Fear City (1984)

A sleazy tale of vice and murder in the big city that doesn't quite get out of third gear.

Strippers in NY are being attacked and soon murdered by a mysterious attacker (Neil Clifford) whose motivations and background are never really explained apart from that he knows martial arts. The strippers are managed by Nicky (Jack Scalia) and Matt (Tom Berenger) who is an ex-boxer whose career was ended by his mental trauma after killing an opponent in the ring. Nicky and Matt think their rivals are behind the attacks but when their rivals' strippers are also attacked they know something more is up. 

The police in the form of Wheeler (Billy Dee Williams) are keen to bust everyone's ass though don't seem to be doing much to find the attacker, but then again neither does Matt until the very end of the film and the inevitable final showdown...

Despite being a rather gory film about a serial attacker the film lacks a lot of tension, you do get a lot of near naked women gyrating in seedy glubs though. Much of the film deals with Matt's demons and his eventual redemption. As for the attacker, well he doesn't say a word. Not a bad film but could have been so much more.

Take an Easy Ride (1976)

What starts out as what appears to be a public information film on the dangers of hitch hiking soon becomes something much much darker indeed...

A number of stories of young girls hitch hiking are intertwined, the most notable being the one with Margaret Heald and Helen Bernat who want to go to a pop festival. Unfortunately, they accept a lift from a leather glove wearing porn obsessed pervert who ends up taking them into the woods and brutally raping them. Another hitch hiker accepts a lift from a posh couple in an expensive car and ends up becoming their drugged up sex toy in a hotel...

The abruptness of the film from interviewing foreign students to savage sex crimes is nearly as shocking as the actual crimes. It is grubby, exploitative though for a nostalgic look at the roads, cars and music of the 1970s it surely scores. But you'll probably feel like you need a wash afterwards.

These Girls Are Fools (1950)

Many try their luck in Hollywood, some succeed and others... take their clothes off apparently.

Sheila Anderson is a naive beauty queen who wins a part in a "Hollywood" film. Unfortunately for Sheila its a bit of a con, really the film turns out to be a low-rent soft core porn film where she has to take her clothes off and do some nude swimming. Unfortunately her chances of a real career as an actress are now ruined as no one wants to hire a "porn actress". It doesn't end well for Sheila, viewers may have a happier ending.

The film narration tries to paint this little film as a public service film warning young ladies about Hollywood, yeah right its actually a pubic service film serving up some female flesh and sexploitation. Terrible trash obviously, so blatant it is quite amusing.

Prison Heat (1993)

Shamelessly exploitative, sometimes unintentionally hilarious but ultimately rather repetitive and boring drivel.

Four American girls on holiday decide to travel to Turkey. They don't get very far, at the border they are framed for drug running and end up in the brutal prison run by Saladin (Uri Gavriel). He sells women to evil Arabs and also helps himself to female flesh, poor Bonnie (Lori Jo Hendrix) especially endures the vile warden's lusts. Colleen (Rebecca Chambers) spends time in solitary and learns of the harsh reality of their time in prison. They have to escape...

The four girls all have surgically enhanced bodies which get displayed many times, there are numerous shower scenes, a lesbian rape scene (of course), stripping and humiliation. 

Despite all that it is remarkably unsexy and rather boring after awhile (unless you are a teenage boy perhaps). The final act with the escape livens the film up but repeated soapy breasts can't really make up for the ridiculous and exploitative storyline and vacant acting. It is frequently laughable though probably not by intention.

The Perils of Mandy (1980)

A (very) cheap bit of soft-core British sex comedy trash. The perils of Mandy (Gloria Brittain) include being beaten by a pervy old school master, sex in a haystack and being tied to some railway tracks. I suppose it can vaguely bring to mind the film serials of the 1910s such as the Perils of Pauline, though in a rather more racey manner! 

Expect plenty of stockings and spenders, don't expect much in the way of coherence or plot or acting for that matter. Unfortunately we are to be forever left hanging with the cliffhanger as to whether Mandy survives her final peril or not as no "Part 2" was ever made.

Party Girl (1930)

An awkward early talkie and a rather cheap exploitation film involving the sleazy world of escort girls and the men who pay for them. Jay (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) is the son of a rich businessman who finds himself dragged into this world, targeted by Leeda (Judith Barrie) and her cunning mother. Jay is tricked into marrying Leeda, for her personal gain. Jay's plans to marry Ellen (Jeanette Loff), his Dad's secretary, lie in tatters. Yet another rich sucker.

However, the law are planning to move in and shut the scam down. Will Jay and Jeanette get dragged into their necks?

A rather racy film for the day which leaves little to the imagination. It suffers from the usual problems of many an early talkie and is quite shameless and not very good to be honest. The most notable thing about the film is the young Douglas Fairbanks Jr having to appear in it, just showing that all stars had to start somewhere. The sets and club scenes are superb though.

The Big Bird Cage (1972)

A shameless piece of rather grubby sexploitation set in a women's prison in the Philippines jungle. Terry (Anitra Ford) is a rather big headed young women who gets mixed up in a robbery by wanna-be revolutionaries Blossom (Pam Grier) and Django (Sid Haig). Terry gets sent into the jungle to a brutal prison governed by the gloriously over-acting Zappa (Andres Centenera)...

Terry's bravado and spirit is slowly crushed as she realises her women's wiles for once won't get her out of this one. But Blossom and Django have a plan to break the prisoners out of jail. They both infiltrate the prison (Blossom as a prisoner, Django as a ridiculously camp guard) to prepare for revolution...

It isn't a subtle film, it includes torture, rape, murder and lots of female nudity of course. High art it ain't, trash it certainly is and when treated in the right way it will deliver.

How to Undress in Front of Your Husband (1937)

A strange little piece of sexploitation. Women have known how to dress for ages, the narrator (Albert van Antwerp) tells us but many women can't undress. While a peeping tom (Hal Richardson) looks on with his camera, we see two different women as they undress and get ready for bed. 

Elaine Barrie is all grace. With effortless ease she undresses, a masterpiece in lingerie. Trixie Fraganza is the complete opposite. More a dump truck than a graceful swan. That is it basically. There is a little bit of mild nudity, some dodgy humour and even dodgier stereotypes. Very odd and very much of it's time!