Roger Corman's films have proved to be a fertile training ground for many names on both sides of the camera, from Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper to Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Ron Howard.
But Odette Springer's documentary, "Some Nudity Required", isn't here to sing Corman's praises. Instead, Springer -- a classically trained musician and opera singer who spent four years working as her former boss' music supervisor -- has some very disturbing observations to make about the people, herself included, who would be drawn to such morsels of exploitation as "Sorority House Massacre" and "Midnight Tease".
As films with an agenda go, "Some Nudity Required" has its moments of enlightened clarity and some gloriously cheesy film clips and terrific bits of irony as Springer's subjects rationalize their choices in life with a "they're-not-using-me-I'm-using-them" earnestness.
But it tends to go overboard in the navel-gazing, self-therapy department as the filmmaker intensely analyzes her repulsion/attraction to the unabashedly sexist images surrounding her and comes to some eye-opening conclusions in the process.
Screened this year at Sundance, "Some Nudity Required" could do a little business with the art house set, not to mention some stragglers from the raincoat crowd who may be lured by the title.
When not turning her camera inward, Springer focuses on a colorful lineup of Corman personnel, including 6-foot-1-inch Julie Strain, reluctant scream queen Maria Ford, filmmakers Fred Olen Ray ("Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers") and Jim Wynorski ("Sorority House Massacre 2: Nighty Nightmare") and, briefly, a very uneasy-looking Corman.
Not surprisingly, there's a fairly strong whiff of chauvinism emanating from most of her male subjects. The pompous Wynorski is fond of saying things like "breasts are the cheapest special effects in our business."
One wishes Springer might have devoted some of the time spent taking her own pulse to talking to behavioral psychologists or even some of those who were given their proverbial big breaks from Corman. It's interesting to note (although the film doesn't) that the first "Slumber Party Massacre" in 1982 was directed by Amy Holden Jones ("Maid to Order"), with a screenplay credited to feminist author Rita Mae Brown.
Technical aspects are bargain-basement scrappy -- perfect for the genre at hand.
SOME NUDITY REQUIRED
Seventh Art Releasing
Director-producer: Odette Springer
Co-director: Johanna Demetrakas
Screenwriters: Odette Springer, Johanna Demetrakas
Editor: Kate Amend
Executive producer: Lionel Bissoon
Directors of cinematography: Alain Bertrancourt, Sandra Chandler Music: Odette Springer
Music supervisor: Paul di Franco
Color/stereo
Running time -- 85 minutes
No MPAA rating...
But Odette Springer's documentary, "Some Nudity Required", isn't here to sing Corman's praises. Instead, Springer -- a classically trained musician and opera singer who spent four years working as her former boss' music supervisor -- has some very disturbing observations to make about the people, herself included, who would be drawn to such morsels of exploitation as "Sorority House Massacre" and "Midnight Tease".
As films with an agenda go, "Some Nudity Required" has its moments of enlightened clarity and some gloriously cheesy film clips and terrific bits of irony as Springer's subjects rationalize their choices in life with a "they're-not-using-me-I'm-using-them" earnestness.
But it tends to go overboard in the navel-gazing, self-therapy department as the filmmaker intensely analyzes her repulsion/attraction to the unabashedly sexist images surrounding her and comes to some eye-opening conclusions in the process.
Screened this year at Sundance, "Some Nudity Required" could do a little business with the art house set, not to mention some stragglers from the raincoat crowd who may be lured by the title.
When not turning her camera inward, Springer focuses on a colorful lineup of Corman personnel, including 6-foot-1-inch Julie Strain, reluctant scream queen Maria Ford, filmmakers Fred Olen Ray ("Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers") and Jim Wynorski ("Sorority House Massacre 2: Nighty Nightmare") and, briefly, a very uneasy-looking Corman.
Not surprisingly, there's a fairly strong whiff of chauvinism emanating from most of her male subjects. The pompous Wynorski is fond of saying things like "breasts are the cheapest special effects in our business."
One wishes Springer might have devoted some of the time spent taking her own pulse to talking to behavioral psychologists or even some of those who were given their proverbial big breaks from Corman. It's interesting to note (although the film doesn't) that the first "Slumber Party Massacre" in 1982 was directed by Amy Holden Jones ("Maid to Order"), with a screenplay credited to feminist author Rita Mae Brown.
Technical aspects are bargain-basement scrappy -- perfect for the genre at hand.
SOME NUDITY REQUIRED
Seventh Art Releasing
Director-producer: Odette Springer
Co-director: Johanna Demetrakas
Screenwriters: Odette Springer, Johanna Demetrakas
Editor: Kate Amend
Executive producer: Lionel Bissoon
Directors of cinematography: Alain Bertrancourt, Sandra Chandler Music: Odette Springer
Music supervisor: Paul di Franco
Color/stereo
Running time -- 85 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/16/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Off the screen and into one's heart, the legendary West Hollywood restaurant Chasen's and its sophisticated and inspiringly dedicated staff are the meaty main courses in Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's tangy and not overcooked documentary.
The closing-night offering of the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, "Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's" was enthusiastically devoured Monday by a packed audience at the Directors Guild of America, including the likes of Rod Steiger and Martin Landau, two of the many Hollywood personalities seen in the film who made eating and socializing at Chasen's a regular habit.
In January 1995, the New York-based filmmakers fortuitously lodged at a bed-and-breakfast hosted by Raymond Bilbool, the longtime banquet supervisor at Chasen's; they learned the restaurant was scheduled to close April 1 of that year. Intrigued by the flamboyant Bilbool's stories of the countless stars and world figures that patronized Chasen's, they set out to film its final 12 days of operation.
With access to the staff, all parts of the restaurant, numerous Hollywood veterans and extensive archival material, Berman and Pulcini revel in the lore and ruminate about the significance of Chasen's closing. They get plenty of assistance from such passionate interviewees as David Brown, Chuck and Ava Fries, Tom Snyder and Michael Lerner.
Unfortunately, the founders and longtime operators of the initially modest 1940s eatery -- the late Dave and now elderly Maude Chasen -- are seen only in photographs and a few moments from a 1960 broadcast of "This Is Your Life". The high standard of personalized service to the wealthy and famous and Chasen's high-protein/high-fat specialties -- as well as the multitude of alcoholic beverages poured during the decades -- began with the Chasens and they are spoken of fondly by employees and friends in the film.
Among the many highlights that humorously underscore how seriously Hollywood likes to play and celebrate: bartender Pepe Ruiz prepares his "Flame of Love" cocktail for an attentive Ed McMahon; Rod Steiger consumes a massive quantity of food in a kingly repast; Quentin Tarantino heads the charge at Chasen's last Oscar party; and Fay Wray reads a personal lament she wrote about the restaurant's closing.
Most affected by the march of time (although Chasen's is reopening in a new Beverly Hills location April 18 and continues to hold special events at its Beverly Boulevard site) are Bilbool, Ruiz, and the other longtime staffers, many of whom worked there for decades. The film is dedicated to the late Tommy Gallagher, the fearless captain who is seen in a hilarious series of Zelig-like photographs with superstars and presidents.
As the fateful date looms, the staff grows nostalgic and the finale becomes a tear-jerker, while the filmmakers friskily scoot through the kitchen and restrooms and capture the lively atmosphere and heart-rending moments of suppressed grief.
A longtime denizen of Paramount and former producer of B westerns, A.C. Lyles elegantly professes his love of the movies and how Chasen's was part of this "fantasy world." In "Off the Menu", there's a healthy dose of reality, but in the spirit of Gallagher -- who was buried in his Chasen's uniform with a menu -- this historical and cultural feast of a documentary is unhesitatingly worth embracing.
OFF THE MENU: THE LAST DAYS OF CHASEN'S
A La Carte Films
Lobo Grande Pictures
Directors:Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Producer:Julia Strohm
Executive producers:Diandra Douglas, Alicia Sams
Co-executive producer:James Kimsey
Cinematographers:Ken Kobland, Sandra Chandler
Editor:Robert Pulcini
Music:Mark Suozzo
Color/stereo
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The closing-night offering of the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, "Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's" was enthusiastically devoured Monday by a packed audience at the Directors Guild of America, including the likes of Rod Steiger and Martin Landau, two of the many Hollywood personalities seen in the film who made eating and socializing at Chasen's a regular habit.
In January 1995, the New York-based filmmakers fortuitously lodged at a bed-and-breakfast hosted by Raymond Bilbool, the longtime banquet supervisor at Chasen's; they learned the restaurant was scheduled to close April 1 of that year. Intrigued by the flamboyant Bilbool's stories of the countless stars and world figures that patronized Chasen's, they set out to film its final 12 days of operation.
With access to the staff, all parts of the restaurant, numerous Hollywood veterans and extensive archival material, Berman and Pulcini revel in the lore and ruminate about the significance of Chasen's closing. They get plenty of assistance from such passionate interviewees as David Brown, Chuck and Ava Fries, Tom Snyder and Michael Lerner.
Unfortunately, the founders and longtime operators of the initially modest 1940s eatery -- the late Dave and now elderly Maude Chasen -- are seen only in photographs and a few moments from a 1960 broadcast of "This Is Your Life". The high standard of personalized service to the wealthy and famous and Chasen's high-protein/high-fat specialties -- as well as the multitude of alcoholic beverages poured during the decades -- began with the Chasens and they are spoken of fondly by employees and friends in the film.
Among the many highlights that humorously underscore how seriously Hollywood likes to play and celebrate: bartender Pepe Ruiz prepares his "Flame of Love" cocktail for an attentive Ed McMahon; Rod Steiger consumes a massive quantity of food in a kingly repast; Quentin Tarantino heads the charge at Chasen's last Oscar party; and Fay Wray reads a personal lament she wrote about the restaurant's closing.
Most affected by the march of time (although Chasen's is reopening in a new Beverly Hills location April 18 and continues to hold special events at its Beverly Boulevard site) are Bilbool, Ruiz, and the other longtime staffers, many of whom worked there for decades. The film is dedicated to the late Tommy Gallagher, the fearless captain who is seen in a hilarious series of Zelig-like photographs with superstars and presidents.
As the fateful date looms, the staff grows nostalgic and the finale becomes a tear-jerker, while the filmmakers friskily scoot through the kitchen and restrooms and capture the lively atmosphere and heart-rending moments of suppressed grief.
A longtime denizen of Paramount and former producer of B westerns, A.C. Lyles elegantly professes his love of the movies and how Chasen's was part of this "fantasy world." In "Off the Menu", there's a healthy dose of reality, but in the spirit of Gallagher -- who was buried in his Chasen's uniform with a menu -- this historical and cultural feast of a documentary is unhesitatingly worth embracing.
OFF THE MENU: THE LAST DAYS OF CHASEN'S
A La Carte Films
Lobo Grande Pictures
Directors:Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Producer:Julia Strohm
Executive producers:Diandra Douglas, Alicia Sams
Co-executive producer:James Kimsey
Cinematographers:Ken Kobland, Sandra Chandler
Editor:Robert Pulcini
Music:Mark Suozzo
Color/stereo
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 4/14/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.