 |
|
|
|
|
Scores:
10 = Highest Rating; 1 = Lowest (No decimals)
Page
1,
2, 3,
4,
5,
6,
7
| Click on cover art to order online
|
| |
SCHOOLGIRL
REPORT, VOLUME 2 West
Germany (1971)
Impulse
Films
Not Rated |
Color |
90 Min. |
R0 - NTSC
DVD Released: September 25, 2007
.........
The first sequel to the original Schoolgirl
Report (see capsule review below) continues where its predecessor
left off: chronicling the sexual misadventures of young German
lasses in the age of bellbottoms and hirsute nether regions. After
screening this and Volume One, I find it hard to wrap my head
around the fact that ELEVEN more of these things would eventually
be made... Apparently
German and, indeed, international audiences just couldn't get
enough of these frisky frauleins back in the day. Subtitled
What Keeps Parents Awake At Night, Volume 2 of the series
dispenses with a fictional setup and gets right to the supposedly
true case studies of teen female sexual behavior in early 1970s
West Germany, presented by on-camera host/narrator Friedrich von
Thun. The more serious (and, it turns out, more titillating) stories
involve a group of high school girls who fuck and blackmail a
teacher, resulting in his suicide, and an underage girl who seduces
her adult tutor only to see him arrested for molestation. Teenage
pregnancy is briefly touched on (ding! the baby is born
before she even starts to show; abortion is never mentioned) and
there's a story about girls posing for porn mags to earn spending
money. Real on-the-street interviews of young female Berliners
being asked about sex are shown between the "reenacted"
segments. As in the first film, a couple of comedic vignettes
are sprinkled in amid the dramatic ones; these fail miserably
because they're stupid instead of being
funny
and undercut any pretense of seriousness
the movie as a whole is trying to establish. Still, some of the
stories are oddly compelling... and feature quite an assortment
of Teutonic tarts in their birthday suits. (The actresses may
be playing girls as young as 14 but they were all at least 18
or older, some obviously so.) The translated German dialog is
often unintentionally hilarious.
The source print used for Volume 2 is noticeably inferior to that
of the first disc; the film looks rough and beat-up in spots with
periods of muted color. I've no complaints about the mono audio
track (German language only) and the optional English subs are
excellent. As with every Impulse disc released so far, there are
no extras but at least this one is five bucks cheaper than the
first volume (as of this writing).
- B. Lindsey
 |
 |
|
Film:
4 |
DVD: 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE
VAMPIRE U.S.A. (1957)
MGM
Home Entertainment
PG |
B&W |
75 Min. |
R0 - NTSC | Double Feature disc
DVD Released: September 11, 2007
.........
After accidentally taking an experimental
serum derived from irradiated vampire bats, a kindly small town
doctor (John Beal) turns into a blood-drinking Mr. Hyde-like monster
in this offbeat 1950s horror. Owing more to Robert Louis Stevenson
than Bram Stoker, The Vampire succeeds
where The Return
Of Dracula (from the same production team) failed
in placing a 'traditional' movie monster in a contemporary, modern
setting. It certainly helps that
we're not dealing with the most iconic vampire of all time,
Count Dracula, spreading his supernatural evil in Eisenhower's
America; here it's an Everyman tragically affected by the misapplication
of science.
Beal's sincere performance does much to elevate the film above
its clichés, as does support from such consummate character
actors as Dabbs Greer, Paul Brinegar and that monster
slayer extraordinaire of the '50s, Kenneth
Tobey (the original The Thing,
It Came From
Beneath The Sea). A couple of oddball secondary characters
Greer's quirky university department head;
an eccentric, emotionally stunted researcher (James Griffith)
who always wears dark glasses due
to an eye problem
add interest to talky scenes which would
have otherwise been dull and stodgy. Everything is played earnestly
straight despite the thin story. This air of complete seriousness
is marred only by the laughably goofy expressions on Beal's face
during the full-fledged transformation scene that precedes the
predictable climax.
Issued as part of their recently reactivated Midnite Movies
line, MGM's DVD is a double feature "flipper" disc pairing The
Vampire (Side B) with Return Of Dracula.
Like its companion film, The Vampire
is presented in anamorphic 1:85 via a sterling, blemish-free transfer.
Both the original mono audio and a modestly pleasing stereo track
are offered. No extras unfortunately, but the DVD is dirt
cheap. (NOTE: The DVD Rating of "7" factors in the total value
of this double feature disc, which is currently selling for under
$13.)
- B. Lindsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ATTACK
OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN
U.S.A. (1958)
Warner
Home Video
Not Rated |
B&W |
66 Min. |
R1 - NTSC
DVD Released: June 26, 2007
.........
I suppose no low budget film could ever
hope to live up to one of the most famous titles in cult
movie history but this Atom Age clunker
doesn't even come close. Buxom Allison Hayes (The
Unearthly) is Nancy Archer, a wealthy heiress who's hitting
the booze over her strained marriage. The husband (William Hudson)
is a golddigging cad, playing around with his hot blonde mistress
(Yvette Vickers of Reform School Girls
and Attack Of The Giant Leeches)
in full view of the townsfolk. A close encounter with an alien
spacecraft out in the desert one night leads Nancy and everyone
else to question her sanity; Hubby and Strumpet see a chance to
grab the money by having her committed to the funny farm. Exposure
to the alien
a giant bald dude who looks a lot like Dwight Eisenhower in a
Viking costume (!)
eventually causes Nancy to grow almost ten times her normal size.
Wrapped in an impromptu sarong, she lumbers off to town to get
revenge on that philandering spouse of hers in the titular "attack"...
which is massively underwhelming in its brevity to say
the least. Until the last few minutes the film is mostly nothing
but people standing and sitting around talking. And
talking. And talking some more. These lengthy dull stretches make
the relatively short flick seem much longer than it is, which
is always a deal breaker in my book. I simply don't understand
the fondness many people have for this stale hunk of cheese. The
special effects are absolutely pathetic, more pitiable than laughable.
(Even Bert I. Gordon's were better!) Still, that giant rubber
hand flailing around is good for at least a few yucks.
Attack Of The 50 Ft. Woman was released
as part of Warner's Cult Camp Collection, Vol. 1: Sci-Fi Thrillers
triple-disc box set which also includes Queen
Of Outer Space and The Giant Behemoth
but is available in stand-alone form as well.
I was expecting a better transfer but it's generally okay
(certainly adequate for this sort of thing) and 1.85:1 anamorphic
to boot. The main audio track is strictly standard fare, getting
the job done without any major hiccups. A second audio track is
offered, a highly enjoyable scene-specific commentary with actress
Yvette Vickers (still sounding quite spunky a half-century on)
and classic B-movie scholar Tom Weaver. The back of the packaging
lists the inclusion of the theatrical trailer but it is nowhere
to be found on the disc.
- B. Lindsey
|
|
Film:
4 |
DVD: 5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GOING
UNDER U.S.A. (2004)
Blue
Underground
Not Rated |
Color |
98 Min. |
R0 - NTSC
DVD Released: June 26, 2007
.........
An absolutely fascinating drama about obsession
in a relationship built on dominance and submission. Roger Rees
plays Peter, a married man who regularly submits himself to the
tender mercies of a paid dominatrix. His need for this S&M sexuality
becomes complicated when Suzanne (Geno Lechner), his longtime
partner in these games, tells him she is quitting the job and
finally agrees to his wish to see her outside work. Once his wife
is away for the summer on an annual vacation to Nova Scotia Peter
and Suzanne begin meeting for dinner and drinks in an attempt
to get to know each other. Clearly Peter wants to take the relationship
to a more active sexual level but the bisexual Suzanne isnt sure
it can work... Essentially a superbly acted two-character
play, Going Under explores a type
of love that most can only imagine. Drawn to each other by their
mutual sexual needs and really only able to relate on that level,
the couple stumble through a courtship doomed by more than Peters
marriage. The film asks intriguing questions about love and its
needs as well as what it is possible to ask of another person.
Clearly not a story for all tastes, but for the open-minded it
has some brilliant and sad things to say about romance and how
two people can be close but never really know each other. I was
surprised to find myself caring a great deal about these two people
and hoping that they could find a way to be together. I attribute
most of my sympathy to the excellent performances of Rees and
Lechner who seem to simply be these people. Their struggle
to understand themselves and each other is very affecting because
even in the awkward silences across dinner tables you can see
their yearning for something they both want and fear.
Blue
Underground has issued Going
Under in a fantastic single-disc
DVD release. The movie is widescreen and 16x9 enhanced, with both
a 2.0 and a 5.1 Dolby soundtrack; as you would expect for such
a recent film it looks and sounds flawless. BU has stacked the
disc with plenty of extras as well - a commentary track with co-writer/director
Eric Werthman and star Roger Rees; a 15 minute interview featurette
with Rees and Lechner; a short piece on
the infamous New York City Black & Blue Ball, in which the types
of S&M in the film are on display publicly. As an added DVD-ROM
bonus there is a text piece by Marte Helliesen, Ph. D. called
Reflections on Going Under.
- R. Barnett
|
|
Film:
7 |
DVD: 8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
REFINEMENTS
IN LOVE U.S.A. (1971)
Impulse
Films
XXX |
Color |
88 Min. |
R0 - NTSC
DVD Released: May 29, 2007
.........
This bizarre
"mondo"-style faux documentary is one the goofiest hardcore
porn flicks I've ever seen. Combining poorly written sociopolitical
commentary with faked interviews, pointless stock footage and
whitebread sex scenes, Refinements In Love
would be laughably bad even if it hadn't been edited with a Cuisinart
the main title and credits appear at the
45-minute mark! Our
narrator/host, the buxom, Dolly Parton-ish Liz Renay (John Waters'
Desperate Living), doesn't introduce
herself and appear on camera until 12 minutes in, at which point
she congratulates viewers for watching the movie. ("That's
right. I want to congratulate you.") Well, thanks, Liz!
Toss in a couple of hippy folk songs and
some truly dreadful acting and you have the porno equivalent of
one of those cheap, incompetently stitched together Bigfoot/UFO
documentaries that proliferated during the '70s. A lengthy sermon
on how repressive Victorian moral codes are causing untold psychological
damage to millions of suffering people in the modern age is followed
by a series of vignettes illustrating the dos and don'ts of healthy
sex, which is
you guessed it
how the smut is worked in. (For example: As a gal is giving her
man a knob-job, Renay's voice-over chimes in with this nugget
of wisdom: "Oral copulation is not only for all to enjoy,
but highly recommended. Doctors and psychologists all over the
world agree." (Wow... Really?) Onscreen sex consists
entirely of standard positions and activities, with no anal penetration,
kinky fetishism or "money shots"
on display. Most of the gals are quite cute
and attractive (although possessing rather hirsute nether regions
by today's aesthetic); that's an uncredited Rene Bond (Les
Chic) in the 'fun with talcum powder' vignette. Only one of
the sex scenes is genuinely revolting
a homely, balding and paunchy middle-aged
man porks a shapely young blonde on an examination table. (He's
supposedly a psychiatrist "curing" her of nymphomania.
Yeah, right... This guy just had to be one of the
investors.)
A super-obscure title to be
sure, Refinements in Love looks and
sounds surprisingly good
if far from perfect
via Impulse Picture's recent DVD. Image quality varies from scene
to scene; colors are faded and moderate to mild print damage is
evident throughout, while a few missing frames cause the occasional
hiccup in Renay's narration. Aside from some background hiss noticeable
here and there the mono audio track sounds better than I expected.
In keeping with Impulse's usual practice there aren't any extras
on hand.
- B. Lindsey
|
|
|
Film:
4 |
DVD: 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCHOOLGIRL
REPORT, VOLUME 1 West
Germany (1970)
Impulse
Films
Not Rated |
Color |
84 Min. |
R0 - NTSC
DVD Released: April 24, 2007
.........
The sturm und drang of teenage female
sexuality circa 1970 is the subject of this German pseudo-documentary,
which is really just a "white coat" sexploitationer
pretending to be a serious examination of the subject as an excuse
to show naked girls. 18-year old high school senior Renate is
caught boinking the bus driver during a class field trip, so her
school's parent-teacher council holds a meeting to decide whether
the unrepentant teen should be expelled before graduation. Outraged,
the adults are all prepared to lower the administrative boom to
protect the morality of their daughters and students from Renate's
"corrupting" influence. But hip, amiable psychologist
Dr. Bernauer (Gόnther Kieslich) disagrees. He asserts that Renate's
behavior was perfectly normal for a modern girl her age, illustrating
his point by relating the case histories of young German women
and their experiences with sex. These play out as a series of
short vignettes, some better (i.e., saucier) than others. The
doctor's stories make it clear that Renate's offense is pretty
mild in comparison to the behavior of many a frisky fraulein;
his examples include teasing a priest, engaging in threesomes,
experimenting with lesbianism, shagging their teachers, and so
forth. Catch your teen daughter masturbating? Don't punish her
or make her feel guilty, he advises; that's the worst thing a
parent could do... For normal emotional development, girls must
be allowed the freedom to discover their own sexuality. ("Let's
be honest and look at things without hypocrisy and blinkers. And
forget the idea that your daughter is a virgin.") Tell
it like it is, Doc! Woven into Bernauer's lecture are a number
of goofy "man-on-the-street" interviews
some real, some faked
in which young women are asked rather personal
questions about their sex lives and to offer their opinions on
various social mores of the day. At times unintentionally funny
(the purposefully humorous bits fall flat), Schoolgirl
Report, Volume 1: What Parents Don't Think Is Possible
really isn't quite the T&A
fest the title implies, although
plenty of cute German lasses do disrobe at regular intervals.
As a time capsule of swinging '70s Deutschland, however, it's
actually fairly interesting. (Click on the speaker icon below
to listen to an MP3 from the groovy soundtrack.) I was
startled to learn just what an international box-office success
this film was... It spawned a number of knockoffs and no less
than twelve sequels. Twelve!
These naughty schoolgirls report
for duty courtesy of Impulse Pictures, specialists in vintage
Euro-sexploitation. Happily the anamorphic 1.66:1 transfer is
sourced from elements in substantially better shape than those
of the company's other releases we've reviewed so far, Anita
and Justine &
Juliette. While not pristine, the print boasts vivid colors
and minimal instances of dirt and damage. The original German
language audio, complimented
by excellent (optional) English subtitles,
is relatively clean-sounding and distortion-free. As with Impulse's
other offerings to date, no bonus features are included
on the disc.
- B. Lindsey
 |
|
|
Film:
5 |
DVD: 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
KNIVES
OF THE AVENGER Italy
(1966)
Starz/nchor
Bay Entertainment
Not Rated |
Color |
85 Min. |
R1 - NTSC | 5-Disc Set
DVD Released: April 3, 2007
.........
Mario Bava's "viking
spaghetti western", which will be of interest to the director's
admirers but probably bore everybody else. A blond Cameron Mitchell
(Erik The Conqueror)
stars as Helmut, wandering warrior and expert knife-thrower who
becomes the protector of a lonely woman (Lisa Wagner) and her
young son. Helmut isn't his real name
he's actually a former king, who abandoned his throne to lead
a nomadic life under an alias. Years
earlier he was tricked into leading his army on a vengeance-spurred
rampage of rape, pillage and slaughter against an innocent tribe
and the guilt eventually drove him to give up his crown, becoming
the Norse equivalent of a Japanese ronin. Naturally his
mortal enemy, Hagen (Fausto
Tozzi), is
the same baddie who threatens the family he's taken under his
wing... I suppose it's commendable that Bava (who also polished
the script under the name "John Hold") favors character
development over the hack 'n' slash mayhem typical for such fare,
especially since the miniscule budget prohibited any trappings
of a spectacle. (The only dragon ship glimpsed in this viking
tale is seen only briefly, in the far distance, created by means
of a painted glass matte.) But the result is mostly a dull movie
that seems longer than its relatively brief running time. Many
clichés of the spaghetti western genre are trotted out,
to include a face-off/duel in a tavern that substitutes throwing
knives for pistols. The fight scenes are generally better staged
than is usual for Bava (who was never known as an "action"
director) but unfortunately they're few and far between. Sluggishly
paced, the story is a retread of the classic 1953 American western
Shane and the villain a
colorless loser unworthy of the turmoil and angst suffered at
his hands by the other characters. After all that build-up the
ending comes as an anticlimactic snoozer.
Knives Of The Avenger
is one of the five films in Anchor Bay's splendid Mario Bava
Collection Vol. 1, released earlier this year. Each movie
in the box set is housed in its own "slim-line"-style
keepcase. While three of the titles
Black Sunday (1960),
The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963),
and Black Sabbath
(1963)
are supplemented with audio commentaries
by Bava biographer Tim Lucas, featurettes, trailers/TV spots and
the like, Knives and Kill,
Baby... Kill! (1966) are the runts of the litter in terms
of extras. Knives comes with a raggedy
black and white American trailer (which sells the picture like
a spaghetti western), trailers for the other films in the set
and a text bio of Bava. Fortunately the film itself looks great
(if not exactly pristine), presented in 2.35 anamorphic widescreen
with decent mono audio tracks in English and Italian. Easy-to-read
subtitles are provided for the latter, meaning the less clumsy
Italian version can now be fully enjoyed by Region 1 viewers.
(NOTE: My DVD Rating of "10" is for the entire 5-disc
set.)
- B. Lindsey
 |
|
Film:
4 |
DVD: 10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
42ND STREET FOREVER:
XXX-TREME SPECIAL EDITION
U.S.A. (2007)
Synapse
Films
XXX |
Color |
130 Min. |
R1 - NTSC
DVD Released: March 27, 2007
.........
Continuing their enjoyable 42nd Street
Forever series, the good folks at Synapse have unleashed a
third collection of primo movie trailers...
only this time the fare isn't drive-in horror and exploitation.
42nd Street Forever: XXX-Treme Special Edition
consists of coming attraction promos for a whopping 46 (!) hardcore
sex pics, mostly from the tail end of the "golden age"
of porn
when
X-rated movies were still shot on film, most of them actually
had plots, and they played on big screens in adult theaters in
large metropolitan areas (chiefly on the east and west coasts).
Virtually all the legendary hardcore stars are represented here:
Ginger Lynn, Samantha Fox, Harry Reems, Seka, Joanna Storm, Venessa
Del Rio, Jaimie Gillis, Arcadia, Eric Edwards, Kimberly Carson,
Angel, John Holmes, Annette Haven, Ron Jeremy and more. With one
film from 1976 and the rest spanning the years 1980-86, it's fascinating
to watch the promotional styles change over time. Ballyhoo favoring
salacious (male) and sultry-sounding (female) narrators gradually
gives way to narration-free, MTV-style coming attractions as the
porn industry embraces the home video market; more and more penetration/cum
shots appear until, by the end, the trailers seem to be composed
of nothing but such scenes. (Giving away too much of the
good stuff?) Among the more interesting-looking films covered
on the DVD are the likes of Sensations,
Fascination, Dracula Exotica,
Skintight, All American Girls,
"F", Nothing
To Hide, Dirty Girls, Surrender
In Paradise, Hot Blooded,
The Oddest Couple and The
Devil In Miss Jones 3 & 4.
Altogether
there's over two hours of unadulterated
smut here,
with enough
knob-slobberin', honey-humpin'
action on display to satisfy just about
any hardcore aficiando.
Most
of the trailers comprising 42nd
Street Forever: XXX-Treme Special Edition
are in remarkably good shape both
visually and aurally. Even those in the worst condition are eminently
watchable. (Hey, we're talkin' porn here... Sometimes you
just don't notice the print damage.) They're pleasingly presented
in 1.78:1 widescreen, 16x9 enhanced. (A few are windowboxed.)
The trailers can be played as a continous 'reel' or be selected
individually; each trailer is its own chapter-stop. -
B. Lindsey
|
|
Film:
N/A
| DVD:
6 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
