Welcome back everyone, or welcome to new listeners. This is episode thirty seven of Punk Vacation. Of course, I'm always joined by Chris Haskell, Welcome back, Chris. And we're joined by our other co host, who I feel like the past few episodes, instead of doing doing your own segment, we've just pause, have all been like just say, co hosting with us as well, So let's still.
Yeah, yeah, let me do my other intro. Welcome to fifteen minutes with You, the segment whose name has sort of quintupled, And yes, but you know, yeah, it's been easier for it's been less pressure for me to have other people to riff off of. And I have many irons and many fires at this point, so it's nice to have some help with this segment. But in any case, I think it's more fun to have a conversation other than just me gapping for twenty minutes or whatever.
So and these are one.
This is this is an ambitious slate this time.
So yeah, exactly, and we're both like really starked to talk about it. And I also we can call this sixty nine minutes with You to.
That's more accurate.
Yeah, we're finding the joy and unfettered, sleazy creativity, slutty creativity, even we'll say if that's problematic, it's a pot. It's a podcast dedicated to bringing awareness and context to movies of any budget, from anywhere and during any time. And as always, when we say that, I like that, we say that every time because I feel like, specifically for
the malusine side, that goes double, you know what I mean. So, yeah, this was a very ambitious because, like I was actually looking at the amount of releases and it's not like a lot in terms of like a pile of discs, but it is as a pile of movies m you know, like there's so many, and so we all kind of had our work cut out for us, thankfully. And also, you know, this was supposed to be I guess we can give people a peak behind the curtain, so to speak.
We were supposed to release this as like a back to back thing in February, and both Celeste and I got that flu that was going around at different times, and so this is coming in March, right after the announcements, which we'll follow that episode up uh next week. So so we're just going to talk about quite a slate of November December releases. I got really ambitious and wanted us to even cover January because they went the opposite direction and made it very light.
But like there wasn't a lot of releases.
But at the same time, you know, you put out another Sato set, it does.
It ups the the inventory a little.
But yeah, this was a I love this month completely through and through.
Yeah, I think we're doing November and December.
Right, so yeah, December, yeah, one title?
Yeah, well, you know whatever, so November plus a little.
Extra, you know, yeah, exactly.
So yeah, if you want to kick it off celess with with the first uh, the first title in the batch.
I don't think we uh decided on an order, so maybe I'll surprise everyone.
Yeah, please, you know, I did want to.
Say real quick, I've sort of reflecting right now on how when I started this segment, or when we started this segment, the amount of titles and the amount of films coming out per month was more manageable for a fifteen minute like sort of and it's just ballooned like the entirety of the Vinegar Syndrome Empire. I don't know how you two are doing it. I can barely keep up with just this.
But you know, yeah, I've I've been. Here's here's what I can tell you personally from because I was with Chris and I talked about this in the last episode we did, when we did the reviews.
For January is It.
You know, My rule prior to being the podcast co host was I would at least knock out the mainline like that was mandatory, which is fairly manageable until they do like box sets, like there was a month where they did like Forgotten Jolly Volume eight and two Hong Kong movies, and that month I absolutely was like, this feels like a job. But and and not only that, to be fair, that month with some of those those Forgotten Jolly movies, watching them, even on my own terms.
Felt like a jobby. Yeah.
So I that being said, I have gotten into enough of a groove now where as soon as I get everything, I still kind of do that, and I don't know it's worked out well enough.
What I have to be more intentional about is when I'm not watching a VS title like all right, I got a pile of radiance here, I want to watch a radiance title like I have to be to be more intentional there, but it's been pretty manageable because especially from the malus inside, it's it's stuff I've wanted to watch any like, like I'm excited to watch it, so, you know, thankfully, thankfully they keep having these shipping delays where like there's a sale so they don't mail it
out until mid March, and for me, it's got to go cross country so and it looks like they're doing that this month too, so it's not going to be too far back to back. So that that's been it
for me. It's funny you're saying that for me, But I don't know how Chris does it because he's got really yeah, I don't know, but that goes Duck was like triple for Chris, not even double, because you've got other podcasts, other projects, a family, like like you've got you've got you've got real world priorities that like supersede mine by a mile.
No, no, no, everybody you feel the time you have right so, but I think, honestly, like there's a lot of nights where I have to just watch two movies in a night for like four nights in a row, and I don't love that. But I'm a night out naturally. So as long as I'm watching my first movie before nine pm, then there's plenty of time to watch too. And that's just kind of, you know, just kind of
how it goes. I'm a little stressed right now because some point in midweek I've got to pretend to know something about Nuggie Sooshima and and we're gonna cover at a minimum seven films from that Radical Japan set and then I'd like to cover another three if possible, and I've got five more to watch to make that happen. So that's I don't know if that's gonna happen it or not, but we'll see.
That's that's it. But I will say that's a champagne problem because that box sets, from what I've heard, I have it.
I have it.
It's sitting right behind me actually just off camera. But I've heard it's like release of the year through and through for not just radiance, like in general.
Can I just pitch it like it's the kind of box set that makes you love movies, Like they have History of Japanese Cinema. They have this one fifty minute documentary with all the wild Men of Japanese Cinema and it's just awesome. Like they talk about how they were revolting against the studio system, and like they talk about how like they really like love on each other for the work they were doing at that time. It's just
a very heartwarming documentary of rebellion. And I don't know, like the whole thing is just put together with so much love. Like Plus, the movies are interesting and Oshima is a very interesting director so well.
In the Realm of the Senses is in my letterbox top four, Like I saw that movie in a theater on film No Less and it genuinely was like a spiritual experience.
It was. It was.
It's a great, great movie, I think, especially for for right now. I think it's a great movie for this moment. And so I'm really excited to see how his other political like that not just his filmmaking style, but also just what he's up to in terms of his you know, what he has to say with those movies, because in the ram of the Sense it says a lot. So I can only imagine, So what would that be a good segue to the Kannie. I'm gonna let Celest take the lead so you can you don't have to which.
Oh, okay, actually, you know what, you know what, go with whichever, go with your heart here? Yeah, please, My my discs are just kind of sitting in not really any order in particular, and I actually think they make a pretty good, pretty good order. So let's start with the heavy hitter, just for the uh, for viewer retention's sake, right, Uh? Yeah, Mitchell Brothers film drew initial first debut release. Is the word I'm looking for? Behind the Green Door a film
I had heard about, uh wherever ago? I don't know. It's it's like a big deal, right, And I've been doing to see for a long time. And I didn't have as much time to go through all the features on this as I would have liked. But I did see the movie, I did read the short story, and I did read most of the booklet, So you know that's probably enough.
Right, Oh?
I think? I think?
So, I did the inverse, I I watched, I went through the whole disc, all the features nice, and I read a little bit of the book I was able to read. Actually know, I read all the booklet, but I did not read the short story, and I need to do that. Interesting, But yeah, what did what did you think? Of the What did you think of the film?
Uh, it's okay, I don't know, it's not my personal hmm. The how do I say this? The film is? Well, I guess the premise is a woman is kidnapped and then like turned into a sort of like spectacle performance for like an exclusive like sex club where people just go and watch watch this person. I mean, you know, I don't need a sugarcoat it. She's just being raped over and over again, but like she's into it, so
like it's fine. I guess. You know, it's a pretty rough premise for something that got as big as it did. But you know your mileage is going to vary on this sort of thing, right, There's some interesting is the is the neutral word I'm using for it, Let's say, uh, problematic while also subversive like racial elements going on here. There's some pretty wild and bold like filmmaking techniques going
on here. There's a six minute cumshot which is like filmed in this like really bizarre artsy psychedelic way, which I have to respect the audaciousness of it, but maybe to overshare a second, I think cumshots are really gross, and so I was not watching one last Well, I.
Think of it as like I just want to piggyback on that for a second, because.
I did think I might.
My mind certainly wandered during it, like a sort of point. It actually desensitizes you to the to the to the scene. It's kind of like thriller, a cruel picture. Like I remember there's that You know, every person that gets shot in that movie or gets killed you have to like sit with that moment for like two plus minutes because it's shot in and so this does the same thing with that. And obviously I don't think the Mitchell brothers
are are Here's the thing. This was before porn had had a real clear cut formula, right or it had any kind of even had a sheakness to it, even though it was called porno sheic at this point, this movie is not chic at all. It's very rough around the edges, no pun intended, and like, uh, you know, and when you think of this in Deep Throat, it's funny. I saw them both pretty back to back when I was like twenty on ex Hamster or something on like in like three sixty p and I was bored out
of my mind with both of them. I literally remember finishing them like as a soldier of cinema, as a twenty year old snob, being like, ah, both of these fucking suck, fuck this shit. And I still feel the same way about Deep Throat.
Deep Throat.
It's a very very bad movie. It's it's not good even even if let's say there wasn't the story you know behind it. And it's funny that Chuck Trainer is kind of like the the six degrees situation with both of these movies, but take him out of the equation and just Deep Throat on its own terms. It is still just a very bad movie, and the people who made it even feel that way. But like this, on the other hand, revisiting it, especially in four K, like like the restoration is incredible.
It does look great. I'll say that. I mean, you're never gonna not compliment of Vineger syndrome. Four K. Yeah, I feel like that doesn't even need to be said. But it does look pretty amazing well, especially considering where it probably came from and what it is, like damn.
Right, and it was shot on sixteen like ab roll for you know, there's a great feature where Joe Rubin himself talks about the process usually those are Oscars segments, but Joe actually comes in and talks about it, which is great. And and when you know the history of the Mitchell Brothers and they're kind of like free speech. Also, if you know the ending of the Mitchell Brothers story, oh boy, I don't know how familiar.
Until about fifteen minutes ago, and I was like, what the fuck.
Yeah, it's crazy.
I actually I actually remember as a kid seeing the story on hard copy, not connecting who they were, but because I was too young to know that. But uh, what I appreciated more about the movie this time. I have to say I did like it. I don't know if it's something. It's not a pleasant experience by any means, but you know, for something that was so new, like in terms of being such a you know, this is
right before porn started with its formulas. It reminded me more of eighties art house porno, like Cafe Flesh and Corruption. It doesn't have the narrative structure that those have, or or the kind of postmodern in the sense that like it's they know, they're self aware, it's a porno. You know, they're actually with the Mitchell Brothers, they're more like no we're taking you into a world and this is whatever loose narrative there is here, so it the visually, it
really pops. It definitely seventy two minutes does not fly by, especially that cumshot. But you really also get to appreciate for this kind of like eyes wide shut style sex party that's happening. It's shockingly like you were saying, like it's very progressive with like not just interracial sex. And obviously the Marylynd Chambers element of it at the time was very scandalous, but it's also a very body positive movie.
Not on purpose, I mean that term didn't exist, but you see, like you see all shapes and sizes getting down when that orgy happens, and it doesn't at.
All make it a point.
None of it's fetishized, none of it's focused on in a very at least any more fetishized than any other shot in the movie.
They're all it's all almost.
Like equal opportunity fetish and I really thought that was very effective, like especially now when you see what because you know, these guys lived in San Francisco and they wanted to make something artistic, and so especially having just seen Deep, you know when you've seen Deep Throat, and you know what that is compared to this, this movie
does stand out a lot better. And I think that's why it was also as big of a hit, because it obviously had the Marilyn Chambers Ivory soap scandal attached to it, but it also did, I think, make people feel more like they were watching something a little more artistic, because it's not just the cumshot. There's like this kind of like cross Dissolve where she's blowing a guy over like the city of San Francisco.
Yeah. No, I mean, if you change the content, it in form and in structure and in pace does feel
like an art movie for sure, you know. And that is to his detriment a little bit, and that is kind of boring, But like, you know, I also think about, uh, this is a this is I don't know, this is a this is an analogy that might not make sense to a ton of people, but like when you're first getting into black metal or something and then you listen to that Venom record and it's like, this is not that great or it's not what I'm expecting or it's not what I want, but it's like, but this had
to come first. For the stuff that you like, you know what I mean, So like you gotta give it, you gotta price it in, you got to grandfother it in a little bit, give it some credit for starting things, you.
Know totally, And there's there's a well what's funny is so right? But I still haven't seen Blue Money, which was considered the first technically that was like a VS release. That's considered the first the movie that actually legitimately kick started porno Chic, but Bachanal which came out shortly after that in nineteen seventy, which was directed by the Amaro
brothers who made Blonde Ambition, among other things. They directed that, and that was made when softcore and hardcore were like it started, I believe as a softcore project and later evolved to a hardcore project that's even more shapeless than this. And I just saw it like two weeks ago at Neubev. But watching it, I you really get to appreciate even how much more progressed in the two years from that
to this, Like it plays so much better. So it it even though it's like artifactual and not hasn't hit any of those points yet where like you know, it has like an affecting plot, it still makes you appreciate it a little more.
I'm actually surprised. I'm gonna I was not expecting to like this the most out of all of y'all.
Wow.
Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad you like it. Yeah, so I was hoping to like it more.
To be honest, I did like it, but but just I I but yeah, but it is more my My liking it is definitely qualified.
Yeah, I think I have like, I think I put it in like a six out of ten. So you know, it's fine, but it's like a life six for me, you know. But I want to hear you, Yeah, please talk about how much you like it, because you're less uh in the thick of it as it were with this stuff, and uh, you know, I'm curious what you think about it.
Was that a size joke perceived? I think no, I think there're I think you y'all nailed it. Y'all nailed exactly my thought. So there's a lot of references in punk to like bands that don't necessarily fit the punk scene but came first. And you talked about Venom with with the you know, black metal, and I think like there's that there always has to be that thing that comes first, right, and like this movie came like it's
it's funny to keep saying comes first. But anyways, like watching something like Cafe Flesh, I think like this movie walks, so Cafe Flesh could run right in a way, like it feels like, oh okay, they're kind of doing like a similar thing. And I'm sure that somebody who I'm sure us what's his name, Saadian?
Oh, steven Sadian.
Yeah, yeah, he probably saw the Marquis.
No, he goes by he goes by Rinch Dream when he.
Went in dream, that's right. Yeah, I'm sure he saw beyond behind the green door and it's probably like oh wow, like you know, and probably like had some type of influence on him one way or the other. And culturally,
I think it's cool that, you know. The close thing I could think about was when it was announced that the like the Verizon girl or one of the or the woman who does like one of those phone companies was going to be publishing nude photos for like a charity auction recently, and I think it was the progressive No progressive is flow right? Not her? No, it's like she looks more of like a rom com.
Like I really I'm not a it doesn't matter, I'm not really well versed in advertising at this point for it.
Yeah, but like that's a recent example of this where you have somebody who's kind of known for like one thing, but but actually her face kind of represents that thing and then they go off and do something scandalous, right shirt Marilyn Monroe is like an obvious example of it or whatever. But like I feel like there's that doesn't
happen a lot. Maybe Sidney Sweeney to some extent, although she's been pretty consistent as being like, you know, scandalous and she came out or whatever, But like, there's not a lot lot of times where this happens in pop culture, and it's always interesting to me when it does because America has such a dysfunctional relationship to sex, and I think stuff like this really highlights it. Like why would it be an issue for Maryland Chambers to make this movie?
Like you know, anyways, there's like all sorts of questions that that brings up that are just interesting to me. So that backstory is cool, and then the movie is interesting. I think I love what's the word the factory that was in New York with Warhol, and like this movie kind of felt like it could have come out of that maybe like his loose like structured right narratively, So yeah,
I don't know. It really kind of hit a lot of different or checked a lot of different boxes for me, despite the difficulty of watching a woman get raped and learning to like it, which is a difficult topic of itself.
Yeah, you know, and it's also just maybe because this was so influential, but that's a trope I've kind of gotten used to, and this sort of thing, and you know, that's a whole can of worms. That's a whole discussion for another day, right, Like I hear to get into like feminist dissertation as to like that sort of representation or whatever. That does bring me to one point that I thought of while I was listening to the short story,
because it is probably even worse on this front. It's more detailed and more graphic and more like, uh, you know, the inner monologue is incorporated, so like, you know, I was just listening to it like thinking like, oh man, just like some dudes rape fantasy, and then I had to like check myself and be like you know what, this is an anonymous short story. There's a decent chance the reason it's anonymous is because a woman wrote it
and didn't want to take the heat for it. And once I thought about it through that lens, I was kind of like rethinking it a little bit. I don't know. I can't nobody can know right what perspective this is coming from. And maybe it shouldn't matter as much as I'm sort of saying it does, But I don't know. I guess. I guess at the point I'm arriving at is that everybody's into something and I'm not here to judge.
But it is also uncomfortable, probably for most people, the premise of this, right of course.
Yeah, can't wait to see how it plays with an audience. They're showing it at the New Beverly is a midnight, and you better believe I'll be there. I've been burning the candle at both ends, watching stuff at home and watching smut in a theater on like beat up grindhouse style prints. Some are actually in great shape, but yeah, it's been because it's like such once in a lifetime stuff. But yeah, it's funny because some of them I haven't
seen and I have them from vinegar syndrome. This is one of the few where I obviously had seen it, but it's like, well, why would I pass up the chance to see this in a theater?
Yeah? Sure, I would see it again in a theater for sure. Yeah. I shouldn't get us on too many tangents because we have a hard out. But that's right, they're doing. They're doing month number two and I'm sure you're excited.
Oh yeah, and I'm glad they toned it down on the Triple X because I literally was going to like every one and it was like it was a lot and like that just in terms of a lot of porn.
But it just like a lot of stuff that I hatter every day.
Yeah, exactly. So this month they thankfully have done a lot of stuff I've even seen in a repertory capacity, so I don't even feel the need or it's stuff that I know how I feel about it, so I can miss some of it. But still, I would say thirty percent of that calendar is I can't miss, and there's still like another twenty percent after that that's like I might still go if I'm up to it that week.
I think my last note, unless we have anything else you want to touch on it just being conscious of time. Is the booklet Jared Stearns. I think he does the auto commentary as well. Yeah, but he has two essays and this booklet, one of which was written for a magazine and is reproduced here in one of which is original to this booklet. They're both fantastic, they're both great. I mean, bro literally wrote the book on Marylynd Chambers, so you're not going to get much of a better
source than that. But it also helps that he's a good and engaging writer, because that's not always the case with academic types. So I recommend that.
Yeah, and he's in the features too, and he talks a lot about there's a couple of different people. Steven Morowitz is in the is in the a couple of special features too. They kind of just talk about, you know, he covers a lot more of Maryland stuff. But he also lives in the Bay, it sounds like, so he
talks a lot about porn in San Francisco. It's a great it's really a great thing about like like just a very comprehensive deep dive into how a place that is pretty as far left as you could be for that time, and how even for them some of this was a challenge, and how the Mitchell brothers were kind of like, you know, in that same kind of Larry Flint spirit of like taking free speech as much as possible and calling hypocrisy to all the politicians and religious
groups that would attack them. And you know, even if they had a really sad ending, but up until then, it really is like pretty incredible what they did and how artistically interesting they are. I don't know when vinegar syndrome good announcement. Well, what I will say is and and obviously we'll save this for another time, but having watched Resurrection of Eve and another, uh, another film they made called Sodom and Gomora, how much better they got as filmmakers as they went along.
And oh, for sure, it's like, I can't I can't imagine they go worse. I'm excited to see this sort of artistic with some refinement.
You know. Yeah, I guess it's not that they get worse. But what what my fear is with when they're when people are making porn?
If I have a fear, it's a weird word.
But the thing I worry about is that not that they get worse, but that they get efficient.
I don't you know what I.
Mean, because then then you're just talking about someone who's making you know, uh.
Sex films line right right right exactly.
Yeah, So but anyhoy, Yeah, we can we can that. That's that's all I wanted to add to that. But yeah, if you want to move on to the next.
Yeah, for sure. You know what, Actually I have two last things.
Sure.
Yeah.
I think I learned on your podcast that Edgriselva named his production company green Door Productions, and people were like, you know what that is, right, and he was like, hell, yeah, I think that's awesome. I love that.
Well. Also, I think this came up as well. John Cena bought it up on a on a interview he.
Did and of his favorite movies.
Yeah, and one of the top of that, one of the top reviews on letterbox was they just logged it insaide, I'm here because John Cena told me to or something, or I'm just here because of John Cena.
It's just hilarious. And the other one I didn't get to watch any of the features, but there's one here called Behind the Mitchell Brothers Film Group Preserving the legacy. That's one I probably want to watch before I pass on this disc is it? Is it good? Do you have any Yes?
One hundred percent. That's the one that really covers like what they were about, and it's a very like there.
It's very comprehensive and a perfect primer I think for this film and in general, because it just kind of talks about how and also, like I said it, you know VS has the whole Sorry this isn't the one about Maryland Chambers, but this is the one where you get to hear about VS acquiring it and what they acquired and like, so it's also like telling you, like, hey, this is what to look forward to, but also like, I don't know, it just made me really excited for
the rest of the line because they are very interesting filmmakers and they made shorts, so there's obviously going to be some stuff where we're going to get like shorter projects, not feature length stuff alongside it.
So yeah, I'm really really.
Excited for it, and I think I think it's the most interesting of the special features.
Well hell yeah, I think in the standard edition you get this replica of Japanese one sheet poster and the booklet with the short story. But you know, the short story is online. I just put it into eleven Reader and had it read it to me, so you can get it that way. But the limited edition is down to the last six hundred out of four thousand as at the time I'm recording this, So if you want to read those excellent essays, well I guess you can do. But also you should buy it.
Yeah, don't don't wait on the sale because this is also a November release, so I don't even know if it'll be on the halfway Soude.
Don't think it's gonna make it.
Yeah, so I I it's definitely worth picking up. And I'm glad because they did. They did four thousand of this one. I'm glad it's almost they're almost out of print with it.
Because yeah, for sure.
Yeah, So all right, what uh what do we got next?
List?
Next up, let's do District Picks great The adult version of jaccyl and Hyde and The Erotic Adventures of Zoro Uh one of the stronger Distripicks releases in my opinion, I actually think these movies are like really good. Actually, I think I am going to keep this and I really like it. I also really love the Bockthart. To be honest, it's way too yeah, but you know what, it's a vibe. So I had a good fan of these movies.
Honestly, I had a great time with it. I love this double two. It it I can kind of talk get into it a little bit more and I'll let you kind of take the reins. But I did really like it. I'm just curious, Chris, did you enjoy the double overall?
Yeah?
I think I lost a little steam with Zoro, but Jekyl and Hyde was was awesome. I had a great time with it.
It's fucking wild. I think I like Zorro just because of the commitment to like the period and also like literary sort of adamp to like it's good, like it's well made, like it's it's a little bit long, but it's also like I don't know, I found it like thought provoking as well and sort of you know, it's I'm maybe over selling it. It's not gonna be like a fucking Hollywood masterpiece as far as like what it is like, you know, especially when I'm writing on the
District Picks curve. Not to be mean about it, but like it's pretty.
That's that's the right curve. I think for people listening it is a It is a good entry level district picks for sure. I agree, I Zoro is so what I what I wrote in my letter box. I remember I put that it's a lot of fun, but it's a lot of movie. And so when a rouffie exceeds even eighty minutes, because most ruffies really cluck into like like the seventy five minute mark usually, and you still feel it then, but when they pass eighty minutes, they kind of have to be earned, and I can't say
that this one earns it. I definitely had even as a real I consider myself a real head for these, I definitely struggled a little. But like I also, and I felt this way about Checkl and Hyde as well, even though I liked it a lot more, both of these felt like they were they really wanted to be hardcore, and I feel like if they were, they actually would have had more of a reputation.
M M. I think so too. But I kind of like that they go as hard as they do and they are as bizarre as they are in the sure exploitation context, because I think it does kind of skirt the line a couple times.
Pretty cool close, Yeah, yeah, and I think they confirm all oh yeah.
Can I call out the tagline for the adult version of Jekyl and Hyde, which is so awesome it is it is a tale of hex and sex rated X. I love that.
That's so beautiful, beautiful. Yeah, definitely the better of the two. And it's it's interesting. It's it's not like with both of these the thing that's a lot of roughies too. They can be not necessarily inept, but maybe a little unwieldy. I think this is like really good and trashy in the right ways.
Yeah, funnily enough.
It's the soft core stuff where I feel like it drags a little bit but no pun intended.
Yeah, And looking at my ratings, I gave this one a six and I gave Zoro a seven. But in retrospect, I remember more of Jekyl and Hyde, so I don't know. This is one of those things. But the thing I want to say about this, and the thing that is touched on in one of the booklet essays, is that this movie is actually like queer as fuck and like gay as shit. Yep, they go there. In like the fact that I was like shocked. I was like, whoa, Like Homeboy is like inhabiting a woman and he's like
blowing dudes, and I'm like, this is awesome. I did not expect to go there.
Yeah it does.
It's like it's like a fucking trans coded, like gay coated sort of literary adaptation in a softcore seventies film. And I'm like, it's a lot going on here, and I appreciate it. Yeah, pay singles a little bit dragged a little bit for me, but like I think on a rewatch, I think I'll appreciate it more. And I don't know, I appreciate the audaciousness and then just kind of like, yeah, whatever, we're gonna do this, like who cares. Maybe it'll make our audience comfortable, but fuck it.
Yeah I oh go ahead, Chris, No, no, no, you go ahead.
Okay, Well I'll be quick. Anyways, I just think that like there's maybe maybe the guy that makes the oh shit, I can't believe I forgot his name now, but at night we'll come for the cemetery, the Brazilian director who made all those uh cemetery movies. Oh shoot. Anyways, there's I'll think of the name here in just a second. But but there's the arrow put out that giant box out of his movies Joe.
Okay, yeah yeah, I was like, wait, I know who you're talking about that thank Yeah yeah.
Yeah that okay, the Coffin Joe films. I think it has a similar vibe to that in that it's like this eccentric lead. Although Coffin Joe is not necessarily going here as far as sex, it is a sleazier series and times, but like, I just think that they I love that, maybe even a little bit like Rocky Horror
Picture Show, although obviously it's not as extreme. But I like it when there's something where there's an eccentric lead who doesn't necessarily fit how you would expect him to be as a lead, but in a bigger way, within the confines of the story, he fits perfectly and he kind of makes it or the lead makes it work and it doesn't happen a lot, you know, but there.
I love that that they just kind of like Celesti you said it, well, like they just go for it and I think it works and it makes it a very fun watch.
Yeah. This is also I mean it's a roughie for sure, Like there's some rough shit that happens in this, So, like, you know, if you're trying to get turned on, I guess be aware of that. But if you're into like crazy fucked up movies, like this is a strong contender for one that you should pick up. I think.
I think the reason why people used to be able to crank their hogs to this, for lack of a better term, is that, like the options were so few back again that it's I don't think you calculate it the same way where you're like, well, I don't want to see this rough stuff. I want to wait until, like and find a good cuck scene or something, you know what I mean. Like, it's just it didn't exist. So it's like it's such a different ballgame.
No, for sure. It's like I'm here, what else am I going to do for right? Right?
Right?
You know, right, we're not hurting for options in the Year of Our Lord twenty twenty six for this sort of thing. But you know, I had to take what you could get in nineteen seventy two when you bought a ticket already, right right, So I guess I don't know. I guess I always feel the need to kind of temper. My recommendation depending on what you're looking for, Like, if you just want a crazy exploitation movie that goes there, you should definitely check this out. I will shout out
the booklet booklets. There's two of them. There's a There's a The Bane of My Existence, These perfectly bound books, which I'm going to start calling the imperfectly bound books because there's such a fucking pain to actually like read and scan and all this. But there's one of those, and then there's a booklet inside that has a pretty lengthy write up on I think all seven of the main female stars that appear in these two films pretty good.
And then the.
Imperfect book has an essay by Lisa Pertrucci, which is excellent and there's always love reading her writing, and it's just a really great love letter to fuck. I forgot his name, Oh, David free David Freeman. Yeah, it's great. It's just a really great like history slash memoir essay and I loved it. And then the third one is from an academic talking about some of the career subtext.
It's not very long, it doesn't go very deep, but I'm glad it's acknowledged in the writing here right, And there's two commentaries that I didn't have time to go over, but they are with Mike Ranny and David Freedman, so probably worth checking out if you are a fan of either of those people. Did either of you get to watch those?
Yeah?
So I didn't, Yes, I didn't. Sorry I should say I didn't listen to the commentary. I did go through the booklet and I agree like it's very it gives you context, specifically because oh.
You know what, that's not true.
I did listen to the beginning of the Jekyl and Hyde commentary now that I remember. The problem is the audio on it. It through specifically through my soundbar, had like a it almost sounded like they were on the phone, which is not the case. It's just I think it's on archival commentary back when they recorded them a little differently, so it just sounded a little rough, like it was actually unpleasant to it was like it sounded a little
piercing to me. That said. Yeah, And the booklet itself though, is great, because you know, I just watched to go back to that new BEV thing for a second. They did a David Friedman double of that AGFA double that they put out the Defilers and a smell of honey, a swallow of Brian and boy did his style change in those years as a producer and as a director, but.
I should say as a producer. But he.
What's interesting is that watching that, watching those, it's very similar in that they kind of give you the best versions of whatever you're watching in terms of those kinds of ruffies. But here, because these are shot in color and they're restored from their negative, they.
Look so good.
And reading up on like kind of what kind of Carne Corman he is, you know, because he has a
carnival background and he was literally a carnival barker. So to put this like Corman style filmmaker or producer into like a Carne's body is so fascinating because you absolutely understand how there's a movie that's giving you what you want, but also a hell of a salesman giving you this great The artwork, as far as I can tell, wasn't was borrowed pretty heavily from the original posters h So you know, he obviously had to say in that he knows how to pull people with this stuff.
All right, Any last thoughts or should we take a trip to Japan.
Yeah, let's go to Let's go to Connie Connie City.
Connie City. All right, I'll do that one first. We have two titles from Japan this time.
Geez, I forgot whichever one you wanted to start with. I'm sorry that that was my bad.
That's okay, Now you're good. Let's do it. Top Stripper and Pink Cut, Love Me Hard, Love Me Deep. It's fucking sick title. And this artwork on the slipcover. Bro, goddamn, it's sold out. So sorry to flex on you right now. But like shit, like to the audience, I mean, but like goddamn the but I will say it is they're both there in the in the reversible, so like you'll be okay. There's a booklet in here. I forgot about it. I thought that there was no features, so I dropped
the ball. I didn't read the booklet. That's a fun surprise for me. But so, like, you know, you'll be okay if you get the standard edition, unless you're like a real slip pervert. But these movies, I don't know. I don't have a ton to say about them. I continue to be a little bit at arm's length in terms of my emotional sort of connection and sort of intellectual appreciation of the sort of pink stuff and the Roman porno. I think it's still a learning curve that
I I have not fully bridged yet. But so I just think that these both are like fine, and they're you know, interesting and worthwhile for what they are in terms of like a sixty minute sexy romp. But I'm curious what y'all have to say about it.
Well, so I think I think I know which one you like more, Eli, and I think I'm the opposite. So I'm curious if if my memory of our conversations is true. I think that Top Strippers is good and I and I had a great time with it, and I'm happy to get into it more. But I think Pink Cut is such a pleasant, like fun, charming movie that it's like a wonderful introduction to Roman porno. The you know, it's this whole area of Japanese history is
so interesting to me. Like it's not like they're just you know, like the fact that it's such a constricted culture in some ways, or restrictive culture and some but at the same time they have such a different So because it's restrictive. There's a certain perception of what I think they're going to value as an American and it just translates like they have a different view on sex
culturally than we do. And it's not like I think it's you know, I don't know that we have anything in the US history that sort of mirrors the Roman porno stuff as far as being theatrical and doing well and making a lot of money for studios and not seeming to be that controversial at least in the same way that it would have been here. So I just
think there's like an interest there for me. And I love the fact that they didn't make sex seem like Pink Cut doesn't make sex seem dirty or salacious at all, Like it's just fun and like it helps this woman open up and like, you know, she's becoming more of her full self when she can like express that sexuality when it's I don't know, I like it, Like.
Yeah I liked pink Cut, I did, But yeah, you nailed. I think it's of the two because uh, and and and the special features kind of confirm this. I believe it's in the booklet and and an interview with the with the director's widow, which was that he made Top Stripper and then they were like, hey, uh, we'll give you a little more money to make one more movie, and so he kind of he didn't cobble this together, but it obviously wasn't the one where he had a
lot on his mind. Now that being said, I like that the direction he chose to go was to make something for especially for a Roman porno, incredibly wholesome. It has this very very radiantly charming dance number at the end, literally like for the credits there. It's like what you
would find in a musical. And it even has a very cute outtake when all the all the confetti's coming down and one of it like lands in the lead's mouth and she has to like spit it out, and they left it in, and I think that really adds to the to the charm of this movie.
That's like both horny and.
Silly, And you know, Connie has been really good at finding these.
I talked about this.
I talked about this, I think in the review episode in our last recap episode. But I just watched and I'm not gonna shut shut up about this the whole year until we get to the end of the year rankings. But they just put out a movie called New Love in Tokyo, which I'll be very hard pressed to if they put out a better release this year, and honestly, as a partner title will easily be, if not at the top, very close to it.
Calling it now.
But it's a similar thing where it it's this very sex positive movie, but those words didn't exist at the time together, right, and so that term was like, so it's this movie that is it's still I'm not going to say that it's made for everybody, but it obviously still has the guys in minds. This one's definitely for the for the fellows to crank one out two, but it's still Yeah, it has a very unique I don't know,
I haven't seen anything like it. So the fact that it still works gets a couple extra points for me
for that reason. And as far as Top Stripper goes, the reason I responded to it a lot more is because it still has that same upbeat tone that Pink Cut has, but specifically amongst the sex workers, and you know, everybody is watching each other's backs and doing the best they can with what they have, and even the tone has this pretty upbeat thing to it, but it's incredibly, incredibly sober and grounded about the work they do and
the world outside of their camaraderie. And it's not a hostile world, but matter of factly, it is a certain type of world that to this day still exists. And these things are transactional. No matter what other way you want to put it, it's still a business. So it's very clear eight about that. But what I like is it doesn't find any kind of it finds happiness in that. You know. The thing I thought about actually now that
we're talking about it. You know, we just had that episode with Alex Phillips from who directed Anything That Moves, And something I've been thinking about since that interview is, you know, because that movie has this wholesome core to it. That's the word I used when we talked to him, and what I really appreciate. I'm trying to like do this as concisely as possible, but you know, he said, the title of the movie came from blue velvet and
blue velvets. Opposite blue velvets. This movie that has this fifty sheen, but it's doing a Reagan interrogation, right, So it's finding literally at the beginning, it tells you what it's up to. It goes into the dirt and where all the bugs are, so anything that moves was the opposite where it's this world that has a lot, it's got a lot of wholesome stuff, but it's got a world that's that can be an unkind place. It's all about finding love where you can. As you put it,
that really unlocks the whole movie. And I think that applies here. It's not really about finding these things where you can, but it's a matter of you know, this is the safest place for these people, and there's there's a world out there that isn't as kind to them
and that has people who attached to them parasocially. And you know, but I don't know, the director's never a satist about it or or you know, it's not like a director we're going to talk about shortly Sato where he implicates himself in his own and in the more sadistic stuff that shows up. It's just I don't know. I really like that. It just works really well, and it's quite a fine for that reason.
To me, I will say, I think if you were to just strictly look at from like a filmmaking perspective, I guess Top Stripper is I think clearly the better movie than I will say that, Like, I think the characters are written in a way where there's more depth to them. You get the history of them immediately, and the interaction between the customers and the strippers is awesome. Like it's done very well, and they don't ever have
to over explain anything. They just let it play out and we all know exactly what's going on, right, And it's and I there's a there's a movie I want
to see. I was reading some stat the other day, you know, in metazine Columbia alone, there's over six hundred thousand women on webcams, and like there's there's some movie that's going to be made coming up in the next few years, looking at a very similar dynamic, because you know, people fall in love with webcam models all the time, right, That's a very common thing, and like that's kind of what Top Strippers getting at, right in in a in an earlier version of that. Anyways, I love it.
Yeah, I think the I think that I guess I should say at the jump, these are my first Roman porno movies. Just movies were my first pink fils. Yeah, yeah, these are my first Roman pornos, and I had kind of thought that these were going to be more like the way the differential. The differential for me that I had understood was that not only are these like specifically from one production company, right, but like it's just like a more ornate, high budget version of like the pink genre.
And I didn't find that here. I was like, these feel still pretty like rough around the edges, pretty low budget, but they're more They're way more digestible, you know, They're way more like they're not they don't exist to make you feel like shit. They have to give you a good experience, you know. Yeah, And to me, I think Top Stripper is the better, more interesting film, but Pink Cut is the one that had the more memorable images.
I think that the really like bright lighting and the sort of fantasy esque sequence of like the barber Shop is really quite striking, and the artwork really does a great job of capturing it. But I think, you know, I'll just be honest, I didn't love these movies, but I think that they are really interesting, and I think that other people, I mean, it sounds like you both really love them. So like, I'm not going to sit here and be like, yeah, don't buy this. I think
you know, I think it's great that they're out. I think it's I hope that they do more of these and uh again, it might be the sort of thing we're in five years, I'm gonna be like, the fuck were you talking about these movies? Fucking rip? Like you just weren't used to the style yet, you know. So yeah, I think it's you know, you can't in on something that you've never seen. So I'm really happy that these things are finally coming out and we can engage with them, you know.
Yeah, yeah, I've men it comes out of Top Stripper. Probably didn't help, No.
I didn't, you know it was behind the time.
I was like, come on, y'all, behind the behind the pink door. The Uh well, you know, I.
I do think that you're right. It's good entry level Roman porno. That said, if people want to might like get more into Roman porno, eighty eight films is gonna be your if you have a if you have a region free player. A lot of Roman Porno doesn't really make its way to US releases. Now that I'm thinking about it right, it's like the aside from maybe.
It's gonna start, but I don't think at all, you.
Know, no for sure. I mean because there's some stuff I know, pink films already have been making their way through, like Mondo some of error. But yeah, but like a lot of Nakatsu stuff that's not true. Actually, uh, Synapse did have a I forget the name of the sub label that they released them under. It starts with an I. No, No, it's not an interscope. It's like image or but but yeah, yeah what what? Uh?
A lot of.
Those, But I don't think Blu Ray has really been.
Yeah it was, it was, Yeah, I'm just forgetting what the Impulse Pictures that's the that's the name of the line that that Actually they did put out a pretty decent selection of Roman portals, even even on Blu Ray. Actually some of the real rough ones too, like the what's it called Star of Day Beauty Hunter.
One of the.
Was talking about that on her year end or like year end sort of episode, and she, I mean, if she's telling somebody that that ship's fucking rough, like yeah.
Yeah, it's it's.
It is.
I've seen it.
It I haven't logged it on letterbox because I saw it too long ago and I need to rewatch it.
But it's it's not entry level. I'll tell you that.
It's Uh, it's it's it's definitely a step above uh, most of.
The popular ones.
But yeah, there there are a lot, and you can surprisingly get them on like Amazon and stuff. Uh. But yeah, so I do think this is good entry level. But if you have a region free player and you don't wanna and you don't want to wait, you can you can definitely get like stuff from eighty eight Films. They have a whole Roman porno line. I know, New New Wave Video just announced non Rope in hell So and
that's region free. But they're definitely to their way. They're they're making their way out there.
So it's I guess I shouldn't. I didn't mean to say that a Roman porno necessarily uh implies like a lighter tone. But you know, I'm going based off like one director each for like pink film versus running form specifically. Well, it's hard, is what I'm saying.
Well, it's hard not to think of it that way because they you know, when you see what t Sato does and what pink films are you know, Nakatsu's a studio that is very well collect you know, the the Janics library here with Criteria has quite a few of their things, so it's hard not to think of them in terms of like elevated.
Porno even, you know.
But the truth is it's there's some pretty fucking heavy duty ship and uh, you know, that's where Naomi Tani really uh you know, where she she cut her teeth, and a lot of other well known actors from there.
So speaking of pink.
I was gonna say, that's a good transition as any and too Swear to god, I can never get his first name right. The films of Sayasu Sata nailed it too, thank you. We have an aria on Gazes, which is a great title, and Love minus zero equals Infinity, which is a less great title. I don't know what it means, but it is interesting. It is intriguing, you know what I mean.
Well, you kind of nailed it here, Like I think both of these films are pretty well, more so one than the other, but this is a pretty opaque set, Like I think the first is the first volume is a great entry level Sato like like a primer This, on the other hand, kind of is the inverse like this is not for the uninitiated, but not because the
content's more objectionable. It's just that it kind of it's just and this is just an overall because obviously we're going to talk about the films, uh, you know, individually, but yeah, it's not entry level. And it also if you've watched his other movies, it feels like he's playing the hits again, do you know what I mean?
Like, I like, I liked this set a lot less than the first one. I'm still gonna hang on to it because I think it is, again something I may appreciate more in retrospect. And also, yeah, if I'm going to keep the third one, my brain won't let me get rid of the second one, you know, right right, it's man they are. If the first volume was like tough to follow, this one was like even worse for me.
And like, yeah, I guess there's only two of them, so like it's it's easier in that sense, but right, okay, I guess let's just go into it a little bit. In Aria in Gazes is the one that was easier for me to understand because it's such a simple premise. But this is basically, like, have either of you seen the film? I think it's called Sleeping Beauty.
I know the movie you're talking about.
Yep, I haven't seen them a lot, but yeah, I've heard good things about it.
I like it a lot. It's it's it's been put out by IFC under OCN and I recommend it. But it's it's that premise essentially where these women are sort of gosh, it's not even clear in this It's clear in Sleeping Beauty, it's not as clear in this one
whether or not this is consensual. But like basically men pay to have sex with women who are unconscious, right, And it's just in this like Pitch Black, sort of like Neon lit Room, and you just kind of go in and out of that with like, I don't know, help me out here, I'm trying to I'm getting the too confused in my mind on like what happens in which or I guess the five films i've seen it.
Yeah, I think a little bit.
You know, Chris, I'll let you take this one, not because I can't keep up with it, but because I want to talk more about my feelings than they do about what the movie's up to?
Oys, No, no, So this is this is infamous because the guy who was the lead in this movie later later was arrested as being a cannibal.
I think that happened first.
Okay, well I don't know exactly the timing of it.
So, which is what makes it so fucked up, as I'm pretty sure he was hired because he was literally a cannibal, like rapist, serial killer. It's so fucking crazy that he did that. And he did it more than once too, which is the thing. But can you imagine being the actress on set that day and being like, what am I doing today? And you're like, so we hired the literal most famous cannibal on earth and he's
gonna bite your ass on camera. I would have been like, are you Like, no, I'm not doing There's no money, there's no amount of money. Well there's probably an amount of money, but like the amount of money that you have is not gonna be enough to make me do that, you know what I mean? Right?
Yeah? I knew that going in, and what what's uh?
You know?
I at some point the movie so weirdly, because the movie is so opaque that I kind of forgot about that halfway through the like because I was I was so like, I don't know, and that speaks to the volume of the film, like it obviously did its job right, because it did. It did hypnotize me, but for no other reason than it just has a hypnotic quality to it.
It obviously is.
More of of just a sensory experience. I imagine this screened here and I and.
I missed it.
I think actually, when we were talking earlier Celeste about off off or pre recording, one of the things I missed was this, And no it was Turtle Vision, which I loved. But I don't want to jump too far ahead there, but I do want to see how this would play in a theater because it's such a sensory experience. And excuse me, I think that it obviously has something to do with numbing yourself, you know, very literally to and and A being mistakes for sex to make things
more exciting. But also there's the voyeurism element, and that that to me, I couldn't help but think, like, well, he's done the voyeur as the voyeurism element already.
I've seen it. I've seen him do better versions of this.
The thing that I figured out once I got to volume three without spoiling anything, is that's that's not going to go away. What's what makes it.
Seems to be the singular thing he's.
Interesting, right, But however, you know, yes, that said when he cooks with this idea, he's cooking with gas like like, I just don't think here he's he's fully I think this is the only time he's at a simmer with these things, because I don't.
Think it's I think it's a slar focus across a career. I just think it's obvious to me that that's like what he's interested.
In, right, right, And when you when you watch it in the in the and and again, I'm trying not to because I know we're the third volume will come up later, but my point being is it works really well within the movies of that set. So when you're when and and so, I I'm kind of glad this one existed now to get me back on track because it made me appreciate volume three even more and volume one even more because yeah, I mean, his thelography is
so prolific. How wouldn't he have a couple of misses? Right, It's just you would think you'd think that'd be for volume five, not for volume pure, right.
Yeah, there's a strategy to curation though, and I do think if they felt like this was a weaker set, there is some value in putting it early on when you have a lot of momentum, right, because you still have people that are like, it's still selling well. I will say the cinematography in this movie reminded me a lot of Kislowsky's Blue and that is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful shot films of you know,
the twentieth century. And I do think that I do want to give at least some credit to Sato for making his movies something that are very beautiful to watch, even if the content is dark. For sure, it's clear that he's an artist first, and I think like he's a he's intentionally trying to be subversive, right, and he's clearly even with the cannibal thing, but like all of his movies, he's trying to be subversive. And I think he's obsessed with the idea voyeurism. I think is part
of it. The way he talks about it is the interaction we have where we're there's a there's a screen
in front of us all the time. So this was even back then where he's obsessed with the idea of screens, right, So who knows what he's thinking now, But like you know, like he was obsessed with this idea that we're always being watched or watching something, and so he's I think he's The way he talks about it is very openly voyeuristic and very openly about the fact that we're always being watched and but we're still shot.
I think that's a non issue now, you know, the surveillance state and all that exactly a point to think about that anyway. I don't want it to seem like I think these movies are bad or I think you should skip this. I think that these movies are I think they're good movies. They're just so challenging on so many different levels that like, yeah, it's harder for me to recommend it than the first set. I don't think I would recommend the set over the first one to anybody, especially not to start with.
But no, for sure, And like you know, I'm sitting.
Here, like it's probably extremely morally questionable to cast a real cannibal in your film eating ass but like you know, there is the part of me that's like I'm always kind of jones in for like that next extreme thing that I can find in a movie, and like it's
you're getting pretty up there, you know. It's like to really imagine if, like, you know, Jeffrey Dahmer didn't go to prison because he was like, you know, declared insane or whatever, and like somebody cast him literally like Lars von Streer was like, Hey, come be in my movie, and like, you know, you're gonna like get the get out of the knife and fork. It's gonna be a whole thing, you know, Like it's just so insane. I
can't even look my mind around it. Yeah, this is an aside, and we don't have time for asides, but I'm gonna do it anyway, have either of you. The film Canniba I don't know if that's how you pronounced it, is from twenty seventeen. It's a documentary film about this person. It's maybe the most uncomfortable thing I've ever watched in my life, not just because of the content, but the way it is shot is so oppressively close up and gross.
I gave it a two out of ten because I think it's like, it's such an unpleasant watching experience and also pretty morally questionable. But it is among the most confronting, subversive and interesting documentaries I think I've ever seen, so Like, I don't not recommend it. It's a lot, but I knew a lot about this person going in, and so when I read that that's who it was, I was like pretty taken it back. But I don't know if that's a recommendation, but it's a this This document does
exist if you want to go see it. I have considered rewatching it, but it is just such a viscerally uncomfortable experience that it is challenging. I guess we should move on to Love minus zero equals Infinity, though I see you want to have one last point, which I will.
Oh no, I'm sorry. I thought before we leave Japan, I have one thing I want to throw in. But let's talk about Love Man and Zero first, because that's okay. Yeah, this movie for me is the is the more difficult one to remember I actually watched.
I think so too. I still even though it's the more plot heavy one, like I just couldn't tell you what happened, Like there's a vampire there's a slight detective element to it. There's like blood transfer. I don't know, man, it's that's a great point in the in the essay about it, but I'll let I'll let Eli talk about it, because it sounds like you have more to say.
Yeah, I well, I I think this is the weaker of the two as well. But what I remember about it, what I what I kind of did appreciate about it, is that it what it does do with the voyeur element is it's a it's a it's a person who follows other people and he kind of happens. It's kind of like Christopher Nolan's Following, where a guy follows a
random person sort of and ends up. I haven't seen Following in twenty years, but I just remember, you know, he obviously ends up in someone else's story almost and he watches people with a camera, and it ends up being basically a allegory. It ends up dealing with the nineties, the very early nineties scare of AIDS.
I mean, this was something that was already.
Scary in the eighties, but but it obviously in Japan it was being dealt with different in the kind of it sounds like in the same way it wasn't America, which is it was. It was treated as a bad you know, as like a failing on a person's part getting it right, and so so.
As long as a moral component to disease, which is right, right and frustrating and also kind of understandable. Right it's anyway, that's a whole topic.
Right right, So it kind of it kind of makes it also blends vamporism, you know, almost like like habit, where it's this thing about vamporism as a disease, you know, overlapping with AIDS and beyond that what I kind of I think the movie was very visually exciting.
Again, but I think because.
Even though obviously HIV and there's prep now and there's ways to kind of you know, live with it in undetectable terms, I don't think that cheapens this any less. But I don't feel any heightened sense of I don't know, it feels almost more artifactual than it does compelling, right, so, you know, and it's still an hour and it goes right, These all for better or worse, go down fairly easy
on those terms. But yeah, I think overall that's pretty much all I had to say about it, because I think that it's nice to know what I did with the other thing that really drew me in is it's nice to know that there's a that he could just at any point, he could have just thrown his hands up and be like, I'm gonna make a quote unquote real movie or a non pink film, you know what I mean. Like he could have this totally did not
have to be a pink film at all. You could make that argument for a lot of his movies, probably, but I think a lot of the times he knows how to fuse them. This one, on the other hand, feels like he had a movie in mind and he just he just contractually made it a pink film when he had to. More so than the other ones. I feel like that's like underlined and marker.
This does have And that's a great transition to the main point I wanted to make, which that this does have the skeleton of a more traditional narrative feature. And I really want to call out, excuse me, the essay from Felipe Ertado is so fucking good in this booklet, and the thing that he points out that nailed what was has been so challenging for me about these films he makes. He talks about the film The Sicilian, where
contractually he was not allowed to make. The director's name is Michael Simono.
Oh, Michael Chimino.
Chimino, thank you. Contractually, the film was only supposed to be one hundred and twenty minutes Max. So he got his director's cut together, which was two hours twenty and then he was like, cool, that's the movie I made. That's the movie I'm gonna make, and so he, for the producers, made a two hour cut. Sorry, my cat is on the verge of knocking over my webcam. We're good. He made the two hour cut, but he cut out all the action scenes, so the film is unwatchable. To the producers, it's.
Like, sorry, you know the I think I missed my audio dropped? Is this Heaven's Gate? Or which Tomato film?
Is this?
Uh? The Sicilian?
Oh? Oh that's right, that's right. Sorry, okay, got it.
So he makes a cut without any of the action and the producers are like this sucks, and he's like, cool, I could put the action back, but it's gonna be over twenty it's gonna be over two hours, and so they let him do it, and that was just working around for it. And it feels like this is not a point that I'm making. This is the point that I'm repeating because I think it's really sharp, is that Stato seems to do the opposite where he leaves in
all the lurid stuff. He leaves in all the sex, all the like you know, the stuff you paid for, but all that stuff in between that like builds characters that as motivation that kind of lets you get to point A to point B is all cut out and you're just sat there to like kind of try and figure it out yourself. Like I guess I have to infer as an autistic person, I struggle with that, and so I think these films are tailor made to be
confusing for me personally. But I do have to admire how different they are and what the challenge that they afford, even if at the end of the day that means a month later, I cannot tell you for the life of me what happens in these movies.
Well, yeah, I mean overall, it's kind of the same thing you guys were talking about, where like they obviously curated it in a certain way, because it did still leave me excited for the next volume. I wasn't like, it didn't deter me or make me be like, all right, I'll hold off it. Actually, on the other hand, made me be like, all right, let's see because I knew, you know, Turtle Vision is often considered one of his best, so as soon as I saw that, I was like, Okay, cool,
whatever this is. And then I remember just seeing the trailer for it, I was like, oh, they're shitt in here, even by his terms, I haven't even seen yet, so I'm really excited for it. And then it was like one of the first things I wanted to dive into when I got it. But yeah, I'm glad we it. This also seems to be the general consensus on on this volume, which is kind of a good thing because nobody was like, oh this was a waste of time or this sucked, you.
Know, yeah, just weaker than volume one, right, yeah, yeah, is there anything else? Because I just want to give a really quick honorable man for it.
And then sure.
To say about our last title. So as long as we can get it done in fifteen minutes, we're good.
Awesome fifteen minutes with you starting in.
Exactly Oh man, good stuff.
I just want to call it film movement classics. It's not an adult title per se, but it's Love's Whirlpool. And I'm holding it up because I think there's going to be video with this, right, so I just want to call it out and say people should watch it because it's all about an underground sex club in Japan where people go and pay cash and they just they're
there to have sex with strangers for that night. So it starts from like, let's say midnight to five am or eleven pm to five am or something like that. So let's Kat just knocked over Eli's camera.
He's really talented.
But it's this really like raw, emotionally raw exploration of the like what's the word the insecurities people bring into something like that. Like it doesn't romanticize this sex club at all. It's like it's just this like raw emotional nerve for an hour and a half or two hours or whatever it is. And I think it's made really well, and there is a lot of nudity and sex in it, if that's what you're going for typical Japanese, Like there's
no penetration, but it's definitely like a softcore movie. With quite a lot of nudity in it, but it's not about that at all. Like it's a very very good character study and I think it's under discussed and I think people should watch it.
Hell yeah, there was on the Malos site, so I could have reviewed it, but I'll have to check it out some time.
Yeah, well, I I guess while we're doing the callouts real quick before we before we bring it home. Another one that So there's two titles. I actually just want to really really quick shout out here. One was a little older. It I think came out last summer, but I picked it up during the V Day sale and it was a life in Dirty Movies about the Sarnos.
I was shocked that didn't show up on the maleousn site because.
Yeah, same, same, and I loved it, great, great documentary. Yeah, it's just well, it ends up becoming more about Peggy
Stephan's Sarno, his wife. It kind of it doesn't because Joe is very he's already very old in the movie and he kind of he's a few he's not far from past away and their conversations, like Peggy is so clear eyed, and it's an incredible I just think it's really relevant to mel You Scene obviously because Distric Picks has some Joe Sarno movies, and Vineger Syndrome obviously has a history of putting out his stuff, So highly recommend that documentary if if you can't fork out the money.
It's been on sale every not just during the halfway stuff, but every subscriber sale and the V Day sale. It's been at least half off, So I'd recommend picking it up just for because you get slightly longer interviews on the special features. But if you don't want to do that, if you have a Canopy streaming service, it's on Canopy. It's it's not even I think, barely eighty minutes, and it.
Just it's it's great.
And even though it was already released, the mel You Scene and Vinegar Syndrome did put out an alternate slip cover a variant for Orgy of the Dead and a movie that Edward wrote. It's often associated with him, but it was actually directed by A. C. Stevens, who also directed which I believe his Williams. Stephen Apostoloff is the name he goes by. I'm trying to remember if that's right, But anyway, he h, it might as well, for all intents and purposes.
Be in Edwood film.
He yeah, Steven c apostle Off is his real name, but they collaborated on a few movies together, Fugitive Girls Orgy of the Dead. And it's not for everybody. It's definitely just a distilled nuty hutie just in a graveyard
with a lot of gothic imagery. It's great to have on in the background of a party with the right people attending and some great there's a great commentary with Frank kenn Laughter and Ruolph Gray who was Edwards biographer, and the you know, Vampira isn't in this, but there is a variation on Vampira that I absolutely love with this movie. So the the variant is the only thing
that's available. Can't even buy the standard or the or the just the og slip cover that's been out of print for a while, But when it's on sale, it's like seventeen bucks, totally worth it. If I think people who know whether or not they like Edward's stuff will know if they dig this. But it's definitely you definitely feel the running time. It's ninety minutes, but it doesn't sound like an endorsement, but I love it so well.
They back in the day, they did three mini slipcovers. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, Vininger Syndrome. It was a merch.
Item, yes, yes, yes, yes, I do remember that, and I found.
Them on EVA very cheap and I bought them and it was The Uninvited or the Dead and Orgy of the Dead, and that's that's the only one that I don't have, like the real version of it. So I've been on the lookout for it, but I'll check it out. Okay. Last one, whoever does the artwork for this this Delirium home video puts titties on every single one of those loop covers, so let me but this is a Doriana gray and then here's the back, which is also pretty steamy.
Jess Franco, you know, love him or hate him, I can't really avoid.
Him in this space, Yeah, that's for sure. Well, and he.
Has a very strong following.
You know, real quick.
The slipcover is designed by Suspiria Vilchez. I hope I'm pronouncing them his name correct, but uh, I remember Suspiria has done a few things for them, and they've all been bangers.
I think, I think I don't know the person's gender, but.
Yeah I don't either, but but yeah I did. I believe the nesting and something else from around that period and good good stuff. Shout out Suspiria, great name too.
So yeah, I uh, this was the first partnership between Delirium and uh Vinegar Syndrome slash mel you've seen for people who don't know, Delirium was going to do their own distribution and and they had some weird thing with their art covers last summer where they were like AI coded, like they used AI so like there's a shot of something with Lena Rome where she has like six toes or something like that and four fingers or they basically.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna be real bold right now. Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna burn our audience right now. I think having an AI generated slipcover of Lena Rome with six toes is awesome.
Well, it's it's like a collector's item now because if you did go out of the wild through Diabolic I believe, and then they recalled them. But uh, yeah, this was so so far what as far as I know with Deliriums and I'm I'm not I'm sure I'm not a Franco scholar, but nor am I a uh like entry level. But yeah, I'm somewhere in the middle, still getting to know Uncle Jess. But these are all right from as
far as I know. With the Delirium titles, they were allud by and some of them even directed by Irwin C. Dietrich who the most famous title with Lena was Rolls Royce Baby, I believe, And they all had like hardcore and softcore hut cuts for the most part.
I think some of them just had soft core cuts, like the uh.
Love Letters to a Portuguese None, which just came out this month as a partner released through that's available on both sites, which is very rare. This one is almost out of print. They're down to three eighty five, but there's this one has both the softcore and hardcore cut, which is why it's strictly on mel you've seen. And I was really excited for this one because I know this is considered one of Uncle Jess's best. What was your take the last how and how well versed are you on Franco?
Yeah, I think this is probably my tikes film with this that I've seen, which you know, for most directors it's like, oh, I'm like, you know, I know all his ship, but like for him, it's like what six.
Yeah if that I was gonna say that.
Yeah, And uh, the viewers just got an awesome shot of my cat yawning big, big, good job being a real star. I don't have a ton of thoughts on this. I'll just share them real quick. I like the cinematography, I genuinely do. I know people say that when they can't think of anything else to say, because I didn't think it was that good, but I did really like it. The vibes are there, Lena Rome is really hot. Uh,
that's what I have to say about that. And am I missing something or is this just straightforwardly not an adaptation of Dorian Gray and it's just called that for no reason?
I don't.
Yeah, I mean, well there is something with like, yeah, it's a it's a strange thing because there is like a mirror involved sort of, I guess to a degree. And yeah, I mean it's not it's it's certainly a loose adaptation to put it nicely.
I mean the title is definitely meant to get people's attention.
But you know, look, Leona, you're right, Lena Remay is incredibly beautiful, so you have a movie where she's facing off against herself sexually.
That's got my attention.
But like a lot of this, you're right to call out the cinematography because you're right. Look, it's it's an easy thing to go to, especially in in in the streaming era where now we know everything that was shot on film just looks better by default. But I do think he's really really cooking here.
There's in here ro I'm like, god, damn, like you know, yeah, and like that is framed by someone like I don't know who knows what they're doing. It's not just like yes, you.
Know, yeah, yeah, some real silhouetted shots and like, uh like well, because he loves he genuinely loves Lena Romey's body, like it's not it's it's it's a weird way to say it, but his his camera genuinely is as enamored as he is. Somehow he translates that, which is rare. Usually it doesn't feel objectifying. It genuinely feels like simping, and uh, you know, and Lena's expressions because she has such a radiant smile.
They're just top in peak form here.
And I didn't watch the softcore cut.
I should have.
I actually think Justice Porno's are pretty bad. Most people will say that too. They want to argue against it, just in terms of they're so they're they're extra extra gynecological, you know what I mean, Like they really get in there, and but they just don't really focus. There's no interest in zooming out, you know. So I loved it. You know, the the the places in this mansion and in the in the UH institution, they're really they're really atmospheric, like especially for Uncle Jess.
Yeah yeah, Chris, No, I didn't get to see it. I'm just listening. Oh no, no, no, no, that's right, only one I didn't get to the time. Yeah, okay, but I'm just listening. But no, I mean it's look, I'm excited for Delirium. I'll just say that because it's it's a it's like a perfect partner label thing because now VS gets to claim a lot of Franco too.
Yeah yeah, because vs's mainline Franco output is a little more divisive, to say the least.
And my introduction was too Undercover Angels and at the time, and honestly still I thought it was like two of the worst movies I've ever seen. I believe how bad they were. And now I've driven around seeing more of the I mean, that's his spy comedy, which is like a genre I hate generally. So yeah, not off on the rest. Start, if we're just talking about like sumptuous sort of like gothic vampire ship or whatever like I've been seeing lately, like I'm into that. H do you
know what this movie is about? I don't even remember, to be.
Honest, yeah, it's so so if I'll do this based on memory, but if I remember correctly, it's Lena Rome plays Doriana Gray, and she's like sort of a suckubus that has a twin sister that is institutionalized. But the thing is, Doriana Gray cannot orgasm, like when she gets aroused.
The sibling that is in the institution is the one who has the orgasm, I believe, And and so it kind of that's why it ends with them excuse me, squaring off against themselves and how that shot is actually very impressive, but you know, it has that seaside Hayes. I mean the thing about good franco Is like Vampiro's Lesbos or or even his like his Eurospy ones like
what is it the girl from Rio? They always have these like dreamy seaside hayes things to them, while like while there's like some really great music, some jazzy music, Venus and Furs is another one, Like they all have these like beachside or riverside things to them. And and it clearly between that and having a beautiful life partner, like that's all he needs to start filming, you know.
And so I think, like.
And there's an interview by the way, with Lena Rome on this and the way, she also speaks very lovingly of him. She just loves working with him. She also loves being on camera. That's the other thing I think I was speaking to this thing about how you know she gets on camera even when she's doing hardcore stuff. And I know Jess hated it, but Lena Rome was an exhibitionist, like very admittedly, like she was open about that. She loved showing off her body, she loved being naked.
So it's hard to have that intent versus impact argument when the person who's taking off their clothes is like, I want to do this one hundred. You know, her agency is there through and through and only that you know she's getting off on it. So there's something to that, I think in terms of you know, something that I think is something to keep in mind when you're watching this stuff, even if it even if Jess doesn't like
making the porno himself. Like the actual hardcore parts, this also only has like twelve minutes of hardcore inserts like the softcore cut is actually I think like almost a full ten minutes shorter.
Yeah.
So yeah, on.
That note, we move from getting off to logging off. I think, is there a great size way sentiments or.
Well, if not to put you on the spot on here, but I hope I would love to actually join.
You for January to talk more soft for sure.
Okay, great, I don't think Chris if I don't know, that's up to you obviously, but but if you want to join, Chris, but I, oh boy, yeah, I thought. I think Malusine is already having a great year and we didn't get to talk about this because the sale already happened, but they announced the partnership with the VCX which is kind of the other big label that was missing from their repertoire. That's that's a really big get for them because a lot of very famous movies. Obviously,
Debbie does Dallas right out the gate. So, uh, what I'm most excited about, And you guys can tell me if you feel this way, but I like that there's more labels because that means the peakoramas and the quality x's, all of that.
Will be more far apart from each other.
Because I felt like the one drawback to Malusine kind of when they first launched was you basically had three labels and an occasional partner label, right, So yeah, very much. So, so I know what the partner labels. It's like, oh yeah, if there's one shot of a dick that's hard, it can qualify your cat again Celaste.
Oh okay, I'll just hold it. Yeah yeah, I'm just gonna hold.
It's actually causing trouble as we speak, so I gotta go, but I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna do blur witch. I'm gonna do blur witch. Ending.
All right, all right, thank thanks, thanks to both of you.
This is super super super fun.
Yeah awesome, Yeah, thank you all, thanks for inviting me. I don't know that I need to come back on all of these like it's it's just like we said, so much to watch, but I've really enjoyed being here for two of them. Thank you all for inviting me in.
Yeah of course, sweet. All right right, we'll see you next time.
Yes, absolutely thanks