Gimme Some HANDS OF STEEL

Good buddy David Zuzelo has been treating faithful readers with his Casual (Un)Dress Fridays for several months now, serving up a heaping helping of such luscious Eurotrash lovelies as Uschi Digard, Edwige Fenech, Lina Romay and Christina Lindberg. Today's bevy of Janet Agren pix reminded me that I've never mentioned the awesomeness that is HANDS OF STEEL here.

Consider that oversight rectified.

Straight out of the "Box of How’d I Miss THIS?!", HANDS OF STEEL (aka ATOMIC CYBORG) is a perhaps the single most mind-blowing post-environmental-apocalypse, killer cyborg, arm-wrestling movie.

You heard me right.

Daniel Green stars as Paco Querak (seriously, that's the character's never-explained name), a half-man, half-machine assassin sent to kill a pro-ecology revolutionary in a pollution-riddled "near future". At the last minute, Querak's human side takes over and he's unable to complete the mission, sending him on the run from both the Feds and his handlers, a mysterious corporation headed by the ever-scowling John Saxon.

After driving through acid rain and hiking across the barren desert Querak ends up at an Arizona motel/bar owned by the lovely Linda (Janet Agren who fails to get nuded up), which also happens to be the hangout for a rag-tag band of rowdy, beer-drinking, truck-driving arm wrestlers including the great George Eastman as Raoul Morales.

To describe much more of what happens during HANDS OF STEEL’s near-perfect 94-minute running time would spoil the fun, but I will say that it shamelessly lifts from THE TERMINATOR and BLADE RUNNER, not to mention countless "lone wolf arrives in town and has to deal with homicidal locals" revenge flicks.

Despite a sad postscript – Italian character actor Claudio Cassinelli who played hitman Peter Hallo died in a helicopter crash during filming – HANDS OF STEEL is a startling mish-mash of genres that makes for an experience akin to watching an afternoon of 80s Cannon flicks on acid.

In other words, don’t miss it.

KINSKI JESUS CHRIST SAVIOR Gets North American Premeier

Peter Geyer's KINSKI JESUS CHRIST SAVIOUR will be making its North American premiere this weekend at Quebec's Goethe-Institut. The film tells the story of Klaus Kinski's attempt to tell the story of Jesus Christ to an audience more interested in riling up the notorious actor/artist.

Using footage and sound recordings of the evening, Geyer recreates the chronology of the event. It’s a unique view on the passion and devotion of the talented and charismatic but short-tempered and egotistical actor.

For more information about the event check out the Mondo Quebec blog.

For more on Kinski be sure to check out our Kinski blog and our ever-expanding Klaus Kinski review and information section at Exploitation Retrospect.

Massive May Update of Trash and Sleaze

Twenty-five, yep, twenty-five new reviews highlight our May update at the on-line home of EXPLOITATION RETROSPECT. There's a little something for everyone, including Dutch demons, mad doctors, lusty professors, American nudes, Spaghetti WWII shenanigans, homicidal snowed-in campers, muscle-bound heroes and much more.

This update wouldn't have been possible without the tireless review efforts of Sinferno who tackled everything from animation and erotica to sexy sci-fi and speculative nature flicks!

I'd also like to give a shout out to two new contributors to ER's ranks – please welcome Jay Kulpa (who also contributes to DVD Snapshot) and Casey Criswell who runs the Cinema Fromage site, is a frequent contributor to Bloody Good Horror and co-hosts the Bloody Good Horror podcast.

You can check out the complete run-down of reviews at www.dantenet.com, the exclusive online home of Exploitation Retrospect. And don't forget to check out our Twitter feed and newly launched Facebook page.

Kinski on AMERICAN PICKERS (Sorta)

One of my new favorite tv shows is The History Channel's AMERICAN PICKERS. I've long been a fan of junk and this show satisfies my inner picker (one of my dream jobs at one time) without the clutter that once accompanied my weekly trips to estate sales, auctions, flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores.

If you've never seen the show it centers on Mike and Frank, two pickers from the Midwest and owners of Antique Archaeology who travel the backroads of America in search of junk. The show chronicles their efforts as they meet folks who have yards, barns and buildings filled with everything from old bicycles and signs to tin toys and more.

During a recent episode the pair ended up sorting through the collection of a man whose family ran a drive-in located in Georgia during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. With an estimated 5000 posters located in the boxes, stacks and bins, what are the odds that the first thing they'd pick up would be... a one-sheet for THE NAUGHTY CHEERLEADER starring Barbi Benton and our man Klaus Kinski?!