 |
|
|
|
|
Scores:
10 = Highest Rating; 1 = Lowest (No decimals)
Page
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7, 8,
9 |
Click on cover art to order online
|
| |
SCHOOLGIRL
REPORT VOLUME #2 -
West Germany (1971)
Impulse
Pictures
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 #1, 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
Pictures
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
Pictures
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:
7
| DVD: 6 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
