Runtime:
84 minutes
Directed
by: Mark Hartley
Starring:
A bunch of interviews, featuring the likes of Roger Corman, Joe
Dante, and John Landis
From:
City Film Worldwide/Film Finance/Film Victoria
Runtime:
80 minutes
Directed
by: Elijah Drenner
Starring:
A bunch of interviews, also featuring the likes of Joe Dante and John
Landis; it's narrated by Robert Forster
From:
Lux Digital Pictures
Runtime:
87 minutes
Directed
by: Joel Anderson
Starring:
Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker
From:
Mungo Productions
Here
are the last films I saw on Netflix before my monthly subscription
expired today. Who knows when I'll sign up for it again. To my
non-surprise I decided to see a pair of documentaries, and a
mockumentary I heard real strong praise for in a messageboard thread.
Machete
Maidens Unleashed is a 2010 documentary about the old Filipino movie
system and how American companies went over there to film for cheap
and when Ferdinand Marcos went into power and The Philippines became
a dictatorship they have full cooperation of their government and
even the usage of the nation's army. It's from the same people that
made the great Not Quite Hollywood about the Australian film scene of
old. To steal the plot recap from the IMDb:
“Karate-kicking
midgets! Paper-mache monsters! Busty babes with blades! Filipino
genre films of the '70s and '80s had it all. Boasting cheap labour,
exotic scenery and non-existent health and safety regulations, the
Philippines was a dreamland for exploitation filmmakers whose
renegade productions were soon engulfing drive-in screens around the
globe like a tidal schlock-wave! At last, the all-too-often
overlooked world of drive-in filler from Manilla gets the Mark
Hartley (NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD) treatment in Machete Maidens Unleashed!
This is the ultimate insiders' account of a faraway backlot where
stunt men came cheap, plot was obsolete and the make-up guy was
packing heat! Machete Maidens Unleashed! features interviews with
cult movie icons Roger Corman, Joe Dante, John Landis, Sid Haig,
Eddie Romero and a large assembly of cast, crew and critics, each
with a jaw-dropping story to tell about filmmaking with no budget...
“
Yep,
that sums things up pretty well. You see plenty of film clips of
movies that look pretty wild, although I recently saw a movie that
they featured (TNT Jackson) and that wasn't too good. You also get a
look at the start of Corman's New World Pictures, as many of their
early movies were filmed in that country. For a dork like me this was
a real fun watch, as I got to learn many new things I did not know
before.
The
same goes for American Grindhouse, a look at exploitation movies from
the silents all the way to 70's. Needless to say, a lot of material
is covered in 80 minutes and while I do wish that more time was spent
on each of the topics they discussed, it still was something I
enjoyed as I once again learned information I had no knowledge of
beforehand. It was fun hearing a discussion of how this unique thing
started and why it was popular back in the day. I know that the DVD
of the film has additional material that would be of interest to me.
Now, just finding it without ordering it online...
Now,
onto something completely different, an Australian film from a few
years ago that I heard some really strong praise for on a
messageboard. It's Lake Mungo, a film that wasn't really what I was
led to believe it would be... it is mainly a drama with some
supernatural elements about a 16 year old girl who drowns in a lake,
and the impact that has on the girl's family. Some spooky things
happen but not everything is as it appears to be and the 16 year old
Alice has some secrets...
Now,
the movie is fine. It looks legit from the way the footage looks to
the natural acting. The story was interesting, at least at first.
But, like I said it wasn't what I was expecting it to be based on
word of mouth and advertising. I was expecting a horror mockumentary
but instead it was more of a drama than anything else. Sure, I felt
bad for the family but as you had various plot twists happen, the
story began to lose more and more steam. Plus, it's mainly realistic
as you'll see, but then there's a major jump scare that got me... but
it stuck out as being different from everything else. There's a lot
that wasn't explained, which was both good and bad depending on what
it was. While it wasn't terrible I still felt underwhelmed given all
the great praise I heard about it. It wasn't as awesome as many
people say it is, sad to say.
I'll
be back tomorrow night.
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