Ultimate Cinemageddon #2

Here it is a little earlier than usual (which is strange for me). The response I had from Part 1 was actually very overwhelming. I'm really happy with this new direction I am going in. I love teh experimentation involved. Sure I'm just using my iMovie software but it gets the job done. I'm not trying to be a superstar DJ (that phase is over) or anything like that but I can see the satisfaction those guys get when the beats blend and all that jazz. Although I was extremely happy with the first installment, I felt it was a little rough round the edges and some tracks went on for too long. Hopefully I think you will agree that this installment, although still flawed is a much more tighter production.

Before I forget, I would like to say that things have changed up a little bit. I won't be providing a folder like I did last time with all the individual, unmixed tracks. It takes up way too much space on my Dropbox account and I refuse to pay for a file hosting site (well, I can't afford it in all honesty) so if anyone hears a song in any of the mixes from now on, drop me a line and I will do my best to get them sent over to you. Another thing is, this installment is a bit longer and has much more treats so expect the project to change a lot as I progress and experiment.

One last thing and I will be doing a post on this here soon, but go over to check out the amazing project that is The Book. If you are a fan of Italian cinema then you are going to cream your pants when you read that. Also don't forget to check out their indiegogo page where you can contribute and receive some lovely treats for helping. Like I said, I will be going in to much detail soon but if you feel like it, you can check out a video made here.

But wait! I lied! There's one more thing I swear! I just passed 30,000 views on the blog. I know some of you guys may snigger because you get that traffic on a daily basis but man, thank you so much. Never thought anyone would interested in my crappy creative exploits, modest aren't I? What? You want your music now? Ok then...



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Ultimate Cinemageddon #1

On this day I have some sad news. The Mondo Squallido Official Soundtrack series has come to an end. 10 volumes of cinematic bliss seemed to be a great cut off spot. I felt it was a great number to finish... Oh wait.... Just received a memo... Oh right... OK....

Where episode 10 ends, episode 1 of my new Ultimate Cinemageddon begins. It's essantially the same formula; 23 tracks comprised of music, excerpts and trailers to some of cinema's greatest (and sleaziest) moments. There is one big twist aside from a name change and a blurry logo however, it comes in both an unmixed and mixed form.

That's right, I have evolved a tiny bit and thanks to my video editing software (I need to get proper software at some time) I can now experiment. OK, superstar DJ's won't need to sleep with one eye open but I'm actually proud at how episode came out (especially considering it only took me an hour). Hopefully as the episodes go on, there will be a lot more experimentation and the creases will be ironed out.

Of course, to cut down on file sizes, the mixed version will be available through my Soundcloud page to download or listen at your pleasure. The unmixed version will be available directly from the blog. I think whenever a new episode is available, the unmixed files of the previous episodes will be deleted but the mixes will stay up for as long as possible.

Anyway, I'm going to stop waffling and give you the goods. One thing I am also doing differently from now on is not wasting your time giving a description of each track. My fingers hate me after every post!

Ultimate Cinemageddon #1 Mix:

UNMIXED FOLDER

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Back Page Oddities: French Connection

Hello everyone!

Once again, it has been so long since my last post and the compilation series was on hold for a while but I am finally back. I could have told you in a quick post but no, I'm an ignorant bugger so I didn't do that. It's been quite hectic here at Mondo Squallido HQ recently. I won't bore you with the details but hopefully, will be posting on a much more regular scale than usual and there will be a new compilation soon! Anyway, today I thought I would throw up a small post that entertained me at least and I thought I would share with you all!

I recently finished the fantastic The French Connection from Robin Moore. I adore the film and had to read the book that spawned the movie (kinda). I ordered it from Amazon a few months a go and it was advertised with the cover of the film poster. Usually books that have spawned films annoy me when they use imagery from the movie on the cover but with the poster artwork of the film being so iconic, I didn't mind too much. To my surprise, when I received my book, after recovering from the STRONG smell of damp and old book, I find it had different artwork and was actually an edition from 1971 that was released just before the film.

You're probably thinking "Yeah that's all well and good Pete but why are you wasting my time?"
Well, once I finished the book I noticed the advertisements in the back of the book including the double page spread for a book called Cop! by L. H. Whittemore and man does it sound like a grindhouse era film that I wish they made (someone probably did come to think of it!). I have to source this book because it sounds amazing. I mean look at the advert, it starts with Cop! repeated and then BOOM! Tell me ya'll didn't read that in a smooth, Jim Brown style voice! I just love the simplicity of this and quirkiness of things like this in general. If you haven't already I invite you to check out my Wank Rag Swag to see what I'm really talking about.

I know books nowadays still have adverts for other books but it's just so boring and dull to me. Just when I thought that was it, I turn to the final page and discover this. The mail order page. Once again, big deal right? Where else will you see book titles like The Voyeur and amazing titles like And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan In A Poker Game? I have no idea if it's a good book or not but Fatty Hagan losing and island for only 25p sounds like a winner to me! Yes indeed it does!

Anyway ladies and gentlemen, that's it. That's the BIG return from your uncle Peter! Like I said, it tickled my borrowed nostalgia nerve so I thought I would share with you all!

Until the next time, thank you for sticking with me and my unorganised (but well shaped) arse!

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Picking Yer' Brain #2: Carter Stevens

Well it sure has been a long time since the first Picking Yer' Brain back in March! Big thanks to the kind words I received from my readers and new faces. This installment we are talking to another hero of mine from the world of cinema. I first met today's guest a year or so a go through a Youtube I made about one of his films. That film was Punk Rock, which is one of my (if not my) all time favourite classic adult films. I was showing off the r rated version of the film I had just received (which by the way, is a great version of the film too) and he was kind enough to message me asking if I would be interested in having a full uncut copy, a week or so later I receive a 3 disc set of some of his films. It's one of the nicest things to happen to me and I am really happy to welcome Carter Stevens who is about to have his brain picked about fond memories, library music, Wade Nichols and social networking amongst other things!

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You have a great filmography. Are there any films that stand out as personal favourites?

That is like asking which of your children do you love the most. Each of my films has something about it that rings a bell with me every time I think about it. Pleasure Palace for instance has a dolly shot in it that was the first time we ever had the budget to rent a real dolly. Up until then we used to use a wheelchair and a hand held camera for dolly shots. Punk Rock we did two versions. The second one had all the sex cut out and an hour's worth of extra plot, a gun fight and live Punk Rock music we shot at Max's Kansas City. Teenage twins wasn't a great film but it had a real set of twins for the first time in adult films. (plus it made more money that all my other films which warms my memory of the film.) Lickity Split was the first film I wrote the script for by myself. As I say each film has something that makes it stand out favorably in my memory.

Music is always top notch in your films, especially Punk Rock. How important was the music and process of picking the music for your pictures?

Unlike a lot of other adult filmmakers who were working at the low budget end of the business I bought and paid for all the music in my Carter Stevens films. Of course it was library music so some of the music I chose also wound up in non adult projects as well. The most recognizable was the piece of music that wound up being the theme for "The People's Court" TV show. I was also lucky on a couple of projects like Lickity Split where I managed to buy cheap an original piece of music for the theme. In several projects I was lucky enough to get permission from a talented singer/songwriter named Chinga Chavens who became a friend and not only gave me permission to use all his music in my films for free (his first album was called Country Porn so it fit right into our genre) and he even wrote a tune called Jailbait which was inspired by my film of the same name.

One of my favourite actors / performers is Wade Nichols. What was he like? Any interesting stories?

Wade (whose real name was Dennis Posa and who went on to a legit career on TV and even recorded a disco album under the name Dennis Parker) was a Great guy. He was actually totally gay but would work "Straight for pay". I worked with him many times on my films and on other peoples films that I also worked on. He was NEVER less than a professional no matter what the film. Personally he was a sweet person. When he was playing Derick Mallory on EDGE OF NIGHT my preteen daughter got a crush on him. I told him about it and he wrote her a warm 2 page letter and sent her a half dozen autographed 8x10 which wound up all over her bedroom walls.

Of course you worked with many other greats. Are there any stars or crew members that you never managed to work with but wanted to?

Radley Metzger

Social media such as Facebook and events like Cinema Wasteland have connected fans and personalities from the golden age of adult films. How has it been meeting fans old and new and also getting back in touch with old friends from the business that you may have thought you'd lost touch with?

The internet is such a boon to old friendships. I'm back in touch with friends from so many parts of my life that would have been impossible before Facebook. Jeannie Silver and I hadn't talked in over 20 years and now we are in touch on a regular basis. But it is more than just the adult business this is true about. I have a friend who is a well known Science Fiction author who 30 years ago lived in Binghamton, NY and now lives in Australia and we are more in touch now. Every week that goes by I run across more and more old friends from the early days of porn. Some of them have passed away now but we managed to get back in touch before their passing and it was great to be able to say goodbye before they passed. As to fans it is ALWAYS a thrill to be asked for your autograph. Don't forget when we were making these films we were outlaws, now we are recognized (at least by some) as serious filmmakers.

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A massive thank you to Carter for taking the time to answer some questions. If you are interested in checking out some of his filmography you can buy DVDs from the following stores:

Diabolik DVD
Alternative Cinema

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BFI Flipside: Captured (1959, John Krish)

Captured is a 1959 film directed by John Krish. If the name doesn't ring a bell, I'm sure you have seen at least one of his rather full on and disturbing child safety videos. Chances are, if you where a kid growing up in the seventies your nightmares where fuelled by John Krish. Anyway, we can relive those nightmares later because it's time for me to actually review this title.

The film was commissioned by the Army Kinema Corporation for the sole purpose of teaching our soldiers how to withstand and overcome the event of becoming a POW. It was restricted from public viewing until 2004 where it was screened to the public for the first time. The thing that surprised me the most was just how cinematic this piece of film is. Of course, you wouldn't expect that at first glance because instead of opening up with credits to those involved, the audience is greeted to the words "This film is RESTRICTED" and our introduction comes from a military officer who is us letting us know what we can expect over the course of the next hour.

Captured has a fine balance of education and drama. Those who are fans of the of the output from The Documentary Movement in the 1930's and 1940's will definitely enjoy (f that's the right word for a film of this nature and the subject matter) this one. As will fans of war films in general. The film is clearly well researched and the the characters in the film are equally well written. I could definitely see this piece doing it's job back when it was first released and having an effect on those watching it.

One thing that did surprise me was just how graphic this film could be. Of course by today's standards the on screen violence and interrogation techniques shown are very tame but you have to take into account this was long before the Internet and long before the rise of the extreme horror film. One of the scenes that stands out is the water boarding scene. This scene is executed brilliantly and genuinely had me clearing my throat an awful lot as I watching. Of course, physical violence isn't the only factor in atrocities on show. We also have to deal with some genuinely powerful psychological elements. The actors playing the band of soldiers being held by the Chinese do a great job in making you feel a bond that is slowly being destroyed by the Chinese, the results are genuinely devastating.

Overall, I was just spellbound by what I witnessing. This is to me a fantastic piece of cinema that gives the best Italian neo-realism cinema of the 1940's a run for it's money. Krish has managed to create a piece of art in it's own right as well doing what the Army Kinema Corporation expected. Amongst all the on screen suffering the overriding theme of standing together and uniting as one really shines through. I won't spoil how the film finishes mainly because there is no real end but trust me a smile and possibly a tear will occur. Captured is a fantastic ultra real humanist tale that should be experienced and thanks to marvellous BFI we finally can in what I have to say is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding transfers I have experienced of a film from this era and nature. A real triumph that for me is one of the releases of the year.

Not only do we get treated to a simply gorgeous presentation but the BFI have also provided a wealth of tremendous special features which include an informative and sizable booklet to accompany the film as well as some of Krish's other works and a documentary about the film maker himself:

H.M.P - 1976:

A 52 minute fly-on-the-wall style recruitment film commissioned by the prison service.

Sewing Machine - 1973:
A 1 minute hard hitting road safety video aimed at children

The Finishing Line - 1977:

The somewhat infamous railway line safety video which haunted children for years.

Searching - 1974
An extremely disturbing safety aimed at children warning them of the dangers of matches.

Shooting The Message - 2013A new and extensive interview John Krish about his career and films

Captured is out now on Blu-ray and DVD combo from the BFI

More information about this release as well as links to purchase it can be found here.

Youtube Review

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Jess The Ripper - A Tribute

Yesterday (as of typing this obviously) the world of cinema lost another true hero, Jess Franco. I'm going to come right out and say it. I haven't even managed to watch a tiny fraction of Jess Franco's work and I wouldn't do my readers or Jess himself the injustice of claiming to have done so. If you want to read a much more informed and personal account of Mr. Franco I would suggest strongly you read Tim Lucas's touching and emotional posts here and here.

Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Jess Franco wasn't a hard worker. With literally hundreds of film credits under his belt all the way from directing, acting to being cinematographer and so many more jobs. The funny thing is, his IMDB Page is rather inaccurate as there are so many more projects out there that had some sort of Franco involvement! Not only was he one of the most hard working and ultra prolific figures in the world of film, Jess also was an accomplished jazz musician.

Sure, some of his films might be weak and might miss the mark but I implore you to say a bad word about a man who did what he wanted  and never succumbed to major studio pressure. I implore you to say a bad word about a man who gave the world such beauties as Lina Romay. Yeah I thought as much.

I owe a very personal thanks to Jess because Mondo Squallido would just not exist without him or his work. 99 Women was the first film I reviewed for Mondo Squallido. I won't pimp that video out here but if you want to see it, it's on my Youtube page. It's figures like Jess that keep my film watching experience a exciting one. As I said, there are some stinkers in the filmography, there in MANY directors filmographies. You can have your "perfect" multimillion dollar budget blockbusters, that bores the Hell out of me! I want a film that was shot back to back with another film, I love corners being cut, I love the schlock and imperfections of the cinema from the likes of Jess.

Well, I'm going to close this little tribute. Like I said, my experience with Jess and his work is an ongoing one and thanks to the wonders of modern technology and independent DVD labels we are discovering, rediscovering and most importantly enjoying work from one of cinema's most hard working and well loved cult directors.

Thank you so much Jess for the joy you have given me with your films.

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23rd Century DVD Review: William Shatner's Mysteries Of The Gods (1977, Charles Romine)

"They have been here before. They will come again... SOON!"

I was never good at science at school. In fact I downright hated it. As I have become mature I have realised that was a pretty dickish thing to do. Anyway, I'm not here to bore you with school stories or my ignorance I am here to talk about a documentary that covers a subject that has puzzled scientists for years and. In a time where TV stations  like the History Channel would rather show us reality TV and talk about the Bible it's refreshing to look back at documentaries of the past. Of course, the subject of this documentary was covered recently in Ancient Aliens which of course made the crazy haired Giorgio A. Tsoukalos a household name. So although made in 1976, this piece of celluloid genius is both hilariously dated and relevant at the same time! Let us stop waffling and get on with it shall we?

Mysteries Of The Gods was originally a German production from 1976 directed by Harald Reinl and based on the book of the same name written by Eric Von Däniken. The version I watched was of course the American version directed by Charles Romine and released in 1977. I have no idea what the differences in terms of content (apart from the potential language difference) but what I can tell you is William Shatner is our host and narrator... You need to see this purely for that alone right? Before I continue, I am not going to go in depth about the content and my own personal opinions and theories on the subjects but I am pretty damn sure science has come a long way since this and there have probably been a lot more breakthroughs making the information old but that's the beauty of science!

I went into this one blind and was expecting a low budget sci-fi flick but man was I surprised when I found out this was a documentary! With this realisation I continued to leave my neurotic, disturbing mind well and truly turned off. What I experienced for the next 84 minutes (according to the DVD itself, the IMDB page states it's an 87 minute feature) was just sheer bliss for so many reasons. The first reason was the whole feel of the documentary. What I love for docs of this nature and era is that almost chilling b movie feeling. The film boasts a terrific synth score throughout from a guy called Peter Thomas who I'm sure I will spend many an hour looking for pieces of his work. Another key reason why I loved this was it's almost hallucinogenic and hypnotic use of space photography, illustration and film footage. Oh and come on, William Shatner was in it asking the academics the hard hitting questions in all his campy glory!

There where countless other small touches in this that I wouldn't even be able to touch upon because this would be more of an essay than a review plus, it's another gem (or crystal skull) that you have to experience for yourself. Marvel at some of the characters that Shatner interviews. We have scientists who have more hair on their chins than they do at the top of their heads and people who claim they can telepathically communicate with intelligent life out there. If you love your campy 70's sci-fi movies then this is going to be a real treat. It's a documentary that deals with a genuinely interesting yet unintentionally interesting way. This has cult classic written all over it but I have never heard hardly anyone mention it! Although the subject matter is one that is a hard one for me to really ponder and take in, it did genuinely make me think about the idea that we being watched by another species and my mind is now crammed with potential ideas for future film projects.

Overall, this is a great time capsule that looks backs to a time where scientific documentaries where genuinely interesting and had a theatrical aspect to them. The use of dated editing technology combined with that terrific spaced out synth score is really mesmerising. It doesn't matter if you are here for the intellectual content or if you are here to marvel at a campy, dated aesthetics, there is something here for many people. The transfer on the DVD is another VHS transfer but again it adds to the charm. Again, if you find this in your local pound or charity shop you have to pick it up to experience. However, you can watch this in it's entirety thanks to wonders of Youtube so there's really no excuse! Now if you excuse me... I am off to listen to a bit of Space!

Live long and prosper!



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