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Polar Blair's Den Menu PageThe term "sexploitation" really came into being with the risque movies of the late 1960s-1970s. Films of this sort, though, have been made before and since that time. Generally, though, "sexploitation" describes the 60s and 70s skin flicks. Some were great, some were awful. Since all movies of this sort, despite the date, all reach for the same objective, they will appear in this list.
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Features:
"Escort Girl" (1941)
"Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (1965)
"The Flesh Merchant" aka "The Wild and the Wicked" (1956)
"War Goddess" (1973)
Quick Reviews:
The Andy Sidaris Films (1985-1998)
"The Babysitter" (1969)
"The Dallas Connection" (1994)
"Do or Die" (1991)
"Enemy Gold" (1993)
"Guns" (1990)
"The Horrors of Spider Island" (1960)
"Invasion of the Bee Girls" (1973)
"Malibu Express" (1985)
"Picasso Trigger" (1988)
"Return to Savage Beach" (1998)
"Savage Beach" (1989)
"Slaves in Bondage" (1937)
"Weekend With the Babysitter" (1970)
"The Woman Hunt" (1973)
The Andy Sidaris Films (1985-1998)-
For
a
13-year
stretch Andy Sidaris was the producer and/or director
and/or writer of 12 action-based sexploitation films. Some of
them are better than others. Most of them are not "good"
films. But they do have their strong points. If I didn't
like the movies to some degree, I wouldn't be talking about them.
The women are
always awesome. Maybe they're not all the best actresses, but
they really do fulfill all other requirements. The filming is
also pretty good and the movies do seem to have decent production
values for the world of B-movies. The series lacks in the
continuity department, but there are certain things that tie the films
together. For one thing, the same set of actors was generally
used from film to film even though they didn't always play the same
characters. I talk about each of the 12 movies in this feature,
but here is a quick breakdown of the Andy Sidaris film series.
The Cody Abilene Era
1. Malibu Express (1985)- This and "Guns" (1990) are the best films in the lot. The acting is pretty decent from most of the major cast members and it does have a good story. Most of the main actors were experienced actors: Darby Hinton, Sybil Danning, Brett Clark, etc.
This film was purposely meant to be comedy with elements of action. It's entertaining and rewatchable in its entirety. You can't say that about most of the Sidaris films. "Malibu Express" is also unique because it's a private detective themed movie. All subsequent Sidaris films were spy features. In addition, all subsequent Sidaris movies were meant to be serious movies with rare bits of intended comedy on occasion.
Although this is the only Cody Abilene film in the series, other Abilene relations were featured in every Sidaris film up through #8 ("Fit to Kill"). We're never sure what relationship the Abilenes held to each other (brother? cousin?) but they did play some part in the first eight films. Another sharp distinction about this film is that most of the actors never appeared in another Sidaris film. Brett Clark was the only member of the main cast to appear in later films, although in smaller parts.
The Donna and Taryn Era
2. Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)- This is the best-known era of Sidaris films. There were only three Donna and Taryn movies in the series but they left an impression. Dona Speir and Hope Marie Carlton are absolute knockouts as heroines Donna Hamilton and Taryn Kendall. It's sometimes hard to tell them apart due to their matching blonde hairdos and outfits.
Ron Moss makes his first and only appearance as Rowdy Abilene, relation to Cody. Our heroes are drug enforcement agents but, for some reason, not called DEA. Instead, they work for an outfit simply referred to as "The Agency".
This film also marks the first appearances of cast regulars Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark, Harold Diamond as Jade, Patty Duffek as Pattycakes, and Rodrigo Obregon who almost always played villains.
3. Picasso Trigger (1988)- This is the first and only appearance of Travis Abilene, played by Steve Bond. It is also the first appearance of John Aprea, who played a different role in the next film, "Savage Beach".
Cynthia Brimhall is back as Edy Stark. So is Patty Duffek as Pattycakes. Kym Malin makes her debut as Pattycakes' cohort Kym. Rodrigo Obregon plays another villain. This is Harold Diamond's second and last appearance as Jade. Bruce Penhall makes his first appearance in the series, but he plays a villain named Hondo. Roberta Vasquez makes her first appearance in the series, but plays a double-agent named Pantera. Vasquez would later play Donna's partner, Nicole, in four films of the series.
Guich Koock plays L.G. Abilene, an older Abilene who also seems to be Travis' superior officer. We have never seen him before or since.
4. Savage Beach (1989)- Probably the best-known Sidaris film. Michael Jay Shane makes his first appearance as Shane Abilene and becomes the longest-lasting Abilene, appearing in the next five films. This film and "Do or Die" feature major moments with Shane Abilene, but for the most part his importance is really played down in the series. Like Cody Abilene in the very first film, Shane is also plagued with the can't-shoot-for-shucks running gag.
Patty Duffek makes her last appearance in the series as Pattycakes. Lisa London makes her first appearance as Rocky. Rodrigo Obregon plays another bad guy. Bruce Penhall returns, but as the character Bruce Christian. Stuntmen actors Al Leong and James Lew make their first appearances in the series as bad guys. All this, and it's the last appearance of Hope Marie Carlton as Taryn Kendall. Dona Speir, as Donna Hamilton, carried on in the next four films with Roberta Vasquez as Nicole Justin.
The Donna and Nicole Era
5. Guns (1990)- So begins the longest-lasting and most-established era of Sidaris films. Donna and Nicole ran for four films in the series. Roberta Vasquez, as Nicole Justin, originally appeared as Pantera two films back. "Guns" is a pretty awesome flick and you would think this entry would turn the series around into becoming more straight and mainstream. Such was not the case. All Sidaris films after this one are pretty hammy. As is stands, "Malibu Beach" (1985) and "Guns" (1990) are the best in the lot.
Bruce Penhall is back as Bruce Christian. Michael Shane is back as Shane Abilene. Cynthia Brimhall returns as Edy Stark. William Bumiller makes his first appearance as leader Lucas. Lisa London makes her last appearance as Rocky. Kym Malin returns as Kym for one last go-around. Rodrigo Obregon is back; not as a villain but a transvestite named Large Marge. James Lew is back in another anonymous henchman role. Chu Chu Malave and Richard Cansino make their first appearances as the comic relief hitmen.
Erik Estrada makes his first of two appearances in the series. In this movie, he's the major villain. In the next film, his character is one of the male leads. This is one of the few films in the series that had appearances from bigger-name, mainstream actors. Estrada, of course, but also Leslie Caron, George Cheung, Chuck McCann, and Danny Trejo.
6. Do or Die (1991)- This is the first appearance of villain Kane, played by Pat Morita. In the two films after this, Kane was changed to a younger Englishman played by R.J. Moore. Yeah, the continuity is pretty much busted up.
Erik Estrada returns as a hero lead for his last appearance in the series. Bruce Penhall is back as Bruce Christian. So is Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark, William Bumiller as Lucas (for one last time), Michael Shane as Shane Abilene, Chu Chu Malave, Richard Cansino, and James Lew. Asian beauty Carolyn Liu makes her first appearance as Silk. Ava Cadell makes her first appearance in the series, but as hitwoman Ava. Her later character of Ava is a heroine. Skip Ward makes his first of two appearances.
This is another film that surprises us with having pretty big name stars like Estrada and Morita in its cast.
7. Hard Hunted (1992)- The villain Kane has changed from an Asian senior citizen to a young Englishman. How's that for holding the reality? R.J. Moore plays the bad guy in this and the next film.
The character of Lucas is back but he's played by a different actor, Tony Peck. Ava Cadell has returned, but this time as another Ava working for the good guys. This film marks the first appearance of Ava and KSXY radio. Returning are Cynthia Brimhall (Edy Stark), Michael Shane (Shane Abilene), Bruce Penhall (Bruce Christian), Carolyn Liu (Silk), and Richard Cansino, Chu Chu Malave, Al Leong, Rodrigo Obregon, and Skip Ward. Brett Clark makes his first appearance in the series since "Malibu Express" (1985) as Kane's henchman, Burke.
8. Fit to Kill (1993)- This is the last film of the Donna and Nicole era and although it's not a formal ending, you can tell that Sidaris was ready to wrap up this era of his films and move on to something different. Dona Speir, as Donna, had appeared in all films up to this point except the very first. She really was the character the whole series had revolved around. "Fit to Kill" wraps up the Kane storyline.
This film marks the last appearances of many actors and their characters in the series: Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark, Brett Clark as Burke, Chu Chu Malave, R.J. Moore as Kane, Tony Peck as Lucas, and Michael Shane as Shane Abilene. Not to mention Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez.
Rodrigo Obregon is back, but as a good guy Russian named Mikael Petrov. Making his first appearance in the series is Mark Barriere, but as Petrov's sidekick Gregor. Carolyn Liu is back as Silk. Ava Cadell and her KSXY radio is back. Gerald Okamura makes his first appearance in the series as a bad guy. Julie Strain debuts in the series; in this film she is hitwoman Blu Steele. Bruce Penhall is back as Bruce Christian, but after this his character becomes Chris Cannon. You can see with this film how a lot of the old is being phased out with some of the new.
The Chris Cannon & Mark Austin Era
9. Enemy Gold (1993)- This era of Sidaris films lasted only two entries, and both of them are pretty separate from each other except for the male hero leads. Bruce Penhall appeared in the six previous films and as two different characters. Chris Cannon marks his third character in the series. His sidekick is Mark Barriere as Mark Austin. Berriere appeared in the previous film as a different Russian character.
"Enemy Gold" is about as far removed from the previous films as you can get. There is no Abilene of any kind. The main characters are actually dudes. There are two leading ladies, one good and one bad. Most of the sexy women in this film are anonymous. Most of the cast is even different. Besides Penhall and Barriere, the only returning players are Julie Strain (as different villainess Jewell Panther) and Rodrigo Obregon (as yet another bad guy). Kym Malin does make her first appearance since "Guns" (third overall in the series), but she's not playing agent Kym. Instead, she plays hostess for the Cowboys bar in this and the next film.
10. The Dallas Connection (1994)- This is the last we see of Bruce Penhall and Mark Barriere in the series, period. Penhall had been in the series since #3, so this was really the end of an era.
Julie Strain returns as yet another villainess, Black Widow. Rodrigo Obregon is back as another (sigh) bad guy. Gerald Okamura returns as another bad guy. Kym Malin makes her last ever appearance in the series as the Cowboys hostess. Besides these players, the cast of this film is mostly new.
Julie K. Smith makes her first appearance as Cobra. She appears in the next two films.
The L.E.T.H.A.L. Era
11. Day of the Warrior (1996)- This era of Sidaris films was the first time they ever really strived for continuity. The events and characters of this film play into the next movie.
Julie Strain is back, but this time as leader of the hero babes Willow Black. Also returning are Richard Cansino (without Chu Chu Malave), Rodrigo Obregon, Gerald Okamura (as another character named Fu), and Julie K. Smith as Cobra.
Making first appearances are Cristian Letelier as J. Tyler Ward, Shae Marks as Tiger, and Marcus Bagwell as Warrior. The character of Doc Austin makes his first appearance, but is played by Kevin Light in only this film.
12. Return to Savage Beach (1998)- Back for one last time are Doc Austin, Fu, J. Tyler Ward, Tiger, Warrior, Willow Black. Doc Austin is played this time around by Paul Logan. I don't know why, but Carolyn Liu reappears as Silk and Ava Cadell has returned with her KSXY radio. We haven't seen Ava and Silk since movie #8.
What's funny about this film is that NO ONE in the cast was in the original "Savage Beach" (1989). Donna and Taryn are referred to in stock footage...that's it. I don't know if this was meant to be the last Andy Sidaris film, but it might make sense. Why else would Ava Cadell and Carolyn Liu be brought back after five years? It would almost seem this movie was made as an homage to the "Savage Beach" film and a quasi-reunion of sorts. Andy Sidaris passed away in 2007.
The Babysitter (1969)- This is a fun little B-movie with guilty pleasures, fairly good acting from most of the cast, and an interesting story. I'm rather surprised this movie is as good as it is because it's very low-budget and very independent. Typically, most movies on this low ebb of the drive-in movie spectrum like to concentrate on sleaze. Although this movie has its share of sleazy moments, it's far more coherent than many sexploitation films.
George E. Carey and Anne Bellamy as George and Edith Maxwell easily give the best acting performances in the film. They're good. Carey is the quietly disgruntled husband, unhappy with his dowdy, high-stepping nag of a wife. Edith is just straight out the kind of boring b**** no guy wants to marry. Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson did okay for the part she had to play: a bubbly, blonde hippie bimbo. She didn't really need a lot of talent for her part in the movie, but she is likable.
Mr. Maxwell is a prosecuting judge about to sentence a biker for murder. Julie Freeman is the girlfriend of the murderer who, in an attempt to get her maniac boyfriend acquitted, tries to blackmail George. It so happens that George's daughter Joan is a full-blown lesbian. Julie, an alleged friend of Joan's, tries to get pictures of Joan and her lover Doris Winkler in the act. In the process, Julie discovers an affair between George and the supple little babysitter, Candy Wilson. Since this item is far more damaging to George than the happenings of his lesbian daughter, Julie uses this instead.
George tries to hide his affair while still doing his rightful duty. Candy, meanwhile, takes care of things on her end. The movie actually ends on a happy note for everyone except Julie Freeman and, of course, her boyfriend. George and Candy break off the relationship with no bad feelings, the Maxwells patch up their unhappy marriage, and Candy carries on with guys her own age. It's cool how everything comes together.
My only criticism is that the lesbian scene between Joan Maxwell and Doris Winkler is completely gratuitous. It has NOTHING to do with the main story and once it's dropped, it's never mentioned again. Do Joan's parents ever find out about her sexuality? The lesbian content in the film is entirely filler.
This movie was followed by the not-quite-a-sequel, "Weekend With the Babysitter". Both movies have their advantages and disadvantages.
"The Babysitter" Advantages:
"The Babysitter" Disadvantages:
Cast:
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson
George E. Carey as George Maxwell
Anne Bellamy as Edith Maxwell
Kathy Williams as Julie Freeman
Sheri Jackson as Joan Maxwell
Ruth Noonan as Doris Winkler
Fun Facts:
The Dallas Connection (1994)- This is not a good movie, but worth watching if you like women. The women are gorgeous, and since this is a skin flick, they do a good job. Heroine Samantha Maxx (played by Samantha Phillips) IS arousing, and enticing. 6'1" raven-haired beauty Julie Strain (as villainess Black Widow) is sexy as ever. Julie K. Smith, the short, but extremely busty blonde is something spectacular (she plays bad girl Cobra). Wendy Hamilton is another pleasant surprise as brunette baddie Scorpion (we find out later she's not as bad as she seems).
This movie is dumb, but it's good as a T&A flick. That's all it is really meant to be. I, myself, prefer some kind of cool story to explain the nudity. Otherwise, the makers can just go ahead and make it a full-on porn film. I'm not that much of a letch. I like sex WITH a good story and some passable acting.
Cast:
Bruce Penhall as Chris Cannon
Mark Barriere as Mark Austin
Samantha Phillips as Samantha Maxx
Julie Strain as Black Widow
Julie K. Smith as Cobra
Wendy Hamilton as Scorpion
Fun Facts:
Do or Die (1991)- This movie stinks, but before I get into the dynamics of the situation let me tell you the reasons to watch this movie. The women are awesome. Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez dazzle as the two lead heroines. Carolyn Liu as Silk is WOW. Ava Cadell has a brief, but memorable part as scorchy hitwoman Ava. Pandora Peaks is in here for some reason as the character Atlanta Lee. I was never quite sure what her character was supposed to do. But my favorite in this movie is Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark. I LOVE CYNTHIA BRIMHALL. Holy lord, she's hot! The whole sexy cowgirl singer thing is a winner, but I thought she looked stunning throughout the whole movie.
I love Pat Morita as an actor. The idea of him playing a villain is neat. However, this was not the right vehicle for him. I'm surprised to see someone of Pat's standing as an actor in a movie like this. Pat Morita was usually in A-list movies and popular TV shows. This is beneath his station. He was cool to see, but this wasn't one of his shining moments.
The acting is bad all the way around and I got quickly bored with the story idea. It's not a good thing when a movie's plot is just filler. Everyone is part of a boy/girl pairing which is just ridiculous. I wasn't even that thrilled with the action sequences. I do believe Cynthia Brimhall and Pat Morita were the best of the cast in this movie because they did have a few cool moments here and there. It's bad to say, but the ONLY thing to look forward to in this movie is the nudity.
Alternate Titles:
Fun Facts:
Enemy Gold (1993)- Believe it or not, this is one of the better Andy Sidaris films despite the less-than-impressive acting. It also has about the least amount of nudity of any Sidaris film. There are only three major female characters: 1 bad, and 2 good. You see a lot of bad girl Julie Strain and heroine Suzi Simpson, but not much of leader Tai Collins. The story itself is interesting enough and the movie opens interesting. Confederate soldiers from the Civil War bury gold, which our heroes find during the film. I also think the action sequences are filmed pretty well.
This particular Andy Sidaris film makes a better action movie than it does a sexploitation film. Most of his films are completely opposite.
Cast:
Bruce Penhall as Chris Cannon
Mark Barriere as Mark Austin
Suzi Simpson as Becky Midnite
Tai Collins as Ava Noble
Rodrigo Obregon as Santiago
Julie Strain as Jewell Panther
Fun Facts:
Guns (1990)- This is actually a very good movie. Very watchable, and not just for the babes. I was extremely surprised. It's an Andy Sidaris film, but the acting is pretty darn decent all around and it does have a good story. There's a reason they called this "Guns". There is an unapologetic amount of gunplay. Most Sidaris films are sexploitation with elements of action. This is more like an action film with some sexploitation thrown in. This is one of the top best Sidaris films next to "Malibu Express" (1985). This movie is worth rewatching in its entirety.
Although Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez are supposed to be the main female characters, Cynthia Brimhall seems to have sizable screen time. I absolutely love Cynthia Brimhall. She's positively stunning, and I even like her singing. Brimhall has one of those cutesy voices that I find interesting to listen to. On a side note, she just seems to give a really good acting performance in this particular movie.
Erik Estrada gives a great performance as the film's major villain. He does better here than in the next Sidaris film where he plays a hero. Chuck McCann also gives a great performance as the ill-fated hero Abe the Magician. I'm a McCann fan, anyway, but he really does play a cool part. I wish his character had lived to appear in another movie.
Rocky (Lisa London) made her first appearance in the previous movie, "Savage Beach" (1989). Her character gets killed early in this film. This is an extremely unusual turn for the Sidaris movies. No other recurring hero or heroine character was ever killed off in a Sidaris film. Sometimes the actor was brought back as a different hero or villain, but no member of the "team" had ever been killed before or since. We're also given background on the top heroine character, Donna Hamilton (Dona Speir). We learn that her father was also a drug fighting fed who died ten years ago, and her mother is an Attorney General. The new character of Nicole Justin (Roberta Vasquez) was also tied into Donna's backstory. What's really strange about this film is that there is no mention or explanation of Taryn Kendall's disappearance. Taryn was the previous partner of Donna for three movies.
Rodrigo Obregon, the most-used actor in Sidaris films (appearing in 10 of 12) makes a rare appearance as a non-villain. He plays a transvestite named Large Marge and later turns out to not be what he seems.
Cast:
Dona Speir as Donna Hamilton
Roberta Vasquez as Nicole Justin
Bruce Penhall as Bruce Christian
Michael Shane as Shane Abilene
Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark
William Bumiller as Lucas
Kym Malin as Kym
John Brown as Brown
Erik Estrada as Juan Degas/Jack of Diamonds
Danny Trejo as Tong
Devin DeVasquez as Cash
Chuck McCann as Abe
Liv Lindeland as Ace
Phyllis Davis as Kathryn Hamilton
Chu Chu Malave as Cubby
Richard Cansino as Tito
George Cheung as Sifu
Lisa London as Rocky
Rodrigo Obregon as Large Marge
Donna Spangler as Hugs Higgins
Allegra Curtis as Robyn
Leslie Caron as Waitress
Christian Drew Sidaris as The California Kid
Fun Facts:
The Horrors of Spider Island (1960)- A cheapie sexploitation movie that tries to pass itself off as a horror movie, and fails at both. This movie is pretty bad, but at least the girls are hot. However, the best-looking girl, Helga Franck, is the one that shows the least skin! What the heck! Alex D'Arcy and Helga Franck act well enough for the material given to them, but the large part of the movie's acting is terrible. The dubbing is a bit too obvious, and the "effects" were not even good for that time. Plus, the movie just kind of drags along, without much horror or sexuality. It's a missed opportunity. Just a few little additions would have made this more watchable. I recommend it if you're only paying one or two dollars for the DVD and you have some spare time, but nothing more.
Cast:
Alexander D'Arcy as Gary Webster [credited as Alex d'Arcy]
Helga Franck as Georgia
Harald Maresch as Joe [credited as Temple Foster]
Rainer Brandt as Bobby [credited as Allen Turner]
Barbara Valentin as Babs [credited as Barbara Valentine]
Elfie Wagner as Linda [credited as Donna Ulsike]
Dorothee Parker as Gladys [credited as Norma Townes]
Helga Neuner as Ann
Eva Schauland as Millie
Gerry Sammer as May
Helma Vandenberg as Kate [credited as Helma van den Berg]
Walter Faber as Mike Blackwood
Robert Raglan as Radio Man [uncredited]
Director- Fritz Bottger [credited as Jaime Nolan]
Writers- Fritz Bottger, Eldon Howard, Albert G. Miller.
Alternate Titles:
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)- William Smith is the hero. Anitra Ford is the villainess. Victoria Vetri is the love interest to Smith and beautiful, damsel-in-distress. I like William Smith. There aren't too many actors who do equally well at hero and villain parts, but Smith is one of them. Men are being "loved" to death by murderous women. William Smith, a government inspector, comes to investigate. Anitra Ford, as far as we know, is some sort of alien; a hybrid between human and queen bee. She has the technology to turn human women into bee-like sexual predators. The only thing we never know is the motivation behind this killing spree. This movie has an excellent cast, and it's one of the few times I think nudity is as legitimate in a film as it is fun. You can't really have a movie like this without nudity, believe it or not. The premise of the movie is interesting enough, but it seems like the writer got too bored to explain the background of Anitra Ford's character, or give us a reason for why this was all going on. What did the Bee Girls hope to accomplish? Still, this is an entertaining, watchable movie and I hope it gets a remake with a more elaborate script. Special mention must go to Victoria Vetri, who I find most impressive in character and figure.
Malibu Express (1985)- This is the first of the Andy Sidaris films and, as it turns out, is the best of the lot (12 in all). Most of the Sidaris films are truly bad although they do have their highlights. This is actually a good comedy-sexploitation film thinly disguised as an action flick. The acting is pretty good from most of the major cast members. This film actually had people with years of previous acting experience like Darby Hinton and Sybil Danning among others.
I do believe this movie has far more nudity than most of the Sidaris films; it's almost constant. It also has a pretty good story. This film has the hero as a private detective. All of the Sidaris films after this followed a spy theme. "Malibu Express" is intentionally funny, where the rest of the Sidaris films try to be serious. I found this movie funny and watchable. I'd rewatch this again in its entirety, where I simply pick out parts of the other 11 films in the series.
Sybil Danning wears some of the sexiest outfits she's ever worn...and she looks good in all of them! The way Darby Hinton looks with his hairstyle and mustache is definitely inspired by TV's "Magnum P.I." and its lead actor, Tom Selleck. Back in the early 80s, "Magnum P.I." was the king of the cool shows and heavily imitated. It was later beaten out by "Miami Vice" (which debuted in 1984). I love the women in this movie and even though most of them are not great actresses, they all look like they're having fun. Sidaris really had his act together in this movie.
Cast:
Darby Hinton as Cody Abilene
Sybil Danning
Fun Facts:
Picasso Trigger (1988)- Although not a classic, it is one of the better Andy Sidaris films. The story is intriguing...the acting is not. I also liked the filming and the action sequences. The women are awesome as well. Although all the Sidaris films are built largely around female nudity and barely-there outfits, I do feel this has enough of a story to make it a legitimate action film. It's definitely a lot better than the dullsville next film, "Savage Beach". This film could be remade better today into something mainstream.
Cast:
Dona Speir as Donna Hamilton
Hope Marie Carlton as Taryn Kendall
Steve Bond as Travis Abilene
Guich Koock as L.G. Abilene
Roberta Vasquez as Pantera
Rodrigo Obregon as Miguel Ortiz
John Aprea as Salazar/Picasso Trigger
Harold Diamond as Jade
Cynthia Brimhall as Edy
Kym Malin as Kym
Patty Duffek as Pattycakes
Richard LePore as Professor
Liv Lindeland as Inga
Bruce Penhall as Hondo
Nicholas Georgiade as Schiavo
Andy Sidaris as Whitey [uncredited]
Fun Facts:
Return to Savage Beach (1998)- So bad. Ridiculously bad, even under the auspices that it's a T&A flick. It's another Andy Sidaris-directed film. The story is bad, and the acting is bad. At least the women look hot, and the movie is well-filmed. Those are the good points. All the women are great, but Carrie Westcott as blonde Sophia is the standout in this movie. She also plays a cool character. She is the stuff spy-babes are made of. What's this movie all about? I doubt if the filmmakers even know. Main idea: A bunch of chesty babes called L.E.T.H.A.L. Force goes after bad guys. That's about it. Also starring Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks, and Ava Cadell. One of the two creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman, has a part as good guy Harry The Cat. He was the real-life husband of Julie Strain at the time.
This is probably the poorest-quality of the Sidaris films, but one of the best in female visuals.
Cast:
Fun Facts:
Savage Beach (1989)- The women in this movie are awesome...and that's just about it. Let's just say the acting is "not good" and I found it really hard to get drawn into the story. It looks like everybody is about ready to break out laughing at any time. The story idea is pretty cool, though, and I like the idea of what the film was trying to do. The bad thing is that this movie is boring...dullsville!
Cast:
Dona Speir as Donna
Hope Marie Carlton as Hope
Lisa London as Rocky
Patty Dufek as Pattycakes
Bruce Penhall as Bruce Christian
Michael J. Shane as Shane Abilene
Rodrigo Obregon as Rodrigo Martinez
James Lew as Agent #1
Fun Facts:
Slaves in Bondage (1937)- Lona Andre plays heroine Dona Lee. This is an early prototype of what would become, thirty-some years later, the "sexploitation" film. At this time, movies like this were simply referred to as "exploitation" and usually contained a moral message about the pitfalls of wreckless sex, marijuana, cocaine abuse, and other "not nice" things. Here, the subject is just prostitution. There are also moments of lesbian-ism. For the time period, this movie was extremely avant-garde. Today, it's just bizarre. It's weird to see people in an old-time movie speak so bluntly about, not just sex, but prostitution...even "lezzies". It's made with what we would call today a PG sensibility, but at the time, if they had ratings, this probably would've been called XXX+. They really couldn't show skin, because it was tough enough to get these movies played in theaters. I found this movie dumb and nearly unwatchable by bad acting, lazy writing, and near uneventfulness, but it had a good enough plot idea. A crooked businessman and his female partner use a beauty salon as a front to recruit women as prostitutes for the man's roadhouse.
Weekend With the Babysitter (1970)- This is a sequel-that-isn't to the earlier film, "The Babysitter" (1969). The only connections are: 1. The babysitter is named Candy Wilson; 2. George E. Carey plays the male lead; and 3. The story is about an older married man having an affair with his babysitter. That's it. That's not to say this is a bad film. On the contrary, it's pretty good and, in a lot of ways, better than the original.
The character of Candy Wilson not only changed actresses, but looks. In the original film, Candy was a blonde. In this movie, Candy has reddish-brown hair. Susan Romen is attractive as Candy, but she doesn't have a lot of expression. She wasn't a terrible actress; she just needed to loosen up. I think Ms. Romen could have been a better actress in time. Sadly, this was the first of only two movies in an all-too-short career, and her only lead.
Jim Carlton is a middle-aged movie director that's lost his direction. His current movie script about the younger generation, is doomed to failure for lack of understanding young people. What's worse, his marriage is falling apart. Mona Carlton (Luanne Roberts) is an attractive, thirty-something redhead that ruined her acting career and developed a nasty drug habit. Mona's bigger problem lies within the fact that she is forced to run heroin for her drug dealer in Jim's boat!
Meanwhile, Jim thinks Mona is on a short weekend vacation to visit her mother. While Mona's away, the Jim will play! To get a better understanding of young hipsters for his movie, Candy takes Jim out to all the hot spots. Jim befriends the likes of A.K., Snitch, and Mary Mary, while getting closer to Candy. Jim and Candy soon have a wild affair. The next few days, Jim learns about the marijuana culture and motocross racing. He soon realizes, however, that he loves his wife and that this affair cannot continue. Once Jim realizes Mona is in danger, he goes off to her rescue with the help of Candy and her hippie biker friends. Mona is saved, the bad guys are busted, and Jim reunites with his wife. Happy ending time!
Like the earlier, "The Babysitter" (1969), both movies have their advantages and disadvantages. However, I do believe "Weekend With the Babysitter" is probably the better movie of the two.
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Advantages:
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Disadvantages:
Cast:
George E. Carey as Jim Carlton
Susan Romen as Candy Wilson
Luanne Roberts as Mona Carlton
Bob Bernard as A.K.
Steve Vinovich as Snitch
Gloria Hill as Mary Mary
James Almanzer as Rich Harris
Anthony Victor as Sancho
Guy Edwards as Leon
James E. McLarty as Smitty
Alternate Titles:
Fun Facts:
The Woman Hunt (1973)- I thought this movie was SO going to stink until I actually watched it. First off, I don't like the idea of "human hunting", an idea that's been overplayed in movies (especially in the 1990s decade). Second, I never like seeing women get killed in shows...certainly not good-looking women. I was really quite surprised by this movie. It's one of the many made-in-the-Phillippines, American sexploitation flicks that came out of the 70s. Surprisingly, this is probably more of an action movie than a sexploitation movie. The action sequences are done very well, even by today's standards. Yes, there is some female nudity to give the audience cheap thrills, but that's not the only thing the movie has going for it. This movie tells us something we need to know. Slavery was alive and well in the 1970s, as it is today. Some people in undeveloped countries DO prey on women for sex slaves. In addition, there are some people who like to kill other people for sport. This movie simply puts those two terrible vices together.
John Ashley plays Tony, one of the kidnappers who decides to turn on his boss and free the current female prisoners. The story is very plain and simple and doesn't try to do anything that time, talent, or budget won't allow. As a matter of fact, the film movies very quickly. Because of its fast pace, there is no such thing as character development, although the personalities of some of the characters are quite entertaining. Ashley's character doesn't really have much of a personality beyond the fact that he's a reformed bad guy. He does a decent job of acting, though. Sid Haig, as Silas, is probably the coolest man of the cast. He's totally into the abduction and demeaning of women, and has the best sense of humor about it. He's a funny, wise-cracking a**hole! Silas is a bad guy, but he still has some scruples. He doesn't like to physically "hurt" the women, just humiliate them, and he's still kind of a buddy to Tony, even after he's turned. Silas doesn't, however, like Karp. Ken Metcalfe has an interesting, even cool character in Karp despite the fact that he's a total weirdo. Karp is easily the most violent of the three kidnappers, and he hates women. The wacky, red-haired hippie dude pretends that he's attracted to women, but it becomes pretty obvious to us that he's a homosexual. Silas' hatred of the "queenie" Karp is what ultimately leads to his end when Karp shoots him in the stomach. For some particular reason, Karp targets McGee (played by Pat Woodell).
Pat Woodell did a good job as McGee, the leader of the kidnapped girls. She has short hair in this movie, which is unusual to see. She also bares her breasts which is another unusual (although welcome) sight. Pat actually gives good delivery of her lines, which is not common to most sexploitation movies. The most quotable line is what she says to a Japanese businessman putting the make on her: "Why don't you take a running backflip and go f*** yourself." Charlene Jones as the black girl, Billie, was another cool character. She just had a good personality, and she was convincing. Laurie Rose as strawberry blonde, Lori, was cute, but she wasn't the most believable. I liked her in the movie, though. She didn't act terrible, but she doesn't really "wow" us with her words. Where McGee was targeted by Karp, and Billie was desired by Silas, Lori was pursued by Magda. Lisa Todd, best known as one of the "Hee Haw" girls, played bisexual beauty, Magda. Lisa is almost always drop-dead gorgeous in her film and TV appearances. In this movie, she was made up to look a bit strange. Her character was strange, so it worked. Magda was the henchwoman/lover of ultimate villain Spyros, played by Eddie Garcia. She was the overseer of the kidnapped girls; their keeper. Magda loves girls as much as she loves Spyros; and she was really fond of Lori. Luscious Lori is nearly molested by the powerful Magda twice! Lisa Todd, as Magda, still looks good, but in an offbeat way. Her hair is way big and she wears dark clothes with boobs pushed up-and-out to high heaven! Kind of like an evil version of Elvira!
The plot of this movie is not at all intricate, but there still IS one. It's a simple little 81-minute movie for guys that like TNA and shoot-em-up action. That's about it. There's nothing too involved. I thought this movie was going to be a lot sleazier than it was. Most low-budget sexploitation movies of this period ARE a lot sleazier. Heck, a lot of mainstream action movies today are sleazier than this. Don't pay too much attention to what egghead critics tell you. This is a fun little movie if you like the content. The filming and editing isn't the best, but you have to take that with films of this sort. It's still very watchable.
SPOILER ALERT!
Everyone in the movie gets killed off except Tony (John Ashley) and Lori (Laurie Rose).
Cast:
John Ashley as Tony
Pat Woodell as McGee
Charlene Jones as Billie
Laurie Rose as Lori
Lisa Todd as Magda
Sid Haig as Silas
Ken Metcalfe as Karp
Eddie Garcia as Spyros
Alona Alegre as Sam
Alternate Titles:
The Cody Abilene Era
1. Malibu Express (1985)
The Donna and Taryn Era
2. Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)
3. Picasso Trigger (1988)
4. Savage Beach (1989)
The Donna and Nicole Era
5. Guns (1990)
6. Do or Die (1991)
7. Hard Hunted (1992)
8. Fit to Kill (1993)
The Chris Cannon and Mark Austin Era
9. Enemy Gold (1993)
10. The Dallas Connection (1993)
The L.E.T.H.A.L. Era
11. Day of the Warrior (1996)
12. Return to Savage Beach (1998)
1. Malibu Express (1985)
The Donna and Taryn Era
2. Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)
3. Picasso Trigger (1988)
4. Savage Beach (1989)
The Donna and Nicole Era
5. Guns (1990)
6. Do or Die (1991)
7. Hard Hunted (1992)
8. Fit to Kill (1993)
The Chris Cannon and Mark Austin Era
9. Enemy Gold (1993)
10. The Dallas Connection (1993)
The L.E.T.H.A.L. Era
11. Day of the Warrior (1996)
12. Return to Savage Beach (1998)
The Cody Abilene Era
1. Malibu Express (1985)- This and "Guns" (1990) are the best films in the lot. The acting is pretty decent from most of the major cast members and it does have a good story. Most of the main actors were experienced actors: Darby Hinton, Sybil Danning, Brett Clark, etc.
This film was purposely meant to be comedy with elements of action. It's entertaining and rewatchable in its entirety. You can't say that about most of the Sidaris films. "Malibu Express" is also unique because it's a private detective themed movie. All subsequent Sidaris films were spy features. In addition, all subsequent Sidaris movies were meant to be serious movies with rare bits of intended comedy on occasion.
Although this is the only Cody Abilene film in the series, other Abilene relations were featured in every Sidaris film up through #8 ("Fit to Kill"). We're never sure what relationship the Abilenes held to each other (brother? cousin?) but they did play some part in the first eight films. Another sharp distinction about this film is that most of the actors never appeared in another Sidaris film. Brett Clark was the only member of the main cast to appear in later films, although in smaller parts.
The Donna and Taryn Era
2. Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)- This is the best-known era of Sidaris films. There were only three Donna and Taryn movies in the series but they left an impression. Dona Speir and Hope Marie Carlton are absolute knockouts as heroines Donna Hamilton and Taryn Kendall. It's sometimes hard to tell them apart due to their matching blonde hairdos and outfits.
Ron Moss makes his first and only appearance as Rowdy Abilene, relation to Cody. Our heroes are drug enforcement agents but, for some reason, not called DEA. Instead, they work for an outfit simply referred to as "The Agency".
This film also marks the first appearances of cast regulars Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark, Harold Diamond as Jade, Patty Duffek as Pattycakes, and Rodrigo Obregon who almost always played villains.
3. Picasso Trigger (1988)- This is the first and only appearance of Travis Abilene, played by Steve Bond. It is also the first appearance of John Aprea, who played a different role in the next film, "Savage Beach".
Cynthia Brimhall is back as Edy Stark. So is Patty Duffek as Pattycakes. Kym Malin makes her debut as Pattycakes' cohort Kym. Rodrigo Obregon plays another villain. This is Harold Diamond's second and last appearance as Jade. Bruce Penhall makes his first appearance in the series, but he plays a villain named Hondo. Roberta Vasquez makes her first appearance in the series, but plays a double-agent named Pantera. Vasquez would later play Donna's partner, Nicole, in four films of the series.
Guich Koock plays L.G. Abilene, an older Abilene who also seems to be Travis' superior officer. We have never seen him before or since.
4. Savage Beach (1989)- Probably the best-known Sidaris film. Michael Jay Shane makes his first appearance as Shane Abilene and becomes the longest-lasting Abilene, appearing in the next five films. This film and "Do or Die" feature major moments with Shane Abilene, but for the most part his importance is really played down in the series. Like Cody Abilene in the very first film, Shane is also plagued with the can't-shoot-for-shucks running gag.
Patty Duffek makes her last appearance in the series as Pattycakes. Lisa London makes her first appearance as Rocky. Rodrigo Obregon plays another bad guy. Bruce Penhall returns, but as the character Bruce Christian. Stuntmen actors Al Leong and James Lew make their first appearances in the series as bad guys. All this, and it's the last appearance of Hope Marie Carlton as Taryn Kendall. Dona Speir, as Donna Hamilton, carried on in the next four films with Roberta Vasquez as Nicole Justin.
The Donna and Nicole Era
5. Guns (1990)- So begins the longest-lasting and most-established era of Sidaris films. Donna and Nicole ran for four films in the series. Roberta Vasquez, as Nicole Justin, originally appeared as Pantera two films back. "Guns" is a pretty awesome flick and you would think this entry would turn the series around into becoming more straight and mainstream. Such was not the case. All Sidaris films after this one are pretty hammy. As is stands, "Malibu Beach" (1985) and "Guns" (1990) are the best in the lot.
Bruce Penhall is back as Bruce Christian. Michael Shane is back as Shane Abilene. Cynthia Brimhall returns as Edy Stark. William Bumiller makes his first appearance as leader Lucas. Lisa London makes her last appearance as Rocky. Kym Malin returns as Kym for one last go-around. Rodrigo Obregon is back; not as a villain but a transvestite named Large Marge. James Lew is back in another anonymous henchman role. Chu Chu Malave and Richard Cansino make their first appearances as the comic relief hitmen.
Erik Estrada makes his first of two appearances in the series. In this movie, he's the major villain. In the next film, his character is one of the male leads. This is one of the few films in the series that had appearances from bigger-name, mainstream actors. Estrada, of course, but also Leslie Caron, George Cheung, Chuck McCann, and Danny Trejo.
6. Do or Die (1991)- This is the first appearance of villain Kane, played by Pat Morita. In the two films after this, Kane was changed to a younger Englishman played by R.J. Moore. Yeah, the continuity is pretty much busted up.
Erik Estrada returns as a hero lead for his last appearance in the series. Bruce Penhall is back as Bruce Christian. So is Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark, William Bumiller as Lucas (for one last time), Michael Shane as Shane Abilene, Chu Chu Malave, Richard Cansino, and James Lew. Asian beauty Carolyn Liu makes her first appearance as Silk. Ava Cadell makes her first appearance in the series, but as hitwoman Ava. Her later character of Ava is a heroine. Skip Ward makes his first of two appearances.
This is another film that surprises us with having pretty big name stars like Estrada and Morita in its cast.
7. Hard Hunted (1992)- The villain Kane has changed from an Asian senior citizen to a young Englishman. How's that for holding the reality? R.J. Moore plays the bad guy in this and the next film.
The character of Lucas is back but he's played by a different actor, Tony Peck. Ava Cadell has returned, but this time as another Ava working for the good guys. This film marks the first appearance of Ava and KSXY radio. Returning are Cynthia Brimhall (Edy Stark), Michael Shane (Shane Abilene), Bruce Penhall (Bruce Christian), Carolyn Liu (Silk), and Richard Cansino, Chu Chu Malave, Al Leong, Rodrigo Obregon, and Skip Ward. Brett Clark makes his first appearance in the series since "Malibu Express" (1985) as Kane's henchman, Burke.
8. Fit to Kill (1993)- This is the last film of the Donna and Nicole era and although it's not a formal ending, you can tell that Sidaris was ready to wrap up this era of his films and move on to something different. Dona Speir, as Donna, had appeared in all films up to this point except the very first. She really was the character the whole series had revolved around. "Fit to Kill" wraps up the Kane storyline.
This film marks the last appearances of many actors and their characters in the series: Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark, Brett Clark as Burke, Chu Chu Malave, R.J. Moore as Kane, Tony Peck as Lucas, and Michael Shane as Shane Abilene. Not to mention Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez.
Rodrigo Obregon is back, but as a good guy Russian named Mikael Petrov. Making his first appearance in the series is Mark Barriere, but as Petrov's sidekick Gregor. Carolyn Liu is back as Silk. Ava Cadell and her KSXY radio is back. Gerald Okamura makes his first appearance in the series as a bad guy. Julie Strain debuts in the series; in this film she is hitwoman Blu Steele. Bruce Penhall is back as Bruce Christian, but after this his character becomes Chris Cannon. You can see with this film how a lot of the old is being phased out with some of the new.
The Chris Cannon & Mark Austin Era
9. Enemy Gold (1993)- This era of Sidaris films lasted only two entries, and both of them are pretty separate from each other except for the male hero leads. Bruce Penhall appeared in the six previous films and as two different characters. Chris Cannon marks his third character in the series. His sidekick is Mark Barriere as Mark Austin. Berriere appeared in the previous film as a different Russian character.
"Enemy Gold" is about as far removed from the previous films as you can get. There is no Abilene of any kind. The main characters are actually dudes. There are two leading ladies, one good and one bad. Most of the sexy women in this film are anonymous. Most of the cast is even different. Besides Penhall and Barriere, the only returning players are Julie Strain (as different villainess Jewell Panther) and Rodrigo Obregon (as yet another bad guy). Kym Malin does make her first appearance since "Guns" (third overall in the series), but she's not playing agent Kym. Instead, she plays hostess for the Cowboys bar in this and the next film.
10. The Dallas Connection (1994)- This is the last we see of Bruce Penhall and Mark Barriere in the series, period. Penhall had been in the series since #3, so this was really the end of an era.
Julie Strain returns as yet another villainess, Black Widow. Rodrigo Obregon is back as another (sigh) bad guy. Gerald Okamura returns as another bad guy. Kym Malin makes her last ever appearance in the series as the Cowboys hostess. Besides these players, the cast of this film is mostly new.
Julie K. Smith makes her first appearance as Cobra. She appears in the next two films.
The L.E.T.H.A.L. Era
11. Day of the Warrior (1996)- This era of Sidaris films was the first time they ever really strived for continuity. The events and characters of this film play into the next movie.
Julie Strain is back, but this time as leader of the hero babes Willow Black. Also returning are Richard Cansino (without Chu Chu Malave), Rodrigo Obregon, Gerald Okamura (as another character named Fu), and Julie K. Smith as Cobra.
Making first appearances are Cristian Letelier as J. Tyler Ward, Shae Marks as Tiger, and Marcus Bagwell as Warrior. The character of Doc Austin makes his first appearance, but is played by Kevin Light in only this film.
12. Return to Savage Beach (1998)- Back for one last time are Doc Austin, Fu, J. Tyler Ward, Tiger, Warrior, Willow Black. Doc Austin is played this time around by Paul Logan. I don't know why, but Carolyn Liu reappears as Silk and Ava Cadell has returned with her KSXY radio. We haven't seen Ava and Silk since movie #8.
What's funny about this film is that NO ONE in the cast was in the original "Savage Beach" (1989). Donna and Taryn are referred to in stock footage...that's it. I don't know if this was meant to be the last Andy Sidaris film, but it might make sense. Why else would Ava Cadell and Carolyn Liu be brought back after five years? It would almost seem this movie was made as an homage to the "Savage Beach" film and a quasi-reunion of sorts. Andy Sidaris passed away in 2007.
The Babysitter (1969)- This is a fun little B-movie with guilty pleasures, fairly good acting from most of the cast, and an interesting story. I'm rather surprised this movie is as good as it is because it's very low-budget and very independent. Typically, most movies on this low ebb of the drive-in movie spectrum like to concentrate on sleaze. Although this movie has its share of sleazy moments, it's far more coherent than many sexploitation films.
George E. Carey and Anne Bellamy as George and Edith Maxwell easily give the best acting performances in the film. They're good. Carey is the quietly disgruntled husband, unhappy with his dowdy, high-stepping nag of a wife. Edith is just straight out the kind of boring b**** no guy wants to marry. Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson did okay for the part she had to play: a bubbly, blonde hippie bimbo. She didn't really need a lot of talent for her part in the movie, but she is likable.
Mr. Maxwell is a prosecuting judge about to sentence a biker for murder. Julie Freeman is the girlfriend of the murderer who, in an attempt to get her maniac boyfriend acquitted, tries to blackmail George. It so happens that George's daughter Joan is a full-blown lesbian. Julie, an alleged friend of Joan's, tries to get pictures of Joan and her lover Doris Winkler in the act. In the process, Julie discovers an affair between George and the supple little babysitter, Candy Wilson. Since this item is far more damaging to George than the happenings of his lesbian daughter, Julie uses this instead.
George tries to hide his affair while still doing his rightful duty. Candy, meanwhile, takes care of things on her end. The movie actually ends on a happy note for everyone except Julie Freeman and, of course, her boyfriend. George and Candy break off the relationship with no bad feelings, the Maxwells patch up their unhappy marriage, and Candy carries on with guys her own age. It's cool how everything comes together.
My only criticism is that the lesbian scene between Joan Maxwell and Doris Winkler is completely gratuitous. It has NOTHING to do with the main story and once it's dropped, it's never mentioned again. Do Joan's parents ever find out about her sexuality? The lesbian content in the film is entirely filler.
This movie was followed by the not-quite-a-sequel, "Weekend With the Babysitter". Both movies have their advantages and disadvantages.
"The Babysitter" Advantages:
- Patricia Wymer was better at Candy Wilson than her successor in the next film.
"The Babysitter" Disadvantages:
- Black and white film. To me, a good sexploitation flick just needs to be in color!
- Cheap production values. The movie looks like it's filmed cheap, with mostly inside filming.
- Canned music. The theme song is played way too often, and the general music is phony. The movie's "house band" was called "The Food".
- A lot of loose ends. Notably with the lesbian daughter, Joan, but in many other areas as well. What EXACTLY happens to Julie Freeman. I guess I don't get it.
- There aren't a whole lot of great-looking girls as compared to the next film. Patricia Wymer was easily the hottest. Ruth Noonan, however, did have a very nice "set".
Cast:
Patricia Wymer as Candy Wilson
George E. Carey as George Maxwell
Anne Bellamy as Edith Maxwell
Kathy Williams as Julie Freeman
Sheri Jackson as Joan Maxwell
Ruth Noonan as Doris Winkler
Fun Facts:
- Patricia Wymer was only in three movies, and for a short while was a dancer on the TV series, "Malibu U.". This movie was her second to last role.
- Kathy Williams did quite a bit of acting from 1968-1972, but she just wasn't that good in this movie.
- Sheri Jackson was in four movies, all in 1969, and this was her last role.
- This was the only role for Ruth Noonan.
- George E. Carey and Anne Bellamy have enjoyed long acting careers and many credits.
The Dallas Connection (1994)- This is not a good movie, but worth watching if you like women. The women are gorgeous, and since this is a skin flick, they do a good job. Heroine Samantha Maxx (played by Samantha Phillips) IS arousing, and enticing. 6'1" raven-haired beauty Julie Strain (as villainess Black Widow) is sexy as ever. Julie K. Smith, the short, but extremely busty blonde is something spectacular (she plays bad girl Cobra). Wendy Hamilton is another pleasant surprise as brunette baddie Scorpion (we find out later she's not as bad as she seems).
This movie is dumb, but it's good as a T&A flick. That's all it is really meant to be. I, myself, prefer some kind of cool story to explain the nudity. Otherwise, the makers can just go ahead and make it a full-on porn film. I'm not that much of a letch. I like sex WITH a good story and some passable acting.
Cast:
Bruce Penhall as Chris Cannon
Mark Barriere as Mark Austin
Samantha Phillips as Samantha Maxx
Julie Strain as Black Widow
Julie K. Smith as Cobra
Wendy Hamilton as Scorpion
Fun Facts:
- This is the second and last of the Chris Cannon/Mark Austin era of Andy Sidaris films. There is almost no continuity from the previous film, "Enemy Gold" (1993).
- Julie K. Smith appeared in the following two films as Cobra.
- This is the last Sidaris film to feature longtime player Bruce Penhall. It's also the last for Mark Barriere who had appeared in three of the movies.
- Julie Strain previously played bad girls in earlier films "Fit to Kill" and "Enemy Gold". After this movie, she played the heroine leader Willow Black for the final two Sidaris films.
Do or Die (1991)- This movie stinks, but before I get into the dynamics of the situation let me tell you the reasons to watch this movie. The women are awesome. Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez dazzle as the two lead heroines. Carolyn Liu as Silk is WOW. Ava Cadell has a brief, but memorable part as scorchy hitwoman Ava. Pandora Peaks is in here for some reason as the character Atlanta Lee. I was never quite sure what her character was supposed to do. But my favorite in this movie is Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark. I LOVE CYNTHIA BRIMHALL. Holy lord, she's hot! The whole sexy cowgirl singer thing is a winner, but I thought she looked stunning throughout the whole movie.
I love Pat Morita as an actor. The idea of him playing a villain is neat. However, this was not the right vehicle for him. I'm surprised to see someone of Pat's standing as an actor in a movie like this. Pat Morita was usually in A-list movies and popular TV shows. This is beneath his station. He was cool to see, but this wasn't one of his shining moments.
The acting is bad all the way around and I got quickly bored with the story idea. It's not a good thing when a movie's plot is just filler. Everyone is part of a boy/girl pairing which is just ridiculous. I wasn't even that thrilled with the action sequences. I do believe Cynthia Brimhall and Pat Morita were the best of the cast in this movie because they did have a few cool moments here and there. It's bad to say, but the ONLY thing to look forward to in this movie is the nudity.
Alternate Titles:
- Girls, Games & Guns
Fun Facts:
- This movie is a "CHiPs" reunion of sorts as it stars two regulars from the popular TV series: Erik Estrada and Bruce Penhall.
- Cynthia Brimhall played Edy Stark in six of the twelve Andy Sidaris movies from 1987-1993. This was her fourth appearance in the series.
- Dona Speir was in seven of the Andy Sidaris movies from 1987-1993 as the character Donna Hamilton. This was her fifth appearance in the series.
- Roberta Vasquez was in five of the Andy Sidaris movies from 1988-1993. In her first appearance she played a villainess named Pantera. In all subsequent appearances she played Nicole Justin, partner to Donna Hamilton. This was her third appearance in the series.
- Carolyn Liu was in five of the Andy Sidaris movies from 1988-1998. Her character's name was always Silk except in her fourth appearance, in which she was called Alice. This was her first appearance in the series.
- This was the first acting role for Pandora Peaks and the ONLY Andy Sidaris film in which she appeared.
- This was the first of four appearances for Ava Cadell in the series. Her character's name is always Ava. In this movie, she plays an evil hitwoman who gets killed.
Enemy Gold (1993)- Believe it or not, this is one of the better Andy Sidaris films despite the less-than-impressive acting. It also has about the least amount of nudity of any Sidaris film. There are only three major female characters: 1 bad, and 2 good. You see a lot of bad girl Julie Strain and heroine Suzi Simpson, but not much of leader Tai Collins. The story itself is interesting enough and the movie opens interesting. Confederate soldiers from the Civil War bury gold, which our heroes find during the film. I also think the action sequences are filmed pretty well.
This particular Andy Sidaris film makes a better action movie than it does a sexploitation film. Most of his films are completely opposite.
Cast:
Bruce Penhall as Chris Cannon
Mark Barriere as Mark Austin
Suzi Simpson as Becky Midnite
Tai Collins as Ava Noble
Rodrigo Obregon as Santiago
Julie Strain as Jewell Panther
Fun Facts:
- This is the first of two Chris Cannon/Mark Austin movies in the Sidaris line-up.
Guns (1990)- This is actually a very good movie. Very watchable, and not just for the babes. I was extremely surprised. It's an Andy Sidaris film, but the acting is pretty darn decent all around and it does have a good story. There's a reason they called this "Guns". There is an unapologetic amount of gunplay. Most Sidaris films are sexploitation with elements of action. This is more like an action film with some sexploitation thrown in. This is one of the top best Sidaris films next to "Malibu Express" (1985). This movie is worth rewatching in its entirety.
Although Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez are supposed to be the main female characters, Cynthia Brimhall seems to have sizable screen time. I absolutely love Cynthia Brimhall. She's positively stunning, and I even like her singing. Brimhall has one of those cutesy voices that I find interesting to listen to. On a side note, she just seems to give a really good acting performance in this particular movie.
Erik Estrada gives a great performance as the film's major villain. He does better here than in the next Sidaris film where he plays a hero. Chuck McCann also gives a great performance as the ill-fated hero Abe the Magician. I'm a McCann fan, anyway, but he really does play a cool part. I wish his character had lived to appear in another movie.
Rocky (Lisa London) made her first appearance in the previous movie, "Savage Beach" (1989). Her character gets killed early in this film. This is an extremely unusual turn for the Sidaris movies. No other recurring hero or heroine character was ever killed off in a Sidaris film. Sometimes the actor was brought back as a different hero or villain, but no member of the "team" had ever been killed before or since. We're also given background on the top heroine character, Donna Hamilton (Dona Speir). We learn that her father was also a drug fighting fed who died ten years ago, and her mother is an Attorney General. The new character of Nicole Justin (Roberta Vasquez) was also tied into Donna's backstory. What's really strange about this film is that there is no mention or explanation of Taryn Kendall's disappearance. Taryn was the previous partner of Donna for three movies.
Rodrigo Obregon, the most-used actor in Sidaris films (appearing in 10 of 12) makes a rare appearance as a non-villain. He plays a transvestite named Large Marge and later turns out to not be what he seems.
Cast:
Dona Speir as Donna Hamilton
Roberta Vasquez as Nicole Justin
Bruce Penhall as Bruce Christian
Michael Shane as Shane Abilene
Cynthia Brimhall as Edy Stark
William Bumiller as Lucas
Kym Malin as Kym
John Brown as Brown
Erik Estrada as Juan Degas/Jack of Diamonds
Danny Trejo as Tong
Devin DeVasquez as Cash
Chuck McCann as Abe
Liv Lindeland as Ace
Phyllis Davis as Kathryn Hamilton
Chu Chu Malave as Cubby
Richard Cansino as Tito
George Cheung as Sifu
Lisa London as Rocky
Rodrigo Obregon as Large Marge
Donna Spangler as Hugs Higgins
Allegra Curtis as Robyn
Leslie Caron as Waitress
Christian Drew Sidaris as The California Kid
Fun Facts:
- This is the first of the Donna & Nicole films in the Andy Sidaris series.
- This is the first time Chu Chu Malave and Richard Cansino appear in the series. In this movie they are serious hitmen with slight comic overtones. They get killed. In "Do or Die" (1991), "Hard Hunted" (1992), and "Fit to Kill" (1993) they play totally inept, almost cartoonish hitmen and never get killed. Richard Cansino appears, without Malave, in "Day of the Warrior" (1996).
- Although the lovely Phyllis Davis has been in acting since this film, this is the last time she's played anything more than a bit part.
The Horrors of Spider Island (1960)- A cheapie sexploitation movie that tries to pass itself off as a horror movie, and fails at both. This movie is pretty bad, but at least the girls are hot. However, the best-looking girl, Helga Franck, is the one that shows the least skin! What the heck! Alex D'Arcy and Helga Franck act well enough for the material given to them, but the large part of the movie's acting is terrible. The dubbing is a bit too obvious, and the "effects" were not even good for that time. Plus, the movie just kind of drags along, without much horror or sexuality. It's a missed opportunity. Just a few little additions would have made this more watchable. I recommend it if you're only paying one or two dollars for the DVD and you have some spare time, but nothing more.
Cast:
Alexander D'Arcy as Gary Webster [credited as Alex d'Arcy]
Helga Franck as Georgia
Harald Maresch as Joe [credited as Temple Foster]
Rainer Brandt as Bobby [credited as Allen Turner]
Barbara Valentin as Babs [credited as Barbara Valentine]
Elfie Wagner as Linda [credited as Donna Ulsike]
Dorothee Parker as Gladys [credited as Norma Townes]
Helga Neuner as Ann
Eva Schauland as Millie
Gerry Sammer as May
Helma Vandenberg as Kate [credited as Helma van den Berg]
Walter Faber as Mike Blackwood
Robert Raglan as Radio Man [uncredited]
Director- Fritz Bottger [credited as Jaime Nolan]
Writers- Fritz Bottger, Eldon Howard, Albert G. Miller.
Alternate Titles:
- Body in the Web [US]
- A Corpse Hangs in the Web [International; actual English title]
- Ein Toter hing im Netz [West Germany; actual title]
- Girls of Spider Island [US; video title]
- It's Hot in Paradise [US]
- The Spider's Web [US]
- This movie is a West Germany/Yugoslavia joint production. It was filmed in Nicola, Yugoslavia.
- Although made in 1960, this film was not released in America until 1962. At that point, it still had its nude scenes and was released as "It's Hot in Paradise" as an adults-only movie. Three years later, in 1965, this movie was trimmed of all its nudity and passed off as a horror/sci-fi movie called "The Horrors of Spider Island". Although a better title, it was not wise to take the nudity out of it, as this movie gives us little else to watch.
- This movie offers us little in eroticism, but there's one good catfight between Babs and Millie (Barbara Valentin and Eva Schauland, respectively).
- Although the promotion for this movie makes it sound like a lot of people get killed (i.e. a "slasher" flick), there are few people that actually die. The professor that is found in the web died offscreen by a large spider. Linda is killed by the spider-man Gary Webster. Bobby is killed by spider-Gary, but Gladys merely walks off a cliff while avoiding the monster. Gary, himself, is killed when he is led into a quicksand pit. In truth, Gary as the spider-monster killed only two people in this movie. Only five people were killed off in this movie.
- Barbara Valentin got a rather large build-up for this movie, although her character was of maybe fifth importance. This movie claims to "introduce" her, but she previously starred in the German movie, "Die Nackte und der Satan" in 1959. This was actually her second film.
- This is the only credit, film or otherwise, for Elfie Wagner (Linda).
- Helga Franck (Georgia) was only 29 years old when she died in 1963. She fell from a 5th floor apartment when she was trying to get some fresh air, tripped, and fell out the window. A true shame, as she looked great, seemed to be a competent actress, and acted in only six films.
- Of all the girls in this film, Barbara Valentin became the most accomplished in film. She is called the "German Jayne Mansfield". Although straight, she is an icon of the gay community. She died of a stroke at age 61 in 2002. Since the 1980s she had been an advocate for the fight against HIV and even lived with rock star Freddie Mercury.
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973)- William Smith is the hero. Anitra Ford is the villainess. Victoria Vetri is the love interest to Smith and beautiful, damsel-in-distress. I like William Smith. There aren't too many actors who do equally well at hero and villain parts, but Smith is one of them. Men are being "loved" to death by murderous women. William Smith, a government inspector, comes to investigate. Anitra Ford, as far as we know, is some sort of alien; a hybrid between human and queen bee. She has the technology to turn human women into bee-like sexual predators. The only thing we never know is the motivation behind this killing spree. This movie has an excellent cast, and it's one of the few times I think nudity is as legitimate in a film as it is fun. You can't really have a movie like this without nudity, believe it or not. The premise of the movie is interesting enough, but it seems like the writer got too bored to explain the background of Anitra Ford's character, or give us a reason for why this was all going on. What did the Bee Girls hope to accomplish? Still, this is an entertaining, watchable movie and I hope it gets a remake with a more elaborate script. Special mention must go to Victoria Vetri, who I find most impressive in character and figure.
Malibu Express (1985)- This is the first of the Andy Sidaris films and, as it turns out, is the best of the lot (12 in all). Most of the Sidaris films are truly bad although they do have their highlights. This is actually a good comedy-sexploitation film thinly disguised as an action flick. The acting is pretty good from most of the major cast members. This film actually had people with years of previous acting experience like Darby Hinton and Sybil Danning among others.
I do believe this movie has far more nudity than most of the Sidaris films; it's almost constant. It also has a pretty good story. This film has the hero as a private detective. All of the Sidaris films after this followed a spy theme. "Malibu Express" is intentionally funny, where the rest of the Sidaris films try to be serious. I found this movie funny and watchable. I'd rewatch this again in its entirety, where I simply pick out parts of the other 11 films in the series.
Sybil Danning wears some of the sexiest outfits she's ever worn...and she looks good in all of them! The way Darby Hinton looks with his hairstyle and mustache is definitely inspired by TV's "Magnum P.I." and its lead actor, Tom Selleck. Back in the early 80s, "Magnum P.I." was the king of the cool shows and heavily imitated. It was later beaten out by "Miami Vice" (which debuted in 1984). I love the women in this movie and even though most of them are not great actresses, they all look like they're having fun. Sidaris really had his act together in this movie.
Cast:
Darby Hinton as Cody Abilene
Sybil Danning
Fun Facts:
Picasso Trigger (1988)- Although not a classic, it is one of the better Andy Sidaris films. The story is intriguing...the acting is not. I also liked the filming and the action sequences. The women are awesome as well. Although all the Sidaris films are built largely around female nudity and barely-there outfits, I do feel this has enough of a story to make it a legitimate action film. It's definitely a lot better than the dullsville next film, "Savage Beach". This film could be remade better today into something mainstream.
Cast:
Dona Speir as Donna Hamilton
Hope Marie Carlton as Taryn Kendall
Steve Bond as Travis Abilene
Guich Koock as L.G. Abilene
Roberta Vasquez as Pantera
Rodrigo Obregon as Miguel Ortiz
John Aprea as Salazar/Picasso Trigger
Harold Diamond as Jade
Cynthia Brimhall as Edy
Kym Malin as Kym
Patty Duffek as Pattycakes
Richard LePore as Professor
Liv Lindeland as Inga
Bruce Penhall as Hondo
Nicholas Georgiade as Schiavo
Andy Sidaris as Whitey [uncredited]
Fun Facts:
- Bruce Penhall makes his first appearance in the Andy Sidaris films as a villain named Hondo. He would appear in the next seven films as hero characters Bruce Christian, then Chris Cannon.
- Roberta Vasquez makes her first appearance in the Sidaris films as a double agent named Pantera. She would appear not in the next film, but the following four films as Nicole Justin, new partner of Donna Hamilton.
- John Aprea appeared in the next film, "Savage Beach", as a more heroic character named Captain Andreas.
- Cynthia
Brimhall's part as Edy Stark is rather small in this film. Edy
does, however, have major moments in later films.
Return to Savage Beach (1998)- So bad. Ridiculously bad, even under the auspices that it's a T&A flick. It's another Andy Sidaris-directed film. The story is bad, and the acting is bad. At least the women look hot, and the movie is well-filmed. Those are the good points. All the women are great, but Carrie Westcott as blonde Sophia is the standout in this movie. She also plays a cool character. She is the stuff spy-babes are made of. What's this movie all about? I doubt if the filmmakers even know. Main idea: A bunch of chesty babes called L.E.T.H.A.L. Force goes after bad guys. That's about it. Also starring Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith, Shae Marks, and Ava Cadell. One of the two creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman, has a part as good guy Harry The Cat. He was the real-life husband of Julie Strain at the time.
This is probably the poorest-quality of the Sidaris films, but one of the best in female visuals.
Cast:
Fun Facts:
- NONE of the actors in this film appeared in the original "Savage Beach" film. Donna and Taryn are referenced in stock footage, and that's it.
- Ava and Silk appeared in Sidaris films before the L.E.T.H.A.L. era, but were brought back for smaller, supporting parts in this movie.
- This is the last Andy Sidaris film. Andy passed away in 2007.
Savage Beach (1989)- The women in this movie are awesome...and that's just about it. Let's just say the acting is "not good" and I found it really hard to get drawn into the story. It looks like everybody is about ready to break out laughing at any time. The story idea is pretty cool, though, and I like the idea of what the film was trying to do. The bad thing is that this movie is boring...dullsville!
Cast:
Dona Speir as Donna
Hope Marie Carlton as Hope
Lisa London as Rocky
Patty Dufek as Pattycakes
Bruce Penhall as Bruce Christian
Michael J. Shane as Shane Abilene
Rodrigo Obregon as Rodrigo Martinez
James Lew as Agent #1
Fun Facts:
- All major actresses in this film were former Playboy Playmates.
- Director Andy Sidaris has a cameo as a man operating a CB radio.
- This was
Michael Shane's first movie. It is also the first appearance of
his character Shane Abilene. This character appeared in a total
of 5 films from 1989 to 1993.
Slaves in Bondage (1937)- Lona Andre plays heroine Dona Lee. This is an early prototype of what would become, thirty-some years later, the "sexploitation" film. At this time, movies like this were simply referred to as "exploitation" and usually contained a moral message about the pitfalls of wreckless sex, marijuana, cocaine abuse, and other "not nice" things. Here, the subject is just prostitution. There are also moments of lesbian-ism. For the time period, this movie was extremely avant-garde. Today, it's just bizarre. It's weird to see people in an old-time movie speak so bluntly about, not just sex, but prostitution...even "lezzies". It's made with what we would call today a PG sensibility, but at the time, if they had ratings, this probably would've been called XXX+. They really couldn't show skin, because it was tough enough to get these movies played in theaters. I found this movie dumb and nearly unwatchable by bad acting, lazy writing, and near uneventfulness, but it had a good enough plot idea. A crooked businessman and his female partner use a beauty salon as a front to recruit women as prostitutes for the man's roadhouse.
Weekend With the Babysitter (1970)- This is a sequel-that-isn't to the earlier film, "The Babysitter" (1969). The only connections are: 1. The babysitter is named Candy Wilson; 2. George E. Carey plays the male lead; and 3. The story is about an older married man having an affair with his babysitter. That's it. That's not to say this is a bad film. On the contrary, it's pretty good and, in a lot of ways, better than the original.
The character of Candy Wilson not only changed actresses, but looks. In the original film, Candy was a blonde. In this movie, Candy has reddish-brown hair. Susan Romen is attractive as Candy, but she doesn't have a lot of expression. She wasn't a terrible actress; she just needed to loosen up. I think Ms. Romen could have been a better actress in time. Sadly, this was the first of only two movies in an all-too-short career, and her only lead.
Jim Carlton is a middle-aged movie director that's lost his direction. His current movie script about the younger generation, is doomed to failure for lack of understanding young people. What's worse, his marriage is falling apart. Mona Carlton (Luanne Roberts) is an attractive, thirty-something redhead that ruined her acting career and developed a nasty drug habit. Mona's bigger problem lies within the fact that she is forced to run heroin for her drug dealer in Jim's boat!
Meanwhile, Jim thinks Mona is on a short weekend vacation to visit her mother. While Mona's away, the Jim will play! To get a better understanding of young hipsters for his movie, Candy takes Jim out to all the hot spots. Jim befriends the likes of A.K., Snitch, and Mary Mary, while getting closer to Candy. Jim and Candy soon have a wild affair. The next few days, Jim learns about the marijuana culture and motocross racing. He soon realizes, however, that he loves his wife and that this affair cannot continue. Once Jim realizes Mona is in danger, he goes off to her rescue with the help of Candy and her hippie biker friends. Mona is saved, the bad guys are busted, and Jim reunites with his wife. Happy ending time!
Like the earlier, "The Babysitter" (1969), both movies have their advantages and disadvantages. However, I do believe "Weekend With the Babysitter" is probably the better movie of the two.
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Advantages:
- Color film. I can't help it; sex looks better in color.
- Much better production values. This movie was filmed very open with a lot of activity. Planes, boats, motorcycles...this is the kind of stuff that makes a movie.
- Overall better cast. With the exception of Ms. Romen, the whole cast was pretty talented and likable. Even Ms. Romen was likable; acting just wasn't her "thang".
- More defined characters. The first movie was basically the husband, wife, and Candy; it didn't much believe in supporting characters. This movie had a wider selection of interesting characters. A.K. and Snitch are awesome! The bad guy drug dealers are cool. There were a lot of interesting people to follow.
- Better film score. In the first movie, we pretty much heard the "Candy" theme over and over with some cheap jam music tossed in. This movie had a wider selection of music.
- Hotter women. In the first movie, Patricia Wymer was okay. Ruth Noonan had a few things going for her (wink, wink). The rest? Eh. In this movie, Susan Romen was pretty darn attractive. Luann Roberts was way hot! Gloria Roberts is tall, blonde, and big-chested. Annik Borel is also pretty interesting.
- Better
story. Things connect better in this film without a lot of loose
ends.
"Weekend With the Babysitter" Disadvantages:
- The sex scenes could have been better. Things are more implied than they are shown. I don't believe movies need nudity, but if a movie is going to have nudity, it needs to "show" it. You see flashes of flesh, and that's about it. The first movie gave us longer glances of the girls.
Cast:
George E. Carey as Jim Carlton
Susan Romen as Candy Wilson
Luanne Roberts as Mona Carlton
Bob Bernard as A.K.
Steve Vinovich as Snitch
Gloria Hill as Mary Mary
James Almanzer as Rich Harris
Anthony Victor as Sancho
Guy Edwards as Leon
James E. McLarty as Smitty
Alternate Titles:
- Weekend Babysitter
Fun Facts:
- This movie, like the first, also has a character named Doris. In addition, both characters are lesbians. Doris Winkler, in the first movie, is a full-on lesbian as far as we know, while the Doris in this movie is a bisexual. Both were blondes.
- This is Susan Romen's first of two movies, and the only one in which she is a lead. She has a small part in "Dinah East" (1970), another sexploitation film.
- Steve Vinovich has enjoyed the longest acting success of anyone in the cast.
- Luanne Roberts had a pretty decent career playing sexy babes from 1969-1977.
- Gloria Hill was quite a beauty, but only worked in bit parts from 1969-1971. She usually played tall, hot babes, but in her next film, "Bigfoot" (1970), she played a female Bigfoot!
- This was the last work for Guy Edwards, who only acted from 1968-1970. He passed away in 1986.
- Bob Bernard, who was awesome in this movie as A.K., acted from 1963-1974 in only a handful of low-budget movies and TV shows.
- James E. McLarty was in both "Babysitter" movies. He played Inkie the biker in the first movie, and Smitty the boatman in this movie. He only acted from 1963-1971 in a handful of low-budget movies.
- Anthony
Victor was another guy that didn't work much; only in four shows from
1967-1983!
The Woman Hunt (1973)- I thought this movie was SO going to stink until I actually watched it. First off, I don't like the idea of "human hunting", an idea that's been overplayed in movies (especially in the 1990s decade). Second, I never like seeing women get killed in shows...certainly not good-looking women. I was really quite surprised by this movie. It's one of the many made-in-the-Phillippines, American sexploitation flicks that came out of the 70s. Surprisingly, this is probably more of an action movie than a sexploitation movie. The action sequences are done very well, even by today's standards. Yes, there is some female nudity to give the audience cheap thrills, but that's not the only thing the movie has going for it. This movie tells us something we need to know. Slavery was alive and well in the 1970s, as it is today. Some people in undeveloped countries DO prey on women for sex slaves. In addition, there are some people who like to kill other people for sport. This movie simply puts those two terrible vices together.
John Ashley plays Tony, one of the kidnappers who decides to turn on his boss and free the current female prisoners. The story is very plain and simple and doesn't try to do anything that time, talent, or budget won't allow. As a matter of fact, the film movies very quickly. Because of its fast pace, there is no such thing as character development, although the personalities of some of the characters are quite entertaining. Ashley's character doesn't really have much of a personality beyond the fact that he's a reformed bad guy. He does a decent job of acting, though. Sid Haig, as Silas, is probably the coolest man of the cast. He's totally into the abduction and demeaning of women, and has the best sense of humor about it. He's a funny, wise-cracking a**hole! Silas is a bad guy, but he still has some scruples. He doesn't like to physically "hurt" the women, just humiliate them, and he's still kind of a buddy to Tony, even after he's turned. Silas doesn't, however, like Karp. Ken Metcalfe has an interesting, even cool character in Karp despite the fact that he's a total weirdo. Karp is easily the most violent of the three kidnappers, and he hates women. The wacky, red-haired hippie dude pretends that he's attracted to women, but it becomes pretty obvious to us that he's a homosexual. Silas' hatred of the "queenie" Karp is what ultimately leads to his end when Karp shoots him in the stomach. For some particular reason, Karp targets McGee (played by Pat Woodell).
Pat Woodell did a good job as McGee, the leader of the kidnapped girls. She has short hair in this movie, which is unusual to see. She also bares her breasts which is another unusual (although welcome) sight. Pat actually gives good delivery of her lines, which is not common to most sexploitation movies. The most quotable line is what she says to a Japanese businessman putting the make on her: "Why don't you take a running backflip and go f*** yourself." Charlene Jones as the black girl, Billie, was another cool character. She just had a good personality, and she was convincing. Laurie Rose as strawberry blonde, Lori, was cute, but she wasn't the most believable. I liked her in the movie, though. She didn't act terrible, but she doesn't really "wow" us with her words. Where McGee was targeted by Karp, and Billie was desired by Silas, Lori was pursued by Magda. Lisa Todd, best known as one of the "Hee Haw" girls, played bisexual beauty, Magda. Lisa is almost always drop-dead gorgeous in her film and TV appearances. In this movie, she was made up to look a bit strange. Her character was strange, so it worked. Magda was the henchwoman/lover of ultimate villain Spyros, played by Eddie Garcia. She was the overseer of the kidnapped girls; their keeper. Magda loves girls as much as she loves Spyros; and she was really fond of Lori. Luscious Lori is nearly molested by the powerful Magda twice! Lisa Todd, as Magda, still looks good, but in an offbeat way. Her hair is way big and she wears dark clothes with boobs pushed up-and-out to high heaven! Kind of like an evil version of Elvira!
The plot of this movie is not at all intricate, but there still IS one. It's a simple little 81-minute movie for guys that like TNA and shoot-em-up action. That's about it. There's nothing too involved. I thought this movie was going to be a lot sleazier than it was. Most low-budget sexploitation movies of this period ARE a lot sleazier. Heck, a lot of mainstream action movies today are sleazier than this. Don't pay too much attention to what egghead critics tell you. This is a fun little movie if you like the content. The filming and editing isn't the best, but you have to take that with films of this sort. It's still very watchable.
SPOILER ALERT!
Everyone in the movie gets killed off except Tony (John Ashley) and Lori (Laurie Rose).
Cast:
John Ashley as Tony
Pat Woodell as McGee
Charlene Jones as Billie
Laurie Rose as Lori
Lisa Todd as Magda
Sid Haig as Silas
Ken Metcalfe as Karp
Eddie Garcia as Spyros
Alona Alegre as Sam
Alternate Titles:
- Escape [UK]
- The Highest Bidder
- John Ashley and Pat Woodell get top billing in the cast. Although John Ashley is the "hero" of the picture, Pat Woodell's second-billing doesn't make much sense. Yes, she's the leader of the kidnapped girls, but she really isn't the "leading lady" of the movie. Nor is she the love interest of the hero. Laurie Rose would have been the more accurate choice for second-billing. Pat Woodell, however, was one of the better-known names in the cast at the time, which explains why her name was up high in the list.
- Laurie Rose is a longtime, professional belly dancer. Although her acting career started in 1972, she's had a much longer-lasting career in film and television than co-stars Charlene Jones, Lisa Todd, or Pat Woodell who, at that time, been acting for several years. Ironically, Lisa Todd and Pat Woodell are the women from this cast best-known to film fans.
- This movie was filmed and set in the Phillippines.