The Andy Sidaris Collection: Volume One
By Sean Axmaker

Six disc collection of the previously released Andy Sidaris "bullets, bombs, and babes" T&A action films starring centerfolds in exotic adventures and often out of their clothes. Darby Hinton is the ostensible star of Malibu Express (1985), a PI who can't shoot straight on the trail of murder that leads to international conspiracy, but female co-stars are the selling point: Sybil Danning, who plays an exotic Contessa, Lori Sutton, Lynda Wiesmeier, and Playboy Playmates Kimberly McArthur and Barbara Edwards. It was the first independently produced action film by Andy and his producer/wife Arlene and they immediately followed it up with Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987), casting Playboy Playmates Dona Spier and Hope Marie Carlton as federal agents in Hawaii investigating a diamond smuggling ring. They are thoroughly unconvincing handling guns and throwing stars, but who's really paying attention when they climb into the hot tub for all their heavy thinking? Future soap opera hunk Ron Moss is the male lead, Harold Diamond is his butt-kicking sidekick, and Playboy Playmate Cynthia Brimhall co-stars with a ridiculously fake looking deadly snake. Spier and Carlton return for Picasso Trigger (1988), which is notable in that it doubles the Playmate count: Cynthia Brimhall returns, and is joined by Robert Vasquez, Kym Malin, and Patty Duffek. The ostensible star is Steve Bond (another soap hunk) as a clumsy spy chasing a master criminal around the world (again with martial arts tough guy Harold Diamond) in another high concept adventure featuring dive-bombing toy planes, rocket-launching leg crutches, and exploding boomerangs. In Savage Beach (1989), Spier and Carlton climb out of the hot tub to fly out of their Hawaii headquarters and crash land on a deserted island where a ruthless revolutionary group, deadly crooks, and the American Navy converge in the search for hidden gold, but do they know there's a Japanese soldier lurking about who still doesn't know the war is over? We lose Ms. Carlton in Guns (1990) but gain Erik Estrada (as the suave bad guy) and a veritable army of Playmates: Roberta Vasquez, Cynthia Brimhall, Devin DeVasquez, Kym Malin, and Liv Lindeland. Sidaris produces but doesn't direct Enemy Gold (1993), about the hunt for a crime czar and his beautiful assassin (Julie Strain); he leaves that to his son and former action director Drew Sidaris. As absurd, convoluted, and abysmally acted as they are, these films set the standard for late night cable sexy action films: handsome photography, exotic locations, scantily clad babes, and plenty of gunfights, explosions, and topless interludes, and Sidaris makes no bones about it. The chapter stops on these DVDs are rated by the three essential ingredients: bullets, bombs, and babes. They also feature commentary by Andy Sidaris and Arlene Sidaris, introductions by Andy and B-movie babe Julie Strain, the 30 minute featurette Andy Sidaris' Film School, interviews, stills, collectable booklets (with background on all the featured Playmates), and trailers.

DETAILS: Full frame, Ultra-Stereo. R. Malibu Bay/Ventura.