DISQUS

Podophile · 2 years ago

Glad you enjoyed it.

I have to say that, as the submitter of this entry, I'm not a huge Russ Meyers fan overall. He made a ton of movies, and even though they share many characteristics with this one, I find most of them boring and almost unwatchable. The notable exceptions are this movie and "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (Faster Pussycat isn't available on DVD, but Turner Classic Movies will be showing it on September 4th at 12:30am PT. Set your Tivos)

As a follow-up to the contest, it might be interesting to discuss what separates "bad" movies from "so-bad-they're-good" movies. Just because a movie has a bad script, bad actors, and bad direction doesn't necessarily make it fun (or funny). So what's the "x-factor" that keeps us watching?

engtech @ IDT · 2 years ago

have to say I'm loving this series... bad movie reviews are always so much more fun

webomatica · 2 years ago

Ross, thanks for the recommendation. This was the first Russ Meyer movie I have seen, although I have heard of his flicks for quite some time. I'll definitely be checking out Faster Pussycat if I can.

As for what makes a so bad it's good flick, I'm definitely taking some notes. I think I'll have a pretty hilarious list at the end of what seems to work for me. The x-factor might be something as simple as "sincerity" in that if you intentionally try to make a bad film that is supposed to be good, it doesn't work as well.

Not to give away the farm - I still have a few more flicks to watch but right now BVD is looking like a tough one to beat in the contest!

tish grier · 2 years ago

just catching up on my RSS reader and saw this post....believe it or not, I was given the delux edition of this movie to review about a year ago. The interviews and the commentary add to the cheezy goodness....

I would also bet that Josie and the Pussycats was indeed modeled on this (but would have to check the date--could even be that BVoD was modeled on JatP?) Given the time frame, it's not that unusual. Often adult ideas were scaled down for kids TV--or subtle adult humor was grafted into cartoons (think of Bulwinkle or Beanie and Cecil.) Sixties and 70's cartoons existed in a different world--one that got not only sanitized, but then turned into nothing more than slick marketing campaigns (hence, I love The Skelator Show on YouTube...a fitting mashup of mass marketing.)

But listening to Roger Ebert talk about the film's ending (I think it was Ebert on the delux ed) he explained the ending as a reflection of what was going on in L.A. at the time with the Manson killings. Those of us who were kids--and not living in L.A.--don't really understand the impact of those killings on that particular world. As, I think, Ebert said, the killings signified the end of innocence (or presumed innocence) of the hippie days--and that there was, after all, a very dark side to hippieness. I think that's what Meyer and Ebert were trying to capture at the end--although Meyer's own confused sexualtity and love of girl-girl action consitiutes a very odd backdrop for that message. And the weird end of tale narration might have been a way to cull some sort of psychological resolution to a larger issue. Then again, maybe Meyer just had some leftover film and wanted a montage.

webomatica · 2 years ago

Tish of course you spurred me to look some stuff up. It seems the cartoon program Josie and the Pussycats debuted in 1970 but it's based on a comic book made by the same company that did Archie. While the Josie character started in the early sixties it seems she didn't form her band until 1969. Now the Archies definitely predate BVotD.

I find the association with the Manson murders in BVD rather jarring and a bit creepy as one of the stars of the previous film Valley of the Dolls is Sharon Tate who was one of the victims.

I'm going to watch Valley of the Dolls (which I have never seen) and ponder this a bit more!

Thanks for visiting and commenting.

Tish Grier · 2 years ago

oh, have fun with Valley of the Dolls! a truly strange "chick flick." BTW, when you watch it, you may wonder why Barbara Parkinson was the star. She was quite big at the time, having played on the TV soap opera Peyton Place. She didn't do much after VoD (well, a couple of cheezy horror flicks, one with Allen Alda (?!?!?!)) VoD was also Patty Duke's first grown-up movie. At the time, there were many rumors that she wouldn't have much of a career after the Patty Duke Show, even though she won an Oscar for playing Helen Keller in the Miracle Worker. She really showed them! Also, note the references to "art films." quite humorous! I'm going to have to watch it myself and refresh my memory. :-)

webomatica · 2 years ago

Cool, I'm excited. It arrives in my mailbox via Netflix tomorrow. Hopefully a review will follow shortly.

Aint the "long tail" of the Internet great where we can share all this obscure stuff!

Michael Fultz · 2 years ago

Sometimes, the "bad" movies are the best ones.. anything is watchable with enough vodka..

Slammerworm · 2 years ago

Great fun, a perfect party movie. Back in the 1980s some us 'alt rock' folks here in Christchurch, New Zealand used to repeatedly hire the video and get wrecked watching it (and 'Apocalypse Now', BTW). My mates in a band called the South American Question were inspired to write at least four songs suggested by BVD. The best was 'Baxter Woolfe', although 'Hey, I Said Hey!' was pretty good, too. I t got into our everyday speech and we'd go around saying stuff like 'the lady's made her choice, LOSER', 'ugly broad' and 'this is my happening'. The South American Question went too far when they used a picture of the Carrie Nations on a gig poster and people turned up expecting to see an all-girl band. I gotta get another copy of this.

webomatica · 2 years ago

Heh - great memories. This DVD has a remastered picture so the flick looks way better than it probably deserves. I still have to get a copy myself.