needed supplies from a local store called Wal-Mart.
Flying in meant we had to bear the additional expense of purchasing a cooler, folding chairs and an FM band radio. We also bought blankets and pillows to create a cozy viewing area in the back of our rental SUV. I knew we would want these items to have the best possible experience, but I also knew we would have no way of bringing most of the items home. For a trip that already cost us thousands in terms of the hotel, festival tickets + add ons, rental car and flights – it stung.
Ticket prices for the Jamboree itself are reasonable, especially if you purchase them early. However, it’s hard to ignore that many mutants were priced out of attending this year due to the location. My husband and I combined our birthday, anniversary, and Christmas gifts for our two-day experience. The ability to camp onsite helped to lower costs for many attendees, but camping on a blacktop without shade or showers is not my particular idea of fun.
They Paved Paradise, Put Up a Drive-In Lot
However, pulling into the West Wind Drive-In makes its location choice very apparent. Growing up, the drive-in theater I attended had one screen. The three screens at my college drive-in are dazzling. The West Wind has six screens. And we took over five of them. (The sixth screen was playing Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie with a double feature I was unable to determine. I can only imagine what those parents were thinking.)
With a combination of Jamboree volunteers and West Wind staff scanning tickets and directing parking, arrival was smooth and easy. We spotted filming for Charles Band’s Barbie & Kendra Crash Joe Bob’s Drive-In Jamboree immediately, and would continue to see them filming the rest of the weekend. I’m definitely looking forward to watching it when it comes out, and hopefully it has its world premier on The Last Drive-In.
Approaching a gathering of people in the camping area, I was nervous. Meeting people in real life that you’ve only previously known online is intimidating. For about half a second. When you’ve bonded with anyone over a love of movies, there’s never a shortage of conversation topics. There’s also apparently never a shortage of trinkets. I was given pins, stickers, and a friendship bracelet ala Taylor Swift spelling out the word “breasts.” I felt somewhat bad only being able to offer name tags in return, but it turns out those are valuable currency.
The Jamboree Line Experience
Waiting in line for our photo opportunity, we heard the sweet dulcet sounds of Mutant Karaoke. The entertainment was appreciated as Joe Bob and Darcy were roughly an hour late for photos. Thankfully the line formed under the shade of the concessions building, so the wait was not unbearable. Meeting Joe Bob and Darcy, although very briefly, was incredible. I’ve already framed the photo.
Our next wait-in-line experience was for the Welcome BBQ dinner. Unfortunately, this line was not shaded and I cursed myself for not buying an umbrella to bring. We went through the line and were given plates of food and sent on our way. The food was good, but I’m pretty confident in saying that it wasn’t worth the $50 per person price tag. The concession stand is reasonably priced and fast, so we could have fed ourselves dinner for $30 total without the long wait.
If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old!
As John Brennan and the Bigfeet took the stage, my husband and I made our way back to our vehicle. We were blessed with a good spot that had a great view of the stage and one of the screens. A bad parking spot didn’t exclude anyone from a good view, as the first few rows of parking spots in front of the stage were cleared for chairs.
Future attendees should include some hearing protection in their packing lists, as the sound from the stage was very loud. Luckily, I always carry ear plugs with me so the sound was not an issue for me. John Brennan and the Bigfeet put on an energizing and entertaining show as a skunk must have wandered around the parking lot.
Charles Band then took the stage and announced they would be filming the final scene of their aforementioned movie during their allotted time. As someone who has never been a part of a film’s production, it was really cool to get such a behind the scenes look at the process. I won’t spoil the ending, but this is sure to be a very amusing film.
You’re Just a Filmmaker
The night truly began as Joe Bob took the stage to wild audience cheers and applause. He discussed the importance of filmmaking before showing his famous speech to “aspiring” filmmakers he made while hosting One Cut of the Dead (2017) in the second season of The Last Drive-In. The speech is incredibly inspiring and I recommend watching it if you haven’t already done so. It was the perfect lead-in to a celebration of truly independent filmmakers.
The film festival then kicked off with David Liban’s feature Publish or Perish. The film covers exactly what lengths a professor will go to receive tenure and is more dark comedy than outright horror. It does an excellent job of building tension and leaves the audience asking “Can he really get away with this?” up until the very end.
The second film of the night was Buddy Cooper’s Mutilator 2, the long awaited sequel to his 1985 film The Mutilator. Cast and crew were onsite at the Jamboree selling merch and interacting with fans, building the excitement before airing. The movie fully delivers with a bloody and funny meta-horror experience.
Keep Them Coming
Sean Haitz’s Cannibal Comedian rounded out the feature length films, with a movie about -you guessed it- a cannibal comedian juggling his roadside human meatball stand and his burgeoning career as a comedian. Two vehicles featured in the film were on location at the Jamboree along with the cast and crew, which I did not realize until they appeared on screen. The movie is laugh out loud funny and delivers when it comes time for the kills.
The night finished with eight short films, several of which are now available on YouTube:
- Above the Staircase written & directed by Dennis Sema
- Baby Fever directed by Hannah May Cumming and written by Hannah May Cumming & Alex Hartwig
- The Casting Couch directed by Matt Thiesen & Justin Lee and written by Milly Sanders
- That Damned Yellow Raincoat written & directed by Jason Huls
- Hideous Heart directed by Nicholas Camp & Don Thiel and written by Nicholas Camp
- Satanimation directed by Gregory Garrett Boone & Jason Hooper and written by Jason Hooper
- The Mages of Rage and the Desecration of the House of Mimicry directed by Jason Sheedy and written by Brett Brooks & Jason Sheedy
- We Forgot about the Zombies – written & directed by Chris McInroy
Well-Deserved Awards
All films shown as part of the film festival were introduced by Joe Bob with his signature drive-in totals and awarded a Drive-In Academy Award, also known as a Hubbie. The award is inscribed on a vintage Chevy hubcap and was given in-person on stage to those who were able to attend the Jamboree. I hope those involved in making these films felt the love the audience poured into them as we felt the love they poured into their craft.
After midnight, sound ordinances require a switch from stage sound to radio. My husband and I did our best to stick it out for as long as possible, but the soft droning of the radio and the softer pillows piled in our backseat told us it was time to head back to the hotel.
Deal Me in Again
Despite arriving at roughly the same as we did on Friday, our parking spot on Saturday was unfortunately at one of the screens facing away from the stage. Thankfully, we were able to set our chairs up near friends near the front of the stage. We wanted the best possible view for the live taping of The Last Drive-In and ended up being right in front of the central teleprompter. Someone moving our stuff was a concern, but as we checked in throughout the day it remained in the same spot.
Since we had not purchased add-ons for Saturday, we had more free time to shop at the merch tables. Every vendor was super friendly and there was a good variety of items to choose from at multiple price points. All of the tables were also under shade which was greatly appreciated, despite Saturday being slightly cooler than Friday.
I also conquered a small piece of my nerves to introduce myself to Yuki Nakamura, who is behind production design on The Last Drive-In!
We also had more time to spend with fellow attendees on the second day. The mutant family is a diverse group of people who are all brought together by their love of Joe Bob and horror, but they also have something else in common. They’re cool as fuck. We met so many kind and funny and thoughtful people who welcomed us right into their spaces without hesitation. It made all my earlier fears and anxiety seem so silly.
Let’s Get it Started
Pre-show entertainment on Saturday included a very entertaining Mutant Rap Battle. The one and only Gringo Fantastico took the stage alongside a handful of other talented mutants as they gave it their all to win copies of Troma films. The contestants are all crowned winners and walk away with movies in hand.
John Brennan and the Bigfeet then took the Jamboree stage again, this time with a special surprise just for The Last Drive-In superfan Eric Butts. The band learned an original song written by Butts and brought him on stage to perform it with them. Dave Sheridan (known for his character Officer Doofy and in character as Blow Job Briggs) joined them and they put on a performance I will never forget. Seriously, who knew a song about Waffle House could be so damn catchy?
Viva Las Vegas
I will also never forget Joe Bob taking the stage to kick off the live-episode filming with a “mutated” rendition of Viva Las Vegas. Hearing his musical stylings is always an unexpected treat. I think he narrowly missed out on a career as a prolific lounge entertainer. With energy levels at all time high – we were officially part of a live studio audience.
I will be providing an in-depth review of this episode when it airs on Shudder next year, but I can say with absolute certainty that audiences are in for a treat. It is astounding to me how similar watching the taping felt to watching an episode at home. Joe Bob and Darcy are naturals on stage. Darcy has mentioned how anxious events like these make her, but you would never guess from watching her.
Roger and Julie Corman are the featured guests of the Jamboree, with both receiving their own Hubbie awards. Julie receiving separate honors for her contributions to film was a thoughtful gesture by Joe Bob in a night that could have easily been all about her husband.
Can You Say That on TV?
The interview takes place during the first showing of the night, Corman’s 1959 film A Bucket of Blood. It is an entertaining take-down of beatnik culture in black and white and felt like a perfect film to experience at a drive-in. The interview is full of fascinating stories, and the story-telling goes to 11 when Bruce Dern appears as a surprise guest.
The second film of the night is 1983’s Deathstalker. Joe Bob seems delighted to be showing this movie, and I have absolutely no idea why. It’s a sword and sorcery movie and whenever I try to describe it all that comes out is “It’s a movie about attempted rapes.” It was entertaining enough, although I was more entertained by audience reactions.
The night did not end when the live-taping ended, though. Once stage sound was cut and switched to FM, the drive-in played The Wild Angels (1966) about the Hell’s Angels. As well as The Trip (1967) about an LSD trip. Surprise guest Dern appears in both of these Corman films, making them a logical choice to finish the night. We seize the opportunity to sneak out during The Wild Angels.
Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on what accounts you read, we were not present for Sunday shenanigans at the Jamboree. Sleepaway Camp day featured a cast reunion and Chris Jericho alongside an all-night marathon of the full series of movies.
Jamboree Camaraderie
So, what do you call a gathering of hundreds of members of the Mutant Family? A group of crows is a murder. It’s tempting to borrow that name for a group of people who relish in watching on-screen death. However, after spending two days baking under the Las Vegas sun at the 3rd Annual World Drive-In Movie Festival (also known as Joe Bob’s Jamboree), I’d like to propose something entirely different: a camaraderie. I’ve seen first hand the solid foundation of trust and friendship, so no other word makes sense to me.
(One experience I did not have, due to sheer nerves, was meeting Joe Bob and Darcy outside of my purchased photo opportunity. This does not mean they were not available, as they spent countless hours meeting mutants and signing autographs free of charge. I know many people were absolutely thrilled at the chance to have a few moments of dedicated time with the hosts of the show that brought us all together.)
We have come now to the finale of season four of The Boys. And while it didn’t have the literal blood fireworks I wanted, someone did get ripped in half in the air. So, that’s pretty close.
As a note, I will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. This ending was a hell of a gut punch that should be experienced as blindly as possible. That being said, I will not be able to avoid spoilers and still give a full legitimate review. Proceed at your own risk.
The story
The main storyline for this episode is the attempted assassination of President-Elect Robert Singer. The Boys join forces with the Secret Service to protect him. But, as we learned last episode, Annie has been replaced with a shapeshifter. A shapeshifter that was welcome not just into Hughie’s anus, but into the protective bunker in which the President-Elect is hiding.
What worked
The first thing I want to discuss about this episode is the ending. But we need to do this carefully.
The important thing here is that the ending breaks your heart on so many levels. So many terrible things are happening to characters that it’s almost hard to keep track. And each moment is significant to each character.
I cannot give a specific example. But no matter who your favorite character is, you’re going to weep for them.
Unless your favorite character is Sage. And this is the next thing that made this episode so fantastic.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything to say that Sage’s plans worked out exactly as she wanted them to. And she got exactly what she wanted.
What she wanted wasn’t power. It wasn’t money or fame or vengeance. It wasn’t to win the love of anyone. She just wanted to see if she could do it.
That is a terrific, terrifying motivation! Because all she wants is to play a massive game of chess with people as pieces. She doesn’t care about anyone. She just wants to see how many people she can manipulate. She just wants to set things on fire to see if she can.
Fantastic. A plus villain work.
The next thing I want to discuss is a cornerstone of the whole series.
The morality of The Boys shifts through the series. While it’s very much a battle to save the world from overpowered super monsters, it’s also a battle for the souls of our real heroes. And in that battle, there are two warring factors. We have Hughie, always trying to bring everyone up to a better level. And we have Butcher, who has no problem at all hitting rock bottom with a shovel in hand to do some more digging.
In this episode, we saw almost every member of The Boys challenged. Will they rise to their higher angels, or sink with their demons?
On a similar note, I am so glad that the writers kind of addressed my issues with Annie. They did this by having the shapeshifter get right into her face and accuse her of thinking that she’s better than everyone.
While that was devastating for the character, it was a little cathartic for those of us who felt like Annie was a little too good of a good guy.
What didn’t work
This is a small matter, but it is an issue that I want to address. After Annie finds out that Hughie slept with her doppelganger, she is furious at him.
In addition to this being unfair, it’s also a very cliche element to add. In almost every instance of a lookalike in fiction, there’s a moment where the love interest of the victim is fooled. Or almost fooled. And it’s always the same fight. It’s just played out and predictable. I’m just glad that it didn’t last very long.
Now that we’ve come to the end of the season, I can officially say that it was amazing. The story was deep and rich. The special effects were a stomach-turning good time. The character development was spot-on and satisfying. And, of course, it left me just about gagging to see what happens next. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ll have a bit of a wait. Because as of right now, the fifth season isn’t expected until 2026.
(5 / 5)
We’ve reached the second to last episode of The Boys, season four. And, as is appropriate for the penultimate episode of any show, things have to get a lot worse before they can get better.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Christmas is coming, and the whole world is getting ready. Ryan, despite being very clear that he didn’t want to appear on any TV shows or movies, has been strong-armed into participating in a Vought puppet Christmas special. He draws the line, though, when asked to sing about turning one’s parents in if they start talking about woke things.
Meanwhile, The Boys are trying to keep each other together. Butcher decides to take Sameer to the rest of the team. He also gets Frenchie out of prison, hoping they can make the Sup virus necessary to finally take down Homelander. Instead, this decision means disaster for one member of the team.
What worked
I first want to talk about Ryan’s speech near the end of the episode. Because it was exactly the moral of this whole story.
Ryan’s dad is a monster. His stepdad is also kind of a monster. But Ryan is a good kid. He cares about people, about family. And while he loves Homelander and Butcher, he doesn’t want to be like them.
Even better, this speech sounded like something a kid would say. Ryan didn’t open his mouth and start sounding like a college student all of a sudden. He sounds like a kid who misses his mom and wants to live up to the good standards she set for him. And I think that’s terrific.
Speaking of Homelander, he shot himself in the foot in this episode. I said earlier in the season that his hubris was going to be his downfall, and I was right. Without Sage, he just has the same weaknesses he’s always had. He’s going to fail because he just isn’t clever enough or patient enough to succeed.
Without Sage, I think a win is in the bag for The Boys. This isn’t to say that Homelander by himself isn’t dangerous. It’s just that he’s more like a wildfire than a controlled burn. He’s going to cause a lot of damage, but not get anything he wants out of it.
More’s the pity for him and everyone else who has to share his world.
Finally, I am thrilled with A-Train’s redemption story. I love that he wants to be a good person not to save himself, but to be a good person. His honest, pure and warm reaction to that little kid smiling at him in the last episode was heartwarming. It changed him in a moment, bringing to light a goodness that he’s been keeping under wraps for a long time.
This, along with Ryan’s courageous speech, proves once again what The Boys does so well. Yes, it’s gruesome. Yes, there’s blood and balls and batshit events. Yes, someone occasionally gets ripped in half. But there is a true human goodness in the story. One that we catch glimpses of. There are good people among the monsters. There is hope for redemption.
What didn’t work
Of course, so few things in this life are perfect, and this episode was no exception. For instance, I was irritated by the insinuation that Butcher cheated on his wife.
That just doesn’t make any sense. We’ve seen flashbacks of Billy and Becca. They were happy. He was happy. He was head over heels for her. And I don’t think it’s realistic or necessary for the character to throw in that he cheated. It does nothing to add to the story, it’s just a weird and offputting moment.
Doesn’t Butcher have enough to hate about himself? Can’t we just give him that at least he was a good husband?
Finally, I kind of hate that we ended up with Annie being caught. It’s just cliche, which is something I don’t normally say about this show. It feels lazy unless they do something very clever with it in the last episode. Which, I suppose, they might.
Next up is the season finale. And with this season being as insane as it has been, I’m expecting nothing short of bloody fireworks. And I mean literal fireworks of blood. At this point, would it surprise anyone?
(4 / 5)
Episode six of The Boys was one of the most surprising episodes of the series so far. And that is certainly saying something. Because this season has so far been bonkers.
The story
Our episode today revolves around a party at Tek Knight’s lovely mansion. Yes, it does look just like Wayne Manor.
The Boys know that Tek Knight is working with Homelander on something, but they don’t know the details. So they decide to send Hughie in to bug the mansion.
Because that’s worked so well the other two times he’s tried to hide a bug!
It should surprise no one that this time goes no better. Hughie finds himself in Tek Knight’s basement. And by that I mean his BDSM dungeon.
Meanwhile, the party upstairs is no less disturbing. Homelander and Sage are trying to convince some well-off political donors to support a cue after the election. When pressed for details on his plan, Homelander freezes. He looks to Sage for help, but she wasn’t recently shot in the head and still in the junk food stage of her healing.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Neuman jumps in and saves the day.
What works
If I’m going to say one thing about this episode, it didn’t hold back at all. I didn’t expect them to show a character masturbating, sitting their bare behind on a cake, or spraying breastmilk into someone’s face. But every time I thought they’d cut the scene and let something be left to our imagination, they did not do that.
This is a dangerous move. Whenever you show the monster, you run the risk of them not being scary enough, or gross enough. As Stephen King says in Danse Macabre, to leave this sort of thing to the imagination if the reader makes things so much worse. So when they finally experience the monster, they might say that this isn’t so bad. It could have been so much worse.
But in this case, they managed to avoid that by making the scenes, especially the ones in Tek Knight’s dungeon, so much worse than I imagined it would be.
What doesn’t work
While this was a deeply disturbing episode in many ways, there was one really innocent and sweet moment.
And yes, I did have a problem with it.
Confronted by Firecracker, Annie decides to apologize for spreading rumors about her when they were kids. She tells her that she is genuinely sorry.
And I believe her. I don’t think Firecracker did, but I did.
So why is this an issue? Because I’m starting to think that Annie is maybe too nice. She is too good.
I know that Annie is our good guy. But every one of the other good guys has flaws. Hughie let his pride get in the way and took Temp V. MM hid himself from his daughter instead of teaching her to work through her emotions. Kimiko is far too closed off and has a hard time trusting others. Frenchie numbs himself with drugs. And well, what hasn’t Butcher done?
It is unrealistic that Annie is just so kind and so flawless. We all have shadows in our personalities. We all have weaknesses, we all mess up. We all do things we wish we could take back. The fact that Annie doesn’t seem to have anything like that is not just unrealistic. It’s infantilizing.
Give her some deep dark secrets. Give her something real to regret.
This was a shocking episode, even for someone fairly jaded like me. I wasn’t expecting the sort of weird sexual depravity, though I guess maybe I should have seen it coming. It was dark, upsetting, tense, and funny as hell. And with just two episodes left in the season, I can imagine the stakes are only going to get higher.
(4 / 5)
By the way, if you like my writing you can get my short story, Man In The Woods, on Smashwords and Amazon.
