Denmark | Through the Shattered Lens

Hi there and welcome to the first 2012 edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Trailers. Today, I come offering Danish subtitles, Japanese monsters, a grindhouse icon, and tomcats. Lots and lots of tomcats…

1) Tomcats (1976)

Let’s start off 2012 with this trailer for a low budget, drive-in film called Tomcats. It’s also known as Deadbeat, They Deserved It, and a few hundred other titles. The trailer is memorable for its light-hearted narration but the film itself is pretty dark (and kinda stupid, to be honest). By the way, this trailer features more than a little nudity and is definitely not safe for work.

2) Smokey Bites The Dust (1981)

This trailer was apparently used to advertise this Roger Corman production in Denmark.

3) Terminal Island (1973)

This is a landmark of feminist exploitation cinema. (Scoff all you might but there is such a thing and if you don’t believe me, go and read the best thing I’ve ever written, Too Sordid To Ever Be Corrupted.) Much like Smokey Bites the Dust, this trailer is in English but comes with Danish subtitles. It’s also NSFW.

4) Terror of Machagodzilla (1975)

And now for something completely different…

5) Across 110th Street (1972)

Who doesn’t love this film’s title song?

And finally…

6) Enter The Dragon (1973)

Yes, Enter the Dragon is an exploitation film. Just because it’s now considered to be a classic and it’s shown in film school (the first time I saw it was in film class) doesn’t change the fact that this film is pure grindhouse exploitation.

Welcome to 2012! Let’s make it a good one, just in case the Mayans were correct.

I just came across the trailer for this little film from Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn (directed the soon-to-be cult-classic, Bronson) called Valhalla Rising. I’ve heard of this Viking period film late last year, but couldn’t find much info on it other than it was one brutal and great-looking film. Whether it was any good I still have to see for myself.

The film stars Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and Tristan in King Arthur) as the Norse warrior One-Eye in 1000 A.D. and travels with a boy named Are as they join with a band of Vikings. From what I could tell from the trailer above much violence occurs during their travels. The choice of music for the trailer is more than just a bit unusual especially when paired with the brutal scenes of violence shown.

I’m always down for some ultra-violent filmmaking and at times that alone will save a film for me. Here’s to hoping that Valhalla Rising will be more than just brutality and gore but actually have some depth to it. If it doesn’t then at least I’ll get my fill of the grue and gore.