Girls Are For Loving (1973)

Ginger and Jason are hired by the CIA to make sure a high priority trade agreement between the Asians and Americans goes real smoothly and without a hitch. A fiery haired millionairess with an eye on another kind of trading has other ideas.

This almost made it to being the picture it wanted to be. It was sooo close. They had a bigger budget and location shots. Yes! They weren't shooting at friends and families places anymore. They had actual sets. Most the actors where great as well. They did their parts the best they can. We even get a burlesque song and dance act from Ginger, swathed in blue feathers. We also have, of course, tons of boobies and bondage. So, you might be asking yourself "If all this is so good, why didn't it make the cut in what it was supposed to be? A good, cheesy flick?" Well I'll tell you.

I think with the success of Abductors, Don Swain thought he was really hot shit and decided to write the scripts on his own again. Big no-no Don. Last time he wrote the script...he sucked (See Ginger). He doesn't understand pacing. He wants everything all at once and that really hurt the story. The places the story got weak, it was filled with an explosion or a half hearted action fight sequence. Would it have hurt Swain if he took the extra money he pocketed and hired a fight choreographer. It just turns into a flashier version of the same crap we saw with the first movie. there should be no excuse for it.

Just like the last two in the trilogy, the visuals on the DVD are VHS quality with better audio then normal. The extras are also slim as usual. You get the normal offerings as well as another candid shoot of Ms. Caffaro as well as a downloadable calender. If you really want to get the whole trilogy for completion sake, that's cool. If you're buying individual copies, just go for Abductors.

Two stars. A weak two stars.

Two stars.

The Abductors (1972)

Ginger McAllister and Jason Varone are together again. This time to figure out who is abducting young, beautiful women in Smalltown USA and who is behind selling them into white slavery.

This movie was a good step up from the last one. Writer/director Don Swain got a better budget as well as someone to help him flesh out the script. He also got more experienced stars (Rich Smedley, Jeramie Rains, Laurie Rose) to compliment Ms. Caffaro, who is now comfortable with the role and is starting to make it her own. The pacing was a bit simple, but better. there was a rhythm to it. And while yes, this was an outlandish flick, it's easier to take in stride. especially the scene where ginger and Jason stare straight at the business end of a concealed automated squad of shotguns. I was literally shout out "Oh, Come On!", smiling in disbelief. And of course, you can't forget the minutes upon minutes of nudity and bondage.

Was there anything wrong with the movie? There were a few things. Scenes were played out sometimes. You had a sense that it was to fill time for the film. There still some inconsistencies with the story. Why would any one care about a small town (and small press) magazine, is a bit weird. There are other plot holes, but this is just the tip. It still had an amateurish feel to it. Some camera effects were used like it was the first time for the DP. It still felt it was shot at friends and family's houses, just that they got to incorporate vehicles and stunts into the action now.

This is the second part of the Ginger trilogy put out by Monterey. Like the first movie, the visuals are VHS quality while the sound is a bit better. The extras are few, but ok. The same as the first, you get a filmography and a lobby card section. You also get a couple of candid shots of Ms. Caffaro too, if you get what I mean. If I were to sell you this alone, I'd say it be a keeper to be viewed on slow or rainy days.

Two stars.

Ginger (1971)

A High Society girl goes deep cover for the authorities to help them nail a group of snobby rich kids running a drugs and forced prostitution racket. The only way out is nabbing the crooks....or death.

The first in a trilogy, Ginger is some what a landmark series to the "42nd St." set. Unfortunately, it's the worst out of the three. This was Cheri Caffaro's first film and it shows. Caffaro was selected for her more...physical attributes. Playing the lead was a really tall order for her. It seems other acting parts were also tall orders for other actors as well. I'm not saying their acting is bad per say, but a lot of the performances were of the high school and/or the college variety. The only one who actually has acting chops, dies near the end of the first reel. That's how sad the acting is. Whoever was on casting needed to be shot. Whether or not they were shooting on the fly or not has yet to be determined.

The production is a piece of crap as well. The biggest thing was lighting which was totally bogus. the person in charge of lighting needed to be shot. The locations looked like they were shot at friends and families homes. The story...the story sucks. Sure, a spoiled rich kid mafia with a token angry black man is a nice idea, but nothing was actually executed. Just acting angry....or snobby.....or cruel. Nothing that has them standing out. Scenes go on too long with a naked body or two tossed in to keep things interesting as well as to keep people awake with the boobies. in fact, that's the only thing that was great about the film. Titties. All over the place. With just a hint of bondage.

The DVD is ok. The visuals was ripped off a VHS. Not that it's wrong or anything. I like a somewhat "natural" feel to the films I see. Others... not so much. The audio is pretty much alright. The extras aren't anything to write about. Just Ms. Caffaro's filmography. Very meager offering.

One and a half stars.

Olga's Girls (1964)

We follow the everyday life of a drug dealer and white slaver who works for the syndicates of New York. We see how she deals with dishonesty, rebellion and death in this 42nd St. exploitation film.

This has got to be the closest I've been to 42nd St sleaze. Produced by George Weiss and directed by Joseph Mawra, two popular Poverty Row personalities, this movie is somewhat a stand out of the exploitation genre. While the budget was so bargain basement, they had to shoot with no sound, they make up for it with brilliant cinematography. The camera is almost surgical in it's composure. The play on light and shadows is put to good use and makes the picture really unique. With help from almost constant narration from lead actress Audrey Campbell and Joe Holt, this film comes of as a cross between the short films of Irving Klaw and those 1950's high school films about proper hygiene and how to ask a girl out to a formal date. this movie can also be seen as the "forefather" of the Wicked Dominatrix sub genre of exploitation.

Now, if you're expecting this to be a serious film, then I'd have to laugh at you. This movie was shot over the span of a couple of days, so don't expect all the acting to be high caliber. It's a bunch of vignettes in a somewhat Grand Ginol tradition being held together with some good narration. Add some tits and ass, some "supposed" lesbianism, and torture scenes that are somewhat laughable and you got yourself a tidy popcorn movie for it's time. Sit back, enjoy the ride. It was never ment to be taken seriously in the first place.

I must say, DVD wise, I was virtually creaming my pants when I saw how clear and cleaned up Synapse's copy of the movie was. very clear and pristine it is. The audio is great as well. No hissed and pops. The soundtrack stands on it's own with the narration. The features are ok as well. You've got a trailer and a commentary track featuring Andre Salas, film journo and critic and Audrey Campbell, the woman who played Olga. The commentary is nothing to write home about, and sometimes we are left with lulls of silence. I do hope Synapse picks up the other Olga films, but for now, we'll just have to count on Something Weird's one disc collection. A definite own for the psychotronic fan and a possible conversation piece for the movie fan in general.

I give it....two and a half stars. A healthy two and a half.

Greta, Haus ohne Manner (1977)

A reporter commits herself to a women' asylum to find the whereabouts of her sister, only to find out that the asylum is run by a sadistic warden.

Out of all the Ilse films, this has got to be the tamest of them all. Not to take anything away from Franco. That man can pick the best jubblies in movies. I bet he quality tests them as well. The characters are interesting and well done. The actors to a great job in bring in the depravity full force. And of course, Dyanne Thorne "fills out" The part of Ilse/Greta/Wanda wonderfully. Almost not missing a beat.

As for negatives, there's only two. The film was way over dubbed. Now, yeah, somethings like that can be overlooked. It's a European film, so you're going to have dubbing no matter what for the respective markets. If this film was made in the really late 60's or early 70's, then yeah, I'd give it a pass. Anything after say...1975 really has no excuse to at least leave some original voices on the film. The other problem was the ending. Now, the ending in general wasn't wrong, it was that stock footage was added to get the point across. The effects were good enough, the stock was overdoing it. We get it already. Anything more to point out the point your trying to get across is thinking your audience ignorant.

The disc, put out by Anchor Bay, is part of the Ilse collection. The visuals are nicely cleaned and while there are pops here and there, audio's not bad either. The extras are small. You get the movie's trailer and a commentary with Dyanne Thorne and humorist Martin Lewis. The commentary is ok, but Lewis is annoying. If you're a fan of exploitation or sexploitation, this movie's for you.

Three stars.

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L'Altro Inferno (1980)

After several gruesome incidents, a priest is sent to investigate an abbey suspected to be haunted by a demon. It is there that he finds something worse then demons.

It's a Bruno Mattei movie. YAY! Say what you will about the guy, even though his movies are sub par, they sure as hell are entertaining. He's that bag of white cheddar popcorn you have for the first time and you think it's pretty good enough that if offered, you wouldn't mind a handful. The Other Hell is that introductory bag of popcorn. This movie has good pacing and an interesting story. Mattei was working with Claudio Fragasso, who was the young buck back in the day. Claudio is known for his entry in the Zombi series as well as his contributions to Italy cinema. The acting is awesome as well. All around talent from Carlo De Mejo, Franca Stoppi who is big in cult cinema. You even got some decent work from Franco Garafalo (Frankie Garfield!) who's a fan favorite.

I have to be honest with you, this isn't really highbrow material. You might be saying this isn't nunsploitation either. There's no nudity or lesbianism in it. A lot of the story is a couple movies spliced together. Hell, the soundtrack is borrowed from another movie. In fact, Mattei and Fragasso where doing two movies at the time. So you got a bit of a rushed feel to this movie. Some...eh...let's be honest. All the f/x on this movie was cheap and easy. I mean, you had flickering lights as an effect. How cheap can you get after that?

Media Blasters put out a great DVD of this movie. The audio is great. There is some pops and hums, but to me, that adds to the experience. The visuals are clean and neat. Even though the extras are meager, they are worth it. The disc gives you a trailer and interviews with Mattei and Carlo De Mejo who was an actor of the set. Both were educating and entertaining. So if you want to get into nunsploitation and you're looking for a starter kit for your collection, this movie would be a fun one to get.

Three stars.