Are you a fan of cheesy action flicks? Do you like to see blood, guts, gore and kung-fu fighting? Then grindhouse is for you!
In a special promotional venture, Tiger beer and Firecracker TV got together to organise screenings of legendary grindhouse movies The One-Armed Executioner and They Call Her Cleopatra Wong in Glasgow and London.
With special introductions from stars Franco Guerrero and Marrie Lee, both looking back affectionately on the sleazy actioners which made them stars, the events also featured trailers for some of director/producer Bobby Suarez's other work: The Devil's Three, They Call Him Chop Suey, Master Samurai and Black Dragon.
Grindhouse films like Suarez's were enormously successful in the Seventies and early Eighties, travelling from the Far East to thrill British and American audiences.
To get an idea of just how influential they've been, look no further than the work of Quentin Tarantino, whose films repeatedly reference them and whose latest work is a direct tribute, titled Grindhouse.
Made on ultra-low budgets but free of the shackles of studio politics, these films are trashy, irreverent and full of energy. Their casual approach to violence (usually accompanied by schlocky sound-effects) went way beyond what mainstream movies of the time were doing, and they always delivered when it came to scantily-clad women, fast cars and snarling villains, too.
Aiming to capture the spirit of the times, Tiger's promotions included free beer and cheap Chinese food which tasted vaguely of sawdust. Several audience members admitted that they had only come along for the drink and didn't know what they were letting themselves in for, but they all seemed to have a great time, shouting and cheering on the heroes as they battled their way through an assortment of unsavoury foes.
For those attendees who wanted to do likewise, there was a bluescreen to play with, and during the interval they could watch themselves on the big screen adopting martial arts poses alongside famous monuments. Some were still aiming karate chops at one another outside in the street when it was time to go home.
For those who missed out on these events, Firecracker are screening a Bobby Suarez season which is sure to provide a solid introduction to the genre - or you might catch the occasional one late at night, heavily edited, on ITV. But nothing really beats the full-on atmosphere of a live late-night Grindhouse double bill.
