American Grindhouse is a straightforward clip compilation that traces the history of exploitation cinema from its very beginnings through to the present day. It's very ordinary in format, and the writing is hardly engaging, but it just about gets by thanks to the extraordinary assortment of interviewees they've assembled for the job.The documentary starts out by looking at the old sensation films of the 1930s before moving into the 1950s nudity wave. From the 1960s, the double whammy sellers of sex and violence become prevalent, with the likes of H. G. Lewis coming to the fore, and then the glory days of 1970s grindhouse cinema hit.The reliable Robert Forster is the narrator, while those being interviewed include John Landis, Joe Dante, William Lustig, Jack Hill, and many more besides. Tons of clips are also used to illustrate various points, but for the most part this is a generalised celebration of exploitation cinema, extremely superficial but entertaining nonetheless.

Always remember - If what you're viewing on screen becomes unbearable to watch, just keep telling yourself - "It's only a movie... It's only a movie... It's only a movie..." Duh!.... Call me a monkey's uncle, but I had always thought (until today) that the term "Grindhouse" referred to those exploitation films that were exclusively from the 1960s & 70s.But after viewing this fairly enlightening documentary on the subject, I am now being told that "Grindhouse" films actually go all the way back to the very first time (1894?) when some bloke with a half-baked perversion in his head picked up a movie camera and recorded "that forbidden thing" on film. (Tsk. Tsk) Anyways - Whether it's bona-fide "Grindhouse", or not, this here documentary sure covered a lot of ground in film history, and it definitely brought my attention to a number of totally "taboo" films out there that I'd sure like to view for myself, such as - Maniac (1934), Mom & Dad (1945) and Scum Of The Earth (1963), to name but a few.From perversion for profit; to scandalous sensation; to challenging censorship; to teenage rampage, and beyond - American Grindhouse is a documentary that's certain to pique the interest of more than just fans of exploitation films.*Note of Warning!" - This documentary contains not only film clips of nudity, but, it also shows the graphic depiction of childbirth, as well.

A documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent movie era to the 1970s.This film covers it all: from the earliest Edison films, to the pre-code days (who knew the 1920s were so raunchy), to the story of "Freaks" and the end of Tod Browning's career.With interviews from John Landis, Joe Dante, and William Lustig, you have it all: the importance of H. G. Lewis (despite his questionable talent, as Landis points out), and the world of Larry Cohen and his "no permits" approach to renegade movie making.If nothing else, the story of "Ilsa" and how the director got involved is priceless. That film has achieved such cult status -- it is probably known by far more people than who have ever actually seen it.

American Grindhouse (2010)*** (out of 4)This film begins with people debating on what a grindhouse film really is and after the release of the film GRINDHOUSE it seems like everyone was debating the true definition. This documentary, to me, covers pretty much everything that wasn't accepted by the mainstream. We cover a wide range of films starting with some early silents from Edison and then moving to Hollywood movies like FREAKS as well as trashier things like MANIAC, REEFER MADNESS and then going through other decades. Included are the "birth" films from the 40s, the nudist films of the 60s, the gore period starting with Herschell Gordon Lewis and then moving through the 70s with stuff like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and the blaxploitation pictures. John Landis, William Lustig, Ted V. Mikels, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Joe Dante, Kim Morgan, Fred Olen Ray, Fred Williamson, Allison Anders, Larry Cohen, David Hess, Don Edmonds and Jack Hill are just a few of the people interviewed here and they too have a wide range of opinions on the films covered here. For the most part I think this is a terrific introduction to those unfamiliar with the genre but if you have a good idea of these films and their history then it's doubtful you're going to learn much here. I think American GRINDHOUSE would best be used as a training tool for those new movie fans wanting to see about this stuff and be able to see countless clips as well as get some nice recommendations for rentals. I think the documentary does a good job at covering various genres but at just 83-minutes there's really no way it can really dig deep into everything. Europeon films are pretty much overlooked and this is somewhat frustrating especially when certain films are made to appear as if they started a sub-genre when in fact it was usually something overseas. The film also does a nice job at showing how certain production rules in Hollywood is what helped change the exploitation filmmakers and how Hollywood eventually had to drop what they were doing and offer people what they wanted.