Aug

3

“Not Quite Hollywood” Review

Filed Under Movies 

piggyI love a good exploitation movie. Thing is, “good” exploitation movies are tough to come by. If an exploitation movie actually succeeds, it’s more than likely a happy accident. Still, as a sub-sub-genre, they’re rip-snorting flicks, which are usually more fun to discuss than to sit through. And that’s what’s great about “Not Quite Hollywood,” a film about the “Ozploitation” films of the ’70s and ’80s. It’s a talking heads documentary that’s intercut with the best moments culled from 20 years of exploitation cinema from Down Under.

Back in the late-1960s, Australia had some of the most restrictive censorship laws in the western world. They also no film industry to speak of. With the advent of the “R” rating in the country, suddenly there were skin flicks, horror movies and action pictures being made by the truckload. The budgets were on the smallish side, but the box office returns were enough to keep the filmmakers afloat.

Director Mark Hartley interviews over 100 filmmakers, critics and actors from the Ozploitation era. Even Quentin Tarantino offers his two cents on the subject. There’s a real enthusiasm for the movement that’s still felt by all those involved. It’s easy to see why. The films by and large look like a gas. In terms of money shots, “Not Quite Hollywood” beats any crummy action flick released this summer by a mile.

After watching “Not Quite Hollywood,” I quickly raced home and put a half-dozen Ozploitation movies on my Netflix queue. They weren’t easy to find. Some aren’t on Region 1 DVD and others have alternate titles. I can’t believe there isn’t a bigger market for these movies here in the States. I see so much worthless bullshit on the shelves at Best Buy — now in friggin’ Blu-Ray — that it’s astonishing Ozploitation films have not caught on here. There really is no accounting for taste in this country.

Last weekend I rented “Wolf Creek” and “Undead,” two recent horror entries from Down Under. The former was mediocre, the latter almost unwatchable. Clearly, the Ozploitation movement has long since ended, and the current wave of filmmakers — not unlike their Stateside counterparts — lacks the piss and vinegar to knock out worthy follow-ups. It wouldn’t be so tragic, I suppose, if I could find more than a handful of Ozploitation flicks on DVD.

-Brad Lohan

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