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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: July 21st, 2015.
Director: Carlos Tobalina
Cast: Jamie Gillis, Danielle, Liz Renay, Karen Hall, Dan Boulder
Year: 1983/1983
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The Movie:
Two more Carlos Tobalina 'masterpieces' all cleaned up and pretty on DVD for you from your friends at Vinegar Syndrome! How much can you handle? Buckle up and find out.
My Sinful Life:
Our first feature introduces us to slackjawed blonde named Jill (Danielle) who has travelled from wherever it is that she's travelled from to the streets of San Francisco (hey look - is that the park from the opening of Full House? Sure looks like it!) to live with Aunt Vickie (D.J. Cone), another blonde who looks to be about the same age as her niece. Funny how that works some times. Why has she split town? Because her mom and dad (Rita Ricardo and Don Fernando) are a little too touchy feely for her liking, or so she says. The flashback scenes we see say otherwise, particularly once her brother Ron (Tom Byron) gets involved.
At any rate, Vickie tells Jill that she and Ron were adopted, which means she then wants to figure out who her real parents are. She figures the best way to do this is to hire a private detective (Carlos Tobalina) to track them down, but how will she pay for it? She's just a lowly student. Enter her new friend Lori (Brooke Fields) who teaches her all about turning tricks for fun and profit. Before you know it she's got a gig working for Madam Zsa Zsa (Helga Sven amusingly credited as Helga Gabor and milking the accent for all it is worth), a high class madam who entertains male clients (one of whom is Jamie Gillis). What Jill doesn't expect is a surprise visit from Ron, who hits it off with Aunt Vickie in a big way. Meanwhile Madame Zsa Zsa learns that one of her clients, a cowboy, one left a boy and a girl he sired up for adaption after he banged all the tribeswomen of a group of pygmies he encountered on a trip to Africa. No, really….
Just about as goofy as they come, My Sinful Life moves to a pretty easy-to-see conclusion - if you're familiar with Tobalina's movies you'll know that the guy had a thing for group gropes - but it is at least an amusing enough affair. The incest plot(s) aren't particularly shocking as they're not well acted enough to really convince us of their authenticity and there's enough head scratchingly out there moments to keep you paying attention (the most obvious being the backstory about Martin's exploits with the pygmies!). Helga Sven steals the show here. Considerably older than every other woman in the movie she nevertheless gives her all when the time comes and she not only holds her own in the heat department but she's consistently funny with her Gabor impersonation. Gillis' part isn't a big one but he's his typically snarky, cocky self and Tom Byron is good as the brother. Unfortunately the film's weakest link is headliner Danielle. She's got very little enthusiasm here and her voice is kind of grating. But then, that just adds to the magic that is… Tobalina.
Las Vegas Girls:
The second feature, made the same year, follows Dan (Dan Boulder) and Joyce (Karen Hall), two detectives who have been hired by a Texas oilman named J.B. Harrison and his much younger wife (Liz Renay) to track down their missing daughter (Brooke West). They're not one hundred percent sure where she's gone but given her past exploits, they've got reason to believe that she could be in Las Vegas working as a prostitute.
So Dan and Joyce head west (we get some pretty great footage of the Las Vegas airport circa 1974 here) and then, as they're billing their expenses back to the client, shack up in one of the fanciest hotel rooms you'll ever see - complete with a hot tub for entertaining. And that's what they do - they set about entertaining in hopes that some of the swingers (William Margold and Drea both pop up here) that they have over will know where the missing girl has gone.
Amazingly enough, that tactic doesn't pan out so Joyce masturbates and then hits the local bars and casinos while Dan heads out to a cat house to look for his target and get a little action on the side. Again, they don't get particularly good results, but then someone recognizes her from her picture and our two gumshoes decide to head right on in to Sin City's sexy underbelly - but what if the girl they're looking for is in Mexico?
This one doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it's got some killer footage of the Las Vegas Strip of the mid-seventies and some cool location photography to help keep it fun. There's also some footage of what we're told is Mexico crammed in here too, probably shot by the director while he was vacationing there or something. There's not much here in the way of heat (the best part of the movie in that regard is when Hall goes solo - at least she seems to be into that) but there is plenty of unintentional comedic value from the lackluster performances, hamfisted dialogue and repeated use of one remarkably unexciting shot where we see a sign in Texas for the Playboy Club (any time the action cuts to Texas the director uses that shot to establish the geographic shift!).
Both of these movies are really, really goofy.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Both features look great in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transferred in 2k from their respective 35mm negatives. The elements used were in excellent condition and while there is a scratch or two here and there, for the most part the transfers are as clean and as colorful as you could hope for. Expect some grain, but you'd be silly not to and it's never particularly distracting. These are solid transfers through and through, no serious print damage to complain about, sharp detail, very film like but still crisp and clean. Expect some grain, but you'd be silly not to. At this point in time anyone who has been following these releases knows to expect excellent quality - this release continues that trend.
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 though some might note some minor hiss in a few spots.
The only extras on the disc are trailers for each feature, static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Vinegar Syndrome offers up yet two more surreally bad Tobalina movies in sparkly mint condition. Sexy? Not really, no, but definitely amusing in the way that the director's output can be, you know, if you're in the right frame of mind for it.
