LET’S GET PHYSICAL: BASKET CASE (1982) ****

FORMAT:  4K UHD (REWATCH)

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

(As posted on July 25th, 2009)

“What’s in the basket?”

 

It’s a question asked by many people in Basket Case.  Those who find out usually get torn to pieces.  Most of them deserve it.  Some of them don’t.  The ones that do boy… phew!  

 

Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) carries the titular wicker box around for most of the movie.  He checks into a fleabag hotel in New York City with the box in tow.  But he’s not in New York to sightsee.  Duane’s really there to find the doctors who…

 

I know most of you reading this review already know what is inside the box.  Usually, I have no qualms about spoiling major plot points in my reviews.  Most of the time, I’ll tell the movie’s “big secret” in the review without so much as a Spoiler Warning.  Not this time.  If you’re reading this and have never seen Basket Case before, stop reading this and go see it IMMEDIATELY.  

 

You know I watched Basket Case today for the first time in several years and it’s amazing how well it still holds up even after repeated viewings.  I’ve seen it probably a half dozen times now (the first time I saw it was on Up All Night or Night Flight, I can’t remember) and it still packed a wallop today.  Why does it work so well?  Mostly because we can sympathize with Duane’s plight.  We want to see him get his revenge; that’s a given.  We also want to see him get the girl too.  Because of his attachment to what’s inside the basket, we know it can’t be.  

 

Another thing that makes Basket Case fire on all cylinders is director Frank (Frankenhooker) Henenlotter’s storytelling.  He expertly sets up the premise (not before starting things off with an unsettling murder set piece) and slowly builds the suspense to a boil.  He also captures the sleazy side of early ‘80s New York with a lovingly affectionate eye.  The way he films The Big Apple’s rundown flophouses, Kung Fu movie theaters, hookers, and drug dealers, he makes it seem like a pretty cool place to live.

 

I watched the flick today with a buddy of mine who had never seen it.  Part of the fun was watching him reacting to the film.  He loved every second of it and jumped and howled at all the right places.  This flick really works with a crowd.  I can only imagine what it was like to see it in a packed theater full of people.

 

They don’t make movies like Basket Case anymore.  If you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and see it.  If you’ve already seen it, check it out again.  You’ll be glad you did.

 

Basket Case is on The Video Vacuum Top Ten Films of 1982 at the Number 7 spot which places it in between First Blood and Tron.

QUICK THOUGHTS:  

Basket Case is truly a thing of beauty.  It still manages to be fresh, funny, and wild AF over forty years later.  Frank Henenlotter paced this classic like a locomotive and packed it with enough blood and laughs for ten movies.  It’s easily one of the best horror movies of the ‘80s.

4K UHD NOTES:

None other than the MOMA was responsible for the 4K restoration of Basket Case. It makes perfect sense because this movie is a fucking work of art.  MOMA knows what’s up.  This is the best it’s ever looked too.  The nighttime blacks run deep, the neon-lit New York scenes really pop, and little Belial looks better than ever.  All in all, an absolute masterpiece that every respectable horror fan needs in their 4K collection.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL: SCANDALOUS EMANUELLE (1986) **

“E-‘MAY’-NUELLE”

FORMAT:  BLU-RAY

Christina (Jenny Tamburi) is a bored, unfulfilled wife who is seduced by her husband’s suave friend.  Later in their relationship, he even goes so far as to turn her into a prostitute, which she winds up loving almost immediately.  It turns out not to be too big of a deal since Christina’s husband likes to watch it all go down and as it turns out, he’s even going so far as paying for her sexual education! 

Scandalous Emanuelle is a rather slow-moving romantic period melodrama, but it still has a few flourishes that only a madman like Joe D’Amato can bring to a movie.  I’m thinking specifically of the scene where the husband gets turned on while watching his wife use a bidet.  However, the drama is surprisingly inert, mostly because everyone seems pretty cool about all the fornicating going on.  Because of that, there’s no real tension between the characters.  This perhaps would be a non-issue had the softcore action been steamy, but it winds up feeling rather tame, especially by D’Amato’s standards.  Having said that, there is still a LOT of skin and plenty of boinking going on.  Because of that, it certainly isn’t boring. 

In true fake Emanuelle movie fashion, no one is named Emanuelle. Not even Black Emanuelle herself, Laura Gemser is named Emanuelle.  Instead, she appears in a supporting role as a lesbian named Jo who yearns to get into Christina’s panties.  Sadly, if you’re watching it for Gemser (and you probably are if you’re anything like me), you may be a little disappointed as she doesn’t get in on the action till the third act.  While Tamburi fares decently enough in the lead, I can only imagine how much better the film would’ve been if Gemser had more to do.

Overall, Scandalous Emanuelle isn’t bad.  It just never seems all that… well… scandalous, if you ask me.  Especially for a Joe D’Amato movie. 

AKA:  Midnight Gigolo.  AKA:  Christina.  AKA:  Peepshow.

Well, folks.  That does it for “E-‘May’-Nuelle”.  I’m still running behind on posting Let’s Get Physical reviews, but I hope to get caught up hopefully before summertime gets into full swing.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL: INFERNO ROSSO: JOE D’AMATO ON THE ROAD TO EXCESS (2021) *** ½

“E-‘MAY’-NUELLE”

FORMAT:  BLU-RAY

Nicholas Winding Refn produced this breezy and entertaining documentary on the legendary king of Italian sleaze, Joe D’Amato, AKA: Aristide Massaccesi.  Joe is prominently featured throughout the documentary and talks at length about his early career as a cameraman and cinematographer, the origin of this Joe D’Amato non de plume, the genesis of the Black Emanuelle series, his transition from sleazy exploitation movies to full-on porn, the creation of his film company Filmirage (which produced everything from Stage Fright to Troll 2), and his work in the various Italian genre films of the ‘80s, which represented the last gasp of the once-thriving industry. 

The film also humorously shows a list of all his (over two hundred) films in Star Wars font ascending into the stars and a scholar compares his tireless output to both Jess Franco and Woody Allen!  It also supposes his later work in porn (which was done out of financial necessity) is what caused the critics to look down on him.

The list of interviewees is long and impressive.  We have Lamberto Bava, Ruggero Deodato, George Eastman, Tinto Brass, Jess Franco, Eli Roth, Michele Soavi, and Claudio Fragasso (who calls D’Amato “the Italian Roger Corman”), just to name a few.  All of them provide insight into D’Amato’s career as contemporaries, coworkers, and just plain fans.  While there isn’t a whole lot of insight into what made D’Amato himself tick, the film does deliver an impressive rundown of his various career highlights.  When you’re dealing with such a workhorse of a filmmaker, it goes without saying that some titles are bound to be overlooked (most notably, Emanuelle in America).  However, lots of time is spent on Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Beyond the Darkness, and Anthropophagus (AKA:  The Grim Reaper).  As someone who just spent a month watching the man’s work, this doc certainly was a nice way to pay tribute to him. 

J-MEN FOREVER (1979) ***

After checking out The Firesign Theatre Presents Hot Shorts on Tubi recently, I was happy to see that J-Men Forever, their first foray into serial dubbing, was also on the site.  I have fond memories of seeing this as a kid on Night Flight and lo and behold, the version of J-men Forever that’s on Tubi even has a Night Flight bumper and watermark! 

A rock n’ roll DJ from the moon named “The Lightning Bug” kills off a bunch of old timey musicians and sets out to take over the world using rock music.  Later, he plans to flood college campuses with marijuana.  It’s up to the square government agents, the J-Men to thwart his evil plans. 

J-Men Forever is amusing, clever, and highly entertaining throughout.  A lot of fun can be had from seeing old classic Saturday morning serials such as Captain America, Captain Marvel, The Crimson Ghost, and Radar Men from the Moon being redubbed and repurposed for humorous effect. The members of The Firesign Theatre also show up in some brief linking segments, although these are easily the weakest moments of the film.  

Admittedly, some of the humor is kind of rough in spots, but that’s all part of its scrappy charm.  There are also a few lulls in between the big laughs, although there’s certainly enough here to make it worth watching.  Still, it works more often than not, and the draggy parts don’t last too long.  One thing is for sure, it definitely plays better late at night (or early in the morning, whichever you prefer).  

The funniest line occurs when the villain finds two heroes snooping around his cavern and decides to flood the corridor.  After pulling the lever, he says, “I’m gonna wash those J-Men outta my lair!”

A few of the same serial clips appeared in Hot Shorts, but with new (often better) jokes. 

AKA:  The Day the Earth Got Stoned.  AKA:  The Secret World War.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL: PORNO NIGHTS OF THE WORLD NO. 2 (1978) ***

“E-‘MAY’-NUELLE”

FORMAT:  BLU-RAY

Joe D’Amato returns with another sexy (fake) Mondo movie.  Even though he made two of these with Laura Gemser (this was released two weeks before Emanuelle and the Porno Nights of the World), Ajita Wilson fills in as the hostess time out.  The wraparound sequences find a stewardess (Wilson) returning home from a long flight to be interviewed by a sexy reporter.  While undressing, she talks about all the exotic nightclubs she’s visited around the world. 

First up is a “Ping Pong Club” in Hong Kong where a woman shoots ping pong balls out of her hoo-hah and into the customer’s drinks (accompanied by hilarious space gun “pew-pew” sound effects).  Next, we’re off to Dallas to see a stripper perform a Native American-inspired dance number.  (I believe we would call that “Cultural Appropriation” nowadays.)  Then, we meet a couple who bang on a boat before setting off to the Middle East to watch a belly dancer shake and shimmy.  Next, we watch a lesbian floor show with a ‘20s motif followed by a bout of female mud wrestling.  Ajita herself is featured in the following segment performing a dance number with a nude man painted up like the statue of David.  Then we check out an S & M dance number that looks like 50 Shades of Bobby and Cissy.  That’s followed by more sadist shenanigans of German couples using whips and chains on each other, including a scene where a dominatrix makes her submissive eat shit.  (It looks like chocolate pudding.)  Wilson then performs a striptease for a giant stone phallus.  This is followed by an odd segment that looks like a home movie showcasing “repressed” (white) Americans reacting to a “liberated” (black) dancer.  Next is a great scene where a woman does a striptease dressed as Zorro.  The apex of the debauchery comes during a French striptease version of Swan Lake that quickly veers into Pedro the Horse territory, if you know what I mean.  That’s followed by a Las Vegas orgy which for me, was by far the weakest sequence, but then again anything would’ve felt anticlimactic next to the Swan Lake Pony Show.  Lastly, the reporter finally puts her tape recorder away so she and Ajita can bone. 

This would make a pretty good double feature with Crazy Nights as both films are Mondo movies starring trans women directed by Joe D’Amato.  It’s not nearly as fun as that manic classic, but I enjoyed it more than either of the Laura Gemser-starring Porno Nights of the World films.  It’s more entertaining from scene to scene and Wilson’s host segments have a lot of energy.  Plus, the Swan Lake scene alone is enough to give you déjà vu from Emanuelle in America. 

Wilson gets the best line of the movie when she tells about some of the women she’s encountered:  “If they don’t give you a big hand, they might as well give you the clap!”

AKA:  Porno Nights Around the World 2.  AKA:  Scandinavian Erotica.  AKA:  Sexy Night Report No. 2.  

LET’S GET PHYSICAL: BLACK DEEP THROAT (1977) ** ½

“E-‘MAY’-NUELLE”

FORMAT:  BLU-RAY 

Trailblazing trans exploitation movie star Ajita Wilson stars as an ace reporter sent to do a story on a sex guru.  Meanwhile, she’s got a hot lead on a story about an exclusive sex club that caters to the rich and elite that could make or break her career.  Adding to her troubles is the fact that her on again/off again bout of nymphomania is decidedly on again. 

Produced by the legendary international czar of sleaze, Dick (Pieces) Randall, Black Deep Throat is certainly a curiosity piece.  You might think it’s a porno because of the title.  Although there are certainly moments that flirt with XXX (like the scene where Wilson seduces a man and his roommate or the final orgy sequence), it’s more of a Woodward and Bernstein deal than a Lovelace and Reems.  That said, once the action switches to the sex club, it becomes more or less nonstop softcore sex.  These scenes aren’t exactly great, but you have to admire the devotion to quantity over quality. 

Despite its appearance in Severin’s The Sensual World of Black Emanuelle box sex, this isn’t really a Black Emanuelle movie.  (Although it plays like a loose remake of Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade).  However, the participation of Wilson, who starred in Joe D’Amato’s Porno Nights of the World No. 2, certainly makes it adjacent to the Black Emanuelle series.  That makes it close enough for me. 

Wilson is as intriguing as always, even if her sex scenes are filmed indifferently.  The highlight is when she gets to second base with a lesbian while riding horseback.  The finale where she dons a black hood as is passed around like a party favor is decent too.

Too bad the pacing is on the slow side as it’s padded with long establishing shots and draggy scenes of Wilson walking through the streets of Paris.  (The score is pretty snappy though.)  The twist ending is kind of dark too, and while it doesn’t really stick the landing, I admire the attempt to do something a little different with the typical formula. 

Wilson gets the best line of the movie when she tells her co-worker the sex club has “Hot and cold running sex!”

AKA:  Queen of Sex.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL: EMANUELLE: A WOMAN FROM A HOT COUNTRY (1978) **

“E-‘MAY’-NUELLE”

FORMAT:  BLU-RAY 

Stuart Whitman and Laura Gemser are two strangers fleeing unhappy relationships.  They meet while hitchhiking and relate flashbacks to one another.  Eventually, the pair fall in love… or at least… in lust with each other. 

Despite the antics of two dopey truckers getting laid by a woman who turns tricks out of an auto parts store, this is a slow-moving melodrama for the most part.  At least Gemser has a couple of solid nude scenes that keep you from becoming completely disinterested.  One memorable bit involves her trying on apparel in front of her real-life hubby, Gabriele Tinti, before he seductively dresses her in her new garments.  Other decent sequences involve her going for a literal roll in the hay and encountering a sex guru.  

Laura spends a lot of screen time wearing a sharp looking fedora and is dubbed by a woman with a thick Midwest accent, which is good for a laugh or two if you ask me.  In addition to Tinti, the movie also manages to keep the animal cruelty motif of the series going with the scene where alligators are hunted.  To add to the tastelessness, this scene is intercut with Laura banging a one-legged man.  You know, because nothing gets you going like scenes of an amputee busting his nut while gators are being killed.  Speaking of editing, the back-and-forth structure doesn’t do the film any favors either.  To add insult to injury, the scenes with Whitman and Gemser are kinda dull, and they have zero chemistry together. 

Even with the gratuitous nudity by Laura, the film just isn’t nearly as exploitative (or fun) as the best of the fake Emanuelle movies.  (Thankfully, Whitman keeps his clothes on.)  While there are a few nice moments here, overall, this Emanuelle feels like she came from a temperate zone rather than a hot country. 

AKA:  Fury.  AKA:  Emotional Exchange.  AKA:  Woman from the Torrid Land.