Casey-52 Reviews

Tomboy (1984)

On the downswing from the LITTLE GIRLS BLUE series

[3/10 · 9 June 2022]

Producer Daniel Cady and cinematographer/director Henning Schellerup, collaborators on the popular LITTLE GIRLS BLUE series, tackle another coming-of-age story with mediocre results. Woefully miscast somnambulist Melanie Scott is the titular character, a sports nut who begins to explore her budding sexuality with the guys she plays football with. Tom Byron, looking as young and twinkish as I've ever seen him, and Steve Douglas, a switch hitter who was in Toby Ross' THE LAST SURFER and THE PRIVATE PLEASURES OF JOHN C. HOLMES the same year he did this film, are the boys in question. Marc Wallice is Scott's brother, who finds romance with the appropriately named "Mrs. Robinson", an older woman played with expected finesse by Kay Parker.

The whole movie is stolen by the marvelous Laurien Wilde, who graduated from this to a killer role in ALEXANDRA before perishing at a too-young age in a car accident just as her star was taking off. If Cady & Co. Had cast Wilde in the title role instead, this would have made for a much better film, though we also wouldn't have been gifted the opportunity to see Wilde in action in the first two sex scenes as we do here. She vanishes from the film after her van encounter with Klaus Multia, and the movie suffers greatly for it. Karen Summer appears in a very early role (with backdoor queen Rose Marie) in a visually stylish lesbian dream sequence, and she would also have been a more than capable leading lady. She would soon prove herself with the films she made with Kirdy Stevens (TABOO IV, PLAYING WITH FIRE, THE ANIMAL IN ME).

In summary: not worth your time, even for Wilde.

Wet Dreams (1986)

Opportunistic quickie crapped out at tail-end of film era

[4/10 · 7 June 2022]

Roberta Findlay and Walter Sear's Sendy Film Corp collaborated with Ron Sullivan (Henri Pachard) on this one at the same time as CLIMAX! (1985), which features much of the same cast. It's a quickly-shot lackluster effort about a sexually unsatisfied married woman (Cody Nicole) who is introduced to the magic of erotic daydreaming by her friend (Renee Summers). Most of the sex scenes are snooze-inducing, especially a weak S&M number with barfly Joey Silvera and bartender Sharon Kane surrounded by uncredited performers lightly whipping each other. George Payne brings up the rear with two back-to-back scenes with Taija Rae as a schoolgirl in a sauna shower and Nicole, who finally experiences fireworks (literally, via stock footage inserts) with him when he comes to repair her dishwasher. These two scenes earn the film a full extra two stars, otherwise it would be a total waste of time. At this time Findlay and Sear were transitioning from hardcore to horror and exploitation with TENEMENT and THE ORACLE, both released in 1985, and Sullivan was very busy in his partnership with Nibo Films, resulting in his mammoth miniseries TABOO, AMERICAN STYLE (also 1985). Obviously their attentions weren't on making a good effort with this one, as even their usual noteworthy cinematography, editing, and writing styles aren't at all evident. Why AVN nominated this for a Best All-Sex Film Award can only be attributed to a campaign by home video distributor Caballero to bring their video release some attention.

The Hippy Hooker (1974)

Yet another lor_ review to correct

[4/10 · 25 July 2020]

No, John Keith is not in this film. The lead actor doesn't wear a "stupid long blond wig", it's Al Moore (his character name is even Alan) and that's his natural long blond hair. I had to submit this retort so someone doesn't try adding Keith to the cast list based on lor_'s bad eyesight, which has also contributed to the myth that Dyanne Thorne isn't in SNATCHED WOMEN (she is). He also complains about Moore being "limp as a noodle", which isn't really the case here; all his sex scenes are hardcore without any wood problems. The orgy also doesn't feature an anal rape; while the girlfriend does protest against the very light whipping (which is stopped pretty quickly), the anal sex is consensual and she enjoys it from the start.

Female Aggressors (1986)

Decent Paul Norman hetero video

[6/10 · 30 June 2020]

Around the time Catalina Video was paving the way for the bisexual video revolution with their shot-on-film projects from Tom DeSimone ("Lancer Brooks"), they decided to try producing a full-fledged heterosexual video. This is the result, though, truth be told, there are certain elements, camera angles (shot by frequent Higgins collaborator Dan Allman), and casting in the male department (mostly one-shots that look like Higgins men) that gives away this is a video from a gay porn studio. Norman, who would take the bi phenomenon to another level, shows his confidence behind the camera here in a strictly hetero outing.

Taking a similar cue from Edwin and Summer Brown's essential 1984 couples film EVERY WOMAN HAS A FANTASY, we spend an evening with a group of women as they discuss memorable sexual scenarios where they were the dominant party, hence the video title of FEMALE AGGRESSORS. Sorority girl Nikki Randall and her sisters Kimi Gee and Summer Rose are delivered a fraternity pledge (one-shot Michael Stephano) who they enjoy degrading and taking turns riding; Vanessa D'Oro catches her brother Peter Lynn masturbating under the covers and spanks him and his sleepover buddy David Garnet (not Garner, as IMDB and IAFD say) before taking them both on; tough Amber Lynn, with zero patience for male chauvinism, takes control of wrestler Anthony LLama in the gym, and gets even angrier when he climaxes too soon for her. Highlight of the action is easily Nina Hartley and Tony Martino, as nurse Nina shaves patient Martino before surgery, taking delight in his uncertainty at her wielding and sharping a straight razor, before she blows and rides him. Martino had, by this time, shed the baby fat he displayed on his earlier videos, and looks stunning laying back, on the edge of his seat, as Nina shaves him and teases him with her tongue. For the big semi-finale, Amber brings out personal slave Kevin James to service her, Nina, and Vanessa. Randall, oddly left out of the final group scene, has a fine solo scene under the closing credits.

All in all, not essential, but a worthwhile footnote in the Catalina video catalog. Worth it for the Nina and Tony scene, and it's all very well-shot and edited in the Higgins/Catalina style.

Switch Hitters: Part III (1988 Video)

Another bisexual bait-and-switch

[6/10 · 30 June 2020]

Richard Mailer, once again, produces a heterosexual porn video with only brief hints of bisexuality to jump on the bi video bandwagon of the late 80s-early 90s. There are 5 sex scenes in this video, and only the last features any bisexuality (Jon Vincent & Steve Ross contribute gay sex to this scene), making this an even bigger cheat than the previous series installment. That said, I enjoyed it more. Mike Horner is once again a delight, and delivers in the sex scenes, Samantha Strong and Renee Morgan are welcome additions to the fun, and it's all photographed and edited very well, but....this isn't what bisexual video fans were signing up for. Go into this expecting a straight adult video with a surprise at the end because that's essentially what it is. If you're straight, this video is made for you. If you're gay or bi/curious, it has very mild interest and there are better options for you.

If you wonder why Peter North, who is pretty heavily featured in this video, appears uncredited, keep in mind he was trying to live down his "Matt Ramsey" gay porn past at this time. Oddly, the same year this came out, he 'returned' as Ramsey to host a video called EUROMEN, which was a cheap compilation of European gay loops from the 70s with Ramsey's on-screen introductions and solo added to make it seem new. I guess for this video he didn't want consumers thinking he was going back to man-on-man sex.

Switch Hitters II: Swinging Both Ways (1987 Video)

Barely bisexual

[5/10 · 30 June 2020]

If you're looking for quality bisexual porn, look elsewhere. This is what happens when straight pornographers attempt to jump on the bi bandwagon. It's mostly a heterosexual video with very brief dalliances into bisexuality. Out of the 6 sex scenes (one is brief oral at the end), only two feature any kind of bisexual action (namely man-on-man). Even the threeway with Mike Horner, Megan Leigh, and Gina Loren doesn't feature the women doing anything with each other, contrary to lor_'s review. As a whole, this barely qualifies as a bi video. The comedy is cute, though, and Mike Horner, Nina Hartley, and Jim Bentley seem to having a good time. It just doesn't deliver on the bisexual thrills it promises. To make matters more awkward, only one of the hetero scenes features condom usage while all the scenes involving man-on-man sex feature condoms, sending the message once again that AIDS is for the gays and bi's, not straights, a mindset the industry stuck to for another decade. In terms of 80s bisexual adult videos, you'd be far better off sticking with the work of Paul Norman, a self-identified bisexual who put equal energy into the straight and bi scenes in his videos. His INNOCENCE LOST won a richly deserved AVN Award for Best Bisexual Video, beating this video that should never have even been nominated in the first place.

The Erotic Artist (1971)

Norman Fields does participate in the action

[5/10 · 28 June 2020]

Another lor_ review to correct. Norman Fields *does* participate in the action; he's ganged up on by all the female models (led by Nora Wieternik, future Mrs. Jason Yukon) who have their way with him. It appears the IMDB's resident porno know-it-all didn't even finish watching this film before reviewing it. Additional info: Cleo O'Hara's one-on-one is with Jim Frost, a bisexual former Marine who was a regular tattooed presence in many films of this era.

An Affair of the Skin (1963)

Pretentious and boring

[3/10 · 4 February 2020]

I was one of several excited cinema loving patrons to see this film for the first time in years at a Film Forum screening of a rare 16mm print on February 3, 2020, as part of the venue's "Black Women" series. First things first: Diana Sands is one of the great unsung American actresses, but she is given nothing to do in this film, and as the sole "black woman" in the film, I'm not sure why this was programmed as part of this series. It was also billed as part of another series, a Lee Grant retrospective, which makes more sense because she is one of the true stars of the film; she also starred in the predecessor to this film, THE BALCONY, also screened at Film Forum.

Writer/director Ben Maddow is responsible for a number of superb screenplays, but this is one of his most oblique and inaccessible works. The film was distributed by Zenith International, a company who usually handled foreign titles for arthouse exhibition. Maddow's film is a perfect fit for them because he is trying desperately to mimic the films coming out of Europe and Japan at the time, with stark b&w photography, slow methodical pacing, overwhelmingly "meaningful" narration and monologues, and sparse use of music on the soundtrack. The story is barebones: Kevin McCarthy and Lee Grant are unhappily married. She leaves to visit their son at a military boarding school in Boston and in her absence he has an affair with model Viveca Lindfors. He also meets photographer Diana Sands (best part of the movie), who has a fraught relationship with her conservative mother after the death of her beloved father. Lindfors becomes pregnant, McCarthy agonizes over whether to pay for her abortion and shows up at Sands' apartment to whine about it, he applies for a computer programming program, eventually leaves Grant for Lindfors, and I walked out. I wasn't the only one, either. Several other patrons had their patience tested and couldn't take it any longer. I lasted longer than them; there may have been more after I vacated.

As I told a colleague who also walked out of the screening: imagine a film about Don Draper drinking, philandering, being a blowhard at parties, leaving his mistress in the lurch, pestering a promising single photographer in the middle of the night to ease his guilt (which she refuses to do), abandoning his wife and son.... This is the hero of the movie, a white male "anti-hero" which I think we've seen more than enough of over the years. If the film had followed Sands' photographer as she took snapshots of the decaying New York streets and its inhabitants and dealt with her mother's smothering behavior, as well as embellishing on her vague relationship with her father, that would have been a film to watch, and a landmark film focusing on a black American woman's life in the 1960s. There's a reason AN AFFAIR OF THE SKIN is so obscure: it's best forgotten, a minor footnote on the resumes of the very talented people involved. It was re-edited and reissued in 1973 as LOVE AS DISORDER, with more of an emphasis on Sands' character (she would die a year later, tragically young). This version will screen at MoMA as part of *their* black women series, "It's All in Me", and I might give this one a try again just to see if it improves with a good editor eliminating a considerable amount of the whiny rich white people footage.

Star Angel (1986)

Cecil Howard's last great 35mm film, a mesmerizing classic

[8/10 · 19 November 2008]

1985 found Cecil Howard producing exceptional films on film (SNAKE EYES) and video (DANGEROUS STUFF) mediums. He would continue pressing forth mixing the two mediums throughout the rest of the decade, but Howard's one film of 1986 is a 35mm offering, and it's perhaps his strongest dramatic work outside of the FIRESTORM series. The alluring poster and video campaign of a smiling Angel gives no hint at the dark, psychological power of STAR ANGEL, the last great film to emerge from the East Coast before the industry migrated almost completely to California.

Lola Rain (Chelsea Manchester, aka "Tigr", Sharon Mitchell's real-life lover) is the world's biggest female rock singer, but her frequent boozing and sex with groupies reflects a deep unhappiness with her fame and fortune. Her manager husband, Luke Frame (Jerry Butler delivering a typically intense characterization), fears the destruction of his business because of her unprofessional behavior, and has no choice but to murder her with a mix of booze and pills. Successfully fooling the public, press, and courts into believing she committed suicide, he becomes the music industry's hottest talent manager, raking in the clients and the cash, but finds himself persistently haunted by nightmares and visions of Lola wherever he goes. His assistant-turned-lover Kate Fredericks (Colleen Brennan in perhaps her greatest adult performance, and on her way out of the biz to boot) struggles to understand why his conscience continues to play tricks on his mind. Shapely hitchhiker Terry (beautiful Angel, given a chance to kinda act) hitches a ride with Luke, and ingratiates herself into the lives of Luke and Kate, hoping to become a superstar with Luke's help. But Luke sees in her the spirit of Lola, eventually sending him spiraling over the deep end. In an almost unnecessary subplot that provides for several sex scenes, Luke's chauffeur Mario (Ron Jeremy) ponders pursuing a commitment with his loud-mouthed girlfriend Franny (always endearing Taija Rae) while he desires a few more evenings with whore Phoebe (Bambi, as Tammy Lamb). {Note: The Jeremy-Bambi footage is padding created by scenes from Howard's 1983 masterpiece SCOUNDRELS}

Anchored by a solid script by Howard's muse Anne Randall (with a story provided by adult magazine writer/SEXCAPADES and GLITTER scribe R. Allen Leider), STAR ANGEL's one fault is that it's too short! At 73 minutes, the viewer is drawn into the drama easily and while the sex indeed sizzles, one wishes there was more time spent focusing on the fascinating characters and their individual neuroses. However, even with the short running time, this is an impossible to forget viewing experience. Shot in a high scale neighborhood in New Jersey, the film, as with many Howard films, establishes an unnerving atmosphere through the eyes of its main character, Luke Frame: isolated, haunted, schizophrenic, in danger of losing his mind and his soul. Even more unique about Luke is that he's really an anti-hero. He's unlikable from the get-go. His ambitious drive for success has destroyed the one woman he has ever loved, in mind, body, and soul. Luke isn't haunted by the crime he committed, he's haunted by the love he obliterated from existence, essentially losing his soul and ensuring he will never love again. As he so eloquently puts it, "You stick one finger in Hell…and it sticks to you". The hero of the movie is really Kate. All she wants is to be loved. She even pursues a lesbian encounter to fulfill her craving for affection. But it is Luke she really wants, who she will do anything for, and who she will stick by even though there is no chance he will ever return her allegiance. In the film's especially potent finale, as Kate sits with her arms around an emotionally broken Luke, there is no hope promised for any of the characters. Lola gets the last laugh.

As Luke, Jerry Butler is given a great monologue detailing his struggles to become a success in the music business. He sits by an incoherent Lola and tells her the story of a young punk kid going after his dreams, but as he looks at the star he helped to create, he realizes she will in turn become his professional destruction. Butler won acclaim and awards for his turn in Howard's SNAKE EYES the previous year, and would receive equally deserved attention for his work in STAR ANGEL. On the flip side, Colleen Brennan, in her 16th year in the film industry, really nails a rare dramatic performance in a career made up primarily of comic roles. She handles the dialog beautifully here, portraying a complex character with apparent ease, and while she is perfect in her trademark sexually insatiable moments, she also conveys a vulnerable pain as she tries to understand the love of her life. Her heartbroken facial expressions as Butler berates her and she realizes there is no hope to save him proves that in addition to being a top-notch sexual performer who delivered the goods, she was an actress who was rarely given this kind of role to exercise her thespian prowess. It's no wonder she would retire from the industry within a couple of years. She probably realized it wouldn't get much better than this.

Seek out this rare Cecil Howard film without hesitation! It's a career highlight for sure.

Reunion (2005–2006)

Fox's mix of "24", "Cold Case" and "The O.C." doesn't fly

[10 September 2005]

Good God almighty! A great concept for a show (every episode is a new year in the life of a group of high school best friends), and it's dumbed down by a completely predictable pilot script and a cast of pretty, white people who somehow landed parts on a major network show. Will Estes, Sean Faris and Dave Annable are all stud-muffins, but this doesn't work when Annable is supposed to be the geeky guy all the girls ignore. Same goes for the girls: Alexa Davalos, Amanda Righetti, and Chyler Leigh are all gorgeous, but Leigh is the wallflower who longs for the geeky guy who ignores her for Davalos. Wow, that's an original story arch! Chyler Leigh has been aching for good material forever! I was impressed with her in NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE, but she seems destined to tank every major chance at a career move (i.e., TV series) she finds: "That 80s Show", "Girls Club", and now this one. She is the best actress of the sextet but she is still way below standards of a network TV show; after parodying the fact that she is pretty yet considered "ugly" in TEEN MOVIE, she basically plays the same character but with deathly seriousness on this show!! Including her, no one acts on this show, they recite dialogue like a shopping list. Faris (who I remember most from David DeCoteau's softcore homoerotic BROTHERHOOD II) seems to think he's an actor, when really he's another pretty face on TV. His role in "life or something like it" parodied this (like Leigh's scenario) and he's basically playing the role of pretty-boy-who-gets-everything-he-wants that he was going AGAINST in his previous show! Righetti is painfully bad, Davalos seems right at home playing the vacant sexpot, Annable falls over himself trying to convince the audience he's NOT hot and IS dorky, and Estes, like Faris, seems painfully aware how good-looking he is and shows no more than two facial expressions.

I can't imagine tuning in every week to watch a new year, following these vapid uninteresting characters and watching every predictable plot point unfold. A complete waste of time for all involved; "Six Feet Under"s Mathew St. Patrick deserves a better career change than to end up on this tripe.

Another word of warning to the producers: we don't need a new 80s song and pop culture reference every five minutes to remember, "Oh yeah, they're in 1986." WE GET IT! Do yourselves a favor and write REALISTIC dialogue, see these as REAL characters, and hire REAL actors. For the time being, this is like watching department store mannequins acting out a game of "Clue".

The Roommates (1973)

Entertaining mix of social commentary, girls and murder

[8/10 · 17 August 2005]

It's a shame that Arthur Marks' THE ROOMMATES is for the most part verrrrry hard to come by because it's one of his best! It's a hell of a lot better than CENTERFOLD GIRLS, that's for sure, and while it's no BONNIE'S KIDS, it is a unique blend of beautiful girls and 70s drive-in elements. While the four leading ladies only share one or two scenes together, this is typical of the four-independent-and-beautiful-twentysomethings subgenre of the drive-in. New World's NURSES and TEACHERS films, as well as THE STEWARDESSES and Al Adamson's rip-offs, featured beautiful girls who were friends, but their individual stories were followed more closely. The social politics of the time (the sexual revolution, women's lib) also play heavily in character development, as in the aforementioned films.

Marki Bey, who would soon become SUGAR HILL before becoming a featured player on "Starsky and Hutch", gives probably her finest performance as a smirking librarian who makes no apologies when she jumps from one man to another who catches her fancy. Pat Woodell, besides contributing a little nudity in a shower scene, is given little to do despite her star billing. She was the only established star of the cast, yet she's obviously not the character Marks was most interested in. Laurie Rose had the most varied career of the girls, from David Friedman skinflicks (ADULT VERSION OF JEKYLL AND HIDE) to Lee Frost sleaze (POLICEWOMEN) to Filipino action pics (THE HOT BOX). Here she is given probably her most interesting and sensitive character. Today she is a professional bellydancer and doesn't look on her past too highly, but she should at least be proud of her work in this film. Roberta Collins is the most vivacious of the quartet, and as evident in most of her films, is an adept comedienne who totally endears herself to the audience. How could anyone watching her films NOT fall in love with her? One of the strongest actresses of the 70s drive-in, she also handles dramatic scenes astonishingly well. Unbelievably, she never graduated to the bigger and better Hollywood roles she so richly deserved.

Also on-hand are two more popular drive-in beauties. Christina Hart (THE STEWARDESSES, JOHNNY FIRECLOUD) is a seemingly innocent cousin of Woodell's who turns out to be a conniving little sexpot who plans on having the swingingest summer of her life. Connie Strickland, the blonde bombshell from BUMMER!, appears in a small role as a vacationing water-skier who is the killer's first victim. Strickland didn't get to star in too many films, usually in small character roles; Marks would use her again in CENTERFOLD GIRLS. Look fast for Uschi Digart in an orgy scene and Albert Cole (THE INCREDIBLE TWO-HEADED TRANSPLANT) as a biker!! ROOMMATES is a little slow-going. The first 15 minutes set-up the four best friends, who have lots of dialogue discussing their personal politics and establishing the two goofball comediennes (Marki Bey and Roberta Collins) and the more serious lasses (Pat Woodell and Laurie Rose). Following a wild party where Rose beats a jock in a sit-up contest, the girls take off for their summer vacation at a lovely resort. And all of a sudden, a charming comedy in the vein of SUMMER SCHOOL TEACHERS becomes a twisted killing-spree-whodunit with beautiful girls falling dead left and right (very much like the Sebastians' THE SINGLE GIRLS from the same year, or New World's NIGHT CALL NURSES and STUDENT TEACHERS). All four gals manage to pair up with respective male partners in-between the murders, and the film successfully jumps back and forth between these two very different parts.

I think The Hoyk's review below is a little off; Tarantino probably never saw this film (which was never available on home video and is still near impossible to find) so its influence on him is zero. Hopefully some DVD company will come along to rescue this one from obscurity and release it with appreciative extras with Marks and the six featured actresses and the tender loving care it deserves. It's not a four-star, solid 10 exploitation feature, but there is still plenty here to keep fans of 70s drive-in fare happy.

Nocturna (1979)

An unsung 70s cult classic which deserves a DVD release soon!

[9/10 · 13 August 2005]

I have to echo previous commentators' reviews and proclaim NOCTURNA as one of the best unseen exploitation films of the 70s! Where late-70s flicks like VAMPIRE HOOKERS, LUST AT FIRST BITE and Dracula aren't too hard to find, NOCTURNA has been unavailable for years. Contrary to popular belief, it is not because of music rights issues, but because of other behind-the-scenes issues. Hopefully they can be rectified and this cult-classic-waiting-to-happen can finally be unleashed to a brand-new audience of Midnight Movie lovers!

The Nai Bonet nude scene was shot separately from the rest of the film and tacked on to spice up the movie. Other than this sequence and a sex scene with Tony Hamilton, this could have been rated PG. NOCTURNA is a feel-good vampire comedy with good-natured jokes, almost wall-to-wall disco music and a charming love story. Bonet is a very bad actress, but is simply stunning and definitely has a unique statuesque presence in her many flowing costumes. Sy Richardson, familiar from playing the jive-talking Fairy Godmother in Michael Pataki's Cinderella, is a jive-talking vampire pimp here, and Brother Theodore (whose bloodthirsty voice was lent to Dracula VS. FRANKENSTEIN and the trailer for MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND) hams it up magnificently as Hotel Transylvania's manager. John Carradine seems a little lost, but Yvonne De Carlo acts like she's having a grand time (as she did in the pretty abysmal BLAZING STEWARDESSES) and is given some juicy one-liners here. Look fast for a 42nd Street adult movie marquee advertising the classic A COMING OF ANGELS!

NOCTURNA's double-disc soundtrack LP can still be found pretty easily in cutout bins and eBay auction listings, and I would recommend picking up a copy even if you haven't seen the film! Tracks by Gloria Gaynor, Vicki Sue Robinson, The Moment of Truth, Jay Siegel and The Heaven 'n' Hell Orchestra are wonderful and generally very hard to find elsewhere!

The Seduction of Lyn Carter (1974)

One of the most powerful adult films ever made

[10/10 · 22 July 2005]

Anthony Spinelli is highly-regarded as one of the masters of the golden age of adult film-making, one of few directors who successfully mixed erotic sex acts, solid acting performances, decent production values and intelligent screenplays to create some of the best films of the porno chic movement. Yet THE SEDUCTION OF LYN CARTER remains extremely hard to find. LYN CARTER is reminiscent of his later film, PORTRAIT OF SEDUCTION, but the performances here are so spot-on and the script so well-written that it easily excels over that film.

Andrea True, future disco diva, stars as Lyn Carter, a happily-married housewife whose husband travels on business and leaves her alone in their spacious suburban home with their young son (who is never seen). Lyn lost her virginity to her husband and has never been with another man, so she is intrigued by the swarthy good looks and cocksure demeanor of Jamie Gillis as Sean, a dark-haired stranger she meets at her dentist's office. A date for a drink leads to going back to his apartment, where she is roughly raped and defiled by Sean's dark side of his split personality. But much to her horror and disgust, she finds herself continually drawn to return to his apartment and forced to endure every imaginable sex act as a sort of depraved "sex education" course. She finally reaches her breaking point, but when she reveals all to her husband in a tearful confession, she finds that her shoulder to cry on may not be the sensitive caring lover she has enjoyed all these years...

Andrea True, who is rarely given any credit as one of the earliest porno stars and even less credit as an accomplished actress and singer, gives the performance of her career! If adult film awards were being given in 1974, there would be no question she would receive due honors. Even by mainstream film standards, she gives a truly gut-wrenching portrayal and it is truly moving to watch her transform from a smiling fresh-faced wife and mother to a degraded and tortured soul. Jamie Gillis would build a career on both his performances as mean bastards and his uninhibited sex scenes. This is just another day in the life for him, but he's such a cruel, heartless heel of a man in LYN CARTER. The film basically relies on the interplay and talent of True and Gillis, because there are only three other minor characters who act as able support. None of the sex is really that erotic, which is the point of the film. It's not an uplifting film, but the fact that it's so well-made and brilliantly acted keeps it fascinating throughout.

A solid 10, a shining jewel of golden age adult film-making and even without the hardcore scenes, this could have easily been made as a serious melodrama.

Abby (1974)

Obscure blaxploitation EXORCIST rip-off has some interesting moments

[8/10 · 1 February 2005]

William Girdler, the king of Kentucky trash film-making, ran into legal hassles when this black version of Warner Brothers' THE EXORCIST hit theaters. Despite making tons of money at the box office, WB had the film withdrawn because of similarities to their Friedkin blockbuster and it's been tough to see ever since. Is it worth tracking down? Well, it has its crazy moments, but is no camp classic.

Carol Speed (THE MACK, THE BIG BIRD CAGE) is Abby, the happy-go-lucky marriage counselor wife of the local preacher. When her father-in-law (William Marshall, BLACULA himself) unearths the remains of a demon in an expedition in Africa, for some reason the spirit of the denizen of Hell transfers itself to Abby's body back in the U.S. At first, Abby just does crazy things like slicing her arm with a butcher knife and coughing hysterically during her husband's sermon, but soon she's speaking in a deep baritone voice, sexually insatiable and spouting obscenities til the sun comes up. Marshall returns after a desperate phone call from his son, leading to a good-vs-evil showdown at the local disco (!).

Girdler's film is one of those films which made the 70s so great. Lots of big Afro's, wacka-wacka musical score and the filmmakers throwing in everything but the kitchen sink to please the drive-in crowd. Yep, there's the typical EXORCIST-influenced puking and deep man's voice throwing out profanity; the quick-shots of the demon's face are even copied with Speed appearing in goofy green make-up. It's a goofy enough rip-off to provide enjoyment to fans of 70s exploitation, but just don't expect it to blow you away. Girdler sets up suspense quite well during the first 20 minutes, but lets it all hang out by the time Abby is possessed.

The cast includes blaxploitation favorites Terry Carter and Austin Stoker, as well as Juanita Moore (IMITATION OF LIFE) as Abby's momma. But this is Carol Speed's movie all the way. She digs her claws into this role with a vengeance, and strangely this would be her last starring role before her early retirement. Did the film do damage to her career or did she call it quits for other reasons? Who knows... Worth tracking down, even on the unauthorized ugly quality DVD from Cinefear Video. The print is very red and splicy, but this is the only place you can get this; all other versions stem from their 35mm print.

My Louisiana Sky (2001 TV Movie)

Kelsey Keel makes this movie

[10/10 · 27 June 2002]

I might be completely biased because Kelsey Keel is a local girl from my neck of the woods who went to high school across the street from me, but she is superb in this film. After winning two Awards for her work in this film (a Daytime Emmy and a Young Artist Award), I hope she continues to find work in films and ages with grace and maturity on-screen. Juliette Lewis and Shirley Knight provide able support, but the fact that the entire film is shown from Tiger Ann's point of view only provides Keel with some magnificent characterization and plenty of screentime that should have earned her star billing. Magnificent coming of age story that should be seen by audience members of all ages that suffers from being shown on ShowTime and seeing a less than adequate home video release.

Queer as Folk (2000–2005)

Lame and full of stereotypes

[27 June 2002]

Even though "Queer as Folk" is conceived, written, and made by gay men and women, this is the lamest TV show to revolve around the gay community. Sure, it may be the only one besides "Will and Grace" (also stereotypical), but it plays to a certain audience and that's it. Utterly involved with the gay club scene, the oversexed, twinky, and queenie crowd, "Queer as Folk" fails to speak to me. Not all gay men go to clubs, or are sex-crazy, or do ecstasy and have threesomes, or idolize Barbara Streisand. Showtime's US incarnation will appeal to those gay men and women who need an outlet for their community, but it doesn't appeal to my neck of the community. I know more straight women who like it, probably because the men on the show are the type of men they would like to have as friends and confidantes. Yet despite all its shortcomings and unlikable characters, I find it somehow watchable. Reminding me of a gay version of "Sex and the City", there are certain episodes that are funny, but I'm tired of seeing gay men associated with AIDS, broken families, clubs, and bathhouses. Yech! It gets really old really fast.

Fame (1980)

Flawed musical, but worth seeing once (spoilers)

[8/10 · 16 May 2002]

Irene Cara and a gaggle of unknown actors and actresses are students in New York's High School for the Performing Arts. They learn dance, music, drama, and the required academic classes. We follow a group of students who all have their own troubles.

While the majority of comments on this film at the IMDB are positive, I have to admit I was expecting a bit more from this film. The soundtrack is superb stuff, and earned a well-deserved Oscar for both the complete score and the theme song "Fame". Irene Cara, Gene Anthony Ray, and Anne Meara turn in memorable performances (the other actors could actually be real-life struggling P.A. students, they are so unsure of themselves in their dramatic scenes).

But the plausibility of the entire film is at stake here: one would think the school's standards are much higher. And if so, then how could untalented people like Doris Finsecker, Lisa Monroe, and Ralph Garci get in? There are too many subplots left incomplete by the big final musical number: how did Coco deal with her little smut film? Did Coco ever hook up with Bruno? Did Leroy make ammends with his English teacher and pass? What happened to Hilary after her abortion? It all comes to a close so fast that I am convinced there was some post-production editing flaws involved. As another reviewer put it, I wouldn't be surprised if there was another 30 minutes out there somewhere in a film vault collecting dust actually tying all the loose ends together, but as FAME exists now, it feels incomplete and ultimately unsatisfying. Not to be condescending, but I expect all the positive reviews are from people who actually want (or wanted) fame just as bad, but haven't (or didn't) tasted it yet and the film gives them hope. That's fine, but judging the film as a piece of cinema, it does not deliver the goods.

The Last House on Dead End Street (1973)

The most depraved film I've ever seen

[9/10 · 11 December 2000]

Snuff films have been and forever will be a very powerful urban legend. The idea that underground filmmakers kidnap people and graphically murder them on film, then make profits from selling the tapes through the black market is an intriguing one and would help explain the rash of unexplained disappearances every year. But it is also a wholly unbelievable idea. LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET uses this idea to create its horror, most of which is genuine, but it's also hard to call entertainment at the same time.

Terry Hawkins, a drug dealer, is just out of prison. He decides to make a horror film with the help of two sadistic prostitutes, a porno cameraman, and a bestial pervert. His crew kidnap three people and graphically murder them in an abandoned warehouse. That's about it. There's also some S&M, softcore sex, real footage of cows having their throats cut in a slaughterhouse (gross!), and really bad "adults only" footage.

DEAD END STREET was obviously made to cash in on the success of LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, which is a much superior film. Yet DEAD END still manages to be as effective as LAST HOUSE in an eerie kind of way. The film itself has a grainy, washed-out look, making it look authentic, has awkward post-dubbing, and a pretty claustrophobic and terrifying set in the old warehouse. Steven Morrison, who plays Terry Hawkins, is also the director under a pseudonym. He does a pretty good job, but nobody else does. The first half of the film is rather dull, but the second half is an endurance test in many ways. There is undying tension in some of the buildup to the gory butchery and the "surgery" scene will no doubt have many viewers turning from the screen in disgust. While the special effects are not top-notch, they are rather believable and the fact that they are overdone on grainy film stock and are badly lit make them all the more effective.

LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET is a film I could never recommend to anyone with a clear conscience. It would be like condemning them to the rack, as this film can be seen as a form of torture. I have no idea why so many people have rated this film a 10 on the IMDB, it's not THAT good, but it something special in the annals of horror. Many people still have not seen it, making it a great triumph for those who managed to survive the viewing. Recommended to those who think they can take it, but believe me, this is really strong, graphic, demented stuff.

The Killer Snakes (1974)

Pretty great Asian horror film with its share of sleaze

[8/10 · 23 November 2000]

For those looking for a good example of Asian horror that isn't too over-the-top to start with, KILLER SNAKES is probably the best one to seek out. Available on video from Something Weird and letterboxed to boot, KILLER SNAKES is pretty memorable.

A pathetic man who overhears his mother's sadistic affairs as a child grows up with snakes as his only friends. He is beaten up by pimps and prostitutes, has his heart broken by the girl of his dreams, and loses his job. He finally gets sick of the humiliation and torment and sets his king cobras on his enemies.

KILLER SNAKES has a great plot, despite being similar to both WILLARD and STANLEY. I actually preferred this to both of those films, as it has a great Hong Kong atmosphere and better acting by the entire cast. The snakes are used to better advantage and the city of Hong Kong is a wonderfully sleazy setting for such an effective film. Sleaze fans take note of one scene in particular: the man ties up a prostitute in an S&M sling and sets snakes loose on her naked body after feeling her up. REALLY sick stuff! But amazingly effective.

KILLER SNAKES is highly recommended by me, as it is highly entertaining and is a great introduction to the world of outrageous Asian horror. Next on your list should be BLACK MAGIC 1 & 2, CENTIPEDE HORROR, or SEEDING OF A GHOST.

Myra Breckinridge (1970)

This movie was taken seriously by its cast and crew?

[8/10 · 23 November 2000]

Raquel Welch usually delivers great eye candy in her films, sometimes giving great performances, making most of them at least memorable due to her appearance. MYRA BRECKENRIDGE, despite having Welch star in the title role, is not saved by anything. Despite having a cool cast and some interesting oddball antics, BRECKENRIDGE is embarrassing for the viewer, the cast, the crew, even the VCR that is playing it!

Rex Reed (good-looking, but horrible) is Myron, a gay guy who gets a sex change from doctor John Carradine (terrible) and becomes Myra (Raquel Welch, who is good). Myra worms her way into her uncle Buck Loner (pathetic John Huston)'s acting academy, teaching a class on the history of motion pictures. She sodomizes a sexy southern stud and then steals his girlfriend (Farrah Fawcett!). Thrown into the mix is top-billed Mae West, who contributes what amounts to a cameo as a hideous embalmed agent who has sex with her exclusively male clients. Tom Selleck (minus mustache, but still recognizable) is one of her first studs. Add to this mess clips from old films to help "narrate" the action, two songs by West, ludicrous dialogue, Rex Reed masturbating, and a pretty dumb ending and MYRA BRECKENRIDGE may be worth seeing for fans of extremely horrible films.

Despite my love for so-bad-it's-good films (i.e., VALLEY OF THE DOLLS), BRECKENRIDGE didn't do it for me. It was just too jumbled, unlikable, and boring. Yes, boring! In-between the outrageous and tasteless sexual innuendo, there is boring dialogue and attempted humor that falls flat. Slow viewers will no doubt be confused throughout the entire film and those looking for cheap thrills will feel cheated. While women will feel fulfilled with all the hunks floating throughout the film, men will be disappointed in the lack of any female nudity. Welch does not do nude scenes, unfortunately, and Fawcett does not bare any flesh. Thank God West didn't volunteer her ample endowments!!!

MYRA BRECKENRIDGE could be fun viewing for some cult film fans, but it just didn't work for me. While some scenes do stand out (the sodomy scene, West's musical numbers), BRECKENRIDGE just was too boring for me. I actually fell asleep in the middle of it! Not highly recommended, but those who are curious owe it to themselves to at least say that they've seen it!

The Touch of Her Flesh (1967)

Robert Findlay sickie that certainly is odd

[10/10 · 20 November 2000]

Roberta and Mike Findlay made over a dozen nudie/sickie/roughies in the 60s and early 70s, culminating with SNUFF in the late 70s. Of all those films, the FLESH trilogy is the most memorable. TOUCH OF HER FLESH, CURSE OF HER FLESH, and KISS OF HER FLESH were three sickie classics starring Robert West as Richard Jennings, a one-eyed psycho who kills strippers in sadistic ways. This was his beginning and is a tad boring, but pays off.

Richard Jennings witnesses his wife having sex with another man and runs into traffic. Losing one eye and temporarily paralyzed from the waist down, Richard vows his vengeance and vents his frustration while searching for his wife by killing strippers in inventive ways. He sends one a rose with thorns dipped in poison, shoots a poison dart into the stomach of another, and by the finale, a dagger, a buzzsaw, and a crossbow fit into the whole mess.

TOUCH OF HER FLESH is really sick. First the audience is treated to coy sex scenes and stripping/go-go scenes, followed immediately by scenes of death and gore. I guess that's why they call them sickies. All the acting is bad, but most of the women would fit right in a Russ Meyer film! Top-heavy tarts make up most of the nudity here, which is pleasing to the eye and sort of differentiates this from other films of its kind. There are some good instances of cinematography and editing that are above par in an exploitation film as well.

TOUCH OF HER FLESH is not for everyone and will probably offend those looking for a softcore sex film from the 60s. The version I saw was cut, as the film only ran an hour (original running time is 70 minutes), but the sex was not graphic; it's the gore that should draw audiences. Sadistic viewers should enjoy it, but I'm surprised cries of misogyny haven't plagued this film from its release! Not heartily recommended, but is worth a look if you're curious. And you should be if you're reading a review of this!

Heat (1972)

Lesser Morrissey film, but still great

[9/10 · 18 November 2000]

Paul Morrissey's FLESH, TRASH, and WOMEN IN REVOLT are classics of underground cinema. While I prefer TRASH and WOMEN to FLESH, all of them have a certain appeal (wether it be Joe Dallesandro or the Factory transvestites) that keeps a legion of fans happy. HEAT, while a technically superior film to the above-mentioned, has less of that appeal, but is still enjoyable.

Joe Dallesandro is Joey Davis, a former child star who is trying to revive his career. He takes up residence in a sleazy motel run by Pat Ast and also occupied by Andrea Feldman, an odd lesbian whose mother, Sylvia Miles, is a has-been actress. Miles and Dallesandro have a brief affair that cuts itself short when Joe begins having sexual encounters with every person he runs into!

As usual, Morrissey's film relies on great acting by the cast. Joe Dallesandro is good, as usual, but was much better in TRASH. Sylvia Miles is excellent in what could be an extension of her role in MIDNIGHT COWBOY. The two actors who really steal the film are Pat Ast and Andrea Feldman. Ast is pretty outrageous with huge frizzy hair and ugly costumes highlighting her obesity, but has great dialogue ("Is that so unbelievable...to believe?") and commands quite a presence in every scene of hers. Feldman, who is memorable from TRASH as the acidhead, proves herself as an actress. While many believe she is basically playing her crazy self, I think she manages to create a wild, yet sympathetic character and making this performance even more believable is the fact that Feldman killed herself shortly before the film was released. I wonder if her career would have continued had she lived?

HEAT has a Hollywood feel to it, despite being filmed in the standard cheap way by Morrissey, which makes it a bit less realistic to some viewers. I liked it, not as much as Morrissey's other works, but it still was saved by the outstanding cast. I would recommend this over any other Morrissey work for those who have yet to venture into the world of Andy Warhol's films, as this is easily accessible and is a bit easier to view (FLESH has bad sound and editing, TRASH has unflinching realism) for the mainstream film viewer.

The Doom Generation (1995)

Possibly the worst film of the 90s

[16 November 2000]

THE DOOM GENERATION is sick, twisted, unfunny, and pointless. It rambles from one scene of supposed comedy (profanity is funny, right?!)to another. I can't even believe I am wasting my time reviewing this film, but I feel I should warn people of how truly horrible this film is.

The normally good Rose McGowan is Amy, a goth chick who, with her dumb boyfriend in tow, encounters a psycho who commits murders and involves them. That's basically it. No attempt at characterization is ever taken, these are thoroughly unlikable characters and what happens to them I felt glad about, especially if it was negative, as they deserve it. The only redeeming factor about the film is a series of cameos by famed actors (why would they stoop this low?): Parker Posey as a hooker (the only funny thing about the entire film), Christopher Knight (Peter from "The Brady Bunch"), and porn star Zak Spears (hardly recognizable, but nice to see in a mainstream film).

THE DOOM GENERATION is completely stupid and is a waste of time for everyone involved, including the viewer. I saw the cut version, but I doubt the edited sex and violence could save what is otherwise a wholly negative viewing experience.

Jimmy, the Boy Wonder (1966)

Oh my God! What the hell have I just witnessed?

[10/10 · 16 November 2000]

Herschell Gordon Lewis, father of the gore movie, made a few kiddie movies between gore spectacles. I have had the fortune to see one of these and am utterly flabbergasted! JIMMY THE BOY WONDER is a wonder, all right, from start to finish. You will not believe what you are seeing!

Jimmy Jay is a little brat who wishes time would stop on the first day of school. Mr. Figg, a weirdo with ugly eyebrows and an Adam Sandler voice, stops the universal clock and we are treated to shots of people unconvincingly freezing (sometimes people still move in the background!). A frantic wizard bedecked in a hideous cape and pointy hat summons his daughter Aurora (like a breasty young Kathy Bates) to aid Jimmy in his quest to the end of the world in order to start the clock again. And so it begins, possibly the most unpredictable, unbelievable, and amazing adventure any child could ever view! I can't imagine what a kiddie matinee thought of this! First SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS, now this?!

JIMMY THE BOY WONDER is 100% entertaining. I didn't get bored once through the entire thing, I just sat totally mystified, bewildered, and in utter disbelief. Features a lake of laughing potion, a badly dubbed European cartoon about a magic globe, horrible songs like "Beans", "Mr. Figg", and "Think Big" sung totally off-key and lip-synched terribly, a band of green Indians, Slow Motion Land (!), and of course, turning the whole world red and blue (don't even ask). The ending is also ridiculous, but fun. JIMMY THE BOY WONDER comes highly recommended by me for those who are looking for a good time and something out of the ordinary. This is definitely up your alley if that's you!

Blast-Off Girls (1967)

Fun H.G. Lewis expose on the seamy side of the music business

[8/10 · 13 November 2000]

By 1967, H.G. Lewis had stopped his gore career short with THE GRUESOME TWOSOME a year earlier. He directed a campy send-up of a rock group being used and humiliated by the music business called THE BLAST-OFF GIRLS that remained lost for years. Eventually, Something Weird Video unearthed it and released it. While it's all good campy fun, it could hardly be called essential Lewis.

The Faded Blue (a real-life Chicago garage band) star as The Big Blast, a Florida garage band who are conned into a business deal (without a contract) by big-time manager Boojie Baker (played disgustingly well by Dan Conway). Boojie uses beautiful women to con record executives and concert hall owners into letting the Blast play there and eventually makes them famous with a record on the Billboard Hot 100 called "Noise". When the group decides that Boojie isn't giving them enough money, they promptly drop him and he avenges himself by setting up a drug bust. But the group isn't finished with Boojie yet.

THE BLAST-OFF GIRLS suffers from one thing: the group isn't that good. When many of the "bad guy" executives say, "This group is just like any other", the audience can't help but agree with them! A multitude of garage bands erupted in the late 60s and it's hard to tell them apart. The Big Blast, if there ever were such a group, would have melted into the garage band sound without making much of a dent. Some of the songs heard are pretty good (like "Noise"), but others are overpowered by the annoying organ work. Of special note is the keyboard player, who is set up to be the comic relief and is pretty likable. As a matter of fact, the whole band are not bad actors and any viewer can identify with them. I was surprised to see Col. Sanders appear as himself, offering free fried chicken to the group in exchange for a performance outside his restaurant for dancing kids! Pretty cool stuff. Imagine anyone doing such a thing today for a low budget filmmaker! Besides The Big Blast is an unnamed garage band heard during the opening sequence that features the chief delinquent in JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT as the lead singer! They do a pretty good job, too, and I would have preferred the whole movie to be about them instead.

H.G. Lewis does what he can with a pretty slapshod storyline, but the film slows down too much when the band is off the screen. The background music really irks me, too. But BLAST-OFF GIRLS is kitschy fun that is worth seeing at least once. Lewis fans will die happy after seeing The Big Blast's stoned performance on live TV as only Lewis could do it! Recommended for one-time viewing and to anyone who ever was in a band or is now! Modern-day garage bands should really enjoy this! For a much better film on the same topic, though, seek out BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, which I enjoyed much more.