Review of Lee Demarbre's very fun Enter the Drag Dragon

Quite enjoyed Enter the Drag Dragon, a fine bad-good flick by local filmmaker luminary director Lee Demarbre. It's a raunchy, over-the-top exploitation film shot in and around my stomping ground of Ottawa, Canada with drag queens galore. Some gorgeous aerial shots figure, including recognizable landmarks such as the local legendary second-run venue, the Mayfair Theatre and the Brian Nolanesque shots of downtown's ByWard Market. As other reviewers have noted, Demarbe's is a rich, colourful Ottawa (or world) a brim with kitsch, costumes and off-the-wall humour.

The flick features an array of quirky, sexy, entertaining local actors including Demarbre favourite Phil Caracas. Caracas starred as pulpy tough guy send-up in Demarbre's 2004 Harry Knuckles and the Pearl Necklace, and the 1999 Harry Knuckles and the Treasure of the Aztec Mummy. Likely, his riotous portrayal of Jesus in Demarbre's  2001 Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is Caracas' best-known role, and Demarbre's most well-known and notorious film.

And, oh, yes, three—count 'em, three—leads play the drag queen protagonist, Crunch, an underestimated private detective. In Enter the Drag Dragon, the three actors and the slinky sexy rollerblader Jaws (Beatrice Beres) get centre screen, and rightly so. They're sort of a mystery-solving/no-job-is-too-odd duo. Matt Miwa, Sam Kellerman and Jade London all portray Crunch, and bring great sass to the role in diffetent ways. And brandish a staple weapon—dildo nunchucks, giving a wonderfully twisted statement of intent every single time. As well, I haven't seen this many protaganist costume changes since Jane Fonda's 1968 Barbarella.

Enter the Drag Dragon also serves up plenty of fun fighting (how Irish of me to say), but be warned—there's much Drag Fu and bare-breast tussling and even gratuitous singing. All in all, it's ridiculous fun. Ottawa is lucky to have cinematic talent Lee Demarbre. Besides, our red-brick storefronts on Bank Street are cinematic as hell. Even the Gatineau Hills, a tourist and local draw for even casual hikers, beg to be filmed. There's a skydiving scene with the heroes that is a barn burner. Besides, the cast, in the outtakes and film proper, is clearly having a blast with dirty sight gags and snappy patter and includes viewers in the naughty jokes. In short—entertaining as all get-out, thanks to Lee Demarbe's uncompromisingly naughty, twisted vision.