up! (1976)

aka Russ Meyer's Up!
"You want to see my tits? "
Margo Winchester (Raven De La Croix), breezes into small town USA and immediately gets the attention of all the local men.
A confusing melodrama featuring Adolf Hitler assassinations, a one- woman nude Greek chorus, and lots of sex.Lewd and crude, so all is right in Meyer's world.

the seven minutes (1971)

"Objection!"
A newly published book, The Seven Minutes, is up in court to determine if it is pornographic. Complicating the defenses case is an opportunist politician who is trying to make gains off the back of the issue of pornography, and has throw his weight behind the case of a young man who is up for rape and attempted murder. They maintain he was inflamed by reading the book, and care not a jot that he may not be guilty of the rape.
A courtroom drama, played out with Meyer's larger than life characters and comic asides. Surprisingly entertaining and restrained for a Meyer film.

eve and the handyman (1961)

"My mind raced like a hot rod along the drag strip of inspiration."
Eve (Eve Meyer) is spying on handyman (Anthony-James Ryan), as he does his daily chores, but why is she watching him?
Nudie-cutie that exploits men's desire to see women in the nude, any other consideration was secondary to this, and thus this proves. For whilst it injects a certain silent, and slapstick humour into the proceedings, it is never a funny film.

the immoral mr teas (1959)

aka Mr Teas and his playthings.
"The guitar is a very sensitive instrument, with "G" being the third string, and is played over a system of frets. Sensitive men have been fretting over G-strings for years!"
Meyer, yet to find his true auteur voice, produces a nudie cutie, where the titular character (Bill Teas) discovers he can see women without their clothes on, and stumbles from one woman to another...
Even at only an hour long, this seems longer! A film truly of its age, when the censor had a vertiable fit if more than a hint of sex was seen on screen.

blacksnake (1973)

aka Slaves.
"Those who live by the sword, will die by the sword."
Lady Susan Walker (Anouska Hempel) is a tyranical plantation owner, who is keen to personally make use of a whip to keep order within the slave ranks. But such cruelty can only have one result, revolt!
A mixed bag, with not enough of anything that makes a Russ Meyer film unique. Perhaps he wanted to try his hand at a political allegory, but what we got was something that falls short by a considerable way.

finders keepers, looser weepers (1968)

"Just make sure that Lockwood is out of commission at closing time."
The everyday goings on at a Sunset Strip topless go-go bar. Paul (Paul Lockwood) the manager has to slate his thirst at a local brothel as his wife is sexually repressed, but whilst unconscious his club is being robbed, and his main act having quit, his wife decides the show must go on and has a go herself, impressing the barman if no one else!
Another Meyer morality play, where everyone gets their comeuppance, but not one of his best, with little to recommend it.

beneath the valley of the ultra-vixens (1979)

"Get your dick out of there, you "prevert!"
Smalltown USA and Levonna (Kitten Natividad) & Lamar (Ken Kerr) are perfectly happy, but for Lamar's obsession with rear entry sex. In an attempt to get him out of it Levonna becomes the Mexican stripper Lola (with the aid of a wig). This doesn't work so Lemar resorts to seeking the help of Sister Eufaula Roo (Ann Marie).
Well its a Meyer film, so you know what to expect, and plenty of it! All narrated by Stuart Lancaster.

supervixens (1975)

"Like I were saying, how does my beautiful body look today?"
Clint (Charles Pitts) has to go on the run when his wife is killed by a psychotic cop (Charles Napier), who pins the murder on him. Whilst on the run, Clint gets into all sorts of sexual shenanagins with various voluptuous nymphos, whilst dodging the cop. All overseen by Supervixen (Shari Eubank).
A quintessential Meyer film, big breasted women, wimpy men, violence and low comedy, presented by all Meyer's regular cast. You either love em or hate em, but there ain't another like em.

vixen! (1968)

"I know it's strange, but your body really turns me on!"
Vixen (Erica Gavin) is a sex maniac in rural Canada, who whilst getting it on with virtually everyone she can, but gets involved with some Vietnam draft dodgers and an IRA terrorist.
Meyer gives us broad comedy and a hint of some politics, but you're not watching for the plot are you, there are the usual large busted women to distract you from the lack of plot so that's ok then!

mudhoney (1965)

aka Mud Honey. Rope. Rope of Flesh. Rope of Love.
Depression era Missouri and Calif (John Furlong) is trying to get to California. On his way he is decides to take a job at the Wade farm, despite being warned not to. He soon wishes he had heeded the warnings as he gets entangled in the domestic disputes of the family. Things get worse when a local preacher begins a smear campaign about Calif, and his attraction to the bosses sister, who is married to the local nogoodnick Sydney.
This early Meyer effort is a Southern Melodrama, packed full with bad men and women willing to make them feel better! This plays out with little of the Meyer trademarks, though he has packed out the female parts by his usual buxom beauties including Lorna Maitland as a deaf mute who likes men and isn't afraid to show it.

beyond the valley of the dolls (1970)

The Carry Nations an all-girl rock band move to Hollywood to make it. Through the singers contacts they soon find success, and decadence, when they fall under the spell of the Svengali manager Z-man. Each of the three girls soon become prey to the machinations of the LA scenesters. All to a hip and happening sound track. But will they be able to claw their way out of the cesspit once they realise what they have fallen into?
Russ Meyer's big studio break and he pulls out all the stops in his energetic, imaginative, tautly edited and idiosyncratically scripted expose of the Hollywood scene. The studio reigned in Meyer's usual excesses making this a far better film for it, but even so, you name it and it happens here, all in a blink of an eye, an eye with a twinkle in it!

motor psycho (1965)

aka Motor Mods and Rockers. Rio Vengeance.
Made prior to Faster Pussycat, but with a similar outline, only this time it's three men out for kicks. Motor psycho is straighter and darker than Faster Pussycat. Where Pussycat is campy and fun, Psycho is nasty. Though Meyer can't stop himself adding some camp humour and sex along the way. Here Russ depicts the journey of Brahmin, a Vietnam vet suffering post traumatic stress, as he and his gang rapes and murders its way across the Californian desert. Following the rape of a Vet's wife, he chases them into the desert, hell bent on vengence. A mission that is complicated when he stumbles upon Haji, another victim of Brahmin's murdeous rage.
This has everything you expect from a Meyer film, including larger than life predatory women and weak willed men. But it also has a dark heart in the otherwise hip and cool young protagonists. Although not explicit in any way, you can see the video nasty peaking over the horizon with this grittier depiction of Meyers world.

faster, pussycat! kill! kill! (1965)

aka Faster Pussycat! Wham! Bang! Faster, Pussycat! Go! Go! Pussycat. The Leather Girls. The Mankillers.

"Go Girl! Go!"
Three Go-Go dancers hot wheeling it around America looking for kicks make trouble for themselves when they kidnap a young girl and kill her boyfriend. They hide out on a dilapidated ranch owned by a reclusive man and his two sons, who they are told has money hidden on the property, and they plan to find it.
Peppered with fantastic dialogue and outrageous characters, this is Russ Meyers finest film, an ode to violence in women. Unfortunately the audience was not ready for a nude free Russ film, and it bombed, only to become a stone cold classic when rediscovered. Maybe you won't like the over the top caricatures, but I'll guarantee that this film will leave an impression, especially if you like muscle bound impotent hunks, big breasted dominatrix, and unrequited lesbians. Oh and a classic theme tune, later covered by the Cramps. Not bad going for 1965!