Lars Von Trier Is Back!

He is one of the most mesmerizing and polarizing Directors working today…and he has a provocative new film about to be released.

Here is the very NSFW trailer for “Nymphomaniac”:

A Two-Part “Nymphomaniac!”

Magnolia Pictures has just announced the release plans for this “sure to be controversial” new film…von Trier has cut his work into two separate movies! The first, “Nymphomaniac: Part One”, will open in theaters March 21 – after premiering On Demand March 6. “Nymphomanic: Part Two” will be released On Demand April 3, followed by an April 18 theatrical release.

“Nymphomaniac: Part One” is the story of Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who is badly beaten and left in an alley. She’s helped by an older bachelor, Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), who takes her into his home. As he tends to her wounds, she recounts the erotic story of her adolescence and young-adulthood.

This film stars Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Connie Nielsen and Udo Kier.

“Nymphomaniac: Part Two” focuses on Joe’s adulthood, and stars Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth and Jean-Marc Barr in addition to Gainsbourg, Skarsgård, Martin and LaBeouf.

Lately, a series of provocative posters have been released as well, highlighting not only the all-star cast involved, but some of their most “intense” looks – here is Shia Lebouef:

Also in the film is Willem Dafoe, who previously starred in Von Trier’s brilliant “Anti-Christ”, another very controversial film:

Uma Thurman is also in “Nymphomaniac”:

Thurman’s character seems to be having a problem in her marriage – here is a clip that was released teasing her storyline, called:

“The Whoring Bed!”

Nymphomaniac appetizer – Chapter 3: Mrs. H

Here is another clip from the film as well:

Nymphomaniac appetizer – Chapter 1: The Compleat Angler

Charlotte Gainsbourg, who also starred in Von Trier’s “Anti-Christ”, is in this film, along with Christian Slater…and here is a clip with Shia Leboeuf:

Nymphomaniac appetizer – Chapter 2: Jerôme

As you can see, this is going to be quite a film – Von Trier has a very controversial career, with acclaimed movies like “Melancholia”, alongside very edgy films like “The Idiots”…and such masterpieces as “Anti-Christ” and “Dancer In The Dark” with Bjork…here is that trailer:

“Dancer In The Dark” stars Bjork in her film debut – as a young Mother who has emigrated to America, works in a factory, and is going blind. And the only thing that keeps her spirits up is when she finds solace in musicals…

Yes, it’s a musical! Catherine Deneuve and David Morse also star – and when the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, it took the festival by storm, winning Bjork best Actress and Von Trieer best film – the coveted Palm D’or award…

There were many stories about the difficulties von Trier had with Bjork on set – specifically the musical scenes, but at the end of the day, it was a triumph for both of them…

My Von Trier Exclusive!

I was in Cannes that year, overseeing E!’s festival coverage, and I got the only US TV interview with the Director. We always covered the smaller films, and that helped us get big interviews…I also did the only US TV interview in 1992 in Cannes with Director Baz Luhrmann – and also with a first-time Director named Quentin Tarantino…

My previous coverage of other von Trier films helped me get the exclusive TV conversation with the Director – and it was his first time ever in Cannes…

This was von Trier’s first time ever at the film festival – he had an aversion to travel, so he didn’t attend for his earlier efforts, “Breaking The Waves” or “The Idiots.”

He was in a very playful mood that day, funny, self-deprecating, and very passionate about film making. He admitted to me that he came to make sure the film had a shot at an award, since the festival had a reputation for not giving the “Palm d’Or” Award for best picture to any Director who didn’t show up for the festival…

Quiet Down, Bjork!

He also told me that his feud with Bjork was overblown by the Actress, and that he was only trying to get a great performance out of her…

While he tried to downplay the controversy stirred up by Bjork, he also clearly liked the attention, and he was right in the end, as Bjork won Best Actress in Cannes…and the film took home the prize for best picture.

A few years earlier, I interviewed a very young Emily Watson in Cannes for “Breaking The Waves” when the film created a sensation at the festival. Watson won best actress, and was subsequently oscar nominated as well, but that year, Von Trier didn’t make it to Cannes – due to his aversion to travel – and the film won the Grand Prize – also known as the “runner up” award…

“Breaking The Waves” is a brilliant, challenging film – here is a look at this masterpiece:

Breaking The Waves – Directed by Lars Von Trier – released in 1996

Emily Watson was Oscar nominated for Best Actress – for her portrayal of Bess, a woman who makes the ultimate sacrifice for the man she loves. Warning: this isn’t an easy film to watch, but it is BRILLIANT! Check out the trailer:

Here is how IMDB describes the film: “Drama set in a repressed, deeply religious community in the north of Scotland, where a naive young woman named Bess McNeil meets and falls in love with Danish oil-rig worker Jan.

Bess and Jan are deeply in love but, when Jan returns to his rig, Bess prays to God that he returns for good.

Jan does return, his neck broken in an accident aboard the rig. Because of his condition, Jan and Bess are now unable to enjoy a sexual relationship and Jan urges Bess to take another lover and tell him the details. As Bess becomes more and more deviant in her sexual behavior, the more she comes to believe that her actions are guided by God and are helping Jan recover.

Bess McNeill: “I don’t make love with them, I make love with Jan and I save him from dying.”

Emily Watson gives one of the most honest, uncompromising performances as a woman who believes she will heal her husband – and makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to do so.

Kudos To Lars Von Trier!

This is a controversial movie, part of Von Trier’s obsession with women who make sacrifices for a greater good – see “Dancer In The Dark” and from last year, “Melancholia”. He is a brilliant director, and the ending of the film is amazing…

Check out all of von Trier’s previous films, and I cannot wait for “Nymphomaniac” in all of its parts! Check out this amazing website for the film!

http://www.nymphomaniacthemovie.com/

You want to surprise your film buff this holiday season?

Here’s a sure way to make a loved one smile…

Talk about a happy holiday! Sure, you can buy Oscar-winning films, acclaimed documentaries, and “Breaking Bad” box sets – OR you can go a different direction…

Remember what they said: to each his own – and let’s be honest, it’s virtually ALL “his own” when it comes to this type of film – that said, I have gotten a lot of interest from female fans of exploitation films as well – especially movies like this:

Behold Japan’s “Machine Girl!” Trust me when I tell you she has revenge on her mind – a a HUGE machine gun attached to her arm! This new genre of “J-sploitation” is a great holiday gift, as well as some of these more aggressively outrageous films in the exploitation genre, like:

It’s An “Exploitation” Holiday!

If you want to give your film fanatic a thrill this holiday season, I’ve got just the gifts for you! Time to look at ten of the wildest “sexploitation” classics you can buy this holiday for the film buff in your life! I will share some, shall we say, “obscure” titles…

And I will share some that are among the most legendary films ever committed to celluloid – and are just plain, well – WRONG:

They are ALL fascinating examples of a bygone era of movie making – and thanks to some great independent film companies, you can enjoy them now as well!

“Sexploitation” Lives!

If you are new to the genre, “Sexploitation” describes a class of low-budget film generally associated with the 1960s and 70′s and serving largely, as wikipedia describes:

“A vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and gratuitous nudity.”

Can’t argue with that! And if you do, you can expect to get roughed up a bit:

This is the classic sexploitation film “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” And there are a number of legendary sexploitation stars as well…like Christina Lindberg!

“The Godfather” Of Grindhouse!

Let’s get started with your shopping list – the ten wildest sexploitation movies ever, beginning with “The Godfather” of the genre, starring Christina Lindberg of course!

#10 – Thriller: A Cruel Picture – AKA “They Call Her One Eye!”

Yes, I started with the most controversial exploitation film of them all – and to many fans, the best one as well!

I have posted about this several times already – it is the “Godfather of Grindhouse”…and one of the most legendary as well! It was originally released on grindhouse screens in the US in the early 70′s as “They Call Her One-Eye” – and even “Hooker’s Revenge”, although she’s not a hooker!

Director Quentin Tarantino expressed his admiration for both the film and Lindberg’s performance, and she later served as an inspiration for Darryl Hannah’s character in Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films.

Here is Quentin more recently with Christina, who he greatly admired, for good reason!

Take a look at the classic trailer, with the US grindhouse title:

Lindberg plays Frigga, who lives with her parents on their farm. Unable to speak after being horrifically raped by an elderly man when she was young, her parents spend the majority of their money on speech therapy classes for their daughter in the hope that one day, she will speak again. One day, Frigga misses the bus to get to her speech therapy class.

She accepts a ride off a suave looking gentlemen named Tony who pulls up beside her. Once they are in town, he takes her for a meal. Afterwards, he takes Frigga back to what appears to be his bachelor pad. He gives her wine that has been drugged, as she passes out.

The man then takes no time in bringing a crooked doctor in to get her fixed on high class heroin.

But Christina escapes after being partially blinded in a brutal attack, and trains herself for the ultimate revenge!

“The Roughest Revenge Movie Ever Made!” Sez Quentin Tarantino!

“Thriller” is a classic of the genre – chock full of sex, violence and revenge!

Quentin Tarantino called it “the roughest revenge movie ever made”, and recommended that actress Daryl Hannah watch the film to prepare for her role in “Kill Bill” as the one-eyed killer Elle Driver.

A long standing rumor surrounding the film was that a real corpse was used for the scene where Madeleine’s eye is taken out with a scalpel. In a March 2006 interview, Christina Lindberg confirmed this. The body was of a young girl who had committed suicide. Makeup was added to the eye, and the shot was filmed in the hospital that had received the body!

If you don’t appreciate grindhouse cinema, DO NOT buy this one. But these films were all european made, and they exhibit a style and mood that is unlike some of the more outrageous US releases at the time…and they are an important part of film history as well…

Honorable mention: ALL other Christina Lindberg movies!

Yes, EVERY single Christina Lindberg film is a sexploitation classic! “Exposed” is one of her great movies, “Anita” is another!

As you can see, Christina Lindberg was the “Queen Of Artsploitation!”

Click on the story below to find out all about this fascinating woman – and see more of her classic films!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/05/21/swedish-sex-kitten-christina-lindberg-the-original-queen-of-artsploitation/

Now, we continue in Europe for what is, for me, one of the wildest, most depraved grindhouse films found by the Danish!

9 – The Sinful Dwarf!

Let’s take a look at “THE MOTHER OF ALL DWARFSPLOITATION FILMS!!”

This 1974 Danish film was recently uncovered after years of being lost, and let me tell you, they found a wild wild WILD movie!

“A young bride, left alone to the lewd passions of an evil dwarf!”

Meet the film’s star – the diminutive former kiddie-show host Torben Bille – who looks disturbingly like Jack Black in a trash compactor -

The Sinful Dwarf is the pint-sized pervert who imprisons drugged teenage sex slaves in the attic of his drunken mother’s decrepit rooming house…and that’s just the first ten minutes!

Poor Anne Sparrow!

Anne Sparrow stars in the film as well. Just look at this description of her, from the cover art on the DVD:

“The delicious Anne Sparrow – in her first and understandably only screen role – co-stars in this towering achievement in graphic depravity, now fully restored from a 35mm print discovered hidden in a janitor’s closet at the Danish Film Institute!”

Anne Sparrow certainly had a good reason NEVER TO ACT AGAIN – Oh, did I mention that our Sinful Dwarf has a Mom – a Mom who is CRAZY – and yes, she SINGS!

You will never clean your ears the same way again…and yes, that’s right – this movie was not only found in a janitor’s closet in Denmark – but they chose not to throw it out!

You will NEVER see a more bizarre film than “The Sinful Dwarf” – and yes, it’s as “euro-sleazy” as they come…this is grindhouse at its best – or worst!

#8 – Mantis In Lace!

Here’s another classic for you – with a plot that is almost “too wild” to believe!

Lila is a good-natured go-go dancer who strips at a seedy topless bar on the Sunset Strip. After ingesting LSD, Lila becomes a psychopathic serial killer.

Read This Carefully!

Now listen to how crazy this plot gets: she continues to pick up men at the bar where she is employed, but:

after her sanity is lost she routinely is interrupted mid-coitus by psychedelic bad trips in which she visualizes a balding, half-naked old man clutching wads of cash in one hand and a bunch of bananas in the other.

Yes, you read that right! Here is what that “half-naked old man clutching wads of cash” looks like:

And of course, the poster for this classic piece of sexploitation lives forever – behind The President and Vice President! How funny that Obama and Biden visited a hamburger stand that proudly showcased the film right behind them!

Well, it could have been worse, I suppose….perhaps like this?

#7 – Lorna The Exorcist!

Legendary softcore filmmaker Jess Franco made a ton of great sexploitation movies: stuff like “The Hot Nights Of Linda” and “Female Vampire”, both starring sex kitten Lina Romay…

Did I mention she was his wife and longtime creative partner? One of their most shocking films of all is this strange classic:

“Lorna The Exorcist” is a pure european arthouse shocker: like many of the Christina Lindberg films, there are long, moody shots interrupted by a surprisingly amount of nudity – and Lina was an exhibitionist – so the nudity part was never a problem…

You can read more about this fascinating Actress – and the Director who filmed her wildest movies – by clicking on the link here:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/17/countess-perverse-lorna-the-exorcist-jess-francos-naked-masterpieces/

And you have to see the end of “Lorna”, which has Lina’s most dramatic acting ever!

Time to head back to the states and praise a maverick Director who let his passions – and obsessions – play out on drive-in movie screens across America!

#6 – Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

It’s got one of the greatest – and most iconic – movie titles in film history: and it also introduced the world to the toughest, most independent – and yes, most liberated women in exploitation!

Director Russ Meyer LOVED women – and he loved to highlight them in his films, which were full of liberated, progressive, ASS-KICKING LADIES!

There is no denying the impact “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” had in America. It tore down all sorts of barriers in films: lots of sex, violence, and nudity – plus a strong, feminist point of view! For that, Meyer deserves some credit, even though his films certainly oogled his female stars in pure “sexploitation” fashion…

As Russ Meyer would say himself, one is never enough, so to see ALL of his amazing work, head to the post I have right here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/03/16/sexploitation-classics-the-russ-meyer-edition/

“Giallo” To You, Too!

Time to head to Italy for what is a fascinating genre of film, most effectively captured in all of his nudity and bloodshed by the nicely titled:

#5 – Strip Nude For Your Killer!

This movie has a lurid title to be sure, but it’s really a well done suspense thriller about a killer on the loose in Rome.

A fashion photographer is suspected, and of course, he shoots LOTS of pictures of nude models, so it is up to him to solve the crime…

As I said, these italian suspense films were very popular in the 70′s, and they are good movies as well – even with outrageous titles!

If you are unfamiliar with the classic genre “italian giallo”, then click on here for find out all about Europe’s “pulp fiction”!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/07/09/time-to-strip-nude-four-flies-and-baba-yaga-to-you-yes-its-classic-italian-giallo/

From Italy, time to head to the other side of the world, where they are indeed turning sexploitation upside down!

#4 – Robo Geisha!

RoboGeisha! - 2009. Yes, this is a film about a robotic Geisha. If you want to jump right into the deep end of the japanese j-sploitation “crazy pool”, this is the movie to start you off!

Here is the plot: Yoshie, the younger and ill-treated sister of a renowned Geisha, is discovered to have natural strength and fighting ability. She’s recruited into an army of Geisha assassins by the rich and powerful owner of a steel-works, Kageno. During training large (and interesting) parts of their bodies are altered into weaponry directly linked to their brains.

Let’s stop for a second and repeat one line:

parts of their bodies are altered into weaponry.

So what you see above you is a “buttsword”. Yes, it is. She has a sword that comes out of her butt. And that is just the beginning….they also have breast machine guns!

Did I mention that the film features Tengu Warriors – who wear red penis noses?

“Fried Shrimp!”

Did I mention that one girl plunges fried shrimp into the eyes of her enemy?

That’s right: FRIED SHRIMP!

And yes, she has a rotating buzzsaw face…but did you expect less? This movie is CRAZY!

Now, to continue our trip into fantasy land…

#3 – Alice In Wonderland

Yes, this is one of the strangest, and most erotic films of the 70′s – an adult telling of the story of Alice – but this trip is a completely DIFFERENT kind of wonderland!

In this notorious X-rated version of the story, Alice is a virginal librarian, cheerful and outgoing, who acts and dresses younger than her age. While daydreaming about reliving her life, a white rabbit taps her on the shoulder, and she follows him to Wonderland, where playful animals and people introduce her to her imagination and to pleasure.

Kristine DeBell stars as the virginal Alice, who learns alot obout life while down the rabbit hole…

This movie was a big hit – and a rare example of a sexploitation film that highlights comedy and characters over sex and violence…

Now, back to our buddy Jess Franco, and one of his action adventure films…

#2 – Countess Perverse!

Bullseye!

Here is another aspect of a classic sexploitation movie – with a classic film plot that gets twisted, exploitation style! In a play on “The Rules Of The Game”, Jess Franco takes the concept of hunting humans and puts his “euro-sleaze” take on it – he gets a woman to hunt down and kill people – naked!

Alice Arno stars as the naked hunter – and, since it is a Jess Franco film, Lina Romay is back – as the hunted!

The plot is simple: a young girl stumbled upon a castle on an island – and discovers that she is scheduled AS the next meal!

There is SO much nudity in this film that it’s almost hard to concentrate – but then again, that IS the point of the genre:

And once you see a naked woman hunt another naked woman with a bow and arrow, your life will never be the same…

So how this this whole genre begin? I’ve written about it before, but in a nutshell, the sexual revolution of the sixties created an opportunity for savvy Producers to sell “SEX SEX SEX” even if they really didn’t have any sex to show!

#1 – A Smell Of Honey, A Swallow Of Brine!

This film is #1 on my list of the greatest sexploitation movies because it encapsulates everything I have been talking about!

First of all, look at that title: pure sexploitation perfection! This early 60′s film is amazingly tame, even by sexploitation standards, but it acts like it’s a cautionary tale of drugs, sex and sin!

“I May Be A Bitch, But I’ll NEVER Be A Butch!”

Here is a brief scene from the movie that captures everything that makes early sexploitation films so much fun!

This is classic sexploitation: wayward young women discovering how gritty the streets of a big city can be:

Of course, these women grow up fast – meeting all the wrong guys, and finding themselves in the most adult of situations:

So there you have it – ten of the wildest movies you can give someone – films that celebrate an more innocent time, when audiences could still be shocked and amazed at the depravity all around them…enjoy your holiday viewing!

Yes, It’s Jenna Jameson And Sylvester Stallone!

Wait until you hear the story behind this picture!

OK, this was designed to be, as it is known in TV, as a “deep tease.” You will have to keep reading to find out how I ended up taking this picture of Jenna Jameson and Sylvester Stallone – it’s all part of a birthday celebration of sorts…

Two Years Of Posting!

Yes, it’s the two year anniversary of this blog! When my wife Alex suggested I start this blog two years ago today, she thought it would be a fun creative outlet. She had NO idea it could lead to THIS:

Yes, I used that trust Alex placed in me to share things like this “bacon cube burger”, and some of you have thanked me for it. I have also shared things like THIS:

If you don’t recognize this image, consider yourself lucky. (Yes, it’s The Bee Gees as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band!) While this blog has been a fun project for me, it has also turned into much more: it’s been a way to share a wide variety of stories of interest to me, and more importantly, it has been a great way to meet a lot of new people with similar passions…like all of the Todd Rundgren fans I’ve met…

521,270 Strong!

I wanted to update everyone on the blog, and of course to thank all of you who take the time to read it. Last year at this time, I had just cracked 104,000 views.

In the last year, I saw a huge increase in the average daily traffic to the site – thanks in part to the huge amount of interest in things like the Eagles reunion tour, which you can see above – as well as the large number of people who have been interested in seeing just HOW Marlon Brando remembered his lines on the set of “The Godfather”:

As you can see, he DIDN’T! Yes, that is Robert Duvall holding cue cards for Brando! That story has been very popular, and if you missed it, here it is:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/03/20/brandos-cue-cards-real-horse-heads-the-godfathers-best-stories/

I also shared Clemenza’s recipe for meatballs – you know, when you need to feed a dozen guys after you “go to the mattresses”:

So, thanks to all of you, I smashed through a half a million views for the blog! I wanted to not only thank everyone for their support, but to share some of the most popular stories – and preview what is still to come!

Cool It, Ringo!

So, what have people responded to most? Well, it’s been everything from crazy stuff like this picture of Ringo and Raquel Welch clowning around on the set of the cult classic “The Magic Christian”…in fact, these guys always do great:

The Beatles never cease to interest people, and rightly so – my single most viewed story of last year was this one – looking at the “lost” Beatles documentary, “Let It Be”:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/04/06/let-it-be-the-beatles-lost-documentary-londons-live-beatles-rooftop-concert/

Over 49,000 views for this story so far – as always, The Beatles have spoken…well, at least their fans! And speaking of rabid fans, let’s hear it for “Jerseylicious!”

“Jerseylicious” Forever!

Thanks as well to the terrific cast of “Jerseylicious”, and to the fans who love them…my wife Alex Duda created this show in 2009, and in the five seasons so far I’ve been lucky enough to befriend many of the incredibly talent people followed on the show…

Oliva is not only “America’s Sweetheart”, she’ a terrific makeup artist – and a wonderful person as well…Tracy is also great, and yes, she got married in the “still to be seen” season six of the series…

I’ve had an amazing amount of interest in my behind-the-scenes looks at the show…like when Gigi, Tracy and Olivia visited Steve Harvey:

It was a great year for the team – I had more than 11,000 views of the story about the “Jerseylicious” book by Anthony and Olivia – with amazing cast pictures by Karl Giant!

So many fun posts so far, and more “Jerseylicious” to come….you know, THE WEDDING…

In addition to stories about TV and movies, I also love posting stories about music…including stories about the eagles, Paul McCartney, great new female singer/songwriters like Grace Potter, the best and worst Jame Bond themes, and of course:

“Todd Is God!”

Todd fans know what that means, and they showed it in a big way this year…I want to thank the Todd Rundgren fans who have really shown support for this blog, including a retweet from Todd himself! Here is that story:

http://musicplatter.com/2013/11/01/laura-nyro-todd-rundgrens-muse-todds-retweet/

The original story was about Todd’s friendship with Laura Nyro, an amazing singer/songwriter…and apparently Todd approved!

I posted this story and got a retweet from Todd’s twitter account – which was really cool – I’ve also been lucky enough to have been acknowledged by Director William Friedkin, Actress Rebel Wilson and the legendary singer/songwriter Paul Williams….among many others who have RT’d my stories and shared them with friends…

You can always sign up to receive all of the music-specific stories here:

http://musicplatter.com

What’s With All The Sites?

I’m sorry if I confused some of you with the “topic-specific” sub-sites, but here’s an explanation: When I started blogging, Alex suggested a title that would capture what the site was all about – but as you see, it’s about a lot of different stuff! So I used my name as an easy entry point…

Well, maybe not so easy, since my entire life has seen RIEBER spelled “REIBER”…So, to resolve the confusion, here’s how it works…I post virtually every single day on Johnrieber.com. I hope you all sign up to get notifications – so you won’t miss anything like THIS:

Yes, “Love Actually” is my favorite holiday film…well, except maybe for “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”…and in case you missed this post, here is a list of ALL of the best holiday films:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/11/23/amazing-love-actually-facts-rare-wonderful-life-photos-the-best-holiday-movies-ever/

You see, Del Griffith understands! You don’t have to do anything to get a wide variety of stories from me – just stop by Johnrieber.com and see what’s new…and, if you want more on a certain type of subject, the mini-sites are a way for you to take a blog shortcut:

If you need a quick “bacon fix”, you don’t have to look through the 500+ posts on Johnrieber.com …because “biteeatswallow” has a bacon tab that will take you immediate to this:

Yes, you know I will always have bacon for you somewhere!

Bite Down Hard!

I enjoy posting about strange and unique food items – or as you can see above, “bacon superheroes”…and of course, I love burgers, like this ramen burger from Japan:

And you can never go wrong with a slider…I have posted many recipes for making unique sliders from around the world, like this incredible one from Japan – the “wasabi avocado slider”!

I post all of the food stories on this site first, but later I also post them on a more-specific site devoted to the wacky world of food – like this food stadium to make for Super Bowl Sunday!

Remember, any time you need a burger fix – or any other food stories, you can always go here:

http://biteeatswallow.com

Something like this will ALWAYS be waiting!

Time For A Fight!

I was most excited this year to start the “film fight club!” This allowed you to hammer down on the important film arguments of the day!

The purpose of “Film Fight Club” is solely to argue about movies we love, hate, and love to hate!
This is where you can discuss your favorite James Bond theme song, as well as why you think “The Human Centipede” is a misunderstood masterpiece!

And yes, I got lots of hate comments from fans of “Centipede”, who couldn’t understand why I called it “misguided”! Check out all of the film battles here!

http://filmfightclub.com/

Forget movies, let’s see the world!

I know that some of you enjoy vacationing here:

Let’s Travel The World!

Yep, for those of you who love to travel the world – well, I’ve got you covered: whether it’s Barcelona’s amazing aerial trams, which give you an amazing sky-high view of this incredible city, or surfing with Sasha Grey on Australia’s Bondi Beach…

I posted a number of stories recounting my G4 shoot in Australia with Sasha Grey: everything from her surfing Bondi Beach – to getting photo bombed by live sharks:

I always have to remind people that there was NOTHING between Sasha and those sharks…and then there was this clip of Sasha in the tallest building in the southern hemisphere – by far the most popular video I posted, with more than 24,000 views:

Sasha went 88 stories high in Melbourne, Australia’s Eureka tower – just one of the many travel adventures I’ve been able to share. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some really fun places, and I’ve gotten a great response from people when I post these stories on “spinningorbit”, which you can check out here:

http://spinningorbit.com/

So, I want to thank everyone who has read a story, and I hope you come back for many more in the years ahead…there have been many fun adventures – interesting people, places and food – so what is next?

Year Three…

Here is a tease: there are more great adventures to come, including my legendary trip to Thailand with Jenna Jameson!

And it wasn’t just us…we hung out with Sylvester Stallone too!

More on that trip soon – really one of my most unique travel adventures ever – and more on Tracy’s “Jerseylcious” wedding as well:

I also have some VERY unique food to share soon:

And I have some great stories about some of the best movies of the 70′s – films that deserve to be remembered, revered, and watched!

Yes, I will be telling the story of “The Getaway”, a classic action film that also caused a Hollywood scandal! And for fans of TRULY unique movies, I have some of the most amazing exploitation classics to share with you as well!

Yes, more crazy world cinema to share! You can always read about it by clicking here:

http://jrsploitation.com/

This is my mini-site devoted to the most unique and outrageous movies the world has ever offered!

And there is a whole world of entertainment still to explore! That’s just a sneak peek of what is still to come…see, there IS a reason to keep reading!

Thanks again to everyone for your support – as always, please leave comments pro, con, or “positively negative”…I enjoy hearing back from you – and thanks again for reading! I will leave you one last tease – a new post about Todd Rundgren and some of his neglected masterpieces is on the way…

Here’s proof: click on the link to enjoy Todd’s amazing live version of “Fade Away”…more to come on this as well!

Here’s a discussion you could lose your head over! It’s Friday the 13th, and that means it’s time to get scared!

Do you know this image? Well, it’s just one of the many films I’ve got for you today…

Our Friday The 13th Shockfest 2013!

It’s time to celebrate horror! And I know there are ALL kinds of scary movies. THIS is the image you expect to see on Friday the 13th:

Time to welcome Jason Vorhees back into your house! It’s the day we grab the scariest movies we can find and turn down the lights…and if you don’t invite your friends in, they will find a way to visit anyway…

I love scary movies…and there are SO many different ones to enjoy…so what are the best? I have my favorites of course…

Yes, it’s time to get completely “horrified” for Friday the 13th, and I wanted to share a wide variety of “horrific” directions you could go…like, say….

Wait, WHAT? Too much too soon? Then you certainly WON’T appreciate this:

Friday The 13th Is On!

One of the great arguments is the debate over what is the scariest movie of all time…there is so much classic horror, psychological terror, and just outright bloody good fun…

“Scream” certainly had it share of jolts – but also a self-awareness that undercut some of the horror….some people love that, some don’t…some just want to get to the kill…

To that end, is Michael Myers the scariest person in film? In 1978, “Halloween” shocked a nation eager for a new face of horror…does that make “Halloween” the scariest film of all time?

Some upscale movie fans think THIS is the face of horror…

Yes, “The Shining” is a great horror film to put on at night with the lights out….oh, and speaking of scary looks, this one’s pretty good too:

Um, does somebody want to tell sweet Regan that she is turned the wrong way and can’t see the TV? Seriously, you can’t go wrong with these two classic horror films, read more about “The Shining” and “The Exorcist” by clicking on here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/10/31/the-shining-room-237-the-exorcist-the-greatest-horror-movies-ever-made/

Need more? Sure you do!

“Evil Dead” Perhaps?

Without a doubt, the first “Evil Dead” has a lot of shocking moments, but the sequel added lots of laughs with the blood…undercutting the horror a bit….then again, you could go further along the supernatural route by trying “The Changeling”…

The brilliant “The Changeling” starring George C. Scott isn’t as well known as “Evil Dead”, but both deliver the goods! Click here to read about both!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/10/07/halloween-horror-bloody-tension-scary-changelings-and-the-evil-dead/

The above story includes some “Switchblade Romance” AKA “High Tension” as well – a slasher shocker that delivers!

“Light Comedy” Perhaps?

Well, you’ve come to the right place if you are one of the people who think THIS is a black comedy:

In 1974, this guy ran around with his friendly chainsaw and shocked audiences…the first example of “shock and awe” in movie theaters…

Yes, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is just about the most intensely scary film to watch in the dark, and you can read all about the classic “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” as well as the brilliant – ORIGINAL – “Carrie” by clicking here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/06/17/pea-soup-pigs-blood-and-grandpas-silver-hammer-the-horror-the-horror/

Yes, Brian DePalma’s “Carrie” is a perfect horror film: lots of blood, sweat and fears!

Or Maybe Just Hang With “Jessica”?

Oops, too late – she’s dead! Well, this is a classic creepy horror film, and so is “Rosemary’s Baby”, so check out both by clicking here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/10/26/rosemarys-baby-jessicas-scared-to-death-great-halloween-horror/

Talk about a colic-y baby!

So, every film on these lists is full of good scares – some creepy, some shocking…and then there is, for those of you who JUST NEED BLOOD:

Yep, “J-Sploitation” to the rescue! You have to check out these “over the top” bloody horror camp classic by clicking here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/10/15/tokyo-gore-for-halloween-behold-j-sploitation-nishimura-rules-extreme-japanese-cinema/

I promise you: you will NEVER find movies with more blood than these ones!

Well, that said, I MAY have found a challenger- or two – to the crown – also from overseas:

“Trouble Every Day”, Indeed!

Yep, those french sure do love to soak up the screen in the color red! And they aren’t alone! Check out these obscure horror classics from France, South Korea and Hong Kong – all GREAT horror films: “Trouble Every Day”, “Cold Fish” and “Dream Home” by clicking here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/03/27/eye-popping-extreme-cinema-cold-fish-bloody-vampires-vengeance/

And speaking of foreign shock and scares…

Need some Italian “Pulp Fiction”?

While not “horror” like “The Exorcist”, there is a category of film known as the “Italian Giallo” film that features lots of shocks, scares, and mayhem!

These italian horror slashers will do the trick this Halloween for you:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/07/09/time-to-strip-nude-four-flies-and-baba-yaga-to-you-yes-its-classic-italian-giallo/

Yes, SHOCKING!

Now, In Case You Need Something Even MORE Distateful:

Yep, there is “Nazisploitation Horror” - you know, movies about how the Nazis avoided losing WW2 because they fled TO THE MOON – and are now coming back for revenge on the Earth – as Zombies! Bite down on this wacky horror trend by clicking here:

http://johnrieber.com/2012/10/23/bad-taste-this-halloween-nazi-zombie-halloween-horror-halloween-party-movies/

Or, if you REALLY want to camp it up – get some “old lady horror!”

If you ever needed to see Debbie Reynolds in a horror film – and I really think you do – then this is the link for you!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/03/09/old-lady-horror-crazy-ladies-chew-up-the-screen/

So, on this Friday the 13th weekend, I encourage you all to get scared, and let me know what your favorite horror film is!

Home For The Holidays!

OK, I get it, you’ve celebrated the holidays – relatives visiting, with wonderful meals, gifts and conversation…day after day after day – and now you just need to be alone. But guess what?

THE RELATIVES JUST WON’T LEAVE!

Sure, this Jimmy Kimmel party LOOKS fun, but even these partygoers left at some point! I know there are traditions and all, but you can’t just keep entertaining…enough is enough! It won’t work if you put on a classic holiday film like this:

Who would leave before finding out if he was going to “shoot your eye out with that thing?” But what if, instead of “A Christmas Story”, you decided to screen THIS MOVIE:

How fast do you think this film would clear the room? I’ve got just what you need to send the relatives back to Fresno where they belong? What’s my secret?

Well, it all begins with “scum!” I mean, to clear a room, you’ve got to put on a really bad film. How bad? REALLY BAD! How do you define awful? Is it fair to consider a movie “bad” just because it looks like THIS?

There is a “special” kind of film that not only offends, but actively drives your guests away…and this could be the “Citizen Kane” of awful…

“They Mangle The Beautiful Into The Mutilated!”

That is just one of the great taglines on the poster for “The Ghastly Ones”…sounds like a great horror film, right? RIGHT? So, when Uncle Ed or Aunt Millie refuse to take the hint that your holiday party is over, offer to put a film on, load up your DVD with one of these films, and you are on your way!

Let’s look at “Blood Feast” – which is considered “The Godfather Of Grime”! A more shocking way to end a holiday I can’t think of!

A great exploitation movie offers up a certain number of guaranteed elements: plenty of blood, gore, nudity and sexual situations – all presented as cheaply and garishly as possible!

“Nothing So Appalling In The Annals Of Horror!”

Talk about truth in advertising! This film IS appalling – in how it is made! But I’m having a bit of fun here, because this is considered “The Godfather Of Grime”! In 1964, this film SHOCKED the world with its depiction of bloody violence and sex – take a look at the classic trailer:

Yep, I call this the “Godfather Of Grime” – the first time anyone dared to film such mayhem and madness – the work of legendary Exploitation Director Herschell Gordan Lewis! Flaunting all movie codes, Lewis made “Blood Feast” for around $50,000 – and it grossed millions! Yes, it’s a lousy movie, but it really blew the doors off grindhouse theaters across the country!

The plot is simple: A crazy Egyptian caterer named “Ramses” collects body parts from young maidens in order to bring Ishtar, an ancient goddess of good and evil back to life. And he does it with VERY BIG EYES!

This film was a shocking sensation, thanks to some very clever marketing. Legendary Grindhouse Producer David F. Friedman came up with some very effective publicity stunts for “Blood Feast” which included giving theater goers vomit bags reading:

“You may need this when you see ‘Blood Feast’”!

Lewis went on to make another classic exploitation film:

“Gruesomely Stained In Blood Color!”

While Lewis kept piling on the blood, Producer Friedman kept to the bedroom to uncover America’s sordid sex secrets:

“DEPRAVED! DEMENTED! LOATHSOME! NAMELESS! SHAMELESS! THESE ARE THE:”

“Hell is their only address!”

Trust me when I tell you that there is A LOT of sleazy stuff on display here, all presented a a cautionary tale! Friedman was the master at it. To read more about this amazingly prolific Exploitation Producer, click on the whole story HERE:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/27/nudie-cuties-a-swallow-of-brine-the-defilers-meet-the-producer-of-scum/

And don’t miss Friedman’s classic:

“Everything They Touch Is Stained!”

Herschell Gordon Lewis directed “Blood Feast”, and he also loved to exploit sex…starting with early “nudie cuties” – education films that offered the only legal way to show nudity in movies, by offering an “educational” angle to the nudity…like his take on “nudist camps!”

After that success, Lewis decided to shock American instead…

The phenomenal success of “Blood Feast” inspired the Director – he also directed the classic “2000 Maniacs” and “Color Me Blood Red!”

“Drenched In Crimson Color!”

These are classic of the genre – and all of them are pretty awful!

It’s enough to give you a splitting headache!

How was that for a segue? Don’t worry, it all makes sense, as we now venture into the world of arguably the world’s WORST film maker! And don’t worry, it’s presented:

“In Cranium-Cleaving Color!”

How can you resist a movie that offers this tagline?

The Ghastly Ones!

I love classic grindhouse poster art – always offering sex, violence, SHOCKS BEYOND BELIEF! – “c’mon in suckers, the water’s fine!”

Check out the “Doctor’s Warning” on the poster – a classic “come on” for the suckers at that time…love it! Now, back to why we are here: “The Ghastly Ones” is one of the world’s WORST exploitation films ever made! Check out this legendarily bad trailer!

Here is the plot: Three married couples spend the night in a Victorian-era house where they start getting killed off by a deranged psycho who’s bent on claiming an inheritance they are all entitled to.

Sure, that’s a servicable plot: but under the Direction of Andy Milligan, it’s a debacle! Here’s a great bit of trivia, thanks to IMDB: In several of the fight scenes of the film, the crew and their cameras and sound equipment are visible.

There are also moments when the director can be heard softly reminding the actors of their lines!

Now THAT”S film making! As one reader on IMDB stated:

“This is an absolutely horrible film in every way possible.”

Now, that’s what it takes to make this list – you have to lose your head!

Once again, thanks to the great film buffs at Something Weird Video, you can have “The Ghastly Ones” as part of a Milligan double bill! Congrats to the SW people for keeping this part of movie history alive!

To see ALL of Milligan’s directing madness – and trust me there is plenty of jaw-dropping badness to share, click here!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/13/fleshpots-rats-cranium-cleaving-color-meet-andy-milligan-sexploitations-ed-wood/

And if you want to guarantee to clear your house – and I mean fast – then this is the movie for you:

“A young bride, left alone to the lewd passions of an evil dwarf!”

Severin Films is officially going to Hell – and taking you with them – with the DVD release of what may be the sleaziest film in EuroCult history:

Diminutive former kiddie-show host Torben Bille – who looks disturbingly like Jack Black in a trash compactor – stars as a young man who takes a special interest in the female guests at his mother’s boarding house…

Yes, that is Torben Bille – The Sinful Dwarf – who stars as the pint-sized pervert who imprisons drugged teenage sex slaves in the attic of his drunken mother’s decrepit rooming house…and that’s just the first ten minutes!

Poor Anne Sparrow!

Just look at this description from the cover art:

“The delicious Anne Sparrow – in her first and understandably only screen role – co-stars in this towering achievement in graphic depravity, now fully restored from a 35mm print discovered hidden in a janitor’s closet at the Danish Film Institute!”

Anne Sparrow certainly had a good reason NEVER TO ACT AGAIN – in classic euro-sleaze style, she is abducted and abused by our Sinful Dwarf – while her husband naively looks for a job…

Oh, did I mention that his Mom is CRAZY – and yes, she SINGS! Happy Mother’s Day indeed! You will never clean your ears the same way again…

And yes, that’s right – this movie was not only found in a janitor’s closet in Denmark – but they chose not to throw it out!

You will never see a more bizarre film than “The Sinful Dwarf” – and yes, it’s a euro-sleazy as they come…this is grindhouse at its best – or worst!

Put in any of these classic exploitation films and watch the floodgates open and the driveway clear! And by the way, I own all of these films!

Time to celebrate a classic genre of 70′s film, and celebrate two women who not only broke racial barriers by starring in these films, but they scored big at the box office as well!

First up: FOXY BROWN!

Michael Anderson: I don’t know… vigilante justice?
Foxy Brown: It’s as American as apple pie.

Pam Grier IS “Foxy Brown!”

In the 70′s, blaxploitation films were the rage, with such classics as “Shaft”, “The Mack” and “Cotton Comes To Harlem” leading the way…

Cue “Coffy!”

The success of this urban action genre led to a series of hit action films with WOMEN as the stars – breaking a lot of barriers at the same time – and none were bigger than Pam Grier!

Pam Grier burst onto the scene (more in a moment on that) and became a star as “Foxy Brown” – who had attitude, confidence, and street smarts – and she could kick ass when she needed to as well – as “Bobbi” is about to find out!

Bobbie: Listen skinny, before you start talking tough, I’d better warn you I’ve got a black belt in karate. So why don’t you get out of here quietly, while you still got some teeth left in that ugly face?

[Foxy knocks her down with a barstool]

Foxy Brown: And I’ve got MY black belt in barstools!

Here’s The “Foxy Brown” Classic Blaxploitation Trailer!

Here’s the very succinct – and very descriptive – description of “Foxy Brown” on IMDB: “A voluptuous black woman takes a job as a high-class prostitute in order to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.”

“Voluptuous” Indeed!

The Rise Of Pam Grier!

Pam Grier got her start as a “party goer” in “Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls”, but she broke out big in Director Jack Hill’s classic of exploitation, his “women in prison” epic, “The Big Doll House!”

“They Caged Their Bodies – But Not Their Desires!”

These were classic exploitation films that played every drive-in in America – sexy, crude “women in prison” films – a popular genre that made tons of money at a time when exploitation was getting more daring…and Pam Grier stuck out and made a big impression on the crowd!

This sweltering mix of hot young women – angry, violent and mostly naked – in prison was very popular at the time, and Grier used her popularity in this film to go on to star in one of the first “blaxploitation” films of the era, called “Coffy”….

This low budget, violent action film was such a success that a sequel was inevitable. According to director Jack Hill – yes, the genius behind “Big Doll House”, “Foxy Brown” was originally intended to be a sequel to his “Coffy”, and in fact the working title of the film was “Burn, Coffy, Burn!”

However, American-International Pictures decided at the last minute it didn’t want to do a sequel, even though “Coffy” was a huge hit. So a new action star was created, “Foxy Brown!” Pam Grier’s rise to stardom was confirmed, as “Foxy Brown” was a big hit!

Tarantino’s Homage To Pam!

Director Quentin Tarantino was such a fan of Pam Grier and her iconic action status that he made “Jackie Brown” just so she could star in it – and made her a leading lady again!

Pam Grier was the best known “Blaxploitation queen”, but there was another leading lady kicking ass and taking names as well….and her name was:

“Cleopatra Jones!”

Tamara Dobson is “Cleopatra Jones!”

Here’s the story of Tamara Dobson: she was a young actress in Hollywood, with only two small parts to her credit…then, because everyone was looking to take advantage of “Foxy Brown”‘s success, she got cast as the lead in a new action movie – “Cleopatra Jones”! That is the story of Tamara Dobson in a nutshell – a 6′ 2″ model who overnight became one of blaxploitation’s biggest stars!

Here is the trailer for “Cleopatra Jones” starring Tamara Dobson and Oscar Winner Shelley Winters!

Oh as you can tell, Shelley Winters doesn’t just chew up the scenery, she beats the hell of it as well!

There was one sequel, “Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold” – in hindsight, it sounds like an earlier incarnation of an Indiana Jones movie!

Even though “Cleopatra Jones” was a huge hit, Tamara Dobson wasn’t able to capitalize on that – the blaxploitation genre dried up, and she never become a huge star – and unfortunately, Dobson struggled to find roles going forward…sadly, she died in 2006.

“Cleopatra Jones” is a fun, action-packed film with some crazy scenery chewing by Shelley Winters…definitely worth checking out!

If you need more crazy Shelley Winters, try out this story – she was the leader in another 70′s fil genre about crazy old ladies who killed, killed, and killed some more – click on this link to find out all about the wacky genre of “Old Lady Horror”!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/03/09/old-lady-horror-crazy-ladies-chew-up-the-screen/

Kudos to “Foxy Brown” and “Cleopatra Jones” for showing the world that women could kick ass just a hard as a man! Leave a comment telling me YOUR favorite blaxploitation film!

“What Secrets Are Harbored Within The Sinister Highways Of The Mind?”

Time to celebrate someone who has helped save some of the world’s craziest films!

Sad news to report about the passing of a man who spent his life saving obscure cinema for the world to savor: Mike Vraney, the founder of Something Weird Video, has died. The website has the entire story and a very nice eulogy to Vraney, which you can see here…

http://www.somethingweird.com/

I wanted to share some of the incredible films that Something Weird has saved for future generations, including my favorite “worst movie of all time”…yes, wait for it:

PSYCHED BY THE 4D WITCH!

For that I will ALWAYS be grateful to Vraney, but it speaks to his unique passion for film: he knew that NOBODY would ever let “The Godfather” fade away to obscurity – Vraney focused on the kind of movie that snuck in and out of your local graindhouse theater or drive-in during the 60′s and 70′s, and he decided to keep their spirit alive! How? Well, how about THIS!

“Confessions Of A Psycho Cat!”

“What Secrets Are Harbored Within The Sinister Highways Of The Mind?”

With twisted violence, macabre humor, and lots of gratuitous skin (it was apparently shot as a straight horror film with the nude scenes added a year or two later), CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHO CAT is a delirious, out-of-its-mind instant cult classic, and the scene where Virginia dresses like a toreador to come after “Raging Bull” La Motta is exploitation at its best!

Wait – JAKE LAMOTTA????

Yes, Jake LaMotta!

This is why we need to celebrate Vraney’s efforts!

Here are several of Something Weird’s other masterworks – who else would have thought to keep alive the classic movie madness of:

“DEADLY WEAPONS!”

When Gangsters kill her boyfriend, the eye-popping, excessively endowed Chesty Morgan seeks revenge with two of the most incredible weapons ever seen on the motion picture screen: her 73-inch breasts! Yes, this bizarre sexploitation oddity was directed by Dorish Wishman, and Something Weird has saved many of the Director’s films from obscurity!

Or how about THESE!

Something Weird has the classics from the “Godfathers Of Grime”, Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman!

“Nothing So Appalling In The Annals Of Horror!”

Talk about truth in advertising! But I’m having a bit of fun here, because this is considered “The Godfather Of Grime”! In 1964, this film SHOCKED the world with its depiction of bloody violence and sex – take a look at the classic trailer:

Yep, it’s the work of legendary Exploitation Director Herschell Gordan Lewis! Flaunting all movie codes, Lewis made “Blood Feast” for around $50,000 – and it grossed millions! Yes, it’s a lousy movie, but it really blew the doors off grindhouse theaters across the country!

This film was a shocking sensation, thanks to some very clever marketing. Legendary Grindhouse Producer David F. Friedman came up with some very effective publicity stunts for “Blood Feast” which included giving theater goers vomit bags reading:

“You may need this when you see ‘Blood Feast’”!

Lewis went on to make another classic exploitation film:

“Gruesomely Stained In Blood Color!”

The phenomenal success of “Blood Feast” inspired the Director – he also directed the classic “2000 Maniacs” and “Color Me Blood Red!”

“Drenched In Crimson Color!”

Mike Vraney also saved the work of arguably the world’s WORST film maker! And don’t worry, it’s presented:

“In Cranium-Cleaving Color!”

How can you resist a movie that offers this tagline?

The Ghastly Ones!

Check out the “Doctor’s Warning” on the poster – a classic “come on” for the suckers at that time…love it! Now, back to why we are here: “The Ghastly Ones” is one of the world’s WORST exploitation films ever made! Check out this legendarily bad trailer!

Here is the plot: Three married couples spend the night in a Victorian-era house where they start getting killed off by a deranged psycho who’s bent on claiming an inheritance they are all entitled to.

Sure, that’s a servicable plot: but under the Direction of Andy Milligan, it’s a debacle! Here’s a great bit of trivia, thanks to IMDB: In several of the fight scenes of the film, the crew and their cameras and sound equipment are visible.

There are also moments when the director can be heard softly reminding the actors of their lines!

Now THAT”S film making! As one reader on IMDB stated:

“This is an absolutely horrible film in every way possible.”

Now, that’s what it took to get Mike Vraney to save your film – but he may have saved the best of all!

Behold an original drive-in theater ad for the amazingly bad, perfectly chosen by Something Weird video classic:

“Psyched By The 4D Witch!”

Earlier I mentioned this classic film. Well, it’s not so much a “classic movie” as it is a series of b-roll shots with a poorly written narration laid over it…and shots of this actress…

This movie was actually released in movie theaters…with NO synched sound at all, the worst voiceover narration ever recorded, and random footage strung together to fill time…in fact, it was described by Something Weird Video (who was smart enough to release it on DVD) as:

“the most maddening, jaw-dropping, mind-bending piece of celluloid lunacy ever to play American theaters!”

You understand that is EXACTLY why Vraney saved this film – he was passionate about the obscure, often atrocious movies that deserve to be savored by future generations of bad movie lovers!

Once again, congrats to Vraney and the SW team for keeping this part of movie history alive! I plan to honor their work by going to the website and ordering up a few obscure classics to enjoy forever…

RIP Mike! Go check out ALL of his movie – and there are hundred! – by clicking here!

http://www.somethingweird.com/

Time to honor an Actor who has always put it all out there!

Congratulations to Michael Douglas, the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actor…for his amazing portrayal of Liberace in “Behind The Candelabra!”

Michael Douglas has always been an Actor willing to take risks – and never afraid to look like a fool! Need proof?

Sure, it looks like Douglas is having fun, but acting is tough work…I mean, you have to act with SO many people, and you are expected to do SO MANY THINGS:

And if you don’t watch out, you could end up making love to Sharon Stone, Glenn Close AND Demi Moore….like I said, acting is sure TOUGH WORK…

Well, if you are getting it on with these three, then you aren’t just ANY Actor: You are “Mr. Penis”, Michael Douglas! I mean, is there another Actor who let it all hang out for the good of Hollywood?

Well, HELLO MICHAEL!

Time to celebrate Michael Douglas, a great Actor who, in several great films, willingly put himself out there for all to see! They are three great sexploitation classics, all made by major studios…but they are, indeed, “sexploitation” based on what is on display!

Let’s begin with the entry that was oscar-nominated for Best Picture of 1987!

Fatal Attraction

Yes, it’s the “Citizen Kane” of crazy lady movies, and it is easy to forget how effective this movie is as an erotic thriller! And before you scoff, remember that “Fatal Attraction” was nominated for Best Picture of the Year, and Glenn Close was nominated for Best Actress among its many nominations! It was the second highest grossing film of 1987, and Alex and I can watch it over and over and over…because Glenn Close is so good, and Michael Douglas is so stupid – and they both let it all hang out!

“Are you….discreet?”

Happily married New York lawyer Dan Callagher has an affair with his colleague Alex, and the two enjoy a wild weekend of sex while Dan’s wife and kid are out of town.

Of course, Michael Douglas sees it as just a bit of fun, and boy do we see them having some fun fun fun! Good old Michael shows a lot of flesh – as does Glenn Close, as they do it every way they can all over her apartment building…

But an increasingly unhinged Alex will not let go of him, and she will stop at nothing to have him for herself. You know the rest – after a bit more sex, things get bloody…

Dan Gallagher: [to Alex] This has got to stop.
Alex Forrest: [to Dan] This is not gonna stop. It keeps going on and on.

“Fatal Attraction” is a movie full of intense erotic scenes with Douglas, who is always willing to step up for the good of the movie…and Glenn Close puts it all out there as well – much like Sharon Stone did in Douglas’s next notorious sex thriller:

Basic Instinct!

Without a doubt the most controversial movie of 1992, and one of the most notorious Hollywood films of the last 30 years – you know, because of THIS scene:

Sharon Stone cemented her place in Hollywood history with this memorable “show and tell” during her police interrogation…immediately turning the cops into a bunch of drooling idiots…

AND THE LEGEND GROWS!

According to Sharon Stone, director Paul Verhoeven asked her to remove her underwear for the leg-crossing scene, as he said they were too bright and reflected at the camera. Stone agreed to do so under the assumption that her genitals weren’t visible. It was only at an early preview that Stone discovered Verhoeven chose to use this specific shot. Stone was mainly cross with Verhoeven for not discussing the matter with her beforehand, but decided to let the scene go without changes, as she felt this conformed with her movie character.

However, Verhoeven’s version of the conflict is that he told Stone beforehand about the leg-crossing shot, as it was important for showing Catherine Tramell’s free-spirited nature and her constant drive to toy with people. Stone was reportedly excited about the idea and shot the scene. However, during the early preview, her agents supposedly disproved of the scene, fearing it would harm her future career. According to Verhoeven, Stone radically changed her mind about the shot and demanded that he remove it, which he ultimately refused.

It remains one of Hollywood’s most memorable scenes. And “Basic Instinct” was one of the most controversial films as well. A former rock star, Johnny Boz, is brutally killed during sex, and the case is assigned to detective Nick Curran of the SFPD. Michael Douglas is perfect as the cop with a secret past who is also sex-obsessed…and of course, Douglas bares it all over and over again…

So choreographed were the sex scenes that Sharon Stone referred to herself and Michael Douglas as “the horizontal Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the ’90s”!

There is non-stop sex and violence in this film, and it is to the credit of all involved that they performed ALL of it!

Go, Michael Go!

There aren’t that many Actors willing to put it all out there the way Douglas did. Whether you like, love or LOATHE “Basic Instinct”, it was another example of Michael Douglas putting it all out there and not being afraid to look like a fool…

Full “Disclosure”!

Finally, Michael Douglas proved willing to get down and dirty with Demi Moore in the high tech erotic thriller “Disclosure!”

Michael Douglas willingly steps forward to portray a software tech who is seduced by a former co-worker…but now, she has more devious ideas behind her sexual advances…

You have to admire Douglas for being willing to stare Demi Moore IN THE BREASTS…but it’s just one of a number of intense sexual encounters designed to put his entire career at risk…

Of course, there is much more to the story – Alex and I love this movie because it’s ridiculous, erotic, well written and just plain fun…and kudos to Demi Moore for her performance as well….

As always, Michael Douglas is willing to be a food led along by a woman suing her sexual charms…that’s a common denominator in all three films: the women are the proactive, confident sexual creatures, and Michael Douglas is a fool who gets what he has coming for being a stupid guy!

So kudos to Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone and Glenn Close – and kudos to everyone involved in these great erotic thrillers!

All Hail The 1970′s!

I love 70′s movies! They are chock full of iconic stars with BIG GUNS!

Some of these movies will live forever, some have been unfortunately neglected – but thanks to DVD, blu-ray, and the thousands of films available ondemand, you never have to forget them again!

If you need to see some classic 70′s cinema, here are ten ways to start – a collection of some of the toughest action films of that decade, with terrific performances from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars…let’s get started with a neglected gem with Oscar winners in front of and behind the camera!

10-Thunderbolt And Lightfoot!

This 1974 action film is a classic, criminally overlooked Clint Eastwood heist movie – Jeff Bridges was Oscar-nominated for his role here – and it is directed by Michael Cimino, who would go on next to do the Oscar-winning best picture of 1978, “The Deer Hunter!”

That’s right, Jeff Bridges was Oscar-nominated for this, and he is terrific as always! Clint Eastwood plays a bank robber par excellence with a flair for explosives who is being hunted by his former partners, who think he has their loot from their last job.

Bridges is his eager apprentice and sidekick, who helps him escape; when Eastwood finally makes peace with his hunters, Bridges convinces them to try a daring robbery–but things inevitably go awry. Well worth the effort to find this one – as it features a VERY BIG GUN!

Here’s another film that is fairly obscure as well…and a western!

9-The Hunting Party!

In 1971, Gene Hackman, Oliver Reed and Candace Bergen starred in this gritty western.

Oliver Reed is the outlaw who wants to learn to read, and Candace Bergen is the school teacher he kidnaps to teach him –

Bergen is not only a school teacher, she’s also the wife of cattle baron Gene Hackman – who wants his wife back…

Hackman rustles up a “Hunting Party” and begins to pick off the bad guys one by one. And what starts as a rescue mission turns into a “hunting party”…

This film was shocking for the amount of violence it showed…this was a time shortly after “The Wild Bunch” raised the stakes for violence in a film…

Lots of grindhouse violence here, but kind of interesting to watch a clear B-movie being acted out by some A-list Actors!

And speaking of A-List Actors – here are several, this time is an A+ classic action thriller!

8-The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3

Take some of the greatest character Actors of the 70′s, add some dynamite action sequences…blend with sharp dialogue and a delicious sense of humor and you have one of the great action films of the 70′s. You also have one of the great 70′s movie posters…

Here is the plot summary of “The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3″: Four armed men hijack a New York City subway train and demand 1 million dollars – which must be delivered in 1 hour – or they will begin to execute the passengers…

Legendary Actor Walter Matthau plays Lt. Rico Patrone, who oversees the crime unit for the NY Subway. He is willing to admit that their job isn’t that exciting:

Lt. Rico Patrone: “We had a bomb scare in the Bronx yesterday, but it turned out to be a cantaloupe.”

Robert Shaw plays the leader of the hijackers, Mr. Blue. Shaw starred in a number of classic 70′s films, such as “The Sting” and “Jaws”, and he was the nearly-unstoppable killer in “From Russia With Love.” His fight sequence inside a train compartment against James Bond 007′s Sean Connery is a classic as well.

Martin Balsam and Hector Elizondo are among the thieves. Balsam brings the “every man” feel to the movie, a regular guy looking to get what he thinks he’s due. Hector Elizondo is terrific as Mr. Gray…that’s right, this is the movie where all of the hijackers called each other by colors…something Quentin Tarantino used effectively in “Reservoir Dogs”.

What’s great about this movie is how honest it feels: for example, the kidnappers don’t get along – at all – leading to this great exchange:

Mr. Blue: “I once had a man shot for talking to me like that.”
Mr. Gray: “Yeah, well, that’s the difference between you and me. I’ve always done my own killing.”

“The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3″ has a lot of action, really great action, and a terrific ending…which leads to one of the most acclaimed and controversial films of the decade…

7-Deliverance!

One of the most iconic films of the 70′s, but a bit overlooked these days. In 1972, this was an extremely controversial film – “squeal like a pig!” anyone?

Burt Reynolds plays outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock, who is intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it’s turned into one huge lake. Lewis takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they’ll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.

“Deliverance” was one of the most iconic films of the 70′s, but it’s a bit overlooked these days. In 1972, this was an extremely controversial film – “squeal like a pig!” anyone? It was also one of the great action dramas of the seventies – Burt Reynolds became a superstar based on this film…

If you haven’t seen this brilliant movie, check out new blu-ray and DVD versions that have documentaries and commentary attached, and they are all worth viewing – and of course, there are the “dueling banjos!”

This was such a controversial film – brutal and violent, and of course its known for two amazing sequences: first, the “dueling banjos” scene, when the group comes across a young boy with a banjo…

“Squeal like a pig!”

And then there was the brutal scene with one of the most quoted lines in film history…as the group is ambushed and attacked by rednecks…this was one of the most controversial scenes in 70′s movie history…

Both scenes from “Deliverance” became permanent fixtures in pop culture forever…

Speaking Of Pop Culture Notoriety!

His breakout performance in Deliverance in 1972 made Reynolds a star. The same year, Reynolds gained even more notoriety when he posed naked in the April issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine – a landmark moment in publishing.

Reynolds claims the centerfold in Cosmopolitan hurt the chances for Deliverance and the film’s stars, including himself, from receiving Academy Awards.

6- Dirty Harry!

OK, I already included one Clint Eastwood movie – “Thunderbolt & Lightfoot”, which is lesser known…but of course, you HAVE TO put “Dirty Harry” on any list of classic 70′s action films, right?

Here is the plot: A mad man calling himself ‘the Scorpio Killer’ shoots people from San Francisco’s rooftops…terrorizing the city…

Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down the psychopath, but when we first meet Harry, he is having a hot dog and interrupting a bank robbery…

“Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”

One of the greatest lines in film history comes from this scene, as Harry disrupts the robbery, shoots all of the perps, and walks over to the last one alive. As he approaches, Harry fingers his trigger while a bank robber eyes his own gun lying nearby…

“I know what you’re thinking, punk. You’re thinking “did he fire six shots or only five?” Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow you head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself a question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”

That scene cements, within the first ten minutes, that Dirty Harry is a classic “cop who plays by his own rules”. This movie has a great plot, terrific direction by legendary Don Siegel, and Clint Eastwood IS Dirty Harry.

It is this exchange, however, that to me helps cement “Dirty Harry” as a classic action film of the 70′s…San Francisco’s Mayor wants Harry to explain why he shot a rapist…

Harry Callahan: Well, when an adult male is chasing a female with intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard. That’s my policy.

The Mayor: Intent? How did you establish that?

Harry Callahan: When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher’s knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn’t out collecting for the Red Cross!

[walks out of the room]

The Mayor: He’s got a point.

“Dirty Harry” is a great film, and the sequels are pretty good as well, especially “Magnum Force” and “Sudden Impact!”

Now, speaking of cops who play by their own rules…

5 – The French Connection!

It was the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1971, and it’s the true story of “Popeye” Doyle, a NY cop determined to bust a heroin smuggling ring…

He is, of course, a cop willing to break all the rules in order to get his man – and that includes one of the most amazing car chases ever filmed…beautifully filmed by legendary Director William Friedkin, who went on to make “The Exorcist”, “To Live And Die In LA”, “Sorcerer” AND “Killer Joe”!

The Legendary Car Chase!

Thanks to the terrific website IMDB, here are some amazing anecdotes about the filming of the legendary car chase through the streets of New York in “The French Connection.”

The car crash during the chase sequence, at the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and 86th St., was unplanned and was included because of its realism. The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed. The producers paid the bill for the repairs to his car!

According to IMDB, the car chase was filmed without obtaining the proper permits from the city! Members of the NYPD’s tactical force helped control traffic. But most of the control was achieved by the assistant directors with the help of off-duty NYPD officers, many of whom had been involved in the actual case.

A camera was mounted on the car’s bumper for the shots from the car’s point-of-view. Hackman did some of the driving but the extremely dangerous stunts were performed by Bill Hickman, with Friedkin filming from the backseat.

Friedkin operated the camera himself because the other camera operators were married with children and he was not. The mjaority of the chase was, however, very well choreographed, but it is that realism in the filming that makes the scene itself so heart-pounding!

The film spawned a less successful sequel, but it is also a great movie, just a different one…

4-Get Carter!

In 1971 Michael Caine tore up the screen as London gangster Jack Carter. Heading “up north” to get to the bottom of the recent death of his brother, he runs afoul of the local color, who don’t appreciate his meddling.

Not content to accept the police report of suicide, Carter begins investigating. He encounters the local mob boss, his sleazy chauffeur with eyes like “piss holes in the snow,” and the lovely town porn star. Naturally, he kicks alot of ass and takes names later.

This is a pure 70′s arthouse action movie – what a combo, right? But it’s not only a great film, Michael Caine is tough as nails, so well worth checking out!

3-Prime Cut!

Lee Marvin was one of film’s all-time tough guys, and no more so than in this gritty thriller, where he saves a naked Sissy Spacek from the mob…here’s a teaser:

Lee Marvin plays his toughest role ever, as an “Enforcer” for the Mob, who heads to Kansas City to get the money that Gene Hackman owes the Mob..

Oh yeah, Hackman’s not really interested in paying back what he owes…and from then on out, the fight is on!

Hackman plays a cattle rancher who not only grinds his enemies into sausage, but sells women as sex slaves.

The movie was considered highly risqué for its time based on its level of violence, as well as its graphic depiction of female slavery, including a scene depicting the auctioning of young women in the manner of beef cattle.

Gene Hackman digs into his role as the bad guy, but it’s Marvin to kick ass and takes no prisoners. There is a scene where Marvin and Sissy Spacek are chased through a wheat field by a shredder…a great action sequence.

Marvin and Spacek have a great rapport in the film, as he takes on a “father figure” role to help her escape from the bad guys…

A couple of years before she catapulted to stardom in “Carrie”, Sissy Spacek co-stars, and does a great job in the role…

This was Sissy Spacek’s feature film debut – and involves a lot of nudity.

Marvin and Gene Hackman have a number of great scenes together, a couple of tough guys chewing up the scenery in a great B-movie.

But at the end of day, nobody beats Lee Marvin, the coolest guy in town.

Speaking of the coolest guy in town, NOBODY was cooler than this guy in 1971:

2-Shaft!

Who’s the cat that won’t cop out, when there’s danger all about? John Shaft of course! This blaxploitation classic is a hard-charging action thriller about Detective John Shaft, played to perfection by Richard Roundtree – with a big gun, of course…

“You see this cat Shaft is a bad motherf-”
“Watch Your Mouth!”
“But I’m talking about Shaft!”
“Then we can dig it!”

Check out this movie and also buy the soundtrack on iTunes, it’s a classic as well from Isaac Hayes!

Now, this is my personal favorite of them all:

1-The Getaway!

Take notorious Director Sam Peckinpah, add the toughest – and coolest – action star of the time in Steve McQueen, and add new star Ali McGraw, and you have a dynamite action film from 1972 that is as entertaining today as the day it was released!

This is the film that led to McQueen and Macgraw leaving their spouses and running off together. Here is a surprisingly long trailer!

Here’s the plot: Master thief Doc McCoy knows his wife has been in bed with the local political boss in order to spring him from jail.

What he doesn’t know are all of the double-crosses that will sour the deal once he’s on the outside – and pulling off the ultimate robbery.

This is filled with iconic scenes, and so much cool it will put a chill on your living room! Just look at McQueen and MacGraw blasting their way out of trouble…

Ali McGraw’s Husband!

Ali MacGraw was one of Hollywood’s biggest female star when she made “The Getaway”, thanks to the mega-hit “Love Story.” She was also married to movie Executive Robert “The Kid Stays In The Picture” Evans!

MacGraw and McQueen began an affair during the filming of the movie, and ended up getting married…Evans discusses this part of his life in his terrific memoir, “The Kid Stays In The Picture.”

Oh Sally!

Sally Struthers has a deliciously wacky small role in the film, as the wife of a mild-mannered Dentist! They are both kidnapped by a ruthless thug out to find McQueen…

Struthers was a big star at the time on TV’s “All In The Family”…”The Getaway” is a great action movie, beautifully directed, and worth finding on dvd…

There you have it – ten great 70′s action films, with ten very big guns!

Behold The “Lone Wolf And Cub!”

If you haven’t heard of “Lone Wolf And Cub”, you are missing out on some of the most exciting japanese samurai movies ever made!

It Begins With A Manga…

“Lone Wolf and Cub” is a Japanese cult manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. A manga is the name for a japanese comic or graphic novel.

This series of graphic novels was first published in 1970. They continue to be sold around the world, as new generations are discovering the artistry and great storytelling in these works!

“Lone Wolf and Cub” is the story of Ogami Ittō, the Shogun’s executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin.

Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as “Lone Wolf and Cub”. One thing to note: these are NOT comics! There is adult content and lots and lots of blood in these graphic novels…

These novels are well written, beautifully drawn, and very exciting! As they became more popular, they were turned into a series of terrific japanese exploitation films!

And, just like the mangas they are based on, these films are full of samurai action and bloodshed – but beautifully made and intelligently executed!

Bring On The Movies!

As I said, these incredible graphic novels were turned into some of the most exciting – and bloodiest – samurai films of the 70′s! Let’s look at this amazing series of japanese samurai adventures…

The LONE WOLF AND CUB movie series chronicles the adventures of disgraced Shogun assassin Ogami Itto and his infant son Daigoro, who sell their services to people in need while traveling the countryside in search of revenge against the hit squad who killed Itto’s wife.

In the first film of the series, “SWORD OF VENGEANCE”, Ogami escapes with his son in a wooden baby cart after an assassination attempt on his family. This is one of the most famous of the films, as it was sold overseas as “Sword Of Vengeance”, with no reference to Lone Wolf and Cub…

Here is a teaser for the movie:

The second film, “BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX”, sees Ogami stalked by a deadly female ninja as he attempts to assassinate a spy from the Shogunate.

That’s right, they have FEMALE NINJAS! And trust me, these ladies kick ninja butt! This is a great sequel, and sets up the entire series, as the Lone Wolf and his cub set out to right the wrongs of the land, all while being pursued by their enemies!

The “Lone Wolf And Cub” continue their journey in “BABY CART TO HADES”, with Ogami coming to the aid of a prostitute who killed her pimp. But he has to undergo torture to win back her freedom.

As you can see, the films take on a number of adult topics, as well as social and political issues in Japan’s history…

In the follow-up, “BABY CART IN PERIL”, Ogami must battle a female martial arts master and defend his son from an assassination attempt by an enemy clan.

Yes, more female ninjas!

These films are well made, full of action, and the bond between father and son is very touching…and of course, lots and lots of samurai bloodshed as well!

The fifth film in the saga, “BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS”, features a duel between Ogami and five warriors who hold not only his assassin’s fee, but vital information he needs to hunt down his enemies.

Then, in the sixth and final installment in the LONE WOLF series,“WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL”, Ogami faces his ultimate challenge when all remaining members of the enemy Retsudo clan band together for a face-off on a snowy battlefield.

It is a great ending to a classic action series…this is a classic serial – an ongoing series of stories wrapped around the life of two great characters, “Lone Wolf And Cub”…

Much like the “Lethal Weapon” movies, or even a show like “Breaking Bad”, you get caught up in the lives of the characters – so every movie offers you another chance to hang out with them and root them on in their battles…

The great news is that the entire series is now available on DVD and blu-ray, and comes with some fun extras as well…it’s your chance to get to know “Lone Wolf And Cub!”

“I DO IT FOR KICKS – AND I PLAN TO GET SOME!”

Now how can you not LOVE a movie that has a goal like that! Welcome to the world of the “Psycho Cat!”

“Confessions Of A Psycho Cat!”

If someone ever asked you, “hey, how wacky and offbeat WERE those early sexploitation movies anyway?” – well, here is your answer – take a look at this trailer:

What a classic piece of exploitation! Here’s the plot: A deranged, wealthy woman offers $100,000 to three men if they can stay alive for 24 hours in Manhattan, and then hunts them down. Here are the three losers as they wait in a room filled with dead, stuffed animals…

The “Raging Bull” Himself!

Boxer Jake LaMotta – yes, the “Raging Bull” himself – plays one of the three men who accept the bet – and he does a pretty good job in the movie!

LaMotta plays a washed-up wrestler, who accepts the Psycho Cat’s challenge, shouting at her:

“You don’t have a chance. I get in close, I’ll break you in half!”

Each of the three men wait for a notification that their “hunt” has begun, and then the “Psycho Cat” proceeds to stalk them through the city of New York, which allows for a lot of interesting b-roll from that era…as one of them tries to hide out in Central Park…

Two Movies For The Price Of One!

One of the unique aspects of “Confessions Of A Psycho Cat” is the “two movies in one” aspect of the film – it is a straightforward thriller, as each of the three men is hunted down by the crazed psycho cat…

But the film also has lengthy orgy scenes, all from a “party” that one of our victims shows up at – but for the most part, the nude scenes have nothing to do with the rest of the film…it was clearly a way to force nudity and sexual situations into the movie…and the film goes back to the party over and over again to show people making out and disrobing…

Another way this “two movies in one” shows itself again is in a bizarre sequence involving Jake LaMotta, as he sits in his apartment waiting for the “psycho cat” to arrive…

After making a phone call, he begins to argue with someone – it turns out to be this woman, who is shown supposedly sitting on a bed in the same room…

But here’s the thing: LaMotta and the woman are NEVER shown in the same shot – and after sitting like this on the bed for a moment, she takes her top off and delivers this classic sexploitation monologue:

“What you bring me up here for anyway? All you’re doing is reading that silly little paper. I came up here to have some fun. What’s the matter? Don’t you like me? (Takes off bra and examines her breasts) I never had any complaints before. Can’t you tell I’m a girl? I think I look pretty good. I think you’re putting me down. I’m sexy and that’s what I came up here for…sex!”

And then she makes out with the mirror! It’s a truly bizarre sequence, and after french kissing the mirror for a minute – topless the entire time – she storms out of the room, never seen in the same frame as LaMotta, so clearly this nude scene was filmed afterwards to add more nudity and sexual situations to the film!

“What Secrets Are Harbored Within The Sinister Highways Of The Mind?”

As Something Weird describes it: “With twisted violence, macabre humor, and lots of gratuitous skin (it was apparently shot as a straight horror film with the nude scenes added a year or two later), CONFESSIONS OF A PSYCHO CAT is a delirious, out-of-its-mind instant cult classic!”

And they are right in every way!

A Mind-Blowing Spanish Matador Battle!

You need more proof that this is a “sexploitation classic?” Well, here is one last moment to savor: the ultimate battle between “Psycho Cat” and “Raging Bull!”

Yes, “Psycho Cat” dresses like a toreador to come after “Raging Bull” La Motta in a bizarre action sequence that encapsulates everything that makes “Psycho Cat” exploitation at its best!”

Kudos once again to Something Weird Video – thanks for keeping cult cinema alive! And, to read about the man who founded this company, here is my appreciation of the late Mike Vraney:

http://johnrieber.com/2014/01/07/something-weird-wild-wild-cinema-celebrating-a-weird-genius-rip-mike-vraney/

All Hail Walter Matthau, Action Star!

Sure, Walter Matthau was a “Grumpy Old Man”, as well as the messy half of the classic “Odd Couple”!

He was also the coach of the original “Bad News Bears”, where he coached a ragtag team of misfits, including Tatum O’ Neal…Walter Matthau was one of our great comic Actors…

Walter Matthau, Action Hero!

No matter how much we all loved his comedic genius, it’s easy to forget that he also starred in a number of GREAT action films in the 70′s…

I’ve written about the classic thriller “The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3″, starring Matthau and Robert Shaw, a terrific action thriller from the 70′s. But here are two more great 70′s action thrillers that Matthau headlined – both now on DVD and worth finding!

These films showcase great character actors, tight plots and great action sequences…they also highlight an era in film when leading men could be, well, “grumpier” – they didn’t flex their muscles, they just used their brains – and a gun or two – to persevere…

Charley Varrick!

Let’s start with an obscure action film that delivers the goods. What happens when you rob a bank that happens to be laundering all of the Mob’s money? The answer is the trailer for “Charley Varrick”:

That’s right, Charley Varrick, dressed like an old man, and his friends rob a small town bank. Expecting a small sum to divvy up, they are surprised to discover a very LARGE amount of money. It’s the Mob’s money, and they want it back – and they want Charley and his buddies DEAD.

The film was based on the novel “The Looters” by John H. Reese. The plot is straightforward, but the reason this film is so good is that it’s directed by Don Siegel, the legendary Director of “Dirty Harry”! It also stars Joe Don Baker, who is perfect as the Mob muscle out to track down the bank robbers…

Hey, It’s Dean Wormer!

Like I said, there are great character actors in the film – such as John Vernon…yes, “Dean Wormer” from “Animal House” can also kick ass!

The “Pulp Fiction” Connection!

Quentin Tarantino is well known to include “homages” to some of his favorite film…well, you can add “Charley Varrick” to the list!

Character Maynard Boyle’s line, “They’re gonna strip you naked and go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch,” is paraphrased in “Pulp Fiction” by Marsellus Wallace!

“Charley Varrick” is anchored by a great Walter Matthau performance. He is smart, and he is ruthless when he needs to be…a great performance by this veteran actor…

I love this vintage newspaper ad as well – “Charley Varrick” is a pure 70′s action thriller, and it delivers! Speaking of that, here comes Matthau again!

The Laughing Policeman.

First of all, look at the tagline on the poster above:

“This movie is so real it makes every other movie in this town look like a movie.”

“The Laughing Policeman” was sold as a gritty thriller torn from the mood of the times…here is the trailer:

By the mid-seventies, the world was a dirty, crime-ridden place, and in San Francisco, Detective Walter Matthau has to find the guy who boarded a city bus late one night and opened fire on the passengers.

In keeping with the world-weary feel of the movie, Walter Matthau is terrific as a cop who’s seen too much…and he is finding it hard to make sense of a world gone wild…

Matthau isn’t helped by his partner, the very caustic Bruce Dern, who has a way of inflaming every situation he’s in.

This is an America that has seen the death in Vietnam, the massacre at Kent State, and the type of cop in “Dirty Harry” was an enemy, not a friend. It’s an America where the citizens hate the cops – almost as much as the cops hate them.

Iconic Dialogue!

The script is tight, gritty and in your face. Here’s a great line of dialogue: Bruce Dern explaining how good his lawyer is:

“He could get a sodomy charge reduced to ‘following too close.’”

More Great Bruce Dern Lines!

As I said, Dern has a field day with one-liners like this:

[to the pimp he has just pushed to the floor]

“What ever you are reaching for better be a sandwich coz you’re gonna have to eat it!”

Bruce Dern is great in the film, as is Lou Gossett Jr. And of course, it is anchored by Walter Matthau. This is the world weary, grimly determined Matthau, a much better Actor than he was given credit for…and an action star to boot!

Let me know how many of these you’ve seen!

“Down Boy, Down!”

A friend “just knew” that a movie called “Zombeavers” was just the film for me – that’s right, Randy, it IS the kind of film I love to share – because it’s extreme – and extremely goofy!

“Zombeavers!”

Yes, there is a new film that captures the fury of mother nature – IF Mother Nature was a Beaver!
The title tells you all you really need to know, but the trailer reinforces the fun they have in store for you!

Here’s the plot: a bunch of kids go to a cabin in the woods and have a big party – and then they all decide to go swimming in the lake outside….

And the zombie-infused Beavers eat them. Got it? Well, of course you do, it’s just the latest in a long line of wacky, bloody “animals eat people” movies…

A History Of Bad Animals!

This genre is seeing a resurgence now, thanks to camp movies like – you guessed it, the phenomenon that is “Sharknado”…

This campy movie genre actually got its start in the 50′s, as America needed a break from the cold war – and moviegoers found just what they needed when nuclear-mutated giant Ants began to attack…

“Cue The Frogs!”

In the 70′s, campy classic like “Frogs” continued the mayhem…

And recently, the trend is back, thanks in part to a popular remake of a classic 70′s horror film…which was itself a campy homage to “Jaws”…bring on the piranha!

“Beer, sun, and naked honeys making out under water!”

Well, that is what “Switchblade Romance” director Alexandra Aja promised when he remake the 70′s camp classic “Piranha!” And he delivered, too!

And of COURSE it would be in 3D, so you could “appreciate” everything the movie had to offer – and it did, a funny, sexy and bloody good time!

I love ALL of these films – and look forward to seeing the campy fun of “Zombeavers” as well – keep it up, wacky movie makers! Let the animals roam!

Time To Kick Some Naked Ninja Ass!

If you are reading this, you are not only ready to “go ninja”, but you want to see the movies that do it best! Well, you’ve come to the right place!

From Naked Ninja To Killer Dwarves!

How often do you find an acclaimed film Director who goes from naked female yakusas to killer dwarfs? Well, the answer is simple:

The answer is: ALL THE TIME IN JAPAN!

Female Yakuza Tale!

Teruo Ishii is the Director to celebrate right now – I mean, let’s look at the kind of crazy movies he gave us – starting with “Female Yakuza Tale!”

The full name of the film is “Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture” and it’s a classic Japanese sexploitation film from the early 70′s: lots of blood, sex and nudity – and a plot that is seemingly repeated in film after film:

A young woman is abused and seeks bloody revenge. Yep, that does it!

Teruo Ishii directed the film, which was a sequel to director Norifumi Suzuki’s “Sex & Fury”, which was made earlier the same year.

These are considered two of the classic Japanese “pinky” films of the 70′s.

Both have lots of nudity, sex and blood…all of it the result of a sharp sword! One thing that has helped “Sex & Fury” maintain a higher profile is the addition of European “Artsploitation” star, Christina Lindberg!

Click HERE for the story of “Sex & Fury” – and Christina Lindberg!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/05/31/mutant-girls-pinky-violence-sex-fury-and-lady-snowblood-too-japanese-sexploitation-lives/

Now, Time For A “Blind Beast!”

Time to celebrate this Director’s final film!

Blind Beast Vs. Killer Dwarf!

Director Tereo Ishii faded from view in the 80′s, working mostly in TV. However, his final movie has now been released – with much fanfare!

BANNED FOR TWO YEARS! LEGENDARY DIRECTOR TERUO ISHII’S FINAL DISTURBING MASTERPIECE!

“Teruo Ishii is a fantastic director, a great director! I love Teruo Ishii.” – QUENTIN TARANTINO

When prolific Japanese Cult Director Teruo Ishii passed away in 2005, his final film “BLIND BEAST VS. KILLER DWARF” became his epitaph – and let’s face it – he chose a CRAZY WAY TO GO!

Check out this trailer!

This film stands as the culmination of his life’s work and includes the bizarre and shocking excesses that one can come to expect from the director of “FEMALE YAKUZA TALE”: naked Japanese girls and lots of blood!

Throw into the mix the deranged, depraved and deformed and you’re starting to get the picture – this is a movie that set out to break all the rules – and did!

Borne of a lifelong obsession with the writings of Edogawa Rampo, PANIK HOUSE film releasing is calling Teruo Ishii ‘s swan song “a veritable circus of the insane!”

The press release makes a bold promise: “PANIK HOUSE is proud to present BLIND BEAST VS. KILLER DWARF in the director’s final, approved edition –sparing none of its macabre sex or over-the-top violence!”

I for one cannot wait to see it!

Time To Head Back To 42nd Street For A Grindhouse Classic!

Time to celebrate an era in film when the offbeat, experimental and just plain CRAZY could get films – and released! Time to head to New York’s Times Square for an unbelievable cinematic adventure!

There was a time when you could wander down New York’s 42nd street and find some of the most bizarre and bizarrely entertaining movies ever…here is an example of one of the greatest!

Sexy Sarah!

First, meet Sarah Kennedy, the most adorable star you could ever hope for in a film…in a breakout role – a role that sees her in virtually every scene in the film, usually saying stuff like this in a very innocent voice:

Now, imagine her in a film where she fall in love with –

THIS GUY!

Well, time to go back to a time when some of the world’s most unique films managed to get released – and thanks to a terrific home video company, they still live on today!

A Lost Cult Classic Is On The Phone! You Have To Answer This Call!

“The Telehone Book” is a mind-blowing camp classic! It’s a day in the life of a lonely, sensitive young woman – who meets a very special person on “the telephone.” Thus begins one of the most original and surreal romantic comedies ever made…

There is SO MUCH to share with you about this incredible cult classic, but let’s get started by checking out the trailer!

Thanks to the maniacs at Vinegar Syndrome for releasing this mind-blowing obscurity from the halcyon days of the early 70′s!

Actress Sarah Kennedy not only looks exactly like Goldie Hawn, but she plays Alice, a young woman who lives in a New York City apartment decorated with pornographic images and knickknacks.

She’s sexy, quirky and liberated, but she really gets off on obscene phone calls, with rotary dial work from an unknown man, identifying himself as Mr. Smith (Norman Rose), bringing Alice to orgasmic heights.

That’s right, she falls in love with Mr. Smith based solely on his obscene phone calls to her!

Alice tries to track down Mr. Smith by telephone book cold calling, then racing around town, running into an amazing array of people, usually doing something dirty, as you can tell by this movie poster:

Alice’s goal is simple: she must find her gloved Romeo – who wears a pig mask and claims he can seduce the President of the United States! Is this strange enough for you yet?

According to the great IMDB website, “The Telephone Book” was written and directed by Nelson Lyon, who went on to participate in the early years of “Saturday Night Live.” Lyon also achieved infamy as John Belushi’s partner during the drug-binge weekend that took the superstar’s life.

Calling Andy Warhol!

Here’s another great piece of trivia: According to producer Merv Bloch, the movie originally came with a specially shot intermission which he eventually decided to cut out. During the intermission Andy Warhol was shown sitting in a chair eating popcorn until the actual movie would continue again!

This intermission was meant as an in-joke to Warhol’s own films that often showed the most mundane things for an extended amount of time, like a person sleeping for several hours or a person eating something without anything extraordinary happening. The footage of this intermission is currently considered lost!

“The Telephone Book” also includes one of the most surreal animation sequences ever, which pushes the film into X-rated territory, but it’s all quirky and fun, and therefore surprisingly innocent…an adult film anchored by an innocence that is charming…

Writer-director Nelson Lyon helmed “The Telephone Book” as a kinky vaudeville revue. When Alice’s obscene phone caller boasts that his talents could seduce the President of the United States and the entire First Family, he suffixes his claim that he would not try it because “I have no political ambitions.” And yes, he wears a pig mask the entire time!

There are several recognizable people in the film, including Jill Clayburgh, who would go on to receive an Oscar nomination a few years later!

Thanks to the folks at Vinegar Syndrome, who have released a blu-ray with radio spots, production stills and a feature-length audio commentary! What a great job saving one of cinema’s most obscure films ever!

When Do You Know A Movie Is A Classic? Hint: When It Comes With THIS:

Enough with the Oscar winners: time to have fun with the “other” classic films! That’s right: imagine a movie SO SHOCKING, SO UNSETTLING, that the film makers offered up a vomit bag for your own protection! Well, the movie did offer this scene:

“Hold Your Tongue, Indeed!”

This 1970 film was notorious for scenes of torture – and much was made of the film’s most disgusting elements – if you aren’t familiar with this film, you have missed out on a “euro-sleaze” classic!

Here is the trailer:

“Rated V For Violence!”

“Mark Of The Devil” advertised itself as the first film “rated V for violence!” There was no such thing, but a great tag line, huh? In reality, the film was a standard horror movie from Germany, looking back at the witch trials that terrorized Europe. There was plenty of blood and torture – which was the main aspect of the film’s promotion…

“Mark Of The Devil” was just one of many movies that used this form of promotion – for example, “When The Screaming Stops” also came with a vomit bag – but remember, “DO NO RE-USE!”!

This was a funny gimmick to drive awareness for a film, and it worked! The early exploitation classic “Blood Feast” was the first in a long line of exploitation movies that promised far more than moviegoers had ever seen before, and it was also the first to offer a vomit bag:

When the films were advertised in newspapers – and even in the trailer – much was made of the unprecedented violence in the films, so much blood that the audience needed to be warned! And the hits kept on coming – even movies with virtually NO gore at all, like “Tomb Of The Blind Dead”!

“Death Stop Holocaust” – WHAT!?!?!?!?!?

And what about this film – I’ve never heard of it, but the vomit bag was MANDATORY!

Oh, based on the bag the movie was banned in 47 countries! Well, that explains why I missed it…

“Throw Up” Too…

And for the film “Bad Taste”, they didn’t offer vomits bags, they just called it the way they saw it, and gave out “throw up” bags!

“Check, Please!”

And how about this, a claim check that will allow you to come back for another screening if the film make you pass out!

These are all hilarious movie gimmicks, and they worked too, because “Mark Of The Devil” was a big grindhouse hit…let me know if you saw it, and if you needed the bag!

Hurray To The King Of “Scum!”

Much credit for these shenanigans must go to legendary exploitation Producer David F. Friedman, known for his crazy gimmicks to drive audiences wild!

Friedman had an angle for everything: he was the Producer of a multitude of great sexploitaiton classics of the 60′s and 70′s, like this gem:

To read how Friedman managed to lure audiences into films like “Scum Of The Earth”, click on the whole story right here:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/27/nudie-cuties-a-swallow-of-brine-the-defilers-meet-the-producer-of-scum/

And then read all about his career by getting his hilariously revealing autobiography as well – and kudos to the genius behind “A Smell Of Honey, A Swallow Of brine!”

And let’s not forget who is keeping the spirit of independent cinema alive – with their latest movie in theaters and soon to be unleashed on blu-ray!

That’s right, Troma President and great filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman is back with his latest “Tromasterpiece” – read all about it here!

http://johnrieber.com/2012/02/11/tromas-top-ten-the-tromatic-classics-unveiled/

Make sure you support Troma by purchasing “Return To The Class Of Nuke ‘em High Pt. 1″ when it is released on blu-ray – it keeps independent cinema alive – and you get a great movie to boot!

Time To Celebrate Lina Romay Again!

The late Lina Romay was one of exploitation’s biggest stars. She began appearing in Director Jess Franco’s films from the time they met in 1971. They eventually married and she made more than a hundred films, most of them directed by Franco.

The majority of their films together were in the sexploitation category, as well as horror, comedy and action/adventure as well.

Among the most famous of her cult horror movies are “Female Vampire” and “Barbed Wire Dolls.” With more than a hundred films, it can be difficult to find the best ones, but I am here to help!

Kudos To Severin Films!

Because of the dedicated effort of a few great home video companies, some of Romay’s best movies are now available – including this notorious, controversial classic!

The Hot Nights Of Linda!

Jess Franco’s legendary sexploitation classic is finally unearthed, thanks to Severin Films! The Director’s wife, Lina Romay, stars in one of her larger roles for him – and among the most notorious! And the blu-ray release is full of great additional material!

Here is the plot: A young woman is hired to care for an elderly man who lives on an island off the Greek coast. When she arrives there the man warns her that his daughters are evil and dangerous. The woman discovers that one of the daughters is a crazed nymphomaniac who pursues, and seduces, everyone in the house, including her crippled sister.

A Barcelona Bordello Discovery!

According to Severin, the film is restored from a 35mm print discovered in a Barcelona bordello! I don’t care how they found it, I’m just glad they did, as it is loaded with Bonus Features and presented in high definition for the first time ever in America!

Blu-Ray Bonuses!

Look at all of the bonus material included in this release:

Hot Nights – an exclusive Interview with director Jess Franco;
Jess and Lina talk LINDA – Exclusive Interview with Director Jess Franco and Star Lina Romay; Fantasticfest Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation to Jess Franco;
NIGHTMARE USA/BEYOND TERROR Author Stephen Thrower on LINDA;
Out-takes from the film and of course, the Trailer for the movie…

BUT THERE IS MORE…..

The Notorious “French” Version!

The blu-ray is a three disc effort – the film on blu-ray, on DVD, and a third disc, with the notorious “alternate banana” version of the film – the french cut, which is completely uncensored!

Again, kudos to Severin Films – what a great job! I recently posted about another classic sexploitation film they released in an elaborate package as well – “House On Straw Hill”:

Check out “House On Straw Hill” by clicking on the link here:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/10/14/house-on-straw-hill-video-nasties-documentary-great-blu-ray-release/

And check out everything Severin has to offer by going to their website:

http://www.severin-films.com/

And, here is some additional information about legendary Sexploitation filmmaker Jess Franco:

Franco’s themes often revolved around lesbian vampires, women in prison, surgical horror, sadomasochism, zombies and sexploitation – and were drenched in blood…

Franco’s films were notorious at the time – and in many cases they were censored or banned – and of course, many starred his wife, Lina Romay.

He managed to write and direct around 160 motion pictures in his lifetime, encompassing a wide swath of different genres, with practically no financial backing available.

Franco and Romay worked together for decades – it is a fascinating story, and includes movies that are notorious, controversial, and wacky beyond belief!

Here is a look at two of their best efforts!

The “Naked” Prey!

“Countess Perverse” and “Lorna The Exorcist” are wacky, bizarre films that must be seen to be believed! “Countess” is basically a “extremely naked” version of “The Naked Prey”, while “Lorna” is a classic european shocker that is only a little bit about Exorcists, but includes one of the greatest closing scenes of all time!

To read about these two classic Lina Romay films, just click on my story here!

http://johnrieber.com/2013/02/17/countess-perverse-lorna-the-exorcist-jess-francos-naked-masterpieces/

You will never look at cinema the same way again!

We all know the obvious: Female Ninjas Kick ASS!

I have posted before about one of the WILDEST film genres today: Japanese exploitation movies, known in Japan as:

“J-Sploitation!”

Get to know this name, it will never let you down!

This unique form of japanese exploitation movie looks closely at the various aspects of the country’s culture, especially its treatment of young women. Therefore, many of the films deal with school girls who are abused, and the movies document their ultimate revenge against the men who abused them…and yes, in some cases it involves specially mutated body parts that turn these young women into robotic killers!

As I said, this genre of film is really CRAZY: lots of over the top action, bloodshed, and more action! Let’s get started!

Mutant Girls Squad!

Talk about a kick ass groups of girls!

Action, comedy and splatter: times three! For the first time ever, Japanese cult filmmakers Noboru Iguchi (Robo-Geisha, The Machine Girl), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl) and Tak Sakaguchi (Death Trance, Versus, Yoroi: Samurai Zombie) have joined forces to bring you three times the heart-pounding action, three times the jaw-dropping comedy and three times the head-exploding splatter of your average action / horror / comedy film!

Just watch the trailer – and you will understand!

So you get the idea: “Mutant Girls Squad” is an outrageously bloody, violent, and hilarious take on gender warfare! It’s just one of the long list of classic “j=sploitation” movies available now! Here are a few more of the outrageous films coming to us from Japan’s twisted Horror masters!

More Iconic “J-Sploitation!” It’s “Tokyo Gore Police!”

I call this the “Citizen Kane” of J-sploitation…”Tokyo Gore Police” has to be seen to be believed!

Set in a future-world vision of Tokyo where the police have been privatized and bitter self-mutilation is so casual that advertising is often specially geared to the “cutter” demographic, this is the story of samurai-sword-wielding Ruka and her mission to avenge her father’s assassination.

Ruka is a cop from a squad who’s mission is to destroy homicidal mutant humans known as “engineers” possessing the ability to transform any injury to a weapon in and of itself. “Tokyo Gore Police” was shot and completed in just two weeks, but you’d never know by the insane level of special effects work done…

Also, look at some of the creatures that Nishimura created, using the plot line that humans can transform any injury into a weapon…and they transform in amazingly disturbing ways in the film…

The film’s most iconic, and disturbing image involves one such radical transformation….

Yes, this is disturbing…But as I explained in the film’s description, “Tokyo Gore Police” is more than just bloodshed and unsettling creatures…the film tackles social issues like “cutting”, an epidemic in Japan…

And as I said, the imagery is so over-the-top that the scenes are more fascinating than revolting, and the film has a storyline that never slows down for a second:

Here are some of the other films I have talked about in the past – such as this classic!

“Zombie Ass: Toilet Of The Dead!”

<img src="http://johnrieber.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/japanese-sexploitaiton.jpg" alt="japanese sexploitaiton" width="640"

Yes, the movie lives up to its title! Here is the trailer:

“We are going to flush you! The most crap-tastic zombie movie ever to emerge from Japan’s cinema sewer is finally upon us, and it’s from the twisted mind of cinematic madman and legendary ass-fetishist Noboru Iguchi, creator of THE MACHINE GIRL, ROBO-GEISHA and KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR!”

The terrific Japanese Director Iguchi has created a splatter comedy guaranteed to warm the bowels of those with the stomach for it… while more sensitive viewers may want to plug their noses and flee in disgust!

Wracked with guilt over the suicide of her sister Ai, who was tormented by high school bullies, pretty young karate student Megumi accompanies a group of older friends on a trip into the woods.

Things start to go badly when Maki finds a parasitical worm inside a fish they catch – and wolfs it down alive, in the hope that it’ll help keep her skinny! And then… zombies!

The group is attacked by a crowd of poop-covered undead who emerge from an outhouse toilet, and seek refuge at the home of strange Dr. Tanaka and his daughter Sachi. But unbeknownst to them, Tanaka has been conducting experiments on the parasites – and the zombies! – and has another fate in mind for the five strangers from the city.

So much drama! So much violence! So MANY Zombies! And the question on everyone’s mind is this: What’s the connection between the parasites and the undead?

The Liberating Power Of Farts!

This is what makes J-sploitation so unique – this plot asks the question: can Megumi’s karate alone help them escape, or will she have to rely on the liberating power of farts to save the day?

Now, time to celebrate Hollywood’s classic monsters – done in a unique “j-sploitation” style!

Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl

The deranged genius behind “Tokyo Gore Police” is back with a chilling new flick that’s re-writing the hallowed history of the horror genre. “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” is the terrifying story of two classic monsters re-imagined as super hot – and extremely lethal – Japanese school girls.

Gore reigns supreme in this “blood-cake cavalcade of carnage” – which was chosen as the winner of the Audience Award at the 2009 NY Asian Film Festival.

Fan boys and movie blogs are already buzzing over this bloodbath du jour, and aficionados of psychedelic blood-filled chocolates, mad scientist principals, sumo wrestlers from hell, and sex-crazed school nurses are guaranteed to lose their heads over this old school splatter-fest.

This film isn’t quite as cohesive to me as some of the others, but once again you see a Director who is going to throw everything he has into making this an over-the-top gore fest, and for that you should be thankful.

Here’s another example of the “j-sploitation” trend to focus on school girls:

Attack Girls Swim Team Vs. The Undead – AKA “The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers”.

How can you argue with a movie with this title!

Here is the plot: Aki is a student with a troubled past. She was kept prisoner and abused by an enigmatic professor and trained to be an assassin. She had just transferred to a school at the worst possible time. There’s a mysterious virus in the school and students and teachers are being rounded up to receive a vaccine to counter the virus. However, the very same vaccine supposed to protect them from infection is actually a drug that turns everyone to flesh-eating zombies!

You will see more nudity in this movie than in most of the others, as well as plenty of bloodshed. Who could ask for more?

Time to get out of the pool and back into action!

The Machine Girl.

Ami is a typical college girl. She’s bright, friendly, popular and athletic, with nothing to set her apart from other girls her age other than the fact that she is an orphan, left to care for her younger brother after her father committed suicide after being falsely accused of murder. Ami’s brother has racked up a considerable debt to another boy at school, and that boy just happens to be the heir to a clan of vicious ninja-yakuza. Ami’s brother can’t pay, violence breaks out and in the course of trying to avenge her brother, Ami is captured by the clan. They torture her and hack her arm right off.

Ami escapes, barely alive, and is taken in by the owners of a machine shop who build her a customized, bullet-spewing arm. From that point, the quest for revenge is on in earnest.

Don’t worry, “The Machine Girl” delivers on every single thing you want: bloodshed, exploitation, and REVENGE!

As you can now see, these films begin and end in a similar way: young Japanese women are treated horribly by men, and they find a way, usually with scientific modifications, to exact revenge…bloody bloody revenge! Since there isn’t a single guy in these films worth rooting for, you can’t wait for the next act of revenge to occur, and trust me, they occur PLENTY.

To get a regular dose of this – and other exploitation mayhem, just click on to my website devoted to the world’s wildest cinema!

http://jrsploitation.com/

Enjoy!

Did you know that Director Alexander Payne wanted Gene Hackman to play the lead role in “Nebraska?” Just the latest bit of movie trivia from one of the screen’s greatest Actors!

Time To Celebrate The Legendary Gene Hackman!

His career spanned five decades – and resulted in a ton of awards, including two Oscars. He won the Best Actor award in 1971 for his portrayal of “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection” in 1971 and the Best Supporting Actor award for “Unforgiven” in 1992.

Here is a celebration of his ten greatest roles, and you will still find fault for what I had to leave off!

First, a few bio tidbits: In 1956, Hackman began pursuing an acting career; he joined the Pasadena Playhouse in California, where he made friends with another aspiring actor, Dustin Hoffman. Already seen as outsiders by their classmates, Hackman and Hoffman were later voted “The Least Likely To Succeed.”

FYI, the two Actors remained lifelong friend, and they finally acted together in the film “The Runaway Jury.”

“FATHER BRADY?????”

How about this?!?!?! Gene Hackman nearly accepted the role of Mike Brady in the TV series, The Brady Bunch, but was advised by his agent to turn it down – but he was almost Marcia Brady’s Dad!

Author Hackman!

Did you know that Hackman has teamed with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, and written four novels: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999), Justice for None (2004), Escape from Andersonville (2008) and Payback at Morning Peak (2011).

In 2008, while promoting his third novel, Hackman confirmed that he had retired from acting.

Director Alexander Payne specifically wanted to make his movie “Nebraska” just so he could work with Hackman, but the Actor declined the offer to come out of retirement…so the role went to Bruce Dern, who got an Oscar-nomination for the role!

Could you imagine how great Hackman would have been in the movie? It was a tailor-made role for him – and he is, without a doubt, one of film’s all time greatest…

Here now, the top ten Gene Hackman performances:

10-Young Frankenstein!

Yes, it was only a cameo, but Hackman proved he could do comedy with the best of them – popping up halfway through this classic Mel Brooks comedy, as a lonely Monk looking to share a meal and a cigar with the Frankenstein monster.

Hilarious. You never thought of Hackman as a comedy Actor, but he had perfect comic timing, no better shown than here…and there are more great examples to come!

9 – Hoosiers!

In 1986, Hackman played a coach with a checkered past who teams up with a local drunk played by Dennis Hopper to train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.

His performance is understated, and he gives Hopper plenty of room to shine in the smaller role – a great example of his generosity as an Actor.

8 – Bonnie & Clyde

Hackman exploded on movie screens as Buck Barrow, part of the most legendary gang in history. As Clyde says, “this here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks.”

Hackman was oscar-nominated for his performace in this groundbreaking action thriller from 1967.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway head up an outstanding cast directed by Arthur Penn, who also directed another classic Hackman film, “Night Moves” – more on that in a moment……

“Bonnie & Clyde” is one of the most important films of the 60′s – ushering in a new era of violence and frankness in movies…

Hackman could play a tough guy very well, but here is one of his most popular roles – playing a comic villian in a beloved Superhero movie!

7 – Superman!

In 1978, Hackman entertained a whole new generation with his portrayal of Lex Luthor, the nemesis to Superman!

It was an unexpected casting – considering that Hackman was an Oscar-winning Actor – serious, tough as nails, not known for a comedic tough…and yet in the film, he acts in such a fun, carefree way that it forever changed his reputation as a serious, tough as nails Actor!

As Lex Luthor says to his idiotic accomplice Otis, played beautifully by Ned Beatty:

“Do you know why the number two hundred is so vitally descriptive to both you and me? It’s your weight and my I.Q.”

And Hackman’s comic timing was showcased once again in this film that skewers Hollywood!

6-Get Shorty.

John Travolta starred as mobster Chili Palmer, who travels to Hollywood to collect a debt and discovers that the movie business is much the same as his current job. Hackman has a terrific role as Harry Zimm, a low-rent, low-budget movie Producer who gets caught up in Travolta’s Hollywood adventures, and pays a painfully funny price.

As Zimm says of Chili Palmer: “The guy’s been in town two days, and already he thinks he’s David O. Fucking Selznick.”

Lots of great acting in this hilarious movie from 1995.

5-Night Moves.

I’ve written about “Night Moves” before, but now that it has been released on DVD and Amazon streaming, it’s a great film to check out.

Here is the film’s trailer:

Like “The Limey”, it’s a terrifically moody film noir – Hackman plays private detective Harry Moseby, who gets hired for a standard missing person case, as an aging Hollywood actress wants him to find her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter is played by Melanie Griffith, in her first movie role.

This is Gene Hackman’s golden era in film, beginning with “Bonnie & Clyde” and going through “The French Connection” 1 & 2, and the brilliant “Scarecrow” with Al Pacino. He even found time to star in the box office smash “The Poseidon Adventure!”

As Private Detective Harry Moseby travels to Florida to find the missing girl, he begins to see a connection with the runaway girl, the world of Hollywood stuntmen, and a suspicious mechanic when an unsolved murder comes to light.

As with all great film noir, the story takes many twists and turns as the true motives of the cast become clear…and a great cast including the young Griffith and a young James Woods as well.

4-Prime Cut.

Lee Marvin was one of film’s all-time tough guys, but Gene Hackman stood toe-to-toe with him in this gritty thriller…here’s a teaser:

Lee Marvin plays his toughest role ever, as an “Enforcer” for the Mob, who heads to Kansas City to get the money that Gene Hackman owes the Mob…

Oh yeah, Hackman’s not really interested in paying back what he owes…and from then on out, the fight is on!

Hackman plays a cattle rancher who not only grinds his enemies into sausage, but sells women as sex slaves. The movie was considered highly risqué for its time based on its level of violence, as well as its graphic depiction of female slavery, including a scene depicting the auctioning of young women in the manner of beef cattle.

Gene Hackman digs into his role as the bad guy, but it’s Marvin to kick ass and takes no prisoners. There is a scene where Marvin and Sissy Spacek are chased through a wheat field by a shredder…a great action sequence.

Marvin and Spacek have a great rapport in the film, as he takes on a “father figure” role to help her escape from the bad guys…

A couple of years before she catapulted to stardom in “Carrie”, Sissy Spacek co-stars, and does a great job in the role…

This was Sissy Spacek’s feature film debut – and involves a lot of nudity.

Marvin and Gene Hackman have a number of great scenes together, a couple of tough guys chewing up the scenery in a great B-movie.

3-Scarecrow.

“A crow isn’t afraid of a scarecrow. It laughs.”

Scarecrow

Pacino re-teamed with “Needle Park” Director Jerry Schatzberg for the brilliant “Scarecrow”, also starring Gene Hackman.

Talk about an acting master class! Gene Hackman was just a year past his Oscar-Winning Best Actor role in “The French Connection” Here he plays Max, an ex-con who’s been saving money to open a car wash in Pittsburgh.

Max: For every car, there is dirt.

Max is hitch-hiking across country, and on the way he meets Al Pacino…

Pacino is Lionel, a sailor who’s returning home to the midwest to see the child born while he was at sea. Of course, they meet while hitch-hiking and decide to travel together.

They form an unlikely pair as the brawling Max learns a little how Lionel copes with the world: Lionel believes that the scarecrow doesn’t scare birds, but instead amuses them – birds find scarecrows funny. So Lionel believes that everything will be OK if you can just make people laugh…Hackman knows better…

Gene Hackman is brilliant as a tough, tough TOUGH ex-con who has a plan, and NOTHING is going to get in his way…he also has a few hilarious quirks, such as what he likes to eat:

Max: [at the lunch counter] “Gimme a chocolate doughnut and a bottle of beer.”

This is a real “road” movie. Before shooting, Gene Hackman and Al Pacino both dressed as hobos and hitchhiked through California to get into their characters.

Gene Hackman has stated that his performance in Scarecrow is his personal favorite. For Pacino, this film followed “Needle Park” and “The Godfather”, and led right into “The Godfather Part 2″…what a run of masterful acting performances!

Here is one of the most under-rated movies of the 70′s, even though it was nominated for a slew of Oscars…

3-The Conversation.

“I’m not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder.”

In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola made this outstanding drama about Harry Caul, an expert in the art of listening in on others…but his specialty comes back to haunt him when he hears a murder…or does he? This film was nominated for Best Picture, losing to Coppola’s other masterpiece that year, The Godfather Part 2. Harrison Ford has a bit role here as well…

Now, don’t laugh…

2-The Poseidon Adventure!

“Hell, Upside Down.” That was the tagline for the greatest disaster movie of all time. And you know why it’s just a timeless action thriller? Because of Hackman!

It is the gravitas of Hackman that holds the film together – a testament to his powerful screen presence…

Gene Hackman plays Reverand Scott, who must help a small group climb up to the bottom of the overturned luxury cruise ship. This is the gold standard for disaster films, and it took a great actor like Hackman to give the premise weight – to make their adventure seem real.

Look at the cast of classic Hollywood names populating this film: Stella Stevens, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, just to name a few of the ton of recognizable faces that populate this 1972 smash hit.

The French Connection!

It was the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1971, and it’s the true story of “Popeye” Doyle, a NY cop determined to bust a heroin smuggling ring…

He is, of course, a cop willing to break all the rules in order to get his man – and that includes one of the most amazing car chases ever filmed…beautifully filmed by legendary Director William Friedkin, who went on to make “The Exorcist”, “To Live And Die In LA”, “Sorcerer” AND “Killer Joe”!

The Legendary Car Chase!

Thanks to the terrific website IMDB, here are some amazing anecdotes about the filming of the legendary car chase through the streets of New York in “The French Connection.”

The car crash during the chase sequence, at the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and 86th St., was unplanned and was included because of its realism. The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed. The producers paid the bill for the repairs to his car!

According to IMDB, the car chase was filmed without obtaining the proper permits from the city! Members of the NYPD’s tactical force helped control traffic. But most of the control was achieved by the assistant directors with the help of off-duty NYPD officers, many of whom had been involved in the actual case.

A camera was mounted on the car’s bumper for the shots from the car’s point-of-view. Hackman did some of the driving but the extremely dangerous stunts were performed by Bill Hickman, with Friedkin filming from the backseat.

Friedkin operated the camera himself because the other camera operators were married with children and he was not. The mjaority of the chase was, however, very well choreographed, but it is that realism in the filming that makes the scene itself so heart-pounding!

The film spawned a less successful sequel, but it is also a great movie, just a different one…

A great great performance, including memorable dialogue such as this:

“All right! You put a shiv in my partner. You know what that means? Goddammit! All winter long I got to listen to him gripe about his bowling scores. Now I’m gonna bust your ass for those three bags and I’m gonna nail you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie!”

Equally as impressive was his return in the sequel two years later, where he is drugged up while tracking down the bad guys in Marseilles. His drug-addicted monologue in captivity is an amazing piece of acting. A terrific double bill and a great way to celebrate his ability to command the lead in a movie.

There you have it – enough great Gene Hackman movies to keep you busy for the next year! Tell me what I missed – although I already have an idea – I mean, he was great in “The Firm”, The Royal Tanenbaums” and of course, “Unforgiven”…

Remember when you first saw THIS?

There are images from films that stay with you forever…and perhaps no movie has ever included more of these shocking images than “The Exorcist.”

I have been asked several times about what I consider to be the most shocking films ever made: in terms of raw power and brilliant film making, the 70′s had a number of them: “The Exorcist” and “A Clockwork Orange” are two of the best examples:

Both films were considered controversial movies at the time…but brilliant as well: in fact, both “The Exorcist” and “A Clockwork Orange” were nominated for Best Picture.

Another extreme and controversial movie is the complete uncut “Straw Dogs”, which is also considered a masterpiece.

What makes these movies so controversial? The often taboo subject matter of course, especially in the context of their time. They all showed things on film that were beyond the pale at that point in time. I will never forget the shock when Dustin Hoffman sheds his pacifist skin and takes up arms against his enemies in “Straw Dogs” – in shockingly violent ways….

This sudden explosion of violence is not only shocking, it’s the moment when the audience is forced to take sides, and accept violence as a suitable – and as the film advocates – “necessary” alternative to peace…

And of course, the shocking rape scene is one of the most uncomfortable moments ever captured in film…Director Sam Peckinpah knew it would shock the audience, and it also traumatized Actress Susan George…

The film ends with an orgy of violence – including her chance to get revenge on those men who assaulted her…

These movies had shocking imagery, adult themes, and taboo subject matter – they pushed buttons and outraged censors.

“A Clockwork Orange” was nominated for Best Picture of 1971. The movie’s critical acclaim didn’t lessen its controversial nature, however. Shortly after the film’s release, Director Stanley Kubrick was shaken by an incident of “copycat violence” in his native England.

Kubrick asked Warner Brothers to withdraw the film from British distribution, disliking the allegation that the film was responsible for copycat violence in real life. The film went unseen in England for decades.

If you want to read all about Oscar’s X-Rated fixation, check out my post HERE:

http://johnrieber.com/2013/05/07/x-rated-butter-cowboys-droogs-oscars-x-flirtation/

Even today, Malcolm McDowell’s look in the film is iconic. And who can forget this image from “The Exorcist?”

In the decades since, there have been many shocking films released – many without artistic merit, but some that are challenging AND worthwhile…and I am going to discuss three recent examples now.

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!

I have to admit up front that some of you SHOULDN’T read this post: I am discussing three of the most shocking, extreme films ever released. There are many more of course, some of which (Irreversible, Anti-Christ, Trouble Every Day, The Human Centipede) I have written about in other posts. You might find these movies simply too extreme for your taste, and that is understandable.

However, for those who are adventurous, and willing to understand that some stories are told in an extreme way FOR AN ARTISTIC PURPOSE – whether they are easy to watch or not, then this post is for you.

Here are two of the most shocking and controversial films ever released to mainstream audiences – both can be found on DVD – they were theatrically released, and most importantly: they received rave reviews alongside with harsh criticism – they are controversial and polarizing, yet they are artistic statements with as many supporters as detarctors – and they are shocking.

Martyrs – 2008

This shocking French film is part of what is called “the new French extremism”. There are other examples, but this one has an ending that is both shocking and intellectual…Here is the original French trailer, which is GRAPHIC:

Here is the plot: Fifteen years after a horrifying experience of abduction and prolonged torture, Lucie embarks on a bloody quest for revenge against her oppressors. Along with her childhood friend, Anna, who also suffered abuse, she quickly descends, without hope, into madness and her own delusions.

The story of Anna and Lucie soon turns from one of revenge into something MUCH darker…

Mademoiselle: “Lucie was only a victim. Like all the others. It’s so easy to create a victim, young lady, so easy. You lock someone in a dark room. They begin to suffer. You feed that suffering. Methodically, systematically and coldly. And make it last. Your subject goes through a number of states. After a while, their trauma; that small, easily opened crack, makes them see things that don’t exist.”

“Martyrs” begins as a revenge action film, then abruptly shifts into a philosophical discussion of what is, in fact, a “martyr”…

Mademoiselle: “Martyrs are exceptional people. They survive pain, they survive total deprivation. They bear all the sins of the earth. They give themselves up. They transcend themselves… they are transfigured.”

The film was categorized as a new example of new era French horror films with regards to the level of violence it depicts. Others, such as “Inside” and “High Tension” (AKA Switchblade Romance) also break new ground in graphic imagery.

Todd Brown at Twitch called Martyrs “without a doubt the single most divisive film to screen in the Cannes Marche Du Film this year”.

It is a tough viewing experience, and haunting in many ways….

WARNING!

LAST CHANCE TO TURN AROUND!

Now it’s time to discuss what is, without a doubt, in my opinion the most extreme film that has ever been theatrically released…you have been WARNED.

A Serbian Film – 2010

First, here is the official US trailer – again, the trailer, like the film, is VERY GRAPHIC:

Every few years a movie is released that polarizes EVERYONE – so rough, so beyond the pale, that it prompts calls for legislative action – and in this case, prompted a Film Festival Executive to be ARRESTED simply for showing the film.

Here is the plot of “A Serbian Film”: In Serbia, the retired porn star Milos is married to wife Marija and they have a little son, Peter, that is their pride and joy.

The family is facing financial difficulties, but out of the blue, Milos is offered a job in an art film. Milos is introduced to the director Vukmir, who offers a millionaire contract to act in the film.

However, Vukmir will neither show the screenplay or tell the story of the film to Milos. He must accept it sight unseen. Milos discuss the proposal with Marija and he signs the contract. But soon he finds that Vukmir and his crew are involved in sick snuff films of pedophilia, necrophilia and torture – and Milos has to find a way to protect his family and save himself.

Here is how one Critic described the film: “‘A Serbian Film’ is an metaphor standing for the writers perception of Serbian government; how they are puppeteers; controlling everything around them. They deliberately showed their metaphor in an extreme way; to emphasize their opinion.”

A Meditation On A Police State…

In the press notes director Srdjan Spasojevic is quoted as saying “this is a diary of our own molestation by the Serbian government. It’s about the monolithic power of leaders who hypnotize you to do things you don’t want to do”. Taking place in a country that lives in the shadow of The Yugoslav Wars, the film’s metaphorical representation of the Serbian government and its nation during that time is not only apparent in the story but is overtly referenced in some dialogue passages (“Vukmir! Sounds like a name of one of our guys at the Hague tribunal”).

I agree the film is a metaphor – an extremely powerful one at that…but WOW! – this is simply the most shocking, controversial film ever released to mainstream theaters…Look at what has happened upon release:

The Serbian state prosecution opened an investigation to find out if the film violates the law. It was investigated for elements of crime against sexual morals and crime related to the protection of minors.

It was banned by a court in San Sebastián, Spain for “threatening sexual freedom” and thus could not be shown in the 21st Horror and Fantasy Film Festival. The film was shown at an adults-only screening at the Spanish Sitges Film Festival during October 2010. As a result, the festival’s director Ángel Sara was ARRESTED and charged with exhibiting child pornography by the Spanish prosecutor who decided to take action in May 2011 after receiving a complaint from a Roman Catholic organization over a pair of scenes involving the rapes of a young child and a newborn. The charges were later dropped.

On November 26, 2010, the film was refused classification by the Australian Classification Board, banning sales and public showings of the film in Australia. However, on April 5, 2011, the Australian Classification Board approved a censored version of the film. However, later in 2011, the censored version was also re-refused classification after review.

On July 12 and 16, 2011, the film was screened at FANTASPOA in Porto Alegre, Brazil and at least at one other film festival in the country, before being banned just before a screening in Rio de Janeiro. Initially the ban applied only in Rio, but afterwards the decision became valid throughout the country, pending further judgement of the film.

But Then There Are Awards, Too…

As controversial as this film is, it has also been critically acclaimed. On March 2011, A Serbian Film won the Special Jury Prize in the 31st edition of Fantasporto, Portugal’s biggest film festival, in Porto. It was banned in Norway on account of sexual representation of children and extreme violence in a fictional medium. It is one of the few modern day movies to be banned in Norway – the first since Takeshi Miike’s “Ichi The Killer” (2001)

I have seen reviews that apologized for making it to the end of the film – reviews that demanded you NOT TO WATCH - I can’t argue that, but now you know what the fuss is all about – it is, without question, the most extreme movie ever made.

Thanks for reading this look at the world’s most extreme films – I would love to hear your thoughts!