Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Last Days & Wrap-up

Before I run down the last few days of the challenge I have to give a shout out to the unofficial sponsor of my month's viewing, Wild Eye Releasing who generously sent me a bunch of DVDs to check out and one I had already seen I was able to give away as a prize. Wild Eye is responsible for releasing lots of weird, trashy and independent horror, sleaze, comedy, and other types of crazy movies. Whether I loved the movie or I hated the movie I knew I was in for something different and for that reason alone Wild Eye is a company worth checking out and supporting.

The 26th and 27th of the month had no viewings for various reasons so there was really no reason to update until now. I got back on track on the 28th with 4 flicks.

First was GOLD. This is a weird movie that apparently didn't get shown in the US until very recently despite it being over 40 years old. This is the story of a hippie commune, full of love, nudity, drugs and sex being terrorized by the local law for all of their raunchy indecency. It was made on the fly it seems, with little budget or pre-planning and a lot of drug use. It actually isn't bad and is interesting to look at from a historical standpoint of that time and culture.

Next up was DEAD SUSHI. This movie is a freaking blast, that will have you smiling the entire time. The plot is a basic Kaiju plot with an evil corporation experimenting in drugs that will bring back animals from the dead. Well it works on sushi and the sushi grow teeth, spikes and sharp blades and begin flying around killing people. It is hilarious, and total tongue in cheek fun. This description doesn't even begin to describe the total shenanigans that occur during the very quick 91 minute runtime but you'll have to see it for yourself.

What would this month be without a little Russ Meyer action? I didn't get to see as many as I would've liked, especially since this challenge just screams out for his movies but I did manage to get one in at the end. I'd never seen it before so I popped in the DVD of MOTOR PSYCHO. The story isn't anything you've never heard before, a group of motorcycle riding weirdos terrorize passing cars on a desert road. The women in the cars are of course big breasted and beautiful as women not of that nature seem not to exist in Russ Meyer's world. I'm okay with his world. The movie is a good tale of revenge and has a rather violent finale with TNT. Very enjoyable stuff.

I couldn't decide what to watch after that so with plenty of beverages in hand I popped in XTRO 2. I'm a fan of the creepy weirdness that first movie offers but the second is just crap. Having nothing at all to do with the first Xtro, XTRO 2 is sort of like a really bad Alien ripoff... except that it is more like a ripoff of an Alien ripoff. What a shitty movie.

The 29th featured just one movie, and it would be the final Wild Eye movie of the month. THE DEATH OF ANDY KAUFMAN is an independent documentary digging into the possibility that Kaufman faked his death. This isn't really an exploitation movie in any sense but Kaufman kind of exploited people with his act, and hell, he may be exploiting all of into thinking he's dead... not sure what he'd get out of it than his own satisfaction but whatever. The documentary is okay, probably as good as I could hope for given it's seemingly DIY nature. There is a lengthy interview with Kaufman's brother and a rundown on Kaufman and his history and life. The film never gets deep enough into the idea that he did fake his death or "finding the real Andy Kaufman" and who he truly was. It scratches the surface but could've been so much more.

And on to the final day...

KEOMA was on tap. This is a sort of trippy, psychadelic, dream-like spaghetti western that is great. From Enzo Castellari's direction to Franco Nero's performance as the titular character I love this movie.  Check it out the next time you watch a western. And the image won't upload so no poster... whammy.

And the challenge comes to a conclusion with THE LOVE GARDEN. I won't say much about this now because it is part of a disc review I have coming up in a few days but it is an absolutely textbook definition way to end an exploitation marathon.

THE WRAP UP

Total Films Watched - 64
1st Time viewings - 59 (92%)
Average Film Score - 5.6/10
Best First Time Viewings - Ms. 45, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Emergency Squad, My Dear Killer
Biggest Surprise - That I had as much enjoyment with Nazisploitation as I did.
Biggest Disappointment - The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire
Thoughts To Sum It Up - There was a metric ton of shitty movies this month and it really drained me at times. From a disappointing giallo to unbelievably shitty shot on video horror fare this month was a struggle. There were some great movies though and putting a big dent in my "to watch" pile is always a good thing. I probably should have planned out what I wanted to watch instead of winging it but where's the fun in that? (Where's the fun in this?) The exploitation fun rolls right on into May with disc Reviews coming from Synapse and Vinegar Syndrome. And a new branch of Celluloid Terror is coming. WOO! Thanks for following along this month.

An Interview With The Stars Of Troma's Return To Nuke 'Em High

A few days ago Asta Paredes and Clay Von Carlowitz, 2 of the stars from Troma's upcoming film THE RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH, were gracious enough to give a great two part video interview for Celluloid Terror. Check out the interviews and see below for links!







And part 2!







Follow them on Twitter: Asta - @tulipnoir87  Clay - @clayvon87 Return To Nuke Em High - @Return2CONH

And Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/AstaMParedes and Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/clayvoncarlowitz

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Days 24 & 25

There were only a couple of movies for these days, these shitty movies are really catching up to me. I doubt I'll watch more than a couple more before the month is over as I'm really just letting my brain reset for a busy month of new disc reviews in May.

TIGHT is a mockumentary/documentary/reality TV show sort of movie about 4 porn stars that form a rock band and are managed by former Charlie Sheen girl Bree Olson. The 2 hour movie follows their trials and tribulations of trying to make it on their first tour. I have no idea what this is really supposed to be. Parts seem line a genuine documentary, and they actually do play their instruments (believe me, they're shitty enough that no one would ever fake it) and some of the drama between the girls seems legit but there are other parts, including just about any with Bree Olson that seem so poorly staged that I just don't fucking get what the movie is going for. It is infuriatingly stupid and the music sucks.

Then there was COOL AS HELL. I've finally reached the end of the James Balsamo movies. This one is about... well I don't really know what the fuck it's about. There is a nerdy guy who ends up hanging out with a demon who still can't get him laid. Then there is a woman with witchcraft and zombies. And a hairy demon arm that kills people? I don't know. It's a fucking mess. It is mainly just the nerdy guy in a Hawaiian shirt going around and getting dissed by ladies for the majority of the movie. Just avoid it.

Today's Rundown
They both fucking suck

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Days 22 & 23

First up was a western that seemed like it would be fun at least, even if it wasn't totally original. BARREL FULL OF DOLLARS, also known as Coffin Full Of Dollars co-stars Klaus Kinski and falls in to all of the cliches of Spaghetti Westerns without any creative energy really driving it. Most of the action and performances are phoned in and it was really a mediocre effort all around.

Next up I rounded out a trilogy I've loved all month with CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH 3: THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE SUBHUMANOID. This one falls right in line with each of its predecessors. There is more ridiculous off beat humor, gross out moments and great Troma flare. I'd rate the series from best to worst - Part 1, part 3, part 2, but they're all very entertaining and among Troma's best productions. Consider me excited for part 4.

And these 2 days were rounded out with THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY, a giallo from director Duccio Tessari. This was a solid giallo, with much of the story coming through courtroom testimony and flashbacks from those testifying until the final act. I'm glad I've finally checked this one of the list.

Oh and while this has nothing to do with the challenge, the new Tom Cruise flick OBLIVION sucks. Don't waste your time on it.

Today's Rundown
Barrel Full Of Dollars - 5/10
Class Of Nuke 'Em High 3 - 7.5/10
The Bloodstained Butterfly - 7/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 Days 20 & 21

There were 3 movies across days 20 and 21, starting out with ALIENATOR. This movie rounds out the Action 4 Pack DVD set from Shout! Factory that also had Exterminator 2, Cyclone and Eye Of The Tiger, all which I enjoyed this month. ALIENATOR was the disappointment of the group. A fugitive alien being comes to Earth and shacks up with a local group living in the woods when he is hunted by the title character, a platinum blond killing machine that looks like something out of American Gladiators on weird Sci-Fi steroids. There is some cheesy action and a few entertaining scenes but overall it falls flat and isn't anything special.

RATTLERS was next, a mid 70s Eco-terror type flick about killer rattle snakes terrorizing a small desert town. This movie plays out exactly how you'd expect if you've seen any similar animal terror type flicks. The movie has a single moment at the beginning that is very nasty where a pair of young kids, no older than 10, fall into a den of dozens of rattle snakes and pay the ultimate price for their misstep. After that the movie goes downhill.

The final movie was an Italian produced Women In Prison flick, CAGED WOMEN, from 1991. This is part of the Full Moon Grindhouse DVD Collection and looks a lot better than I thought it would based on Charles Band having anything to do with an old film transfer. The movie is actually rather entertaining and sleazy as hell. A bunch of naked women fighting for their escape from a secluded island/jungle prison. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does what it does pretty well.

Today's Rundown
Alienator - 5/10
Rattlers - 4.5/10
Caged Women - 6/10

Exploitation/B-Movie-Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Days 18 & 19

Probably going to be doing 2 days per post for the rest of the challenge, so here are days 18 and 19...

After watching Chained Heat I was in the mood for some more Women In Prison fare and decided to watch the other two movies in the triple feature DVD set with CH. RED HEAT was next, once again featuring Linda Blair in the lead role. When she is visiting her boyfriend in Germany she is kidnapped and sent to an East German prison where she has to deal with all the crap that comes along with it. It isn't until months later that her boyfriend finally discovers the truth of how she disappeared and sets to break her out. RED HEAT is a let down. The framework of a good WIP flick are there but the meat of it all is bland and boring. It never exploits the situation or East German setting enough and the ending is a set up for nothing. Not terrible but like I said, a let down.

Rounding out that DVD set was JUNGLE WARRIORS, which brings the prison aspect in to the jungles of South America when a group of models on a photo shoot get captured by a drug lord. This is good old fashioned fun with cocaine... and barrels of it. A lot of shootouts, Woody Strode taking out people with a bow and arrow in the middle of a machine gun war, decapitations, naked women. It sounds like a lot of fun, and it is but the WIP aspect is lost amongst the shuffle of other things and that hurts it.

Day 18 was rounded out with THE BABYSITTER. This film from 1969 is the story of a DA in a loveless marriage who falls for the new babysitter. A fun loving, carefree spirit who just wants to have fun and listen to music. The fact that she's a young, leggy blond with a penchant for getting naked doesn't really hurt either. While the man and the babysitter have their fling they're being followed and photographed by a woman who is part of a biker gang that is going to use the pictures to blackmail the DA into letting her boyfriend and leader of the gang out of his murder charges. This movie was better than I expected it to be. There is some violence in the murder scene, some lesbianism and talks of blackmailing the DA by exposing his lesbian daughter (this is the '60s), potential pedophilia as I'm pretty sure the babysitter's age was never clarified and she could easily be a high school girl and tacos. Nothing to rush out of your way for as you pretty much get what you expect when you read the synopsis but it isn't as hammy as it all sounds so it is a worthwhile watch.

Day 19 sucked and booze wasn't going to save it.

Early in the day I watched R.O.T.O.R., a killer robot cop flick from the late 80s. It could have been as cool as Chopping Mall but instead it was about as cool as getting prodded in the ass by robots. So bad it's good? So bad it's fucking awful. It wasn't the worst movie I've seen all month but it is among the worst.

Then later that night I decided to give PUPPET MASTER: AXIS OF EVIL another viewing, hoping it was better than the first time I saw it when I was more than a few beers too deep. Well, I was relaxing with a couple beers, what I feel is the best recipe for a successful Puppet Master viewing, and I don't know if I could have been more bored. It is a shame too because I don't think the puppets move and look as bad as most people do, and there is actually some above average acting and direction for a Full Moon (especially modern day Full Moon) picture but pacing killed this thing, as there is none. Nothing happens until over an hour into the movie and even then it is so little that it just pisses you off. It wasn't as bad as ROTOR though.

Today's Rundown
Red Heat - 5/10
Jungle Warriors - 6.5/10
The Babysitter - 6/10
R.O.T.O.R - 3/10
PM: Axis Of Evil - 4/10

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 17

Remember Hack Job, and how I said there were 2 more movies from that director? Well I SPILL YOUR GUTS is one of them. After we get by the two minutes of elementary school vocabulary lesson, five separate screens listing the over 30 bands that provided music to the movie and not one but two title screens (I have no idea why there are two), we get to the movie, or what little of a movie there is. Dennis is a soldier who heroically took a bullet for his friend in the war and is on his deathbed when his friend basically shits all over him and tells him that he's going to change the story and take credit for being a hero. I don't really know how letting your friend get shot and die in war is being a hero but hey, I've never served so who am I to say. Dennis gets pissed and comes home, either dead or alive, I'm not sure which, and goes on a killing spree. The movie is basically moving from one kill set up to another without any real story stringing them together. There is a lot of amateur effects, some boobies and butts and an extended metal concert sequence for no real reason. So, yeah, there it is. Is it good? Nope, not even close, but at least it is better than Hack Job.

Next up was SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP, which rounds out the triple feature DVD set that included the previous two nazisploitation flicks that I actually enjoyed earlier in the month. Could SSELC make it a hat trick? Could I actually find 3 Nazi exploit movies that I find good without knowing anything about them prior to viewing!?... No. This one is the story about the Nazis gathering some nice looking women and subjecting them and soldiers to weird sexual experiments together and trying to create the perfect race, even more perfect than the Aryan in their eyes. Well, there are a lot of naked women, and some weird stuff going on, as is the case with most of these movies that I don't find to be worth a second viewing. The last 20 minutes of the movie pick up and become entertaining and really save the movie from being a total bore and turn it into something simply mediocre.

The night rounded out with another first time viewing, and one I'd been wanting to see for a while. CHAINED HEAT is a women in prison movie starring a not so innocent Linda Blair, the never innocent Sybill Danning and John Vernon from Animal House. Blair stars as a first time inmate in a rather nasty and corrupt prison after she accidentally killed a man with her car. Her innocence is slowly stripped away by the drugs, race wars and prostitution run by the guards and the warden himself. Art truly imitates life as this is not the cute little girl that is being possessed by a demon in The Exorcist. Blair is on full display here in her first nude scene and is surrounded by lesbianism, murder and rape. I can easily see why this is considered one of the best Women In Prison flicks around.

Today's Rundown
I Spill Your Guts - 3/10
SS Experiment Love Camp - 5/10
Chained Heat - 8.5/10