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Mania! Mania!, Vol. 2: Dopemania/Sexmania
Back when the VCR was a real novelty, when only the most tech savvy and entertainment sophisticated saw a need for recordable medium in their own home, the videocassette offered a veritable wealth of personal possibilities. Between films - both current and classic - TV series, clever compilation titles and the growing availability of porn, VHS was into variety, not volume. But by 1987, with practically every household wired into the magnetic tape maelstrom, distributors were desperate for something, anything, to release. They understood implicitly that the window of opportunity was small, and they had to hit the public with the hard sell before losing them to concepts of consideration and taste. Thus we saw a veritable tidal wave of perplexing releases, colorized public domain movies, and lost artifacts from amusement elements gone by. A perfect example of this approach is this pair of perplexing compendiums presented by wrestling authority/rockabilly royalty Johnny Legend. If someone is looking for a throwback to the days when a desperate consumer would rent ANYTHING from their local Mom and Pop stop, this DVD will definitely deliver. Those hoping for actual fun, on the other hand, may be in for quite a letdown.
The Plot:
There are two one hour anthologies offered. They are:
Sex Mania
After an introduction by the mighty Mr. Legend himself (a current sequence, since its shot digitally and featured in a faux letterboxed format) we wonder into a random assortment of old stag reels, snippets from educational short subjects, military instructional films, and semi-graphic VD horror PSAs (in black and white - and rather juicy color). Toss in a few nudist camp romp trailers and a sneak peek at some raunchy exploitation sleazefest known as Rent-A-Girl and you've got 60 minutes of nudity and nastiness.
Dope Mania
An amalgamation of many different old school scare tactics, this compendium on society's efforts to combat the casual use of narcotics features educational shorts (or clips from same), trailers for typical anti-drug movies, and a manually manipulated montage of various 'Just Say No' junk. We also get a chance to see a full length mini-movie about gateway dope, as well as both Johnny Legend and the late Sonny Bono in conservative crackpot PSAs. Add some previews for various films, and a weird cowboy on marijuana sequence, and you've got an innocuous idea of how previous generations tried to keep kids straight.
The DVD:
Unless you're desperate for a way to waste two plus hours of your otherwise valuable time, there is no need to invest any effort or interest in this obvious cash grab. Let's face it - the material being marketed here has been available on the Internet for years, and if you want to mimic what Mr. Johnny Legend is trying to sell you, simple saunter over to You Tube, type in a search phrase like "Sex Ed" and go to town. Back in the days when such unusual items were reserved for public libraries, broadcast museums, and the basements of obsessive collectors, you could con a consumer into a $2.99 three day rental. But today, the DVD savvy set won't cotton to such claptrap. They demand a certain level of watchability and kitsch - and no, nostalgia doesn't really count. So the rationale behind such a release is suspect at best, and when you take into consideration that Legend has been flooding the market as of late with lots of Something Weird Video style titles (exploring everything from the drive-in to the grindhouse to the hardcore porn theater), the money-based motivations are quite obvious. Clearly he is hoping to spark some interest among those who have nothing but fond memories for such old school assortments while fooling the first timer into thinking their getting a retro rarity. In both cases, the buyer not only better be wary, he or she better be prepared to ask for a refund once outrageous remorse sets in.
Indeed, the problem with this release in particular is that there are companies and web-based organizations that have done a much better job of preserving this kind of material. The aforementioned Seattle based sleaze merchants, begun by Mike Vraney as a way of preserving this peculiar part of popular culture, has whole vaults full of this kind of stuff - and Something Weird doesn't offer it in cut-up, randomized sequences. Similarly, Fantoma has done its best to provide theme-based compilations of those lamentable educational shorts that turned every issue - sex, drugs, delinquency, communism - into a waking social disease. Between the Internet Archive and other less prominent sites, much of this content is free and presented as complete as possible. So Legend fails to offer a legitimate reason for these releases except, perhaps, a rather nonsensical nostalgia factor. Indeed, unless you have well worn VHS copies of these '80s artifacts and can't live without a DVD version of same as part of your collection, it's impossible to figure out their overall value. Sure, it's cool to see the man himself frolicking around in a drug induced stupor during part of Dope Mania's many freeform scenes. Even young, Legend has a demented preacher appeal that's hard to deny. But when you play mash up with information that works better on its own, the results are routinely confusing and feel incredibly incomplete.
Still, the stoic way the government treated its soldiers (the lectures here are priceless in their lack of clarity and consideration) combined with the fright flick manner in which both subjects (humping and heroin) are treated, can provide some minimal enjoyment. Sonny Bono's bit is hilarious, especially when you consider he looks about seven sheets to the wind during his "cool man" rap to the camera. Similarly, a well meaning jock's decent into junk and its addictive properties is so hopelessly melodramatic and arch that you can't help but laugh - especially when the dude starts jonesing for a fix. Perhaps the best material here - once again limited by availability - is the collection of several seedy trailers. Rent-a-Girl in particular looks like a pulp porno gone gangrenous, while the nudist colony classics have their titillating innocence on display for all to see. Had there been more offerings like the surreal cowboy pothead presentation (our bronco buster blowing doobies instead of concentrating on the doogies), there may have been some viability to these anthologies. But since they lack context, completeness, and a clear intention, the Mania Mania volumes appear devoid of any real value. They shouldn't be celebrated. They should be shunned.
The Video:
Complete with tracking problems running along one edge, the 1.33:1 full frame image offered by the Mania Mania series is Mediocre, Mediocre. While there is no flaring or analog feedback, the colors are gaudy and the black and white is flat. These are not remastered versions of the original VCR classics - they are VHS dubs in all their aged, spotty spectacle. If you're expecting vintage footage, look elsewhere. Some of this material looks so bad you wonder why anyone would want to watch it.
The Audio:
What we have here is standard Dolby Digital Mono, nothing more or less. These are DVDs done on the cheap, remember. There is really no need for multichannel mixes or speaker challenging surround.
The Extras:
Clocking in at about 20 minutes, the added content here consists of more trailers and clips from various films - including one where a young Master Legend and his pals get their orgy on (yeech!).
Final Thoughts:
This critic is convinced that somewhere, perhaps in a backroom of his secret underground LA lair, Johnny Legend has a voodoo doll with yours truly imprinted on it. As each review of Legend House's latest DVD release comes down the pipe, the head honcho grabs his pins and prepares the effigy for a little recreational reprimanding. Sadly, the determination on this digital dross is destined to spur much of the same ritualistic reaction. Easily warranting the weakest Rent It one can imagine, no one needs to actually own Volume 2 of Mania Mania. Again, a trip across the World Wide Web can easily satisfy one's need for slimy sexual instruction and War on Drugs weirdness. Granted, you may not be able to catch turn of the century tarts showing on their shorthairs, and the less said about our host's salad day thespianism, the better. Indeed, some aspects of the VCRs heyday should be kept under wraps, never to darken the doors of personal perception again. In fact, a Skip It might be more in line with the amount of enjoyment you'll get out of this awkward anthology.
Want more Gibron Goodness? Come to Bill's TINSEL TORN REBORN Blog (Updated Frequently) and Enjoy! Click Here
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