Category Archives: Kitten Natividad

Up!-1976

Up! -1976

Director Russ Meyer

Starring Raven De La Croix, Robert McLane, Janet Wood

Scott’s Review #1,518

Reviewed February 15, 2026

Grade: B+

A follow-up to the masterpiece Supervixens (1975), sexploitation guru Russ Meyer released Up! (1976), a film in a similar vein with enough bare skin and sexual acts to make even the sexually open-minded blush just a bit.

Ridiculous and titillating beyond belief, the film is meant to be enjoyed for what it is rather than analyzed. Still, despite the sexual escapades of large-breasted women and taut young men, the film achieves a measure of female empowerment through its characters.

As far as Meyer films go, Supervixens, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) are my favorites, but Up! deserves credit for its outrageous and wacky nature alone.

The plot is quite thin, but it kicks off with a man named Adolf Schwartz (Edward Schaaf), who lives in a Bavarian-style castle in Northern California. After an orgy in the dungeon with three women and a man, he is murdered when someone places a deadly piranha fish in his bathtub.

Some time later, Margo Winchester (Raven De La Croix) hitchhikes to the nearby town of Miranda, where she is raped. With assistance from a horny sheriff (Monty Bane), she finds work at a local diner owned by Alice (Janet Wood) and Paul (Robert McLane).

Subsequent hijinks ensue like another rape in a dive bar, countless nude chase scenes and sex in the woods, and a revenge tale involving the child of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.

Up! and most other Russ Meyer films are for a specific audience only and are not recommended for fans of mainstream cinema. Prudish, uptight, or individuals expecting a tight story or professional acting will not be satisfied.

However, for an eye-opening or eye-popping experience, sure to leave your mouth agape at some of the raunchy sequences, you will find Up! rather endearing.

Amid the sexuality and chesty scenes are some laugh-out-loud wooden performances, mostly from the lead, De La Croix, though she is also wonderful to watch in her debut film. And considering she had no acting experience when cast, she’s not all that bad.

The best scenes are when she charges through the forest, naked, of course, fleeing a character, Alice, out for revenge. The women trade barbs while playing cat and mouse and occasionally engaging in sex.

A separator from other Meyer films is the incorporation of bisexuality in nearly all circles.

Handsome lead actor, Robert McLane, gets it on with nearly everyone, including Adolf Hitler, who, in hilarious and satisfying form, desires some rear entry.

While hardly a message movie, the inclusion of Hitler and Nazi references reinforces the hypocrisy of the entire movement.

The Paul, Alice, Margo triangle is good fun, especially as the trio briefly lives an idyllic lifestyle serving up hash at their diner, led mostly by Margo and her low-cut uniform.

This harkens back to a similar theme in Supervixens, during a happy sequence involving the central characters.

A Meyer film wouldn’t be a Meyer film without an appropriate dose of gore. A sharp ax comes into play during the latter part of the film after a gang rape goes awry.

The full frontal nudity, both male and female, is rampant and includes The Greek Chorus (Kitten Natividad), who appears nude except for long black boots, and boldly opens the film and appears between scenes to provide narration, plot details, and updates.

Up! (1976) is a fine addition to the Russ Meyer viewing collection and showcases the Pacific Northwest of the United States in an atypical way. It’s fun, silly, and quite refreshing.

Airplane!-1980

Airplane! -1980

Director Jim Abrahams, David & Jerry Zucker

Starring Robert Hays, Leslie Nielsen, Julie Hagerty

Scott’s Review #1,087

Reviewed December 2, 2020

Grade: A-

Airplane! (1980) is a landmark film in the spoof genre, leading the pack in the decade of silly (the 1980s) where films of this ilk and dumb comedies, in general, became a dime a dozen oversaturating the market.

While the film is unabashedly brainless with gags for miles, the jokes work, and the tasteless brand of humor provides plenty of belly laughs.

Better yet, Airplane! never ages, holding up incredibly well long after its initial release. It’s just perfect for a Saturday late-night watch, or when one needs cheering.

It’s in my Top 10 comedies.

When it was originally released, the timing was perfect to spoof by then the aging world of disaster films. I refuse to believe that Jim Abraham and the Zucker brothers had malcontent on their minds since they created a friendly and benevolent yarn that’s well-timed.

Good comedy is tough to find, but this film gets it right. The monotone dialogue said with straight faces is what makes the hysterics genuine and palpable.

Not unfairly, is to say that Airplane! is to disaster films what Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was to daytime soap operas. A celebration and a clever wink to each, infusing much-needed light-hearted appreciation.

It’s fun to re-watch Airport (1970) and Airport ’75 with fresh eyes and a new perspective in parallel to this film.

Ted Striker (Robert Hays) is an ex-fighter pilot traumatized by the war, now working as a taxi driver. He is terrified of flying despite his previous occupation.

His girlfriend, Elaine (Julie Haggerty), conveniently a flight attendant, dumps him just before her flight from Los Angeles to Chicago.

Naturally, Ted throws caution to the wind and boards the flight in hopes of reconciling.

When several of the passengers and flight crew succumb to food poisoning, an inflatable named Otto must steer the plane toward Chicago.

The crew convinces Ted to muster up the courage to safely land the plane because Otto cannot do it and subsequently conquer his fear of flying. A perilous yet comical landing ensues, and Ted and Elaine happily reunite.

The plot is a direct steal from Airport ’75 when poor Karen Black’s flight attendant character famously is instructed how to land the aircraft. Until, in a sexist fashion, the men arrive to take control, sending her back to serve coffee. This is intentional and spot-on to show the ridiculous nature of that plot point.

The gags are legendary, the “Surely you can’t be serious”, “I am serious…and don’t call me Shirley” exchange the most famous one, always providing a laugh. The effortless dialogue as inane as it is somehow works exceptionally well and combines brilliantly with the pacing and delivery.

It’s like a long and wonderful episode of television’s Saturday Night Live.

The chemistry between Ted and Elaine is very strong, making the audience root for their eventual reconciliation though it’s obvious they will ride off into the proverbial sunset together.

Actors, Hays and Hagerty deserve tremendous praise for aligning the characters so well. Also of note, are the efforts of Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves as Doctor Rumack and Captain Oveur, respectively.

Nielsen would subsequently become famous for spoof films, none of them as good as Airplane!

I’ll never profess to be a slapstick person, but Airplane! (1980) is one that I embrace, undoubtedly because of my love for disaster films and fondness for airplanes.

Advisable is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the zany ride that this satirical and very funny film offers.