Bloodsucking Freaks - a Review

First, a little background. In 1975 Joel M. Reed wanted to ,make a low budget S&M flick. He filmed The great Torture Show in SoHo. The film was a flop. Later it was purchased by Troma (of Toxic Avenger fame). Troma trimmed the film, and submitted it to the MPAA. It received an R rating. Troma then shipped the unedited version (that was deserving of an X rating) to theaters with the R attached. the MPAA sued, and won. Then Troma managed to get anti pornography groups to protest theaters showing the film. Troma made a fortune from a film that would have otherwise have vanished into obscurity.

So, what is this inflammatory movie about? Simple, Sardu (Seamus O’Brien) runs a grand Guignol show in SoHo. Along with his partner Ralphus (Louie DeJesus) he tortures and kills women on stage. This is what Sardu does for fun. For money he trades in white slavery, selling women to Arab countries. But, what Sardu longs for is artistic respect and good reviews. Toward that end he kidnaps and tortures a drama critic. He also kidnaps the famed dancer Natasha Denatalie, and forces her to perform in his show. Her boyfriend (a football player, modeled after that guy who did the pantyhose commercials) comes searching for her, and everyone dies a horrible death. Along the way we see dreadful acts of violence (mostly perpetrated against women). A “dentist” played by Ernie Pysher pulls all of a girl’s teeth, so that she wont bite. He then shaves her head, drills a hole in her skull, and sucks out her brains through a straw. Herschel Gordon Lewis would be proud. So would Mel Gibson. The plot is, of course, just a thin string to hang the scenes of gore from. It makes little sense.
This film is photographed like a cheap porn, and has all the finesse of a snuff film. The sets are as cheap as possible. Even Plan 9 From Outer Space had better production design than this turkey.
The acting is preposterous (despite the appearance of real actors like Seamus O’Brien who appeared in real movies like Marathon Man, and had a long career on Broadway). Not a single real emotion is ever shown. Ralphus hamms it up, and the rest of the cast groans through their scenes.
On a side note, Louie DeJesus went on to have a career in porn. Most notably in films like Let My Puppets Come, which may be the most bizarre thing ever put on celluloid.

This film is disgusting in every possible way. It is misogynistic, anti-humanity, and badly made. It does manage some humor, although one cannot be sure if the laughs were meant by the film makers or not. I suppose it could function as lop sided satire, but I can’t tell what it is meant to be satire of.
Really though, Blood Sucking Freaks is misogynistic on a scale that is difficult to comprehend. There is barely a moment in the film that isn’t difficult to watch.

This film is meaningless gore. Actually, it ranks just above The Passion of the Christ. I cannot recommend it. But, I must say that it just possibly doesn’t matter what I think. This movie seems to stand outside criticism. In that way it is a bit like -Pink Flamingos. See it if you must.

Nathan Tyree

Bernie Invades the South

Dr. Cornel West ( a giant among intellectuals in this nation) has been campaigning with Bernie Sanders and fighting for his cause. This news has been noticed for awhile now.  Just today I have started hearing that Sanders is planning campaign events in the south. Georgia! He may be starting to think of a longer game, maybe something like a 50 state strategy. I'm worried about those dreadful numbers in South Carolina, which we saw at the same time the great Iowa and New Hampshire numbers emerged.

I'm starting to see something really strong here. And I'm liking it.

careful, you'll catch the links

Here are the links, enjoy them:

An oldie by Sam Pink

Debt and Tax Cuts

Lawyers, Guns and Money talks Labour

Crooked Timber on Income Distrubution

Fucking Brooks, again

Jeb! Bush's Tax Plan is Pretty Weird

Being a cop is pretty safe

More Carrier on the Jesus Myth

Thems the links!

Sam Harris and Capitalism

I stumbled across Sam Harris' interesting article about the wealth gap in which he suggests a one time tax on truly massive fortunes to fund infrastructure and energy independence. Reading it I kept thinking "weak sauce, Sam". His heart is in the right place, but truly this suggestion is a bit like using chewing gum to repair a massive hole in a large dam. It's just too little by far to make any serious difference.  That being said, I was shocked to see the sort of response his suggestion brought.

This nation is fully brainwashed. We as a people are so heavily invested in supporting the the wealthy and powerful against our own self interest that we will rise up in anger at the mere suggestion that the plutocrats be asked to give lend even a hand to the betterment of society.

I should not be surprised. Capital has used its tools (Religion, the media, public policy) and it has warped our national ideals to the point that we as a people cannot see clear to act in our own self interest anymore.

We need a new media dedicated to telling the truth and to actually educating the people about economic principles. We need something to fight back against the Koch Cabal, and FOX News and the rest. We need it before it is too late.

and also

The Bernie Surge Continues

Sanders continues to surge. The latest poll has him over 50% and leading by double digits in New Hampshire (I expected this, the Granite state should be friendly territory) and now taking the lead in Iowa.

The new poll finds Sen. Sanders with 52% support among Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, while former Secretary of State Clinton, long considered the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic nomination, receives 30%. Recent polls have shown Sanders’ lead growing in the Granite State, but this would be the first to show the Vermont Senator over 50%.
Possibly more worrying for the Clinton campaign is her performance in Iowa, where Sanders now leads by 10 points, with 43% to Clinton’s 33%.

YouGov

I know that it is still early, but this is very bad news for Clinton. Sanders should win N.H. by a tiny margin and finish in a respectable second in Iowa if the Clinton narrative is true. These recent polls make it seem that the Secretary is a much weaker candidate than anyone expected. 

Perry is Out!

The bleeding is over now. Rick Perry's un-serious bid for the White House is over. Old "Oops" Perry made it official, he now knows what every other person on the planet already knew: he will never be president of anything. Now Rick can focus on what sort of book he wants to have ghost written while he is in prison.

It's called the 14th Ammendment

Mike Huckabee is unaware of the 14th ammendment.. This asshat thinks he should be president of our country, but doesn't really understand how our country works.

When Morons Pretend To Be Smart

Offered without comment.

It smells like fear

Driftglass has noticed. Others as well. The insiders have not yet found a suitable way to tarnish Bernie Sanders. Screaming "commie!" every time he enters the room hasn't worked. Dark whispers of Cultural Marxism aren't hitting the right dog-whistle notes. Weird attempts to paint him as a dirty old man (I'm pointing directly at the baby rapers at Red State when I say that) are having no effect. The new strategy?

Claim that Sanders is just like The Trump! That makes perfect sense! A United States Senator who has served in the House and been a Mayor is just like a political neophyte whose claim to fame is that his slum-lord father left him millions of dollars and a real estate empire! The same! Just alike! If David Brooks says it loud enough, it will be true.

Why all the freak out? Because Sanders scares the fuck out of them in ways that Hillary cannot.

Fucking Kim Davis Again

I have written before about Kim Davis before. I wish that I didn't have to. But now this hateful bigot is free. But, that may not last. Ed has more on this:

Judge Bunning decided today to release Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis from jail on the condition that she not interfere with the deputy clerks in her office issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but her attorneys say that she’s going to violate that condition

Also see Raw Story

If she violates the conditions of her release, she should be immediately jailed again.

Judge Bunning decided today to release Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis from jail on the condition that she not interfere with the deputy clerks in her office issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but her attorneys say that she’s going to violate that condition. - See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatches/2015/09/08/kim-davis-released-but-probably-going-back/#sthash.QQkvSWQj.dpuf