Group Marriage

Code Red has done a fabulous job on this Stephanie Rothman drive-in classic
Always been a fan of the drive-in exploitation flicks of the early '70s. Stephanie Rothman was a female director ahead of her time, and besides being in a world where directors were men (this was way before Kathryn Bigelow). This to me is one of my favorites by her. Some may be disturbed that there isn't more t&a with a title like Group Marriage. We do get the drive-in queen Claudia Jennings. Glad to see Code Red releasing Rothman's classics (along with Terminal Island and Working Girls). These are great looking transfers from Rothman's own private collection. Colors aren't washed out like you would think for the film stock from 1973. The only disappointment about these features are the lack of a Stephanie Rothman commentary. Don't know why, I would love to hear about the struggles of being a female director in an all male Hollywood. With this minor quibble, this title (and the other two Code Red releases) are worth the buy. Oh, did I already tell ya, this ones got Claudia Jennings...

70s california cult film about alternative, er, sex arrangements
This is a comedy that is supposed to make a controversial statement about marriage. At its base is sex: a group gets together and agrees that exchanging partners is fine, so long as the others are willing. They move into a house owned by a bumper-sticker entrepreneur who translates his hostility into money via nasty sayings. For what it's worth, there are a lot of laughs, titillation that never adds up to soft porn, and some pretty good characters. Unfortunately, the acting is ridiculously mediocre, though it is fun to see the old playboy bunny, Claudia Jennings in one of her better roles.

It is fun to view this as a 70s retro thing, where the free-love creed of the 60s is transmogrified into pure libertinism coupled with commercialism. Recommended for nostalgia's sake.

So Bad It's Good
The acting is overdone in some places, underdone in others, the plot is there but predictable...and I love it! I laughed so hard it stopped mattering whether or not I laughed because it is a comedy or just that bad.

The main girl decides to sleep with another man since her boyfriend is distracted with work. (While he is sleeping in the next room!) They talk about it and to even the score, her boyfriend plans to sleep with the other guy's girlfriend. All good? Well, no. First, we have to deal with jealousy in a very funny, obvious way. But it is resolved and moves pass "just sex" to the four of them moving in together and falling in love as a family. Through a few funny twists and turns, yet another couple joins them.

The writer mixes in real issues for those who choose to live this alternative life style (public opinin, "all that glitters isn't gold", working together as "one big family", a person wanting to "divorce" the group, legal issues, etc) but again, it's...

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Working Girls

Fun and entertaining drive-in fare
I spent many an hour in the drive-in in the Seventies, and this is exactly the sort of thing you'd see. The storyline is engaging, there is some mild sexuality, and then a few over-the-top things thrown in for Cormen-eque audience interest. Yes, you get to see Elvira doing a striptease dance (more interesting and mercifully shorter than most I've seen in movies), but the real characters of interest are Sarah Kennedy, with a strange squeaky voice as Honey, and Laurie Rose and Lynne Guthrie as the other sirens. It's all easily forgotten, but not dull. Code Red consistently does a good job with the picture, sound, and extras, so pick this one up before it disappears.

Not what you think.
From the description, I thought this might be one of those amusing T&A flicks from the 70's. The ones where the girls are jiggling out of their tops in all sorts of preposterous situations. The story is boring, not funny at all. Cassandra Peterson is topless, not naked as the alternative title suggests. It's definatley her, she does the same thing with her eyes that she does when accenting a punchline as the Elvira character. When you've seen this once, your not likely to sit through it again.

Working Girls
This version of Working Girls is a 70s drive-in movie, not to be confused with the other later and much superior "Working Girls" w/Jane Fonda, etc. This one features Sarah Kennedy, Goldy Hawn's replacement on TV's old "Laugh-In", Simon Sturgis, son of classic film director Preston Sturgis, and Elvira, TV vamp. Directed by Stephanie Rothman, queen of low budget girl flicks, this one involves a comely young woman's adventures looking to make some honest bucks in LA.

I ordered a copy mainly because I was the assistant director on this film, but never got to see the finished product. I remember the cast & crew as nice folks, especially Elvira, but the
film is nothing special. Also not the best print for this DVD issue.

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Exploitation Cinema: Where Time Began / Encounters

GOOD DOUBLE BILL
Its got Jack Taylor & Kenneth Moore in this.
The following review was written by Michael Den Boar of 10,000 Bullets.

Where Time Began (Jules Verne's The Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth): While visiting a book store Professor Lindenbrock buys some beat up books from a vagrant. One of the books plot is about journeying to the center of the earth. While reading the book one day Professor Lindenbrock discovers a decoded message which explains when and how it is possible to travel to the center of the Earth. Professor Lindenbrock with his niece Glauben and her fiancé Axel travel to Iceland to begin their journey. Shortly after their arrival they find themselves a guide named Hans who helps navigate the treacherous terrain that lies ahead of them.

Spanish director Juan Piquer Simón is best known for his ultraviolet slasher film Pieces which also happens to feature a performance by Jack Taylor. Who also has a role in The Fabulous Journey...

1970s horror/sci fi memories!
Two great double feature movies from the 1970s, I remember when I was a little kid!
if you liked the 1970s then you'll like this double bill!
The movie "Encounters" is a spooky 3 story horror movie with Twilight Zone's own Rod Serling narrating!
Everything's good except the only thing that bothered me is I was somewhat dissapointed when I discovered that it's packaged on the box as "Exploitation Cinema" but when you play the DVD disc it saya "Septic cinema" and it doesn't have that cute introduction like you're walking into a movie theater and you can select other options and/or the option of playing the "Grindhouse Experience" at the lobby refreshment stand just like the other "Exploitation/Grindhouse Cinema" DVD's collection.
The DVD does come with vintage 1970s movie trailers of both action and kung fu movies!

An Overlooked Classic Finally Sees Life On DVD!
When I was a kid, I was a big fan of TNT's MonsterVision which was like USA Up All Night only they showed these old low budget horror flicks. TV favorite Joe Bob Briggs hosted it. One of the show's staples was Encounter With the Unknown. It usually followed another TV classic, The Legend of Boggy Creek. I've lost track the number of times I recorded and re-recorded these movies and now Code Red has finally done EWtU justice by bringing it out of the VHS graveyard and into the digital age.

Encounter With the Unknown is much in the vein of Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone with Rod Sterling narrating a trio of supernatural tales. In the first story, a grieving mother places a deadly curse on three young men who played a fatal prank on her only son. "One by land. Two by sky...". In the second story, a country boy discovers a gaping hole in the middle of his family's land where strange, terrifying noises emanate from deep within. When the boy's bumpkin father and his...

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