Review: Mad Heidi

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Mad Heidi
Directed by Johannes Hartmann; Sandro Klopfstein
Swissploitation Films; A Film Company; SRF (Swiss Radio and Television); Raven Banner Entertainment
92 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.madheidie.com
www.facebook.com/madheidimovie
www.instagram.com/madheidimovie/

Before there was Pippi Longstocking (1945), before Laura Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie, 1932), and previous to Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables, 1908), there was Heidi, first published in 1880 by Johanna Spyri. In this story, Heidi has gone from an innocent and yodeling 5-year-old mountain girl into a strong, angry 24-year-old woman. She is a badass.

From the moment I saw the trailer for Mad Heidi, I knew I wanted – perhaps needed – to see this. Filmed in Switzerland, this is apparently a new subgenre being referred to (by its producers) as Swissploitation. Gotta love it. Mostly in English, there is minimal Swiss German, as well.

Alice Lucy

So, this grindhouse release cannot – and should not – be taken seriously, as it is an extremely broad and violent comedy. Just what the doctor ordered. Films of this nature tend to be called “cheesy,” and in this case, it is quite purposeful, as I will explain later. The film goes out of its way to give it a 1980s release feel (a good start!), right down to the opening credits, and relying on a bunch of different genres throughout, some of which will be noted below in brackets.

Through the prologue and credits, we learn that Switzerland is taken over by Nazi-esque (right down to the Swiss Cross red armband) regime of President Meili (Casper Van Dien, of 1997’s Starship Troopers, sporting a comically-German accent) – aka, “Our Very Swiss Leader” – a cut-throat dystopian dictator who is not afraid to quash a protest through armaments. He also owns the only permissible cheese factory in the country, with the slogan, “Strength through Meili’s Cheese.” Any other brand is illegal, and burned, while the sellers are executed in the street. He is brutally aided by Kommandant Knorr (Max Rüdlinger) – sometimes the “K” is not silent – who says, as he is torturing someone in a dairy-related way, “I love the smell of cheese in the morning!”

Casper Van Dien

There is an interesting mix of Nazi-ism, and what is going on in the States right now. For example, there is a negative “other” branded on the lactose-intolerant who cannot eat cheese, reflecting what is going on with the LGBTQ+ and Trans communities. Republicanism is reflected a lot here, not to mention Meili’s tendency to wear all red clothing. His plan is to take over the world…cheese market.

Meanwhile, there is a grown-up Heidi (relative newcomer Alice Lucy), living in the Alps with her grandfather, Alpöhi (David Schofield). While Heidi seems to be unaware of what is going on in the village, gramps is more conscious. Part of Heidi’s distraction is her love interest [sexploitation], the godfather of illegal cheese, Goat Peter (Kal Matsena). He is pimpin’ his goat cheese in bricks in his white fur coat [blaxploitation] to underworldly figures. See, purposefully silly and smile worthy.

David Shofield

After some tragedies, our feisty heroine is arrested, and sent to a stern prison with Klara (Almar G. Sato), run by an even sterner warden, Fräulein Rottweiler (Katja Kolm) [women in prison] and her sadistic right hand who really enjoys giving a cattle prod, Lutz (Rebecca Dyson-Smith). In the Mengele-ish role is Dr. Schwitzgebel (Pascal Ulli), the Chief Cheese Scientist, out to rid the world of the lactose intolerant (reminiscent of Scott Atlas, Trump’s anti-vax COVID advisor). Naturally, the only food there is cheese (reminds me of a line said by Maude on “All in the Family”: “It’s Cream of Wheat and cheese; it’s light but it binds”). His goal is to form a “perfect” cheese to create a cheese army (think of zombies or Orcs).

Of course, after Heidi escapes and does some kung fu training, she becomes a warrior that is bound to influence a whole bunch of Halloween cosplay outfits. And rightfully so. I will not go into any detail about the fight to save Switzerland, but man, it is bloody and fun. And I mean some really nice albeit cartoonish gore that will have any gorehound cheering.

Max Rudinger

While there is a timeless feel to the film, such as “the new,” Goat Peter referring to Heidi as “Babygirl,” and “the old,” dial phones, it is definitely steeped in the ‘80s, with cassette boom boxes, mad scientist laboratories, explosions, bizarre opening animation and CGI, and everything being excessive.

The scenery is nothing short of stunning. Mountains, switchback roads with enormous drops, green valleys, bridges, and the like. So beautiful.

Kal Matsena

Goofy, but smart and obviously made by a group that are hardcore cinephiles, with influences and reflections of the likes of Scanners (1981), Cool Hand Luke (1967), High Anxiety (1977), the subgenre of The Big Bird Cage (1972), The Human Tornado (1976), Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns (including some of the score sounding like Ennio Morricone), Star Wars (1977), Crocodile Dundee (1986), Spartacus (1960), and, of course, The Sound of Music (1965). I am sure there are some I missed.

The acting is also reflective of the period it is honoring, with over-the-top dialogue infusing the over-emoting and facial expressions (Van Dien, especially and purposefully). Plus, there is one speech that sounds like it could have been pointed directly to the information deprived MAGA followers.

Katja Kolm

One of the notable aspects of this film is that it is completely independently funded, shot, and distributed. The contributor section of the acknowledgements is almost as long as the rest of the end credits.

Damn, this is a fun film. I highly recommend it to those who like ‘80s cinema, Tarantino, well-written action comedies, and just a need to let it all loose. Very satisfying from beginning to conclusion. Or is it not really the end of the story?

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Boss

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2018

Images from the Internet

                            

Boss (aka Boss N****r)

Directed Jack Arnold

Dimension Pictures / 3P Productions /
JACS Films / Kit Parker Films / MVD Entertainment

87 minutes, 1975 / 2018

http://kitparker.com/

www.mvdvisual.com

                                                                                                            

A subgenre that seems to have disappeared since at least the 1980s, is the one referred to as Blaxploitation. This style was so much fun, even when it went a bit over my head (i.e., inside jokes to a specific audience). With pun-ish names like Coffy (1973), Blacula (1972), Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and arguably the most culturally successful one, Shaft (1971; “that cat Shaft was a bad mother…”), they tended to be shown in certain neighborhoods in selective markets¸ or on Times Square during its Golden Era, which is where most of my friends caught them. What most people don’t realize is that these films tended to be written and directed by white people who appropriated and cashed in. In this case, the film was written and produced by its star, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson.

While the packaging understandably has a slightly different name than the original that I choose not to say outright because I don’t feel I have the right, the actual film here uses the initial 1975 moniker. What interests me is that this technically came out a year after Blazing Saddles [BS], which is also a Western centered on a black man who arrives in a town that is whiter than gerrymandered Mississippi. What I wonder is, as Richard Pryor was one of the writers of BS, was there some influence in one direction or the other. However, Boss feels more like a one-on-one response to BS, even if you just count the amount of times the N-word is evoked.

Fred Williamson and D'uville Martin

Another influence seems to be the great Spaghetti Westerns that were often in theaters around that time, such as those by Sergio Leone, but also smaller productions such as the Trinity series. Throughout much the film, Williamson has a “Man With No Name” stogie sticking out of his mouth. My guess is that this film was a culmination of all these influences.

It’s pretty clear early on that this and BS definitely overlap, as Williamson’s character, a bounty hunter, becomes sheriff. His sidekick, Amos (the late, great D’Urville Martin, d. 1984) of course is more Charlie (Charles McGregor, d. 1996) than The Kid/Jim (Gene Wilder, d. 2016). Here, Boss and Amos are trying to get Jed Clayton (character villain William Smith getting to show up his muscular arms often) for a big bounty reward, and he regularly comes to that town. He’s sort of the Taggart (Slim Pickens; d. 1983) of this one.

Carmen Haywood

There are only a few white characters that are nice to the new sheriff, and one is the prudish school teacher, Miss Pruitt (Barbara Leigh; her initial BS equivalent is Harriett Johnson/Carol Arthur); she mentions how she’s from Boston and used to love when her Black servants used to sing and dance, the equivalent of saying “Like a member of the family.” This character is definitely a political statement by Williamson, which I applaud, because I remember our elementary school teachers expecting the one Black student in our class to sing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” in front of the group (she became militantized just before Middle School with a huge afro and dashiki), which in retrospect I am embarrassed to be even indirectly a witness.

Speaking of social commentary, Williamson also bravely takes on the way Latinos are treated, bringing them into town much to the dismay of many of the townsfolk (in BS terms, “…but we don’t want the Irish!”). However, and this is more rear-view mirror thinking because I understand what was happening at the time, both the Boss and Amos kind of abuse their power, too, by being overly strict in a nearly totalitarian way. I’m willing to bet that those for whom this film was directed had reason to cheer watching them get the Man after so many centuries of oppression, but it’s also important to remember that people who are oppressed learn the mannerisms of control from one end of the power dynamic, and may enforce the other way when things get reversed (Boss and Amos mention that they were freed slaves, at some point early on). I believe Williamson’s spirit was in the right place when he wrote this, yet looking back, it seems a bit heavy-handed. I would love to know what he thought about this now.

RG Armnstrong and William Smith

An interesting dynamic is the burgeoning lustfulness of white Miss Pruitt and the Black woman who is the real obvious love interest, Clara Mae (Carmen Hayward). One throws herself at Boss a la Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Kahn), and the other is more… resourceful . Pruitt shifts from an upstanding prude to a lip-glossed horny-toad in moments of the arrival of Boss. It is when bad man (usually dressed in white; perhaps another social commentary?) Jed’s actions put Clara Mae in peril (gotta be a woman in peril, right?) that starts the third act leading to the violent showdown that you have to know is coming even before starting the film. This was true of Westerns even before The Wild Bunch (1967), and yes, BS sort of ended that way, too. But even gangster Blaxploitation films like Shaft tended to end with a big blowout.

Barbara Leigh
(image not from this film)

There is also a high level of misogyny that goes beyond the Pruitt/Clara Mae rivalry, as women as nearly all seen as fodder for the men to grab, use, rape and generally be in constant hazard, though Clara Mae shows she is smart and wily enough to know how to use her looks to get out of certain situations. What I find amazing, even among films I like across genres, is the way a particular group will be shown in a particular light, but still view women as less than secondary, and merely there for the men to either use, abuse, or ignore, even those they love. I respect Williamson’s take on the Black and White power dynamics he manipulates so well, in the time period in which this is filmed/written, but I’m now also grateful for seeing more powerful female characters of the modern era (even when it comes with exploitive nonsense like Bridesmaids, Bad Moms, and yes, the Melissa McCarthy film, The Boss).

Among the pretty broad acting at times, there are little gem roles, such as a Latina mom, played by the great Carmen Zapata (d. 2014; she kinda looks like a Spanish Tyne Daley), who if you are of a certain age, you saw in multiple movies and television shows. Also appearing as the Mayor is stalwart RG Armstrong (d. 2012), who also stands out, even when spitting out likes like, “I wasn’t questioning you, I was just askin’.” He’s kind of a Trump trickster character who plays sides against others for his own gain.

Carmen Zapata
(Image not from this film)

There is a moment towards the end that took me a bit by surprise, I’m happy to say, and it isn’t an easy ending, but that’s part of some of the moments that make the film special.

There are four extras, which I will describe in the opposite order listed because I followed my interest. First is the 27:09 “Conversation with Fred Williamson,” hosted by Joel Blumburg (d. 2010). Filmed in 2008, Williamson is asked a lot about his football, how he got into filmmaking, and it’s easy to see how much of his persona is built on his personality and self-image (“I never get killed, I always get the woman if I want…”). However, this is a generic interview rather than directed for The Boss, and while it’s interesting, it doesn’t answer my questions about this particular film (e.g., the BS connection, or not).

The Jack Arnold Tribute is 3:49, which is quite lovely. Myrl Schreibman, who was Associate Producer and now UCLA Film Professor, puts some really nice perspective on the director of Boss, as well as some of Arnold’s most important B-films of the 1950s and ‘60s, including Tarantula, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and The Mouse That Roared. Arnold’s impact today is nicely explained in the brief amount of time.

Next to last is “The Boss Memory” with Schreibman, at 7:53. While he never answers my questions about the Boss/BS, he does tell some fun production stories and anecdotes. The last extra is the original trailer.

This is a particular film in from a particular time of some strong political and social change, and it’s a mostly enjoyable view into that changing world.

Review: Badass Monster Killer

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

Badass Monster Killer

Written and directed by Darin Wood

TFO Productions / Wildeye Releasing / MVD Video

96 minutes, 2015 / 2017

www.badassmonsterkiller.com

www.wildeyereleasing.com

www.mvdvisual.com

After watching this enjoyable spoof/nod to the exploitation / Blaxploitation / sexploitation genres, I had an interesting discussion with a friend while I was trying to explain the basic premise to someone who (a) has not seen the film, and (b) not really into the styles it’s based upon. He said that if a film is purposefully over-the-top, then it loses its association with others that are unintentionally so-bad-they’re-good. My response was that it depends on the attitude of the secondary feature. If it is trying too hard to the point of where it becomes something else, and it becomes so-bad-its-bad, yes, I agree. This is true of films like A Haunted House [2013], or the likes of Vampires Suck [2010]. But there is a fine line where it works, such as Richard Griffin’s Seven Dorms of Death [2016], or this one.

This picture is from the director whose last release was The Planet of the Vampire Women [2011], which was a nod to ‘50s sci-fi (e.g., Queen of Outer Space in 1958) mixed with ‘70s sex sci-fi (such as Spaced Out in 1979). Now, he’s delved a bit deeper, and come up with a fine mashup that is both head scratching WTF? and laugh-out-loud Say What? As I proceed through the review, I will delve a bit into its references.

Amelia Belle and Jawara Duncan

The basic premise revolves around a hyper-cool brother who is a police officer for the Department of Supernatural Security named Jimmy Chevelle (Jawara Duncan). Did I mention this takes place in Camarotown? Anyway, along the way he meets women who fall for him and become sort of an army. Most reviews claim this is based on the Blaxploitation style of Shaft [1971]; early on, we even see the Loveshaft Hotel in the background. To be fair, this could also be a reference to H.P. Lovecraft, as this takes place in his mythos with references to Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones. Or, this is strange enough that the hotel name actually be a cross between both. But more than Shaft, I would posit that it’s closer to Dolemite [1975], and the better for it.

His subject of investigation is a sect that wants to bring back said Great Old Ones via weed that makes you susceptible to them (a motif also used in Todd Sheet’s Dreaming Purple Neon). Heading this group of miscreants is Reverend Dellamorte (Ryan Cicak), a goateed white guy with a thick southern accent – fighting the black guy…get it? – and wearing what I think is a full-length, sleeveless black leather dress. Now, to be fair, his gang of goof-ups include Latinos and African-Americans, so I’m not sure if my mind is interpreting more than I’m seeing. Still, it works for me, even with that inconsistency.

The dialog is hysterical, and occasionally repetitious, in a running gag form (Wood did a similar thing, also successfully, in his previous film around the term “vampire”). The word diabolical, for example, may be in every other sentence. Duncan is really good at spitting out strings of script in an amusing way, making it not feel repetitive as much as humorous. For example, every time he meets a woman who is in danger, he says to her, “Take it easy baby, I’ve got everything under control. Listen ‘cause I’m only gonna say this once: I work for a very top secret branch of the government that exists to do battle with supernatural, diabolical forces that most people don’t even know exist. Now, if you’re cool with that, later maybe you and me can get it together, but right now I got business.” This inevitably leads to a kiss between them before he fights whatever is the threat.

There is a lot of good writing and fine Dolemite-like moments. For example, when some guy is in the street screaming hysterically, Chevelle snarks to him, “What the fuck is the matter with you? Hunh? I’m in there trying to come up with the plan of how to keep the Earth from being enslaved by fucked up creatures from beyond and shit. How’s a brother supposed to concentrate with you out here screaming like a bitch!? Don’t make me beat yo ass!”

In case you’re wondering, I’m actually not giving away too much because there are a lot quotes that could be used as examples.

Another incorrect comparison, in my opinion, is to the film Sin City [2005], since nearly all of Badass is shot in green screen (other than two solid sets), with all the buildings and other objects leaning towards the center. This is more reminiscent of the work of Jimmy ScreamerClauz. If I may digress for a sec, check out some of the signs in the background for a laugh, such as Arkham Sam’s Liquors. So, back to the background art: I can understand the comparison, but it doesn’t hold up for me. Sin City was like a comic book, while this is more cartoon. Okay, another way to phrase it might be the latter is more Wally Wood, while this is more Basil Worthington. Both films take place in a world that couldn’t exist in real life, but SC went for more realism; BMK isn’t interested in any form of reality, it’s nearly surrealistic.

Which brings me to the monsters. Each one looks fake as can be, with cheesy digi-art or rubber limbs when they interact with the actors. They also look silly, again like something from the mind of Worthington. But in this context, they are fun to watch, like bad stop-motion. I mean, they’re right up there with the creatures from The Giant Claw (1957) or From Hell It Came (also ’57). In this completely produced and processed world, I thought the monsters were smile-worthy rather than cringe-.

As for the music by Phillip Baldwin, it’s a nice mix of funk and ‘70s porno chic-a-wah-wah, but if you listen carefully, the lyrics are exactly matching what is happening on the screen. It’s hysterical and incredibly well done.

One might expect – and one would be right – that the acting is a tad over the top. And again, it works here. It’s not so broad that it becomes as cartoonish as the backdrop, but it’s definitely what I call the John-Lithgow-on-a-sitcom level. As I said, Duncan is perfect in the role, able to handle both the smolder and the sass (and afro) to just the right tone for the film. Sometimes Cicak is a bit too Snidely Whiplash, but I understand it. I was almost expecting him to literally say, “Mwah-ha-ha!”

Most of the cast is female (not a complaint), though a majority seem to be strippers, hookers, a crime boss named Lola Maldonado (Amelia Belle; Maldonado is also a surname used in his previous film), and cops. For me, a standout was the Liz Clare, who has done some strong work in other productions, as well.

The Army of Foxes

A chunk of the action takes place in a strip joint, and even beyond that there is dancing, lots and lots of go-go style dancing. You see a street? There are women dancing in the shot. As overtly macho as the men are, most of the women need to be rescued until Chevelle trains them into an army of “foxes” (one black, one Latina, one white). Other than Chevelle’s boss, an exception is Maldonado, who is strong and smoldering from the beginning, but still has trouble resisting Chevelle’s funk-a-wonk-a-wong-wong mojo. This theme does feel a bit like Sin City to be honest.

The first extra is a 6:23 Deleted Scenes that were rightfully taken out, though most of it is related to the infected pot theme that doesn’t go anywhere in the story anyway. However, it is interesting to see the green screen sets to realize how much work went into the background. This is followed by a 14:40 onstage Q&A at a showing during the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. It consists of a few of the crew, including Wood, and some of the cast, specifically Duncan and Cicak. The sound is kinda fuzzy, seemingly recorded on a cell phone, so it picks up the fuzz from ambient room echo. Still, the info given is worth the listen. The last two extras are versions of the trailer.

I have no idea of H.P. Lovecraft had a sense of humor, but if he did, he would have gotten a hoot outta this, especially the battle of good vs. evil at the conclusion. How long this review is just an indication of how much I enjoyed it.

Review: Mandingo Sex Addict

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from the Internet

Mandingo Sex Addict

Directed by Sean Weathers
Full Circle Filmworks
87 minutes / 2015
www.fullcirclefilmworks.com
www.mvdvisual.com

Tracy Spencer (Sean Weathers) is a bit of a nerdy guy: a part-time sports writer who has a strong belief in Jesus. He’s in love with Felicia (Catalina Dias), who has just left an abusive long-term relationship and is not ready to just jump into one with Tracy yet.

In a sad state, Tracy runs into the now grown-up sister of a school chum, leading them to form the creature with two backs and smoke something out of a pipe, like many good Christians would do (especially if they’re Republican, apparently, but I digress…). She nonchalantly tells him about the suicide of someone close to him that happened a few years back. He hits the bottle, depressed because everything is going bad for him. There’s even a poster of Edvard Munch’s The Scream in the bedroom to reflect his attitude. Luckily, this narcissist has a bestie, Nick (Weather’s regular onscreen sidekick Waliek Crandall); unfortunately, the double dog is trying to make moves on Felicia.

Anyway, she has a change of heart and being the guilty Christian he is, Tracy tells her the truth about his fling, so she rejects him. These events start him on a downward spiral that leads to the title of the film.

Tracy is both similar and polar opposites of Weathers’ last few roles in Scumbag Hustler and Ace Jackson is a Dead Man. The other characters were full of false bravado fueled by addiction, but Tracy is more of a conservative cliché who cries and whines often, with glasses and Andy Williams-style sweaters (scarily, the gray one is almost exactly like one I own), but with sliding down the razor blade of his titular sex addiction, he de-evolves into a crazed, shell of himself.

Like many of Weathers’ films, there is a the introduction of a bit of a larger social aspect, such as one of Tracy’s friends, Brent (Kevin J. Williams) having distaste for Nick’s use of the N-word. However, this same character has no problem referring to women by the B-word, so I’m not sure if the message is just not use the N-word, or the hypocrisy and sexism. Kinda works looking at it both ways.

Speaking of which, obviously from the title, there is a lot of sex, all involving Weathers’ character. Sean is not afraid to show his nads, ass or anything else as he beds woman after woman. And, adding a bit of sexism myself, they are stacked, Jack. Cleavage aplenty and nudity overflowing as body parts and appendages swing wild. This is easily Weathers’ best looking female co-stars to date; acting levels vary, however, but that can be said historically across the board in any low budget genre.

Also amid the high drama, there is also quite a bit of humor, such as when the character Crayon (?!?) Jackson (Adonis Williams) goes into full gangsta mode and threatens Tracy (e.g., if the viewer takes a shot for every time he uses “dawg,” they’d possibly die of alcohol poisoning).

Using guerilla-style filming around New York City and Brooklyn during winter, it’s nice to see Coney Island, and especially the Narrows between Ceasar’s Bay [sic] and the Verrazano Bridge, very close to where I grew up. Aswad Issa also keeps getting better with the camera, so a special nod to him.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but actually it’s probably how it should end; no, I won’t go into details, but I can see debates about it down the line between film geeks like myself, which is a wonderful thing. The only unsatisfying piece is the incomplete credits (e.g., the cast and characters), and that’s pretty minor in the scheme of things.

Definitely a strong release for Sean Weathers, and from what I understand he is going to be putting further Blaxploitation / exploitation / softcore sexploitation films aside for a while for some straight-up horror. That should be fun, too!

Review: Nun of That

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from the Internet

 

Nun of That
Directed and edited by Richard Griffin
Scorpio Films Releasing
91 minutes / 2009
The film can be seen HERE.

Religious comedies take a fine hand to craft, to be funny and irreverent with a feel and knowledge for the reverent. I’m not sure if I’m making sense, but it sure describes this film pretty well.

Based on the Strong Women and Blaxploitation genres (think Coffy [1973], Ms. 45 [1981] and Savage Sisters [1974; aka Ebony, Ivory & Jade], a group of super-Nuns – you heard me – take on the mob (of course, it’s the cartoonish versions of Italianos that would have made Joe Gallo crazy). And I’m sure that somewhere, some Mameluke is saying this is part of the “War on Christians.”



Sarah Nicklin as Sister Wrath

After a wonderful prologue where a nun on a stripper pole (no nun nudity here) guns down a bunch of mobsters, we get to meet the heroine of the piece, Sister Kelley (the amazing Sarah Nicklin), definitely a nun with an attitude problem that a few years of anger management may not have the power to cure. After beating up a pedophilic priest, she’s sent away to the bad nun parish in a poverty-stricken neighborhood. On the verge of being raped by a pimp in full Superfly regalia and his two goons, she does away with them with a can of whoop-ass, only to be shot by – yep – more nuns.

In heaven, she argues with her guardian angel asking where he was when she was shot; he defensively answers, “Getting smokes, Bitch! Do you know how hard it is to get menthol here?!” That line had me laughing hard enough to stop the film to gather myself. It’s a wild ride, indeed. And the film’s only just starting.

After meeting the J-Man (Michael Reed, and in a very cool idea, he also plays the Devil later in the film) and some training by the hosts of heaven (e.g., martial arts from Ghandi!), she comes back as a holy crusader known as Sister Wrath, as a member of the Order of the Black Habit, which is sort of like the nun version of the Black Ops. Don’t worry, I won’t be giving away too much more of the story, it’s just too delish. But I will be discussing observations of moments of course, as that’s mah thang.

Some of the humor is very subtle. For example, during a nun slumber party with a bottle of champagne to celebrate a victory, one of the priests named Father Thomas is looking through a crack in the door and enjoying the activity. One might think Doubting Thomas, but it’s more likely Peeping Tom is the reference. Less subtle joke that had me laughing refers to being so unlucky that someone could “fall into a vat of tits and come out sucking your thumb.” Such language from a woman of the cloth!

All the nuns in the order are named for the Seven Deadly Sins, including Sister Lust (attractive Shanatee Wilson, who easily is a take-off of Pam Grier sans the amount of curves) and Sister Gluttony (Ruth Sullivan, who was so memorable in The Disco Exorcist); a funny bit is that while all the sisters have a special cross around their neck, Sister Gluttony has three. Brilliant.

Not only is there a lot of incredibly funny material, but it is actually quite smart. The name of a tough-as-a-biker-bar hangout for nuns (most played by men)? Why Bar Nun, of course. And Italians/Catholics aren’t the only ones who get the treatment, there’s a mercenary killer named Viper Goldstein (David Lavallee, Jr.) so some Jewish jokes can also be made (more than one had me howling, such as “We invented ‘Old School’” and “Jew-Jitsu”); even Mohammed is taken down a notch, but don’t tell you-know-who.

I just have one question, and this may sound like a snipe but I say it in total respect: could you find faker looking moustaches and wigs? Wow! I take it as part of the humor, rather than a lack of trying.

The |Devil  (Michael Reed) and Mama Rizzo (Rich Tretheway)

And even with all the yucks, there is a gender politics and body politic that underscores the events. For example, a priest would rather side with mobsters because they’re men and are “supposed” to be in charge rather than with the nuns because they are women. Also there is much gender switching, with a man playing the woman who is running the mob (Rich Tretheway channeling Divine-meets-Little Orphan Annie), and as I said, many of the other nuns are definitely male.

There are two notable cameos. One is by the a bit unrecognizable Debbie Rochon thanks to a habit, who would be so powerful a few years later in Griffin’s Exhumed (2011), and the other a very hysterically funny Lloyd Kaufmann as the Toxic Av…I mean, the Pope, doing the worst Italian accent I have ever heard. You can just tell he ad-libbed his lines.

I mean, this is the kind of film I would imagine someone like Quentin Tarantino would twist his nut to have made, or at least watch.

 

Bonus video mock trailer (not from this film, but same characters)
Winner of the 2008 48-hour film award, where films are created in 2 days:

 

 

           

 

Review: Ace Jackson is a Dead Man

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from the Internet

Ace Jackson is a Dead Man

Directed by Sean Weathers and Aswad Issa
Full Circle Filmworks
67 minutes, 2015
www.fullcirclefilmworks.com
www.facebook.com/acejacksonisadeadman
www.mvdvisuals.com

While I sometimes kid director Sean Weathers about his lack of making horror films any more, he really has nailed down the exploitation / sexploitation / Blaxploitation genres into a single category in a way that I imagine would make Melvin van Peebles smile.

As usual, a very toned and six-packed Weathers plays the lead, and also par is that the main character is not a likeable lot, up to his dick in violence, drugs, hookers and trouble. A lowest echelon wannabe gangsta (am I allowed to say that?), Jackson has picked up some pure coke from an evil tempered and dangerous dealer named Mr. Bigelow (aka Mr. Biggs), fully embodied by Adonis Williams, who does a magnificent job. Shit, I was at home watching this and he made me a bit frightened!

Even his hooker girlfriends are scary. One won’t give him the time of day (though shows us a whole bunch of cleavage) at first, and another, named Chelsea, is in for a penny-in for a pound of coke. She dances and twerks for Ace (aka, the audience), and then lots of flesh on flesh (the sex talk is right out of a porn playbook in a “Pin me down with your hot pussy!” kind of thing). As the writer, Weathers also gives himself lots of opportunity to co-mingle with all the female cast members onscreen. This gives him a chance to show off his physique, as well as act with some fine looking actresses in softcore sex scenes.

The Cramps once sang that “All Women Are Bad,” and while I don’t agree with that, here the Eve backstabs the Adam – or Ace – and the drugs are gone. Of course, this puts our little pal in a pickle to pay back the bad dude, hence the title of the film. That being said, while there are some devious dishy dames, it is also a couple of women who are the most pitifully entrapped in the lifestyle by our reckless protagonist (I don’t believe “hero” or even “anti-hero” would be appropriate).

Over a soundtrack of some classic way-back beautiful Blues songs, Ace roams the Brooklyn ‘hoods trying to find his way out of the possibility of ending up in a hole “with nothing showing but the toes.” But one thing to learn about this film is that comeuppance, the negative side of karma, comes hard to those who play by their own rules and greed.

This is filmed purposefully in a very grainy high-contrast black and white by Issa, and while some of the shadows are occasionally too dark and block out the faces, it is always the right level of moody, so it all works out fine in that aspect. Perhaps the darkness is meant to reflect the characters’ dark souls. Also the sound is clear, which is a plus. There’s still the occasional rough edit here and there, but the scenes flow well and enable the story, which is a pleasure.

One of the character’s names is Trayvon Martin, a nod to the teenager shot in Florida by psycho pseudo-cop George Zimmerman. No matter how racially charged and negative the characters can be in a Weathers film, the social justice level is definitely there as well, sometimes blatant like less-than-subliminal police crime photos of real murdered criminals and prostitutes (some are quite gruesome, including decapitated heads). Weathers effectively used this trick before, showing historic lynching photos to emphasize a point. There are also a number of times when the action between scenes is interrupted by text discussing social ills that may have helped lead to the crime story in the film, such as wealth of the 1%, poverty, and the need for social programs. Rather than a hindrance, this works on a level in lieu of character background.

As for Ace, well, he’s not a nice guy, and it’s nearly impossible to feel any kind of pity for him as he drags innocents into his twisted lifestyle. I would have liked a bit more of a background than someone saying, “I’ve always hated you” or some rolling text (though that was smart), I want to know why he’s developed into such the substance and person abuser that he has become.

Will all the violence and the mistreatment of just about everyone by just about everyone (with the rare exception of some dragged into the mess), there is also a delicate sense of humor that arises occasionally, such as a burglar wearing a Richard Nixon mask, stating they both were crooks.

I’ve always enjoyed a Weathers (and Issa) release that has a narrative thread rather than made up of various set pieces, and this one is definitely one of his better; and I’m not saying that because of the shout out at the end of the film. You’re welcome, Sean (and Issa).

Along with the main feature, there are three classic (public domain) criminal features included on the DVD, including Mr. Scarface (1976, aka I padroni della citta, with Jack Palance), Family Enforcer (1976, aka The Death Collector, starring Joe Pesci), and most notably for this DVD, High School Caesar (1960, with the ever wonderful John Ashley).

There are also two original shorts. The first is the 3:17 "Forgiveness," directed by Aswad Issa, is a beautifully esoteric and experimental piece consisting of objects always spinning, pixilation, and if I understand correctly, a baby who is doomed from the start.

The second, also directed by Issa,is a 4:27 piece titled "The Pimp Chronicles." In sepia, we meet two hookers who discuss their lives to someone off-screen (Weathers, I believe). This doesn't sound scripted, which makes it quite scary, in spite of the ease and banality of tone.

There is a lot to chose from here, so give yourself some time and work your way through. It's worth it.
 

Q&A with Director Sean Weathers about "Ace Jackson is a Dead Man"

Text (c) Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from Sean Weathers / the Internet

The review of the Sean Weathers' starring/co-directed/edited film can be found HERE.

Indie Horror Films: You shot the majority of this film 5 years ago, why so long of a delay in releasing it?Sean Weathers: My partner [Aswad Issa]and I shot principal photography of Scumbag Hustler [reviewed HERE], Mandingo Sex Addict and Ace Jackson is a Dead Man in 2010, but then I took an unintended hiatus from filmmaking for four years. Life in general got in the way; the years went by quickly before I realized they were gone. Now here I am, trying to make up for lost time.

IHF: What went into your decision-making process to make this film a high-contrast black and white with added graininess?
Sean:  The world and the characters in this are very gritty, dark and dirty, and I wanted the look of the film to match that.

IHF: Why the old time blues and folk music?Sean:  There were a lot of parallels between the songs, the people who sung them, the time they were living in, and the Ace character and the world I built around him.

IHF: Why the stills of the dead bodies throughout the film?
Sean:  When writing this I imagined someone opening up a newspaper and seeing a B&W image of a thug that was shot in the head in the hood for a drug deal that went wrong. With that seed planted in my head, once I started editing I wanted to further emphasize the inevitability of death and how it’s always there waiting on us; no matter what we do or how hard we try it’s the final chapter for all of us. In this case it’s murder, so I wanted to show people who died savagely and prematurely.

IHF: There is scrolling text throughout the film telling us certain disturbing facts about government and corporate power. Why the decision to put that in the film and how does it relate to the story?Sean:  I think it’s easy to go through life and just focus only on what you see affecting you and not think on a wider scale. I wanted to show how macroeconomics – the government, the country, the banks, large corporations, etc. – can effect microeconomics, you.

IHF: How were you able to achieve a natural feel to the dialogue in the film?
Sean:  Most of the dialogue and about half of the scenes were improvised. I had written a script called “Man Hunt” that we never shot. We took the plot and cherry-picked some of the scenes from that script and made up the rest on set as we went. We were looking to shoot something very quickly; I’d say about a third of the scenes in the film were shot with one take. [Outtakes reel can be seen HERE]

IHF: The DVD also includes three classic crime thrillers: Mr. Scarface (1976), Family Enforcer (1976) and High School Caesar (1960), plus two original short films: The Pimp Chronicles and Forgiveness. Can you tell us a little bit about the other five films?Sean:  The three crime thrillers all have the same common theme with Ace, of a low level criminal trying to earn respect and work their way up the ladder. The Pimp Chronicles features a pimp off-screen interviewing three hoes about life in the business. Forgiveness is an award-winning short film directed by my partner that I helped co-produce.

IHF: Anything else about the film you want to mention, while we have the chance?
A - Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to talk about my film. Ace Jackson is a Dead Man, which is available for pre-order now on www.fullcirclefilmworks.com, will be officially released on June 23, 2015.

 

Review: Sean Weathers' Scumbag Hustler

Text by Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2014

Images from the Internet

Scumbag Hustler

Directed by Sean Weathers and Issa Assad

Full Circle Filmworks

67 minutes, 2014

www.fullcirclefilmworks.com

www.facebook.com/scumbaghustler

www.facebook.com/seanweathers

www.mvdvisual.com

From the opening scene, while Solomon Crow (playing by co-director Sean Weathers) rolls his eyes and gnashes his jaw in a way that is reminiscent of Horace B. Carpenter in 1934’s Maniac, the audience is aware that this is a guy with issues. His two biggest problems are his full blown hard drug addiction, and the search for funds to pay for it.

Sean Weathers as Solomon

The storyline is more often episodic than narrative, which is appropriate since most junkies live from fix to fix (as Lou Reed put it in “Waitin’ For My Man”: “Until tomorrow, but that’s just some other time”).  We follow Solomon as he scams one person after another out of any money he can.  There is always a level of (literal) sweat soaking his body as he twitches and does that desperate quick thinking needed when a revealing question is asked by either a mark, a love – no, make that sex – interest, or a relative.

In some scenes, Solomon comes across as a bit cartoonish (such as some Miley-type tongue action or rotating jaw, but the desperation remains palpable throughout. He’s a hard guy to pity, and Weather’s rarely takes the softer road (hence the film title), but having known junkies in my time, it’s not far off from what I’ve seen in real life. However, he is also obviously a willing victim to his own demons.

While drugs and money are hard to come by for Solomon, for some reason sex is not. Now, junkies I’ve known have had problems performing in the bedroom arena, but not so our anti-hero. Woman after woman succumbs to Solomon’s – er – charms, and fall into the sack, which we see in semi-graphic detail from both the partners and Weathers (anyone who has seen a Weathers release in the past couple of years has also seen numerous parts of his sculpted body, though I have never seen a more buff druggie).  If Weathers is to be considered an auteur (and I believe that is accurate), this is especially true in these scenes, which look like the same one with different usually big busted or big butted babes (mouth on nipple? Check. Ass slap? Check. Head? Check. Doggy style? Check. Her on top? Check).Even being drug-free, I wish I had as much bedroom energy as this guy does, not to mention luck – well, for the last part, when I was single, anyway.

Waliek Crandall

Solomon will sleep with anyone (including those close to him), rip off multitudes (such as his dealer), and help the degradation of those who care about him, such as his uber-religious brother, Tyler. The latter is played well by Waliek Crandall, part of the Weathers recurring troupe, playing a role similar to the one in The Trade Off (2013). He is an excellent foil for Weathers, and they play off each other well.

Most of the female actors on display here are willing to drop more clothing than talent, especially a large (fake-looking) breasted Latina who is supposedly Solomon’s ex-, though they of course knock some boots. She can’t do a line reading, but has a bosom that won’t quit. However, there is one female breakout actor who has the cutes and talent to actually rise above, named Sybelle Silverphoenix, playing Tyler’s wife, Tamia. She has a decent C.V. on IMDB, and it’s not surprising.

Sybelle Silverphoenix

Tamia is tired of Tyler’s lack of interest when she’s burning up (apparently no sex until they want to have kids, because that’s what the Bible apparently says), so she slowly falls under the spell of Solomon’s lusts and addictions. Her slow tumble is painful to watch (i.e., well handled by Weathers and Issa), and you know it’s gonna turn out bad for everyone.

The one fault of the film is that Solomon seems unredeemable, and except for an occasional beat-down by someone he ripped off, there is no real comeuppance (or, as I could phrase it, “sequel”).  

Watching Solomon’s varied scams on people is one of the more fun parts. It’s also a hello! to anyone who encounters someone pulling these stings. Weathers is imaginative in his use of ways for Solomon to find the funds for the next needle, and you just know that every one of these is a real hustle used by people every day. People are generally either kind or greedy, and Solomon plays on these to trick people out of their hard earned (assumingly) bucks.  

Weathers is a decent writer and continually improves in developing characters.  Yes, I would love a bit more history of Solomon and what makes him tick, but that could just be the White liberal in me.  He uses his genre knowledge to create a world full of suspicious characters and victims who are both pure and as dirty as his protagonist.  By combining Blaxploitation, sexploitation (sometimes overlapping subgenres), and noir, he gets to create something new that has the feel of Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) meets Panic in Needle Park (1971), mixing both the gritty and the occasional humor.

Another character Weathers uses quite effectively is the locations. With guerilla filmmaking (in other words, handheld camera), he uses his home turf of Brooklyn (Bushwick, and the like) and Manhattan (especially the Lower East Side, such as Delancey and Essex) to his advantage, showing the crumbling infrastructure to reflect the mind and life of Solomon. His use of direct sound rather than overdubs in these instances has shown a marked improvement over time.

Even with the occasional clichés (“Crack is wack”) and redundancies (“Check to see if you have more money in your [wallet] [purse]”), there is enough originality that flows through the script to keep it interesting. Weathers and Issa make a good team, and as time goes on, I hope they will find their niche actors, such as SilverPhoenix and Crandall, or Chrystal Claire, one of Solomon’s marks, who can be relied upon for more than just boobs and butts.  What I’m talking about is evident in the hilarious final credits, where some of the actor names are listed, and some are just not even bothered with, referring to them as “future pornstar,” “that other guy,” and the like.

A Weathers film may/can be an acquired taste, but it’s worth the journey to get there. The more of his films you see, the more you get a complete picture of what he’s trying to accomplish and admire that. But even as a single slice, this film is worth a view. Meanwhile, check out Weather’s podcast interviews with the likes of Hershell Gordon Lewis and Dustin Wayde Mills at his Facebook site listed above.