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Category:    Home > Reviews > Sexploitation > Drama > Comedy > Mystery > Detective > Neo Noir > French > Melodrama > Hong Kong > Satire > 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 (19

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


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