DVD Review: Back Issues: The Hustler Magazine Story (2014)

A gloriously well-informed look at the rise (and continual success, in a fashion) of the American 'top-shelf' magazine, Back Issues: The Hustler Magazine Story is naturally not one for prudes, but is a fascinating and eye-opening insight into a business often dismissed as just seedy and immoral.
Director  Michael Lee Nirenberg, whose father Bill was the art and creative director for the magazine, has managed to interview dozens of people involved in the production of the magazine as well as his father; models, photographers, editors and of course original publisher Larry Flynt. Spawned from what was essentially a small newsletter advertising Flynt's strip bars it was expanded as the antithesis to the 'lifestyle' style and airbrushed, glossy spreads of Playboy and Penthouse, Hustler took the rawness of Al Goldstein's newspaper format Screw, but in colour. Goldstein himself is interviewed, clearly very ill (he would later die on December 19th, 2013) and unrecognisable from the famous boisterous cigar-smoking image we are used to, and it's quite sad to see but at least he still possessed his famous sass.

Perhaps most surprising for UK viewers who may not have come across (!) the magazine other than by name is the strong political stance it had, often handled with biting satire. No mainstream companies would advertise with them, so they ran their own parody ads, often highlighting the hypocrisy of the multinationals. These included anti-tobacco and pro-police ads, which showed the power of Flynt's convictions. Purposely tasteless, the publication's story is full of ups and downs; from a being born again Christian to atheist, via presidential campaigns.

As is usually the case, the truth is often stranger than fiction. Having seen the 1996 drama, The People vs. Larry Flynt you may think you know about the man, but hearing what his colleagues have to say, and the tapes of some of his rants, Flynt really does come across as an unsettled person. But he is also an amazing advocate for free speech and despite his mostly acerbic nature, it's profoundly touching hearing him talk about not being able to save his late wife, Althea from drug addiction which eventually led to here contracting AIDS. This is more than just the Flynt story, despite the magazine being his baby. Past contributors and editors are just as important, and people such as Ron Jeremy, Kitten Natividad, Nina Hartley as well as Chris Gore, founder of Film Threat magazine, who later edited the humour section of Hustler and photographer Suze Randall.

Joseph Franklin, the man who famously shot and paralysed Flynt, is also interviewed in prison. Blaming an inter-racial photo-spread for his motivation for the attempted murder, he certainly seems unhinged. Chillingly, he says, "Flynt is the only person to be shot by a .44 Magnum and live". Close-up photos of his wounds are graphic and disturbing, but show the reality of the incident. It wasn't the Flynt shooting which he was convicted of, as Franklin was sentenced as a serial killer in 1980 for at least seven murders. He was executed by lethal injection on November 17th, 2013.

Matched to the visuals is a cracking soundtrack of underground punk music, which suits the outsider and subversive nature of the material. As you would expect, there is plenty of raunchy imagery, but the more explicit parts (ironically, the 'pink' which made the mag famous) are obscured, but it's never meant to be titillating (so to speak) nor exploitative. Instead, it's an engrossing and entertaining history lesson on a subject so often swept under the carpet, but one which is important, nonetheless. Highly recommended. 
Trailer:
 
Back Issues: The Hustler Magazine- Official Trailer November 2013 from Michael Lee Nirenberg on Vimeo.
9 out of 10

DVD review: Slice & Dice: The Slasher Film Forever documentary

Over the past few years, the documentary film has gone from being a tacked on DVD extra to the more standard  long-form. Although the slasher film subject has been tackled before (2006's Going To Pieces), director Calum Waddell, a brilliant genre journalist and behind many of the fantastic extras on the Arrow Video releases, does a good job of avoiding re-hashing the same subjects. He also utilises his much lower budget by using mostly trailer footage and interviewing some of the rarely seen genre figures, such as British legend Norman J. Warren (who is a fantastic bloke, as anyone who has ever attended The Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester will attest), Scott Spiegel (Intruder), Christopher Smith (Severence/Creep) and Alex Chandon (Inbred).

The film is well edited (by Naomi Holwill) so there's no repetition in the talking head soundbites and there's a unique visual style to the presentation.We don't miss the lack of actual film footage either, due to prudential use of trailer footage. Most people who will have any interest in this will no doubt have seen most of the films anyway, and there's not many spoilers for those who haven't.                         
While the film itself is a brisk but packed 75 minutes, there are more than enough extras spread over the two discs to make up for it. Among the best sections are an engaging commentary from Waddell and Justin Kerswell (author of the fabulous Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Film Uncut)  a Q&A with Norman J Warren and James Moran, from the Glasgow premiere of the film. The bonus 'out-take' interviews are an extended look at some of the interviews used, which vary in length, but are still of interest; Corey Feldman especially coming across a lot more informed than you'd expect (despite his dodgy hairstyle).

Disc two is just as packed, with its own 37 minute documentary, Don't Go In The Backwoods, a look at the sub-genre within the slasher genre, and over twenty trailers (covering most of the famous slasher films and some obscure ones) with optional commentary.

For horror fans, this is a wonderful package, with plenty to dip in to, and lots to spend your time absorbing.  And there's even a reversible sleeve, which is hidden away behind the standard packaging.
8 out of 10

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story launches on Kickstarter!

Regular readers to this blog will know one of my biggest heroes was Chris Sievey, better known as Frank Sidebottom. I was lucky enough to get to know Chris little, and he is sorely missed by many.
Steve Sullivan, who made the short film of Frank's Magical Timperley Tour is putting together, with the approval of the Sievey family, a documentary about Chris, his "almost famous" band, The Freshies (who I still remember hearing on Manchester's Piccadilly Radio long before Frank came on the scene) and of course, Mr Sidebottom himself. Steve has been talking to Chris' friends and family, and fans over the past few months (I was interviewed in December, and have provided my archive of live footage for use), but in order to make the film the best it can be (and fund the costs of setting up more interviews with people instrumental in Chris' life) the project has launched on crowd funding site Kickstarter. That's where you come in. From as little as £1, you can help make this film a marvelous reality. Basically, you are pre-ordering the DVD or Blu-ray. But there are many more incentives for the more generous and affluent out there. You can have a chance to own something that Chris cherished. It may well be something as small as a Subbuteo player, or as random as a Mr Blobby with one leg who dances like a horse. Who knows? If you're a fan, you won't want to miss out. Higher pledges get a chance to own some of the complete gigs that I filmed, and DVD versions of early Freshies videos.
Head over to the Kickstarter page now and join the lovely people who have already pledged their support. Don't worry if you don't have the cash until payday, the money will not go out of your bank until the funding ends on May 31st.
You know you should, you really should. Thank you.

American Grindhouse (2010)

An new documentary on the still in vogue genre of "grindhouse" Over the past few years a few films have come out in the forced 'style' of the grindhouse film, kick started by the Tarrantino/Rodriguez film, which was a brilliant idea, with it's fake trailers and missing reels, but was not a big hit with the cinema paying audience. (hence the release of the two films separately). More and more films are having the style applied, some very good (Hobo With  A Shotgun) and some horrendously bad (the Norwegian I Spit On Your Grave rip off Hora).
A collection of talking heads and film clips that benefits from being a little more in depth than some others I've seen and takes us from the dawn of cinema to the 'usual suspects' of the 70s classics and beyond.

With contributions from two of my favourite directors, John Landis and Joe Dante. American Grindhouse is easy to watch, and very informative. Narrated by Robert (Jackie Brown) Forster in a dry 'obviously just reading it' tone but the input from the academics and directors more than makes up for it. People like Fred Olen Ray, David (Last House) Hess, William (Maniac - also behind Blue Underground DVD) Lustig, Jack (Spider Baby) Hill, the wonderful HG Lewis, blacksploitation star Fred Williamson and in what was probably his last interview before his death in 2009, Ilsa director Don Edmonds, amongst others. The winner of 'tache of the doc goes to the wonderful Ted V. Mikels although Landis' beard always entertains.

One particular section intercuts the shower scene from Psycho with the bath scene in Blood Feast, to show the similarity the two movies, no matter how much of a difference in quality there was. There's plenty to learn, even if you've seen other 'midnight movie' type documentaries, and the DVD is packed full of extras in the shape of trailers and stills galleries. In fact there's so much I haven't gone through them all yet. Its also a great documentary to add films to your shopping list of must see movies! There were at least a dozen I hadn't seen that I must track down!!

Don't be afraid! It's only Don Edmonds director of the Isla films

.

Uncle Russ at work.

Very highly recommended. It's available on Region 1 DVD, but also in a double pack with another good documentary Nightmares In Red White And Blue.  
9 out of 10

Retro review: Vile Pervert - The Musical (2008)

Now, this one seems to have passed under my radar until this week. Vile Pervert is a home made documentary/drama/musical satire by Jonathan King. Maybe it's apt that it should come to my attention at this current time when the UK newspaper industry (red tops especially) is in meltdown and is being as demonised as they have done to so many others in the past. Karma? I'm sure JK would agree.
Whatever your opinion on JK as a person you can't deny that he has had major part in the British music industry, as a performer, writer, producer and much more. When I was growing up, he was a familiar face and name, his TV shows Entertainment USA and No Limits were required viewing, especially for someone like myself who liked to listen to things that would not get radio airplay outside the Friday Rock Show on Radio One.
Before I start with the film, I would like to point out as a disclaimer that I'm a male, in my early 40s, very straight, and if anything have a preference for older women. So at no time did I relate to JK's interests in that way. 
Now, JK had a very public trial and humiliation for allegedly abusing boys who had come to visit him at his home in the early 80s. All these allegations came many years after the events and, as we find out in this frank and very enlightening film, had no proof whatsoever to back them up.

Which brings me to the film. Shot entirely on digital video and interspersed with  musical numbers set to cut and paste videos, it is King's side of the story. An honest account of what he is. Along the way, we meet fictionalised versions of the key characters into his story,  all very thinly veiled that it wouldn't take too much to work out who they are meant to be. Waxie Maxie, a PR agent nicknamed "The Silver Stoat" who will take on anybody's story providing they say they are telling the truth, and there's money to be had. The "victims", some of which had not even met King, but then what did that matter? The police, not too bothered with facts as long as they get a result for the figures. Flame Mitchell, the ex-editor of a red top newspaper who had previously employed King as a columnist for many years, and God, the narrator of the sordid story. I say sordid, but it's not in the way the papers' would have it. The sordidness comes from the way the facts were changed, and the whole scaremongering and hysteria that comes along with anything to do with "perverts" and celebrity misdemeanours. It's worth noting that what King was accused of, and imprisoned for, involves "children" of 15, (some proved to actually older than that when the alleged events happened) and were willing participants. Even the judge, in his summing up, noted that no violence was used, and that incidents stopped when if it was clear that it wasn't wanted. None of which was reported of course. In fact there's so many twists and turns that come out of the documentary that you'd think it was a Hollywood thriller.
And then we have the music. Some of the old hits are included, Everyone's Gone To The Moon and It's Good News Week are both strangely prophetic. It's the new songs that stand out though. Taken out of context, you would think they were terrible and would outrage the public decency. But no, they all make a point. You just have to have the balls enough to think about them. Something I'm sure most people wouldn't bother doing.
There is the the wonderful Wilde About Boys, sung by King dressed as Oscar Wilde with its catchy refrain of "there's nothing wrong with buggering boys" Whaaaat.. f*cking disgusting! String him up I say.. Yep, just the sort of red rag that would have the estates lighting their torches and going en-mass to lynch the nearest paediatrician. In context, what the song is actually saying is there's nothing wrong as long as BOTH sides are compliant. Who would argue with that? It even says "as long as their not too young" and borrows from the famous quote from Wilde's cleaning woman during his trial about "as long as it's not in the street and worrying the horses".

It's worth noting when thinking how disgusting it might be for someone in their 30s to be interested in anyone of 15 or so, (the proper name is ephebophilia) that in many of the countries that YOU, the mob minded hate breed go on holiday every year the age of consent is lower than in the UK. In Spain, for example, it is 13.
The whole thing was very enlightening, and shows the press up just as much as the current scandals. While I have my own personal opinions of certain high profile accusations in the past (the other "King of pop" I have no doubt that something iffy was going on) when presented with the discrepancies that King provides it's hard not to see that something is rotten in the system.
The only warning I'd give is that you might see a bit more of JK than you'd like. There's an image I could have done without! 
In the end King presents his case with humour, and as in his final word, is not interested in making you like him, but just make you think. That it certainly does. And man, can he write a catchy tune.... 8 out of 10.

You can download the whole film - for FREE - from his website All You Tube footage included in this item are owned by Mr King.