Review of American Grindhouse (2011) by Joseph G — 09 Aug 2011

Having watched some of the old B-movies and unknown movies courtesy of Something Weird Video, and having enjoyed Grindhouse, I was thrilled to see this history, albeit a surface-skimming look at the exploitation movies that played in the theatres on New York's 42nd St. The genres of those movies and the days before, during, and after the Hays Code is discussed, as is the influence of movies that spawned big budget cinematic releases.

From film noir, juvenile delinquent flicks, horror, nudie-cuties, roughies, blaxploitation, and Nazi stuff, this covers a lot of ground, although maybe it should've been a half hour longer. Still, it's good to see Herschell Gordon Lewis and David Friedman, Jack Hill, and others who directed those films share their memories. John Landis seems all too cheerful and enthusiastic in his delivery.