doctorhumpp

A poor farmer gal gets lost in the big bad city after her boyfriend dumps her. She encounters alcoholic lesbians, junkies, pimps, hookers, and lots of go-go dancers. "Hip, Hot & 21" isn't much of a film, just a few dialogue scenes (with bad sound) spiced with sex, nudity, rape, striptease, drug use, ridiculous violence and a loud rockin' score of beat/surf/jazz instrumentals. Would you trust a guy called Ernie The Pervert? Fans of Doris Wishman/H.G. Lewis might wanna track it down.

The Ramones' legendary bassist is interviewed and filmed mostly in '92. Stories deal with his drug buddies Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Richard Hell, 'who wrote Chinese Rocks?' and why Johnny Ramone didnt want it as a Ramones song, gettin' beat up by Debbie Harry (horse shoe in a handbag, haha), selling Joey Ramone's TV for dope, tattoos, heroine, cats, NYC cops, rehab, recording with Stiv Bators in Paris in '88 etc. All pretty sad (but fascinating) since Dee Dee talks as a 'survivor' but was stupid enough to die of an overdose June 5th last year.

At 64 mins its too long and only for diehard fans of 70s NYC glam/punk scene. You might wanna read "Please Kill Me" before watchin' this namedroppin' fest. Incl. neat but way too short footage of the glorious Heartbreakers.

6/10

The 12 year-old Carlos fools his rich corporate mom (who thinks he's on a skiing trip) and goes lookin' for his grandfather, an alcoholic stuntman who worked with Sergio Leone and Eastwood in the 60's. The grandfather and other boozehounds do daily Western shows for German and Japanese tourists, every nite they're out whoring and partying and they take Carlos with'em. Carlos's mom (Almodovar's regular Carmen Maura) hates her dad and wants to close down the shows in the Western town, but then the 'cowboys' band together and defend their lives and town, this time with REAL bullets instead of blanks. "800 Bullets" is a wildly entertaining 'light' comedy loaded with Iglesia's brand of anarchic humor. Since this film isn't that violent (compared to his other films) and if the sex and nudity was removed, "800 Bullets" could pass a feel-good-comedy-for-the-family! Joe Dante meets Fellini? It's not his best and its way too long at 121 mins, the silly and serious antics are an uneven mix, but "800 Bullets" is a must for fans of Iglesia. Most outrageous scene: 12 year-old Carlos' cheerful sexual debut with a hooker and her bouncing boobies!?! Only in Spain! I miss Iglesia-regular Santiago "Torrente" Segura though, he'd have been perfect as a scummy drunken cowboy.