Hard Ticket to Hawaii (4½ Stars)

This is the second film in the Andy Sidaris collection, made in 1987. Today I watched it on Blu-ray for the first time, and I was blown away. When I watched "Malibu Express" yesterday I found the picture quality an improvement over the DVD, but far from perfect. That was probably a result of the of the source tapes being old. "Hard Ticket To Hawaii" has such a clear picture, with the exception of a few indoor scenes, that it took my breath away. This is what film restoration should look like. The web site Blu-ray.com writes:

The 1080p transfer comes sourced form a new 4K restoration. The results are imperfect but nevertheless excellent in the aggregate. The picture presents with an organic grain structure, one that is light and complimentary that lends to the presentation a steady, appreciable, and attractive filmic texturing. Details are very strong. Complex skin textures are visible in abundance, clothing lines are crisp and well defined, and the various environments are full of high yield characteristics that bring every shot to life. Colours are not found in deep saturation, favouring a lighter, brighter palette that still offers punchy reds and pleasing natural greens amongst a barrage of additional colours throughout the film. Black levels are stable and skin tones appear accurate. The stray speckle and vertical line are visible but never in detrimental quantities. No serious encode artefacts are apparent.

The opening credits are stylishly designed, despite their low budget. They're printed labels stuck onto boxes in a packing factory.

This was the first film produced by Andy's wife Arlene. She helped keep the production costs in check. She claims that the opening credits scene cost $20.

We also see people working in the factory, unpaid extras, friends of the family.

Andy Sidaris himself even does a brief cameo in the credits sequence.

The film is about two women in Hawaii who are undercover agents for an organisation referred to only as the Agency. Donna is an employee of the Agency, while Taryn is an unofficial worker for the Agency, a woman in a witness protection program. They're not actually on a mission in the film. They get involved with criminal activities by accident. After flying a honeymoon couple to a remote beach they witness a model helicopter landing, and they find that it's carrying diamonds to pay for drugs. There's a sub-plot about a deadly snake running loose on the island. Or should I say it's slithering loose?

There are various connections to the previous films, in the plural because I'm including "Seven". Donna is shown mourning for her father, who she says was the best agent the Agency ever had. She's looking at a photo of Robert Relyea, who played Agent Harris in "Seven".

We briefly see the yacht Malibu Express, after which the first film was named. Cody Abilene has left, and the yacht's new owner is his cousin Rowdy Abilene, a member of the Agency. Although he's a different person, they have a lot in common. They're both irresistible to women, and they're both awful at shooting. In both films, it's a recurring joke that Cody and Rowdy miss their target every time they're involved in a gun fight.

The henchman called Skater returns after being seen in "Seven". Why's he called Skater? Because he rides a skateboard. He's played by Russell Howe, who was the 1975 American skateboarding champion. I never knew it was a sport, but any man who can ride a skateboard downhill on his hands deserves a medal.

There are several actors who return in different roles. Sometimes the roles are so similar that the viewer is confused. For instance, Michael Andrews plays a transvestite in both films.

The film stars four Playboy models. Wow! Here are three of them, looking like clones of Charlie's Angels, complete with the 1980's hairstyles. Hope Marie Carlton (left) was Playboy's Playmate of the Month in July 1985. Dona Speir (middle) was Playboy's Playmate of the Month in March 1984. Cynthia Brimhall (right) was Playboy's Playmate of the Month in October 1985.

Patty Duffek doesn't get as much screen time as the other three girls, which is a shame, when we examine her assets. She was Playboy's Playmate of the Month in May 1984.

In addition to his cameo in the opening credits, Andy Sidaris plays a reporter from New York who's in Hawaii to interview football players. This refers to his previous career. Before he became a film director, he worked in covering sports events for television.

Julie Strain joins Andy Sidaris in the special features to talk about the film. She was Penthouse Pet of the Month in June 1991 and Penthouse Pet of the Year in 1993.

I accidentally discovered an Easter Egg on the disc. It's not indexed in the menus, so most people won't find it. It's in single density, so it's possible that it was also hidden on the DVD release. I'll have to check. Julie Strain is putting Andy Sidaris under pressure while getting ready for a photo shoot.

She strips completely naked in front of him. Poor Andy can't bare to look.

After seeing this Easter Egg, I decided to go back to "Malibu Express" and see if I'd missed anything. Yes I did. There are three photos of Julie Strain naked which aren't linked to any menus. I'm going to be examining every disc in the collection carefully.