Some Nudity Required

Hack directors/producers like Jim Wynorski, Dave DeCoteau, and Fred Olen Ray have long been guilty of substituting bare breasts for skilled or even competent filmmaking. And the women who own these breasts, either naturally or through silicone enhancement, are no less guilty. Are these women exploited? Yes, probably, but so are the male viewers who waste their money and their Friday nights watching this crap rather than developing relationships with real women. And while Wynorski, Olen Ray et. al. may be laughing all the way to the bank, they're no more likely to win an Academy Award than actresses like Maria Ford. They're equally trapped in a soul-less industry that exploits their dubious talents. But while this documentary preaches about the exploitation of women it nevertheless contains rampant female nudity and appeals to the sort of male viewer who will watch it with the sound down and/or one hand on the fast forward button. It is truly a sad state of affairs that low-budget filmmaking today has become almost completely synonymous with softcore porn, but this hypocritical doc. does little to remedy that situation. I was particularly offended with the way the documentary (or at least some of the interviewees)seems to equate horror/exploitation movies with snuff and sexual sadism. The truth is the"erotic thriller" is the domain of people who don't have the talent to make horror movies yet are a tad too respectable for hardcore "adult" industry. And the less said of the co-director's tastelessly self-indulgent revelations of child sexual abuse the better. Why can't all these self-loathing industry types just find another line of work?

Being a fan of typical "bad" movies I was very interested to see this documentary. I have seen numerous of the movies that were featured (I have to admit) but never really thought about the people making the movies. One thing that amazed me was how good the at acting the actors became outside of the movies. Julie Strain displayed more emotion and feelings in the few minutes she was featured than in all of her other movies combined. Of course in those few minutes she showed what a shallow person she is. As most of the directors and producers seem to be. They all seemed very paranoid about their movies being called exploitative.

Overall the movie was quite good. I could have done without the home video of the little girl naked (flashback to molestation of Odette as a child). Also it seemed that the footage of Maria Ford (one of the main interviewees) was overdone. I am a fan of hers but it seems that she was exploited for this film to make it more gritty. Many of the others interviewed didn't see a problem (being more concerned about making money).

7/10

I think this documentary only focuses on the negative side of the b-movie industry.I don't think there is anything wrong with these movies but I know some people with disagree with that. I collect alot of B-movies/exploitation movies from the 70's to the present that's why I rented this documentary. I won't lie I did feel a bit guilty after viewing this because it seemed like it was targeting men in general, because guys like me rent or buy this kind of thing.How am I different than any other guy? How many guys don't like to look at beautiful women? Believe it or not I do respect these women who act in these kind of movies.I have met Brinke Stevens and a few other scream queens in person. I thought they were very nice people as well as being beautiful women. I have nothing against Odette Springer or Maria Ford,if they want out of the business good for them. In alot of ways I don't think mainstream hollywood is any better,sex is a commodity no matter where you go. I happen to like Fred Olen Ray's & Jim Wynorski's movies,does that make me a bad guy? It shouldn't but there are alot of closed minded people out there who only understand what the hell is really going on in the world.If you like b-movies like so many people do ,you may want to see this just for your own piece of mind. I wouldn't let it influence your opinion of these movies. All I can say is see this documentary and decide for yourself.Remember one thing sex & violence will not disappear in our society it hasn't yet. You can't blame movies for the worlds problems, you have a brain use it.To all the b-movie director/producers out there,Keep Up The Good Work!!

Director's look at the B-Movie industry is thought-provoking, at its best, but spends a good deal more time with her own interpretations of her experience than really trying to show us what the industry is like.

Odette Springer is in many ways embarrassed about her involvement in the industry, and attempts to explain both her attraction to such work and the involvement of people in the industry in terms of personal weakness.

A great deal of time is spent making the argument that women are 1) discriminated against based on looks 2) intentionally kept out of good roles and 3) only like the industry if they are mentally disturbed.

This documentary (which watches like a TV movie for Lifetime TV) really, really begs some questions, such as: Did any of the "exploited" women portrayed take any acting classes? Did any of these women explore other, more "tasteful" options like dinner theater?

The underlying, unquestioned premise here is that "Any woman should be able to get tasteful roles which do not require nudity in 'A' grade films." Had the director worked on questioning this a bit (by interviewing women with acting ability or in live theater), this would be a 7. Without ever explaining or questioning that, it is a 5.

The documentary offers an inside view at the making of low grade sexploitation and slasher films. It features many clips of films in the genre and as well as interviews with stars and directors. The Director of this film is a sound worker who has done a number of the actual films. She is a victim of sexual abuse as a child and weaves her tale lightly into the movie. The film has a feminist "awareness" but is not a feminist indictment of the genre because it is too honest the director herself uses MANY graphic film clips so much that this documentary becomes a part of genre that she wishes to criticize! In fact this was probably done on purpose because as the interviews reveal T & A and violence sell. The interviews with directors and stars (including Roger Corman) are light, Frank and very honest. Some of the clips show the directors working styles and are interesting and sometimes hilarious. Topics include Objectification and film, The hollywood system and the pressure on the actors to go along with the B movie Directors whims, The directors thoughts on the films, psychological links between Fear, sex and violence, Sexual abuse and sexual ambivalence, and more. The film is a "must see" for B Movie fans with an interest in the film industry, film students, and Feminists. Overall it is a highly enjoyable (but Graphic) informative piece of work.