Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet
Sexy Time
Directed by James Balsamo
Acid Bath Productions
90 minutes, 2020
www.acidbathproductions.com
When I was a young man
and Times Square was still Times Square, there were stores you could go into
and for a small fee, watch videos that were shorts or a collection of scenes
from other films. That’s kind of the idea here.
When I interviewedBalsamo back in 2015, I asked him why he made films, and he professed, “While filming topless women and
partying with some of the rock stars and celebrities in my films are a great
perk, what really drives me to make them is my love for cinema. But let’s be
real: mainly it’s for the boobs and partying at this point in my career.” This
kind of underground release from Acid Bath Productions is a mixture of those
films and the work Balsamo has done to-date, the list of which is prodigious.
I mean, after all, there is a
pandemic going on, and if you can’t go out and make a film, why not stay home
and cannibalize your own output, to make something creative and something new
from the old?
To be clear, what this “film” is, to
put it as plainly as possible, is a compilation of “sexy” scenes from Balsamo’s
past releases, which feature body parts of mostly females, but the occasional
male genitalia gets a peek-a-boo, as well.
Many of the women featured in Balsamo
films, along with scream queen serious actors, are strippers and porn stars who
are out and about to show their wares and talents, be it jumping around,
partying, twerking, or nude arm wrestling (I kid you not); and because this is
a Balsamo film, often being killed in gruesome ways while flashing the camera (e.g.,
such as in the shower or bedroom).
Again, because he is so prolific in
his output of features, and he knows how to connect with people at conventions,
he has quite the repertoire to draw from. What’s interesting is that there an
assortment of all body types, from chubby to skinny, to – er – surgically enhanced.
And considering the sources, there are a lot of tattoos, including some
odd designs. Oh, and there are the piercings of various body parts, such as nipples
and tongues among many others, that are emphasized in some shots.
Extended clips (i.e., a scene as
opposed to a montage or moments) are identified from which film they are culled
with an imprint on the corner (not to impede our viewing pleasure). Most clips
are solo shots, some are male and female, and there are the occasional female and
female, for those of you who are into that sort of thing.
Of course, Balsamo is in some of the clips,
as he tends to be the central character in all his films, but the variety of
males is wide (and sometimes green).
Nudity and murder… Okay, now I hear you
asking me about the sexism level. Well, call it hypocritical, but sometimes baseless
nudity is more acceptable in some projects than in others. I mean, if Princess
Leia was starkers with Jabba rather than that bikini, that would be gratuitous.
However, when you are dealing with a provocateur like, say, Hershell Gordon Lewis
or James Balsamo, it’s kind of a given that there is going to be blood and
boobs involved.
Now, how successful is this
collection when it comes to sexy time? I would say that would depend on your disposition.
For example, as much as I was amused by the bountiful tatas, booty, etc., what
didn’t turn me on was how much of it involved slaughter of the said nekkid
person. In context of the story, I can be bemused by it, but clip after clip of
assaults by knife, vampire teeth, etc., is not necessarily something that makes
me want to pull down my zipper. However, I know that will be an even larger enhancement
of the action for certain people of both genders, who live in a world of extreme
cinema.
Be aware that although a lot of women
are killed in this anthology (as are men, I should add), there is no rape or sexual
violence; the sexuality is secondary and separate to the action; in other
words, they would be killed the same way dressed or undressed in the story, so
it’s not that the nudity leads to the violence. I do believe that is an important
point. Balsamo explained to me: “Our casting process is really complex. A lot
of work goes into the entire process and it involves a series of auditions and
usually a lot of debate. I’ve always had a charm with the ladies but of course
on an Acid Bath Productions set, all of our actors and actresses are treated
with the utmost respect when doing nude scenes.”
I am grateful that the names of the
films are given (as this is not in chronological order, but rather a mash-up/smash-up),
to remind me of what is from what. Balsamo is among the most prolific filmmakers
out there (and a lot of his films can be found reviewed on this blog by
searching his name in the upper left corner of the screen), so it’s not always
easy to remember which release had what action. I do, however, wish the name of
the actress were included in the scene, as well. The names are listed in the
final credit crawl, but that doesn’t help identify who is who, when the names
are followed by “Topless” or “Not Topless.”
So if it is not necessarily good for
yankin’ the one-eyed yam or pushin’ the pearly gate, depending on the gender
you ascribe, what is the overall purpose of this? What I found it useful for –
other than a nice voyeuristic cinematic road trip – is that if you were
wondering about James Balsamo and whether it would be worth your while to plunk
down some hard earned doubloons on his creative art, this can give you an
overview to help you make that choice.
See the
trailer/preview or rent/buy the film HERE:
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