THREE STARS!
"...for better -- and mostly for worse -- we will not see their like again!"
Newark Star Ledger, by Stephen Whitty
| For more than half a century, filmmakers David Friedman and Dan Sonney fought censors, battled bluenoses and traveled the country with their own brand of barrier-breaking, taboo-smashing films. "Two Thousand Maniacs." "Trader Hornee." "The Erotic Adventures of Zorro." None of them would win any awards, and more than a few were literally run out of town. But -- as the new documentary "Mau Mau Sex Sex" demonstrates -- they showed things and body parts Hollywood films wouldn't dare. And along the way, they helped chisel away at cinema censorship. "There wasn't any master plan, any scheme," insists Friedman today. "I'm not that smart." But he did have an old-time carny canniness and a showman's love of ballyhoo. And his wild trailers and taste for publicity gave viewers a show before they'd even taken their seat. "Mau Mau Sex Sex" can't reproduce that show, but it does give you a taste of those movies. Friedman talks about shooting the gore effects for the horror film "Blood Feast," helped along by animal organs and a bottle of Pine-Sol. Sonney details how he took a serious documentary about Kenya, shot some extra "atrocity footage" in L.A., and released it as "Mau Mau" ("Filmed under fire in the steaming jungles of Africa!") Director Ted Bonnitt is an obvious fan, and "Mau Mau Sex Sex" would rather present a valentine than a critical look. If you don't like these sort of movies, you'll probably be annoyed that the film doesn't examine their insulting portrayal of women (not that their portrayal of men was any more flattering). And if you're a fan of these pictures, well, you've already heard most of what Friedman and Sonney have to say. But it is still fun to hear them say it again, and fun to see these movies. Because for better -- and mostly for worse -- we will not see their like again. Mau Mau Sex Sex (No MPAA rating) Open City (80 min.) Directed by Ted Bonnitt. Now playing exclusively at the Cinema Village in New York. THREE STARS Rating note: The film contains endless nudity and extreme gore. |
 |