"1970s New York Grindhouse Super Stars Triple Feature" DVD

This set of mid-70s porn is re-visited under the 'grindhouse' heading, and these scratchy, rough prints illustrate a unique era between the free-love sixties and the plastic 80s. Hardcore (porn) wasn't a big business yet, but certain names became legendary in the seventies, despite some rather dodgy and amateurish films. This trilogy of hour-length skin flicks has its ups and downs (and from-behinds, but that's a tale for another lay, I mean day...). Hah.

"Tycoon's Daughter" is the best of the bunch, being a weird and almost scary tale of some sleazes who abduct a rich girl, hoping to extort wild cash from her well-to-do family. Along the way, they meet up with a sexually-liberal farm family, and there's all kinds of wacky mix-ups. It seems that not only the abductee is horny, but so are her captors and their host family! This is a fun story and with plenty of sordid trysts in the woods and barn. It's actually as funny as it is frightening, believe it or not!

"School Of Sexual Arts" fails, being a choppy and story-less mess. To top it all off, there are some embarrassingly bad moments of overdubbing during some of the sex scenes. Moans and groans that obviously emanate from neither partners' mouths. Hmm. Lots of threesomes, hairy people, and some pretty hideous characters make this one forgettable, and almost unwatchable. Yuck.

"Kathy's Graduation" succeeds only because of one factor: Annie Sprinkle, who later went on to performance art fame, got her Ph.D in Human Sexuality, and who even worked with the Hafler Trio (listen to the magnificent "Masturbatorium" CD). Here, we get some extravagant action involving fruit (courtesy of Ms. Sprinkle), as well as a heavy-duty DP. Hardcore, indeed!

So, in summation, a nice time capsule of an era, but that doesn't mean it's all very worthy beyond a single viewing. (After Hours Cinema)

Angelique Bosio - "Llik Your Idols" DVD

This documentary of the late 80's-early 90's New York movement now known as the 'Cinema Of Transgression' examines the reactionary/nihilist film/art/music scenes that intersected at this revolutionary time. Interviews with scenesters like Nick Zedd, Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Thurston Moore, Richard Hell, Jarboe, Joe Coleman, Russell Simmins, and others lend an air of credibility to the proceedings, as folks like Zedd, Kern, and Lunch were responsible for some of the most shocking and (some would say) tasteless films of our generation. The violence, gore, and sexual depravity of this period is examined and reflected upon by actors and film-makers alike, and although some can be arguably be assessed as little more than Z-grade trash cinema (or fetishistic titillation), there were some important inspirations and aspirations there. In fact, it can be noted that some of this underground cinema has infiltrated modern pop culture, with everything from fashion spreads, photography, and horror films taking cues from some of these still-hard-hitting films. Bosio does a fine job illustrating what made this "scene" tick, with plenty of excerpts and clips. The bonus bits include 2 of Zedd's films, 'Police State' (which is a horrifyingly extreme and pointed look at police brutality, starring himself as the victim), and 'War Is Menstrual Envy' (a weird and almost moving look at, eh, a burn victim, Annie Sprinkle, and Kembra Pfahler in various compromising positions). Well worth a look if this sounds like your cup of tea leaves. (MVD Visual)