DVD REVIEW: Island of Death (1976)

ISLAND OF DEATH (1976) DVD

Release Date: March 21st 2011

Label: Arrow Video
Region: Region 0 PAL
Duration: 101 Min.
Rating: 18 Certificate
Director: Nico Mastorakis
Cast: Bob Behling, Jane Ryall, Jessica Dublin, Gerard Gonalons


Plot: Greece is transformed into a bloodbath of sex, death and sadism when an English couple arrives for a perverse rampage of lust and murder through the sleepy streets of a quiet island. No taboo is left unbroken as the feral pair screw and slice through the local population and their livestock, driven by a combination of libido and twisted morality to slay those they see as unfit to exist. Now, see Nico Mastorakis’ notorious and long censored video nasty in all its uncut and full strength glory.

Film: Every so often I'll watch a film that really puts my wife to the test. The test being if she made a wise decision marrying me. To be fair I'm not quite sure that she passed the test, and after 13 years together the jury may still out on that one. There must be doubt when she walks into a room and on screen she witness's a man fuck a goat and then slit it's throat. I can see why she questions herself from time to time. It's probably creepy that she's mortified by what's transpiring on screen and I'm off to the side smirking from ear to ear and occasionally eliciting an inappropriate giggle. Well, that's how my wife was introduced to the Greek Video Nasty Island of Death (1977)

Christopher (Bob Belling) and Celia (Jane Ryall) are a young English couple whom arrive on the small Greek island of Mykonos for a bit of relaxation and fun, it's a lovely place. The island is gorgeous, the villas are clean with bright white painted walls, the locals are a colorful sort and the weather is fantastic. In such a beautiful place the two do what any young couple would, cram into a phone booth for a quickie and simultaneously call his mother in the midst of their fornicating and taunt her with their naughty deeds. Bizarre stuff, right away I knew this was going to be the blackest of comedies. At this point we don't really know much about this twisted couple but were pretty sure that both are probably right fucked in the head and the real fun hasn't even begun yet.

Soon begins a deadly routine of befriending an islander, seducing them, photographing the dirty deed and then murdering the victims is a myriad of gruesome ways. This duo are demented avenging angels who exact punishment on those they deem sinners with odd proclivities which is just odd cuz these two are out and out batshit insane and disgustingly pervereted. There's a reveal at the end that's the cherry on top of this grotesque exploitation sundae. Director Mastorakis freely admits he set out to make a deliberate exploitation film aimed at shocking audiences after seeing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He set pencil to paper and simply made a checklist of outrageous sexual perversions and disgusting murders, the sleazier the better... Incest✓ Bestiality✓Sodomy✓ Golden Showers✓A lynching from a plane✓ Crucifixtion✓ Drowning in lye✓ Death by sword✓ Victimization of minorities✓ Christian hypocrisy✓ Death by speargun✓ Rape✓ and loads more. Pure exploitation, little plot, sleazy sex and a decent bodycount.

Christopher and Celia are not very likable characters, definitely not people you can get behind unless you're a psychopath. This is not about sympathetic figures caught in an extreme situation forced to do the unthinkable, this is a film that simply revels in seeing bad people act out terrible deeds upon largely undeserving victims. As sleazy as the film is it's very watchable and rather well photographed by Mastrorakis himself. Other quirky elements adding to the film's entertainment value is an odd folksy soundtrack not unlike The Last House on the Left (1972)   and a weird narration that doesn't so much endear you to the characters as it does ad an element of black humor, the film is quite funny despite what my wife thought. The acting is spotty at times but  I would hold it up against other exploitation classics like I Spit On Your Grave (1978) and The Last House on the Left if not better. While Island of Death will never be mistaken for great cinema I think it's a pretty fantastic watch for those predisposed to raunchy exploitation cinema. On a sad note according to Mastorakis star Bob Behling, who also appeared in Cujo (1983) and Land of the Minotaur (1976), committed suicide in a rather odd way. He apparently struck a tube connected to a propane gas take down his throat and opened the valve.

DVD: Arrow Video have give Island of Death a brand new transfer, completely uncut for the first time. How this made it past the notoriously strict BBFC censors uncut I'll never know, that's just crazy. The film is presented in it's original 1.33:1 fullframe aspect ratio the transfer looks surprisingly good for it's age, great color and clarity with only few noticeable instances of print damage, a very fine restoration indeed. The mono audio fares well enough that the film's quirky folk songs will be stuck in your head for a few days. No subtitle options are provided.  On top of a great transfer Arrow have given the film a great assortment of bonus material including a brand-new commentary with the director, featurettes, interviews and a trailer.


Special Features
- Brand new audio commentary with director Nico Mastorakis and author and Calum Waddell Mastorakis and Waddell discuss the film at length. The two have a jovial  rapport that makes for a spirited and entertaining listen. Mastorakis talks about the films beginnings, it's casting and the films reputation as a Video Nasty. He also discusses the death by suicide of star Bob Behling, it's a pretty bizarre and successful suicide.
- Q&A with director Nico Mastorakis (16:55)
- Interview with Nico Mastorakis (25:00) - an entertaining interview with the director who speaks of the film with great interest and humor.
- Original trailer (2:56) - a trailer under the film's alternate title Cruel Destination.

- The Music of Island of Death (6:43) - a short featurette featuring songs from the movie set to stills and scenes from the film.
- 2010 re-recording of “Destination Understanding” from “Island of Death” (20:39)

An interesting featurette featuring five bands interpretations of the films main title "Destination Understanding", the bands featured are Kylie Minoise, Acid Fascists, Sea Bass Kid, Southern Tenant Folk and The Fnords. A good mix of indie, noise, punk and bluegrass.

My check disc from Arrow Video featured all of the disc information but none of the following packaging extras. Should you be so lucky to purchase this here's what you get.

- Double-sided fold-out poster

- Collector’s booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by critic David Hayles

Verdict: Island of Death is fantastically sleazy by design and lives up to it's reputation as a vile and demented Video Nasty. It does what few other films have, it actually shocked me a bit and in that respect I was endlessly entertained by the sickening parade of repulsive acts. A film truly deserving of it debaucherous reputation loaded with sex, violence and devilish black humor. It's sleazy, trashy, and irredeemable - it's Island of Death and its totally awesome. If you love exploitation cinema there's no way you're not going to enjoy this, I could watch it again and again which is something I can't say about other exploitation flicks. 4 outta 5

Legendary punk rockers THE DWARVES "Are Born Again" on May 3rd

The DWARVES are back with a new album in celebration of their 25th year together. I've long loved the Dwarves blend of punk n' roll guitar driven insanity and exploitative lyrics, great stuff. It was back in highschool in the early 90's that I was introduced to their "Blood, Guts and Pussy" album. The album's cover is a stunning depiction of two naked blood soaked beauties and a midget screwing a white bunny, that's memorable stuff.  Like many great exploitation films there's little nuance to their tunes, they tear through three chords with thrashy abandon whilst spinning deranged tales of booze, drugs and depravity. Defiitely fun stuff. If you haven't been properly introduced to the Dwarves I suggest you snag a copy of "Blood, Guts and Pussy", "Sugarfix" or "The Dwarves are Good Looking".

The Dwarves "Are Born Again"

Release Date: May 3rd 2011

Deluxe CD or vinyl package (with bonus DVD)

25th anniversary of the most bizarre and misunderstood punk rock band of all time...

The Dwarves Are Born Again features all your favorite heroes from the Dwarves long and twisted saga. Blag the Ripper, HeWhoCanNotBeNamed, Rex Everything and a cast of thousands return to crush the ears of a desperate public. Teamed with Top Ten producer Eric Valentine (Slash, All American Rejects) they have created a perfect mix of hardcore punk, ear soothing pop, and everything in between. Damaged celebrity cameos mix with twisted phone messages, ear splitting noise with dance friendly grooves, all delivered with the Dwarves trademark humor and intensity including a free DVD! 25 years in the making the Dwarves Are Born Again features heroes from throughout the Dwarves saga. Blag the Ripper, HeWhoCanNotBeNamed, Rex Everything, the Fresh Prince of Darkness and a cast of thousands including Vadge Moore and Sgt. Saltpeter from the notorious Blood, Guts and Pussy record return to crush the ears of a desperate public. You get hardcore punk, ear banging pop and everything in between from the long standing masters of all styles. Damaged rock celebrity cameos mix with twisted phone messages and ear splitting noise all delivered with the pomp and circumstance that only the mighty Dwarves can deliver.

Track Listing

•The Dwarves Are Still The Best Band Ever

•15 Minutes

•Stop Me
•Looking Out For Number One
•You'll Never Take Us Alive
•Bang Up
•We Only Came To Get High
•I Masturbate Me
•It's A Wonderful Life of Sin
•Happy Birthday Suicide
•Fake ID
•Working Class Hole
•FUTYD
•Candy Now
•Do The HeWhoCannotBeNamed
•Your Girl's Mom
•Zip Zero
•The Band That Wouldn't Die

Bonus Materials
•Includes bonus DVD

Website: http://www.thedwarves.com/
 

In honor of the Dwarves 25th anniversary and the release of ‘The Dwarves Are Born Again,’ Greedy Media presents

25 THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE DWARVES

THE DWARVES began in the 1980’s as an Illinois garage band, covering everything from the
Seeds and Moving Sidewalks to Gang of Four and Devo. They still have their paisley ties and
Beatle boots to prove it.


THE DWARVES have recorded for many of the premier independent labels- Sympathy For The
Record Industry, Epitaph, Fat, Sub/Pop, BOMP, Amphetamine Reptile, Man¹s Ruin, Recess,
Theologian, Glitterhouse, Burning Heart, White Jazz, High Voltage, No Balls, Zodiac Killer, MVD, Midnight, Reptilian and Greedy. Some of them even paid royalties.


THE DWARVES were the first punk band to regularly use samples, drum loops and found
sounds, even on their earliest recordings where they used cassette tapes to generate them.

THE DWARVES were kicked off tour with Motorhead for sleeping with the girls the aging metalheads had hired to hang out backstage. They were banned from venerable punk dive CBGBs for breaking a table and bleeding on the floor, making the venue cleaner and improving
its décor.


THE DWARVES teamed up with Top Ten producer Eric Valentine (Third Eye Blind, All American Rejects, Slash) to make their last 5 studio albums. He even showed up to some of the sessions! Valentine and Blag Dahlia helped write songs for Smashmouth, Good Charlotte and Skye Sweetnam.


THE DWARVES have been stabbed, bludgeoned, swarmed, arrested, shut down, hospitalized,
sabotaged and even fellated onstage and much of it is available on video, like the free dvd that
comes with the Dwarves Are Born Again.


THE DWARVES played with the late lamented Minutemen the week before D. Boon died, visited GG Allin in maximum security prison and did coke with Evan Dando in a seedy hotel room. And that was all in one day! Their list of collaborators on records is vast, including the ones they can contractually mention like Dexter Holland, Josh Freese, San Quinn, Nash Kato, Gary Owens, Spike Slawson, DJ Marz and Nick Oliveri.


THE DWARVES play music that crosses all genres. Their last LP ‘The Dwarves Must Die,’
combined all modern rock styles including hardcore, garage, pop punk, surf, noise, experimental, industrial, hip/hop, grunge and good old-fashioned pop. Even their modesty is legendary.


THE DWARVES music has been featured on television shows like Viva La Bam, Nash Bridges, Rob and Big, Laguna Beach, 16 and Pregnant, Homewrecker, Jackass and dozens more. They appeared naked on Monster Garage and Playboy After Dark, where HeWhoCanNotBeNamed mated with a pumpkin.


THE DWARVES first tour in 1988 covered over 6,000 miles and highlights were featured in the
Village Voice. The tour consisted of 3 cities, 4 shows and $165 dollars cash. The band traveled in a cargo van and booked gigs on stolen telephone cards.

THE DWARVES are the very best looking band in show business.

THE DWARVES did a live one-hour performance on Japan’s fabled NHK network. At the dinner afterward, they literally ate a horse. Barred from appearing in Switzerland for selling obscene merchandise, they no longer tolerate cheese with holes in it.


THE DWARVES played Berkeley’s punk collective Gilman Street the first month it opened and
appeared there with classic bands like Green Day, NOFX and the Didjits. They were later banned for beating up a fan, but don’t worry, he was a fan of some other group.


THE DWARVES are a true independent band with no outside management or record label, DIY
forever. They leave no remains when they die, only footprints in the snow.


THE DWARVES bassist Rex Everything has been tazed and did time for battery and resisting
arrest. He loves kittens, puppies and long walks on the beach. Guitarists HeWhoCanNotBeNamed and The Fresh Prince of Darkness teach and counsel troubled teens
when not ingesting cocaine and masturbating to hardcore pornography.


THE DWARVES have been members of such groups as KMFDM, Gnarls Barkley, Mondo
Generator, Motochrist, Excel, Penetration Moon, Juliette and The Licks, The Queers, Scream,
N.Y. Loose, My Head, John Cougar Concentration Camp, Kyuss, The Uncontrollable and End of Power. Don’t hold it against them.


THE DWARVES are OG’s (Original Grunge) appearing with Nirvana, Mudhoney, L7,
Supersuckers, Rev. Horton Heat and the Fluid. They watched Kurt Cobain nod out in a hotel
room and Courtney Love blow their tour manager.


THE DWARVES were attacked in 2005 by a disturbed person enraged over one of their
recordings. The first rock ‘n’ roll battle record, ‘Massacre’ proved the old adage that the truth
hurts, but so does being assaulted.


THE DWARVES are sophisticated arty liberals who live in San Francisco. Their notorious ‘Blood,Guts and Pussy’depicting a little fellow covered only by a dead rabbit surrounded by blood spattered naked Amazons, hangs proudly in the Louvre Museum. (Not that one, the one in Muncie, Indiana.)


THE DWARVES guitarist HeWhoCanNotBeNamed died in 1993 as reported in SPIN, Alternative Press, SF Weekly and Harper’s among others. Being denied entrance to Hell he returned to his mortal form, commenting later, ‘that which kills me makes me stronger.’


THE DWARVES music has been featured in films like Ghostworld, Hostel, Observe and Report
and Me, Myself and Irene where Jim Carrey crooned their song ‘Motherfucker’ while having a
nervous breakdown. They appeared in the film Kurt & Courtney where they were described as
‘one of the more violent bands’ and the hardcore porno Rocksuckers where they were described as ‘larger than average for white guys.’


THE DWARVES singer Blag the Ripper sang the novelty hit ‘Do the Sponge’ on the cartoon
series Spongebob Squarepants. Dwarf Sgt. Saltpeter has written and performed over 20 musical pieces featured since the show began.


THE DWARVES have actually been around for 27 years, but couldn’t think of 2 more things to
say about themselves. Except that Blag has published two novels, Armed to the Teeth With
Lipstick and the teenage sex romp NINA. His podcast RadioLikeYouWant.com can be heard on PunkRadioCast.com every Thursday night.


THE DWARVES sang onstage with Turbonegro at the Leeds Festival, UK. They have toured
Europe 11 times performing at Reading, Pukkelpop, Augustebuiller, Download Donnington and
Rebellion Fest to name just a few. Please don’t ruin a perfectly good gram of hash with tobacco.


THE DWARVES cannot be seen in mirrors or when the sun is out, but you can see them live in
concert soon at a theater near you. Rock critics get in free with library card!

TLACult.com Announces Nominees for 2011 TLA Cult Awards

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Arrow Video break Beyond Re-Animator out of the Fantastic Factory

Arrow Video have announced that the Beyond Re-Animator DVD that is part of the Fantastic Factory Presents set will also be available as as a stand-alone release the week after the Fantastic Factory Presents hits shelves on April 25th 2011. I'm anxious to check out the whole enchilada but for those looking for just a taste of the Re-Animator franchise here you go. It looks like a great package, much better than the Region 1 release. I believe that the other titles from the set will also follow suite in short order.
    

Beyond Re-Animator DVD

Release Date: April 25th 2011

Label: Arrow Video
Director: Brian Yuzna 
Cast: Jeffrey Combs, Elsa Pataky, Tommy Dean Musset
Tagline: Welcome to Death Row. The Doctor will see you now…

Trash cinema’s greatest ghoul is back! Horror legend Jeffery Combs returns as Dr. Herbert West in Beyond Re-Animator, the gory sequel to the original 80s splatter classic.

Incarcerated for the death of an innocent teenage girl at the hands of one of his resurrected corpes, Dr. West continues his insane research into the creation of life from behind bars. West makes a breakthrough with his discovery of Nano-Plasmic Energy, a substance that prevents the living dead from degenerating, but in doing so he unleashes bloody chaos in the prison as no one knows difference between the humans and the zombies.

From the fevered mind of HP Lovercraft and Brian Yuzna comes a sick horror comedy thrill ride in which you can trust no one... Alive or Dead!

Special Features
- Reversible Sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork
- Audio commentary with director Brian Yuzna
- ‘All in the Head’ Brian Yuzna on the Re-Animator Chronicles (50 mins)
- Original Trailer
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring new artwork
- Collector’s booklet featuring ‘World of Lovecraft’ and an Interview with star Jeffrey Combs by author and critic Calum Waddell as well as an extract from H.P. Lovecraft’s original story ‘Herbert West: Renimator’

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio: English Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Running time 92 mins
Region 0 PAL

DVD REVIEW: Felicity (1979)

This is part five in a series of six reviewsof films featured on Umbrella Entertainment's Ozploitation Vol.3  boxset. Up next on review block is a double feature review of John D. Lamond's Austrailia After Dark (1975) and The ABC of Love and Sex (1977) 

FELICITY (1980) DVD

 from the OZPLOITATION VOLUME 3 (6-Disc Set)

Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region All
Duration: 90 mins
Rating: R
Director: John D. Lamond
Cast: Glory Annen, Chris Milne, Joni Flynn, Jody Hansen
Tagline: She ain't Mama's little girl no more!

Plot: Felicity (the gorgeous Glory Annen) is a sheltered teen who surrenders her blossoming body to a world of bold sexual adventure in this homegrown erotic sin-sation from sexy Ozploitation auteur John D. Lamond. From taboo-breaking pleasures at an all-girl Catholic school to wanton delights in the exotic underground of Hong Kong, come join Felicity as she finally liberates her libido in the Far East with the help of Penthouse pet and Bond girl Joni Flynn (Octopussy).Plot: Felicity (the gorgeous Glory Annen) is a sheltered teen who surrenders her blossoming body to a world of bold sexual adventure in this homegrown erotic sin-sation from sexy Ozploitation auteur John D. Lamond. From taboo-breaking pleasures at an all-girl Catholic school to wanton delights in the exotic underground of Hong Kong, come join Felicity as she finally liberates her libido in the Far East with the help of Penthouse pet and Bond girl Joni Flynn (Octopussy).

Film: My own experiences with the wonders of softcore erotica began and ended with late-night viewings of the Emmanuel films on Cinemax at far too young of an age. When my folks would retire to their room for the evening I would stealthily make my way to the family room where I would stand directly in front of the TV with the volume turned WAY down, obscuring it from view so as if my parents caught me by surprise I could snap the TV off (with my free hand) without them glimpsing what naughty nocturnal activities might have been transpiring. Our home didn't have the premium cable channels but I was somehow able to hear (not clearly see) the adult programming by holding down several buttons on the cable box in tandem. The image would appear a scrambled blur but occasionally would reveal a nipple or some other delicate part of a woman's anatomy. Pathetic, I know, but that's the unstoppable drive of adolescent sexual curiosity for you. Not coincidentally it was around this time that I discovered the answer to Rusty Griswold's question to his cousin Dale in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), "How do you use a magazine?".... 

The softcore-cinema of late-night skinemax came and went during but a brief period of my adolescence. Shortly after I was more enamored with 80's slashers and the supernatural terrors of horror cinema which offered both blood, guts and boobs, the best of both worlds. Sex cinema fell to the wayside for many years until just this past year a blu-ray screener of Radley Metzger's Score (1972) unexpectedly came by the office and what a treat that was. I'd nearly forgotten how fun and sexy these late-70's films were. Erotic cinema like Score offered stylish adult fare that wasn't out and out sleazy like cheaply made pornography. Likewise there's Felicity (1979) directed by Aussie sexploitation pioneer John D. Lamond whom began his film career with a pair of fun shokcumentaries The ABC of Sex and Love: Australia Style (1977) and Australia After Dark (1975). His approach to erotica comes from a place of  humor, sensuality and sexiness -  not just hardcore fucking for the sake of gratification, which has it's place but this is something more all together.

The film tells the tale of the gorgeous young woman named Felicity (Glory Annen) who's coming of age in a private Catholic school where she's been quietly developing a strong sexual curiosity and has on occasion acted on these curiosities with her equally libidinous roommate. When school let's out for Summer break Felicity heads to Hong Kong where she stays with family friends. It's here that she meets a beautiful local girl named Me Ling (Joni Flynn, Octopussy) and begins to explore her overflowing sexual curiosity with numerous partners until she meets a fun photographer named Miles (Christopher Milne, Thirst). The film is equal parts erotic fairytale, Orient travelogue and a sensual coming of age story and while there's no shortage of pants-tightening titillation it is a surprisingly tender film in it's handling of sexuality and the act of sex. Lamond is a stylish director and the film is beautifully composed, particularly the shots of Hong Kong, good stuff indeed. I enjoyed the fairytale nature of the film which is enhanced not only Annen's classic beauty but by the the accompanying running narration and the loads of sex didn't hurt either. That said, this is not merely a male sex fantasy and is very much geared towards portraying Felicity as a sexually empowered young woman.

DVD: Felicity is featured on the  6-disc Ozploitation Vol. 3 set from Aussie DVD label Umbrella Entertainment. The film is presented in a 16:9 enhanced widescreen transfer with 2.0 English language audio. It's a remarkably good looking print with few blemishes to be seen. The audio while not overly impressive is adequate enough to firmly implant the film's saccharine easy listening  theme song "Mama's Little Girl No More" into your skull for weeks. From what I can tell the bonus features replicate Umbrella stand-alone disc minus the original theatrical trailer. It should be noted that this DVD can only be operated on machines capable of playing  Region 0 PAL format software.

Special Features:
- Audio commentary with Director John D. Lamond and star Glory Annen. A nice commentary as the two reminisce about their experiences on the set of the film, plenty of interesting factoids. It's a lighthearted commentary and both are in good spirits and fondly recall the film.

- Confessions of an R-Rated Movie Maker (8:10) - an interview with Lamond talking about his film and how they're viewed by the Australian elite.

- Stills and Poster Gallery - a series of 37 behind-the-scenes and promotional still.

- Umbrella Entertainment Trailers: a pleasantly lurid collection of softcore and sex comedy trailers: Laura (2:33), Emmanuel in Bangkok (1:33), Pacific Banana (2.55) and Private Lessons (1:78)

Verdict: John D. Lamond's Felicity (1979) is a fantastic example of the late-70's erotic cinema exemplified by Justin Jaeckin's Emmanuelle (1974). It's light-hearted, witty and nearly every frame is filled with gorgeous scenery and the perky beauty of star Glory Annen. A high recommend for those exploring sensual cinema. So grab your lady, a mid-range bottle of wine and let the erotic good time rolll. Classy though it may be if you're just a lonely guy looking for a  good wank spankin' good time it's that, too. 4 outta 5

DVD REVIEW: Phenomena (1985)

PHENOMENA (1985) DVD

Release Date: March 7th 2011

Label: Arrow Video
Duration: 115 min.
Region Coding: Region 0 PAL
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence
Tagline: Jennifer Has A Few Million Close Friends. She's Going To Need Them All.


Plot: Poor sleepwalking Jennifer Corvino (Connelly) doesn’t fit in at her boarding school and her uncanny ability to control insects isn’t helping her popularity. With the aid of a local entomologist (Pleasence), can she use her psychic insect skills to find the killer who’s leaving her fellow pupils in bloody pieces?

Film: Phenomena is the third of what has become known as Dario Argento's animals trilogy; a trio of films beginning with the giallo classic The Bird with the Crystal Plumage(1970), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) and ending with Phenomena (1985). The film was released following Tenebre (1982), one of my favorite Argento films, a stylish Giallo classic. Originally released here in the states in a severely cut version called Creepers this is a weird, dark fairytale that recalls many elements of Argento's supernatural thriller Suspiria (1977). The film begins as  tourist Vera Grandt (Fiore Argento) misses a bus in the Swiss countryside. She approaches a nearby home in search assistance but when no one answers enters the house. Once inside she arouses the interest of something fiendish that's been chained to the wall. Whatever it is pulls the chains from the wall and attacks the young woman with a pair of scissors. She escapes the initial attack and runs madly through the forest to a nearby gorge where she is cornered and decapitated in a visually stunning manner, her head shattering a pane of glass in slow-mo and falling to the waterfall below. Months later Jennifer (Connolly) arrives at a nearby Swiss boarding school, definite shades of Suspiria. There she meets Frau Brucker (Daria Nicolodi), the stern headmistress (Dalilia Do Lazzaro) and her new roommate - even more shades of Suspira. Jennifer has a few odd quirks, she regularly sleepwalks plus she is able to telekinetically communicate with insects. Neat, a real lord of the flies. When she's sleepwalking she envisions a long white corridor with many doors, great surreal Argento visuals. During one of her episodes she unwittingly witnesses the murder of her roommate and during yet another nocturnal stroll wonders off school grounds where she encounters and befriends entomologist Dr. John McGregor (Donald Pleasance with a snazzy Scottish accent). McGregor is wheelchair bound and relies on his Chimpanzee named Inga to assist him. Inga is very helpful and super protective and later wields a straight razor on a revenge mission, it only gets weirder. McGregor and Jennifer form a bond over their shared love the insects and he warns her that a demented psychopath on the loose in the area killing young girls. Back at school Jennifer is not well-liked and less-so when her creepy affinity for insects is revealed when she summons a swarm of flies upon the school in a fit of anger. The headmistress is intent on having her committed to a psychiatric after the event but when the men in white arrive Jennifer has fleed to McGregor's who irresponsibly sends her in search of the killer armed only with a sarcophagus fly to aid in the detection of cadavers. The search for the killer obviously puts her in imminent danger which leads to a startling revelation and bizarre final confrontation on a boat with a fiendish freak and his mother.

There's not an extraordinary amount of death and gore here but what here is significantly gruesome, predominantly some slasher-style killings and rotting flesh. The decomposition special effects work by Sergio Stivaletti is stomach churningly effective while the pre-digital optical effects work by Luigi Cozzi lends a bizarre atmosphere to the proceedings. Claudio Simonetti of Goblin performs the main title theme but the signature Goblin music is not as prevalent throughout the film as in previous Argento film scores and instead we get cuts from Motorhead and a tasty Iron Maiden track "Flash of the Blade". Great tunes but the music is a bit jarring  and may take you out of the film temporarily.

DVD: Arrow Video have been on a winning streak with a series of prime Dario Argento releases including Inferno, Deep Red and now Phenomena. This is the Italian director's cut of the film presented in it's original 16:9 enhanced 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The image looks very good and gets an edge over previous editions with a crisper and more detailed image. There is an abundance of film grain during the darker lit scenes and the first kill of the film in particular but overall a very good transfer. Audio option include a 2.0 stereo English and Italian language soundtrack with subtitle option for each track including a brand new subtitle translation for the Italian language track. It should be noted that the English audio reverts to Italian during a few scenes with missing audio much like the Arrow edition of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. There's a nice selection of exclusive special features including a 50 minute documentary and two featurettes. The Anchor Bay DVD from 2008 features some great exclusive content as well including a commentary track from Dario Argento, Sergio Stivaletti and Claudio Simonetti. A newly created DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix would've been appreciated but the stereo tracks are quite good and even a carry-over commentary from the Anchor Bay edition or a new commentary with Argento historians Thomas Rostock or Alan Jones would've been fantastic. Still, this disc begs for a spot on the DVD shelf in your house.

SPECIAL FEATURES
 - DARIO'S MONKEY BUSINESS: THE MAKING OF PHENOMENA (50:03) a documentary featuring interviews with key talent behind the film including director Dario Argento, star Daria Nicolodi and underwater photographer Gianlorenzo Battaglia and more. A pretty typical Arrow Video documentary from High Rise Productions in that it contains great interviews intersperesed with clips and stills from the film that color the viewing experience. I always game for Daria Nicolodi interview who is quick to point out Argento's faults, good stuff.
- MUSIC FOR MAGGOTS – an Interview with composer with Claudio Simonetti (6:17)
- CREEPERS FOR CREATURES:  Sergio Stivaletti lives Q+A sessions from Dublin and Edinburgh. (18:08)

My screener contains only the disc information and none of the  wonderful Arrow Video packaging, but should you buy this edition it will include the following...
- Four panel reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Two sided fold out poster with new art work

- Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring brand new writing on Phenomena by Alan Jones, author of Profondo Argento

- Original art by Rick Melton

Verdict: One of the odder films in Dario Argento's repertoire, a mash-up of his earlier giallo style like Deep Red (1975) with the dark fantasy elements of the supernatural thrillers Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980). It's not prime Argento but I think when held up against his post Opera (1987) output it stands tall. Killer insects, a mutant freak and a cunning chimp -  this cannot not be good, right? Overlooked and well worth a buy in my opinion. Gets better with each view. 3.5 outta 5

DVD REVIEW: Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974)

BARRY MCKENZIE HOLDS HIS OWN (1974)

Pt. 4 of 6 reviews from the OZPLOITATION VOLUME 3 (6-Disc Set)

LABEL: Umbrella Entertainment
REGION: Region 0 PAL
DURATION: 93 mins
RATING: M 
DIRECTOR: Bruce Breseford
CAST: Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Donald Pleasance

PLOT: Aunt Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) is returning from London with her hapless loud-mouthed, sex crazed nephew, Barry McKenzie (Barry Crocker), when she is mistaken for the Queen of England by a couple of Eastern European ratbags. She is kidnapped and taken to Transylvanian in a bid to boost their struggling tourist industry. Excitement brews and Fosters flows as Bazza sets out to rescue the Dame-to-be in distress from the clutches of Erich Count Plasma (Donald Pleasence), the sinister head of the Transylvanian Tourist Commission. Can Bazza pull it off?

FILM: Australia had a nearly non-existent film industry prior to the early-70's and when vulgar comedies like the Barry McKenzie series made a splash the culturally elite of Australia were mortified by the exploitation of the unsophisticated ocker image. Obviously bereft of a funny bone these folks don't understand that you gotta be able to laugh at yourself once in awhilevand while the elite balked at the outlandish depictions of the Aussie everyman  director Bruce Bedeford's sequel to THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY MCKENZIE (1972) reveled in it. Much as with LES PATTERSON SAVES THE WORLD (1987) this sequel to finds the frosty Fosters swilling Barry 'Bazza' McKenzie in France where his Aussie-centric mannerisms offend people of all nationalities and persuasions. This time out McKenzie (Barry Crocker) and his Aunt Edna (Barry Humphries) are in Paris, France on a stop over from London en route to Australia when Barry runs into his sky-pilot twin brother Reverend Kevin McKenzie at a Catholic seminar entitles 'Christ and the Orgasm". The encounter  leads to Barry standing in for his brother in front of a Catholic seminar performing a colorful song describing what the term "ratbag" means, it's a very fun musical number. While there Aunt Edna is confused for the Queen of England by henchmen of the Transyvanian Tourist Commissioner, Count Erich Plasma (Donald Pleasance) who has hatched a misguided scheme to boost tourism in his obscure little province by kidnapping the Queen of England. The henchmen grab the old gal and take her to Transylvania where she seems to think she is merely a VIP guest of the Count's leading to some humorous miscommunication between the two. Can Barry McKenzie save her before Count Plasma realizes his error and drains Edna of her precious bodily fluids?

Bazza as played by Crockers is a naive, misguided oaf of a man completely oblivious to his wrong-thinking ways not unlike Jay from Kevin Smith's Clerks films and it's easy to forgive his terrible ways. The twin brother plot line was quite extraneous and added very little aside from a great musical number early on. It was nice to catch Barry Humphries' Dame Edna as well as several character throughout including Senator Douglas Manton whom introduces the film similarly to the Mortimer Young DVD intro of THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998). Pleasance so good in so many films including  RAW MEAT (1972) and HALLOWEEN (1978) is just too eccentrically corny as Count Plasma, the character seems beneath him to be honest. 

If you're a fan of irreverent comedies there's a lot to like here,  some of the gags run on  a bit long as there's only so many "poofter" references you can take in one sitting. The physical comedy is entertaining including a great kung fun fighting sequence and a few gross-out scenes, one having Bazza "cry ruth" which is Aussie speak for throwing up aka "chundering" aka "technicolor yawn" from the height of the Eiffel Tower with a great delayed impact that just plasters the Transylvanian agents. The Aussie wordplay is vibrant and wonderful though most of it would be unintelligible if it weren't not for the Bazzaspeak in-film subtitles. For me the oddest and most wonderful scene involves Bazza try to smuggle dozen of cans of Fosters into the country but is caught by airport security who rip off the bullet-belt of ale and throw it to the ground and machine gun the suds into oblivion and the fending off a the Count via a crucifix of Fosters's cans. Not a great comedy but appropriately silly and fun.

DVD: Barry McKenzie Holds His Own comes to us from Umbrella Entertainment as part of the 6-disc OZPLOITATION VOL. 3 set. Presented in "Chunderama" which translates to a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that does not look pristine by any means but is probably better than the film has ever look in previous editions. It's grainy, soft and non-too vibrant but given the age of the film and it's better than you might think. The audio is mono and no subtitles are offered aside from the in-movie subtitles which help translate some of Bazza's more challenging Bazzaisms.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- AUDIO COMMENTARY BY ACTOR BARRY CROCKER - A decent commentary with plenty of anecdotes from the star of the film.
- BARRY HUMPHRIES GIVES US THE GOOD OIL (24:07) - An interview featurette (filmed in 2003). Humphries gives us the comic strip origins of the McKenzie character as well as a great story about pitching an idea about a 3rd film wherein McKenzie would travel to America. The film never did happen but he recounts how familiar the premise of Crocodile Dundee seemed just a few years later. Humphries is always a great interview, very unapologetic and wry.
- BARRY MCKENZIE: OGRE OR OCKE? (50 mins) - an interesting made for Australian TV documentary with film footage, footage of the film's premier, it's censorship and some great interviews with the always enjoyable Barry Humphries and a film critic whom truly seem to despise the film and Humphries inparticular.  
- BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE (32:17)- very raw BTS b-roll footage.
- TEASER TRAILERS (3:46) - three teaser trailers featuring either Edna or Bazza introducing the films to theatre goers.
- TV SPOTS (2:21)

VERDICT:  Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) is a bit of a slog at times but is still an amusing ozploitation comedy. The adventures of  the uncouth Australian making a spectacle of himself while abroad is a fun time, if extremely uneven. There's an over abundance on insensitive racial humor, gay-bashing and plenty of crudity for the sake of comedy but these characterizations are stereotypes of the perceptions of Australians at the time; crude, smutty people descended from British penal colonies, more so than any true celebration of racism and bigotry. Barry McKenzie Holds His Own will never be mistaken for great cinema but it will most definitely elicit a few chuckles. Not a whole-hearted recommend but I think it's worth a watch with at least 3-4 beers.
**1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars)

This is pt. 4 of six reviews forthcoming from UMBRELLA ENTERTAINMENT's OZPLOITATION VOL. 3. It's chock full of Aussie Ozploitation goodness featuring some of the most madcap and erotic exploitation films from the land down under. Prepare yourself for reviews of the following films to come your way in short order. Listed below are the other six films on the set. Up next for review: FELICITY (1980)