Been watching a lot of films lately (not the most summery activity, but we've had a lot of rain), so I thought I'd do a quick round-up.Here we go:

Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (Ray Greene, 2001). An enjoyable and informative documentary about one of the key eras of exploitation film — 50s/60s American exploitation. I wish it had been an hour longer so it could've covered the 70s and 80s, but you can't get everything. Good documentary, highly recommended.

La morte vivante (Jean Rollin, 1982). From US exploitation to French ditto. In this Rollin classic, Catherine (Françoise Blanchard) is raised from the dead by a toxic spill, and she returns to her old home, where, protected by her childhood "blood sister", Hélène (Marina Pierro), she goes on a killing spree. This could have been Rollin's masterpiece, his Vampyros Lesbos, if he'd only dropped the silly gore, lost most of the dialogue, and focused solely on the tragic and eerily beautiful relationship between Catherine and Hélène. As it is, I still very much liked the film, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're an exploitation fan and thus used to overlooking the schlocky parts and focusing on the interesting ones.

Barbed Wire Dolls (Jess Franco, 1975). Good God, Franco's made a lot of crap. This one stars his muse, Lina Romay, as Maria, who is falsely imprisoned for murdering her father, after which the standard Franco women-in-prison stuff ensues — lots of nudity, torture, and piss poor dialogue. No recommendation, except for the Franco completists.

That is all. Be seeing you. And remember: Despite their rat-like appearance, carnies are kings among men.