Short Takes

Retro-Seduction Cinema continues its series of rescued classics by San Francisco-based, '70s grindhouse auteur Nick Phillips paired with the studio's contemporary updates. This being Nick's best behind his immortal Roxanna. It's an erotic morality tale of a "beautiful girl paying for a pinch of Satan's power." And pay she does. Even though she THINKS she's getting something for nothing by ripping off her Ernie Douglas-looking pusher while he's on the nod. It's doubly tragic because she finds the strapping young buck of her soberest dreams just as her downward tailspin truly takes hold. Mixed in with the filmmaker's typically searing narration are flash cuts of the screaming monkeys that'd undoubtedly be on her back if they weren't locked safely away at the zoo. While Nick's artful sleaze and the rambling remake are far from created equal, CineSchlockers should note it was written and directed by Misty Mundae (her second effort behind the yet-to-be-released Confessions of a Natural Beauty). Typically cast in supporting parts, Misty provides Ruby LaRocca with a meaty role as our doomed heroine which especially showcases Ruby's uncanny ability to roll her pretty peepers back and flutter 'em like a freshly brained seal. But the thrust of the plot centers on a F-O-U-R-T-Y MINUTE pill-popping, coke-snorting petting party celebrating the delectable duo's sapphic tendencies. Original: Six breasts. Two corpses. Laughing sitar music. Symbolic parking meter. Needle sharing. Crotch cam. Gratuitous raincoat-clad stripper. Knee licking. Hetero humping. Remake: Six breasts. Two corpses. Puking. One chain mail string bikini. Advanced lesbian tongue rasslin. Finger fellating. Boot licking. Slow-mo belly boogie. Ms. LaRocca coos, "I'm not using my body right now, so you can play with it if you want to." (1969/2002, 70/73 mins, Fullframe B&W/Color, Mono/DD 2.0, Featurette, Printed liner notes, Trailers, Bonus CD soundtrack, Numbered limited edition.)