Judy / The Night Hustlers (1970 / 1968)
Studio: Vinegar Syndrome
Theatrical Release: July 1, 1970 / July 10, 1968
DVD Release: January 7, 2014
Director(s): David W. Hanson / Bobby O'Donald
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
The latest double feature by Vinegar Syndrome is one that took awhile for yours truly to get through. These two sexploitation pictures make a Herschell Gordon Lewis film look like a Steven Spielberg production. To make matters worse, neither film has much of a redeeming quality aside from a few bare breasts and a few unintentional laughs.
Judy starts off with an interracial lesbian couple going at it. Neither lady is again ever seen and the sequence is never spoken of throughout the movie. What the hell is this? Shock value because it had a white woman and black woman doing the nasty? Was this from a loop and tagged on at the beginning to expand the running time? Keep in mind that Judy is soft core so even fans who get off on this sort of thing will be left disappointed. And even the opening title card looks tagged on, as if that wasn't the original title.
Gunner Sloan is a private detective and with a name like Gunner Sloan, how could he not be a detective? Too bad actor Dave Haller couldn't act out of a paper bag and being that Judy is his only film, it makes sense why we have never seen him since. With a name like Gunner Sloan, you need to be a cool, suave character and not some bored walking stiff. Regardless, Gunner is on the trail of a serial killer who seems to be attacking women, playing with their boobs or trying to have sex with them, and then killing them (mostly off screen). When he does have sex with them, the killer's pants are on. Just thought I would throw that out there. Even better is that Judy is Gunner's secretary that he seems to be involved with. She is barely in the film nor a central part of the story. But her name is the title of the film.
Judy is just a terrible movie. The movie is boring, the sex scenes are dull and lack anything imaginative, the production value is a joke, the acting is awful, and even at 75 minutes the film feels as if it was 175 minutes. It was really tough to get through this one and even though Vinegar did a decent job in trying to get the print to look as clean as possible, I think their time is wasted on a forgotten piece of garbage such as Judy.
The Night Hustlers is a better film and that is because it was only 57 minutes. Much like Judy, this is one cheap piece of crap and another dull and plodding movie about...I have no idea. A couple of vice cops in Miami talk to a playboy bachelor about some of the crimes they have encountered, trying to get some information and advice from this jerk. The movie then jumps around from story to story as these cops talk about busting hippies, orgies, night clubs, etc.
While the premise could be a decent idea for maybe a Tales From the Crypt-type episode or anthology idea, that thought would be too smart for what The Night Hustlers turns out to be. The Night Hustlers prefers to show some bare breasts, lots of go go dancing and hold long conversations with characters sitting down at a table talking away in a long shot. Some of the dialog I will admit had me laughing at times, especially my favorite line by a police officer: "You know how everyone is telling elephant jokes these days?" Then he goes on to tell an elephant joke that makes no sense. I had no idea that elephant jokes in the 1960's was a popular thing. Vinegar Syndrome gives The Night Hustlers a widescreen transfer at 1:85:1 but I cannot help but think of the old saying that you can't polish a turd.
While I respect what Vinegar does by releasing these lost films and giving them the respect SOME deserve, they shouldn't waste their time on crap like this.
Both movies [Rating: 1]
DVD [Rating: 2.5]
Theatrical Release: July 1, 1970 / July 10, 1968
DVD Release: January 7, 2014
Director(s): David W. Hanson / Bobby O'Donald
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
The latest double feature by Vinegar Syndrome is one that took awhile for yours truly to get through. These two sexploitation pictures make a Herschell Gordon Lewis film look like a Steven Spielberg production. To make matters worse, neither film has much of a redeeming quality aside from a few bare breasts and a few unintentional laughs.
Judy starts off with an interracial lesbian couple going at it. Neither lady is again ever seen and the sequence is never spoken of throughout the movie. What the hell is this? Shock value because it had a white woman and black woman doing the nasty? Was this from a loop and tagged on at the beginning to expand the running time? Keep in mind that Judy is soft core so even fans who get off on this sort of thing will be left disappointed. And even the opening title card looks tagged on, as if that wasn't the original title.
Gunner Sloan is a private detective and with a name like Gunner Sloan, how could he not be a detective? Too bad actor Dave Haller couldn't act out of a paper bag and being that Judy is his only film, it makes sense why we have never seen him since. With a name like Gunner Sloan, you need to be a cool, suave character and not some bored walking stiff. Regardless, Gunner is on the trail of a serial killer who seems to be attacking women, playing with their boobs or trying to have sex with them, and then killing them (mostly off screen). When he does have sex with them, the killer's pants are on. Just thought I would throw that out there. Even better is that Judy is Gunner's secretary that he seems to be involved with. She is barely in the film nor a central part of the story. But her name is the title of the film.
Judy is just a terrible movie. The movie is boring, the sex scenes are dull and lack anything imaginative, the production value is a joke, the acting is awful, and even at 75 minutes the film feels as if it was 175 minutes. It was really tough to get through this one and even though Vinegar did a decent job in trying to get the print to look as clean as possible, I think their time is wasted on a forgotten piece of garbage such as Judy.
The Night Hustlers is a better film and that is because it was only 57 minutes. Much like Judy, this is one cheap piece of crap and another dull and plodding movie about...I have no idea. A couple of vice cops in Miami talk to a playboy bachelor about some of the crimes they have encountered, trying to get some information and advice from this jerk. The movie then jumps around from story to story as these cops talk about busting hippies, orgies, night clubs, etc.
While the premise could be a decent idea for maybe a Tales From the Crypt-type episode or anthology idea, that thought would be too smart for what The Night Hustlers turns out to be. The Night Hustlers prefers to show some bare breasts, lots of go go dancing and hold long conversations with characters sitting down at a table talking away in a long shot. Some of the dialog I will admit had me laughing at times, especially my favorite line by a police officer: "You know how everyone is telling elephant jokes these days?" Then he goes on to tell an elephant joke that makes no sense. I had no idea that elephant jokes in the 1960's was a popular thing. Vinegar Syndrome gives The Night Hustlers a widescreen transfer at 1:85:1 but I cannot help but think of the old saying that you can't polish a turd.
While I respect what Vinegar does by releasing these lost films and giving them the respect SOME deserve, they shouldn't waste their time on crap like this.
Both movies [Rating: 1]
DVD [Rating: 2.5]
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