Allan Arkush and Joe Dante directs Candice Rialson, Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov in this sexploitation cheapie where a girl with a big dream of becoming a star lands on the seedier side of the movie making street.

Before Mulholland Dr. and yet (somehow) after Babylon, there was this. 25% titty shots. 25% footage from other Corman flicks. 25% cartoon romps around other Corman sets with recognisable props, costumes and vehicles. 25% dark satire about what a human meat factory showbiz is. Listen, the endless parade of healthy Seventies breasts is lovely, the kinetic set pieces are larks. The rest is filler. For every telling shot where the LA newsagents sells one trade mag for every 10 pornos, there’s a couple of weird gang rape moments that are way too full on to be as wittily point scoring as they are intended to be. Hollywood Boulevard really is a poor man’s stew scraped together from found footage, pick up shots and off cuts. The murder mystery subplot culminates in an axe fight around the dilapidated, graffiti strewn Hollywood sign. Rialson is a truly magnetic presence, sunny and game. Dick Miller is fantastic fun as a terrible agent. It just never all combines together into a consistent feature. At 70 plus minutes it often is boring.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Hardcore (1979)

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