ASS STUDIOS PRESENTS 4 SHORT FILMS BY COURTNEY FATHOM SELL AND REVEREND JEN

ASS STUDIOS PRESENTS 4 SHORT FILMS BY COURTNEY FATHOM SELL AND REVEREND JEN

A long title for a comparatively short proposition.

ASS Studios is, I’m told by the back cover blurb, "the most underfunded motion picture company in New York City". Hmm, perhaps their title obscures people’s views???

A quote from IndieWIRE compares their works to that of an early John Waters. But I think it’s far more telling that the first film in this selection is dedicated to George Kuchar …

That film is THE SINFUL BITCHES. It’s a 20-minute shot-on-video effort which opens with a great disclaimer: "WARNING: This film contains scenes of disturbing, demented and ridiculous violence & sexual intercourse intended to satisfy only the most sick and depraved. If you are easily offended … get the fuck out! Seriously, we’re not kidding. You’ve been warned". What a way to build anticipation!

The titles sequence is atmospheric certainly, with a montage of toy dolls playing out to heavy breathing on the soundtrack.

The story itself details the arrival of a young(ish) couple in New York. The husband (Faceboy, a ringer for Gaspar Noe) has moved there looking for work as a writer for television. The wife (Reina Terror) has dutifully followed.

Eventually they find an apartment they can afford. Hmm, presumably they’re incapable of seeing the skewered camera angles or hearing the jarring library horror music … they knock on the landlady’s door regardless and, despite her drunken rudeness, they accept her invitation to discuss the matter further.

But this is the worst decision they could’ve ever made: the landlady (Reverend Jen) is a warped redhead whose son (Mangina) sits naked in the corner, playing dementedly with his weird doll and even weirder genitalia.

As if this, or the landlady’s insane cackling, are not enough to dissuade the potential tenants, they take the room … and bad things happen.

THE SINFUL BITCHES hails from 2011 but could easily have been shot in the early 80s. It’s got that lo-fi video look and feel to it, as well as an amateurish subversive streak that’s not too far from the likes of Richard Kern, Nick Zedd and co.

Perhaps not as transgressive as it aspires to be, it remains a curiously addictive piece: a truly odd blend of screwball comedy, brief hardcore sex and badly (albeit in a grindhouse style) executed horror. Oh, and we get the pleasure of witnessing Mangina pushing his small cock into his groin, making it virtually disappear into there. How come we don’t see acts like this on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’?

Next up is THE BITCHES OF BOWERY.

This 8-minute affair co-stars Reverend Jen, Stormy Leather and Fem Appeal in the titular roles.

It’s an odd black-and-white film that comes across as a merging of styles old and new: in part, it subscribes to the post-GRINDHOUSE fascination with faux cool 70s aesthetics, and then befuddles with some proper allusions to the likes of vintage Russ Meyer and John Waters.

The Bitches’ self-given role is to help women fend off nasty men, whether they like it or not. And their latest task is Reina Terror (again), who’s waiting in a bar for her date. Er, not if the scantily clad but hard-arse Bitches have their way …

The monochrome aesthetics and rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack bolster this one along, while the strong feminist slant is not lost on the viewer. If feminism isn’t your thing, just kick back and enjoy the gratuitous lesbianism …

KILLER UNICORN comes next.

This is half the length of THE SINFUL BITCHES and, truth be told, half as interesting.

Again, it’s a no-budget shot-on-video effort. This time it starts on the streets of New York and relies more on natural lighting (its predecessors at least had the distinction of some nicely coloured lighting techniques).

In it, a bunch of street hoods torment a local gay bloke about his sexuality. Ironically, they look more camp than the gangsters in COMBAT SHOCK (a film that this aesthetically resembles).

A mysterious package in the gay bloke’s (Faceboy) post enables him to exact his revenge in the form of a unicorn-headed monster. But it’s not as gory or interesting as the back cover’s synopsis makes it sound.

The highlight is hearing a female character call Faceboy a "gaylord" – purely because I didn’t realise that was a term used by Americans.

Finally we get ELF WORKOUT! (the exclamation mark is theirs, not mine). It’s a 10-minute mock workout video starring Reverend Jen.

Basically, this is her exercising in her apartment with a bunch of Village People lookalikes (all of whom, I think, we’ve seen in the preceding three films) while her pet Chihuahua looks on.

It’s rubbish but fun, and I have to give the cast credit for running through New York’s streets night in nothing but skimpy spangled attire.

I’m not familiar with ASS Studios at all but they’re clearly a very small, close-knit and loyal gathering spearheaded by director Courtney Fathom Sell (that’s a guy, for those who aren’t sure). Their films are taut, well-edited and enjoyable despite their obvious shoestring origins and seemingly pathological need to deviate from the norm.

That’s no bad thing.

While some viewers may balk at the video-standard recordings and apparent casting of close friends, it must be said that the filmmaking is of some proficient standard. But keep expectations in check: remember, Kuchar was cited by Sell and early Waters has been quoted by others …

The films are all presented in 1.33:1 window-boxed transfers, preserving their original aspect ratios.

They look as good as can be expected. Actually they look pretty fine, with decent detail and colours. But there are some issues with motion blur.

English mono audio is efficiently relayed throughout.

A static main menu page has room for little fuss, but does allow access to each film individually. Given the short running time of each film though, it would’ve been nice to have a "Play All" option.

Extras are not announced, either on the cover or on the disc. But there are a couple of minor bonus features.

Firstly we get a ‘lost’ 4-minute music video for something called Diamondsnake, featuring footage from THE BITCHES OF BOWERY. The clips featured suit the 80s hard rock sounds well.

‘Rev Jen Jr’s Fashion Show’ is a 3-minute photo gallery of that Chihuahua posing in various doggie fashions. "If you ask me, my favourite attire is nothing at all", the young female voiceover informs.

A 51-second trailer for THE SINFUL BITCHES 2 promises male harmony singing, more Chihuahua and a bit of bumming.

There’s also a 98-second Easter Egg that’s as baffling as it is boring.

A real curiosity piece, I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed this collection but I did sit through it mesmerised, wondering what would happen next. Now, if like me you’re partial to a bit of Kern, Zedd etc, hopefully that’s enough to recommend this truly off-the-wall and admirably different slice of modern entertainment.

Either way, MVD Visual have done a fair job of bringing this obscure and underground work to DVD. Bless them.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by MVD Visual
Region 1 - NTSC
Not Rated
Extras :
see main review
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