Exploitation.tv Discussion Thread

[NoirFan]

I was most impressed with I Dismember Mama, whose titular psychopath* effectively alternates between bland earnestness and vicious cruelty, in a manner that reminded me somewhat of Patrick Bateman. The forced striptease/singing sequence was particularly discomforting, unfolding as it did in cold, heartless real-time, with Albert's smirking amusement and sweaty excitement increasing in direct proportion to his victim's terror and humiliation. Night of the Strangler was a bit uneven, but had a terrific ending that redeemed/justified some of the questionable plot elements, while introducing even more questions! I wasn't particular enamored of Anatomy of a Psycho, which never really gathered much steam, but major points for recycling the Plan 9 soundtrack! Terminal Island zipped along with a game cast (including two future Magnum PI stars!) and plenty of rough-and-tumble fight sequences. The Ordeal of Daniel Hewitt short is a real obscurity (I couldn't even find an IMDB page for it) with some interesting editing and musical choices. The Bat, of course, is campy fun and one of several titles I was surprised (but pleased!) to find on the site, along with Bucket of Blood and a Vincent Price-narrated Bermuda Triangle doc. And that is only the tip of the iceberg!




* Whoops, the 'titular' term referred to the original title of 'Poor Albert and Little Annie', although I MUCH prefer I Dismember Mama as a (sickly irreverent) alternative! I remember the VHS box creeping me out in the store as a little kid (he was staring right at me), but I never rented it:

[Ryan@VS]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

I was most impressed with I Dismember Mama, whose titular psychopath* effectively alternates between bland earnestness and vicious cruelty, in a manner that reminded me somewhat of Patrick Bateman. The forced striptease/singing sequence was particularly discomforting, unfolding as it did in cold, heartless real-time, with Albert's smirking amusement and sweaty excitement increasing in direct proportion to his victim's terror and humiliation. Night of the Strangler was a bit uneven, but had a terrific ending that redeemed/justified some of the questionable plot elements, while introducing even more questions! I wasn't particular enamored of Anatomy of a Psycho, which never really gathered much steam, but major points for recycling the Plan 9 soundtrack! Terminal Island zipped along with a game cast (including two future Magnum PI stars!) and plenty of rough-and-tumble fight sequences. The Ordeal of Daniel Hewitt short is a real obscurity (I couldn't even find an IMDB page for it) with some interesting editing and musical choices. The Bat, of course, is campy fun and one of several titles I was surprised (but pleased!) to find on the site, along with Bucket of Blood and a Vincent Price-narrated Bermuda Triangle doc. And that is only the tip of the iceberg!




* Whoops, the 'titular' term referred to the original title of 'Poor Albert and Little Annie', although I MUCH prefer I Dismember Mama as a (sickly irreverent) alternative! I remember the VHS box creeping me out in the store as a little kid (he was staring right at me), but I never rented it:

I love that cover -- creepy as hell!

[Hubunkey]

I can't wait to sign up for this........when I get the extra money lol.

[dawz]

Started the evening with Flesh and Bullets... oh, what a glorious mess. Everything about this film just screams incompetence, but that is exactly where it's charm lies. And this is a perfect example of how great EXTV is; not only is a movie like this available for streaming, but it looks great as well!

Next up was Evil Come, Evil Go. This one is all about Cleo O'Hara's wonderfully over the top, insane performance as Sister Sarah Jane. She chews up every scene and i can see myself revisiting this one many times for that alone.

The roku app is solid but i was surprised at how flawless the experience is using my android phone to connect it to chromecast as well.

Kudos to the Vinegar Syndrome team for such a successful launch... this service is going to fill lots of my time, no doubt.

[OgamiittoMcJ]

in two minds about this
one I don't like how non collectors can suddenly have all these for so little cost,
also the main thing is, you never own these movies, you only have access to what they have, if they lose rights and can no longer show or they shutdown,
also internet problems
my main concern/question would be the quality and reliability
how does it compare to BD, DVD ? and other VOD services ?

[dawz]

Originally Posted by OgamiittoMcJ

in two minds about this
one I don't like how non collectors can suddenly have all these for so little cost,
also the main thing is, you never own these movies, you only have access to what they have, if they lose rights and can no longer show or they shutdown,

I'm at a loss why this would be a concern. This isn't about collecting or ownership. Vinegar Syndrome isn't going to stop releasing BDs; to the contrary, they've mentioned the output is going to increase.

Many of these films likely may never see a BD release, some may not even see DVD release, regardless of the existence of this service, so to have these films offered up in this quality is a great thing for fans of cult/exploitation movies.

You're not going to get BD quality, but no streaming service can offer that right now.

Comparing to other VOD services, assuming you're talking about the big one's like Netflix, is a bit of apples and oranges as well since you need to consider the differences in the source materials of the kinds of films you typically find on Netflix vs these. But source materials aside, the actual quality of the streaming is very comparable to my eyes.

And I haven't bought DVDs since I started collecting BDs, so I can't compare VS DVD output to this service, but i'd be surprised if the DVDs look any better. I've noticed no issues with compression. (with the exception of the random issues Ryan mentioned in the VS thread that they're working on )

Best part is, they offer a free trial period. So there's really no risk for you to try. If you have any interest in VS's catalog, I highly recommend it.

I'm currently on the Indiegogo subscription, but I can without a doubt say that once it's over, I'll be subscribing to a yearly plan.

[Ryan@VS]

Originally Posted by dawz

I'm at a loss why this would be a concern. This isn't about collecting or ownership. Vinegar Syndrome isn't going to stop releasing BDs; to the contrary, they've mentioned the output is going to increase.

Many of these films likely may never see a BD release, some may not even see DVD release, regardless of the existence of this service, so to have these films offered up in this quality is a great thing for fans of cult/exploitation movies.

You're not going to get BD quality, but no streaming service can offer that right now.

Comparing to other VOD services, assuming you're talking about the big one's like Netflix, is a bit of apples and oranges as well since you need to consider the differences in the source materials of the kinds of films you typically find on Netflix vs these. But source materials aside, the actual quality of the streaming is very comparable to my eyes.

And I haven't bought DVDs since I started collecting BDs, so I can't compare VS DVD output to this service, but i'd be surprised if the DVDs look any better. I've noticed no issues with compression. (with the exception of the random issues Ryan mentioned in the VS thread that they're working on )

Best part is, they offer a free trial period. So there's really no risk for you to try. If you have any interest in VS's catalog, I highly recommend it.

I'm currently on the Indiegogo subscription, but I can without a doubt say that once it's over, I'll be subscribing to a yearly plan.

Thanks for that, couldn't have said it better myself.

Aside from the temperamental Roku video quality (which we're close to solving!), I'm very happy with the streaming quality of our service.

As far as physical media goes, we've pretty much agreed to go down with the ship and be the last company to release shiny discs. Our Blu-ray output is set to increase dramatically in 2016. We have a stellar lineup for VS and EP next year -- we can't wait to announce the titles!

Thanks everyone!