SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Michael_Elliott Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001) **** (out of 4)Only God himself knows how many documentaries I've seen on "B" movies because I've really lost count over the years. However, I do know this here is probably the best of the bunch as it sinks its teeth into the exploitation flicks of the 30's, the low-budget teenage films of the 50's and more explicit sexploitation films of the 60's. Roger Corman, Forrest J. Ackerman, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Peter Bogdanovich, Doris Wishman, David Friendman, Dick Miller, Harry Novak and even Vampira are interviewed among others. The documentary does a great job at telling how the studio system was bombing at the box office and the likes of Corman were making millions by spending very little. The doc also does a great job at showing how difficult it was to make these films with some of them coming in in just three days. Clips from various classics are shown as well.

Joe Stemme No one documentary could reasonably encompass the full range of the Exploitation Cinema, though SCHLOCK! gives it a decent go. By focusing in on just a few key figures, Director Greene gives us some depth into their careers, but limits the overall breadth of the subject.For those familiar with AIP & Roger Corman, the first section will probably contain nothing new. The dry, academic narration doesn't help matters. Countless articles, books and interviews with and by Corman and Sam Arkoff leave little room for anything fresh to be said. Some of their "discoveries" such as Peter Bogdanovich and Dick Miller also appear. The ID's on the clips are sketchy during this section as well (But improves for some reason during the rest of the film. The one glaring exception there is that the only example of early sexploitation in the cinema are excerpts from METROPOLIS of all things - AND, they're not ID'd).The Documentary kicks into gear with the long middle section focusing on David Friedman, Doris Wishman and Harry Novak and the less well known Nudist, Nudie Cutie and Roughie Sexploitation era. Friedman too has made the rounds the past couple of decades, but he's the consummate showman. The Documentary springs to life whenever he's on screen. Though there is a brief afterword on the post-Sexploitation era, the Documentary seems to take the point-of-view that Exploitation cinema ended in the early 70's when mainstream Hollywood began making the pictures that these pioneers had been making for decades (an opinion oft echoed). This short-changes the period of Drive-In Exploitation cinema that flourished in the 70s' and then had a brief revival during the VCR boom of the 80's and early-90's (This despite the fact that Corman was and IS active throughout this latter period. The film dismisses Corman's post-AIP career in a few seconds).A note on the DVD. The behind the scenes "tour" of Novak's studio/office is a fascinating peek at an era long-gone, and David Friedman shows off his best Carnival barker routine. Both pieces are fully worth the price of the DVD. In just the few years since this doc was made, the Cinema has lost both Doris Wishman and Samuel Z. Arkoff, making their inclusion here even more valuable.

film_410 I saw this with my boyfriend. A real freakshow! COol weird movies from thevaults -- stuff I never knew exiosted. I especially liked VAMPIRA. What a sexy beast! 10 plus - a movie you have to see it to believe it. There are movies in here with rubber head monster like "Mystery Science" and movies with nakedchicks with beehive hairdos plus lots of interviews with people who made themovies or else were in them. I had never seen a single one of these filmsbefore. My boyfriend says I should also mention: DOrris Wishman, David F.Freeman... Here you write it : )Okay. Snarker here. I love this movie. I am a big fan of "bad film" and cultmoviemaking. I can't believe all the people who were important to B-moviesfrom the 50s and 60s that they got into this film. The DVD extras alone are worth the 20 bucks.

machineart An amazing movie! If you think you know the history of American cult and exploitation movies you don't unless you've watched this picture. Chronicles the whole history and development of exploitation and sexploitation flicks from the silent film days all the way to the end of the "golden era" in the early 1970s. Tons of fascinating and ultra-rare clips, everything from sexploitation cuties to cheesy but hilarious monsters from Mars. Loads of interviews with the famed (Roger Corman, Peter Bogdanovich, Forrie Ackerman, Vampira) to the notorious (Doris Wishman, Dave Friedman). I thought this movie was lots of fun and very informative, and the DVD has about four hours of really excellent extras too. An A - or maybe even an A picture about the world of B-movies.