January 11, 2006

Well, I'm back, finally. I managed to survive the holidays and I'm ready to get back to the DVD review grindstone. We've got an abbreviated column this week due to some other pressing deadlines; let's call it the first installment of Late Show UNRATED. I've dug into the review pile and unearthed some of the most sordid silver discs I've got: everything from classic gialli, sleazy sexploitation, martial arts action…

Isn't DVD wonderful?

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VCI Entertainment has just released a 2-disc upgrade of Mario Bava's influential proto-giallo, BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (SEI DONNE PER L'ASSASSINO, 1964), and it's a marked improvement over the company's previous release of a few years ago.

The term "giallo" (Italian for "yellow") refers to a type of suspense novel popular in Italy during the Sixties. Such novels were almost always published with bright yellow covers, and were therefore commonly referred to by the public as giallos. The term was soon applied to films that resembled the paperback thrillers.

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE follows many conventions of the giallo genre, and was one of the first to bear the label. The plot revolves around the sexy models of a high fashion house, their secrets, and the faceless murderer who is killing them off one-by-one. Stylishly directed by maestro Bava, and starring American character actor Cameron Mitchell (RAW FORCE), the colorful and suspenseful film rivals the best of Hitchcock.

VCI's new disc is properly framed at the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and unlike their previous release, is anamorphically enhanced. Overall picture quality is good, although the contrast is a bit softer and colors seem a little muted compared to the earlier edition. The 5.1 English language soundtrack is clear and strong, but there are occasional pops. The original Italian language track and a French track are included, as well as optional English and Spanish subtitles.

The first disc of this new two-platter set includes the feature film and a commentary track by Bava expert Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog magazine. It's highly informative, fascinating and well worth a listen. Lucas knows his Bava, and has a long-anticipated book dedicated to the director coming out soon. The disc also includes a brief profile on Lucas, biographies for Bava and several cast members, the American trailer, and trailers for other VCI releases – specifically: RUBY, HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM, CITY OF THE DEAD and THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (which is also now available with fantastic transfer from Blue Underground).

Disc 2 includes a 2000 video interview with American actress Mary Dawne Arden, who plays one of the murdered models. There's also an interview with star and Bava admirer Cameron Mitchell, from a public access talk show, THE SINISTER IMAGE, several years before the actor's death in 1994. Other features include the French title sequence, the original American theatrical title sequence (produced by Saturday morning L.A. animation company Filmation), German, French and Italian trailers for the film, trailers for other Bava films, and a still/photo gallery. Additionally, VCI provides a bonus soundtrack of Carlo Rustichelli's jazzy score, culled from the original record album, and a comparison of scenes from the American version and the differently edited European version.

VCI's double-dip on this title is a genuine upgrade from the original release and highly recommended.

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A couple years back, Blue Underground released the notorious Joe D'Amato sleaze classic EMANUELLE IN AMERICA (1977) on DVD, managing to slip into Best Buys and chain stores across the country a movie incorporating hardcore sex acts, simulated snuff footage and on-screen bestiality with a horse named Pedro. Bravo, Blue U!

EMANUELLE IN AMERICA stars the striking Laura Gemser (or "Black Emanuelle," as she's known to sexploitation buffs) as a photo journalist/fashion photographer investigating an "international snuff film conspiracy." Her investigations take her all over the world and through a variety of graphic erotic adventures and encounters, including everything from a kinky threesome to a sex resort for wealthy women that employs a stable of buff studs to a young woman who manually stimulates a horse on camera. She does eventually find the snuff film peddlers, and the footage shown on screen is revoltingly realistic. EMANUELLE IN AMERICA can be rough going, but for the brave-hearted, it's a great example of no-holds-barred exploitation.

Blue Underground brings this grindhouse spectacular to DVD with a gorgeous 1.85:1 anamorphically enhanced widescreen transfer culled from a pristine source. Extras include a video interview with director Joe D'Amato, an audio interview with star Gemser, talent bios, a poster and still gallery, and a text feature on "The Unofficial Emmanuelle Phenomenon" by David Flint.

For those looking for hardcore sleaze, EMANUELLE IN AMERICA delivers.

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Before there were hardcore pornographic feature films (what we refer to around here as the Dark Ages), there were nudie loops. These were short films, usually shot on 16mm film, that showed naked women doing things that men liked to watch naked women do. These shorts were only viewable in quarter-fed peep booths in smoky, hole-in-the-wall adult bookstores, and disappeared once hardcore material became common in the Seventies. Well, the fine filth historians of ei Independent Cinema have recently released a great compendium of these skinflick loops, NAUGHTY NUDES OF THE 1960'S on the Retro-Seduction Cinema label.

The disc features a dozen vintage nudie loops, none more than a few minutes long: HEAVENLY BODIES (1960), THE BLUE ROPE OF LUST (1962), BLEACH BLONDE VIXEN (1963), HORNY REDHEAD (1963), THE INSATIABLE HOUSEWIFE (1965), BALLOON SEX (1966), SALLY'S SEXY SNAKE (1966), SOPHIA FROM ITALIA (1960), SUSAN'S SEXY TAN LINES (1966), CARESS MY BODY (1967), BETWEEN MY THIGHS (1968) and PSYCHEDELIC SORORITY SEX (1969). Each was digitally transferred from original prints, and is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and anamorphically enhanced. Each short has been given new musical accompaniment, with pieces by The Pink Delicates, The Ubangis and Ron Atkins. Quality varies from short to short, but virtually all of them show age-related damage, from scratches to dirt. Some of the loops are B&W, some are color, and again, the quality varies.

The Extra Features include an additional seven loops: THIGH HIGH GARTER (1964), MEGA BEEHIVE SUPER DOO (1965), BOUNCIN' BOOBS (1965), REDHEAD BEEHIVE (1968), THE STEWARDESS (1967), TRAILER PARK SEX (1968) and RENE'S SEXY STRIPTEASE (1971), featuring early skinflick superstar Rene Bond. There are also trailers for a slew of Retro-Seduction Cinema titles and an on-screen introduction to the material by 42nd Street Pete, who is credited as a "film historian."

While the picture quality is less than perfect (these loops are forty years old and were shot on the cheap), this disc is historically important, preserving a specific, long-gone era of adult entertainment: a time when seeing film of naked women wasn't something you could do in the privacy of your living room, and the women who appeared in the films weren't all silicone-enhanced, gym-sculpted sexbombs.

For anyone interested in that sordid history, NAUGHTY NUDES OF THE 1960S is essential viewing.

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Jet Li is an astounding martial artist, with over 35 films to his credit, going back to the late Seventies. His most recently released flick, UNLEASHED (a/k/a DANNY THE DOG, 2005) is a great little B movie in A-flick drag.

Directed by Louis Leterrier (co-director of the guilty pleasure THE TRANSPORTER), UNLEASHED has a truly ludicrous plot and a ridiculously contrived script. The story reads like it came from a Don "The Dragon" Wilson direct-to video flick (not that I have anything against, Don "The Dragon," by the way): a young child is taken by a small-time gangster and trained to be the gangster's human attack dog. After an accident which separates Danny the Dog (Li) from his "master," the completely uncivilized killing machine is taken in by a kindly blind piano tuner and his daughter, who slowly earn his trust and teach him to be human. Then the gangster comes looking for him.

Riddled with coincidence and heavy with shmaltz, UNLEASHED should be an unintentional laugh fest. But it isn't. The A-list cast, led by Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins (good to see him back in his snarling, LONG GOOD FRIDAY scary limey mode after Hollywood did such a thorough job of de-fanging him and making him cuddly in the 80s) and including Kerry Condon and Li himself, rises above the contrived script, making the viewer believe in these characters and just go along with the story. And the fights! There's not a whole lot of action in the movie, but what's there is remarkably well choreographed, shot and edited. Li and fight choreographer Yuen Woo Ping (KILL BILL) devised a unique, feral fighting style for Danny, and in the unrated version of the film especially, the fights are jaw-droppingly brutal.

Universal's unrated, extended edition of UNLEASHED isn't exactly loaded with special features, but what's there is solid and well-presented. First off, there's a pristine, 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that more than does justice to Pierre Morel's gritty cinematography, with stable colors and a rock-solid image. The audio, which is full and robust, presenting both the bone snappings and plentiful classical music with equal fidelity, is presented in both Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and 5.1 DTS. Extras include a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes, one of which focuses on the fight scenes. There's also an on-camera interview with director Leterrrier and music videos from Massive Attack and RZA.

It may not be for everybody, but I thought UNLEASHED, despite the direct-to-video story, was Jet Li's best English language film to date. The performances are uniformly good and a joy to watch, and the martial arts action is fantastic. I hope rumors about Li's impending retirement are just that. Recommended.

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New DVD label Diskotek makes an auspicious debut with its release of the 1974 Japanese cult classic, ZERO WOMAN: RED HANDCUFFS (a/k/a ZEROKA NO ONNA: AKAI WAPPA). Directed by Yukio Noda for Toei Studios more than thirty years ago, this manga-based tale of savage sex and brutal violence still packs a punch today.

The lovely – and frequently naked – Miki Sugimoto plays Rei, a policewoman who is kicked off the force and tossed into prison after she brutally strangles and shoots a Diplomatic Immunity-protected rapist. But when a gang of super sleazy slimeballs kidnaps the daughter of a top politician, Rei is released and sent after them as an "unofficially" sanctioned vigilante – a "Zero Woman."

RED HANDCUFFS is an 88-minute orgy of relentless rape and bloodletting. Make no mistake about it, this is the hard stuff, and it can be rough going at times. Yet, the movie is compelling, stylishly shot and edited, and roars to its fiery climax like an out of control freight train. If you've got the stomach for it, it's an exploitation experience to remember. The "Zero Woman" concept was revived in the Nineties for a series of slick, sexy action flicks, but this is the original.

Diskotek's DVD presents the film in a gorgeous 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. There's some minor wear evident, but the colors are bright and stable, and there's no major print damage. Audio is provided in Dolby Digital Stereo, and both the original Japanese soundtrack and an English dub are provided. There are no real extras aside from an attractively designed cardboard slipcover and a four-page booklet with liner notes by Asian Cult Cinema magazine's Thomas Weisser.

For vintage Asian ultra-violence, ZERO WOMAN: RED HANDCUFFS can't be beat.

Hope you enjoyed the column and that you found something in the preceding sleaze to arouse your own prurient interests. I'll try to get the next column to you sooner, as the discs are piling up!

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