Black Scorpion 2 (4 Stars)

"Black Scorpion 2", later released as "Black Scorpion: Aftershock", is a sequel to "Black Scorpion". It was made two years later in 1997. Most of the cast returns from the first film, but Michael Russo is no longer her partner. He's been replaced by a detective called Rick, who acts just the same as Michael from the first film. He desires Black Scorpion, but he sees it as his duty to arrest her. My suspicion is that the actor Bruce Abbott was supposed to play the role, but he turned it down at the last moment, after the screenplay had already been written.

The scientist Dr. Ursula Undershaft has invented a machine that will stop earthquakes by creating counter-quakes to cancel them out. That sounds like a good idea. Is it feasible? The mayor of Los Angeles doesn't want her machine to be used, because he likes earthquakes. Whenever there's a quake he wins votes by being able to reimburse those who've lost property. He sends his thugs to wreck Ursula's machine. The next time there's a minor quake, her machine makes it worse.

To get revenge, Ursula steals an outfit from a fetish shop and becomes a villain called Aftershock. Wow! That's a terrific makeover! She invents power blasters that she wears on her  wrists. I have no idea what sort of power they use, but they're effective.

Another villain who appears in this film is Gangster Prankster, an obvious rip off of DC's Joker. He's annoying. Roger Corman should have thought up a more original villain.

This is the last time we see Joan Severence as Black Scorpion. In 2001 there was a Black Scorpion TV series, and the main role was played by Michelle Lintel. The series was wonderful, in my eyes, but it was hampered by the (relatively) small budget. It was all Roger Corman could afford.

In 2009 there was a Black Scorpion comic series that ran for four issues. It was meant to test the water, to see if there was interest in an ongoing series. I've read the comics, and I don't consider them particularly good. The character needed a top rate writer and artist to succeed, but the budget didn't stretch that far.

The character of the Black Scorpion has promise. The premise of a camp female counterpart to the 1960's Batman has promise. A sexy super-heroine in a fetish costume has promise. Someone needs to bring the Black Scorpion back to the screen, either as a film or as a new TV series.

"Black Scorpion 2" is long out of print. The DVD release is poor quality with a fuzzy picture, especially in the fight scenes. It's tragic.

Black Scorpion (4 Stars)

This is a superhero film made in 1995, produced by Roger Corman and directed by Jonathan Winfrey. As was typical with all of Roger Corman's films, he laid out the film's concept and retained full creative control. For this reason his role was more than that of a standard producer.

The premise of the series was to create a superhero who was a female equivalent of Batman. The camp nature of the film and the corny wooden dialogue is deliberate.

Darcy Walker is a police detective in Los Angeles. Her father was a tough cop who always succeeded in catching criminals, but he lost his job because he was considered too reckless. If catching a criminal involved collateral damage, he took the risk, and after accidentally shooting a hostage he was fired.

As a cop, Darcy does undercover work, pretending to be a prostitute to catch a killer. She fails in her assignment, but it gives her an idea. She modifies a BDSM outfit to make herself look like a superhero, straight from the comics. Her first mission is to catch the prostitute killer. She knew who he was, even though she couldn't provide proof, so she kills him. Justice is served, even if it's outside of the law. I should say against the law. The police consider her a criminal, so they hunt her while she's doing her job, making the city a safer place. Ironically, the man assigned to catch her is her partner in the police force, Michael Russo.

Like Batman, Black Scorpion doesn't have any super powers. She's just very fit and a skilled fighter with a few weapons at her disposal. She doesn't use a whip, unfortunately. She carries a stick with which she batters her opponents. Less kinky, but more effective. Her signature weapon is her Scorpion Sting. She wears a Scorpion ring that fires electric charges like a Taser.

Just like Batman, when she dons her costume her personality changes. Or maybe her real personality is unleashed. This was an important concept in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns". Darcy is timid and shy at work. She desires Michael Russo, but she's afraid to make a move. As Black Scorpion she bursts into his apartment and takes him by force. She pushes him onto the bed, despite his protests, pulls his trousers down and rides him. But that's not all. When she's finished she knocks him out with her Scorpion Sting. Do you know the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog?

Once upon a time there was a scorpion. The scorpion wanted to get across a river, but she didn't know how to swim, so she asked a frog if she could ride on his back. He was scared, but she promised that she wouldn't sting. He got halfway across the river, and he felt a burning shot through his back. He said, "Oh my! Why did you do that? Now we'll both die". The scorpion said, "I had to. It's in my nature".

When Darcy becomes the Black Scorpion, she has to hurt the one she loves. It's in her nature.

The villain in the film is just as corny as those in the Batman TV series. This is Breathtaker, a masked villain who has a plan to unleash an experimental gas that will make everyone in the city obey him.

Two years later a sequel was made. In 2001 a TV series was made that was far superior to the films. A different actress played the main character, it was even more camp, and it was even more exciting. The concept of the Black Scorpion is so thrilling that it's desperately in need of being remade. A new series would profit from today's higher production qualities.

Sadly, the film is now out of print. I recently found out that the series is available on Amazon Prime in America.

Dinocroc vs Supergator (3 Stars)

I admit, after I watched this film eight years ago, I didn't intend to watch it again. I'm a big fan of Jim Wynorski, but I didn't consider it to be one of his better films. Recently a friend of mine mentioned the film on Facebook and praised the musical score by Chuck Cirino. I couldn't remember the music, so I decided to pull it off my shelf and watch it again. I'm fortunate that my DVDs are neatly stored in alphabetical order. As someone who owns more than 2000 films, it's essential. I started to use bookshelves exclusively for my DVDs years ago, probably in 2008, when I only had a hundred films. I bought more bookshelves over the years as needed. I now have five large bookcases, all above head height, but the films on the top shelf are still within reaching distance. My top shelf is reserved for my favourite films, and the alphabetic ordering starts on the second shelf. Importantly, when I want a particular film, however long it is since I last watched it, I only need a few seconds to find it.

The film takes place in Hawaii on the island Kauai. An industrialist, Jason Drake, played by David Carradine, has been carrying out illegal experiments in his factory. He's been genetically modifying a crocodile and an alligator. They both increase in size rapidly. For unknown reasons the crocodile looks like it's been grafted onto a Tyrannosaurus Rex's body. Both creatures break out of the factory on the same day and head in different directions, looking for food... the two-legged kind of food.

Drake sends in mercenaries to capture the creatures and bring them back. The US government sends in specialists to kill them. The two groups briefly meet, when Drake's personal assistant is sent to kill anyone from the factory who's giving away secrets to the government agents. That's probably the weakest part of the plot: the rival groups don't challenge one another. In the first half we see mainly Drake's men, in the second half we only see the government agents. It's a loose end that Drake's men – the ones who haven't been killed – simply disappear.

Another problem is that the computer graphics are such poor quality. Nobody expects a low budget film to look like "Jurassic Park", but the monsters still look too bad to be taken seriously. The monster films made by Christopher Ray look better, and I'm sure he probably has an even smaller budget.

The film's title is misleading. The two monsters wreak havoc separately throughout the film. They only come together for a fight in the final five minutes.

As for the music, my usual opinion about film music is that it should produce emotional feelings without being consciously heard. It should be in the background while the viewer concentrates on the story itself. Nevertheless, I made an effort to listen to the music, and I have to agree with my friend. Chuck Cirino's score is excellent, especially in the film's opening scenes. Sometimes music is worth listening to in its own right.

The film has an assortment of pretty girls, as you would expect from any film directed by Jim Wynorski, but they don't last long. Most of them are unnamed characters who strut across the screen, showing off their bikinis, only to be bitten in half a few minutes later. What a waste!

The only girl who makes it to the end is the beautiful park ranger Cassidy Swanson, played by Amy Holt. 

It must be a rule in Jim Wynorski's monster films that any girl wearing a bikini is going to die. I wonder what his therapist has to say about that. We can just be happy that Cassidy was professional and left her bikini at home.

Overall, the film isn't very satisfying. It's not an awful film, but it's not good enough to be thrilling. At the very least, Jim could have added some gratuitous nudity. Maybe a girl or two lying nude on the beach who didn't get killed. Take off your bikinis and survive!

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Sharktopus (3 Stars)

Here's a picture to get my readers excited. A giant shark attacking topless swimmers? I can see my readers pulling out their credit cards and clicking on the Amazon links already. Slow down a bit. This might be the picture that's used on the box of the German Blu-ray release, but it's false advertising. There are no naked breasts anywhere in the film. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Of course, I want you to click on my Amazon links, but not at the cost of dishonesty. Your favourite blogger Mike Hood is a good guy.

If you've calmed down you can read the rest of my review.

Films about giant sharks are in at the moment. They're not realistic sharrk films like "Jaws", which still stands out as the best shark film ever. In the new wave of shark films directors try to outdo one another in their exaggerated visual effects, such as sharks falling from the sky in storm weather or sharks jumping out of the water to attack helicopters. "Sharktopus", as the title suggests, is about a new breed of shark that's half octopus.

A contractor for the US Navy has bio-engineered this new breed of creature to be used as a weapon in future wars. That's a great idea, as long as they can be kept under control when they're being bred in America. Easier said than done. A giant Sharktopus escapes and swims from California southwards, along the Mexican coast. It's the perfect killing machine, and not just in the water. It can use its tentacles to walk on land and climb buildings. The tentacles have a sharp claw at the tip which enables the Sharktopus to stab its victims to death before eating them.

My main interest in this film was because it was produced by Roger Corman. His name on the box is a guarantee for quality. Usually. I was disappointed by the film. There are too many random holidaymakers being killed. There should have been more concentration on the plot.

This is the first in a series of Sharktopus films, three so far. It's been followed by "Sharktopus vs Pteracuda" and "Sharktopus vs Whalewolf". I shan't buy them, however many topless girls there may be on the cover. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy films about giant sharks, especially the films directed by Christopher Ray. But if a film is trashy it at least needs to be trashy in a good way.

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Fantastic Four [1994] (4 Stars)

I've known about the existence of this film for a long time, at least 10 years, but I've been reluctant to watch it. It was only available online, so I wanted to wait until it was released on DVD. I found out last week that it will never be released, so today I watched the film online at Daily Motion.

So why won't it be released? I've pieced the story together, starting with Wikipedia, then adding information from other web sites.

In 1986 the German company Constantin Film purchased the film rights to the Fantastic Four. If no film was made within six years the rights would revert to Marvel. There were doubts that the film could be made within the budgetary constraints of a relatively small company, so the making of the film was put off as long as possible. The filming finally began on December 28th 1992, three days before the rights were due to expire. I suppose it's a matter of legal definition whether the film has to be completed or begun within the six year period. The budget was still limited, so Roger Corman was hired as producer, because he promised he could make the film for one million dollars.

"Fantastic Four" was planned to be released in 1994. Avi Arad of Marvel expressed doubts about whether it was a good idea to release a low budget film about the Fantastic Four. He decided to block the film, probably with the support of his superiors. He bought the rights to the film for two million dollars, then cancelled the release. He ordered all the copies of the film to be destroyed, allegedly without even watching it himself. If that's true, he's sunk very low in my esteem.

Someone somewhere must have made a copy of the film, because fuzzy copies of the film have found their way onto the Internet over the last 10 years. I'm thankful that the film hasn't disappeared completely, but I'm sad that the picture quality is so poor. It's doubtful that any good quality tapes still exist.

The film is a typical origin story. We see Reed Richards, Benjamin Grimm, Susan Storm and Johnny Storm gain their powers, after which they battle against Doctor Doom. That's the same as what we see in the 2005 version and the 2015 version of the film, but just look at the screenshot of Doctor Doom. However fuzzy the picture might be we can still see that Roger Corman got the costume right. 100% correct. Also check out the costumes of the Fantastic Four themselves in the poster at the beginning of this review. Wow! They're perfect. Why did the costumes look so bad in 2005 and 2015? Apart from that, Roger Corman at least knew what skin colour Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters have. He didn't blunder in the casting the way they did in the later films.

The low budget means that the special effects are less convincing. In particular, Reed Richards' stretching powers look unrealistic. This has led film fans to call the film "so bad that it's good", but I consider that description to be incorrect. This film is superior to both of the later films. The acting of all the main characters can't be faulted, but the outstanding actor is Michael Bailey Smith as Benjamin Grimm. None of the other films have such an emotional depth in the portrayal of a handsome man who becomes ugly, but finds that a blind girl can love him.

As if that isn't enough, the Thing speaks the words "It's clobbering time" not once, not twice, but three times during the film. That's three times more than in either of the two later films.

Last year a documentary was released about the making of this film. I need to see it.

Nuff said!

Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (3½ Stars)

What does a girl do if she wants to become a cheerleader, but she's unathletic and has a bad facial complexion? Every film fan knows the answer. She breaks into a laboratory and swallows an experimental drug. The next morning she wakes up with a beautiful face, and she's so fit that she easily passes the cheerleader trials. The problem is that over the next few days her height increases dramatically.

This was the first film produced by Roger Corman in 3D. Luckily I saw the 2D version today. 3D is overrated. The plot is so similar to "Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold" that Roger Corman could be accused of plagiarism. I have no problems with films copying other films, as long as it's done well. In this case it doesn't succeed. Fred Olen Ray's unique touch is missing, and the girls don't look as good. It's a fun film, but not worth watching more than once. Unless, of course, you have a giant cheerleader fetish, in which case it'll be your favourite film.

Body Chemistry 4: Full Exposure (4 Stars)

A jury is made up of 12 people brought together to decide who has the best lawyer.

That quote, spoken in the film by Shannon Tweed as Dr. Claire Archer, is unfortunately true, especially in America. A lot of money can be earned from making sure that guilty people don't go to jail.

The fourth film in the Body Chemistry series begins where the third film ended. A reporter has written a screenplay for a film about the psychologist Dr. Claire Archer, in which there are details about her murdering her ex-lovers. When he delivers the script to a producer Claire is waiting, and she shoots both of them. She was witnessed committing the murder, so she hires the high profile lawyer Simon Mitchell to prove that she's innocent. Never a person to separate business and pleasure, she has a sexual affair with the lawyer. At the same time she makes anonymous threatening phone calls to Simon's wife and his legal assistant. Is this madness, or will it somehow help her case?

This is a very well written film, with a perfect balance between the courtroom drama, the action and the sex scenes. It's what all erotic thrillers should be. Unfortunately, it's now out of print. Let's hope there will soon be a box set containing all four films in the Body Chemistry Tetralogy.

Body Chemistry 3: Point of Seduction (4 Stars)

Dr. Claire Archer has now moved up in the world. Her face is well known as the host of a television show in which she gives advice to people with sexual problems. But her past is catching up with her. Freddie, who worked with her in the laboratory in the first film, was fired from his job for drinking, so he is attempting a new career as a screenwriter. He approaches a film producer, Alan Clay, with a script based on Claire's life. The first draft shows her as an innocent victim of violent men, but after the contract is signed Freddie makes investigations into her time at the radio station (the second film) and comes to the conclusion that she is a killer. He tries to expose her, but by this time Claire has already begun an affair with Alan. As always, she prefers sex with married men.

An added complication is that Alan's wife Beth, the leading actress in a television soap opera, reads Freddie's script and becomes determined to play Claire's part in the film. Fascinated by the script, she becomes increasingly like Claire off the screen.

In the first two films Dr. Claire Archer was played by Lisa Pescia. In this film the role is played by Shari Shattuck, who has a degree of similarity, but is more attractive. Overall the acting is better than in the other two films, probably due to Jim Wynorski taking over as director.

Body Chemistry 2: Voice of a Stranger (3¾ Stars)

After the events of the first film Dr. Claire Archer has retired from scientific research. She is now working as a radio DJ, hosting a program from 9pm till 1am every day, in which she gives advice on sexual issues to callers. The calls are filtered, and she primarily gives advice on sadomasochistic questions. That is, after all, her main area of expertise.

One night a man calls in who says he can't control his violent urges, both in his professional and his private life. He used to be a police officer, but he had to leave the force because of excessive violence. He now wants to get back together with his ex-girlfriend, but he's afraid to get too close because he feels the need to hurt her. Claire meets him personally and tells him he can only be cured if he allows himself to be dominated. She ties him up and has sex with him while treating him roughly. He tells her afterwards that he didn't enjoy it, but over the next few days she meets him repeatedly, tying him up and forcing him into sexual games against his will. For Claire it's not a matter of helping him, she only wants to prove that she can dominate any man, however violent he might be.

This film doesn't quite live up to the first in the series, but it's still relatively enjoyable. My main problem with it is that most of the scenes are too dark, making them less explicit. It's true, the scenes take place at night, but I would have liked to see what was happening more clearly.

Body Chemistry (4 Stars)

After watching "Body Chemistry 4" for the first time in September I thought I would go back and watch the first three installments, all of which I haven't watched for many years. This film has been accused of copying "Basic Instinct", but it was actually made two years earlier. That just shows that there are no completely original ideas in films.

Dr. Tom Redding works in a research laboratory which investigates the chemical reactions in the body when test subjects are sexually stimulated. A nice job. Another company wants to investigate the correlation between the chemical reactions of sex and violence, and they send a consultant, Dr. Claire Archer, to work in Tom's laboratory. On their first day working together Claire ties Tom up and seduces him. He feels guilty, because he has a wife and son, but he's unable to resist her. Over the next few weeks an intense sadomasochistic relationship develops. Eventually Tom breaks off the relationship, but Claire takes revenge on Tom and his family, not because she really wants Tom, but because she doesn't like to be rejected. Tom decides to fight back, leading to a showdown between the weak man and the strong woman.

On a negative note, the DVD that I watched today is a double-sided DVD, with the first two "Body Chemistry" films on opposite sides. I hate that. I utterly despise double-sided DVDs. There's no excuse for them. At least there are no double-sided Blu Rays. I hope not, at least. If you intend to buy this film, please follow the link above (click the picture) which will lead you to a single-sided DVD release.

Piranhaconda (3½ Stars)

A film crew is on location in the jungles of Hawaii making a slasher movie. But they're in real danger. A group of heavily armed mercenaries kidnap the director, along with the leading actress and several of the crew, to hold them for ransom. As if that weren't enough, a giant snake is crawling around killing people, whether they're scientific research teams or idle holidaymakers.

This film is a welcome addition to the bikinis and snakes genre. What's that? You say there isn't a bikinis and snakes genre? Then there ought to be. The film is just an excuse to show young girls in bikinis running in terror from giant snakes. As such it's good, light-hearted fun, worth watching once.

Young Nurses (3 Stars)

Nurses in sunny California at work and play. It's not a bad film, really, but it hasn't stood the test of time. Made in 1973, it's 40 years old this year. I used to like Roger Corman's early films when I was younger, but I've grown out of them now.

I'm amused by the film's R rating. Just because of occasional glimpses of bare breasts? Ridiculous!

Body Chemistry 4: Full Exposure (4 Stars)

This is the last in the series of films about the psychologist and serial killer, Dr. Claire Archer. Normally I would complain about the leading character being changed within a series, but Shannon Tweed takes over as Dr. Archer in this film, which is a welcome change. Roger Corman is the executive producer for the series, and Jim Wynorski directed the third and fourth installments. It's been a long time since I watched the first three parts, but as I remember sado-masochism played a bigger role. The sex in the fourth part, which I watched today, is more vanilla, although Shannon -- oops, I meant Claire -- is always the one in control.

The film begins with Claire killing a reporter who was about to publish an article about her. She goes to the top attorney Simon Mitchell and asks him to defend her. He is convinced of her innocence, so he does an expert job in tearing apart the prosecution's case. But he also falls under Claire's spell and begins a dangerous affair with her, which threatens both his marriage and his job.

This is the second film I've watched in a row that was directed by Jim Wynorski. If I counted correctly, I have 22 of his films in my DVD collection. That's enough for a marathon. Soon. There are a few marathons I'd like to do, when I have the time.

Komodo vs Cobra (4 Stars)

This is yet another Monster vs Monster extravaganza directed by Jim Wynorski under the watchful eye of executive producer Roger Corman. The plot is pretty much the same as (for instance) "Dinocroc vs Supergator", but this is a much better structured film. Instead of random victims wandering around everywhere, there's a small group stranded on the Mysterious Island, in this case Isla Domas, looking for a way to escape the giant creatures.

A group of conservationists have travelled to a remote Hawaiian island to expose military animal testing. They take along a television reporter. And of course, there's the amoral mercenary, the man they hire a boat from. Once they arrive they found out that the poor defenceless animals they've gone to save aren't so defenceless after all.

This is a good film, full of action, and most importantly there are few enough characters for us to get to know them.

Camel Spiders (4 Stars)

This is a scary film. It made me yell a few times while I was watching it, that's how scary it was. In fact, it was so scary that I doubt I'll watch it again. It's deliciously revolting to watch them tear a man's skin off his face within seconds.

During a firefight in Iraq a US soldier is killed. His body is shipped back home to Arizona, but giant camel spiders are nesting inside his body. Back in Arizona the truck carrying his coffin is involved in a road accident and the spiders escape. They breed fast in the desert areas of Arizona and hunt down unsuspecting people.

Camel spiders are a genuine species that exists in the middle east, but the ones in this film are exaggerated in size. There is some debate whether they should be classified as spiders or not, because they only have six legs.

Dinocroc vs Supergator (3½ Stars)

I suppose that a film with a name like this must be the result of a Roger Corman/Jim Wynorski collaboration. Nobody else would have the nerve to make a film sound so trashy. But then again, why not call it what it is? It is trashy. So what?

In a research facility on the Hawaiian island Kauai the unscrupulous scientist Jason Drake (played by David Carradine in one of his last roles) has created mutated crocodiles and alligators. One of each escapes from the research facility. The alligator is merely an oversized version of everyday alligators, whereas the crocodile looks suspiciously like the velociraptors that we know from "Jurassic Park". In fact, throughout the film I got the impression that it was intended to be a cheap man's Jurassic Park.

The film has all the hallmarks of Jim Wynorski classics – big monsters, fast action and pretty girls – but it isn't up to his other films. I think the problem is the way the girls are presented. Repeatedly busty girls appear in bikinis or other skimpy clothing. The scene builds up suspense, suggesting further nudity. Then snap! A giant monster appears and bites the girls in half before we can see any more. I wasn't keeping a body count, but there were way too many pretty girls getting killed.

Still, it's good fun. For the sake of pure escapism it's worth watching once. I've read that the American DVD release contains a commentary by Roger Corman. That would have interested me. Unfortunately it isn't included on the English release.

Raptor (3¾ Stars)

This film was produced by Roger Corman, and shows elements of his style throughout, but for me it's more typical of the director Jim Wynorski. Jim seems to have an even bigger knack than Roger of making watchable films on small budgets. "Raptor" is no masterpiece, but it's fun to watch. The special effects are laughable, but the story is believable, the action is gripping, and as in all of Jim's films the female actors are first rate eye candy. His monster films have a distinct 1950's feel to them.

Unfortunately, many of his films never make it onto DVD. He makes his films to be shown on late night television channels, i.e. American television channels, so people like me who live in England don't get a chance to see them. I hope this will change. I have a feeling that Jim's time will come. Despite the large volume of his work he's largely unknown, but one day he'll find the recognition he deserves. I estimate that I have about a dozen of his films in my DVD collection. Maybe I'll have a Jim Wynorski month in the near future. Watch this space.

The Terror (4 Stars)

In 1806 a French officer, Andre Duvalier, loses his regiment and collapses on a beach in northern Germany (actually Prussia, because at that time Germany was a geographical area, not the name of a country). He is helped by a mysterious young woman, Helene. After falling unconscious again he wakes up in the house of an old peasant woman who denies that any young women live in the vicinity. The only other building is the castle of Baron von Leppe, so Andre goes to the castle in search of Helene. The baron also insists that there is no Helene, but the portrait of the baron's wife who died in 1782 looks uncannily like Helene. Andre remains to solve the mystery.

This is a great film with excellent performances by Jack Nicholson as Andre and Boris Karloff as Baron Von Leppe. The over-dramatic music and the dark gothic castle capture the atmosphere of the 1930's horror films. Why don't they make films like this any more? This is a real horror film. On the other hand, the plot twist at the end of the film is unnecessary. The classic horror films had simple plots, they didn't need surprises.

The version of the film that I have on DVD is very poor quality. In many scenes the picture fades and the colours swim. I've read that a remastered version was released in 2011. That would be worth seeing.

The friendly reception of a French soldier in Germany seems difficult to accept. In 1806 France was waging war against Prussia. This led to the French army taking Berlin in October 1806. I can't imagine that any Germans, noblemen or peasants, would have welcomed an officer of an invading army as a guest.

World Map 1806

Green: France (and allies)

Blue: Prussia (and allies)

Grey: Independent

Night Call Nurses (1½ Stars)

I don't normally have any limits when it comes to films. I'll watch anything, and if I don't like it I'll just shrug and give it a low rating. But this film crossed the line in the opening minutes.

A beautiful woman goes onto the top of a building. She strips naked, then throws herself off. Bam! Dead! I find it disgusting that suicide is used as an excuse for sexual tittilation. I almost turned the film off there. I hoped it would get better. The only improvement was that there were no more suicides, naked or otherwise.

Candy Stripe Nurses (2½ Stars)

This is the last in the series of nursesploitation films made under the oversight of Roger Corman in the 1970's. Technically speaking, Corman is the executive producer of the film series, though he isn't described as such. I haven't seen the other films in the series, and I confess to being disappointed by this film after the rave reviews I've read of it. To me it just looks like a clone of a 1960's Carry On film, but with added nudity. The film has three unrelated plots, one for each of three girls featured and their amorous adventures with patients.

I didn't know what a "candy stripe nurse" is before watching this film. It's an unpaid volunteer nurse who does unqualified nursing jobs in a hospital. Apart from being purely voluntary, sometimes it was required of the students in nursing schools, and sometimes it was ordered as community service after committing a crime. The nurses were named after the striped uniforms they wore to differentiate them from real nurses.