The Cut-Throats (1969, John Hayes)

X Rated war film? SOLD! I'll fess up to watching a few nazisploitation films in my time and generally they're not my thing. The Cut-Throats however is more skin than shock (not bad in this case). Recently released by Vinegar Syndrome, this film is a limited release of 1500 and only available through Vinegar Syndrome's website as a freebie if you bought either their May or June monthly bundles (or July if they have any left).

The Cut-Throats takes place at the end of WWII in Germany where an American captain assembles a group of top soldiers (one of which dies on the way). Their mission is to take over a German army base and steal top secret plans. After taking over, they meet up with a group of German women who dress in costumes and perform for the men (in more ways than one). Will the men lose focus on their agenda in favor of their desires?

The Cut-Throats was a very watchable and surprisingly engrossing film. The hour and 15 or so minute runtime seemed much longer (in a good way) and there was a fair bit of suspense regarding how the film would resolve. The Cut-Throats wore its low budget on its sleeve and some of the acting was lackluster but it never detracted from the film's enjoyment level. Oh and when I say it's rated X, its not a hardcore adult film, more softcover by today's standards. My favorite scene was the love scene between the German officer and secretary who immediately start fooling around (with a bottle of wine) once the war is declared finished. As expected from Vinegar Syndrome, we are treated with a very obscure, but very entertaining film from a beautiful transfer. Overall a nice release (if you can get a copy).

RATING:

Film: 8/10
DVD: 9/10

Purchase a monthly bundle from Vinegar Syndrome and get this film for free HERE

Day of Anger (1967, Tonino Valerii)

"Your last lesson Scotty: when you start killing you can't stop it."

Recently released from Arrow Films is Day of Anger, a little known western (to me at least) by Sergio Leone protege Tonino Valerii. After the success of Leone's Dollars trilogy, Lee Van Cleef did countless Spaghetti Westerns (of various quality) so my expectations were fairly low for this film. The addition of Italian star Giuliano Gemma peaked my interest enough to check this one out.

Giuliano Gemma stars as Scotty, a shy outcast who was orphaned as a child and given the lucky job of emptying the town's toilets. A drifter named Talby (Van Cleef) comes into town with thoughts of settling (and maybe even taking over). Scotty tries to follow Talby after he encourages Scotty to stick up for himself. Reluctantly Talby accepts Scotty as a sidekick but things start to change when Scotty's marksmanship and fearlessness start to threaten Talby's plans.

Day of Anger was a very surprising success. As much as I love Spaghetti Westerns, my main complaint is that they frequently move too slowly and are overlong. Even at almost two hours, Day of Anger doesn't drag or let up for a minute. The film has a great story, a wonderful soundtrack by the late, great Riz Ortolani and an excellent cast. Regardless of what I said in my intro, this is actually a fairly well known (and highly regarded) Spaghetti Western so I guess even I don't know everything. What I do know is that you need to buy this set immediately. It comes in a 3 disc set (1 blu ray, 2 dvds), features two different versions of the film (I watched the longer version only) and a whole slew of extras. Here's the full list:

-Brand new restoration of the original 35mm Techniscope camera negative
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of both the Italian and International versions of the film
-Original uncompressed mono audio
-Newly translated English subtitles for Italian audio and optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio
-Brand new interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
-Brand new interview with Tonino Valerii's biographer Roberto Curti
-Previously unreleased 2008 interview with Tonino Valerii
-Deleted scene
-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist
-Booklet featuring new writing on the film by spaghetti western expert Howard Hughes, illustrated with original archive stills

RATING:

Film: 10/10

DVD/Blu Ray: 10/10

Purchase Day of Anger directly from MVD HERE

The Muthers (1976, Cirio H. Santiago)

"I'm not crawling on my knees for nobody!"

Recently released from Vinegar Syndrome is the Filipino exploitation classic The Muthers. Directed by Roger Corman's go to Filipino director Cirio H. Santiago, this film was actually included as a bonus feature on the Australian release of Mark Hartley's wonderful love letter to Filipino exploitation, Machete Maidens Unleashed. I was disappointed that the US version did not include it as well so luckily Vinegar Syndrome saved the day once again and brought this sought after film to us patient trash lovers.

The Muthers stars "TNT Jackson" herself Jeanne Bell as Kelly and "Swingin' Cheerleader" Rosanne Katon as Anggie, a pair of female pirates who sail the seas looking to rob unsuspecting ships. A government agent, who is trying to nab a female slave camp owner, agrees to forget about arresting them if they go undercover in the camp. After Kelly finds out that her sister has been kidnapped and may be at the camp, she and Anggie agree. There they meet fellow slave Marcie (played by Trina (Thumper from the Bond film Diamonds are Forever) Parks and Serena (the beautiful Jayne Kennedy), who has become the slave owner's girl and therefore given certain privileges the other girls aren't. Will the girls be able to find out what happened to Kelly's sister and will they be able to escape the prison camp alive?

The Muthers is a real treat of a film. It's funny, sexy, bloody and a whole lot of fun. It has a similar feel to many other Filipino exploitation films (particularly Savage Sisters, Big Bird Cage and Wonder Women) and won't disappoint fans of the genre or of exploitation films in general. The leading ladies are all beautiful and surprisingly can actually act! The story moves along at a brisk pace and never gets dull. Vinegar Syndrome's transfer is superb and the DVD is sold for a very fair price (less than $15).

RATING:

Film: 8/10

DVD: 9/10 (wish there were more extras)

Buy The Muthers directly from Vinegar Syndrome HERE

Long Jeanne Silver (1977, Alex deRenzy)

"I've got a secret: I fooled Mother Nature"

New from Vinegar Syndrome is another classic from adult filmmaker Alex deRenzy. Long Jeanne Silver, a fairly notorious film (for reasons we will get into later) that honestly I had never heard of but when I read the synopsis sounded very intriguing and I had to check it out. After watching it, I was shocked - not just by the content of the film but just how drawn in I was by Jeanne.

Long Jeanne Silver is part documentary, part anthology film following the main protagonist as an adult actress and behind the scenes as a loveably adventurous woman. Jeanne takes us on a trip showing us what she can do with her "special gift". Oh, did I mention yet that Jeanne is an amputee with one false leg? I'll admit the stage name is both hilarious and tacky, but Jeanne seems to embrace her disability and use it for some very interesting love making.

I really fell in love with Jeanne watching this film. She is just such a beautiful and unique person who seems so fragile, yet so bold, funny and fearless. deRenzy's film is a very original and touching portrait like nothing I've ever seen, especially in the adult film genre. I have to congratulate Vinegar Syndrome for putting out this courageous film. The presentation of this classic is handled expertly (as are all of Vin Syn's releases) and the transfer looks pristine. The film is definitely not for everyone, but I loved it.

RATING:

Film: 8/10
DVD: 10/10

Purchase Long Jeanne Silver directly from Vinegar Syndrome HERE

Society (1989, Brian Yuzna)

"You were right Billy. I am a butthead!"

So after a 2 year period of inactivity, choosing what film to review first was tough. So I went back to my first ever review for inspiration. At the time, I just decided to choose the last film I watched. Seems logical. So I did the same damn thing this time too. Since I watched Arrow's new release of the ooey gooey late 80's body horror classic Society last night, that one wins.

Society stars soap opera star/Baywatch stud Billy Warlock as Billy Whitney, the captain of his Beverly Hills high school's football team AND candidate for class president. Despite this, he still manages to be an outcast in both his school and home life. He even has to go see a shrink! But this isn't just a normal case of teenage blues. After Billy is warned that something is up with the towns people, those that warn him start turning up dead. But is it only in Billy's head or is the "Society" that surrounds him really not what they seem?

I had been looking for a decent copy of Society for a long time so when I found out that Arrow was putting it out, I was ecstatic. For those unfamiliar, Arrow Films is a long running UK DVD/Blu Ray label that FINALLY started releasing films in the US this year. And so far, their releases have been impeccable, both in quality and film selection. Society is no exception. The film itself is everything you would hope from a horror film - disgustingly gory FX (courtesy of "surrealistic" FX wizard Screaming Mad George) and a great, thought-provoking story. I'll admit the film has that gross late 80's big hair and bright clothes thing going on, but that just fits with the time and doesn't deter from the timeless plot of paranoia and alienation. Below is a list of details from Arrow's new Blu Ray/DVD combo out May 9th!

Special Features:

•Newly remastered 2K digital transfer of the film, approved by director Brian Yuzna
•High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
•Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
•Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
•Brand new audio commentary by Yuzna
•Governor of Society – a brand new interview with Yuzna
•The Masters of the Hunt – a brand new featurette including interviews with stars Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Ben Meyerson and Tim Bartell
•The Champion of the Shunt – new featurette with FX artists Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson
•2014 Q&A with Yuzna, recorded at Celluloid Screams Festival
•Brian Yuzna in conversation backstage at the Society world premiere
•'Persecution Mania' – Screaming Mad George music video
•Limited Edition Digipak packaging featuring newly-commissioned artwork by Nick Percival
•Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Alan Jones, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
•Society: Party Animal [Limited Edition Exclusive] – the official comic sequel to Society, reproduced in its entirety in a perfect-bound book

RATING:

Film: 8/10
DVD / Blu Ray: 10/10 (review based on screener DVD)

Order the Limited Edition Digipak (5000 units) of Society directly from MVD HERE

THE B-MOVIE CULT RISES AGAIN!

That's right boils and ghouls! The B-Movie Cult is back (and some guy named Charles Hamm apparently)...with a vengeance! Muahahaha!

Expect a lot more ghoulish reviews of your favorite horror, exploitation, cult and whateverthefuckelse films I feel like watching!

Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis (2013, Vinegar Syndrome)

Just released from the brand new purveyors of exploitation, Vinegar Syndrome is a rare treat from the Godfather of Gore (and smut apparently), Herschell Gordon Lewis. The Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis features three of the master's long lost sexploitation flicks: Ecstacies of Women, Linda and Abilene and Black Love.

Ecstacies of Women begins with four swingin' guys at a nudie bar, one of which is the poster boy for ADHD as he continually zones out and has wild fantasies of bringing different women he meets back to his house boat. Yup, he lives on a house boat. Will this space case and his friends actually score with some real women?

Linda and Abilene is the story of a brother and sister in the old west who live in a cabin in the woods. They become attracted to each other and begin a creepy love affair. The brother, Tod, however begins to get frustrated at his sister, Abilene, and goes off into town, where he meets a local girl named Linda. While they are getting it on, a stranger appears at the cabin and torments Abilene.

Black Love is a white coater (sex film disguised as an educational film) featuring the "love making habits" of African Americans in the 70's. I don't know how else to summarize this film without sounding completely racist, so I won't.

Vinegar Syndrome are off to a great start with their premier title. Not only are we provided with 3 lost gems from the golden age of sexploitation, but the presentation is amazing. The prints are from the original camera negatives and look incredible. The set comes as a Blu Ray/DVD combo and features trailers for each film. Also included is a very informative booklet explaining the back story of these three films. As a nice addition, we are also given reproductions of the original lab cards. As far as the films themselves go, they were exactly what I was hoping for. Amateurish, silly, fun and sexy. Linda and Abilene is the "best" of the bunch but Ecstacies of Women was a blast too. Black Love, with its dated stereotyping and borderline racism, is quite an oddball but if you take it with a grain of salt, it's a hoot. Black Love featured real hardcore sex while the others were strictly softcore. To end this review, I just want to say Bravo Vinegar Syndrome. Can't wait for Savage Water/Death By Invitation!

Rating: 8/10

Order this set directly from Vinegar Syndrome HERE