GANJASAURUS REX
dir. Ursi Reynolds, 1987
USA. 90 min.
In English.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7 – MIDNIGHT
SATURDAY, APRIL 15 – MIDNIGHT
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, APRIL 29 – MIDNIGHT
In 1987, during the height of the Reagan administration, a strange creature emerged from the sea off the “Lost Coast of California” where amateur botanists had perfected a weed strain capable of growing as tall as a Redwood and producing seeds the size of coconuts. This plant was “Cannabis Sequoia” and it was Tyrannosaurus Herbivorous Ganjasaurus Rex’s favorite meal. Thus began the modern legend of Ganjasaurus Rex (better known as G-Rex).
This is the story of Ursi Reynold’s sole directorial feature: GANJASAURUS REX. Produced by Rhino Video and distributed by Reel People Media, this Kaiju-inspired reverie is testament to the ambition of amateur filmmakers and their political resolve. At face-value, the film could be chalked up to mere weed-induced silliness, but a closer reading reveals the underhanded riposte to the War on Drugs baked into this cinematic act of chicanery. In the film, California’s patrol force is downright sloppy and its federal leader juvenile, unable to fend G-Rex and letting Bay Area residents emerge as the real heroes of the story when they peacefully hash things out with the weed-lovin’ reptile. But, who’s to say G-Rex’s appetite is satiated.
“Number one thing I smell right now is pot,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams during a press conference last summer. These words echoed across the world, but it was the particular smell Adams pointed out that seems to have reawakened the hibernating G-Rex. The creature’s keen nose caught on to the waft and set out to visit the city to get its fix, and hopefully trample some unfit law enforcement along the way. We’ve decided to host GANJASAURUS REX throughout April, so swing by and say hi!
Special Thanks to Ursi Reynolds, Chrissy Marie Jones, and Edith Butler.