This was a sort-of sequel to the great Ozploitation documentary “Not Quite Hollywood”, but instead of focusing on the genre films of Australia, “Machete Maidens Unleashed” focuses on the American productions that were filmed on the cheap in the Philippines during the 70’s.
The interesting thing is that this was a time during great oppression of the Filipino people when they were ruled by a dictatorship, yet by participating in these films, they found huge freedom. Some of the interviewees are fantastic like Joe Dante (again), Sid Haig, Roger Corman, Jack Hill and the always entertaining John Landis. As entertaining as the film is, it just doesn’t grab you (well at least me) the way “Not Quite Hollywood” did. After seeing that film, I was inspired to try and track down all of those films talked about, but with “Machete Maidens Unleashed” this just isn’t the case. I assume this has to do with the quality of the films talked about, as well as the fact that this film has a narrower focus than its predecessor, dealing only with the films made by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, up until the mention of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” at the end. Overall though, I would still recommend viewing this film at least once.
3 Stars - Viewed at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival
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