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Reviews
Hercules in New York (1970)
Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, as a schmalzy Hercules
I was drawn to this film to see Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, years before even "Pumping Iron". And you do see Arnold in his prime, in fact, perhaps a bit before his prime. Hercules in New York was released a full 7 years before his triumphant role in "Pumping Iron", where he announced his retirement from body building, and the launch of his spectacular screen career. But the film itself is lame. With a tepid plot, and endless, boring character actors. Only true body building fans should attempt this one. You WILL see an amazingly tight and full bodied Schwarzenegger in a continuous array of boring circumstances, all contrived to get Arnold to take his T-shirt off. One interesting note on the DVD release, is a callout bragging that this version is "Featuring Arnold's original audio track". Other reviews claim that Arnold never spoke, that he lip synched every word, and that his voice in the theatre is dubbed. He certainly is speaking on this sound track, in his famous German lisp. Apparently, those who released the DVD, felt his fans were now comfortable with Arnold's real voice (which in this version sounds like a speech impediment). So they dropped the dubbing. I think it makes it better overall since it feels so much more like it's Arnold on the screen. I had to look up the release date since the DVD had omitted it. This may have been in fear that a 1970 Arnold film would turn-up noses, even before the DVD was purchased. And this seems like a good instinct to follow. Especially since there are long segments where you rarely even him. He's inserted here and there, between dull and mindless B actors, and silly sets. You'll tire quickly of the disconnected vignettes, cheap hotel rooms, and what looks like the producer's living room. Pass on this one unless you need to see even more of Schwarzenegger in his muscle bound glory.
Pam & Tommy Lee: Stolen Honeymoon (1995)
Mostly boring but also interesting view into the lives of "stars"
The sexy side of this video caught my attention, but upon closer examination I noticed how revealing this home video sequence was and how normal these "Pop Icons" are. There is explicit sex and nudity but it is brief or barely distinguishable. The jittery hand held camera work or blurred lens will drive you nuts. It took the couple a few days before they realized the camera lens was filthy. Behind the scenes Pam seems more like a sweet modest girl than the sex pot her image portrays. They live in luxury and freedom and this gives you a peak at "how the other half lives". I reviewed the version with "numerous scenes restored". But this may well have translated into many long, and boring sequences like their "Alien Wedding" where the bride and groom and various guests wear tin foil and spacesuits. The video reveals some wild and drunken behavior but also reveals two people that seem like fairly typical young adults that are in love. They certainly never intended for this to be seen by the public, and their private craziness may not be too far from the lives of others of their age. I would certainly pass on this one unless you are really thrilled by the voyeuristic aspects of it all. The technical quality of the video is the lowest I've seen.