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johnbernhard
Reviews
El paranoico (1975)
Spanish thriller good for cheap thrills
Nothing terribly original here but several welcome faces from 70's Spanish exploitation make this an OK time killer. Dean Selmier ( GLASS CEILING ) stars in this psycho-murder thriller, and the bodies of dead women are piling up with no end in sight!
Lone Fleming ( BLIND DEAD ) & Veronica Lujan ( FURY OF THE WOLFMAN )and an uncredited Montserrat Julio will be familiar to fans of this type of cinema. A reasonable dollop of nudity and gore help perk the familiar story to life.
Operation Makonaima (1974)
Rape Revenge Drive In special without a twist
Brace yourself for badness when you sit down to watch THE OBSESSED ONE. While the original tile may be OPERATION MAONAIMA, while watching the US released OBSESSED ONE you will not learn what that title refers to. Plot is simple, a man escapes from jail to track down the 3 men who did him and his bride wrong.
Along the way you will see some of the most unconvincing fighting choreography ever committed to film, and highly amusing car chases where the camera was under cranked resulting in the finished product looking like the keystone cops. The music is 70's funky & repetitive and the English dubbing is right up there with the worst you've heard. The actors ( I use that term loosely ) do appear to be speaking English though, so it's possible the dialog follows the original script. There is plenty of nudity and simulated sex, and some cheesy gore thrown in for fun, but I still fought off boredom after the 30 min mark of this 75 minute exploiter. A sequence with a slick ladies man decked out in outrageous pimp ware provides some laughs, but much of this is merely serviceable, and the technical aspects are dire throughout.
It looks like it was filmed on 16mm and blown up to 35mm, the quality of the source used for the Blu Ray I watched from Code Red was simply not worthy of the medium and should have been released on DVD. Colors are decent but it's soft, grainy and flat out ugly most of the time.
Al otro lado del espejo (1973)
A note about the variants of this title
As most know, there are 3 versions of the film. The Spanish is considered to be the true director's cut. The French changes the plot and swaps actors, while an Italian print adds hardcore bits to the newly added sex scenes from the French version. While it is frequently cited that the material in the French and Italian films were shot later, this is not entirely true. The Lina Romay footage was lensed later, but there are 3 extended nude scenes with Emma Cohen that were from the initial shoot, and I believe Franco would want them in any 'director's cut' DVD that will hopefully appear. They can easily be edited back into the Spanish print ( I've made myself a copy for future viewings ). Are the nude scenes essential to the plot, well perhaps not. But knowing how Franco adores the female form, coupled with Cohen's beautiful presence....I'd strongly feel he wanted them in the Spanish cut but was prevented by the strict censorship of the Spain at the time.
Josefine - Das liebestolle Kätzchen (1969)
Should a Schoolgirl Tell?
I watched the Should A Schoolgirl Tell? print of this film offered by Synergy via Amazon. Right up front, IMDb says 79 min for the German version. The DVD case states 77 min, which might be the accurate run time for the English dubbed version....but Synergy's print runs a scant 67 min. The print used is literally in tatters, and while some scenes run smoothly, others are riddled with spices rendering dialog incomprehensible in other places. The print also seems to have chunks missing ( part of the credits and the beginning of the film for example ) but at least it does not appear to be cut for censorship. How a print gets so incredibly incomplete is a mystery though. That said I got my $10 out of this DVD-R. This appears to be a unique digital transfer from a very worn 35mm print. I was hoping to see Barbara Capell in a lead role where she has lots of outfits and hopefully some nudity, and the film delivers this in spades. The plot of the film is rather silly ( if refreshingly non PC ), in fact the voice over narration states repeatedly that the events on screen are fantasy. The local gym teacher is doing the female students, and Capell's dad finds out and brings a lawsuit. Capell proceeds to bed the prosecutor and assorted others, mostly just go get some free new outfits ( she seems to care not about the fate of the teacher ). Barbara is very alluring in this film and I would like to find the German version someday ( or at least find a decent complete copy of the English dubbed version.
No es nada, mamá, sólo un juego (1974)
Great showcase for Andrea Rau, decent Euro-sleaze effort
The other review here pretty much expresses most my feelings. I'd like to add that the film serves as a wonderful showcase for Andrea Rau. Rau was a model turned softcore actress in Germany who got a big break in DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS. This film, which I saw on VHS as BEYOND EROTICA, was made a few years later and even the lousy full screen cropped video quality cannot dim the love the camera has for this woman. She's very good here and the other lead actors are fun to watch. Hemmings and Valli are slumming here but seem fully committed to their roles ( a sick mother - son cliché relationship ). The details of Hemming's character's obsessions are nicely drawn though, even if their motivation lacks imagination. There is a lot for exploitation fans to enjoy here, not much violence but plenty of human hunting, sickness and depravity to spare, copious nudity and yes, bunny outfits. Director Forque also made the worth a look giallo's IN THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE and TAROT. The film is poorly served by the current VHS versions. This film really should be out on DVD, hopefully soon.
How to Seduce a Woman (1974)
Beatuful girls + deadly dull comedy = Groans and Drools
The general premise here is dated and sexist, and details the affairs of the central character. The attempts at comedy are perhaps among the worst ever committed to film. The jokes fall flat and the lead character is a geeky looking schlub whom we are supposed to believe is irrefutable to all women. The film plays like an R rated episode of LOVE American STYLE. Why track down the old Prism VHS tape then, if this is so dire? For 70's blonde B movie queens, Alexandra Hay and Angel Thompkins. Both reveal ample skin, especially Hay, but sadly the script is contrived and unrealistic and both actresses are saddled with embarrassing roles to portray. As much as I was hoping would have a nude scene, when I watched it I felt sorry for her ( the plot of her section redefines branded ).
El francotirador (1977)
Dark but well made drama
EL FRANCOTIRADOR aka THE SNIPER ( 1977 ) finds Naschy in a deadly serious drama about a man who wants revenge for the death of his daughter. The bulk of the film takes place in Madrid, during the later years of Franco's dictatorship. The opening scenes reveal how a widowed clockmaker named Lucas loses his young daughter in an accident involving an anti government attack. After a random encounter with Franco himself, Lucas embarks on a plan to kill the General, whom he considers responsible for his daughters death. He goes to Madrid to plan his revenge where he encounters call girl with a heart of gold Blanca Estrada, who falls in love with him ( and get naked half a dozen times J, Ms Estrada has never looked better ). Meanwhile a group of political terrorists discover his plan and want to help him, as long as they can take credit for the assignation. Lucas refuses but is eventually pressured into accepting their offer. The terrorists also prepare a back up plan in case the first attempt fails, setting the stage for the anticipated grim conclusion.
Naschy is excellent as the tortured father mourning his daughter. He appears without hairpiece here, and the natural look suits his character, looking a bit older and worn down than other films from this era. Many scenes are free of dialog and Naschy carries these with a quiet dignity and intensity, all that practice brooding as Waldemar Daninsky really pays off here. The direction by Carlos Puerto is assured and steady, maintaining a slow, somber pace throughout. One strange sequence where Lucas is followed by a car is cut together with shots that end in blackouts, which is just plain strange, but otherwise the film is solid technically. THE SNIPER also avoids violent exploitation, instead focusing on the main character and his overwhelming grief. The real mis-step is Estrada's character, which is pure fantasy in the classic Paul Naschy "I wrote it so I get the girl: mode", but given the amount of exposure she receives here, I'm obliged to give him a pass.
While not up to the high water marks to be set by EL CAMINENTE and FRENCHMAN'S GARDEN in a year or two, EL FRANCOTIRADOR is a well made and grimly depressing drama, with an impressive central performance resulting in one of PN's better non horror outings.
Widescreen, English Fansubs 93 minutes
Muerte de un quinqui (1975)
Middlingcrime drama from Naschy and Klimovsky
Paul Naschy was directed by Leon Klimovsky 8 times between 1970 and 1976, MUERTE DE UN QUINQUI ( DEATH OF A HOODLUM ) was their 6th collaboration. This is a rare one in that there are no supernatural or horror elements on display. Naschy wrote the screenplay which details the exploits of the main character, a full blown psychopath with a serious mother fixation, who also happens to be deaf and relies on a hearing aid. It's an interesting attempt at a unique character but ultimately it falls short. Yes, you guessed it, something bad happened to mama that Naschy never quite got over. The film opens with a jewel heist gone wrong, resulting in several deaths. Naschy is left with the loot and he takes off with the the cash before the gang is supposed to meet back up. Gang leader Frank Brana sets out to track down the man and the jewels with the help of his gang. Naschy meanwhile looks up an old flame and finds an unlikely place to hide out.
This is where the film faltered for me. Naschy hides out at the remote estate of a former athlete ( now crippled ) and his wife ( Mabel Escano ) and daughter ( Julia Saly ). The rest of the film is by the numbers, Naschy beds the women, brutally raping Saly and taking her virginity, and of course she in turn falls directly in love. The gang shows up and there is a big shootout, and some last minute domestic violence erupts bringing events to a close.
Overall, Klimovsky brings little to the table and the story is predictable. Naschy's character has a few startling outbursts of violence, but once his character goes to the estate, he becomes overly subdued and things start to drag. It's not terribly convincing that this crazed killer could pass as a house servant, and the whole family and the estate setting are dire clichés.
The print viewed was a OK looking full screen Spanish VHS dub with English fansubs.
El transexual (1977)
Paul Naschy and the Transsexual
Sympathetic look at the tragic life of cabaret singer Lorna, who was born a man but really just wants to be a woman. She meets a man who loves her but she can't tell him the truth and decides instead to get an operation so she'll be all woman. This is all framed with the plot device that Naschy is a reporter who needs a big story, and he has set his sights on an expose about transsexuals, with Lorna giving him all the inside dirt he needs. Before Lorna can deliver the goods though, she goes missing. There are endless flashbacks throughout the film ( way too many ) and almost every one of them is accompanied by a musical number from the club Lorna sang at. Painfully, nearly a third of the films' 77 min run time is devoted to these grade C musical numbers .Naschy's character Sergio doggedly tries to locate Lorna when she turns up missing, tracing her movements and slowly uncovering the answer to her whereabouts. Insert cabaret song # 4 here.... That's really all there is, it's very slow, thoroughly uninvolved and Naschy is pretty much on the sidelines ( mostly having a drink in the club watching a bad performance ). There is a little nudity, some briefer violence, ( Naschy almost gets castrated at one point ), but it's all incredibly tame, the most notable aspect is the decent way the transsexual characters are handled. The copy I watched was widescreen and begins part way through the opening credits and has been fan subbed in English. I initially thought this might be a TV broadcast, but the incomplete credits and the lack of any on screen logos seems to indicate otherwise. An interesting but mostly forgettable footnote to Naschy's filmography.
Superseven chiama Cairo (1965)
Rosalba Neri in James Bond knock off
One of the better and more serious James Bond rip offs. The film has low budget but takes itself seriously and avoids camp. Superseven needs to track down a rare radioactive material hidden in a camera. This sends him off to Cario where most of the film takes place. Meanwhile, the bed guys want get the material first, or at least let Superseven lead them to it. There he meets Rosalba Neri's Faddja, who is forced to help the bad guys to pay off her debt to them. Rosalba gets decent screen time here and looks great. Her role is a bit more involved in the plot than many of her films. It's hard to tell if she's with the hero or against him, which is an plus given the majority of the characters she played. A huge surprise for me here was the female lead, Fabienne Dali. She played the old woman Ruth in KILL BABY KILL under a load of make up. She's a femme fatale here and 180 degrees from Ruth. I watched a dreadful looking full screen English dubbed print. There is a widescreen German DVD I would love to see sometime, a good looking copy would improve the film's pleasure tenfold.