Desperate Teenage Lovedolls

Desperate Teenage Lovedolls is one of the great unheralded no-budget movies. It deserves to be put on a shelf with Jim Van Bebber's Deadbeat At Dawn, Scooter McCrae's Shatter Dead, Buddy Giovinazzo's Combat Shock, and John Waters's Mondo Trasho. While not quite as extreme as any of those masterpieces, it has a curious naivety and punk-rock verve that makes it irresistible.

The story follows the rise & fall of a grrl punk rock band from the gutter to the stars and back. It features all the clichés - sleazy managers, drugs, murder, gang fights, Felix the cat, you name it. There's plenty of great punk rock on the soundtrack, and Redd Kross both back the Love Dolls and play roles in the movie.

The whole thing manages to wrap up in well over an hour, leaving us wanting more. Fortunately there's a sequel. I'm hoping for Part 3.