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| Dave Friedman and Dan Sonney were featured in Sam Harrison’s “Sex and Buttered Popcorn” (1989) but Ted Bonnitt’s new documentary gives these grand old men of exploitation center stage and the results are delightful. Aptly characterized by THE NEW YORK TIMES as “The Sunshine Boys of Smut” the pair, (aged 76 and 84, respectively, when this was shot in 1998/99) have the impeccable chemistry of a seasoned comedy team. (The funniest moment finds Friedman insisting that “Pussy Galore” was a character in Goldfinger, while an unwavering Sonney refuses to believe him.) When not trading friendly jabs, the pair recount how they got into the business (Sonney followed in the footsteps of his father, while Friedman gave up a job at Paramount to willingly wallow in the more lucrative world of sleaze) and discuss the various exploitation movie trends, bracketed by astute commentary for the ever-witty Frank Henenlotter (sitting before a mouthwatering backdrop of vintage clamshell videos.) The program is amply seeded with clips from grindhouse milestones like Child Bride, the Gorillas-mating-with-women epic Forbidden Adventure, Mr. Peter’s Pets, Blood Feast, The Defiles and the jungle schlockumentary Mau Mau (a bemused Sonney provided Bonnitt with his title by noting that this wearisome patch job probably would have done much better if he had called it “MAU MAU SEX SEX”). In addition to these necessary salacious elements, we also spend time at home with the men and their wives (one of the nicest portions of the program features Friedman reminiscing over carnival and circus memorabilia with spouse Carol, who passed away last year), Friedman running his carnival, the Sonneys going out for dinner, etc. They also pay a visit to Mike Vraney at the Something Weird film storage warehouse and their old Entertainment Ventures headquarters on Cordova Street (ironically, now a Korean Presbyterian Church). The program is a brisk and enjoyable overview of vintage exploitation cinema as well as a cordial look at the lives of two lovable old guys who inadvertently played a major role in helping American cinema come of age. MAU MAU SEX SEX was shot and edited entirely in the digital realm and looks terrific; everything said being said comes across clearly and the stereo mix offers good presentation of some fine original music that nicely compliments the various periods on display. As you would expect, the clips are in variable condition but the image remains nice and clear. The DVD version (which has no time coding) offers a number of extras, including a trailer, trailers for four Friedman/Sonney releases (THE RAMRODDER, THAR SHE BLOWS, STARLET and SPACE THING, all carrying the Something Weird logo), a poster and ad matte gallery, filmographies, info on how to order tie-in merchandise, and two commentary tracks. On the first, Bonnitt is joined by Sonney and Friedman, who provide some additional information about the various movies and personalities shown (and, yes, get into a few more arguments along the way). Several stories already heard in the program get rehashed, but there is still a lot of good info and some solid laughs here. On the other track, Bonnitt and co-writer/co-producer Eddie Muller (author of GRINDHOUSE: THE FORBIDDEN WORLD OF ADULTS ONLY CINEMA) discuss the origins of the project and their editorial decisions, relay a few choice comments that were made when the cameras were not running, and tell how they were determined to make the documentary independently to ensure creative control. Worthwhile in either format, MAU MAU SEX SEX is available exclusively from 7th Planet Productions (only at maumausexsex.com). –John Charles |
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