Cultpix Radio – Détails, épisodes et analyse

We're back! After a bit of a hiatus, we're back on the airwaves with a brand new episode of Cultpix Radio. It feels good to be back, and we've got a lot to catch up on. This episode is all about filling you in on what we've been up to during our break, the incredible events we've hosted, and the exciting content we've been adding to Cultpix.

First up, we dive into the recently concluded Wickman Week. This was an event like no other—a celebration of exploitation and genre cinema that took place at a truly unique location in Sweden. We screened films on 35mm, welcomed guest speakers from around the globe, and even handed out our very first Torgny Award to the one and only Lisa Petrucci from Something Weird Video. Lisa's contributions to the world of exploitation cinema are unparalleled, and we were thrilled to honor her in this way. We also streamed all the non-film content live on Facebook and YouTube, and it's still available to watch on our YouTube channel, though we'll be moving it to Cultpix soon.

Next we take you through the recent themed months on Cultpix. We wrapped up Amazonian August, where we dug deep into the Something Weird Video archives to unearth some truly bizarre new jungle films. There’s also the ongoing Italian Genre Maestros week, featuring cult classics like "Massacre in Dinosaur Valley" (1985) and several works by Enzo G. Castellari. These films are quintessential examples of the Italian exploitation genre, and we're excited to showcase them, even if some are geo-blocked to Scandinavia.

Speaking of what's coming up, we're especially excited about the impending arrival of Satanic September. This month, we'll delve into the dark and twisted world of satanic cults and rituals with a carefully curated selection of films from Something Weird Video and beyond. We’ve got everything from "My Tale Is Hot" to "To Hex with Sex," and it’s going to be one hell of a month!

We’ve also been hard at work on something many of you have been asking for—apps! Yes, we are finally developing apps so that you can enjoy Cultpix on more than just your web browser. First an app for the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which will make it easier for us to roll out apps for Android TV as well. Roku is also on our list, and after a few bumps in the road, we're optimistic about launching a Roku app by the end of the year. We’re even eyeing smart TVs and Apple TV as future platforms.

We wrap up the episode by reflecting on the films and events that have made the past few months so memorable. From our juvenile delinquency-themed June to the Swedish Sin celebration in July, we've been busy curating and bringing you the best of cult cinema. And don’t worry—this episode isn’t a one-off. We’re committed to returning to more regular programming, with more episodes, more themed weeks, and more deep dives into the wild and wonderful world of cult films.

So, sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey through what’s new, what’s coming, and what’s making Cultpix the ultimate destination for exploitation and genre cinema fans. We’ve missed you, and we can’t wait to share all the exciting things we have in store.

Also, enjoy the five-hour (!) Spotify playlist from our recent book launch - order the book HERE! Outro: "Let's go rent a video

Django Nudo and the Smut Peddler are thrilled with the reception to the Mike Vraney Memorial Month, with a wealth of new films from Lisa Petrucci - the first Theme Month when we did TWO films each day - and an influx of new members. (There will be more news from Something Weird Video soon.) 'Roughies' such as "Unholy Matrimony" (1966) were definitely a favourite of Mike's.

We discuss why we don't have any 'subscribers', but only MEMBERS, how we do the Jewish Mother guilt trip to get them to stay and why Cultpix is amazing value at $4.92 if you sign up for a whole year, while some people pay $6.66 to just watch one film.

The theme week is the Scopitone, an amazing machine, described as "If a Wurlitzer Jukebox and an old tube television had a love child, it would look like the Scopitone," by Between the Liner Notes (BTLN). It was the tall and grown up version of the jukebox, placed in cocktail bars, where people were prepared to pay a quarter to see a precursor to the music video. The $3,500 machine ($26,000 in today's money) was expensive, but often paid for itself in as little as three months. There was mobster, Kennery and Debie Reynolds connections, all of which we discuss. If you want to dig deeper, look out for Stevenson’s essay, “The Jukebox that Ate the Cocktail Lounge”, in his book "Land of a Thousand Balconies: Discoveries and Confessions of a B-Movie Archaeologist", and while we are on the subject of Jack...

Cultpix is having a bunch of IRL events in the next month, including:
Scandinavian Sin at the Offscreen Film Festival at Cinema Nova 7th March in Brussels, with Jack Stevenson and Christina Lindberg;
Nordic Horror Fest at Husets Biograf in Copenhagen, 17th February;
We will be at the Berlin Film Festival, so drop us a line if you want to meet up and have a beer.

February's theme is Filthy 50th, in which we celebrate the adult films that were released in 1974, right in the middle of the so-called "golden age of American pornography" or 'porno chic'. We kick off with a porn film by Roberta Findlay called "Angel on Fire" (1974), aka "Angel 9", called "The first erotically explicit film ever made by a woman". At least 20 of the films are new to Cultpix.

Also in February, we will have a take-down of Ingmar Bergman (with his black sheep daughter Anna Bergman), some cool and culty films from the Estonian Film Institute (Nazis!! In a lunatic asylum!) and a Spotlight on Echelon Studios. 

We finish with the intro music to "Libahunt / Werewolf" (1968) from Estonia, directed by Leida Laius. "Tiina, the daughter of a woman burned as a witch, grows up on a farm with the orphan girl Mari and Margus, the son of the Tammaru family. Margus loves the hotblooded, energetic Tiina, but his parents want him to marry Mari. Mari thinks Tiina has bewitched Margus, and spreads a rumor that her stepsister is a werewolf."

Django Nudo reports live from sunny California, while the Smutpeddler sits in the cold north of Sweden, discussing with Luca Balbo, in the hopefully sunny Paris!

We celebrate our second anniversary, and discuss how the value for money only increases, great news in this world of recession.

Cultpix is forming new relationships with amazing rights holders and DVD companies all over the place. Recently we’ve had films from Japanese Kadokawa, US Deaf Crocodile, the German label Rapid Eye Movies and this week’s theme week partner – French company Le chat qui fume.

The theme week consists of 10 French erotic classics from the Seventies. Django Nudo and the Smutpeddler discuss four of them, especially enjoying the title "Love Brides of the Blood Mummy" (1973)!

But this episode’s main course is the great, knowledgeable author Lucas Balbo, who’s written among other things about Jess Franco and the French VHS era, but foremost – for this episode of Cultpix Radio – about the French auteur Michel Lemoine (1922-2013), in the book “Michel Lemoine: gentleman de l'étrange” (2020).

Lemoine liked to speak in riddles and keep people guessing about his age, when interviewed. Lucas had the chance to meet the director and to talk to him at length.
Lemoine lead an interesting life, starting out as a theatre actor, then some French films, until he became big in genre films in Italy, Spain and Germany, for favorite directors like Antonio Margheriti, Mario Bava and Jess Franco. Coming back to France he redefined himself as a screenwriter, producer and director, occasionally also acting in his own movies.

Lucas Balbo talks about the many aspects and faces of Michel Lemoine, and goes into detail about the six Lemoine films on Cultpix.

"Les désaxées" (1972) -  Michel Lemoine 's first official film, filmed in 1972, in the midst of sexual liberation, Les Désaxées takes a look at free love, fulfillment in sexuality and the mores of the bourgeoisie. Lemoine’s wife Janine Reynaud came back in The Bitches, The Erotic Confidences of a Bed too Inviting and Don’t Rip My Tights.

"Les chiennes" (1973) - Erotic drama against a background of decadent bourgeoisie. 

"Les confidences érotiques d'un lit trop accueillant/Les Frôleuses" (1973) - Sexy bed stories anthology.

"Les petites saintes y touchent/Jeunes filles en extase" (1974) -  Sexy omnibus film.

"Les weekends malefiques du Comte Zaroff" (1976) - Lemoine’s only horror film, initially banned by the board of censors in France.

"Tire pas sur mon collant" (1978) - Innocent holiday comedy about seduction.

French erotica also on Cultpix, but not by Lemoine:

"La révélation" (1973)

"Le sang des autres" (1973)

"Les mantes religieuses/Les garces" (1973)

"Et avec les oreilles qu'est-ce que vous faites?" (1974)

Zatoichi Week 1 - In which we invite our guest, Swedish film professor Johan Nordström, who's been living in Japan for the past 15 years, to discuss Daiei Studios, Japanese cinema in general and specifically the Zatoichi films, the one-of-a-kind star of the films, Shintaro Katsu – and Japanese society.

Cultpix owes a lot to Johan-san, as he has been the door-opener to both Kadokawa-Daiei and Nikkatsu in Japan, two major studios with very exciting films. Cultpix is doing three big themes with Daiei films in the Spring of 2023, the Daimajin trilogy, eight Gamera films (the giant flying turtle) and 21 Zatoichi films!

These are the initial Zatoichi films (Scandinavia only for now, unfortunately, but we hope to expand them to more countries in time). Zatoichi is the longest-running action series in the history of Japanese cinema. Zatoichi is an iconic figure, played by Shintaro Katsu. It inspired Rutger Hauer's "Blind Fury", 1971 Spaghetti Western "Blindman", a remake by Takeshi Kitano and Donnie Yen in both "Rogue One" (1916) and "John Wick: Chapter 4" (2023).

"The Tale of Zatoichi" (1962) - The film that kicked off the hugely popular series about Zatoichi, a humble masseur who livesd by a strict moral code. Two rival yakuza clans are at war. One hires an ailing ronin as their protector, while the other hires Ichi, Zatoichi! Lead actor Shintaro Katsu instantly made the lovable Zatoichi his own.

"The Tale of Zatoichi Continues"  (1962) - Zatoichi becomes the masseur to a powerful political figure who turns out to be mentally ill. This needs to be kept secret at all cost. Featuring bigger action scenes, a tighter plot, as well as the introduction of the mysterious one-armed swordsman (played by Katsu's brother Tomisaburo Wakayama).

"New Tale of Zatoichi" (1963) - The first Zatoichi film in color! Zatoichi wants to lead a quiet life, but is forced back into action when villagers are being squeezed dry by a corrupt clan leader. Zatoichi picks up his sword and upholds his moral code, as well as dispensing kick-ass justice. 

"Zatoichi the Fugitive" (1963) - The yakuza are unhappy because Zatoichi unexpectedly wins the sumo wrestling match in the village. They hire a ronin to kill him, but it turns out they both have a romantic link to the same woman.  

"Zatoichi on the Road" (1963) - Zatoichi is asked by a dying man to bring back a girl to Edo. He agrees, but unwittingly ends up in the cross-hairs of two rival yakuza gangs, who both want to kidnap the girl.

"Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold" (1964) - Zatoichi is falsely accused of having stolen the villagers' sizeable tax collection. In order to clear his name, Zatoichi is forced to fight corrupt officials, several hired assassins and a giant with a bull whip (played again by Katsu's brother Wakamaya). The stunning cinematography is by "Rashonom" cinematographer Kazuy Miyagawa. 

Look out for a further 14 (!) Zatoichi films later this spring and early summer. 

Django Nudo and Smut Peddler are excited to have new films this week from two of their favourite companies that specialise in the beautiful restorations of lost classics: Denmark's Another World Entertainment and Deaf Crocodile.

From A.W.E. we have "Pornography - a Musical" (1971), a series of erotic vignettes with music by amongst others jazz legend Dexter Gordon. (NB: the Bodil scene is NOT included, for obvious reasons.). "Dear Irene" (1971) is an erotic love triangle drama by a director better known for his books on great cinema directors. Lastly there is "The Sweet Life on Mallorca" (1965) about the naughty things that your grandparents got up to when the Danes first embarked on package holidays to the Balearic islands.

Separately we also have "Love in Three Dimensions" (1973), which actually does work in 3D, but only if you have those old red-blue glasses in the bottom of some drawer. It is one for Christina Lindberg completionists, as she has a small part in the film. 

We then talk to Dennis Bartok and Craig Rogers, the co-founders of legendary boutique restoration, post-production and distribution label Deaf Crocodile. The company has specialised in finding forgotten gems and putting them out in gorgeous new versions on DVD, BluRay and DCP. Recent films include 1980s Romanian animated sci-fi "Delta Space Mission" (1984) and they are currently wrapping Kickstarter campaign for Jiří Barta’s stop-motion masterpiece "Pied Piper" (1986).

Cultpix is thrilled to present no less than six Deaf Crocodile films this spring, with two now and four later this spring. Dennis and Craig talk about their and the company backgrounds, method of finding and restoring films, as well as their cult following.

Don't call "Solomon King" (1974) a 'blaxploitation' film, because the black leads are not pimps or pushers but a super secret agent action hero. The only film by director and entrepreneur Sal Watts it was long-lost, until Deaf Crocodile managed to locate a surviving print. 

In "The Unknown Man of Shandigor" (1967) you get Serge Gainsborough headlining an amazing cast in a Swiss spy-action thriller about nuclear secrets and international intrigue. Marvelous and surreal, part-Dr Strangelove, par-Alphaville, with some The Avengers and Dr Who mixed in, this is a gorgeous restoration.

Keep an eye out for four additional films from Deaf Crocodile in the next few months.

There is a special Deaf Crocodile Spotify playlist with songs from and relating to this week's films. 

This week it's all about Czech Cult Classics!

Cultpix is proud to present seven digitally restored Czech cult classics with English subtitles in cooperation with the Czech Film Archive. An eighth film will be uploaded in June, with new English subtitles.

Czechoslovakia (as It was back then) was home to some of the most innovative filmmaking in the 1960s, led by the likes of Miloš Forman and Jiří Menzel. But there were many other great films in different genres that seem fresh and fun even today.

Joining us to discuss these we had Martin Kristenson, author, researcher, pop cultural expert, with a fascination for Czech culture; film, literature and music!

"Ikarie XB 1" (1963) - The sci-fi classic that inspired Kubrick's "2001" is a great film in its own right.  The year is 2163. The giant spaceship Ikarie XB1 carries colonists to a new planet. The journey is filled with unexpected dangers, like a strange abandoned ship. Too good for MS3K to make fun of.

"Love Harvests in Summer" (1964) - Impressive counter-culture musical, which deeply affected the kids in Czechoslovakia. It is the story of forbidden love and lots of great music - call it "Hop Side Story".

"Lemonade Joe" (1964) - A.k.a. "Lemonade Joe and the Horse Opera". Crazy western parody with blackface (bad) and Olga Schoberová (good), who was on the cover of Playboy the same year as Olinka Berova. She also has an un-credited role in "Ikarie XB 1" and a role in "Adela Did Not Have Supper Yet," before appearing in Hammer Horror films.

"Wedding Under Supervision" (1967) - An absurd comedy that takes places over 24 hours, when two bumbling policemen investigate an alleged rape in a small Czech town.

"Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" (1970) - A fantasy cult classic that has a fanatic following. Surreal tale in which love, fear, sex and religion merge into one fantastic world, based on a classical Czech novel of the same title.

"Adela Did Not Have Supper Yet" (1978) - A giant flesh-eating plant! Sounds familiar? The famous detective Nick Carter visits Prague in this thriller/spoof. He gets involved in strange case of a missing dog and a carnivorous plant. Also a celebration of Czech beer, pilsner.

"The Vampire of Ferat" (1982) - Is there such a thing as a vampire racing car? Doctor Marek is shocked when his beloved nurse Mima signs with a foreign car manufacturer to work as a rally-driver. The car is supposed to run on human blood. Oscar-winning Czech director Jirí Menzel in the lead role here.

There’s a Spotify playlist with 67 tunes, including complete soundtracks for "Ikarie XP1", "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" and "Adela Did Not Have Supper Yet."

Djang00 Nudo and Smut Peddler moan (as usual) about Roku's uselessness, but celebrate a productive Berlin Film Festival, with plenty of films in the proverbial bag. They then parachute into the theme week of Euro Spy films, also known as Spaghetti Spy films.

These are film produced by 1964 and 1968, mainly in Italy, in response to the success of the first James Bond films. More than 50 of these were made, though few as good as Bond.

There are two trailer compilation films: "Operation: Secret Agents, Spies & Thighs" (1965) and "The Late Late Late Show" (1965). These are perfect backgrounds for almost any party.

There are three 'Kommissar X' films: "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill" (1965),  "Death is Nimble, Death is Quick" (1966) and "Death Trip" (1967), based on the popular German novels.  Christa Linder, star of Swedish erotic film "Bel Ami" (1976), pops up in two of them. 

"Operation Atlantis" (1965) is a perfectly spy caper right until the (spoiler) science fiction ending.

"Last Plane to Baalbeck" (1964) is a labyrinthian mini epic, with Yoko Tani (French-Japanese) and George Sanders in one of his last roles. 

"Baraka X77" (1966) was called "Baraka X13" in the original, but was mauybe too unlucky in this scientist-secret-formula-fuel caper. 

"Passport to Hell" (1965) has karate chops, lots of bad karate chops, with sound effects to compensate. Much better is the music by  Piero Umiliani, who composed the 'Manah-manah' song form "Sweden Heaven and Hell" (1968).

"The Beckett Affair" (1966) stars Lang Jeffries and features 'shapely lesbian heroin addicts' - what more do you need?

"Desperate Mission" (1965) is Yoko Tani again, paired with German Cobos of Spaghetti Western fame, but British colonial Hong Kong is the real star of this film.

Ridiculously titled "Man on the Spying Trapeze" (1967) has false teeth containing micro cameras with nuclear secrets. Play Euro Spy key word bingo with that one.

"The Narco Men" (1968) is a surprisingly grim and fatalistic Euro spy film, but with "hippie" nightclubs. Remember those? No?

"Operation White Shark" (1966) stars Janine Reynaud who was in many Euro spy and also Jess Franco films, whose husband Michel Lemoine will be an erotic film theme week this spring.

"Password: Kill Agent Gordon" (1966) is an unusual spy film in that the VietCong are the bad guys, trying to obtain a mysterious stolen cigarette lighter.

There are x77 swinging Euro Spy songs on this week's Spotify playlist to listen and sip your martini to. 

Smut Peddler and Django Nudo cover two big film topics for the price of one, while also cursing Roku for still not having sorted out the missing Cultpix films.

First up is Daimajin, the giant demon god stone statue that comes alive and wrecks destruction on the unjust. Daiei produced no less than three Daimajin films in the span of one year (1966): "Daimajin", "The Return of Daimajin" and "Daimajin Striked Again". They are firmly in the Kaiju tradition and trace their roots to an unrealized sequel to the original Gamera, which will also be shown on Cultpix later this spring. They also have a kinship to the North Korean "Pulgasari" (1985). The plot of the first two are fairly identical, with Daimejin saving peasants from an evil feudal lord, but the third has an added kids-on-a-quest sub-plot that elevates it.

Interestingly this trilogy was made the same year as several of the films from Doris Wishman's 'Moonlight' period, that is the second season of her films on Cultpix. This is when the maverick cult director moved from the nudie-cuties of the early 60s to roughies, resulting in darker films, but still with tell-tale Wishman touches, like cut-aways to shoes and lamps. 

These hard-nosed, sex-focused noirs stand tall as some of her greatest, most perverted work. AGFA calls them “triumphant DIY treasures”. We are in debt to AGFA, Something Weird Video and Vinegar Syndrome for these remarkable films being available to share with you.

Included are "The Sex Perils of Paulette" (1965), a twist on the The Perils of Pauline films in Wishman's first 'roughie'; adultery and betrayal in "My Brother's Wife" (1966), with Wishman's signature downbeat conclusion; the housewife-on-the-run-forced-into-prostitution-classic "Bad Girls Go to Hell" (1965), considered to be   “Wishman’s formula perfected,"; the non-cannibal "A Taste of Flesh" (1967), with lesbians and political assassination attempts; a rare male lead in the form of a gigolo in
"Too Much, Too Often" (1968); a respectable middle class woman is forced into prostitution in "Another Day, Another Man" (1966) after her husband falls ill; super natural powers over a woman in "Indecent Desires" (1968) leads her to question her sanity. There is also the two Greek film re-edit oddities "The Hot Month of August" (1966) and "Passion Fever" (1969), featuring new dialogue and insert soft-core shots of drama films bought form Greece. 

We have a Spotify playlist that is full of musical gems and more from the Doris Wishman films.

The Swedish film director Arne Mattsson was active in the film industry across eight decades (if you count him carrying beer to the film crew at a shoot when he was 6 years old).

He made his last film in 1990 and passed away in 1995. In 2019 Mattsson would have been 100 years old. But this was not celebrated at all in the gigantic way Ingmar Bergman’s 100th was celebrated the year before. Shame! 

In the 50’s, however, Mattsson was truly fetted, with multiple awards at film festivals, and actually bigger than Bergman. Most famously for "One Summer of Happiness" (1951), which won the Gold Bear at the second ever Berlin Film Festival. But his career went downhill, and there’s a rumour  that his never-published autobiography had the working title “I skuggan av en skitstövel” (“In the Shadow of a Bastard”) – referring to I.B.

Arne Mattsson was probably Sweden’s most prolific film director ever, with his 60 films (Bergman 'only' made 40). He was an extremely versatile film maker, in genres like drama, action, thriller, comedy, musical, children’s film, horror, juvenile delinquent, sexploitation…

With the second theme week of Mattsson’s films for the production company Nordisk Tonefilm, Cultpix now has 24 of his 60 films.

To discuss this amazing roller coaster career on Cultpix Radio, we have invited Jan Lumholdt – journalist, film historian, and author of the anthology "Lars von Trier: Interviews" and "Harriet Andersson – Conversations with Jan Lumholdt".

Here is Jan Lumholdt's article on Arne Mattsson, written for his centenary:

https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/sv/arne-mattsson-100-ar-for-tapperhet-i-film/

It's in Swedish, but can easily be translated online.

There is an intro discussion about upcoming films (Japanese!) and the outro is the music from Mattsson's film "The Killer" (1967).

Django Nudo and the Smutpeddler discuss this week’s theme of 80’s American horror films, and why they can only be watched by our North American members. (Clue: rights issues.) But there will also be upcoming themes where the US audience won’t be able to watch some films, so it kind of evens out. But, Cultpix's main goal is as always, to be a truly global streaming platform and cult.

However, the main theme this week is our prominent guest, filmmaker and artist Robert Flanagan, with both New York and Guatemala as his playgrounds!

And more specifically his 1996 film "4 O’Clock", an amazing, no-budget film noir comedy, shot in grainy 16mm!

We give him third-degree interrogation, questioning him on the film; the inspirations, the ideas behind it, the budget, the cast, the music, the cinematography, the dialogue, the editing, the props, the legalities of some locations, and New York as a character of its own in the film.

And also about the film’s recent restoration/makeover from the original 16mm negative!

There is mention of Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Edward D Wood Jr, Tommy Wiseau, European spy movies, Doris Wishman, surf music and lots more!

You don’t want to miss out on this well-hidden gem, which is finally reaching a global audience, after having been shown theatrically only in New York back in the day.