The past comes BLEEDING THROUGH

BLEEDING THROUGH (2012)
D. HENRIQUE COUTO

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This feature length motion picture from musician/filmmaker Henrique Couto is a marked change of pace from his previous work. Known mostly for his FACES OF SCHLOCK omnibus flicks that centered on tits and laughs as well as gross out shocks, BLEEDING THROUGH sets out to be something altogether more thoughtful and sublime. For the most part is succeeds. 

Loosely based on a set of short films from Henrique's teen years that dealt with similar topics, the film tells the sad tale of a young, inwardly drawn lady played by Sandy Behr. She lives with her brother (played by Director Couto) because their parents have died in a car crash less than a year before. We however meet their parents in video tapes they made thus getting to know them a bit along the way (played by Georgia based filmmaker Andrew Shearer and one of his regular actresses Countess Samela, both of which are quite wonderful here). Our leading lady is crushingly depressed, so much so that she barely speaks, her communication crushed somewhere deep inside herself. Everyone around talks "at" her not so much too her. Even when she is present, she is not really there. She has a teacher that is trying to reach her, or so it seems because she is flunking out of his class, a boss that is fed up with her job performance, there are a group of disgusting boys in the neighborhood who torment her and she even has a boyfriend (friends with the scumwads) who has reached the end of his rope with her lack of affection. 

Finally someone manages to reach her when a pretty young girl, quite our of nowhere becomes her friend, this girl, played with winning warmth  by Ruby LaRocca breaks through her barriers. A large chunk of the movie becomes these two girls bonding, and clearly a girl crush is developing. But guessing by the title things are not going to go well, and it doesn't. I wont spoil it for the audience, except to say this ends up becoming a rather stark and poetic blood splattered revenge movie. But getting there might break your heart. 

Going into this if you have any familiarity with Couto's other work this will come as a shock. There is a distinct lack of silly comedy, replaced here with an earnest attempt at characters. The first half of the movie is time spent with the people on screen as we get to know them, setting the stage for the downfall of the second half. It is pretty carefully plotted stuff with a keen eye for how the main character is feeling.

The final moments of the film present a very poetic confrontation on a beach that is rather haunting. Reminding me of similar moments in the work of Jean Rollin, the whole idea of the dead returning to the ocean is one that reoccurs in a lot of fantastic literature. It works here nicely as a melancholy cap to a violent and sad movie.

Being a low budget film, not everything is perfect of course. I was not enamored with the group of teenage boys who are her nemesis, and felt like there were moments they got for more screen time then they deserved. Also she is so depressed in the first third that at times she borderlines on being unlikable, but thankfully once she starts interacting with another girl that lifts away. But those are small complaints for what is clearly Henrique Couto's best film to date. Hopefully it will get picked up by a distributor who can get it out wide enough for people to see it.

Review © Andy Copp

In the future George Eastman loves Cornhole...

 Day fifteen of the September Exploitation challenge takes us into the distant FUTURE!

THE NEW BARBARIANS (1982) aka WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND
D. Enzo Castellari
Media Blasters
2.35

In the future Nuclear war will ravage and scorch the Earth leaving nothing in the wake but roving packs of marauders who want nothing more than to continue killing each other. Oddly enough these gangs will have mastered the ability to make vacuformed plastic into everything they need from space age costumes to gigantic bubbles for their neato vehicles. They will also have worked out how to turn everyday guns into laser shooting death rays and explosive devices that blow people’s chest cavities out upon impact. In this chaos is a group who have christined themselves The Templar's, but really have no inkling of anything to do with that historic Christian sect of Knights. This group of villains are run by one George Eastman who calls himself “One” and really all they want to do is kill everyone. 

"Come to me and touch my stylish hair..."

But one man stands in their way. One man who drives a souped up muscle car (with a giant plastic dome on top) outfitted with missiles and machine guns. This man’s name is Scorpion (Giancarlo Prete), and he looks like he just stepped out of a East side beauty shop from getting his hair done. Seems he and One have some bad blood when he beat One at a duel some odd years ago and this has effected One’s ego and leadership abilities ever since. Scorpion stops these bad boys from roughing up a poofy haired babe in leather leggings named Alma (Anna Kanakis). He shows her his sensitive side by not raping her and she falls for the big lug. So they do it in a blow up tent on the side of the road. Even in the wasteland her make up stays perfect. 

"Well, as long as you are not going to rape me, I guess you are an alright guy..."

Eventually One’s men decide they are tired of Scorpion banging the only chick left in the world, thus taking One’s attention away from them. So they set out to kick Scorpion's ass and take over the group. Enter Fred Williamson as Nadir. Don’t ask me why the only black dude in the Future, (hell the whole world in this film) is named Nadir, seems a bit racist, but hey its the Hammer and he can take care of himself. He basically puts futuristic foot to ass on these guys by saving Scorpion's butt. He has a bow and arrow with super explosive tips that when they hit the target blow their heads clean off. Naturally Scorpion tells him he could have handled it all on his own. I guess AFTER he got his ass kicked. They find a camp of, get this, Christians, who help them out and I was afraid this whole thing was going to turn into some sort of bible thumbing bullshit parable. Instead The Hammer beds down a hot ass sister, and then he and Scorpion leave so the bad guys can just come in and start wiping people out!

"Anna, I am really not so sure about this Hammer guy. He keeps upstaging my manliness at every turn..."

Naturally, cause Scorpion is a poofy haired wimp, and his buddy isn’t there to protect him, he gets captured. His punishment by the almighty One is to become a Templar before he is killed. But I guess old One is harboring some latent feelings for our hero because his initiation to the tribe involves something that took me entirely by surprise. It is a rare movie where the bad guy butt-fucks the hero when he has captured him. Some action films just hint at the whole homosexual subtext, but here they just went, “oh the hell with it. Just have big mean ol’ George Eastman ramrod that pretty boy and get it over with!”.  And who saves our hero? That’s right. Nadir, or The Hammer or however you want to call Fred Williamson. 

"Yes, it is Bob from HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY. Be afraid..."

Did I mention that little obnoxious brat from HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is in this too. He plays basically the Murdock character from A-TEAM but as a little kid and has a slingshot that can kill people. Actually he is not nearly as obnoxious here as he usually is in Fulci’s movies, which leads me to believe Fulci either hated him, or kids in general. It all climaxes in a big crazy shootout, car crash, blow em up real good fight in an old oil refinery that is highlighted by our hero ripping off his clothes to reveal his nifty new suit of bullet proof armor. Made out of clear vacuform plastic that make shim look like one of the Village people on plastic and leather night at The Hellfire Club. Violence and hilarity ensue. 

"Yeah, it is EXACTLY what you think it is."

As goofy and funny as this often is, most of the action scenes are well done. Castellari really knew his shit when it came to handling action. It is just the wrongheaded production design that makes this movie such a hoot. Well that and some weirdo turns of the story, with a lead that would be more at home in gay porn. But these 80’s post apocalyptic ROAD WARRIOR rip offs are all a shit ton of fun and this is no exception. 

"George Eastman bids you all a farewell."

Review © Andy Copp