Robins Nest
Director – Victor Bertini (She’s Doing it Again, Gathering of Evil)
Starring – Samantha Fox (Warrior Queen, A Night to Dismember), Eric Edwards (Debbie Does Dallas, Night of the Living Bed), and Arcadia Lake (The Prey, That’s My Daughter)
Release Date – 1980
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “There’s high flying action when the pretty little birds flock together…”
It has been sometime now since I watched a movie that was shitty. Normally I see a shitty flick every three films or so but it looks like I may have broken the curse. I had seen a lot of horror movies the last month or so and decided it was time to mix it up somewhat and get a little sleazy.
I turned to my friends over at Vinegar Syndrome who have an abundance of sleazy flicks to check out and settled on one of the Peekarama DVDs. I have accumulated several of these over the years so I had to choose wisely. I decided to go with the Robin’s Nest/Bella double feature. Both of these erotic dramas was released in 1980 and were both new to me. Thanks Vin Syn for hooking me up yet again!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a couple on their wedding night. The couple looks as if they are madly in love but after some sex they quickly learn that the spark is not there. They take a break from each other and got there separate ways. The man meets a childhood friend and watches him as he photographs women who are cheating and blackmails them into fucking him. She meets up with a woman and the two have sexual encounters sometimes involving another woman.**Spoiler Alert**
I love a good sexploitation flick. Minimal story, solid acting, sex scenes scattered throughout, and surprises along the way. There is a good amount of these films out there that are shit but some are worth watching. Robin’s Nest may be nothing new or raised the bar but it did entertain.
The acting in this one is surprising considering the kind of film it was. I was expecting horrible acting and quick to the sex scene but I was far from right. The cast did an outstanding job at establishing their characters. The characters are fun and really move the story along.
The story for this one is rather flat but it makes good use of it’s running time by offering up boring dialogue. We get scenes that actually pertain to the story before moving on to the sex scenes. Once that starts you can watch the cast bang it out or just fast forward through.
Finally, if you are looking for blood and gore then you are in the wrong place. However, if you want to see a well acted film with a simple plot and beautiful women then toss this one on. It is well worth checking out.
Bella
Director – Alexander Kubelka
Starring – Tracy Adams (A Scent of Heather), Eric Edwards (Sex Academy), and Diana Sloan (Dracula Exotica)
Release Date – 1980
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “The amorous world of Bella”
Sometimes I have to take a step away from the horror and check out something else. I love horror and no one can say anything different but sometimes I do need a break. After watching so many great horror flicks I decided to recharge my battery and check out something sleazy.
I went with the Peekarama double feature from Vinegar Syndrome. The first film in the set, Robin’s Nest, was a solid film that had an amazing cast and the right amount of sleaze. The next film in the set, Bella, looked like it was going to be just a raunchy and just as fun. Thanks Vin Syn for sending these my way!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young girl who spies on her mother and finds her sleeping with a neighbor. She becomes infatuated with him and attempts to seduce him. She fails and he blames her age as the reason. She then attempts to convince him that she is, in fact, a woman. Once she does so he teaches her about sex and she falls in love with him. She wants him all to herself but over time she starts to see things his way and opens up to him and his sexual conquests.**Spoiler Alert**
It’s not often that I come across a sexploitation flick that leaves me surprised like Robin’s Nest did. I was extremely shocked by the acting in that film and deep down I knew that Bella would not be able to touch it. I was wrong.
The cast in this one was just as good as the cast in Robin’s Nest. The cast shows total dedication to their characters and dedicated everything they have to the roles. Some of the characters are more believable than the others but that is typical for any movie.
The story for this one is really not that entertaining or alluring. The whole mother/daughter, father/son, step-mother/daughter and so on engaging in sexual relations and so on is extremely awkward to me. I guess I’m wired wrong but anything sexual while relatives (fictional or not) are in the same room is awkward to me. With that being said, the story is actually well written and flows very well. Some of the dryer scenes is broken up with sex scenes so it’s not all that bad.
Finally, if you are looking for blood and gore then, once again, you are barking up the wrong tree. The film is meant to be sexy and provocative and not cover the viewer in gore. Overall, Bella is a strange sexploitation film that follows sex exploration and the attraction between younger generations and their older and wiser counterparts. Check it out.
