marihuana (1936)

aka Marihuana, the Devil's Weed.
"You kids are in a mess."
Troubled teen Burma Roberts (Harley Wood) is enticed by her peers into smoking the dreaded weed, and next thing she knows she's a party girl, pregnant and desperate for money. Thus she continues on her downward spiral and becomes a pusher, with the inevitable slide.
Moralistic tale of good girl gone bad in this standard exploitation flick.

the boat that rocked (2009)

aka Pirate Radio.
"men where dying and they couldn't be saved because of this rock and roll pornography."
James (Charlie Rowe) is lucky enough to get a job on a pirate radio station at it's height in 1966, just as the Government decide to outlaw it.
Historically inaccurate and with a weak plot, but enjoyable for all that.

t.n.t. jackson (1974)

aka Dynamite Wong and TNT Jackson.
"You want it black, you got it black!"
A bad ass young woman, Diana Jackson (Jeannie Bell) visits Hong Kong in an attempt to find her brother's killer. She soon befriends a Chinese guy called Joe (Chiquito), and is in the thick of the action battling a drug lord and his bitchy girlfriend.
A weak attempt to meld the martial arts and Blacksploitation worlds, lacking the charisma and fluid action of other better known Blacksploitation flicks.

gallivant (1997)

"the chance to meet people and marvel at the landscape."
An 8mm travelogue, where the director, his mother and his daughter, (who has but a short time to live, due to some unspecified complaint), journey around the coast of Britain, catching snapshots of coversations along the way.
Beautiful to watch, with an underlying sense of our losing touch with the past, a longing for conection, and the impending loss of both his mother and child, make this all the more poignant.

santo vs frankenstein's daughter (1972)

aka Santo vs. la hija de Frankestein.
"It's forbidden to talk about age here."
Dr. Freda Frankenstein (Gina Romand) is after Santo's blood to complete her youth serum, and has Frankenstein's monster to help her get it.
Despite his wrestling moves this Santo movie lacked much of the bizarre action that usually accompanies him, and fails to sustain my interest.

the vampire's coffin (1958)

aka El Ataud del Vampiro.
"Have mercy on me sir."
Vampire Count Karol de Lavud (Germán Robles), is resurected by graverobbers, and takes a fancy to the neck of Marta González (Ariadna Welter) and tries to get his fangs on it.
Rather talkie horror, when are we going to get to the biting?

queen of the amazons (1947)

"Greg says that I'm more than half savage, and maybe I am."
Jean Preston (Patricia Morison) is looking for her husband, who has disappeared. Firstly she visits India, but then tracks him to Africa. And after an age she finds out he has been captured by a savage tribe of women led by Zita (Amira Moustafa).
Some seriously trashy hokum based around as much stock footage as the producers could find.

girl in gold boots (1968)

"I'm here to be a dancer."
Michele Casey (Leslie McRay) is encouraged to journey to LA to become Go-Go Dancer, Once in Hollywood she has no trouble getting herself a job in a hip nighclub, but then drugs enter the scene.
A second rate b, though better than Showgirls, (which has a similar plot), merely on the fact that it cost a fraction of that turkey to make. Also although the star cannot dance you've still gotta love the go-go scenes.

pecker (1998)

"Pubic hair causes crime."
Pecker (Edward Furlong) is a young lad whose hobby is taking photo's of everyday scenes he comes across in his daily life in Baltimore. Everything changes when Rorey Wheeler (Lili Taylor), a New York gallery owner, sees his work, much to annoyance of his girlfriend Shelley (Christina Ricci).
A lighter Waters film than most of his work, which pokes fun at the New York art scene, and delivers a delightful comedy, that still manages to throw in some subversion.

the league of gentlemen (1960)

"It's like being in school."
A redundent army veteran, Colonel Hyde (Jack Hawkins), annoyed at his treatment, recruits a some disgraced ex-collegues to pull off a bank robbery based on their military training.
Classic British caper comedy, with a subtle use of wit, well that is until Oliver Reed turns up as a very camp thespian!

hairspray (1988)

"It's the times. They are a-changin'. Something's blowing in the wind. Fetch me my diet pills, would you, Hon?"
A young girl, Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) idolises the dancers on local tv show The Corny Collins Show, and her rise to fame when she manages to become a dancer it, and sparks off protests for intergration, in the Baltimore of 1962.
Water's breakout film, that played up the retro charm, and won him a new audience.

revenge of the creature (1955)

"For a scientist I sure am a sentimental fool."
Hunters return to the black lagoon to capture the creature, which they do, taking him to Marineland in Florida for study by Prof Clete Ferguson (John Agar) and Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson). Whilst there he takes a fancy to Helen and makes off the first chance he gets, but hangs around stalking her and attempting to get his claws on her.
Sequel to, but not a patch on The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Probably better in 3-D, being the only sequel to a 3-D movie that was itself produced in 3-D, but more notable as being the first screen role for Clint Eastwood.

cecil b. demented (2000)

"There are no rules in underground cinema, only edges."
A guerrilla film maker (Stephen Dorff) and his troop of regulars, kidnap an A-list actress Honey Whitlock (Melanie Griffith) with the aim of making her star in their film.
A lesser comedy from Waters, lacking the attacking zeal of much of his work, but still has its moments.

devils of darkness (1965)

aka Talisman.
"Come you are my chosen bride, you will follow me to the end of time."
In rural Brittany there exists a secret vampire cult, headed by Count Sinistre (Hubert Noël), praying on anyone they can get for their human sacrifices. Visiting writer Paul Baxter (William Sylvester), becomes suspicious when his traveling companions disappear and he tries to unravel the cults secrets, with inevitable results.
Takes the Hammer style and runs with it, producing a stylish and watchable horror, but one which has no real stand out moments.

polyester (1981)

"I got somethin' to show ya, Francine! It's long. And it's sleek. And it's powerful. It's mah new 'vette!"
Mrs Fishpaw (Divine) is a housewife, who hates her husband's career as the owner of a pornographic cinema. Then her world falls apart when she catches him being unfaithful to her, but her life gets worse when her daughter announces she is pregnant by a local thug, and her son arrested as the Baltimore foot-stomper. Salvation comes when her life seems at its lowest, when Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter) arrives on the scene, but is this the end of her problems, or just the beginning?
A fine comedy, that dabbles with Waters usual themes. Originally filmed in Odorama.

nobody runs forever (1968)

aka The High Commissioner.
"He's not here to look into the leaks..."
An Australian diplomat (Christopher Plummer), chairing some delicate peace talks in London, is wanted back in Australia on a charge of murder. Detective Scobie Malone (Rod Taylor) is sent to bring him back, quietly, with no diplomatic waves created. Unfortunately there is more to this than meets the eye, and the detective finds himself in deeper waters that he knows...
Interesting fish out of water drama, that is aided by great casting and a few well placed lines.

shellshock rock (1979)

"It'll all change eventually."
A rudimentary documentary that captures the fun and frenzy of the vibrant punk scene in late 70's Northern Ireland, featuring some fabulous live footage of Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, and forgotten groups such as Protex, Rudi and The Moondogs amongst others.