SPIRIT RISER (Alpha Video)

Spirit Riser - Alpha Video

The Stats:
Video: 1080p High Definition
Audio: DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH

Buy it HERE from Diabolik or HERE from Orbit

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, Staff Writer and Podcast Director

The Movie: Good

Attempting to describe the plot of Spirit Riser feels like trying to describe the plot of a dream, or a week's worth of dreams (complimentary). A patchwork of scenes, ideas, characters, and seeming in-jokes, the film is carried along by the vibes. The music, the editing, and the effects all contribute to the infectious energy of the thing, giving it the feeling of a crazy party you find yourself at. But, folly or not, I'll try to explain:

Sydney (Summer Greenberg) and her sister Ingrid (Amanda Flowers) are separated by a mysterious force, setting them on journeys beset by supernatural obstacles, each from opposite sides of the country. While Ingrid attempts to recover the memory of who she was and where she came from, Sydney learns she is one of the mystically powerful Spirit Risers and is pursued by The Man from the Dark and Lonely Place (Whitney Moore) who seeks to eliminate her and be the only Spirit Riser. Along the way there are goofy gang fights, appearances from powerful uncles, musical interludes, and a sizable nod to Ghostbusters 2.

What it lacks in a clean elevator pitch, it more than makes up for in heart; that DIY / "get it done at any cost, however you can" spirit. This will absolutely not work for everyone because it is admittedly very amateur and eclectic, but if you give it a minute, I think it might grow on you. Stylistically this has a lot in common with a Troma Films offering-- Troma papa Lloyd Kaufman even has a few scenes-- but tonally, is eschews the intentionally and sometimes juvenile provocateur aims that many Troma films can have in favor of a tone not unlike filmmaker David Lynch or author Grant Morrison, all achieved through the lens of the kind of digital Dadaism of something like The People's Joker.

Spirit Riser is chockablock with puppets, miniatures, 3D models, abstract backgrounds, onscreen text gags, obvious usage of green screen and stock footage, sporadic narration from Michael Madsen, and it's all allegedly inspired by a poem from Edgar Allen Poe. Yet somehow all these seemingly disparate elements add up to a film that's as fun as it is rough.

There are probably too many half-baked ideas all thrown together without giving the time or bandwidth for the audience to process it all. But. I think it ultimately comes together to make a highly-ambitious film that is all the more charming for its obvious rough edges. You'll never look at a lemon or a pineapple the same way.

The Packaging: Average

I received the bare bones DVD, which is perfectly acceptable and features a collage-style cover built from the film's imagery. However there is a Blu-ray version available which also features a slip-cover with new artwork.

The Video: Fair

No one is-- or should be-- purchasing this disc if presentation quality (visual or audio) is a top priority. If this were the quality of your averaged film, I would rate it Poor, but the lack of technical polish only enhances the bizarre DMT Pee-wee's Playhouse aura of the entire experience for me.

As an example: the opening credits are not cropped correctly, leading to Michael Madsen's narrator credit reading IICHAEL MADSE. But did this affect my enjoyment? Not at all. Given how erratic the entire film is as a whole, I can't actually believe there would be a single straw that breaks the camel's back; you're either going to like the entire package or you're not.

The Audio: Fair

As with the Video section above, I might rate this Poor if it were a Hollywood film, but as it most definitely isn't, I rated it accordingly. If pristine audio quality is a priority for you-- no judgement, obviously-- you would do best to skip this one. The actual audio is as unpolished as any other aspect; the overall quality-- including hiss and general wild sound room noise-- varies from scene to scene, moment to moment.

That said, things are otherwise very clear and well-balanced through my audio set-up-- I have a three-channel soundbar purely to prevent my tv speakers from vibrating themselves apart. There is a lot of music throughout the film-- all very synthy/surfy/spooky-- but at no time did that or the film's sound effects overtake or obscure the dialogue.

The Special Features: Average

As a heads-up: There is a discrepancy between the special features on the DVD and the Blu-ray, with the Blu-ray featuring a full length commentary, a couple of interviews, a music video, a short documentary about director Dylan Mars Greenberg, and a different assortment of short films than the DVD.

That aside, I found the special features on the DVD, comparatively slim though they be, were enjoyable. The short film Sir Isengord and the Thoery of the Magnificent Spinning Quanto Quasi Table, while still as bizarre as anything else on the disc, is sincerely one of the funniest and most enjoyable short films I've seen in quite a while. It just hits the smart/stupid sweet spot perfectly for me.

• Short film: Sir Isengord and the Thoery of the Magnificent Spinning Quanto Quasi Table (2023) - 30 mins
• Short film: The Bathtub (2020) - 15 mins
• Trailer

In Summary: Grab it on sale

Grading on the curve that this is a specific flavor of film on the whole that will not be for everybody, I'll say this: Presumably, you know yourself and have an idea of what you like. I imagine that, if Spirit Riser doesn't sound like something you can see yourself digging into, nothing I can say will sway you. If however, you're on the fence I would advise you to check it out.

I am nothing if not a proponent for filmmakers making their films. I love a good, big budget, polished and professional flicker as much as the next person, but I also love to see somebody doing it on their terms. The recent passing of David Lynch has made me consider how blessed we were that he was repeatedly able to make his films his way on the scale and with the quality of resources available to him. That's what Dylan Mars Greenberg is doing here, she just doesn't have David Lynch clout. Yet.

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Cartuna)

Hundreds of Beavers
Cartuna
Video: 1080p
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH, Czech

Buy it HERE from Diabolik

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, Staff Writer and Podcast Director

The Movie: Excellent

The word 'artisanal' is overused at this point. You can get a package of "artisanal" mass-produced ciabatta bread full of all the same stabilizers and additives as anything else on the shelf. And yet, there are still artisans out there, making things, not just by hand, but with the mastery of their craft, the fine touch and eye for detail that makes these things truly great works of art. Hundreds of Beavers is a great work of art.

Set in the early 1800s, applejack distiller Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) finds himself at odds with not only the harsh winter climate but an increasingly inhospitable army of woodland animals, all played by full-grown adults in mascot costumes. Told in the style of silent films or vintage animation, with a sense of humor and love of absurdity to match, Hundred of Beavers was clearly a labor of love. Director / co-writer Mike Cheslik and co-writer / star Tews had previously worked on a similarly unusual, visually unique, dialogue-light film, 2018's Lake Michigan Monster.

Despite Hundreds of Beavers taking home numerous festival accolades-- Best Narrative Feature (Kansas City Film Festival International, Oxford Film Festival, Capital City Film Festival, and Wyoming International Film Festival), Best Director (Wyoming International Film Festival, and Phoenix Film Festival), Best Comedy Feature (Midwest Weirdfest), the Bronze Skull Award (Mexico City's Morbido Film Festival), and the Bronze Audience Award for Best International Feature (Fantasia International Film Festival)-- there was no major interest from distributors, so the filmmakers decided to release this disc themselves. Going on the road with their "Great Lakes Roadshow" in 2024, Cheslik, Tews, and co. built word-of-mouth cult status and began carving out a niche in the annals of independent cinema for their film.

I cannot understate how delightful and joyous an experience watching Hundreds of Beavers is, whether with a crowd, some friends, or by yourself. The film excels at catching you off-guard, repeatedly manipulating the audience's understanding of the world in clever ways reminiscent of classic cartoons, only to subvert those cartoon rhythms just when the audience starts getting comfortable. Jackass, Buster Keaton, professional wrestling, and kaiju films all stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the beautifully wacky world of Hundreds of Beavers and you deserve to see it all for yourself.

The Packaging: Good

The two-disc set from Cartuna features a booklet featuring dozens of famous film posters remade in the image of Hundreds of Beavers, and a cover featuring an illustrated image of Jean Kayak in full fur trapper regalia running for his life from an oncoming mass of ominously smiling beavers, with a version of the trapper's map reproduced on the inside cover. Disc One features the film in its traditional form as well as a trailer while Disc Two features the numerous Special Features including a version of the film with a running VFX Breakdown. Both discs feature the chapter select option (presented as the trapline map), and all audio & subtitle options. There were more elaborate versions available-- one had a slipcase with alternate art and one had a WOODEN slipcase!-- but the standard release is still very satisfying.

The Video: Excellent

With the caveat that the film itself is designed to resemble an old silent film, complete with film grain and artificial projection flicker, I think Hundreds of Beavers looks tremendous. It's a highly stylized world, with an equally unique visual language, but I've had zero issue and I've watched it three times now.

There is a version of the film findable on, I believe, YouTube which is a lower contrast, but I believe the disc version looks how recalled seeing it originally, as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival. Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion on which looks better but, going by the aforementioned VFX Breakdown, this other version seems like a non-final pass.

The Audio: Excellent

With another caveat, that it's not exactly a dialogue-heavy film, the sound mixing and quality is top tier. The Sound Design Breakdowns feature really makes clear how much you actually are hearing even when no one talks, showing the dozens of tracks needed to make the film sound immersive. My personal set-up utilizes a 3-channel soundbar and everything was extremely well-balanced and clear.

The Special Features: Excellent

No matter what interests you about Hundreds of Beavers, the Special Features have you covered. There are three discrete commentary tracks with hours of making-of insights. For effects nerds curious how all of it was accomplished, the VFX Breakdown covers-- and I cannot state this enough-- the ENTIRE film (!) in a 4-screen format (one for storyboards, one for raw visuals, one for the uncorrected film, and the last for the finished product). If you're curious about Hundreds of Beavers as a cultural phenomenon, there are three separate audio interviews and an entire feature devoted to the Great Lakes Road Show.

• VFX breakdown
• 3 Audio Commentaries
• Sober commentary
• Drunk commentary
• Wasted commentary (moderated)
• Lyric Video: "Jean Kayak & His Acme Applejack"
• Deleted Scenes
• Sound Design Breakdown
• Interviews
• Movies That Made Me podcast with Joe Dante & Josh Olsen: interview with Mike Cheslik & Ryland Brickson Cole Tews - May 7, 2024
• Movie Mindset podcast: interview with Mike Cheslik - May 27, 2024
• WMSC 90.3 Montclair State University Radio: interview with Ryland Brickson Cole Tews - June 1, 2024
• Commercials & Promos
• BTS Photos
• Great Lakes Road Show recap
• Blink - high school short film by Mike Cheslik
• & More

In Summary: Must own!

Hundreds of Beavers is one of my favorite films of the last decade or more, and rest assured that it's HIGH on that list. I would like to say that I'm sure there will eventually come a reckoning for Cheslik, Tews, and co. and that Hundreds of Beavers will eventually be widely available to own, but honestly, who knows? So even if this were a bare-bones release, I'd probably recommend you get your hands on a copy. But for everything you're getting IN ADDITION TO one of the most creative and genre-busting features in recent memory, it's an absolute, make some space on your shelves, full-throated endorsement.

THE DEVIL AND THE DAYLONG BROTHERS (2025)

The Devil and the Daylong Brothers
Directed by Brandon McCormick
Written by Brandon McCormick, Nicholas Kirk (songs)
Starring Brendan Bradley, Nican Robinson, Jordon Bolden, Rainey Qualley, Keith Carradine
Running time 1 hour and 52 minutes
Rated ? ? ? ? by the MPA
In theaters and digital ? ? ? ? January 31st, 2025

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, Staff Writer and Podcast Director

The Devil and the Daylong Brothers is a very unique creature. A southern gothic, supernatural road trip action movie with a very specific internal mythology and buckets full of violence, all wrapped in a polished, stylish sheen that makes it very approachable. And on top of that, it's a musical. As I watched this flick, I kept returning to the feeling that it would make an excellent jumping off point for a tv series. And, despite what the nagging voice in the back of my head kept repeatedly saying, there's nothing wrong with that.

TV has steadily closed the respectability gap since at least the 1990s, followed by what would become known as "prestige TV" with shows like The Sopranos (1999-2007), Mad Men (2007-2015) and all those others you couldn't help but hear about around the water cooler. Where once, comparing a film to television would be seen as a massive insult, now it actually depends on the context. When I tell you that The Devil and the Daylong Brothers feels like prestige TV, please understand I mean that in the best ways.

Titular brothers Ishmael, Enoch, and Abraham, (Brendan Bradley, Nican Robinson, and Jordon Bolden respectively) as they explain in the opening musical number, have different mothers, but the same father, who sold THEIR souls to the Devil for personal gains, then disappeared. Now they work, in a roundabout way, for the Devil, collecting on the souls of people who made deals like their pops did. They hope, of course, to eventually have to collect their own father's soul-debt so they can finally locate him and have a long-awaited face-to-face.

And remember, on top of that, occasionally they sing. It's a wild ride.

Yet somehow, it all works. Everything feels like it belongs. The songs all work towards expanding a character's POV or their current emotional state, and they're good; catchy, hummable. They have a pop sensibility which is carried over into the filmmaking itself.

The brothers are introduced via song in a bar scene. Each one gets a verse and a moment, and their character names appear on screen in a brief, animated flourish. This is how the film opens: a bit like a TV series, and mentally I was off to the races. I couldn't stop thinking of shows that this reminded me of: a little bit of AMC's Preacher (2016-2019), a dash of WB's Supernatural (2006-2020), and a healthy dollop of ABC's Cop Rock (1990) on top.

The brothers have a fun interpersonal dynamic on top of the usual push and pull of siblings. Enoch, for instance, is a bit more into violent retribution and relies on his brothers to curb these tendencies, Abe is the trio's bleeding heart who relies on his brothers to draw him out of himself from time to time, and Ish is the only one "allowed" to drive their 1958 Chrysler Imperial named Grace-- and yes, she gets a credit too. They're caricatures initially, drawn in broad strokes that match the pseudo-wild west vibes of being able to walk into a bar, execute a man and carve a piece of his flesh off as proof that his debt has been paid. But over the course of the film, they come into finer detail.

The performances help make them feel more well-rounded of course. Enoch feels the most like the traditional western protagonist-- mostly a man of deeds more than words, with Robison's looming physicality adding to his menace. As Abe, Bolden feels like the wild card, his expressive eyes selling Abe's emotional volatility. For my money, Bradley's performance as Ish is the stand-out. His "Texas Whistle" accent and kooky performance reminded me of an old, sun-addled prospector, which is a character one doesn't often see on a quest for righteous vengeance.

I won't pretend that the whole thing worked for me. There's an odd diversion to include the character of Frankie (a pleasantly vampy Rainey Qualley) that seems intended to add some backstory, but felt like it only slowed things down and added an unnecessary complication. Qualley isn't the problem at all, and the character of Frankie is interesting and reasonably well-rounded, I just don't understand her inclusion in this version of the script. It feels like some bit of connective tissue was excised somewhere along the way.

But that aside, The Devil and the Daylong Brothers is a really pleasant experience. Strong and earnest performances, fun diversions into song, an exciting world with strong roots in folklore, and a really slick stylistic polish. For as many disparate elements as writer/director Brandon McCormick throws in, the finished product is remarkably digestible.

The Devil and the Daylong Brothers is available ll be in Theaters ? ? ? ?, On Digital ? ? ? ? and On Demand ? ? ? ? January 31st, 2025.

BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRA-VIXENS (Severin)

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens
Directed by Russ Meyer
Written by Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer
Starring Kitten Natividad, Ken Kerr, Ann Marie, Stuart Lancaster, June Mack
Running time 1 hour and 33 minutes
Rated X

Available on 4K Blu-ray now from Severin Films

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, Staff Writer and Podcast Director

Synopsis:

The final feature produced, photographed, edited, and directed by Russ Meyer is a wicked take on Our Town, co-written by Meyer and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls). Russ' latter-day muse Francesca 'Kitten' Natividad stars-- along with Uschi Digard, Ann Marie, June Mack, Candy Samples, and Russ himself-- in this unwashed look at Small Town U.S.A., complete with faith healers, war criminals, bosom buddies, and the loin-girding quest for sexual salvation. Because the original elements for Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens had been stored in less-than-optimal conditions, Severin Films devoted months to the painstaking restorations of its weather-damaged negatives before scanning it in 4K and compiling over 2 hours of new and archival Special Features, all with the blessing and cooperation of The Russ Meyer Trust.

What Features Make it Special:

• Archival Audio Commentary with co-writer/producer/cinematographer/editor/director Russ Meyer
• The Latin Brünhilde - interview with actress Kitten Natividad
• Talk It Over - Ellen Adelstein interviews Russ Meyer for her Tuscon talk show in 1979
• Still Talking It Over - new interview with Ellen Adelstein
• Trailer

Why You Need to Add it to Your Media Library:

There are a lot of reasons to own Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens, just as a film. It's director Russ Meyer's last narrative feature before his de facto retirement. It's his last collaboration with Roger Ebert (who not only wrote this film, but also Up! (1976) and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) for Meyer). It's the final installment of the loosely-defined Vixens trilogy. But more than any of that, it's arguably the best one. If you've read my Disc Dispatches on previous installments Vixen (1968) and SuperVixens (1975), you may be expecting a bit of a heads up here, but there isn't much of one. Aside from some of the tropes common to sexploitation from this era (nonconsent, age-play, etc.) this is pretty easy-breezy.

The humor in this one works the best overall (it's a parody of Our Town!), the performances are right in the sweet-spot vis-à-vis cheesiness, and the sexiness is the right tone for the most part. It's well-shot, never slows down and has a running gag-- The Man From Small Town U.S.A. played by Stuart Lancaster, who just pops up and narrates. It's also the most playful, ending with a fourth wall breaking cameo from Meyer himself who, semi-heartbreakingly, announces that he intends to return with another installment that never materialized: Jaws of the Vixens!

Finally, once again, the special features assembled by the Severin team and The Russ Meyer Trust are really enlightening. I'm a sucker for basic cable interview shows, and for preserving otherwise potentially lost media, so the Talk It Over segment from Tucson in 1979 (as well as other archival interviews included on some previous discs) are fascinating to me in their own right. And as with the other Vixens trilogy releases from Severin, this one looks and sounds fantastic. Film history should be preserved, even-- or maybe especially-- when it makes us uncomfortable, and I honestly feel very blessed to live in an era when so much of it is being made available.

Long Live the Movies!

Available on 4K Blu-ray now from Severin Films

SUPERVIXENS (Severin)

SuperVixens
Directed and Written by Russ Meyer
Starring Shari Eubank, Charles Pitt, Charles Napier, Uschi Digard, John Lazar, Haji
Running time 1 hour and 46 minutes
Unrated

Available on 4K Blu-ray now from Severin Films

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, Staff Writer and Podcast Director

Synopsis:

Following the 'serious' features The Seven Minutes and Black Snake, this 1975 return to form written, photographed, edited, produced, and directed by Russ Meyer remains perhaps his most over-the-top and savagely entertaining epic of all: when a hot-blooded wife (Shari Eubank) and a psychotic cop (a startling performance from Charles Napier of The Blues Brothers fame) come together, it will ignite a cross-country odyssey of violence, vengeance, and relentless coitus. John Lazar (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Uschi Digard (Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens) and Haji (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) co-star in Russ' "super-sexy live-action Road Runner cartoon" (Empire), now restored by Severin Films in conjunction with The Russ Meyer Trust and scanned in 4K from the original negative stored at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

What Features Make it Special:

• Archival Audio Commentary with writer/cinematographer/producer/director Russ Meyer
• Russ Meyer Versus the Porn-Busters - Mike Carroll interview with Russ Meyer
• The Return of Harry Sledge - interview with Charles Napier
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show season 1, episode 5: Russ Meyer
• Trailer
• TV spot

Why You Need to Add it to Your Media Library:

As the second installment in director Russ Meyer's loosely-defined Vixens trilogy, SuperVixens is maybe as odd a duck as the first but in a completely different way. The original Vixen (1968) dealt with race issues in a gleefully confrontational, shocking, and immature-seeming way. SuperVixens abandons race as a flashpoint to focus on violence, and that violence oscillates from incredibly brutal to openly Looney Tunes. All of which I mention as preamble so that you know what you're getting into.

Now, as to why you should own it: It's pretty great. Everything in the film that ISN'T the cheesecake makes for a pretty damn engaging, if admittedly bizarre, thriller about an obsessed cop (the great Charles Napier, who got his start in films from Russ Meyer) determined to destroy the life of a man he just doesn't like (Charles Pitt). Now, in the context of this as a softcore film, that violence is jaw-droppingly savage. Harry (Napier) beats Clint's (Pitt) wife do death in the bath, framing Clint for the murder, then tracks him across the country to try and do it again when Clint finally settles down with his new dream-woman (Shari Eubank, who also plays the wife in the beginning).

The cheesecake, for what it's worth, is also great. Everybody's attractive, the humor in the middle section works just fine, and the acting is charmingly heightened. As always, Meyer's direction is honestly really great. If you enjoy the kind of Dutch-angle, stylization-heavy shots of a director like Sam Raimi, they're present here, as is Meyer's tendency towards bright colors with dramatic lighting, and an appreciation for the beauty of nature.

The special features were also really fascinating. I was only really familiar with Russ Meyer by reputation-- I know OF some of his more famous works (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) but have never seen them. I knew of him mostly as the punchline from an episode of Seinfeld (s.4 e.23 "The Pilot"). But after listening to these commentaries, and watching the interviews with both Meyer and Napier, I started to not only get a better idea of Meyer as a creator, but as a person. He opted to essentially retire in '78 rather than make hardcore pornography, which held no real interest to him as a filmmaker. For someone painted by censorship groups as a smut-peddler, there's a real honor and respectability to the man.

Available on 4K Blu-ray now from Severin Films

VIXEN (Severin)

Vixen
Directed by Russ Meyer
Written by Robert Rudelson, Russ Meyer, Anthony-James Ryan
Starring Erica Gavin, Garth Pillsbury, Jon Evans, Harrison Page, Vincene Wallace, Robert Aiken
Running time 1 hour and 10 minutes
Rated X

Available on 4K Blu-ray now from Severin Films

by "Doc" Hunter Bush, Staff Writer and Podcast Director

Synopsis:

Amid the cultural chaos of 1968 and armed with a budget of only $70,000, producer/director/cinematographer Russ Meyer transcended sexploitation by crafting this "bosomacious melodrama" (Time Magazine) about racism, communism, bush pilots, draft dodgers, and one ferociously free-spirited wife named Vixen (the incredible Erica Gavin of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and Caged Heat). Despite attempts at censorship that include one of the first-ever X ratings and 23 separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity, it became one of the year's top-grossing movies, forever transformed independent films and remains the creative template for Meyer's unapologetic vision of American cinema. Vixen is now scanned in 4K from the original negative restored by The Museum of Modern Art with over 3 hours of new and archival Special Features curated by Severin Films in conjunction with The Russ Meyer Trust.

What Features Make it Special:

• 1981 Censor Prologue (theatrical re-release)
• Archival Audio Commentary with co-writer/producer/cinematographer/co-editor/director Russ Meyer
• Audio Commentary with actress Erica Gavin
• Woman... or Animal?-- Interviews with actors Erica Gavin and Harrison Page
• David Del Valle's The Sinister Image with Russ Meyer and Yvette Vickers
• Entertainment... of Obscenity?-- Marc Edward Heuck oh the film's historic Cincinnati Censorship Battles
• Trailer

Why You Need to Add it to Your Media Library:

First, a heads-up: On its face, Vixen is a pretty by-the-books soft core film. Canadian bush pilot Tom (Garth Pillsbury) has a very promiscuous wife, Vixen (Erica Gavin) who sleeps with just about anybody who stays at their little B&B, which the connubially faithful, and willingly oblivious Tom is fine with. Where the heads-up comes in is that the titular sexpot hotwife is incredibly racist towards the only other member of her brother Judd (Jon Evans)'s two-man biker gang, Niles (Harrison Page). Ultimately, after tackling subjects such as the American politics of the era, draft-dodging, and Communism, Vixen learns to see Niles beyond just his race. BUT. Getting there is kind of rough at times and that tone does clash with the cheesecake-iness of the rest of the film.

With that out of the way: There are a lot of good reasons to buy this release. Buy it as an example of a dying art-form-- the kind of sleaze that Russ Meyer made was sociologically provocative but also chaste; his unwillingness to make XXX films lead to him mostly retiring in 1979 after censorship groups targeted his films to make an example of them. It would have been easier and more profitable for Meyer to make the switch to hardcore porn, but he just had no interest.

Buy it as a piece of film history-- Meyer received one of the only X ratings of the era, largely as a punishment. Thin the narrative arc of Vixen may be, but it is present. There is a story there aside from just the sleaze and all of it-- the sex and the subject matter are both designed to get a rise out of the audience in much the way as the films of John Waters (who is an equally outspoken fan of Meyer's work and critic of pearl-clutching censorship).

Buy it as a piece of art-- The restoration itself is absolutely gorgeous! I could NOT believe how good it looked. The film's grain is preserved, giving it the necessary tactile quality, but the lighting and colors are incredibly beautifully balanced. From a filmmaking perspective, Meyer is actually a really fun director with an eye for imagery, color, and dramatic lighting. Heck, the Museum of Modern Art assisted with this restoration! Who am I, or you then, to argue its artistic value?

Available on 4K Blu-ray now from Severin Films

R.I.P. David Lynch (Jan. 20th, 1946 - Jan. 15th, 2025)

David Lynch was my cinematic come-to-jesus moment. I've written about it for MovieJawn before, but I was getting into filmmaking via the Quentin Tarantinos and Kevin Smiths of the era, whose filmographies and careers were accessible in both a real sense-- you could find copies to rent or buy anywhere-- and an intellectual one-- they made movies set in recognizable worlds and influenced by popular culture. And I began to hear about David Lynch.

Everyone was so excited to ask me if I had seen any David Lynch yet. And I hadn't. Until Mulholland Dr. I left that film completely baffled. I was in high school, had never had a film class, and wouldn't have an internet-compatible computer for another 5 years or more.

I was, to put it mildly, unfamiliar with the concept of deciphering a work. Movies were about what they were about; subtext was shallow if it was present at all. Comparatively, Mulholland Dr. might as well have been delivered into my mind from the moon, backwards.

Everyone knew I was going to see it too, so I received many calls throughout the week from friends and family who wanted to ask me what I thought, and that was what did it. A week of explaining to people what the movie was about and why it "made no sense", being forced to think about it over and over, finally led me to some modicum of understanding. It hit me in a very intimate, emotional way-- which in hindsight I realize I was avoiding thinking about-- and suddenly, and forever after, art was changed for me.

In the wake of his passing, I've seen some Netflix CEO saying that they were working on something together, but obviously that will never materialize in a finished form if at all. It makes me very angry. We should have had so much more David Lynch. His filmography should only have been limited by his interest. Hollywood should have backed dump trucks full of money and Cokes into his driveway every year on principle. He should never have had to pitch any goddamn thing. There are so few true originals, and the fact that some of them don't get to work because of how commerce interacts with (read: fucks) art is an actual crime.

But. I don't want David Lynch's passing to bring any more anger into the world, especially not from me. After all, we DO have many works to experience, and they're all pretty easily accessible now. As the man himself said:

"Keep your eye on the doughnut, not on the hole."

Goodbye, David Lynch, and thank you for everything.