Review by Russ Gomm
Featuring Carmen Argenziano, Allan Arkush, John Landis, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, John Ashley, Judith Brown, Andrea Cagan, Colleen Camp, Steve Carver, Leigh Christian, Marlene Clark
Written by Mark Hartley
Certification UK TBC | US TBC
Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Mark Hartley
Since watching Not Quite Hollywood I couldn’t wait to see what documentary director Mark Hartley gave us next. Well here it is… Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a wild and crazy journey into the history of Filipino exploitation films.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the subject has been handled with great care (and also great humour). Hartley wants to inform and entertain you at the same time and strikes the perfect balance here (as he did so well with his first outing into ‘Ozploitation’). The amount of information crammed into such a short space of time is immense, especially for a subject that is relatively unknown. Informative comments come from the narration, and the delightful clips that have been perfectly chosen to give us a taste (and indeed a hunger) for the movies in discussion really tell a fantastic story.
Engrossing tales from the likes of John Landis, Joe Dante and Roger Corman really help the mood of the film. They go a long way to showing the absurdity of this period of filmmaking, and it’s a treat to revel in their humour. The documentary will keep you entertained for the duration and will leave you wanting more. I personally can’t wait to see what Hartley picks on for his next subject. Stay for the closing credits for information on the clips used and see just how many films you add to your ‘to watch’ list. Trust me, there will be a lot.