Tweet
Peekarama: Baby Rosemary / Hot Lunch
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: July 8th, 2014.
Director: John Hayes
Cast: Desiree Costeau, Juliet Anderson, Sharon Kane, Leslie Bovee, Candida Royalle
Year: 1976/1978
Purchase From Amazon
The Movies:
Two adult features directed by John Hayes (using the nom de porn Howard Perkins), the same dude who directed Michael Pataki in Grave Of The Vampire and future Golden Girl Rue McClanahan in Hollywood After Dark, to name just a few. How does Hayes' XXX output compare? Let's take a look…
Baby Rosemary:
The first film introduces us, not surprisingly, to a beautiful young woman named Rosemary (Sharon Thorpe), a well behaved lass who has yet to get to know a man in the Biblical sense of the term. This is the source of some frustration to her boyfriend, John (John Leslie), who can't wait to get it on with his special lady before she heads off to take a new job as a teacher. Rosemary, however, just isn't giving up the goods. Frustrated, John heads off to release some tension with another girl (a hooker played by Leslie Bovee) while Rosemary heads off to say goodbye to dear old dad - but on the way there, a guy named Mick (Ken Scudder) and his tough lady Katie (Samantha King) rough up and rape poor Rosemary, deflowering her against her will. Sordid!
From here we jump three years into the future. Rosemary's she's come home for the first time in years when she runs into John, now an officer of the law. He tells her that her father, who she was never that close with, has passed away. At the funeral two of her students (Candida Royale and Melba Poche) show up and get it on with the mortician. Although there might still be something between Rosemary and John, she instead searches out Mick and has a torrid fling with him but when Mick tries to clean up his act and become a typical respected member of society, all of a sudden Rosemary loses interest. Could it be that she's got a thing for bad boys? Maybe, but this proves problematic when Mick responds by threatening to kill poor Rosemary… and then the distraught woman starts hearing from her father again. But wait, isn't he dead? Yes. Yes he is.
This one has a fair bit more going on in terms of its plot than your typical raincoater and as such, it's an interesting picture. John, obviously obsessed with Rosemary, releases tension with a hooker played by Bovee but insists on calling her Rosemary when they go at it in what seems to be some sort of attempt to convince himself that he's actually had her all this time, basically letting us know that he's maybe a little unstable. On top of that, Rosemary herself has got that issue with her dead father calling to her, which in turn ties into John's relationship with her. Hayes definitely put some effort into his craft here and the story proves one worth watching for this reason. Of course, the fact that the movie has a few solid sex scenes in it, all performed by a game cast in their prime, is equally important and the film delivers here as well.
Hot Lunch:
Up next, Hot Lunch, where we meet a small town hick named Andrew (Jon Martin) who gets fired from his lousy job at a diner after working only one day where he had to deal with his boss, Toni (Juliet Anderson), getting it on with a hooker (Sharon Kane) while he was trying to work. He heads home and finds that his wife, Lisa (Dorothy Smight), is ready to divorce him and not only that, she wants some alimony. The poor guy can't catch a break. Andrew talks to a foxy lawyer, Luana (Christine De Shaffer), but he can't afford her fees unless he finds some work so she puts him in touch with Gloria (Brigit Olsen), another fox who runs an encyclopedia sales business.
Andrew's first job is to make the sale with Ms. Hathaway (Brandy Smith), a tough customer whose loins puzzlingly warm to his small town charm in a way that can only result in a deal coming together (that was a pun but it works). Gloria gives him a promotion for this but then later she busts him in the warehouse with two co-workers: Salome (Desiree Cousteau) and timid Tish (Anita Grimes). You'd think he'd get fired for this, but nope, the horny boss lady joins in. She sees opportunity with Andrew, his skills with the ladies the key to opening up new avenues of business. But then there's Luana to deal with…
This second feature doesn't have as much depth as the first film and it's played more conventionally than Baby Rosemary but it does what it does quite well. The emphasis is, understandably, on the couplings here and the movie is steamy enough to deliver. Hayes makes good use of an attractive cast and shoots them well. The score is decent and the pacing is solid. The first movie is the more interesting of the two by a long shot but there's enough character development here and a few moments of decent humor to compliment the explicit content that this turns out to be a good watch.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Both features look great in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transferred from their respective negatives. The elements used were in excellent condition and while there is a scratch or two here and there, for the most part the transfer is as clean and as colorful as you could hope for. These are solid transfers through and through, no serious print damage to complain about, sharp detail, very film like but still crisp and clean.
Both movies get the Dolby Digital Mono treatment, in English with no alternate language options or subtitles provided. Both films sound fine. Dialogue remains clear and crisp and the scores sound good. Levels are properly balanced for both features.
Extras are limited to static menus and chapter selection and a trailer for each feature as well as just shy of three minutes worth of alternate scenes shot for the 'cool version' of Hot Lunch.
The Final Word:
Vinegar Syndrome continues to dive deep into the realm of vintage adult filmmaking to dig up the goods and this double feature release of Baby Rosemary and Hot Lunch is another strong entry in their Peekarama double feature line. Both movies offer up enough plot to keep things interesting even when there isn't any bumping and grinding going on and they make great use of their cast members throughout. They're well-paced, sexy and enjoyably entertaining pictures presented properly and in very nice shape.
