DVD and Blu-Ray News: Inferno

Coming on August 2nd from Arrow Video in the UK is Dario Argento's Inferno on both DVD and Blu-Ray. Once again, my colleagues and I from High Rising Productions have had a hand in the plentiful extras so take a look at what to expect:

THIS AMAZING 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION CONTAINS:

- Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned art work

- Double-sided fold out Poster

- Collector’s Booklet featuring brand new writing on Inferno by Alan Jones, author of Profondo Argento

- High Definition Presentation of the film (1080p)

- Optional 7.1 DTS-HD/2.0 Stereo Audio

SPECIAL FEATURES:

- Introduction to Inferno by star Daria Nicolodi

- Dario's Inferno (16 mins interview with Dario Argento)

- Acting in Hot Water: An Interview with Daria Nicolodi (18 mins interview)

- The Other Mother: Making the Black Cat (16 mins) In 1989 director Luigi Cozzi (a long time friend and collaborator of Dario Argento) decided to make the unofficial follow-up to Inferno and 'complete' the Three Mothers legacy. This feature looks at the torrid history of The Black Cat, with plenty of clips too!

- Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror (57 mins) Mark Kermode narrates this documentary on Argento’s career including interviews with George A. Romero and John Carpenter

- The Complete Dario Argento Trailer Gallery [18 films]

- Easter Egg (5 mins of Dario Argento in English, with random memories of Inferno)

Pre-Order the Blu-Ray or DVD now from Amazon

DVD Review: Without Trace

Without Trace (aka ...A Tutte Le Auto Della Polizia)

Italy 1975
Director: Mario Caiano
Writers: Fabio Pittorru & Massimo Felisatti
Starring: Antonio Sabato, Luciana Paluzzi, Enrico Maria Salerno, Gabriele Ferzetti, Elio Zamuto.
DVD Released: April 27th 2010
Cert: NR
Running Time: 99 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Mya Communication
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film:

A bunch of filthy rich snobs relax around the massive swimming pool at the palatial estate of Professore Andrea Icardi as his precocious teenage daughter Carla strips down to her undies and takes a dip, to the delight of quite a few of the male onlookers. Yup she's a bit of a Lolita this one, no sooner has she finished teasing her father's friends than she's sneaking off after school for an illicit hook up with...well who knows? Coming home late Professore Icardi finds that his daughter still hasn't returned home and after checking around it's soon apparent she's missing 'Without Trace'. Better call in the local coppers then, led by 70's Italian Burt-Reynolds-a-like Antonio Sabato as Commissario Fernando Solmi; a loose cannon cop who lives on the edge and doesn't play by the rules. As you'd imagine Solmi isn't particularly fond of the upper class and especially doesn't like the inequality shown by the massive police mobilisation to find the (probably just runaway) daughter of a rich bloke. However when Carla's body is discovered in a lake, weighted down with her Vespa (nice!) it's not long before Solmi's getting too close to the case (probably because of his wife's unexplained briefly mentioned death) and verbally showering his contempt for perverts and hustlers at anyone within earshot. Especially that bloke running the skeezy bordello full of underage girls where Carla's schoolfriends all seem to work! With the evidence building via tyre tracks, bullet casings, a suspicious packet of Benson & Hedges and the testimony of a sweaty peeping tom that witnessed Carla's final moments the cops get ever closer to nailing their target which leads the diabolical villain to start killing all those that know anything about him in a desperate and bloody attempt to evade capture.

For it's first hour or so this is a steadily entertaining Italian police procedural flick (or poliziotteschi as this particular sub-genre might be classified). Despite it's 70's trappings and obligatory occasional flashes of full frontal female nudity it's held up well over the years. It even features an eerily familiar forensics lab scene; funky music plays as various white-coated geeks look through microscopes and process evidence - CSI Lazio anyone? Seemingly unable to hold this dramatic tension any longer however the film reverts to Giallo-tinged black gloved throat slitting's and garroting in it's final act which pretty much spurts arterial blood all over it's carefully built up storyline and rushes things to an action packed car chase of a conclusion that leaves you feeling somewhat let-down. The reveal of the killer is well handled however and surprisingly (for this genre) he turns out not to be a complete nut job but an almost sympathetic character. Another in the line of "schoolgirl gialli" then that were so popular round about this time (thanks to Massimo Dallamano and the likes of What Have You Done To Solange and What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, etc) - films that usually managed to be hypocritically moralistic as well as sexually exploitative. To be fair though this one is far less sleazy than it could be and all the better for it. The film also benefits greatly from an excellent turn by Sabato as the hard-nosed cop and the criminally underused ex-Bond girl Gabriele Ferzetti as his partner! Oh and the film's original Italian title A Tutte Le Auto Della Polizi (Calling All Police Cars) is a far more fitting one than Without Trace really given the nature of the plot.

The Disc:

Very nice anamorphic transfer, colours look well saturated and the image is clean and well detailed overall. Audio is the original Italian mono with optional English subtitles, it's a clean and clear track. More like this please Mya!

An odd but entertaining combination of Italian 70's hard-boiled cop flick and serial killer slasher movie!

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

DVD Review: Crime of Passion

Crime of Passion (aka Delitto Passionale)

Italy 1994
Director: Flavio Mogherini
Writers: Flavio Mogherini & Daniele Stroppa
Starring: Serena Grandi, Florinda Bolkan, Fabio Testi, Paul Martignetti, Vesela Dimitrova.
DVD Released: April 27th 2010
Cert: NR
Running Time: 103 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Full Frame NTSC
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo Italian, Dolby Digital Stereo English
Subtitles: N/A
Distributor: Mya Communication
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film:

Peter Doncev (the fabulous Fabio Testi) has a slag for a wife. She may be a famous writer and a bit posh but she has a tendency to sneak out for a spot of after hours extra-marital rumpy pumpy with the English Ambassador whenever she gets the chance and not even her wheelchair bound daughter Anna can guilt mommy into staying at home when she's got the horn. On her latest carnal excursion however she is brutally (luckily post-coitally) murdered in her cheap hotel room. Enter young rookie detective Ivan Zanova (Paul Martignetti) and his crinkly beret wearing Wilford-Brimley-moustached partner/mentor to investigate. There are plenty of suspects to go around, including Peter's randy sister-in-law Tania (Serena 'bad boob job' Grandi), his secretary Milena (Anna Maria Petrova), his wife's professional rival alcoholic aging bint Giulia (Florinda Balkan), the list goes on and on. The aforementioned cops spend most of the film chatting leisurely to these people, in no great hurry to find the killer. Hell Inspector Ivan even finds time to take crippled Anna out on the town, well to a local gypsy encampment anyway, for an impromptu jam session (he plays saxophone) with the creepy gypos. While his partner Brimley-tache spends most of the film hairy stark bollock naked in a bath house/spa where Ivan also has to shed his clothes and grab his limp member to report in on a regular basis. Eventually the killer strikes again and is almost immediately caught...THE END!

It's a 90's giallo apparently, not the genre's best decade it seems. Featuring quite a few familiar genre faces but none of the charm, mystery or style of it's predecessors. Why the director/writer's thought it would be a good idea to have this Italian production set in Russia (presumably) is something of a mystery in itself - I kept having Nam-style flashbacks to Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow, spookily also filmed in 1994, and wishing occasionally that I was watching that movie instead. Martignetti is the films protagonist, the main copper, the performance that really does make or break a film like this and he is a truly irritating screen presence unfortunately; the weediest, wettest, woefully inept screen detective ever. Even the lure of Serena Grandi's criminally underutilized dirty pillows couldn't save this film.

The Disc:

1.33:1 Full frame transfer looks a bit soft but is generally OK for a VHS transfer. Audio options include; a dubbed English stereo track that sounds fine (the accents are all over the place though from Russian to English to American) and an original Italian stereo track with no optional English subtitles, that's right NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES, what's the point in that? Another disappointing Mya presentation.

Ultimately this plays like a low budget Italian TV thriller.

DVD Review: Sweet Teen

Sweet Teen (aka L’adolescente)

Italy 1976
Director: Alfonso Brescia
Writers: Alfonso Brescia (writer), Aldo Crudo (screenplay & story), Piero Regnoli (writer)
Starring: Tuccio Musumeci, Daniela Giordano, Sonia Viviani, Raffaele Sparanero, Malisa Longo, Dagmar Lassander DVD Released: April 27th 2010
Cert: NR
Running Time: 97 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Full Frame NTSC
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo Italian
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Mya Communication
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

Welcome to scenic Sicily in the politically incorrect mid-1970s. Hapless little weasel Vito Gnaula (Tuccio Musumeci) has made the big move down from Northern Italy and spends his days sitting around al fresco with his best buds ogling the passing totty over an espresso and a well trimmed pencil moustache. When he spots the gorgeous Grazia Serritella (Daniela Giordano) wiggling her way through the market the middle-aged horndog is smitten and heads off in pursuit. Turns out she works at her father's pharmacy and is heiress to her grandfather's fortune (and company), which will be legally hers when she finally gets married. Trouble is she's a bit of a puritan so Vito has to make do with getting a sly peek at her knickers by requesting the medicine bottle from the top shelf and sending her up the ladder to fetch. Not one to give up so easily however, Vito throws himself into courting Grazia and his efforts eventually pay off somewhat with a furtive if violently frustrating sexual encounter in a cheap hotel room that ends in a shotgun wedding.

Cut to one year later and Vito's suffering from a serious case of blueballs, his marriage hasn't yet been consummated. Grazia however is fully satisfied as she's sneaking off to meet her secret lover Antonio. It seems she only married poor Vito so she could get her hands on the inheritance. But let's not cry too hard for Vito seeing as he's now living in luxury, director of a big company and has a red-headed secretary called Katia (Dagmar Lassander) who just can't get enough of the diminutive ferret, although she is a bit high maintenance to the extent that Vito's now ducking her calls and heading off for a break in the countryside. But with the introduction of his wife's niece, 19 year old Serenella (Sonia Viviani, the titular Sweet Teen) he's soon walking funny again as she parades around his house in her skimpies playing with her pussy - that's a wee kitten you dirty minded perverts! Will Uncle Vito succumb to temptation? Will he ever discover Grazia's infidelity? Will there be a Carry On style bedroom swapping runaround that ends in two naked men sharing a bed? You'll just have to watch it and see won't you!

These are low-end Italian sex farce shenanigans. Minimal budget, maximum sleaze. Not all that different from the UK output of the same period - think Confessions Of A Window Cleaner and the like. Tuccio Musumeci comes across like a human cartoon character with his excessive gurning, eye-popping and rapidly bobbing adam's apple. That's not to say it doesn't have it's funny moments though - for example Malisa Longo's all too brief appearance as a rug munching nutjob sex therapist is great but unfortunately these moments are few and far between. The interim made up of copious amounts of bare flesh may assuage your funny bone to some extent but if it doesn't stiffen your other bone then you're probably in for a long night here.

The Disc:

1.33:1 Full frame transfer looks a bit dodgy with faces sometimes being halved off screen suggesting that it really should be a slightly wider ratio. Image is a little fuzzy due to this obviously being a VHS based transfer, colours are fine if a little muted. Audio is Italian (there is quite a bit of background noise throughout) with optional English subtitles (there are quite a few little errors in the track). Bit of a disappointing presentation really.


There are better Italian sex comedies of this period but then if you're a fan you've probably seen them all, if not best start with them and leave this one for later!

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

DVD News: Deep Contact & Ninja Pussy Cat

Out on June 1st from Pink Eiga comes Deep Contact and Ninja Pussy Cat! This great Californian DVD outfit just keep delivering, cast your eyes over the details:

DEEP CONTACT

The years is 1999, and a comet is on a collision course with Earth! WATARU is kidnapped and taken to a secret hospital where the chief scientist tells him that he has a unique sexual psychokinetic ability that can save humankind. Together with the sexy scientist, IKUKO, who also has sexual psycho-kinetic abilities, they screw to save the planet from ARMAGEDDON!

Directed by Yukio Kitazawa, Deep Contact is a sexy and hilarious, sci-fi romance!

Extras:

• Japanese Language with English Subtitles
• Widescreen Presentation
• Still Image Slideshow
• “Deep Contact” Original Artwork
• “Deep Contact” International Trailers
• Cast and Crew Biographies and Filmographies
• Interview with Director Yukio Kitazawa
• Video Commentary with Cast and Crew
• Sneak Peeks: More PINK EIGA Trailers

NINJA PUSSY CAT

In 16th century Japan, Kotaro the Ninja is murdered after discovering that the Shogun and his son - the heir apparent - are not related. Now it is up to Kotaro's ninja daughter, KAEDE, to avenge her father's death using sexy and deadly ninja fighting techniques that she invents herself!

Hiroyuki Kawasaki's NINJA PUSSY CAT was a huge hit in Japan and made the sexy MASHIRO a star while also spawning the popular LADY NINJA KASUMI & KAEDE series! The film had its North American premier at the popular 2009 San Francisco Another Hole in the Head Film Festival.

Extras:

• Japanese Language with English Subtitles
• 5.1 Surround Sound
• Widescreen Presentation
• Still Image Slideshow
• “Ninja Pussy Cat” Original Artwork
• “Ninja Pussy Cat” International Trailers
• Cast and Crew Biographies and Filmographies
• Introduction by Director Hiroyuki Kawasaki & Actress Yoko Satomi
• Featurette: Interview With Director Hiroyuki Kawasaki
• Featurette: Interview With Actress Yoko Satomi
• Sneak Peeks: More PINK EIGA Trailers

DVD News: City of the Living Dead

You may remember I worked on most of the extras of the forthcoming DVD and Blu-Ray of Lucio Fulci's "City of the Living Dead" so I'm delighted to say that early reviews and comments have been very encouraging - long may they continue.
Here is a selection so far of reviews that have appeared online:

DVD Beaver

Film School Rejects

MyReviewer

Geek Planet Online

SGM

DVD News and Contest: Electra Elf and Fluffer

Perhaps one for our US friends, but I have a copy of Electra Elf and Fluffer from MVD Visual up for grabs today! Described as "...simply the best TV show that has ever been produced on any budget. Last night's episode had me laughing my ass off!" this local cable show from Nick Zedd seems to have a big cult following.

This 4-disc DVD set contains all 20 episodes and loads of extras so if you want a copy all I need is you to send an email with your name and mailing address to dvdtrash@another.com. 1st email I receive wins the DVD!

NOW CLOSED - WELL DONE TO THE WINNER!

DVD Review: Blind Love

Blind Love

Japan 2005
Dir: Daisuke Goto
Starring: Konatsu, Shota Kotagi, Yota Kawase, Horyu Nakamura, Yutaka Ikejima.
DVD Released: 23rd Nov 2009
Cert: NR
Running Time: 65 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

Blind Love tells the tale of hard-up, middle-aged, short-arse ventriloquist Daisuke (Shota Kotaki) who performs his old-fashioned routine to almost empty theatres on a nightly basis. He does have one fan though, Hikari (Konatsu), a blind girl who loves the sound of Daisuke's voice. When she finally plucks up the courage to go backstage and meet him she stumbles and falls into the arms of his tall, good looking, young apprentice Yoichi (Yota Kawase) and mistakes him for Daisuke, who plays along in the moment thinking that she might be a nutter of some kind.

Before you know it the guys are taking Hikari out on the town, with Daisuke using Yoichi like a human ventriloquist's dummy. And for a while it's all fun, games and hard drinking until Hikari wants to have sex. Cue the world's most awkward threesome as Daisuke has to make like the invisible man in the corner of the bedroom. Of course Daisuke has actually started to fall in love with Hikari and begins to resent his assistant, not difficult really seeing as Yoichi's pretty much a thoughtless slimebag that'll shag anything in a kimono (and I mean anything, there's a terrifying scene involving a fat chick and copious underarm hair). Yoichi causes further damage when he speaks to Hikari on the phone and teases her about her sexual activities implying that Daisuke has been crudely bragging about bedding a blind girl. Thus armed with a pair of massive platform shoes Daisuke sets out to prove his love and win over Hikari......

My only experiences of Pink Eiga before this feature were two instalments of the Groper Train series; weird, wacky,very sleazy and occasionally quite funny. So finding this one to be a well thought out, funny, almost sweet, low budget indie rom-dramedy dressed up as a Japanese softcore sleaze flick is quite a pleasant surprise. It still contains the requisite sex scenes but they are very much incidental to the overall plot, if a tad lengthy. It is essentially a re-imagining of Cyrano de Bergerac trampling on Chaplin's Limelight dragged kicking and screaming through a Von Trier/Dogme flick (via it's bittersweet ending) unbelievably enough! Not without it's flaws, mainly due to it's low budget and rushed production I'm sure but I'd be very curious indeed to discover what director Daisuke Goto could do with a proper budget and a shot at the mainstream.

The Disc

Another soft 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles from Pink Eiga. Standard 2.0 Japanese language audio mix.

Extras - Based around the film's screening at the New York Asian Film Festival this disc contains a surprising and very informative package of special features.

Audio commentary with director Daisuke Goto and cinematographer Masahide Iioka recorded the day after the NYAFF screening, it's a breezy, very enjoyable discussion about all aspects of the production and even a few quite amusing anecdotes, worth noting there are no English subs for this track, however a spoken English translation track is included.

Interview with director Daisuke Goto, running at 18 minutes this is a very frank chat with Daisuke ranging from his early career to the Japanese film industry to his Pink movies and finally to his memories of making Blind Love.

Interview with cinematographer Masahide Iioka, clocking in at 10 minutes, discussions mainly centers on Masahide's experience of working with Daisuke and technical info on making Blind Love.

Introduction to Blind Love, is a brief intro with Daisuke and Masahide filmed just before the NYAFF screening in front of the audience.

Q&A with Daisuke Goto, was filmed right after the screening. Here the NYAFF audience get to ask the director and his cinematographer a few questions. Runs for 13 mins.

Plus there are also a few text based bios about the actors and director, an original theatrical trailer, photo gallery.

A fun little film about people obsessed with self-loathing finding love!

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

DVD Review: Groper Train: Wedding Capriccio

Groper Train: Wedding Capriccio

Japan 1984
Dir: Yojiro Takita
Starring: Yukijiro Hotaru, Yuka Takemura, Yutaka Ikejima, Yoshimi Kai, Rei Matsubara, Tatsuya Nagatomo, Yonosuke Tatekawa, Shuji Kataoka, Shinji Kubo, Katsuo Sakai.
DVD Released: 23rd Nov 2009
Cert: NR
Running Time: 67 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

There's discord at the Kuroda Private Eye office as Ippei Kuroda's (Yukijiro Hotaru) assistant Hamako (Yuka Takemura) is about to get a visit from her fiance. An arranged marriage, Hamako's having none of it so she heads out and grabs herself the first guy that touches her up on the express train. Despite appearing to be mentally retarded, her new man Gin, sporting a Napoleon hat and conducting imaginary symphonies wherever he goes, appears to be rich so Hamako's happy to be his sextoy for a couple of days until her arranged fiance gets the idea and leaves her alone.

Meanwhile Kuroda's got himself a case; a dying billionaire wants his missing daughter, Hiromi, found before he shuffles off. Distinguishing features of said missing girl; diamond filling in a back tooth. Of course Kuroda's going to head back to the express train (well this is Groper Train) dressed as a dentist he makes the women say aaahhhh via some panties-based action in the hopes of finding Hiromi, but to no avail.

Things get more complicated as people start getting bumped off; beginning with Hiromi, then her billionaire father, then her brother (who it turns out is aforementioned nutbag Gin) plus the arrival of Hamako's fiance, Kuma, a gaptoothed Japanese redneck riding a tractor and carrying a shotgun. Once again it's a race against time as Kuroda and Hamako try to find the killer and get in as much kinky sex as they can before they too fall victim to the mystery assassin.

Another schizophrenic Pink Eiga production then. Again directed by Oscar winner Yojiro Takita. A pedestrian murder/mystery plotline spiced up with some very dodgy sex scenes and topped off by a delightfully absurd homage to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind via a musical Casio calculator and a light-saber penis that has to be seen to be believed.

The Disc

Better looking presentation than Groper Train: Black Pearl, but still a soft 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles.

Standard 2.0 Japanese language audio mix.

Extras include a 5 minute featurette entitled Riding the Groper Train: Part 2 The Rise and Fall of Groper Train, in which actor/director Yutaka Ikejima (about to start production on his 109th! pink film) explains how the Groper Train series came to an end and the possible beginning of a new series Groper Hot Spring!
There are also a few text based bios about the actors and director.

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

DVD Review: Groper Train: Search for the Black Pearl

Japan 1984
Dir: Yojiro Takita
Starring: Yukijiro Hotaru, Yuka Takemura, Naoto Takenaka, Tomoyasu Shu, Kaoru Kaze, Kazumi Kimura, Serina Miyabi, Mitsuo Nakayama
DVD Released: 23rd Nov 2009
Cert: NR
Running Time: 64 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic NTSC
Audio: Japanese DD2.0
Subtitles: English
Distributor: Pink Eiga
Region: 0 NTSC

The Film

Groper Train: Search For The Black Pearl

The action kicks off in Manchuria, 1928; a shell shocked Japanese soldier, Gohei Yamamori, making his way wearily through the desert stumbles across a severed hand sporting a black pearl ring. As the credits roll we cut to 1984; a crowded Japanese commuter train, it's Gohei again (much older), fingerbanging a woman (much younger) in the back carriage (snigger). Unfortunately for him he has a stroke mid-stroke and next thing you know he's on his deathbed begging his nurse/wife Matsuko for one last quickie before he'll give up the location of his priceless black pearl. With his last gasping breath he utters; 'pussy print'. Yup, an inked vagina pressed on paper and framed on the wall, unfortunately damaged in a fire.

With no idea how this odd piece of art relates to where the black pearl might be hidden Matsuko (in between shagging her son-in-law) seeks professional assistance and who better to help find a wayward pussy but a private dick; Groper Train series veterans Ippei Kuroda (Yukijiro Hotaru) and his assistant Hamako (Yuka Takemura) are soon on the case. The vagina in question belongs to Gohei's missing niece Yoko so in the hopes of finding her and thus making a new undamaged print Kuroda decides to go pussy hunting...on the train....during rush hour. After multiple gropings and a couple of nasty surprises (bloody tampon, fresh turd) Kuroda strikes gold and finds horny Yoko!

At this point the Great Mystery Writer Seicho Matsuki (Naoto Takenaka) is also called in to assist in the case. First he's going to need a good long look at the original vagina that made the print! Better be fast though because as the investigation progresses Gohei's niece and son are both murdered, but by whom? 

Will Kuroda and Hamako figure it out before they become the killer's next victims? And more importantly will there be a final act homage to Flashdance in which Hamako trains to make her pussy tighter? Yes. Yes there will.

This was my first experience of Pink Eiga and it's some truly weird and wacky stuff. According to the Pink genre 'rules' these films must be low budget, around an hour in length, filmed quickly and most importantly contain a good number of sex scenes. It may seem nuts basing an entire series of films around the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of groping women on crowded trains but what's crazier is that at the peak of their popularity 20 of these were being released per year! It seems that these films provided an outlet for new and experimental filmmakers as evidenced by the off-beat and often genuinely funny and surprising technical elements found in this episode - look out for the view from the inside of a vagina. Oh and the director of this particular entry in the series, Yojiro Takita, won Japan's first, and thus far only, Oscar for best foreign language film in 2009 for the excellent Departures.

The Disc

Distinctly average looking presentation, soft 1.85:1 non-anamorphic transfer with hard-matted English subtitles. Standard 2.0 Japanese language audio mix.

Extras include a 7 minute featurette entitled Riding the Groper Train: An Interview With Mr. Pink, in which actor/director Yutaka Ikejima (about to start production on his 109th! pink film) explains how the Groper Train series came about. There are also a few text based bios about the actors and director.

The Japanese prove yet again that they are the perviest nation on the planet!

Review by Giuseppe Rijitano

Blu-Ray News: The Sadist

An idyllic Sunday afternoon soon becomes a living nightmare when three schoolteachers’ automobile breaks down and leaves them stranded at a deserted scrap yard. It is then that THE SADIST (Arch Hall, Jr., Wild Guitar) comes out to play. Sporting a maniacal smirk, a loaded gun, and a silent 18-year-old girlfriend (Marilyn Manning, Eegah!), THE SADIST holds the three terror-stricken tutors hostage in order to serve his own perverse pleasures, mercilessly taunting them with promises of death.

THE SADIST was written and directed by James Landis (TV’s “Gunsmoke,” Deadwood ’76, Jennie: Wife/Child) and produced by L. Steven Snyder. It co-stars Richard Alden (TV’s “Hogan’s Heroes”), Don Russell (The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?), and Helen Hovey. It was originally distributed theatrically in the USA by Arch Hall, Sr.’s Fairway International Pictures and has a run time of approximately 92 minutes. The film is Not Rated.

Bonus Material
• Arch Hall, Jr. Interview by Ray Dennis Steckler
• Arch Hall, Jr. Video Songbook
• Reflections on THE SADIST by Johnny Legend
• Original Theatrical Trailers for THE CHOPPERS, EEGAH!, WILD GUITAR, THE SADIST

Available now from AMAZON.COM

A few reviews:

“The way the film depicts the killers is similar to the Hollywood films KALIFORNIA and NATURAL BORN KILLERS…the story is told in ‘real time’…Arch Hall really stands out…” --DVD Cult

“A genuinely tense, nerve-wracking trash thriller heightened by Arch’s moronic sneer and the unbelievable structure of his blonde pompadour.” --Jerry Renshaw, The Houston Chronicle

“A movie so much better than it would seemingly have any right to be, it makes you think that sometimes the Gods of Cinema really do smile down on these things.” --Twisted Pleasures

“Perhaps the most underrated psychological teenage thrill killer exploitation flick ever made. Decades ahead of its time…[an] ultramodern masterpiece.” --Adam Becvar (aka Luigi Bastardo), Blogcritics.org

“THE SADIST still packs a punch and holds up extremely well, remaining one of the best drive-in films of the 1960s…just as good as anything the major studious were churning out at that time.” --George R. Reis, DVDDrive-In.com

Random: Ghostbusters

Via: FuckYeahGhostbusters

DVD Review: Return of the Killer Tomatoes

Another review from Giuseppe, again from the "B-Movie Collection" and this time it's "The Return of the Killer Tomatoes" starring George Clooney. Well, lets ketchup with the review....sorry.

The Review:

It's been 25 years since the Great Tomato War, presumably covered in Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978). Tomatoes are now illegal which makes for interesting alternative pizza sauces (jam, boysenberry, chocolate, etc) prepared by best buds Chad (Anthony Starke) and Matt (George Clooney) at their uncle's pizza place. It's on one of Chad's deliveries to (evil) professor Gangreen's mansion that he meets the beautiful but slightly odd Tara, she 'assists' the professor ("I'm his lover. I also cook, clean, perform 637 sexual acts and use all the popular home appliances"). Chad's smitten but what he doesn't know is that Tara is really a tomato! The prof has been performing illegal genetic experiments and has succeeded in creating a machine which transforms tomatoes into people, soon he will have an army strong enough to take over the world.

Yeah if you haven't realised already this film is a bizarre over the top comedy. But the truly odd thing is it's actually funny! The prof's assistant Igor is a handsome trained news anchorman waiting for his big break, Clooney runs 'meet Rob Lowe' competitions to get women (including Playmate Teri Weigel), Tara turns back into a tomato whenever she hears music (but she loves the farm report), there's a mutant fuzzy tomato (called FT) that throws itself on a grenade to save the day, oh and look out for Michael Jackson, Carmen Miranda, Don Johnson and The Pope. At one point the film simply stops as the production has run out of money, there's a cast and crew meeting and it's decided product placement is the solution, next thing you know everyone's drinking brand name beers, eating candy bars and the mad prof has a Pepsi logo on his back. Similarly when a totally unrelated ninjas versus cowboys fight breaks out in the pizza place Clooney calls a cut and ejects them from the film - meta enough for a Charlie Kaufman fan?

The films success is due in most part to the acting being spot on; John Astin (so very right in The Addams Family so very wrong in most everything else) is perfectly cast as the cackling professor, Anthony Starke throws himself into his role with as much deadly seriousness as he can get away with and even young Clooney is surprisingly good as droopy eyed Lothario Matt but the true standout is Karen Mistal as Tara delivering killer lines with an earnest innocence ("Can I cook you something? How 'bout a blowjob, maybe iron your pants?").

Perfect post-pub entertainment - make it a fully interactive drinking game experience by having another tipple every time someone says tomato!

The Disc:

Presented 1.33:1 full frame, that's the way it was shot. The image looks very good for a low budget 80's feature, strong colours, well saturated. Audio is standard stereo.

DVD Review: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

As part of the newly announced "B-Movie Collection" from Boulevard Entertainment due on May 17th, here is a review of the fantastic Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, from new DVD Trash scribe Giuseppe Rijitano.

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

The Film:

Beware of spectacular cleavage! Well in the movies anyway, I'm looking at you Halle Berry (Catwoman, Swordfish, etc) and you Salma Hayek (After The Sunset, Bandidas, etc) like a siren's song the trailer tempts us poor mortals in with the promise of comedy and/or action all draped between a pair of tanned funbags - but we're inevitably left watching utter shit. Well this particular pair may be paler and from the 80's but I'm going in fully prepared!

Believe it or not; Cassandra Peterson's late night TV horror movie hostess creation Elvira was once so popular she was given her own feature film - well it was 80's USA, Pee Wee Herman was huge, go figure.

We're introduced to Elvira just as she quits her job hosting late night reruns of black and white Roger Corman classics on TV; there's been a change in the ownership of the network and the new head honcho hasn't read the rules on sexual harassment ("It's milkin' time!") so she's off to fulfil her dream of performing in her own Las Vegas show. Trouble is; first she needs to drum up $50,000. As luck would have it Elvira's great aunt has just passed away and there's an inheritance waiting for collection so next stop Fallwell, Massachusetts.

Once she gets there however Elvira finds herself in a conservative little town, seemingly stuck in the 50's, and run by a Mary Whitehouse-type bunch of old biddies. Worse still her aunt's only left her a decrepit house, a recipe book and a poodle in her will. In the hopes of restoring the house and selling it for a profit Elvira uses her charms to coax the teenagers of the town into aiding her in it's repair ("Just grab a tool and start bangin boys!"). Also it turns out Elvira's aunt was an actual witch and the recipe book is really a spell book which evil uncle Vincent (warlock) would dearly love to get his hands on. Roll on the inevitable witch burning and sorcerer's duel!

This is lightweight lowbrow comedy not embarrassed to employ slapstick and straight to camera dialogue gags. What was only mildly shocking in the 80's is ridiculously inoffensive today. That said highlights do include a gross out Elvira-makes-dinner sequence in which the main course tries to eat the diners and then meets the garbage disposal face first and a Flashdance parody (surely a Footloose one would have been more apt)! It all really comes down to Peterson, if you find her portrayal of Elvira (looks like a goth chick, speaks like an acid tongued valley girl cheerleader) amusing or irritating. I came down on the side of amusing in the end. She has a certain charm, above and beyond her bustline, primarily in her comic timing/delivery and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of one liners and put downs at her disposal. It also helps that the cast is made up of a veritable who's who of 80's supporting comedic talent plus the film looks great ($20 million budget reportedly).

Ultimately it's hard not to like a film that refuses to take itself seriously on any level. My final recommendation - far superior to an episode of TV's Charmed!

The Disc:

Anamorphic widescreen, the picture is soft (especially compared to the clean, colourful Region 1 USA release). DTS (unimpressive), 5.1 and 2.0 tracks included. Couple of text bios thrown in as well.

Giuseppe Rijitano

Inglorious Bastards sells big in the UK!

Wow, a Castellari movie sells over 300,000 copies in the UK! Similar in name alone compared to Tarantino's movie that is still impressive!

From the Guardian:

"An obscure dubbed Italian film from 1978 titled Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato has become a surprise hit on DVD in Britain, selling more than 300,000 copies.

This success is explained by the film’s English title - Inglorious Bastards. Fans of Quentin Tarantino have rushed to buy the movie whose name alone inspired his misspelled second world war fantasy Inglourious Basterds.

Distributor Optimum Releasing picked up the UK rights for next to nothing four years ago, as soon as Tarantino announced plans for his film. It released the DVD last August after Tarantino’s movie premiered in Cannes but before its UK opening.

The strategy clearly paid off. Even at a budget price of £4, Inglorious Bastards has grossed well over £1m. Its sales of over 300,000 units must make it one of the bestselling Italian films ever on DVD in the UK. By way of comparison, Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds has sold 788,000 units, albeit at a higher price.

Yet Tarantino has made clear that the title is the only real connection between the two films. Both are set in the second world war, but Enzo G Castellari’s original is about a group of arrested soldiers who escape when their prison train is bombed in Italy, and decide to fight their way to freedom in neutral Switzerland.

The question is, did anyone buy the Italian movie by mistake? There’s no evidence of that from the comments on Amazon. Most say they bought the film out of curiosity to see the “original” on which Tarantino based his opus. While some admit to disappointment, there are also many reviewers willing to praise its cheap and cheerful charms. The DVD extras include Tarantino interviewing Castellari.

By the way, the Italian title literally translates as That Damned Armoured Train. The Inglorious Bastards was just one of several titles under which the film was released at various times in the US, including Counterfeit Commandos, GI Bro, Deadly Mission and Hell’s Heroes.

Optimum has a track record of releasing DVDs with similar titles to high-profile movies. It pulled the same stunt with Zodiac and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Blu-Ray News: Showgirls

Coming June 15th (US) on Blu-Ray is "Showgirls", a film so shockingly bad it's amazing and now in HD! Might have to pick this up when it hits a bargain bin somewhere, so I hope the HD image is excellent! Count the pubes time!

Extras:

- "The Greatest Movie Ever Made": Audio commentary by Showgirls connoisseur David Schmader
- Pole Dancing: Finding Your Inner Stripper
- Lap Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores
- Showgirls Fact-Up Trivia
- A Showgirls Diary

Posters: 80's Horror, Italian Trash and Christy Canyon

Some more lovely Japanese posters have made their way into my collection:

 Savage Fury II (Christy Canyon)

Crime Busters

 Maniac

 House

More pics of my other Japanese buys: HERE and HERE

DVD Review: Agent 69 Jensen

Another updated review of mine is up at Cinema Nocturna, this time for the vey funny and bawdy Danish crime and smut capers starring Torbin Bille and Anna Bergman.

Book News: Giallo and Thrilling all'Italiana

From Glittering Images:

Sadistic black-dressed maniacs, naked women for the assassin, the extravagant aesthetics of murder, titles worthly of a bestiary of fantastique, all this and more characterize the Italian-styled thrillers and giallos. From the most prestigious authors to the more obscure and rare films. The most complete illustrated filmography on the genre, more than 300 titles with relative index and notes. Moreover, a detailed bibliography and discography make this reference book a veritable "must" for the fan.

Available in May 2010

Blu-Ray Review: The Ipcress File

My updated review of the The Ipcress File on Blu Ray is up over at Cinema Nocturna, go check it out!