Not Quite Hollywood: Australians Throw Around Blood, Boobs, and Fiery Autos Like No One's Business

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)
Written and Directed by Mark Hartley

Over the past few years there have been a number of solid documentaries covering the gamut of exploitation films. Films like American Grindhouse and Nightmares in Red, White and Blue provided really good introductions to their respective subjects, but have been criticized for merely grazing the surface by more experienced fans. Anyone looking for an introduction would certainly get an education. However, if you're already well-versed in horror and exploitation, you may just find yourself feeling a little unchallenged.

Along comes Not Quite Hollywood, a catalog of the most infamous Australian softcore porn and adult comedies, horror, and high octane stunt-heavy action films from down under. If you're looking for a collection of more obscure and lesser know films and filmmakers, well, this is your place. Not Quite Hollywood covers a lot of ground, and includes profiles of many of Australia's best underground filmmakers, actors, and stunt people. The film covers a few of the more well-known offerings like Mad Max (and director George Miller) and Walkabout, but where it excels is bringing the viewer the full range of exploitation films from the nastiest, to the most outrageous, to the most successful. Hartley's film covers Australia's failed attempt at becoming a sought after area for major productions and the mechanics behind just why things didn't work out. Rising from the failure was an entire generation of totally fearless and reckless filmmakers that captured the quirkiness of Australian culture, dressed it up with gore, nudity, and car crashes, and unleashed it on an unsuspecting world.

The Man from Hong Kong

The film contains interviews with iconic figures in film such as Quentin Tarantino, Stacey Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, and cinematographer John Seale. In addition to the Hollywood folks, Hartley speaks with the pioneers of Ozploitation such as filmmakers Brian Trenchard-Smith and the prolific David Hemmings. Each provide their own entertaining, heartbreaking, or mind boggling take on the best and worst aspects of Ozploitation, with Tarantino displaying a particularly enthusiastic stance on the subject. What's clear from all of them is that making a movie in Australia is a good bit saucier than anywhere else, especially considering the possiblitity that imminent death loomed over their heads during most productions. The productions were just as wild and lawless as the terrains, environments, and characters captured on film.

Turkey Shoot

Not Quite Hollywood operates in three distinct cagetories: "Ockers, Knockers, Pubes and Tubes”, “Comatose Killers and Outback Thrillers”, and “High Octane Disasters and Kung Fu Masters". A lot of the films discussed might only be recognized by the most seasoned of fans and I found myself making a big list of films to seek out. I was happy to find a few old favorites referenced in the mix, such as Razorback, Strange Behavior, The Long Weekend, Dead End Drive-In, and Road Games. Despite recognizing of a number of films, I won't lie and say that this documentary didn't school me. I definitely made a huge list of films to seek out. Each category is covered well, and one never feels the subject has been glossed over.

 Mad Dog Morgan

The standout portion of Hartley's film is the introduction to the absolutely insane stunt men who risked life and limb to pull off some crazy stunts. I mean, some of the stunts shown in the documentary are among the most outrageous I've ever seen and I can't even believe they were survived. When you witness Grant Page's truly death-definying stunt work, it's quite an exhiliration. Hartley's documentary is an incredible collection of some of the most dangerous car crashes and stunts captured on celluloid. The total recklessness most productions was probably the main reason they pulled them off so successfully. Without these rebellious pioneers Australia would likely have languished. Instead, the generation portrayed in the documentary has inspired a new generation of up-and-coming filmmakers and Australia is one again experiencing a resurgence in worldwide interest in their special brand of filmmaking.

Not Quite Hollywood Trailer

Billy the Kid returns for more of Eric Powell's Tales of Old Timey Oddities

Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities
Written by: Eric Powell
Art by: Kyle Hotz
Published by: Dark Horse Comics

I feel bad for anyone who isn't familiar with Eric Powell. If you've never cracked open an issue or trade collection of The Goon, then you, my friend, are missing out on one of the best comics ever produced. The Goon could mistakenly be labeled "just a horror comic", but it's much more than that. Beneath the gore, zombies, gross swamp monsters, and gangsters, there's a lot of heart and understated humor. It successfully blends that humor and horror with some fantastic artwork by Powell.

Powell doesn't spread himself too thin, concentrating on fewer titles that are all the more potent for it. He has contributed to Hellboy, has a great new monster horror comic with a carnival theme entitled Chimchanga, and the Buzzard mini-series, a character spin-off from the universe of The Goon. Any one of these makes for some entertaining reading on a weekend afternoon.

He is now revisiting the gang from his eccentric comic Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities in a new 4-issue mini-series that takes place in Victorian era London during the terror campaign of Spring Heeled Jack, ask Jack the Ripper. Peppered throughout the story are recognizable figures from the literature of the time period, all done with Powell's trademark darkly humorous spin. Most notable in the first issue is the appearance of a certain John Merrick, who you may also know as the Elephant Man. Here, Merrick takes the form of an intelligent, thoughtful, but grotesque monstrosity with loads of patience for Billy the Kid's antics.

Powell continues his trend of great anti-heroes. Billy the Kid is gruff and rude, but still endearing in the way that only Powell's characters can be. Kyle Hotz's striking art ties everything together with strong lines and cool shadowing that really captures the feel of London's underworld. I urge you to pick up this and the older series, as well as any other books you may have overlooked in the Powell canon. Tell 'em Dwight T. Albatross sent ya.

First Movie Memories: The Brain That Wouldn't Die

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)
Directed by: Joseph Green
Written by: Rex Carlton

I get all weepy with nostalgia a lot, and I think it's because I miss Saturday afternoons when I was a kid flipping through the TV with my buddy Dave. Dave and I grew up watching all sorts of great stuff on cable, and especially shows like Commander USA's Groovy Movies. That's essentially how we got our film education. If it wasn't incredibly nice out, you could always find us sacked out in front of Dave's mom's floor model TV with wonky speakers, huge bowl of popcorn in our laps, and gigantic plastic cups of Mountain Dew at the ready. Dave is gone now, but those Saturdays were among my favorite times in my life.

Even earlier than that, I remember being just past toddler age and catching movies with my dad on Pittsburgh's Chilly Billy's Chiller Theater. Chilly Billy was more amusing than scary to me, but I adored him and looked forward to watching "that scary guy" every week. I'm pretty sure my dad limited the type of programming to the 50's sci-fi/horror stuff, as well as the giant monster flicks, but occasionally something more intense would slip through. Those really were the days that cemented my love of bizarre, subversive, horrifying, challenging, and violent films.

With all those memories bumping around, I do know that my first official movie memory, one that is very prominent in my mind, was the 1962 classic schlocker The Brain That Wouldn't Die.

A lot of people are familiar with The Brain That Wouldn't Die when it was chosen for roasting on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I don't know if that episode is seen as one of the better in the series, but MST3K is entertaining even when they're a little off their game.

Anyway, I remember being pretty scared of the mutant guy in Brain, but completely transfixed by Jan Compton's disembodied head. Frankly, the story is pretty grim even though the campiness undercuts it. For a long time I was absolutely terrified of riding in the car because I didn't want to be decapitated and kept alive on some dude's lab table.

For anyone who's been deprived of this classic, the basic premise involves a scientist named Dr. Cortner (Jason Evers) who revives his decapitated girlfriend Jan's (Virginia Leith) head and keeps her holed up in his lab. She just wants to die, but Cortner can't let her go, plus he wants his little experiment to be a success, of course. Cortner starts looking for a replacement body for Jan and resorts to murder and kidnapping.

For some reason, there's a mutant in the lab, and Jan can communicate with it telepathically. She uses it to help her get revenge on the doc in a fiery climax.

Sure, The Brain That Wouldn't Die is kinda awful in that endearing way a lot of 50's/early 60's movies can be. It's still a nice way to spend an afternoon with a few of  your snarkiest friends. Despite some hilarity, it's quite a pretty morbid little flick. Maybe I just have a special attachment to it glossed over by my old friend nostalgia.

You can watch the entire movie here if you want:

Dark Star Hyperdrive Edition: You Know, Alien is a Remake of Dark Star, Right?

Dark Star (1974)
Written by: John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon
Directed by: John Carpenter

After a hilarious and bittersweet crawl written by Mr. Dan O’Bannon at the start of VCI Entertainment’s Hyperdrive Edition of Dark Star (releasing on Oct 26), I was stricken all over by the fact that we’ll never have another film by this amazingly talented renaissance man. Just realizing all the hats he wore not only on this production, but many of his other iconic works, made me realize just what a loss we’ve suffered with his recent passing. It’s with a heavy heart I once again revisit an old favorite.

Paying respect to O’Bannon and his first brilliant film (the directorial debut of fellow icon John Carpenter) on its 36 1/2 year anniversary, VCI Entertainment has unleashed a monstrous Dark Star DVD. The attentive folks at VCI have put together an impressive collection of interviews, documentaries, and other assorted features and treats to go along with a full digital restoration of Dark Star’s 35mm transfer, and man, does it look swell. Lifelong fans of Dark Star such as myself will remember many murky VHS editions that dulled the flashy colors of the film. Now, we’re able to fully appreciate the explosion of color and light that permeates with lush red, green, and blue tones. We’re finally able to experience the asteroid storm to its full effect. When planets are blown up, we are awash in the fiery debris. The soundtrack, featuring John Carpenter’s electrifying score and the various bloops, bleeps, whooshes, and alien screams of the sound design have also been digitally enhanced for a very well-rounded viewing experience.

The product of budding USC film students John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon, Dark Star is a romp of a science fiction action movie. However, I wouldn’t quite call it a parody. It is clearly a funny film, but taken with the utmost seriousness for the genre and audience. Sure, it has many of the usual goofiness of ultra low budget films, but there’s something endearing about the entire thing that the viewer can forgive a little shaky acting and “thrifty” set pieces.

We are on a journey through the deepest of deep space with the crew of Dark Star, the scout ship housing the Advanced Exploration Corps who travel through space to eradicate “unstable planets” using an arsenal of intelligent bombs. The crew consists of daydreaming surfer Pinback, Lt. “don’t give me intelligent life, give me something to blow up” Doolittle, laser targeting obsessed Boiler, loner Talby, and the dead, cryogenically frozen Commander Powell, a motley team of space travelers, each dealing with their own issues in the confined space of the Dark Star. Having been on their mission for many years, they each have their own ways of dealing with boredom while staving off outright space madness. There’s a hitch in the mission when their computer begins malfunctioning, a dangerous alien escapes from confinement, and they must deal with Thermostellar Bomb #20, a bomb that mistakes itself for god.
Despite the limitations of an extremely small budget, Dark Star triumphs as a science fiction film that can stand toe-to-toe against films with many times its budget. The innovation of the crew and special effects artists pushes it beyond just being a goofy sci-fi flick and into territory where the audience can really be wowed by the images on display. It’s a testament to the visual and special effects teams supervised by Dan O’Bannon that the film still stands up with some impressive visuals. It’s really quite fascinating to see what they accomplished on spare change and elbow grease, particularly after the insight from the making-of featurettes. Making a beach ball menacing is no easy feat, after all.

All in all, Dark Star is an intelligent, funny, and yes, thought-provoking movie produced during an era when mavericks still snuck into buildings to shoot last minute scenes or built sets from junk sitting around the house. There’s a reason why people still seek out Dark Star after all these years. Just wanted to again mention the plethora of great features including the feature length documentary “Let There Be Light”, a 3D animated tour of the Dark Star ship, the original and extended versions of the film, interviews with Brian Narelle, author Alan Dean Foster, and most special of all, Dan O’Bannon’s final interview. With three hours of bonuses and the care put into them, this is one of the essential DVD's of 2010.