caruso_stalker217 wrote:I have watched my first Andy Sidaris film, MALIBU EXPRESS.
I knew I spared your life for a reason. This cinematic journey is truly a path of discovery and wonder. The many hair styles of Rodrigo Obregon lie before you.
caruso_stalker217 wrote:It kinda reminded me of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT because the music is all hayseed country nonsense and there is the occasional car chase.
This one does have a far more Burt Reynolds vibe than the others. The other films do feature some hillbilly content, but I would say the Baywatch beach culture is usually the more dominant flavour. That Dukes of Hazaard score is definitely a big part of MAILBU EXPRESS's hillbilly feel, but the lead guy also has a strong hick vibe. He played the villain in this Philipino kung fu flick b-movie called FIRECRACKER which I would totally recommend.
caruso_stalker217 wrote:There are a lot of boobs in the movie and most of them appear to be real.
The women are surprisingly natural for a long stretch in Sidaris's work. When he makes the switch to fake boobs, it kinda signals the decline in the films. I think the FIT TO KILL is the first one where Julie Strain shows up and is also the last one Dona Speir is in; and you can feel Sidaris begining to check out. After that the cast switches to almost entirely fake boobs with the likes of Shae Marks and Julie K. Smith. And although I like their cartoonish fake tits fine, Sidaris is clearly no longer invested in the movies on a creative level. Dona Speir's boobs were the heart of the series.
caruso_stalker217 wrote:I was actually surprised by the level of competence in the filmmaking. It's not masterful by any stretch, but everything seems to be in focus when it should be and the framing is good and everything.
Sidaris was quite accomplished in sports broadcasting before he made the switch to making these self-financed corny T&A action flicks. So he has a good sense of coverage. The action all flows visually in a very coherent manner and he gets a surprising bang for his small budgets. His technical knowledge and professional connections clearly pay off.
On the DVDs I have he discusses the various techniques he used for getting the most of his budget. I met his widow who sold me the PICASSO TRIGGER poster I have in my laundry room and she told me more stories. Their business model was bang tidy.
caruso_stalker217 wrote:On a story level it doesn't make much sense, so there is a Perry Mason scene at the end to tie up all the loose ends and even then I'm not sure it actually made sense.
Yeah, MALIBU EXPRESS at least kinda has a Ms Marple formula on the surface; so even if the dots don't connect it sorta feels like they do because it resembles other movies that do make sense. The same can be said about SEVANO'S SEVEN, Sidaris's take on THE SEVEN SAMURAI.
It's in HARD TICKET TO HAWAII that Sidaris really finds his voice and begins telling stories that are indisputably original because they usually have a couple subplots too many to keep them from fitting into any recognizeable formula. I think on the DVD for PICASSO TRIGGER, Dona Speir says
"I read the whole script, I starred in the film, I watched it, but I had to watch it a few more times before I actually understood what was going on." Strangely, some of them actually have good ideas for movies if they were rearranged and better thought out by somebody else. SAVAGE BEACH most of all feels like its story could actually be for real good if somebody else was telling it.