Although Italy unquestionably dominated the James Bond wannabe subgenre, Mexico got into bed with the spy-fi craze, too. None other than Mexploitation royalty René Cardona Jr. (1978’s Cyclone) helmed S.O.S. Operation Bikini (aka S.O.S. Conspiración Bikini in its home country). It’s the first and last screen adventure of Agent 00100 Alex Dinamo (Julio Alemán, Vacation … Continue reading S.O.S. Operation Bikini (1967)
For any psychotronic trailer compilation worth its salt, like Only the Good Parts: Volume 2, the intermission is the mission. Film Trauma‘s follow-up to first portion packs nearly 40 uncut previews into 70 fun-filled minutes, nary a one wasted and many featuring narration by guys who pronounced “horror” as “har-uh.” With grindhouse icons like Al … Continue reading Only the Good Parts: Volume 2 (2022)
Two guys I could not tell apart head to Santa Fe for a shared purpose: a burnin’ yearnin’ to kill its sheriff. That’s because the lawman put one behind bars and stole the other’s wife — both valid reasons for a Western, although no longer (?) for modern day. When they meet horny gunslinger El … Continue reading Guns and Guts (1974)
There’s a reason Mexico’s masked wrestler numero uno, Santo, never wrote a business book titled Who Moved My Queso? or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Luchadors: He was a terrible leader. Seriously! In Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy alone, the man proves time and again that he was a master of the … Continue reading Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy (1971)
It’s all in the family for Zindy the Swamp Boy, a kiddie matinee like no other. That’s because el familia en cuestion is Mexploitation royalty, with René Cardona Jr. writing and producing, and René Cardona III starring. Then around 9 or 10, RC3 plays the title role of the orphaned kid who lives in a … Continue reading Zindy the Swamp Boy (1973)