DESPERATE TEENAGE LOVEDOLLS (1984)
& LOVEDOLLS SUPERSTARS (1986):
THE COMPLETE 4K REMASTERED COLLECTION
Label: Eclectic
Duration: 49 Minutes 34 Seconds
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: David Markey
Cast: Jennifer Schwartz, Steven McDonald, Hilary Rubens, Janet Housden, Kim Pilkington, Jeffrey McDonald, Tracy Lea, Jello Biafra, Sky Saxon, Victoria Peterson, Jeannie Brooks, Annette Zilinskas, Michael F. Glass, Jordan Schwartz, Dez Cadena, Chuck Dukowski, Bob Moss
Desperate Teenage Lovedolls (1984) is a scrappy, shot on Super-8mm micro-budget punk rock flick directed by David Markey (The Year That Punk Broke), who at the time was the co-creator of We Git Power fanzine. The film tells the tale of Los Angeles teenage runaways Kitty Carryall (Jennifer Schwartz, The Book of Manson), Bunny Tremelo (Hilary Rubens) and Alexandria (Kim Pilkington). While hustling on the streets Alexandria gets hooked on smack and fades away, but Bunny and Kitty steal a guitar from a street busker and start their own band, recruiting Patch (Janet Housden) to round out the line-up on drums. The play local gigs and gain popularity, catching the attention of sleazy casting-couch agent Johnny Tremaine (Steve McDonald of rockers Redd Kross). The Lovedolls experience a meteoric rise in the L.A. punk rock music scene, they develop a devout following, but run afoul of an all-girl gang called The She Devils, lead by Tanya Hearst (Tracy Lea), who mistake the Lovedolls for a rival gang. Bunny also finds herself sexually exploited by sleazebag agent Johnny, and after realizing that they are better off without scumbag Johnny, the girls slip him a massive dose of LSD which causes him to leap to his death from the top of his apartment building. Things sour when Kitty ends up killing Tanya in self-defense, in retaliation the gang attack the duo in the park, and in the kerfuffle Bunny ends up shot dead - the it is, that's this wildly lo-fi tale of drugs, murder and rock n' roll all wrapped up.
The flick was shot for $250, a no-budget trashterpiece of punk rock cinema, chock full of camp, poor lighting and poorer acting - this should be a DOA shit-show, but the scrappy fifty minute movie is somehow totally fucking awesome. It's like a homemade movie that you might have made with your cool friends, only your film would not have had a killer soundtrack with tunes by Redd Kross, White Flag, The Bags, The Nip Drivers and Black Flag! As raggedly amateur hour as it might be, it's also trashy and fun, shot guerrilla-style on the streets of Hollywood and Santa Monica and Venice, which also serves as a but of time capsule of an era long gone, which adds another voyeuristic dimension to the proceedings. The film also features an assortment of punk rockers making cammeos, including both Jeff and Steve from Red Kross, Dez from Black Flag, and the soon-to-be Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson!
Label: Eclectic
Duration: 80 Minutes 59 Seconds
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: David Markey
Cast: Jennifer Schwartz, Steven McDonald, Hilary Rubens, Janet Housden, Kim Pilkington, Jeffrey McDonald, Tracy Lea, Jello Biafra, Sky Saxon, Victoria Peterson, Jeannie Brooks, Annette Zilinskas, Michael F. Glass, Jordan Schwartz, Dez Cadena, Chuck Dukowski, Bob Moss
Lovedolls Superstar (1986) is also directed by Dave Markey, but it did have a bigger budget, 10K! It was more ambitious, but still shot on a cruddy looking Super-8mm. Following the death of Bunny in the last film Kitty is destitute and living on the streets, she's succumbed to alcoholism and has turned her back on society. Meanwhile, the Lovedolls former drummer Patch (Janet Housden) has rebranded herself as Patch Christ, and is now the leader of an acid-damaged cult. Once she rescues kitty from the streets and her own alcoholism they turn their sights to resurrecting the Lovedolls, recruiting Sunset Boulevard hooker Alexandria "Cheetah" Axethrasher (Kim Pilkington) on guitar. Things are on the upswing, but Patricia Ann Cloverfield (Tracy Lea), the sister of the slain She-Devils leader Tanya's mother, and the twin brother of the deadly dosed Johnny Tremaine, Rainbow Tremaine (Steven McDonald of red Kross), both has revenge on their mind. Also, one of the band's acid-damaged cult followers Carl Celery (Jeff McDonald of Redd Kross) attempts to carry out an assassination of pop-sensation Brews Springstien (Jordan Schwartz, Citizen Tania), after his 12" Mego Gene Simmons of Kiss action figure tells him to! It's another wild and ragged tale, and again we get a killer soundtrack that includes an SST heavy line-up including Redd Kross, Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, Black Flag and Meat Puppets! Speaking of the DKs, Jello Biafra cameos in this one The President, perfection, and we get an appearance from Sky Saxon of '60s psyche-rockers The Seeds!
Audio/Video: Both films are presented in 1080p HD fullscreen (1.33:1), sourced from 4K Restorations from the Original Super-8 film masters, and they look terrific, all things considered, Course is present throughout, source related damage like vertical lines, staining, speckles and digs appear in unobtrusive ways, but the new transfer does the best it can with colors, which look pretty wonderful for Super-8mm, with plenty of course texture and detail, blacks are decent and the whites are crisp, at least when they are not blown out, due to source limitations. Audio comes by way of new English PCM 2.0 stereo mixes for both film, plus Lovedolls Superstars gets a 5.1 surround upgrade, with optional English subtitles. The dialogue is post-dubbed and the sync is somewhat loose, as it always has, so it has some inconsistencies associated with low-budget z-grade filmmaking, but nothing that ruined my viewing experience.
Extras include a 32-min Desperate Teenage Lovedolls 40th Anniversary Panel in which LA Times' Mark Olsen conducts Q&A with director David Markey and stars Jennifer Schwartz, Steven McDonald, and Tracey Lea. There are also Audio Commentaries for both films with director David Markey, producer Jordan Schwartz & stars Jeffrey McDonald, Steve McDonald, and Jennifer Schwartz. Next, a 2-min Redd Kross 'Ballad of a Lovedoll' Music Video, 10-min of Deleted Scenes & Alt Takes for Desperate Teenage Lovedolls; 32-min of Deleted Scenes for Lovedolls Superstars, a 14-min Dave Markey Tribute at The Egyptian, 9-min Story of Desperate Teenage Lovedolls and We Got Power, plus the Remastered Theatrical Trailers.
The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a a single-sided sleeve of artwork incorporating the original illustrated movie posters for each of the films, which I believe were created by director Dave Markey. Inside there is a 2-sided Insert. The first-pressing includes a Slipcover with the same artwork as the wrap.
Special Features:
- 4K Restorations from the Original Super-8 Film Masters
- Desperate Teenage Lovedolls 40th Anniversary Panel (32:16) - LA Times' Mark Olsen conducts Q&A with director David Markey and stars Jennifer Schwartz, Steven McDonald, and Tracey Lea
- Lovedolls Superstar at American Cinematheque, Egyptian Theater, Hollywood
- Audio Commentary with director David Markey, producer Jordan Schwartz & stars Jeffrey McDonald, Steve McDonald, and Jennifer Schwartz
- Redd Kross 'Ballad of a Lovedoll' Music Video (1:59)
- Deleted Scenes & Alt Takes (9:55)
- Story of Desperate TeenageI Lovedolls and We Got Power (9:07)
- New Stereo Audio Mix
- Remastered Theatrical Trailer (1:31)
- Audio Commentary with director David Markey, producer Jordan Schwartz & stars Jeffrey McDonald, Steve McDonald, and Jennifer Schwartz
- Deleted Scenes: Intro/Hollywood (3:12), Locedolls Meet Nick Nuke (3:14), Now That I've Tasted Blood (3:48), National Lovedolls Society (0:41), Celery Stalk (5:00), Okia's Song (1:57), Jeannie And Rainbow Alt Take (1:31), Rainbow Backstage (2:03), Sky Saxon Full Intro (1:14), Over the Rainbow (4:04), Mr. President Alt Takes (3:16), Better Than Guyana (1:13)
- Dave Markey Tribute at The Egyptian (13:55)
- Remasteted Theatrical Trailer (2:00)
- New Stereo & 5.1 Audio Mixes
This trashy double-feature is a low-fi cinema classic, if you're a fan of campy Hollywood trash, the early films of John Waters, or no-budget stuff like Deadbeat At Dawn, or just a fan of early 80's L.A. punk rock this is a must-own slice of DIY punk culture at it's trashiest. Also, if you were a fan of the The Secret Lives of Bill Bartell and/or the Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story documentaries, this is of the same cloth, and would make a killer triple-feature!
Screenshots from the Eclectic Blu-ray:
DESPERATE TEENAGE LOVEDOLLS
LOVEDOLLS SUPERSTARS (1986)
Buy it!
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