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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a meaningful look into a shallow industry, May 19, 2000
This review is from: Some Nudity Required - The Naked Truth Behind Hollywood's B-Movies (Documentary) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Most telling about this movie is when a director is explaining the nature of women in the Bmovie industry and his Freudian slip is "the women in these breasts" instead of saying, "the women in these films." This movie is a behind the scene look into the Bmovie industry. The narrator is Odette Springer a composer of Bmovie scores. The story focuses on her. She tries to explain how and why she got where she is. The most enjoyable moments, however, is when she spends time interviewing others in her profession. A true gem is when Odette speaks with the quasi-feminist director of Slumber Party Massacre III. The director takes pride with being able to do her job as well as any of the "boys", but is horrorified when she realizes she followed the sexist rules of a slasher flick - the girls that have sex die, and the lone celebate tomboy lives to save the day. There are some truly sad moments in this documentry. Most notable one is when scream queen Maria Ford speaks about being degraded and objectified. For Maria, it is a cruel profession. She wants to do A films but is told by an agent she must sleep with producers in order to do so. She refuses and in turn she can only play strippers and prostitutes in B films. The irony isn't lost on her, and one can only sympathize when she describes a scene that involved erotic aphysxiation, and the real pain she is put through for the filming. I got the feeling that Odette used some of the stories and tragedies of others in the industry to make her life seem more normal - her own pains and insecurities more acceptable to herself and to the audience. It was an enjoyable, albeit unsettling, look into an American mainstay. PS. Why do slasher films always use a roman numeral system for numbering their sequels?
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18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Horrible, horrible..., September 22, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Some Nudity Required - The Naked Truth Behind Hollywood's B-Movies (Documentary) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is the worst kind of documentary; one that purports to be "objective", but clearly has a self-interested agenda at the hip. It seems Odette Springer already knew what her film would be like prior to shooting, rather than allowing the material shape itself. Instead of a hard-hitting but even-handed approach, Springer instead chooses to caricature her subjects, portraying all B-movie producers as ogres, all B-movie starlets as victims, and herself as a sad, exploited industry female ... abused as a child. Why does she continually cut back to ... footage of her running around naked as a child? Why does she include footage of her staring at her naked form in the mirror? Is this project about the B-movie industry or her weird preoccupation with herself and her dysfunctions? Clearly, Springer has a chip on her shoulder. She enlists the aid of producers and directors then baits them with leading questions and cuts in their angry responses out of context. This is irresponsible filmmaking. There is a good story here to be told about the fascinating B-movie industry, but Odette Springer's adolescent, confessional mode simply grates. By the end one cannot help but root for the "bad guys".
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11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
we need MORE documentaries like this, September 25, 2001
This review is from: Some Nudity Required - The Naked Truth Behind Hollywood's B-Movies (Documentary) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
as a longtime fan of "b-movies" and "scream queens", seeing a documentary about what goes on behind them was certainly an eye-opening experience. odette springer did an incredible job making this film, and raised a lot of questions in my mind. at first, i felt really guilty about watching so many of these type of movies because i never stopped to think that they were exploiting women or promoting violence towards women. it kind of disturbed me. but then julie strain came out and explained how SHE was exploiting THEM for her own personal gain, turning the tables on the whole concept. it made me think some more. ultimately, i remain a fan of a lot of these actors and filmmakers because i find what they do to be entertaining and i think they are very talented. the only aspect of this film that still bothers me is the interview with actor maria ford, because she was so gut-wrenchingly honest and raw. if she could channel the emotion she displayed in that interview into dramatic acting, she would win an oscar. i thought i was going to cry listening to her talk about her struggle. and for those familiar with "some nudity required", she did end up giving in to the pressure and getting breast implants after all. what a world.
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