Flogging Molly : Whiskey On A Sunday (2006. Jim Dziura) dvd
Shot in 7 countries over 2 years this insightful portrait of one of the hardest working bands in the business offers everything I always wanted to know about this Californian folkpunk band. ”Whiskey On A Sunday” tells the fascinating story of 7 very different musicians and misfits who founded a ’family’ at their bar, Molly Malone, in LA around 1997. Nobody believed in this ’bar band’, clubs or record companies, but with over 1,5 millions sold albums this is a testament to stubbornness, persistance and the triumph of the will. Much time is spent on the charismatic redhaired frontman, Dave King, and his upbringing in Dublin with IRA, glamrock, and his ’break’ at 21 as a leadsinger for ex-Motörhead guitarist Fast Eddie’s Fastway in 1981. But we also get the other less-known members’ stories prior to Flogging Molly. Many of the interviews are done on never-ending tours where we see the very down-to-earth groups meet their devoted fans in the US, Austria, the Netherlands etc. There’s also plenty of serious themes in the docu as there seems to be a connection in the band about losing their fathers, which probably explains why they’re such a tight unit. But Dave King also have some good lines like; ”Us being labelled a punkrock band means nothing to me. The only thing that should be labelled is an envelope to be sent to it’s prober address”, and ”Flogging Molly could go on after AC/DC and Rolling Stones...and still kick fuckin’ arse!”. 106 minutes maybe seem like a long time for a docu, but I was extremely entertained by this profoundly well-made movie. A success story without any tragedies, but hey, the band fuckin’ earned their keep by doing it the hard way! Bonus dvd features run ca. 30 minutes incl. two live songs.

Mad Foxes (1981. Paul Grau)
In Denmark this gory biker sickie was called "The Bikers And The Disco Kid"!?! It should give you a clue of what kind of trash we're dealing with here. After showing off his flashy fast car the "hero" gets beaten up and his girl is brutally raped by a moronic biker gang. He then contacts his kung fu buddies for help and they beat up the bikers and cut off the leader's penis for revenge. The bikers then come back and gun down the kung fu guys...and so on. The dubbing is probably the worst ever and the film is drenched in blood, swastikas, disco, heavy metal (Krokus, the AC/DC of Austria!), small bikes, sex and bad acting. The spirit of Herschell Gordon Lewis lives on, so get a copy of this obscure anti-masterpiece! Swiss producer Erwin C. Dietrich also worked with Jess Franco, so you know you're in for a treat!

Angel Dust (1994. Sogo Ishii)
Very strange, surreal, lowkey, and slowmoving movie about a serial killer who kills young women each monday 6 am in the subway train by lethal injection. A female police investigator is on to him, but before you can say "Silence Of the Lambs" the film evolves into some way more bizarre and sinister stuff about cults, brainwashing, deprogramming by LSD etc. "Angel Dust" is flawed, over-pretentious and doesnt work all the way but its definitely worth a look. Director Sogo Ishii also made cult classics like "Gojoe", "Electric Dragon 80.000 V" and "Crazy Thunder Road"

Seven Women For Satan (1974. Michel Lemoine)
Bizarre and surreal sex horror nonsense from France, directed by and starring a Jess Franco fanatic. Michel Lemoine also acted in "Succubus" (1967) which this insane but slightly psychedelic feature is somewhat inspired of. Horror icon Howard Vernon plays the butler. If you prefer plots that make sense, and detest sadistic gore and wall-to-wall nudity then this aint for you. "Seven Women For Satan" actually has higher production values and better cinematography than most of Franco’s mid70s flicks.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967. Roger Corman)
The movie is pretty straight forward rock soild crime entertainment, very factbased and the cast is excellent. Jason Robards is a bit over-the-top as Capone, but still does a great job. George Segal steals every scene as Bug Moran's (Ralph Meeker) enforcer. Bruce Dern has a few scenes, and Dick Miller and Jack Nicholson even less. Its like a traditional 30/40s gangster flick with more blood and violence, I enjoyed it very much, but still, "St. Valentine Day Massacre" (Corman's first for a major company, 20th Fox) was made around the same time as "Wild Angels" and "The Trip", two revolutionary films, but seems very ordinary in comparison. Maybe the studio got what they wanted, a hardboiled action crime flick with no experimentation whatsoever. Same year's "Bonnie & Clyde" looks like it was 10 later than "St. Valentine Day Massacre". With "Bloody Mama" (1970), same gangster/depression period, Corman went back to his old outrageous ways.

Revolver (1973. Sergio Sollima)
Most Italo crime thrillers (‘polizias’) are even more rightwing than "Dirty Harry" and "Death Wish" but this complex semi-political movie is rather different. Oliver Reed plays a warden who's wife gets kidnapped and he have to release a prisoner in order for her to live. Things get hairy when corrupt government henchmen and anti-establishment hippies/rockstars enter the scene. Oliver Reed gives an excellent performance, even though he looks like he’s got hellish hangovers, haha. Sergio Sollima also directed socialist westerns like "The Big Gun" and "Face To Face", as well as the Bronson classic "Violent City.

The Virgin Of Nuremberg (1963. Antonio Margheriti)
Great spooky horrorfilm by the director of "Castle Of Blood" with Christopher Lee in a small role as a scarred Nazi. Sorta like if Bava had directed "The Crimson Executioner". The plot and dubbing are ridiculous  but the stunning cinematopgraphy, gothic surroundings and the notorious face eating rat scene more than make up for any shortcomings.

Strip Nude For Your Killer (1975. Andrea Bianchi)
Wonderful demented giallo nonsense about a killer with a motorbike helmet who snuffs nude models. If you loved "Pieces", this one will put you through the roof! Sex & gore galore + lotsa groovy disco jazz tunes. From the director of classicks like "Burial Ground", "Angel Of Death", "Cry of a Prostitute", and "The Malicious Whore". Good clean family entertainment!

Snuff Trap (2003. Bruno Mattei)
Our Italian sicko is back with a shot-on-video (actually it looks pretty good!) supernasty trash tale of snuff filmmaking in Europe, and a mom who's looking for her daughter. Mom has to be gangbanged a couple times before she finds her daughter. "8mm" meets "Hardcore"? Incredibly sleazy and gory, but still kinda well-acted. Fun entertainment that goes well with a six pack and a pizza. The prolific Mattei is responsible for kick-ass sickies like "SS Girls", "Violence In A Women's Prison", "Zombie Creeping Flesh" and "Women Prison Massacre".

The Swinging Stewardesses (1974. Erwin C. Dietrich)
It's no "Ich Ein Groupie" (the shithot Ingrid Steeger sadly has a small part), but this sleaze-a-thon is basically is a fun smutty tourist film (?) about, yeah, Stewardesses who fly around the world (incl. Copenhagen) and get laid. Tons of sex, nudity and outrageous dialogue like: "HOW MANY TIMES MUST I DUST THIS ROOM TO GET RAPED?". There's no violence or plot which can get a bit annoying at times, but if it’s a mindless 70s skinfest you're looking then this movie delivers. You’re probably not even allowed to call the foxy working ladies on planes for stewardesses anymore, isn’t the politically correct term ‘flight attendants’ nowadays?

Women Of The World (1963. Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi & Paolo Cavara)
This mondo flick was made between "Mondo Cane 1 & 2" by the same filmmakers. Pretty hilarious with wonderfully ignorant, racist, sexist, homophobic and arrogant narration by Peter Ustinov(!). Not very graphic compared to other mondo flick but incredibly cheesy and with outstanding cinematography and lotsa naked busty chicks. An important historical document, but a bit overlong. Have we actually gotten wiser since 1963? Now crystal meth junkies are bashing people to death with baseball bats over a missing X-box in Florida...rest my case.