The world of exploitation film ripped open and laid raw for you to experience. From 70's grindhouse to current underground, it is all here. So ripe you can practically smell it.
DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS (1984) D. EMUND PURDOM MONDO MACABRO 1.66
Producer
Dick Randall, hot off the success of his slasher flick PIECES, made a two
picture deal with UK based F/X man Peter Litten for this film and
another slasher called APRIL FOOLS DAY - which was retitled SLAUGHTER HIGH
to avoid litigation from Paramount. For this Christmas themed gore
flick Randall brought in his PIECES star Edmond Purdom to play the lead
again. But Purdom would only do it if he could direct too. Which led to
such a hack job that three other directors ultimately took over to patch
this mess into the hilarious monstrosity it is today.
Yet
in some ways, this may be my favorite if the X-mas themed slasher films
from the era. The film is just, top to bottom, so insanely wrong-headed
that it is constantly entertaining. Delivering consistently for the
whole running time.
The scant story has some psycho
scouring the streets of London killing street Santas. Very brutally in
fact, burning off faces, slicing throats in peep booths and castrating
one poor St. Nick in mid piss. Purdom is the dick on the case
investigating and he is convinced a flute playing street musician is the culprit.
Naturally he isn't. The killer is exactly who you
think the first time you meet him. But you will be distracted by
the naked saggy boobs, overflowing blood and incredible dialogue. Like
when flute boy is almost caught by a couple of cops in the street with a babe in a Santa
cape and exclaims "they are gonna think we are a couple of GAYS!" Or
when Purdom finds a dead body and two women gasp, he tells them "it's
ok I'm a police officer!" Then two men approach and he tells them "go
phone the cops!"
I also love how every dime store Santa in
England is a drunk or a pervert or both. They get killed because the
stumble drunk into dark alleys or go into peep booths for a wank. Except
for one poor Santa who stumbles inexplicably into Carolyn Munroe's
sound check! She looks super hot, the song kinda sucks, the guy gets
killed and Carolyn never shows up again!
Of course it is
all some flimsy psycho sexual trauma. But you won't care. This is the
kind of thing that is only as good as the piles of absurdity it can
muster. Trust me, they don't come much more absurd than this.
The
dvd has an hour long vintage behind the scenes that showcases mostly producer
Dick Randall. But they don't even try to hide how troubled of a
production it was. Instead they made a humorous behind the scenes film
about it.Joking about the multiple shoots, body doubles and new directors. But even better is the Mondo Macabro made extra THE WILD WILD
WORLD OF DICK RANDALL that is a wonderful and loving overview of his life and
career. That extra alone is worth the price of the disc and make my all bleary eyed for an era of exploitation film that will simply never exist again.
The movie looks fine, grainy in places, belying
its very low budget roots.but better than if ever has considering it has floated around in bootlegs sourced from 20 year old VHS and one full frame DVD of questionable originans from nearly ten years ago. Add to that the mind melting Mondo Macabro trailer reel and you
get a package that is fit to open well before Christmas indeed.
This is meastro Franco's take on THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME by way DE SADE with his usual helpings of nude ladies and spread open legs. It is also from that early 70's era when he was regulary cranking out some of his best work. Just think this came out the same year as THE FEMALE VAMPIRE.
The story opens when a mod looking couple (Tania Bussellier and Robert Woods) find a nude woman washed up on their beach (Kali Hansa). She is delerious and tells them of being taken to an island run by the Countess (Alice Arno) where she was seduced by both her and her husband (Howard Vernon) before being taken captive. There are strong hints of cannibalism in her story. But we soon realize it was indeed this couple that procured this woman for the Countess in the first place.
Soon they have a new victim played by the much missed Lina Romay, they are seducing and taking to the island. It is only a matter of time before she is introduced to shady, voyeuristic sex games, raw human meat eating and finally nude hunting through the jungle.
Though still somewhat languidly paced (it IS Franco after all) this is one of the better of his films. The thing is impeccably shot, has gorgeous scenery and art design (the Countess house is right out if an Escher drawing), the sex is actually fairly hot and the final hunt entertaining in a very preposterous way.
But watching this I finally realized why I enjoy even the worst Franco films (and this is Not one of those by a long shot) and that is he clearly is so happy to be directing his perversions on screen. The dirtier the stuff he is presenting the better the film seems the be, and it comes across in the very cinematic language he uses. He is a man comfortable presenting his perversions to you the veiwer and I for one end up appreciating that enthusiasm. No matter how bad his films may get, his raw, perverted passion wins me over. Though that says way more about me than Franco as a filmmaker.
The Mondo Macabro dvd is gorgeous. Richly colored and textured with good subtitles. The print is almost flawless. The extras are very worthwhile but to no one's surprise the interview with author Stephen Thrower is my stand out recomendation. Thrower is currently writing the definative book on Franco and he delves in pretty hardcore in the details of this film and just the era it was made.
Everyone is talking about this horrible tragedy where a madman went on a rampage taken the lives of so many people in this senseless act of violence. I can't even imagine the horrific sense of loss for the families and friends involved in this. I can however put myself in the shoes of those who were there and imagine the terror they felt at having to experience this. I wouldn't want to go through this, nor would I wish it on my worst enemy. No one should have to experience this, especially when just going out to the movies.
Which is what we all need to remember here. This is all exploding into a wave of finger pointing and blame assignment. Why did this guy do it? Are the movies to blame? Could gun control have stopped it? Was Islamic terrorism part of the bigger picture? Even one particularly disgusting Congressman has decided that this was strictly an attack on Christianity (were only Christians shot in the theater?). But at the end of the day NO ONE in that theater left the house yesterday thinking anything other than they were excited to be going to the movies. They were excited to see the biggest movie of the summer and not a single one of them expected to lose their lives. Not a single one of them DESERVED to lose their lives. One of the most disgusting comments I have seen on facebook, a joke I understand, is that why couldn't this have happened at the TWILIGHT premiere instead. But NONE of those people would have deserved it either, because NO ONE deserves to be shot at be a delusional, heavily armed madman. No one deserves to be ripped from the comfort of the fantasy of the movies only to be killed for just BEING THERE.
If there is a solace to be had is that this was all over before it got any worse. Early reports have stated that the authorities found some sort of incendiary device in the theater when it was cleared out. This points to the idea this guy fully intended to kill a lot more people than he had the chance to. A lot more people COULD be dead today.
So when arguments are flaring up, and the media is making this an issue of what ever they decide to attach it to, just try to remember that there are actual people attached. With families, friends, people who are going to miss them. This isn't about all the other stuff. Forget the TMZ and all their muck raking bullshit they do. Remember the people involved.
THE AGGRESSION SCALE (2012) D. STEVEN C. MILLER ANCHOR BAY ENT. 2.35 - 1
This tightly wound little thriller literally hits the ground running when hit-man Lloyd (Dana Ashbrook from TWIN PEAKS) enters a suburban home and calmly blows the person out the front door with as shotgun in front of their kids. After a couple more equally bloody and unsettling murders we come to find out he is working for local mob boss Mr. Bellevance (Ray Wise). Seems someone has absconded with $500,000 of his money and he is none to happy about it. If Lloyd doesn't get the money in 48 hours, he gets put under the ground.
Then we meet slowly fracturing, newly thrown together family. Bill(Boyd Kestner)and Maggie (Lisa Rotondi)have just gotten married and are moving their two teen aged children up to a new house to start over. The kids are not happy about it. The daughter Lauren (Fabianne Therese) is a typical spoiled bitch who is complaining about everything. But their son Owen(Ryan Hartwig)is a different sort of child, clearly autistic and introverted, he never utters a word throughout the film. But we get wind early on that something is brewing inside of him when he kills a spider with a makeshift blowgun...
Before longLloyd and his brutal gang of thugs (Including Derek Meyersfrom theFRIDAY THE 13th remake and THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake) are there killing their way through the supporting cast, but what they didn't count on was the Owen is actually the concern of the title.
What transpires id that this young boy with extreme autism, is actually as dangerous, if not more so, than these thugs and killers. That he has been training himself for survival strategies and this whole situation becomes an extremely bloody game for him.
It would be easy to dismissTHE AGGRESSION SCALE as HOME ALONE for adults. That is the easiest short hand for it. But that also cheapens what is one of the freshest, most exciting thrillers I have watched since HANNA (2011). Constantly exciting, lean and to the point, viciously brutal and uncompromising, it is edge of your seat stuff. Sure there are missteps along the way. Owen's actions are sometimes way too exacting, with him having the forethought to do things that ONLY make sense if he were to know the script itself. The daughter, Lauren, gets really annoying with her teenage angst early on, but thankfully the films spends very little time with that before getting to the action.
SAVAGES (2012) D. OLIVER STONE UNIVERSAL PICTURES 2.35-1 HD
Oliver Stone returns to the drug business with his Southern California beach noir adaptation of the Don Winslow crime novel of the same name (Winslow also co-wrote the screenplay). The result is probably Stone's most entertaining movie in a decade or more, but is still not without some major flaws. But the film is so awash in beautiful scenery, and plenty of forward momentum it is easy to get caught up in the ride.
The story deals with a trio of pot growers and also full time lovers. Ben (Aaron Johnson) is the Soft heart, hippie agriculturist of the trio. The brain who studied botany and perfected the specialized herb that has made them the millions they have. He travels around the globe spreading the wealth to the underprivileged. Cho (Taylor Kitsch) is the muscle, an ex Marine, back from two very violent tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Scarred by the war both physically and mentally, he takes the business side very seriously. He is more animal than man most of the time. Finally there is Ophelia, (Blake Lively) O for short, the woman that loves them both, and they both love her. She is the glue that binds them all together. The three of them live in a Southern California bliss, happily selling weed, and trading each other off with no jealously at all. The perfectly progressive family for the 21st century.
Until the Mexico drug cartels come calling. Salma Hayek plays Elena, the drug Kingpin (clearly based on the famous Cocaine Madam of Miami) who wants the boys to reinvent her business with their product and growing know how. When they refuse and intend to run, she has Ophelia snatched and held captive. The intent to be she will be her captive for a year while they set up shop for her, then Ophelia will be set free and they will take a hefty cut in profits for disobeying. They boys know this is not going to work and going to war is probably going to be the best bet in winning back the love of their life.
So begins a viciously violent thriller that delivers on most of what it promises. The first 30 to 40 minutes of the movie as near picture perfect. Especially the setting up of the relationship between the three of the leads. We get to know the boys especially well and understand what it is about them that Ophelia sees in them and why the threesome approach works for her. There is a terrifying opening scene involving an internet video and multiple decapitations that is not easily forgotten as well as a sequence that introduces Benecio Del Toro's character Lado, an assassin for Elena that brings the title of the movie into sharp focus.
But once Ophelia is captive the movie begins to drag a bit. The boys spend a lot of time trying to figure ways to get her back and the movie spins around more than it really should. There is a fantastic heist sequence that is bloody, brutal and fucking LOUD. But most of all takes time out to remind you the cost of human lives.
But the movie slowly loses focus as it runs into the third act. Ophelia sort of never really rises to become a clear focus of the material the way she should. She gets one great scene where her and Elena have dinner and discuss the people in their lives they love. But mostly she just kind of whines and wimpers about her situation. As the movie progresses we clearly see why SHE loves the boys. They are everything she claims them to be in her narration that peppers the film. But we never get to really understand what it is about HER that makes them so crazy in love with her, that they are willing to risk their lives, to tear down their own empire to save her. Her character seems kinda of one dimensional compared to them at the end of the day.
***SPOILERS***
Then there is the issue of the ending. Of the two endings actually. Neither of which actually conclude the film in a satisfactory way. The film actually has a shoot 'em up climax that is semi-satisfying, then ends with a Romeo and Romeo and Juliet death pact, then literally backs out of it to give us the "real" ending where everyone lives. Bad guys, good guys, supporting players, everyone. The whole thing feels weird and like a cheat. Problem is that the movie leading up to that point has been a journey for the two boys, especially Ben who has learned to give up a significant part of his humanity to save her. To have a happy ever after undercuts the point.. I have not read the book, but I would be curious to know how the book ends and if it is like the movie at all.
Even with all this in mind, I still quite enjoyed the film. The acting is good, and Stone's direction is slick and back to the heavy saturation, crazy editing of U-TURN and NATURAL BORN KILLERS that I love so much. His politics are not as hit you on the head blatant here, but the pro-pot stance is loud and clear. SAVAGES is a very entertaining film. It just could have been a great film with just a little more effort.
This somewhat recent attempt at a
bio-pic of William Boninthe Freeway Killer of the title (Played with clenched teeth by Scott Anthony Leet) is another of a
long line a messy true crime films that miss the mark. This plays fast
and loose with facts. This isn't the movie's problem. The sort of
slipshod-lazy feel of the production is what ultimately sinks the movie.
Bonin
was kidnapping young men, and strangling them. He got his real kicks
from psychological power plays with several much younger men he mentored
in the art of killing. Which of course eventually led to his capture an
ultimate lethal injection.
The movie is plagued by
uneven acting, poor driving/process shoots and a feeling of not much of the
production actually caring. There some great dialogue towards the
midsection between Bonin and his protegee Vernon Butts (Played by Dusty Sorg who is actually the best performance in the film) as they remember meeting up
and seeing a demon for the first time. This tit for tat eventually leads to Vernon attempting to commit suicide. It is a particularly well written exchange and well done by the actors as it allows them to get "quite" for a moment instead of the normally higher level the have for the rest of the movie. Michael Rooker shows up for a couple of scenes as the cop who busts Bonin, but he is clearly picking up a paycheck, but that is OK because he has been cast clearly because they are trying to connect the movie to HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. Which this movie doesn't deserve to hold the jock strap of.
Otherwise it is pretty
episodic and surprisingly avoids the blatant gay themes of the material.
This should have been much better than it is.
This Australian lensed art/cum/crime flick directed byJon Hewitt, is about a
high priced call girl on her last night before flying the nest to Paris
vs a teenage whore on her first night in the job. The two women end up
working a job for a drug dealer who is killed by a rogue cop sending
them in the run.
The movie tries to be gritty and street
level in the depiction of a prostitutes life. But it never really is.
This is a fantasy version of a whore's life complete with dirty old men
asking for silly prices and rich drug dealers making the women come when
eating them out. The crime element becomes increasingly silly and is
hard to take seriously except for one head crushing scene clearly
inspired by IRREVERSIBLE. The movie is about as edgy asJOHN LANDIS' 80's comedy movie INTO THE NIGHT, but not as funny or well made.
What this movie DOES have going for it is some very impressive night time photography, and seedy location work. But outside of that, this is simply never as ugly, or shocking as the filmmakers clearly think it is.
watch for underground writerJack Sargeant
And fellow Aussie director Richard Wolstencroft in cameo's during a strip club scene.
A well shot, well intended, but ultimately very silly movie.
