
Cheerleaders'
Wild Weekend
(1979*)/Don't Change Hands
(1975**)/Facets Of Love
(1973/88 Films/*both MVD Blu-ray)/Russ
Meyer's Bosomania: Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra Vixens
(1973**)/Super Vixens
(1975**)/Vixen
(1968/**all Severin Blu-ray)
Picture:
B/B-/B/B Sound: B- Extras: C+/B-/C/C+ Films: C+
Now
for the latest cycle of classic films with more sex than the usual
fare, then and now...
Jeff
Werner's Cheerleaders'
Wild Weekend
(1979) is a latter part of all the teen sex comedies and cheerleader
films in that cycle, with another cast of very attractive, sexy
unknowns and cheers to the makers of the film for coming up with
shots as sexy when they are clothed as when they are not (the four
gals in white sitting on a white Mercedes Benz sports convertible
stands out) and the film does not hold back in showing nudity,
especially female nudity.
However,
the pretty pictures go sour when the gals are on a bus and get
kidnapped! And kidnapped for ransom! What? Yup. Thinking slasher
and horror films, though this is not either of those, the ringleader
is Jason Williams, who played Flesh
Gordon
and helped inspire the choice of Sam J. Jones for the legitimate 1980
Flash
Gordon
(see our 4K review elsewhere on this site) that arrived a year later.
Kristine
DeBell (from a racier Alice
In Wonderland)
leads the gals and eventually, there is a twist here that is not
impossible, but might not be considered 'politically correct' today.
However, this is a sexploitation film with enough side exploitation
that nothing should shock anyone when seeing such a film. Though it
could have been better, it has enough moments (if none that stand
out, save some nice shots of the ladies clothed and nude) that make
it worth a look for those interested. Otherwise, if you cannot
handle such content, try a Jane Austen film.
Extras
includes a nice
slipcase packaging and a mini-poster, while the disc adds a feature
length...
Audio
Commentary featuring Director Jeff Werner, Actress Marilyn Joi, and
Editor Gregory McClatchy
Audio
Commentary featuring Star Kristine DeBell
Interview
with Actress Kristine DeBell (SD, 10:55)
Interview
with Actor Jason Williams (SD, 8:48)
Interview
with Actress Marilyn Joi (SD, 14:39)
Interview
with Actor Leon Isaac Kennedy (SD, 27:22)
Photo
Gallery
Alternate
Title Card
and
an Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:17).
Paul
Vecchiali's
Don't
Change Hands
(1975) is a send-up of detective and noir thrillers with a female
politician needing to investigate pornographic materials sent to her,
turning to a hardboiled streetwise detective, who happens to be
female. Myriam Mezieres plays her and runs into the same obstacles
(threats, dead ends, dead bodies, clues) as the film also has fun
with some of the old noir conventions and all during a big cycle of
Neo Noir to boot.
This
also means more explicit sex and sexuality that is not always
heterosexual, doing this without going overboard or into overkill
like we have seen too much lately in particular. This kind of thing
was newer and fresher then too and though the film is not a
masterpiece, it is one with interesting moments that cut through the
down and more obvious ones. Howard Vernon, Helene Surgere, Michel
Delahaye and Jean-Christophe Bouvet head up the solid supporting
cast. Worth a look for those interested.
Extras
include:
Le
Cinephile: An Appreciation By KNIFE + HEART Director Yann
Gonzalez
Elsewhere
Man: Author Matthieu Orlean On The Life And Impact Of Paul
Vecchiali
Noir
D'Amour: Screenwriter Noel Simsolo On CHANGE PAS DE MAIN
A
Remedy For Chaos: A Conversation With Actress Myriam Mezieres
The
Prodigal Son: A Conversation With Actor Jean-Christophe Bouvet
and
a Re-Release Trailer By Nathan Boone.
Li
Han-Hsiang's
Facets
Of Love
(1973) takes place in the early 20th Century at a brothel in
Shanghai, with all kinds of sexual and other intimate interactions
that sometimes are interesting to see, but others a little dull or
predictable. Unusual subject matter for The Shaw Brothers to tackle,
it is good for what it is, but you can see why they quit while they
were ahead on the subject, though a young Jackie Chan shows up
briefly.
I
will say that the actors all around are not bad, the use of color and
scope framing are a plus and it looks and plays better than many of
the later erotic films in pink cycles of the 1980s, which tend to be
cruder and more slap dash than what we get here. Nothing
particularly stuck with me about this film, but it is on the smooth
side and a one-of-a-kind those interested will want to catch.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer, Stills Gallery, four
postcard-sized artcards, slipcase with brand new artwork by Yu-Ming
Huang and a reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong poster
artwork.
Last
but not least are three separate releases under the Russ
Meyer's Bosomania
new Blu-ray series. We get Vixen
(1968,)
Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra Vixens
(1973) and Super
Vixens
(1975) showing off the producer/director's obsessions for large
chests, deranged comedy, odd fetishes and low class violence and bad
writing and directing where applicable.
Vixen
features a plethora of nudity and politics as sex and free love meet
Vietnam, politics, left-wing trends and the counterculture so
effectively that it became a target of multiple attempts to censor
it. It won out and more films would follow.
Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra Vixens
(1973) with its title shamelessly referencing Beyond
The Valley Of The Dolls,
essentially saying it will go further in the exploitation department.
Here in its uncut version for the first time, Roger Ebert had
co-written the older film and this one as well, its simply a sex fest
with occasional topical ideas from the counterculture period, but the
idea is that the sex somehow fuels the politics and vice versa.
This is too silly for that to totally work, but it has its moments as
well, though a little of this can go a long way for some.
Super
Vixens
also comes out of that period and after taking a break from the
series of these films, Meyer gives us the underrated actor Charles
Napier as a crazy out-of-control cop and Shari Eubank as extremely
oversexed (et al) wife and when the two get together, they'll join
the 'Bonnie & Clyde' club of crazy sex and crime couples. The
humor gets as out of control as the screenplay and acting, proving
that the break Meyer took only made this film a case of the return of
the repressed. Good in its own ways versus the previous films,
nothing groundbreaking happens here, but the couple does have some
chemistry. Too bad the script did nto try harder.
Extras
include vintage feature length audio commentary tracks on each film
by Meyer and an Original Theatrical Trailer for each specific film.
Vixen
adds:
1981
Censor Prologue (Theatrical Re-Release)
Archival
Audio Commentary With
Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Co-Editor/Director Russ Meyer
Audio
Commentary With Actress Erica Gavin
Woman...
Or Animal?: Interviews With Actors Erica Gavin And Harrison Page
David
Del Valle's The Sinister Image with Guests Russ Meyer And Yvette
Vickers
and
Entertainment... Or Obscenity?: Marc Edward Heuck On The
Film's Historic Cincinnati Censorship Battles.
Ultra
Vixens
add:
The
Latin Brunhilde: Interview With Actress Kitten Natividad
Talk
It Over: Ellen Adelstein Interviews Russ Meyer For Her
Tucson Talk Show In 1979
and
Still Talking It Over: New Interview With Ellen Adelstein
and
Super
Vixens
adds:
Russ
Meyer Versus The Porn-Busters: Mike Carroll Interview With Russ
Meyer
The
Man With The Square Jaw: Interview With Actor Charles Napier
The
Incredibly Strange Film Show: Season 1, Episode 5: Russ Meyer
and
a TV Spot.
Now
for playback performance.
The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on Wild
Weekend
looks accurate for a film of its time, with good color, few flaws
from the film itself and good fleshtones. Still, it can look more
aged in parts, but its just fine, while the lossless PCM
2.0 Mono is decent for its age and as good as this film will ever
sound.
The
1080p 1.66 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Hands
has good color, but is slightly softer than the other releases here
and performs a little less convincingly, though fleshtones are still
fine. Some of the softness is the style, but not all of it. The
lossless French PCM 2.0 Mono is also good and as good as this film
will ever sound.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Facets
can show the age of the materials used, but the scope image is pretty
decent for its age and the limits of the older lenses, while color
and fleshtones are good. The lossless Mandarin PCM
2.0 Mono sound is also good and here too, the best this film will
ever sound.
The
1080p digital High Definition image transfers on the Russ Meyer films
can still show the age of the materials used, but these are far
superior to the older transfers of previous home video releases of
these film. Vixen is here in 1.66 X 1, while the sequels are
in 1.85 X 1 and a text statement before each film begins tells us how
much work it took to save and preserves each film. Ultra Vixens
had the most issues, but Severin and company has pulled it off.
Additionally, the lossless PCM 2.0 Mono sound on each is usually as
good as can be expected and after all the work here, we know these
films will never sound better than they do here.
-
Nicholas Sheffo