Celebrating Black History Month

I decided that I would celebrate Black History Month this year by watching nothing but Blaxploitation films for the whole month of February. One of the coolest and funnest sub genre of exploitation films, Blaxploitation has it all. Violence, sex, comedy, floppy hats, white suits, gold chains...you name it.

Expect lots and lots of reviews this month for the best in Blaxploitation. As a crossover with my Jack Hill reviews, the first two I will be reviewing will be Coffy and Foxy Brown. Stay tuned...

Switchblade Sisters (1974, Jack Hill)

Getting sick of my Jack Hill reviews? Tough shit. Actually you are in luck because there are only a couple left (My Sorceress review will be last because I haven't actually watched my VHS copy yet due to the sheer inconvenience of the VHS format). Switchblade Sisters was released on DVD on Miramax films via Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder label, pretty odd considering it is a low budget, mid 70's exploitation film about a female gang. The fact Tarantino single handedly brought this film to a wide audience is amazing and really what I love about him (besides his movies). He is in the position to get people to watch these hidden gems, which is great.

Switchblade Sisters follows the Dagger Debs, a gang of under aged girls whose boyfriends are in a gang called the Silver Daggers. They do what they want, cause trouble wherever they go and, along with the Silver Daggers, run their school. Lace (Robbie Lee), the leader of the Debs befriends Maggie (Joanne Nail), a new recruit who starts messing around with Lace's boyfriend Dominic (Asher Brauner). Lace plots against Maggie while the Silver Daggers begin a war with a new local gang, led by Crabs (Chase Newhart).

Switchblade Sisters may well be Hill's best movie. If not, I'd say it's the most representative of his career. It has pretty much everything in it that makes Hill's films so fun: violence, profanity, great characters, humor and outrageousness. The characters are definitely the highlight though. Each one is well thought out and play an integral part of the film, making it the classic that it is. The cast pull off the parts perfectly. Robbie Lee is so annoying as the ever snarling Lace, that you can't help but be amazed by her. She's like a little kid who throws a fit every time she doesn't get what she wants. Joanne Nail as Maggie is also excellent. A perfect combination of sugar and spice.

P.S. - The DVD of this film has an intro and outro by Tarantino, trailers to all of Hill's films and it even has Hill's first student film The Host (starring Sid Haig), which has been said to have inspired the last act of (Hill's classmate) Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.

RATING: 9/10

Big Bird Cage (1972, Jack Hill)

For the longest time I would always get the titles to The Big Bird Cage and The Big Doll House mixed up. The films themselves are pretty similar (even some of the actors are the same) plus the fact they have the same director and producer. I saw The Big Bird Cage shortly after I discovered Jack Hill and I was a little disappointed by it. I was actually surprised by it in some ways too (I'll elaborate more as we go on). Coffy and Switchblade Sisters had blown me away and it wasn't until this film that I started to lose interest in Hill's films (though only temporarily). It would be over a year later that I would watch Swinging Cheerleaders and realize that I had written Mr. Hill off far too soon. Anyway, I decided to give it another chance.

The Big Bird Cage takes place in (you guessed it) a women's prison, this time it's actually more of an outdoor jungle prison. The women are made to work in the fields or in a huge structure called The Big Bird Cage, which is used to make sugar. Occasionally "accidents" happen on the Big Bird Cage so it is usually the lazy or the trouble making girls that are made to work in it. Terry (The Price is Right's Anitra Ford) is mistakenly arrested for a robbery and, despite her innocence, is sent to the women's prison, mainly because it is known that she has slept with many political leaders. Soon, a woman named Blossom (Pam Grier) and her boyfriend Django (Sid Haig), who were the real robbers that got Terry in trouble, infiltrate the prison (as a prisoner and gay guard, respectively) to plan a break out for the women.

The Big Bird Cage unfortunately does not live up to the standards of it's previous film The Big Doll House. The story is decent and the set designs are great (Hill's father actually built the Big Bird Cage). The characters are interesting but not as fun as in Big Doll House. The film is very dated and politically incorrect, which adds some comedy to the story (in the form of two gay guards and their attempts to win the affection of Django). Grier and Haig steal the show as usual, but Anitra Ford is also nice to watch. The most surprising thing about the film is its lack of seriousness. When I first read about this film (and Hill's films in general), I thought they would be more serious films, or at least take themselves seriously. This film seemed a little too tongue in cheek for it's own good. I'd recommend a watch but there are better choices out there.

RATING: 5/10

Big Doll House (1971, Jack Hill)

Ah, the good old WIP genre. What is WIP? Well any self respecting sleazy film auteur could tell you that WIP stands for Women in Prison, a self explanatory genre that most would say began in 1969 with Jess Franco's 99 Women. Roger Corman's idea to do his own WIP film came shortly after and Jack Hill was chosen to direct the film. Though originally written to take place in California, Corman chose to have it made in the Philippines to save money. Notable as being Pam Grier's film debut (not including a bit part in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), The Big Doll House became one of the highest grossing low budget films of its time and further inspired many more WIP films to come.

The Big Doll House takes place in a women's prison in some tropical, third world country. A woman named Collier (Judy Brown) is imprisoned for killing her husband. She becomes cellmates with a lesbian named Grear (Pam Grier), her junkie bitch Harrad (Brooke Mills), revolutionary Bodine (Pat Woodell) and man hungry Alcott (Roberta Collins). They are frequently tormented by crooked warden Dietrich (Christiane Schmidtmer) and plan a jail break.

The Big Doll House was a fun movie and far less serious than I was expecting. Jack Hill has a knack of not taking his subject matter too seriously, which is usually a good thing. The situations and characters are so over the top that trying to take the film seriously would be a huge mistake. Though there is lots of humor, the film has other things going for it too. There is the obvious sexuality in the film, which includes showers, cat fights, mud wrestling and S&M/torture. Exactly what you'd hope for in a WIP film. The cast really makes the film though, with Pam Grier as hot as ever. Roberta Collins and Judy Brown are also quite sexiful and can actually act (not a necessity, but a plus). As usual in many of Jack Hill's films is Sid Haig, the other usual show stealer. He does a great job playing a delivery man who sneaks goods in for the inmates. Overall, The Big Doll House is a fun exploitation film that is full of what you'd expect from a WIP film but with comedic touches to ensure the audience doesn't take the film too seriously.

RATING: 7/10

Pom Pom Girls (1976, Joseph Ruben)

Pom Pom Girls is a film that really surprised me. Ever see a movie that wasn't at all what you were hoping for, but ended up being something way better...profound even? Yes, I am talking about a film called Pom Pom Girls. When I was a teenager, I loved horny teenage movies about the stuff in high school that I was too shy to experience first hand. Living vicariously through these wild and crazy teenagers was the next best thing. I first rented Pom Pom Girls when I was around 16, in hopes of another silly teen comedy. What I got was something more. Much more.

Pom Pom Girls takes place at Rosedale High. Summer has just ended and it's the Senior year for Jesse (Michael Mullins) and Johnnie (Robert Carradine). They are both trouble making, football players who like to drink and mess around with girls. They both have feelings for Sally (Lisa Reeves), who is going out with the (wannabe) tough guy of the school, Duane (Bill Adler). At the same time though, Jesse starts falling for nice girl Laurie (Jennifer Ashley). On top of their girl troubles, local Hardin High begins a rivalry with the Rosedale football players which starts to get messy.

In what seems to be a straight forward teen comedy, Pom Pom Girls ends up being one of the most realistic teen movies I have ever seen. Though I wasn't a football player or a ladies man in High School, when I saw this film back in my teens, I connected with the characters and the situations they faced. I envied what these guys were going through with girls and just teenage life in general. I wanted to be these guys. I wanted to be at their high school. Despite the fact this film came out 20 years before I was in high school, I could still relate to what was going on. It had been over 20 years since the last time I watched this film, but after seeing it again, I would still say that Pom Pom Girls is the best film about teen life ever made.

RATING: 10/10

Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper (1981, Joe D'Amato)

Anthro-po....Anthropo....What? Took me a long time of studying and saying different possibilities out loud before I could finally say Anthropophagus. Anthropophagy is the consumption of human flesh, so that pretty much let's you in on what the film is all about. Not that you'd really expect much else after seeing any of the movie posters/home video boxes.

A group of friends on vacation are asked by a young woman named Carol (Tisa Farrow) to tag along with them as they visit some tropical islands. She is babysitting a rich couple's kid while on vacation, which in turn means she gets a free vacation. When they stop at the island, they notice no one is around but soon find out something isn't right. The radio equipment is smashed and they soon start locating mutilated corpses. The girl Carol is to babysit, who we find out is blind, shows up in hysterics, claiming that there is a monster out there who smells of blood. Before long, they realize she is right and they must face their worst nightmare - a cannibal monster - Anthropophagus.

Anthropophagus was, above all else, a creepy movie. It just felt dirty and grimy and out of the ordinary. I also knew with Joe D'Amato and Italian B movie star George Eastman, that this film could be hit or miss, probably a miss. For the most part, Anthropophagus is actually a success, with a script by Eastman and D'Amato (under their real names). The only real drawback I noticed was the slowness of the script. Though these scenes were actually meant (and they were largely successful) to create tension, allowing the creature to pop out of nowhere and eat someone. Eastman does a great job as the monster and the rest of the cast are mediocre but serve their purpose. The real payoff for the film are a couple of really nasty scenes that add a lot to the creepiness factor. There are a few scenes where stuff/the monster pop out and are successful in startling you. Overall, a sick, twisted, gross and quite enjoyable horror film.

RATING: 7/10

Movies Watched 10/1/09 - 12/31/09

2009, where did you go? Very interesting year in many ways. It's hard to believe it's over. The past decade as a whole was pretty crazy. Though this is the first year I've actually kept a record of all the movies I've watched, it's a safe bet that I watched more this year than any year in the past. 2010 will promise to be a very hectic, exciting and scary year based on what I already have planned out so I'm sure the movie watching will be a little more erratic, but I'll try to keep the blog going as long as I can. You've probably noticed a lull in the blog for the past month or two, but stick with me and I'll do what I can to put up reviews as frequently as possible.

Anyhoo, Happy New Year!

Here's what I watched in the 4th Quarter. Feel free to comment about any of the movies or send me a message or whatever. I love hearing from you all:

10/1
Island of the Fishmen

10/2
Exorcism (Paul Naschy)

10/3
The Antichrist
Lisa and the Devil

10/4
House of Exorcism
Exorcist 2: The Heretic

10/5
Exorcist III: Legion

10/6
Trick 'r Treat

10/8
Hills Run Red

10/9
Paranormal Activity

10/10
Saw
Saw 2

10/11
Saw 3
Rec

10/12
Saw 4

10/13
Martyrs
Zombieland

10/14
Saw 5

10/15
Happy Birthday to Me

10/16
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
Tourist Trap

10/17
Roadgames
Pit and the Pendulum (Vincent Price)

10/18
He Knows You're Alone
Funhouse

10/19
Night of the Creeps

10/20
Fade to Black

10/21
Halloween III: Season of the Witch

10/22
House of 1000 Corpses

10/23
Saw 6

10/24
Creepshow

10/25
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

10/27
Sleepy Hollow
Hell Night

10/28
Re-Animator

10/31
Dawn of the Dead

11/2
Little Children

11/5
Love at First Bite

11/9
God Told Me To

11/12
Maniac Cop

11/14
Maniac Cop 2

11/15
Maniac Cop 3

11/17
The Thing Called Love

11/21
Rome Armed to the Teeth

11/23
Where the Day Takes You

11/24
High Crime

11/25
Brainstorm

11/27
Dreamscape

12/1
8 1/2

12/2
The Gate

12/4
The Orphan

12/5
Funny People

12/7
Three Musketeers (1993)
Revolutionary Road

12/8
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

12/9
Bone

12/10
Superfly

12/11
Darjeeling Ltd.

12/13
Royal Tenenbaums

12/14
L'argent de poche (Small Change)

12/15
The Hangover

12/16
Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves)

12/19
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

12/20
Zack and Miri Make a Porno

12/21
What We Do is Secret

12/22
District 9

12/23
It Might Get Loud

12/24
Spun

12/27
Fat City

12/28
Beach Boys: Live at Knebworth 1980

12/29
The One and Only

12/30
Helter Skelter (1976)

12/31
Baby Mama