Sex Psychedelia Collection: Ramage (Mobility Cathexis), The Last Bath, Waltz of the Bat, and It Came From Love

Directed by Bob King, Karl Krogstad, Steve Brown

Starring Buddy Sigmund, Anama Anis, Templeton Blaine, Thalia Lemar, Debi Duchamps, Tyler Reynolds, Eric Fledermaus, Honey Lang

Unrated/X

USA

"I don't understand a word of Indian. Maybe I can talk to them in Bee."

After Hours Cinema is well known for bringing to the surface films that have been lost, forgotten, largely unseen or merely unreleased since their initial theatrical runs - and the Sex Psychedelia Collection is no exception.

A wonderful sampling of the West Coast weirdness that was going down in the late 60's and early 70's, the Sex Psychedelia Collection brings together 4 tripped out film experiments from this era.

Ramage (Mobility Cathexis) starts the freak-out well enough with a trio of art school meditations that don't really make much sense singularly, let alone as a cohesive unit.

In the first segment, a typical looking young lady pays a visit to a pornographer who, as any good pornographer does, gets her to masturbate on an American flag.

Next, a red-headed gal with ropes wrapped around her lays on the rocky shore of a beach, distraught and intent on ending her life. As the tide comes in, said redhead reminisces about past sexual relationships. Apparently, they bummed her out a bit.

Lastly, a writer, exhausted from typing, takes a much needed nap. As he sleeps, he dreams of 2 lovely nude cuties running around with each other on the beach who beckon to him. Upon waking, he decides to head out to the beach to get his thoughts straight. While walking the shore, he sees the 2 ladies that he was dreaming of reaching to him from a rocky alcove.

He freaks the fuck out and runs straight to the loony bin, where he has insanity drenched sex antics with 2 fellow inmates, who may or may not be the girls he had dreamed of earlier; it's difficult to tell. The end.

At 54 minutes, Ramage (Mobility Cathexis) runs a little long, but overall is an interesting watch in its own right.

The Last Bath AKA Dark Dreams (1975) is definitely a step up as far a visual stylings, direction and acting compared to Ramage, but still holds on to the previous films what-the-hell-is-going-on sensibilities. (Yes, those are bananas.)

A young photographer is struggling with separating his dreams and fantasies from reality. After dreaming of a sweet underground parking garage encounter with 2 girls, a nice BJ fantasy in the photographer's boathouse, and a sexy memory of a past photo shoot, he meets up with a pair of foxy nurses and heads out to a secluded cabin with them for the weekend.

As the weekend progresses and steamy times are had by all (mostly in the cabin's bathtub, giving relevancy to the film's title), jealousies, anger, and possibly witchcraft spoil the retreat and shit ends badly for one of the lovers.

Although also running long at 71 minutes, The Last Bath is actually a pretty well-made film. There's above average camera work, an intriguing story, and inventive sound and visuals. The film is consistently damaged, with streaks of white or black at every frame, but unfortunately, this is the only known print in existence.

Waltz of the Bat (1972) starts out disc 2 with a turn for the more traditionally narrative, although no less strange. Top hat and cape sporting "The Bat" roams around the streets of San Francisco picking up hippie chicks and giving them his love seed. What the girls don't know is that after The Bat does his thing, they are then transformed into his slaves.

The Bee, who is the bestower of The Bat's powers, must stop him before he becomes immortal from all his conquests. It seems to me that she should have thought about that in the first place, but then I guess we wouldn't have this movie.

Running a comfortable 67 minutes, Waltz of the Bat is probably the most entertaining of the 4 features, but we're certainly not looking at an award winner here - unless there's one for best sex scene featuring ragdolls.

It Came From Love (1972) rounds out this crazy collection with a tedious little sci-fi tale involving a gaggle of lovers and the alien who abducts them. He forces them to make sweet love in his tin foiled room - I mean spaceship - for some reason that's not made explicitly clear.

Low on plot, heavy on hairy 70's loving and really just plain silly, It Came From Love is a nice capper for your flashback weekend. Again, at 58 minutes the editors could've streamlined this a bit, but hell - this is a document of immense historical importance!

Certainly not an anthology to change the world, the Sex Psychedelia Collection, however, is perfect for film historians (armchair or otherwise), weird cinema enthusiasts and people who like to get high - of which I consider myself all three.

Get it now at Alternative Cinema, and check out the February 2011 AC Podcast for further information, including director speculation that I don't feel comfortable speaking on.

- Jeremy Vaca

Les Gamins (2010)

Directed by HCK

Starring Risa Hashimoto, Naomi Ishikawa

Unrated

Japan

"The first one to breath loses."

An erotic, artistic, hypnotically ambient opium dream, Les Gamins (French for "The Street Urchins"), aims to not only arouse, but also - if one be so inclined - to think.

According to director HCK, Les Gamins main theme is voyeurism, with hints at the reliability of memory as well. Beyond that, the film's intentions are a bit of a mystery; even, one could say, completely subjective to the viewers perception. Some find Les Gamins to be the fantasy (or memory of experience) of a hidden voyeur, witnessed from their point of view. Others have even seen the film as the documentation of the events before a murder. HCK himself certainly seems to have a story to tell, but what that story is, he would prefer you to decide for yourself.

The music and sound also play an important, if not integral, role in the film. The outstanding score by Kevin MacLeod (minus one track from OZU) adds a sense of beauty, dread, surreality and intention to the subtle actions of Naomi and Risa. To describe the music, I would chance to describe it as experimental ambient with hints of modern classical, found sounds and industrial.

Interestingly enough, the template used for the arrangement of scenes and music was The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. All of the scenes in Les Gamins work together, albeit not in linear fashion. This approach creates a constant, yet ever-changing viewing experience. Sights and sounds waver and flow throughout the film, subtly giving hints at moments to come, or merely to catch you off guard as to the chronology and even reality of the situations presented.

Les Gamins begins with Naomi and Risa enjoying a night time dip in the pool. The music over the scene is comprised of piano, street and crowd noises, and indecipherable male whispering. The girls are aware someone is watching them, as they glance at camera and smile more than a few times. After a few moments of wet frolic, the film cuts abruptly, a flash of the girls laying in bed appears, and then another abrupt cut.

Risa, now in a shower and adorned only in black panties and a collared shirt, stares into the camera as she slowly caresses her body and teases the viewer. A slightly harsher electronic sound, more pulsing than fluid, accompanies the action. Again, she is aware that someone is watching.

As the scene plays out, the music gets slower, darker, more ominous. By the time the scene is complete, Risa is on the floor of the shower; panties around her knees and cupping her Venus mound as she looks upwards with an emotionally ambiguous expression.

Next, we find Naomi in the bathtub, clothed only in panties and shirt - as Risa was previously. The music is slower, calmer, and backed by the warm crackle and hiss of a record on a turntable (which always sounds nice, in my opinion). As Naomi continues , the music switches to more traditional Japanese instrumentation.

With the delivery of the line, "Really, I want you to make love to me...", OZU's song "Haste" begins. The techno inspired track pulsates and thumps as the sound of lovemaking irradiates throughout the music. The girls are together, dressed in shimmery underclothes and providing a psychedelic bump and grind with abundant booty shaking and body rubbing.

After the dance scene ends abruptly, a projector reel countdown plays as a repeated clip of woman laughing echoes throughout. We are now in a bedroom, with Risa on the bed. There is a calm, and completely traditional Japanese instrumental with, what I am only guessing to be, shamisen and shakuhachi. The first nudity of the film appears as Risa rolls slowly around on the bed, grasping plush pillows to her naked body as she glances seductively at the viewer.

Soon, both girls converge on the bed together, passionately kissing and massaging each other. The music escalates in intensity as Naomi and Risa cuddle, kiss and effectively manage to display their intimate nether regions without actually showing anything at all.

After a completely silent close-up shot of pool water rippling and flowing incessantly, we then see the girls laying in bed asleep. A lullaby plays over another bedding of crackle and hiss, which soon also accompanies a piano elegantly repeating a single note refrain as the ladies slumber peacefully.

As the film comes to an end, we see Naomi and Risa in the pool again. The music is more restrained but still has an ere of sadness and danger to it. As the girls get out of the pool and walk off, they don't seem to notice anyone watching them, which is the only time in the film this happens.

Cutting to the bedroom again, one of the girls opens the curtains in the room. A whitewash of bright light fills the screen and the film reel counts down as the credits roll. The music intensifies slightly, as we see the last shot of the film: the girls embracing and staring into the camera with a detached and, yet again, emotionally ambiguous expression on their faces.

Primarily an artistically realized gravure idol video, I'm not exactly sure what to make of the added allusion of hidden meaning here. It certainly seems that HCK is trying to say something, but I'm not sure if that something is perhaps lost in the subtly of the whole affair, or if the scope of the message is less than what I am looking for. Either way, I have been re-visiting this and attempting to decipher clues to its story. As of yet, I've come up pretty empty-handed, but have found no less value in the film as a result.

Relative newcomer Studio Happy Chicken Pink bring Les Gamins to international audiences in an edited-for-Japan DVD presentation (which is the version I watched) and an extended, uncensored Blu-ray edition. I highly suggest picking up the Blu-ray if you have the means to play it, as it is a higher quality presentation and contains both versions of the film. Unfortunately, I have yet to upgrade my viewing options. As soon as I do, I will update this review to include the additional material cut from my version.

Coming in at an easily manageable 47 minutes (with the international version being about 5 minutes longer), Les Gamins is not only erotic, but also dark and thought-provoking. I look forward to future releases from Studio Happy Chicken Pink, and feel that Les Gamins is a great introduction to gravure film, or a nice addition to any fans collection.

- Jeremy Vaca

Stiff (2010)

Directed by Mike McKown, Jim Towns

Starring Bill Scott, Lulu Benton

Unrated

USA

"You don't see any point to life. You don't see any difference in the world with you in it, and the world without you in it. And the truth is, there isn't."

Troy (Bill Scott) is a depressed, workaday schmo whose entire life has been a never-ending series of suck; he's poor, lonely and awkward - and doesn't see that status changing anytime soon.

Lorri (Lulu Benton) is a crisis counselor with a dark secret. She works as a crisis counselor not for the passion of helping those in need, but to find herself a willing participant to her necrophiliac desires.

When Troy and Lorri's paths cross by sheer coincidence, their lives are forever changed, and the lines between life, love, and death become blurred.

It all begins with Troy, once again arriving home from his soul-sucking office job. As he enters, he glances the handmade noose that he has prepared for himself when he finally gets the nerve to end his miserable existence.


Really only wanting a reason to continue living for one more day, Troy calls his local (and oft utilized) suicide hotline. Fortuitously, Lorri answers and immediately recognizes his voice. They have a connection, she tells him, as she sits with her feet up playing solitaire on the computer and feeding him scripted lines from the counselor handbook with dry sarcasm in her voice.

Once Lorri feels comfortable that Troy isn't going to off himself - at least not for the time being - she gives him her personal number so he can call her whenever he needs further assistance and bids him a fond adieu for the evening.

The next day, as Troy is waiting for his train that will once again bring him to his horrible job, he senses an overwhelming urge to throw himself on the tracks, so he decides to skip work and contemplate his fate on a bridge. As he looks down into the rushing water below, he decides to give Lorri a call.

Receiving Troy's incoming call, Lori sees a perfect opportunity to make her morbid fantasies a reality. She invites herself over to Troy's house to council him in person, and Troy, being quite shy yet longing for companionship, reluctantly accepts.

Once there, Lorri begins an endeavor to convince Troy that, in fact, life is a waste of time and that suicide really is the best way out. Troy, when faced with the opportunity to end his pain at the hands of Lorri - whose seemingly caring personality has now changed to that of a cold and calculating death counselor - backs out at the last second. Realizing that Troy may just need a little extra push, Lorri decides that it would be best if he moves in with her. Troy, being easily led, packs up and moves in with her that very day.

On their first night together, Lorri enjoys a wee too much red wine and shares a dark little tale of her first boyfriends death at age 11. Since the time she lost her first love, she hasn't been able to love another person; at least not a living one. Lorri proposes that she will help Troy to end his life - if she can enjoy his body after he has passed.

Before Troy's impending death, Lorri asks Troy what 5 things in life make him happy; and they then partake on a journey to complete said tasks. As the two spend more time together, Troy's growing feelings for Lorri begin to weaken the bond of their arrangement.

Will they go through with their apparent perfect scheme or will their relationship with each other change Lorri and Troy's view on life - and their longing for the afterlife - forever? It's a pretty improbable and thinly constructed premise, but somehow it works here. The conversations are not wholly original, but entirely captivating nonetheless. The acting isn't top notch, but its effective. Everything about this movie should spell disaster, but as I have said prior, it somehow works.

If you enjoy off-kilter, dialogue based, micro budget cinema, I would say to definitely check this out. Stiff is an awkwardly funny, philosophically and existentially heavy, sad and sentimental, yet highly engaging indie film with a really nice classical guitar score.

You can check out more information on Stiff at the Cinema Epoch website.

(Note: The music in the movie itself is not as intrusive as it is in the trailer.)

- Jeremy Vaca

Bartenders (2010)

Directed by Joanna Angel

Starring Joanna Angel, Kylee Kross, Kleio, Moretta Coxx

Rated X

USA

"Can I show you our gender-neutral bathroom - for sex?

Hot on the heels of the wildly successful blockbuster, Coyote Ugly, comes Burning Angel's aptly named Bartenders. Yeah, yeah ... I realize Coyote Ugly came out like a bajillion years ago, but does that really matter? (The answer is no.)

"What in the world could Bartenders be about", I hear you ask yourself with exasperation and utter confusion. Well, surprisingly enough, Bartender is about...spoiler alert...bartenders! (Oh, and thanks for not questioning how in the hell I can hear what you're thinking - that would've just been awkward.)

Joanna Angel (who needs a character name when you're Joanna-fucking-Angel!?) is the fun-loving proprietor of the down and dirty dive bar called Joanna's Ugly Saloon. Joanna and fellow bartenders, Kylee Kross, Kleio and Dana DeArmond, strive not only to serve up stiff drinks, but also stiffen (or moisten, as the case may be) up the wild and horny clientèle with their hot tabletop dancing, sexy body shots, or whatever else they feel inspired to do at the time.

Everything's going hunky dory until party-pooper health inspector Mick Blue comes in tellin' the ladies that they have to follow something called a "health code", and you know, can't go around drippin' fluids all over the place - even in the co-ed bathroom.

Now it's up to the ladies of Joanna's Ugly to step up and ensure that their livelihood doesn't get the axe. And, of course, this involves lots and lots of fucking. Which is pretty much the best way to get shit done; am I right?

Once again, Joanna and her fellow Burning Angels provide ample amounts of hilariously goofy hijinks and hours upon hours of some of the hottest sex in the industry.

I can honestly admit that I wasn't particularly thrilled at the prospect of watching a movie based on another movie that I never had any interest in seeing, but Joanna and company bring the awesome - as usual - and make a subject as potentially bland as bartending worth viewing (many, many times over, at that).

Although all the scenes here are scorching hot (including the afore-pictured 4 girl daisy chain, Mason Moore's G-spot exploding threesome, and Kylee Kross's tasteful DP finale), the highlight for me has to be fiery-haired and brace-mouthed waif Moretta Coxx in a particularly amazing scene that features some of the most acrobatic and flexible sex I've seen in quite some time; of which will just have to to seen to be believed.


Despite the slightly unimaginative title (I guess calling it Joanna's Ugly wouldn't have been the best option) and non-descript cover art, AVN Award nominated Bartenders will not disappoint you. Check it out at Burningangel.com. Now.

- Jeremy Vaca

Driller: A Sexual Thriller (1984)

Directed by Joyce James
Starring Taija Ray, Mr. J, Esmeralda, Angelique, George Payne
Rated XXX
USA

"You got it all over me - and I'm the president of your fan club!"

When Michael Jackson's Thriller first made it's appearance on VHS and I was hiding behind a kitchen chair watching the video through parted fingers, I would have never imagined that an adult film based upon one of the deceased King of Pop's most famous songs and Jon Landis's accompanying music video would ever be thought of, let alone actually made. This observation/wistful reminiscence of youth brought me to two conclusions: 1) I was a total wussy, and 2) there was actually a time when I didn't automatically imagine what anything I saw would be like as porn.

Well, it just so happens that indeed a porno was made around the premise of Thriller and that, in fact, I am still a total wussy. But that's a whole nother story.

Originally released in 1984, Driller (the "A Sexual Thriller" part is an add-on for the DVD release) will finally make it's reemergence from obscurity on January 25, 2011. This decision seems in part due to the kinda recent passing of MJ (who would have likely had his people file a lawsuit, had he known of its existence), and surely to take advantage of the current trend of making a porn parody for every fucking thing that has ever existed as a pop culture phenomenon.

Like most porn parodies, Driller features a hodge-podge smattering of similarities to it's inspiration so that you know what they're ripping off, but the actually re-telling seldom sticks to any particular narrative that is featured in the original Thriller video; unless I missed that whole Quasimodo dungeon sub-plot.

Driller begins just as Mr. Jackson's Thriller does - with a disclaimer. Now, instead of acting like some goody-goody Jehovah's Witness (which is what MJ was at the time of Thriller), the producers of Driller want you to know that they do believe in monsters and other shit that isn't real.

In this "re-imagining" of the classic 14 minute music video, the character of Michael Jackson is portrayed by Mr. J (playing the pop star Michael and not the boy-next-door character Michael played in the video), credited as "The Star". With his fingerless sequined glove, red painted fingernails and super effeminate characteristics, Mr. J actually seems more like a mash-up of Prince and El DeBarge (with a voice like Liza Minnelli) going trick-or-treating as MJ rather than the King of Pop himself.

Girl-next-door Taija Ray plays Louise, one of Mr. J's biggest fans. After her and her boyfriend, dweeby Dan (Dick Howard), see Mr. J in concert (where we are treated to a complete Billie Jean rip-off song called "Hot Star" - and yes, we get the whole song), Dan is all riled up for sex.

Louise wants nothing to do with that icky stuff, but after much coaxing (and an annoyingly stiff handed pussy rubbing), Dan gets his way. Louise lays there bored and uncomfortable while Dan creepily talks dirty (most lines in this movie are absurd post-production overdubs, BTW) and pumps away with a total lack of any sexual prowess whatsoever.

After Dan goes home, Louise settles in for a night of radio drama and newspaper reading. She falls asleep while listening to a spooky story about a werewolf and awakens inside of her dream to garbage bag wearing "zombies" clawing their way through Louise's cardboard walled room and "dancing".

Mr. J, or "The Star", now a zombie himself, enters through one of the most awful edits I've ever seen, and performs the hit, "Driller" (It's just a driller...in the night...), once again in its full "how-the-hell-is-this-legal?" entirety.

Mr. J then starts rubbing his body all over Louise, who's still laying in her bed squealing and shivering with fear, and transforms into a werewolf - which actually doesn't look half bad.

Mr. J then whips out his penis and begins stroking it in front of Louise. Unfortunately, I cannot show you what the werewolf Mr. J is packing, but suffice to say it's about 2 feet long, moves on it's own accord, spins around like a drill (which is actually the sound effect they use), and causes Louise to stare wide-eyed with confused awe (which is actually pretty much what everything in this movie makes her do). Personally, I'd being jumping out the window, but hey - to each their own, right?

"The Star" proceeds to ravage the frightened beauty with his humongous wolf wang, and eventually sprays his green (yes, I said green) goo all over her stomach and chest.

He then slings her over his shoulder and takes her away to his dungeon where he forces her to witness a trio of what turns out to be some pretty drawn out and unarousing (but at least amusing) sex.

First, Toxie clone Quasimodo unskillfully and what seems to be quite painfully rams his finger in young Courtney-Love-in-goth-phase looking Esmerelda's butthole (and then annoyingly shouts at her to squirt for like 5 minutes ("...oh yes...oh deep...look at that bulging ass") - which she eventually does).

Next, we have two gold-painted lesbians sitting on a round table (of which zombies are manually spinning around for added "special" effect) using light-up dildos and lackadaisically engaging in unerotic muff munching.

And finally, we get George Payne and a fellow leatherboy lifelessly double teaming a fair maiden on an artist's light table while a medieval soundtrack of monks chanting plays in the background.

After the aforementioned spectacle of yawn-inducing unsexy sex, comes one of the most hilarious and bizarre moments in this ongoing series of hilarious and bizarre moments. Louise, who is finally freaked out enough to make a break for it, takes off from the dungeon to run around a "graveyard" - lost in invisible fog and spiderwebs - waving her hands in front of her face and looking around confused. To find a safe hiding spot, she runs to a corner of the "graveyard" and squats behind the philosopher Plato's pathetically adorned gravestone, still waving her hand in front of her face and squinting through the (non-existent) foggy darkness - wracked with fright. Did I mention that there is little to no fog or spiderwebs to be seen anywhere?

While Louise remains frozen in fear in the corner, "The Star" and his posse of red brief wearing, leather-masked ballet dancers come in and grunt at her while they do their best to re-enact the famous zombie street dance scene from Thriller. For ridiculousness's sake, this includes pirouettes, sumo wrestling choreography and a zombie chick who's really good at sign language.

This whole dreaded nightmare eventually comes to its climax with an incredibly unenthusiastic zombie orgy involving a rotting and overweight newlywed-dead couple awkwardly making out, Louise being tag teamed by Payne and company, and some dude wearing a Richard Nixon mask putting his over-sized rubber nose everywhere it doesn't belong.

From mesmerizing to excruciating, Driller: A Sexual Thriller must be seen to be believed. A minor league cult classic in its own right, I highly recommend anybody who hasn't seen this to at least give it a watch; and invite your friends, cuz it's definitely a party flick.

Just to wet your whistle, take a gander at Mr. J's magical rendition of the opening number, Hot Star. And in case you were wondering, the DVD looks about a million times (give or take) better than the clip does.

Devil's Den Films, which appears to be a sub-section of Wild Eye Releasing, bring Driller: A Sexual Thriller to DVD for the first time ever, and it can be found for sale at the MVD Entertainment Group website, along with thousands more titles from such great labels as Independent Entertainment, Grimoire, SRS Cinema and Full Moon Entertainment.

- Jeremy Vaca