Raspberry Reich (2004) directed by Bruce LaBruce

WARNING: Explicit subject matter! 

This film tells the story of a would be terrorist group who kidnaps the son of a rich businessman for blackmail purposes. However, the son has recently come out as gay and was disinherited which complicates their plans. The group is led by a woman named Gudrun who constantly and I do mean constantly, spouts off radical philosophy histories and slogans - going so far as yelling "Fuck me for the revolution" as her boyfriend fucks her off the bed, out of the apartment and into the elevator. As this is happening, Che (another main character) is preforming oral sex on various firearms and finally shoots his wad - and a gun - in unison. Gubdrun is, in effect the only woman in this film save for a neighbour in the elevator and the rest are all young, sexy boys (mostly gay porn stars) who spend much of the runtime fucking each other. This film has an "unedited version" but maybe that's the version I saw both in the cinema and on DVD because, honestly, nothing is hidden or cut away from sexually. Full on oral and anal sex, cum shots - it's all there. In the end the hostage escapes with a member of the the group who has become his boyfriend and they spend their days robbing banks owned by his father. The other members end up in gay bars and less revolutionary jobs while Che is hired by middle east terrorists to film practice kidnappings. Gundrun and her boyfriend have a kid, hoping he will continue the revolution when he grows up.

To be fair to Bruce LaBruce, this movie falls inline with his other films, falling squarely into comedy/parody territory and while it's not a good film in many ways, it is fun to watch. Sure the explicit sex isn't exactly a minus but the slogans and  dialog, though delivered in a wooden manner, is pretty funny. The boys are sexy and hung and the lead actress gives an over the top performance that is both annoying and somehow captivating. It looks like a 70's low budget exploitation film and sounds like one as well. That is likely 1) on purpose and 2) because LaBruce films are known for having very, very low budgets. The music is interesting at points, but can be annoying and doesn't always fit with the action on screen. The opening segment is far too long and drawn out with strobing title cards  creating an epileptic's nightmare. You could probably cut 20 minutes from the total time and have a much more tight and evenly paced movie.

Like I said, it isn't good, but it does stick with you. The slogans like "The revolution is my Boyfriend!" and dialog such as "homosexually must only be used for revolutionary purposes" might find themselves being used by you in everyday conversation. Well, if you have conversations like I do. You might also find yourself declaring what is  "counter-revolutionary" after seeing this. According to the film that would include things like: Madonna, hip hop, cornflakes and masturbations among other things.

This film is not everyone's cup of tea but it is honest about what it is and thanks you "watching this porn" in the end credits. Bruce LaBruce is a singular filmmaker and keeps on making the things he wants to make and he should be admired for that alone. Plus he is Canadian like me so I am maybe little biased in his direction.

I Heart The 80s!

The 80s were a magical time for me. As I was entering adulthood, America was entering the information age and we were both going through an awkward phase. How else can you explain this commercial where a porn star not only tries to sell you erotica, but acts as tech support, too?

Batman Porno

Well, this clip has little porno but lots of batman on a hopitty-horse... and I mean LOTS. All porn should be like this!

Daddy's Little...kidnapped sex slave

The Pitch: A sweet innocent teen gets mad at parents and runs away with her boyfriend only to be nabbed by porn producing, flesh peddling pimps. Ex-cop Dad must search high and low through pages of cliches to rescue his baby girl.

In celebration of the upcoming NEW "cop Dad searches for clues about his daughter" film EDGE OF DARKNESS starring Der Fuehrer Gibson - hot on the heels of Liam Neeson's surprise box-office hit TAKEN (Eurotrash pimps kidnap American gals)-- I wanted to remember that these themes were covered 30 years ago in George C. Scott's HARDCORE.

Here is the scene where disguised Dad meets porn star "Big Dick Blacque" in Hollywood.



Ps -- No matter how much ass Dad kicks in the end... there is some subtle cuckold fetish angle that must appeal to the studio suits who green-light these films again and again.

Snuff

I was trapped in the car and listened to Chuck Palahniuk's book Snuff, and now I have to post it here as a recommendation for it's wealth of quirky, old-school beauty tips of classic Hollywood stars as well as horrible tragic ends of Hollywood stars (In addition, the meaning of gang tattoos, toxic overdose symptoms of Viagra and effects of cyanide). While there seems to be some contrivance and deus ex machina kinda stuff happening, it was a jolly good and disgusting adventure, if one is, as always except in the case of documentaries, willing to suspend one's disbelief. His willingness probably comes from the juxtapostion of the violent death of his father and his father's girlfriend, which was basically a repetition of the same circumstances a generation earlier - history repeating itself.

A Lotta Livin' To Do

'Bye, Bye Birdie' is about to be mounted again on Broadway for the first time in half a century - the new show stars John Stamos and Gina Gershon (in the roles of Albert and Rosie created by Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera). Dick Gautier (of countless 70s gameshows) played Conrad Birdie - the teen idol drafted into the Army.

I thought I would take a moment to remember the actor/singer Jesse Pearson.

Jesse Pearson was a young actor and singer from Oklahoma who was chosen for the part of Conrad Birdie in the national stage company of the musical Bye, Bye Birdie. The producers of the film liked Jesse's performance enough to cast him in the same role for the 1963 movie (when he was age 32).

In the film, Jesse sang 3 songs: "You Gotta Be Sincere", "One Last Kiss", and "I Got a Lotta Livin' To Do". Despite excellent reviews for his work in 'Birdie' - Jesse, like many actors in Hollywood, found it difficult getting other acting jobs. He played (the same sorta) hillbilly turned rock star (named Johnny Poke) on 2 early Beverly Hillbillies episodes (1964) and played Mayberry singer Keevy Hazelton on Andy Griffith Show (1966).

He released a single on RCA, "Talk to Me Baby" that was featured on the Bye, Birdie soundtrack album. Besides his 60s TV work, he got a small part in the film "Don't Go Near the Water."

Poet/Songbird Rod McKuen adds:

I met Jesse when, between acting jobs, he came to work for me as an assistant. He stayed with me until I was lucky enough to find Gerry Robinson who became my secretary, assistant and confidant for two decades until her retirement. Jesse remained a life long friend to Edward, Gerry, Wade and me. When casting a voice for "The Sea" I felt his presence and intimate vocal quality was just what the project needed. He was easy to direct and both Anita Kerr (who wrote all the music for The San Sebastian Strings albums) and I found him a joy to work with. He was the voice on "The Sea," "Home to the Sea" and "The Soft Sea." Later he did two more albums for Stanyan, "The Body Electric" & "The Body Electric, Two." They consisted of Jesse reading the erotic poetry of Walt Whitman that I had set to music.

Hear Jesse's sexy talk here

He was a kind, sweet, handsome and more than a little complicated man. In the hands of the right agents and managers his charm, acting ability and lanky good looks should have made him a natural for film and TV work.

--

Jesse resurfaced in 1979, using the pseudonym “A. Fabritzi”, as the writer/director of two pornographic films (ie: Pro-Ball Cheerleaders, Legend of Lady Blue).

His career as helmer of adult films was just beginning when Mr. Pearson died at age 49 from cancer on December 5, 1979 in Monroe, Louisiana.

Ma Na Me Na

When I was a little kid my favorite show was Sesame Street and my favorite bit was the Ma Na Me Na song. I would go around the house singing that song repeatedly, which probably led to my Mother's nervous condition. I loved the Ma Na Me Na song, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out that it was based on a song from a Swedish softcore porn movie called Inferno E Paradiso (Heaven and Hell). My childhood memories are based on porn! This explains so much about me.

Here is the Sesame Street version.


Here is the Ma Na Me Na scene from Inferno E Paradiso.


Here is the American trailer for Heaven and Hell. I really like the "prudish American" hard sell of this one.


And, lastly, here is Dio performing Heaven And Hell, because it rocks hard.

Bewigged(?) Pornoexploiter-Forefather Dies at 80

Gerard Damiano 86 at 80.

My penis will break off!

I don't usually post twice in the same week, but I found this and had to share. Anyone who has seen Blue Velvet knows that Isabella Rossellini is up for pretty much anything, but I was still suprised by her latest project called Green Porno with Isabella Rossalini. In this series for the Sundance Channel, Isabella dresses up like an insect and then demonstrates that insect's sexual habits. God help me, I may never watch regular porno again.

ADDENDUM: I did a more research and discovered that this is only available on the interwebs, which makes it seem a little dirtier.

You can find Green Porno at this link:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno