Po-Man reveals the SECRETS OF SEX

In the title-changing tradition of such exploitation mini-moguls as Joseph Brenner, Terry Levene and Sam Sherman, Synapse Films is reissuing Antony Balch's BIZARRE on DVD under its original title, SECRETS OF SEX, with a psychedelic and sexy new look [See above]. The packaging is different and the pressing is new but all the tasty extras from the previous BIZARRE version are present and accounted for, including the critically lauded liner notes by Temple of Schlock editor and co-founder Chris "The Po-Man" Poggiali. The street date is October 12th. Pre-order now!

Synapse Films presents FANTASM COMES AGAIN

A former distributor who introduced Australian moviegoers to the sublime (PRAVDA) as well as the ridiculous (THE CORPSE GRINDERS), producer Antony I. Ginnane later became one of the most important figures in the Aussie film industry partly due to the enormous success of his freshman effort, FANTASM, the first Australian softcore sexploitation movie. The smutty, low-budget moneymaker was such a big hit worldwide that Ginnane wasted no time putting together a follow-up. Tentatively titled FANTASM 99, FANTASM 2 and MY FIRST TIME, the sequel followed the original’s basic formula: 10 comic sex tales filmed in Los Angeles, starring American adult film stars, with linking scenes shot in Melbourne. The final result, FANTASM COMES AGAIN, begins in the editorial offices of an Australian newspaper, where retiring “Dear Collette” columnist Harry (Clive Hearne) is schooling his successor, the lovely young Libby (Angela Menzies-Wills), in the art of writing a sex advice column. In what adds up to roughly 20% of the film’s running time, the two writers read and answer 10 letters. The other 80% of FANTASM COMES AGAIN is comprised of 10 short, smutty films with “made in U.S.A.” clearly stamped on each.














To read the rest of Chris Poggiali's liner notes, buy FANTASM on DVD from Synapse Films!

Synapse Films presents FANTASM

If you want a professional job done, hire a professional. That’s the old adage, and it explains why FANTASM – the first Australian softcore exploitation movie – ended up with a cast of American adult film personalities. The exception is Australian thespian John Bluthal, who appears (uncredited) as the film’s comical host, Professor Notafreud. Bluthal’s connecting scenes were shot in Australia, but the other 80% of FANTASM is comprised of ten short films with “made in U.S.A.” clearly stamped on each. These stories supposedly depict the case histories of noted sexologist Notafreud’s ten most titillating subjects, and FANTASM is his attempt “to undertake the exploration of the innermost mechanisms of the female mind” – or to just show lots of nudity and softcore sex. A brilliant strategy, and apparently others share my opinion; nearly thirty years later, this funny, filthy little catalogue of kinks from Down Under is not only still around, it’s actually getting the DVD treatment – which could leave a whole new generation of viewers pondering the million dollar Butch & Sundance question about the filmmakers involved: “Who are these guys?”




To read the rest of Chris Poggiali's liner notes, buy FANTASM on DVD from Synapse Films!

Synapse Films presents LEMORA: A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL

“The dead travel fast,” wrote Bram Stoker, who probably knew that the opposite is true of legends, which spread slowly by word of mouth. For all the volume sales of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft or Stephen King, it is fables, folktales and urban legends of the oral tradition that are the most enduring at lights out. Thirty years have passed since UCLA graduates Richard Blackburn and Robert Fern shot their first (and only) feature film, LEMORA – A CHILD’S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL, an amateurish yet crudely poetic and not infrequently eerie vampire story set in the American South (albeit filmed in the wilds of Pomona, California). Writer-director Blackburn and producer Fern had hoped to cash in on the vogue for low budget horror pictures sparked by the success of Bob Kelljan’s COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE (1970) and quickly assembled a cast and crew comprised of friends, lovers, first-timers and the odd industry professional. Although the troubled production did yield a finished film, the partners were soon discouraged by a disastrous first screening and difficulties with securing a distributor. In an interview conducted in 2003, Richard Blackburn recalled the film’s dismal reception...


To read the rest of the liner notes by Richard Harland Smith & Chris Poggiali, buy LEMORA on DVD from Synapse Films!

Synapse Films presents BUDO: THE ART OF KILLING

When film producer Hisao Masuda first set out to make THE ART OF KILLING, a serious and revealing documentary about Japanese martial arts, he found very few people in Japan who shared his enthusiasm for the project. In fact, there wasn’t a major producer in the country willing to financially back the film. Ironically, the funding for this very artful and honest history lesson came from Arthur Davis, the man responsible for BRUTES AND SAVAGES, one of the most artless and dishonest documentaries ever produced.


To read the rest of Chris Poggiali's liner notes, buy BUDO: THE ART OF KILLING on DVD from Synapse Films!

Synapse Films presents BIZARRE

Psst!

Hey you. You in the raincoat.

Yeah -- you. Come here.

Wanna know the secrets of sex? Well, it’s right here in this DVD. And it’s hot.

No, not stolen, I mean HOT.

Well, yeah, kind of, only it’s not French -- it’s British. It’s from Richard Gordon, the same guy who went to Italy and brought back THE PLAYGIRLS AND THE VAMPIRE for us.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. That’s what I mean by hot.

How hot? OK, it starts with a quote from Milton’s Paradise Lost, but don’t panic, it’s the same exact quote Mary Shelley used at the beginning of Frankenstein. You know, Adam says to God, “Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay…” yadda yadda yadda, but then it cuts right to what David Friedman refers to as “pickles and beaver.” Yep, it’s kind of an art film, but also a softcore sex flick.

Oh, and I almost forgot. It’s narrated by a talking mummy.


To read the rest of Chris Poggiali's liner notes, buy BIZARRE on DVD from Synapse Films!

Support the indy DVD companies this holiday season

In the past month we've participated in several heated online discussions concerning torrent site downloading and whether or not it's taking money out of the pockets of indy labels such as After Hours/POP Cinema and Synapse Films. We here at Temple of Schlock believe that torrent sites and newsgroups can be a great resource for fan subs, out-of-print DVDs and VHS rips of rare movies, but they can also contribute to a considerable loss of revenue for small specialty labels when DVDs that are still in print and readily available in stores are uploaded and distributed free of charge. Sites like Cinemageddon need to be more strict in what they allow to be uploaded and linked to on their boards, because the smaller genre companies are being raped and left for dead. Recently our friend Mike Raso of After Hours/POP Cinema had to take legal action against the moderators of Cinemageddon in order to get them to remove links to over 80 of his DVDs. Even if you believe the writing's on the wall for the DVD industry, that's no reason to hasten its demise by illegally uploading and downloading discs that are still in print from smaller independent companies that need the business.

As a show of support for our friends in the industry who have been victimized by illegal downloaders -- Mike Raso, 42nd Street Pete, Don May Jr. and Jerry Chandler of Synapse Films, David Gregory of Severin Films, Todd Wieneke and the gang at Dark Sky Films, Robin Bougie of Cinema Sewer magazine -- for the next week or so I'm going to blatantly advertise a number of the DVD projects I've been involved in over the past 7 years.


Back in 2003, I wrote detailed liner notes for Synapse Films' DVD of BRUTES AND SAVAGES. For a small sampling of those notes, click here to read my blog post on the film's producer, Arthur Davis. To read the rest of my essay, well, you're going to have to buy the disc!

EXPLOITATION EXPLOSION, the third entry in Synapse's popular 42ND STREET FOREVER trailer compilation series, featured an audio commentary I recorded with Michael Gingold of Fangoria and Edwin Samuelson of AVManiacs.com. It was an instant success, selling out its first run in less than a week. One year later we returned for the fourth installment, COOLED BY REFRIGERATION.


Read the rave reviews for 42ND STREET FOREVER, VOL. 3: EXPLOITATION EXPLOSION:

BLOODTYPE ONLINE

ECCENTRIC CINEMA

CINEMATICAL

DVD IN MY PANTS

GRINDHOUSE DATABASE

HORRORDVDS.COM

HORRORMOVIES.CA

MONDO DIGITAL

10K BULLETS

DVD DRIVE-IN

DVD TALK

DVD ACTIVE

DVD VERDICT

THE WEEK IN SLEAZE

HK AND CULT FILM NEWS

SEX GORE MUTANTS

DEAD PIT RADIO

Some of the great reviews we received for 42ND STREET FOREVER, VOL. 4: COOLED BY REFRIGERATION:

10K BULLETS

MONDO DIGITAL

DVD TALK

DVD VERDICT

ECCENTRIC CINEMA

DVD ACTIVE

HORRORDVDS.COM

We'll be returning next year for a special 42ND STREET FOREVER Blu-ray and possibly Vol. 6! Stay tuned for more info.

42ND STREET FOREVER VOL. 4 -- in stores tomorrow!

Just a heads-up to let you know that the fourth volume of Synapse Films' bestselling trailer compilation DVD series arrives in stores tomorrow, containing 48 trailers as well as a lively audio commentary by Fangoria managing editor Michael Gingold, AVManiacs.com founder Edwin Samuelson, and yours truly, Chris Poggiali. We'll also be guests on Fangoria Radio this Friday night on Sirius XM Stars satellite radio, Sirius channel 102/XM channel 155, from 10 p.m.-1 a.m., with a repeat immediately after. Other guests include Lance Henriksen and Elizabeth Banks. Check it out!