Monday, January 27, 2014

American Mary (2012, Jen & Sylvia Soska)

For a while now, I haven't been very interested in newer horror flicks, due, primarily, to the undeniable stagnancy of the genre, but there's been a few titles that have been mentioned to me that I figured I should check out. I need something to rejuvenate my appreciation for horror and "American Mary" had the potential to do so, but it ultimately stumbled into an Eli Roth-influenced fuck-fest.

A medical student decides to take up stripping to pay her phone bill, which leads to her involvement in some kind of seedy shit going on in the basement of the club where they promptly require her surgical knowledge for a guy who appears to have been all cut up. She's thrown a wad of cash on the spot and, the next day, gets a visit from some Joan Rivers-faced, squeaky-voiced, plastic surgery-freak who wants to hire her to provide her Barbie doll-looking, freako friend with the necessary anatomical alterations to complete her inhuman image. Things go well and, eventually, she starts making a name for herself in the world of underground body modification surgery, working out of the sleazy strip joint where it all started...

This one kicked off in a fairly intriguing manner - doling out a suitable dose of weirdness and unnatural characters having unnatural interactions about doing unnatural things to themselves. So the premise there was enough to rope me in early on and I was able to enjoy the film, for the most part. Problem I had was the pacing seemed a bit odd and clumsy. Too much happens way too quick to the point where the story's structure seemed way too confused and arbitrary. Things happen and there's really no reason given for them, which CAN be fine in the right context with the right film narrative, but it didn't really work with this, I thought. A lot is just glossed over really fast. The script just seemed like it could've used some tightening so things could've had a better "flow". The film is dedicated to Eli Roth, which didn't surprise me as the whole 'tone' of it oozed fangirl reverence. Filmmakers... please. For the sake of the genre, do NOT take pointers from that guy!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Fairy in a Cage (1977, Kôyû Ohara)

Some fine Nikkatsu rapey goodness on display within "Fairy in a Cage"! Not the best, in terms of plot, but I'd definitely say there's enough to keep it rollin' along, plus a more than adequate amount of bondage and sleaze to maintain it's pinky integrity.

During WWII, a corrupt military police squad is unjustly arresting women for "interrogation" which consists of perverted torture and sexual abuse. The wife of a successful jeweler is snatched up - along with a sissy stage actor - accused of anti-government sedition and imprisoned by the police who subject them to crazy, cruel humiliations and torture under the orders of the scummy head of the squad...

"Fairy in a Cage" is one extremely straight-forward pinku film, which may not appeal to those who prefer the more plot-heavy entries, which, personally, I don't really care. As long as you got Naomi Tani suspended from her ankles while her vag is filled with water for five minutes, I'm happy. Not only that, ya got some vaginal rope burns, a wimp who seems to hate having his cock sucked, a hilarious Omorashi scene, some painful wooden horse torture and two bound people's genitals being coated in some kind of itching cream, forcing them to hump each other for relief. Yeah, it's not the most 'stylish' or innovative of it's kind, but "Fairy in a Cage" is a damn enjoyable S&M flick.