Vegas in Space (1991)

Directed by Phillip R. Ford

Featuring Doris Fish, Miss X, Ginger Quest, Tippi, Ramona Fischer, Lori Naslund and Tommy Spence

Three space soldiers take pills that instantly change their sex in order to allow them to go to Vegas in Space, the capital of the female-only planet Clitoris. They head there undercover, disguised as showgirls visiting from Earth, and help the planet’s empress search for some missing gems. But during their investigation they can’t help but get entangled in the various machinations of the planet’s inhabitants.

This movie is fairly unique in that it is a science fiction film where the vast majority of the cast are drag queens. It’s also quite clearly a home made, zero budget endeavour, and displays some of the usual pitfalls of these kinds of movies: poor sound quality, amateurish acting, a barely comprehensible plot, and some charmingly bad special effects.

I love this kind of backyard (or in this case, apartment-bound) production, and I really wanted to like this. But it just drags (no pun intended), with periods of tedium that were difficult to sit through.

That said, there are some amazing costumes and make up on show, which is possibly half the reason the film was made in the first place.

Worth watching? This movie is clearly meant to be silly and campy (and it is definitely both of these things). I can imagine it seeming somewhat more entertaining if viewed with a few friends given the right mood. But I ultimately found it too boring to really be enjoyable.

Truth in advertising? Does Vegas in Space have the level of drama, spectacle and cheesiness required to live up to its namesake Las Vegas? I’m not sure that it does: 3.5/5.

Sh! The Octopus

Directed by William McGann

Featuring Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins, Marcia Ralston, John Eldredge and Elspeth Dudgeon

A pair of bumbling detectives investigate a murder by a criminal mastermind known as The Octopus. The investigation leads them to an old lighthouse full of odd characters, who all the while are being menaced by… an actual octopus.

This parody of ‘old dark house’ type murder mysteries is so full of nonsensical madcap action that it is sometimes quite difficult to follow. We have people appearing out of nowhere and disappearing almost as randomly, hidden doorways, hidden agendas, spooky voices calling out cryptic threats, a pirate with a hook for a hand, characters who aren’t who they seem to be, occasional use of special effects for no apparent reason (check out the frogs stealing shoes), and one extremely effective use of early special effects when the villain is revealed. It crams an awful lot into fifty-something minutes, leaving a head-spinning sensation in its wake.

There is also an ending (with not one but two extra joke endings after it) that would have been extremely frustrating in any other circumstance. But in this case, where we have a film which frantically includes everything but the kitchen sink to slightly surreal effect, the ending only serves to enhance the strangeness of the whole thing. At least the conclusion gives something of an excuse as to why what passed before it made so little sense.

Worth watching? This is an incredibly odd comedy-mystery that doesn’t really work or make much sense, but coasts by fuelled by its own insanity and willingness to break the rules of conventional film making. It’s one of those films that really makes you wonder what they were thinking, and I would recommend it mostly to lovers of cinematic weirdness. I don’t regret watching it, mostly because it has been a long time since I saw a film this strange.

Truth in advertising? I kind of hate the awkwardness of the title, but it works well enough: 4/5.

James Batman (1966)

Directed by Artemio Marquez

Featuring Dolphy, Boy Alano, Shirley Moreno and Bella Flores

A United Nations style meeting is interrupted by a sinister Fu Manchu type character, a representative of the evil CLAW syndicate. He passes on the message that the countries of the world must submit to CLAW’s communist agenda or else face nuclear destruction. Batman and Robin, as well as James (presumably a Filipino version of James Bond) work separately to overcome the villain Drago, as well as the Black Rose (a cut-rate Catwoman analogue in a strangely loose, ill-fitting leotard) and the Penguin, amongst others. In the end, James and Batman must band together in order to save the world.

As a take-off of/homage to the Batman TV show and James Bond films, this Filipino movie feels a bit superfluous (after all, Adam West’s Batman was already firmly tongue in cheek – why parody a parody?) but is mostly a lot of fun, with comedian Dolphy in a double role as James and Batman. My main point of confusion was the James character: he did not seem to be much of a spy or even particularly suave. Mostly his character giggled over women, while wearing a very loud, non-James Bond-like checked sports coat and matching hat. The plot was quite confusing and a bit all over the place, but it mostly works if you sit back and let the silly, broad humour wash over you. Some highlights include Batman demonstrating his fork radio transmitter (and being interrupted due to sharing a party line), and James ending up in hospital after hiding naked from the Penguin under a huge palm leaf and getting bitten on the backside by a centipede. There is also some surprisingly weird camera angles and regular use of Professor Fate’s musical theme from The Great Race (1965), which added to my enjoyment of the campy proceedings.

Worth watching? Yes, if the idea of a low budget, bizarro version of an episode of the Adam West Batman TV show appeals to you. The execution of this film does not quite live up to its concept and it drags slightly at times, but the silly fight scenes and ridiculous goings on are mostly fairly entertaining.

Truth in advertising? I was a bit confused because initially I thought James and Batman were the one person, mostly due to the title. So I am deducting a couple of points for this: 3/5.