Modern-day Asian films(this one's from Indonesia) that I've seen tend to push it with the runtime. This one is no exception. With a pretty simplistic plot about an expert in a form of martial arts called Silat(Iko Uwais) trying to save a young gal(Sista Jessica) from a life in the sex trafficking trade this one really doesn't need to be stretched out to 2 hours. The main thing though is the fight scenes which are done really well and look amazing. It's all very well lit and shot exceptionally. The closest thing I would compare this to is something like fellow Indonesian actioner THE RAID (which also starred Iko Uwais) but that one didn't feel like quite the drudge towards the end like this. I'll excuse the c.g.i. blood since there really wasn't all that much of it and this DVD was super cheap so I don't feel ripped off. AKA MERANTAU WARRIOR
There's a lady prostitute in this who keeps her retarded brother barricaded in a closet and only takes him out to feed him and regularly have sex with him. She winds up getting impregnated by him and then getting a forced(by her pimps/gangster bosses) abortion where a doctor rips her 6-month old baby out with a large hook. This isn't the main plot of the film but definitely the most unforgettable part of this to me. The main plot deals with the fugitive known as Scorpion(the great Meiko Kaji returning from FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION) on the run from the law. It starts out with a bang as a neck gets sliced and an arm hacked off before the credits even role. Things do end up back in women-in-prison territory before it's all over with a bit of a confusing ending. Overall though while not as spectacular and artsy as the first film this one is still a good shocking follow-up.
This is the 3rd film in the FEMALE SCORPION series and was meant to be the last part of the trilogy. I guess they made some money though because they went on to make one more with Meiko Kaji and then a few with various new leads. I've only seen the first film and this 3rd entry but they are pretty amazing examples of some good Japanese pinky violence so I look forward to viewing the rest when I get a hold of them.
The FEMALE SCORPION series:
1. FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION (1972)
2. FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41 (1972)
3. FEMALE PRISONER #701 SCORPION- BEAST STABLE (1973)
4. FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: #701's GRUDGE SONG (1973)
5. NEW FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION #701 (1976)
6. NEW FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: SPECIAL CELLBLOCK X (1977)
7. FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION: DEATH THREAT (1991) shot-on-video(yikes!)
Mildly entertaining movie produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon who often made movies about giant monster people. This one though is about a regular-sized fella(Richard Carlson) who gets caught in a love triangle. Luckily for him his gal pal(Julie Reding), who he's trying to get rid of so he can marry his rich other girlfriend, takes a deadly tumble off of a lighthouse. Unluckily for him, since he fails to lend a hand to save her, her scorned vengeful spirit returns in ghost form. It all kinda plays like an episode of THE OUTER LIMITS or something and there's a budinski little girl who shows up so it's kinda forgettable. I think I'll stick with Mr. B.I.G.'s more colossal fare.
Shown on TV under the title EYE OF THE DEAD.
Bloodier Spanish poster and title BLOOD IN THE LIGHTHOUSE!:
My favorite Chuck Norris movie is that one where he fights the Michael Meyers-esque killer. Compared to that, this here(where he just fights a bunch of ninjas) is a bit on the generic side. You do get Lee Van Cleef, who plays a good guy but shoots a lot of people anyway, but he's not really in it enough. Also Ernie Hudson(aka the black guy from GHOSTBUSTERS) shows up briefly if you don't blink. I've been working my way through a few Norris titles lately but his films never really thrill me as much as the Bronson stuff from the same era. The fight scenes just seem flatter even though Norris is obviously an actual martial artist and the runtime here gets to feeling a bit long by the time it's all over. This one is clearly for hardcore Chuck completists only.
This is kind of a weird poster since it doesn't have Norris' mug anywhere on it!:
A pretty nifty poliziotteschi(Italian crime flick) directed by the great Fernando Di Leo. This one features the handsome Luc Merenda as a cop(despite the American poster trying to fool us into thinking he's some kinda James Bond-type spy) who's not exactly playing by the book. Unfortunately he's in the pocket of the mob and as we've seen in so many films like this things don't usually work out so good for everyone in the end. There's a couple of cool car chases, a killer soundtrack, an old dude gets himself drowned by a cross-dressing gay gentleman standing on his head and there's lots of gunplay hijinks. Probably not for ordinary action movie fans but for those who are specifically into this type of Eurocrime cinema this one is top-notch.
Original title - "THE POLICEMAN IS ROTTEN"!
The DVD release of this is a bit on the graphic side!:
I think technically this wasn't released until sometime in the 80s as TEEN LUST to cash in on the popularity of teen-sex comedy stuff like PORKY'S, before that, back in the 70s, it came out in a differently edited version as THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR. Also at some point it was known as HIGH SCHOOL TEASERS, MOM NEVER TOLD ME, POLICE ACADEMY GIRLS(I think this was one of the video-release titles made to remind people of POLICE ACADEMY) and in England as POLICE GIRLS ACADEMY. The version I viewed, in a theater on glorious 35mm, had no title but I'm guessing it was from its 1980s incarnation. What you got here is pretty much what you would expect from a sex-comedy unless of course you're thinking of an 80s sex-comedy because this one feels very 70s despite it being re-released so much in the later decade. It's full of nekkid boobs, close-up ass shots and really retarded comedy skits including one character who is an actual retard. Everyone is clearly older than high-school age despite what they're portraying and the humor is decidedly non-pc( the dreaded "n-word" anyone?) which I found highly amusing since I was watching it with an apparently easily shocked crowd of sophisticated city-fied morons. My personal favorite scene, and the most bizarre thing in this film, was the part where an unruly gang of 10 to 12 year old boys attempts to gang rape the main actress(Kirsten Baker) and proceed to rip her clothes off to the theme tune to THE PEOPLE'S COURT before being stopped by the law. Who thought this scene up?? Pure genius or madness? Either way it made the film way more memorable in my opinion. Obviously only recommended if you can handle really dumb sexy 70s flicks should you give this a watch.
Probably the most interesting thing for most cult movie fans is that this was directed by James Hong, that Asian dude with the artificial eyeballs from BLADE RUNNER and one of the Asian dudes in BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA amongst many other roles, who I didn't even know was a director before this. Apparently he also made a porno flick called HOT CONNECTIONS before this that I would be interested in perusing someday.
Sexploitation and porn director Joe Sarno died in 2010 and is buried not too far from where I live so I went and visited his grave a short time ago. After that I decided that I needed to see more of his films. This might not have been the best film to start with though since it's a bit of a snoozer. There's these long intermittent shots of ladies walking around New York City intercut with this incestuous tale of two sisters who used to fool around when they were younger and the older sister, Julia, wants to rekindle this kink. There's also a pervy neighbor who employs an old-timey vibrator on herself and anyone that happens to wander into her apartment thus giving the movie's title some relevance. Sarno tries to imbue the film with an artsy veneer which you might find interesting or just dull depending on your mood and tolerance level for this kind of smut.
A Mario Bava film that I had not seen until now. Probably because I've read so many lukewarm reviews of this one I was in no rush to check it out. That shows how you really can't trust the general consensus about films because the majority of people are sheep-like robots that follow whatever viewpoint is the safest. But I digress. Needless to say I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Probably one of the most stylish Bava flicks out there. A jazzy score with a big rock finale add a lot to what's a fairly basic plot done up with an abundance of style. It's basically a forerunner to his BAY OF BLOOD except that it's not as much of a slasher movie experience since all the murders take place offscreen and falls on the more standard mystery side of things. Edwige Fenech looks amazing and would go on to be in a bunch more giallos after this. So don't believe the standard review and give this a look if you haven't yet. AKA ISLAND OF TERROR
In Pakistan they just shortened the title to MOON AND DOLLS:
Weird sci-fi flick with a pretty subdued Klaus Kinski as a doctor/scientist who builds a couple of synthetic humans. Klaus does get to fondle some robot tits(which is a bit odd for a PG-rated film) and act like a creep from time to time but the main plot involves 3 fugitives who end up on Klaus' spaceship which is run by his male android Max. There's on laser gun fight, some space-cruisers fly around and a bunch of slow scenes fill in the rest. Definitely an offbeat watch for lovers of strange cinema but probably a bit too dull and cheaply done for most. It would probably be better if Klaus had more to do and played up the mad-scientist shtick a bit more.
Super cool trivia note! = The female criminal here, Maggie, is played by Brie Howard who was the 2nd drummer in the early 70s all-female band Fanny!:
While not the best women-in-prison film(CHAINED HEAT?) Eurosleaze director Jess Franco's BARBED WIRE DOLLS holds a special nostalgic place in my heart for being the grimiest movie that I ever lent to my dad back in the VHS years and being asked by him for more films of this quality. By quality I know that he meant the explicit bare vagina shots, Lina Romay being given the old shock-treatment in all her nekked glory until she pisses herself and tons of wall-to-wall bush-filled antics. Having watched this so many times over the years I think my favorite scene now is watching ol' Jess trying to molest his onscreen daughter(Romay) and then getting killed for his troubles and falling down in slow-motion, which instead of actually filming in slow-motion he just attempts to very badly fake. Obviously influenced by stuff like the ILSA series this never rises to the level of any of those films but is still a satisfying watch for viewers with the right perverted mindset for this stuff. AKA WOMEN'S PENITENTIARY IV and CAGED WOMEN
First couple of slimy minutes for just a taste of the sleaze!:
Known in Italy as FEMALE PENITENTIARY FOR SEXUAL OFFENSES!:
and in Spain as THE REFORMATORY OF THE LOSSES?? (LOSERS??):
