Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 20, 2019

Ray Marsh's "Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The only bonus feature on the disc is a gallery of trailers for other titles from the boutique label's catalog. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Russian producer and the Star

If Mike Kellin was faking it, he was pretty darn good. There are quite a few sequences where he actually does look like a middle-aged Russian who has been drinking shots of vodka since eight in the morning. If he wasn’t faking it and there was a bottle somewhere around him, it is probably fair to say that he had a good excuse to use it a few times. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to judge. All I am trying to say is that whatever it is that he was doing at the time, it worked. His character looks legit.

Everything else in this film is of variable quality. It did not surprise me because it is very easy to tell that it was shot with a tiny budget, but there are a few rough bits that someone could have easily fixed. The sequence in which the elderly Italian ladies are being told what type of film is being made, for instance, quite simply does not work. It is too silly, too unfunny, and too long. It completely misses the mark. Then instead of taking its time to poke even more fun of the stars on the set and the loopy director who is trying to do his thing, the camera frequently can’t seem to decide where it wants to go. It is a small independent film so these flaws are hardly unusual, but at the very least the film could have been cut better.

The plot is decent. A cheating customer leaves struggling cab driver Ziggy (Michael Pataki) a script for a porno film that someone rejected. Instead of discarding the script, however, Ziggy convinces his best pal Tony (Frank Calcanni) that together they can do something really, really special with it. Soon after, they meet dopey director O.D. (Tom Signorelli) who agrees to shoot the film if they come up with a proper budget. The two friends begin shopping for investors, and then quickly realize that the only way they can get the money they need is to lie that they have a script for a religious film. Eventually they manage to convince their Russian boss Boris (Kellin), some relatives, and even their clueless wives to contribute and support their work, but as soon as O.D. begins doing his magic all kinds of different people flood the studio to monitor his project. Some of course quickly become concerned that the cast may not be right for a religious film.

Anyone expecting a Joe Sarno-esque vibe from this film will be hugely disappointed because it is firmly stuck in PG territory. There is some zesty humor here and there, but not even a whiff of the casual erotic material that Sarno loved to shoot.

The content that works best usually involves quick exchanges that tend to mock more than deliver genuine laughs. On the other hand, it is difficult to tell if everything that is being said actually comes from Larry DiTillio and Joseph Torchio’s script because some of the group footage clearly struggles to maintain a good rhythm. After the shoot begins, in particular, it feels like certain actors are simply following their intuition and doing a fair bit of improvising that isn’t always effective.

The film’s original title was The Last Porno Flick, but for obvious reasons some distributors also promoted it as Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers. it is hard to tell if it made much of a difference, however, because the film apparently had a very short theatrical run and primarily at smaller cinemas whose traffic was already limited.

*Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers is included in this double-feature Blu-ray release together with Tom Scheuer’s comedy Alice Goodbody, which is distributed by Code Red.

Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ray Marsh's Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

The master that was used to source the release is rough, but there are no traces of digital tinkering and as far as I am concerned this makes a big difference. So, expect to see minor scratches, specks, a few damage marks, and random stains, but also a decent organic appearance. Depth, for instance, can be pleasing, and there is even acceptable density. Colors are fine, but saturation, balance, and nuances can be better. Image stability is good. All in all, even though there is room for various meaningful improvement, the current presentation acceptable. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

There are some minor pops and crackle, but clarity and stability are good. Dynamic intensity is quite limited, but given the nature of the production this is hardly surprising. The dialog is very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - a collection of trailers for other titles from Code Red's Blu-ray catalog.

Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those Mad, Mad Moviemakers would have been a much better film if it was a bit more spicy, like some of the classic comedies that Leslie Phillips made across the pond. There are some decent laughs in it, but also quite a bit of improvising that does not always work as intended. I think that Mike Kellin should have been used a lot more because he is the one actor that actually looks suspiciously legit as the drunk and horny Russian producer and is always funny. The film is included on this double-feature release, together with Tom Scheuer's comedy Alice Goodbody. RECOMMENDED if you like low-budget '70s sexy comedies and can find the release with a decent price tag.