dbborroughs Exploitation producers David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney are profiled in a loving film that takes them from the 1930's when Sonney's father got into the film business to today. Showing the clips of films they were connected to from Manic,to The Defilers to Blood Feast beyond. Its great to see all of the clips and listen to them talk about the history of exploitation and its move toward hardcore which they never got involved in. Or rather its great to listen to them for about 45 minutes by which point the film begins to drag and what was a great film becomes an okay film as it feels like the movie is repeating itself. Its not bad it just isn't as much fun. What remains fun is Frank Henenlotter, the man who made Basket Case and who is a well read and even better watched film historian who runs commentary on the exploitation genre and the films of Friedman and Sonney in particular. There is something about his near apoplectic disbelief at the existence of some of the films which he say defies ones ability to believe they were made on this planet. If someone could make a history of film with Henenlotter's commentary we'd all be better for it. Worth a look for those who like the history of film or anyone amused by people talking about the history of exploitation.

jonathan-577 The virtues here are mainly in the fantastic subject matter - Dan Sonney and David Friedman, devoted family men (well sort of) and pioneering purveyors of the lower forms of cinematic sleaze. Not the very lowest - maybe I'm wearing rose-tinted nostalgia glasses, but the clips from their nudie-cuties and gorefests look great about eighty percent of the time, just drenched in Kodachrome, suggesting lost worlds with their cavorting volleyball nudism. Then, oh well, they get bored and start beating up/dismembering the gals. Now they've got age eighty surrounded, the businessman and the carny, and they play well-rehearsed shtick off each other like the pros that they are. Bonnitt straddles affection and cagey ambivalence pretty smartly, and one can only admire how he follows in his subjects' footsteps with his stubborn independence in the new age of digital distribution. On the other hand, one is hard pressed to admire his skill at putting a movie together; the movie is one-quarter gone before Friedman gets a character sketch, the worthy conceit of showing these old sleazebags in their suburban still lives is milked to the point of raw pointless tedium, and having ONE big-name sycophant (Frank Henenlotter?!) on board to fill in the gaps isn't really much of a challenge to the talk-doc paradigm. Very likable, but less than the sum of its fascinating parts.

HumanoidOfFlesh "Mau Mau Sex Sex" is an excellent documentary about Dan Sonney and David F.Friedman who made exploitation movies.Sonney and Friedman teamed up on countless nudies-nudist camp movies that were ultimate in sex movies in 1960's.Later they started making roughies like "The Defilers".The splatter classic "Blood Feast" is also presented here with its memorable tongue ripping scene but curiously without any credit given to director Herschell Gordon Lewis.A must-see if you're into exploitation cinema!

saint#50 This is an excellent documentary that covers the sordid history of two exploitation filmmakers. The film is not a full-blown comprehensive study of exploitation film, but concentrates on the two sextagenarian filmmakers in question. It's as much a study of these viejo's lifestyles as anything; some of the best moments (besides the salacious, hilarious film clips) are of these guys walking around their apartments, looking for thermos lids and other non sequitors.Mau Mau also has the distinction of being one of the first films shot, edited and distributed entirely through digital mediums. One reason for this was the filmmaker's desire to maintain financial and creative control over his own work. To that end, this film is a testament to the DIY ethic of true independent film. It just happens to be a damn good time as well.