Now here's a curiosity. Just the credits read weird: a Russ Meyer film, written by Roger Ebert. Yes, the same Roger Ebert who's got the show on TV that used to be co-hosted by the late Gene Siskel, the same Ebert who reviews movies for the Chicago Sun-Times. I was eager to see what his array into actual filmmaking was like. Where to begin? Well, let's say that the film is not a sequel but a satire of "Valley of the Dolls". Like the Mark Robson pictured based on the Jackie Susann novel, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is about three young women who move to Hollywood. They're the Carrie Nations, a totally groovy all-girl psychedelic band. There's Kelly, the ambitious, fun-loving lead singer, Pet, the soul sister on drums and confused guitarist Casey. They come to Los Angeles to find Kelly's long lost aunt Susan, who introduces them to the world of the rich and famous. It does bring them success, as the mysterious Z-Man gets them a record deal and various contracts, but they also fall into sex, violence and drugs...

At first, the film is pretty puzzling. The mood is rather fascinating, but you don't really understand what it's up to. But then you understand that the reason the film starts out slow is to set up its labyrinthine plot and to present the many characters involved. Besides the girls and the kinky Z-Man, there's their young manager Harris, who has a thing for Kelly and is pissed that she falls for Lance Rock, a selfish jerk. So Harris is an easy prey for Ashley St-Ives, a man-eating porn star. Then there's Porter, Susan's crooked legal advisor; and Roxanne, who introduces the innocent Casey to drugs and lesbianism. Pet also gets some sex, from a sweet black cat who studies for his bar exam and from a badass boxer who looks like Muhammad Ali. All these people are tangled in a complex melodrama involving a heritage, affairs, and complicated feelings. And of course, this being a Russ Meyer, it's also packed with big breasts, ultraviolence, colorful sets and clothes, corny dialogue and cool music. Roger Ebert sums it up well by saying that it's an "anthology of stock situations, characters, dialogue, cliches and stereotypes, set to music and manipulated to work as exposition and satire at the same time; it's cause and effect, a wind-up machine to generate emotions, pure movie without message."

The movie works on many levels at the same time. It's kinda like the "Austin Powers" movies but played with a straight face. The women are beautiful, the songs are truly memorable, the film looks awesome... That could also be said of other Russ Meyer classics like "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!", but what makes this one better is the witty writing of Roger Ebert. Having spent his life watching movies, he knows the works inside out. Even though it's over the top, the film is strangely involving. It's immensely enjoyable and surprisingly well crafted. Russ Meyer might be a pervert, but he's nonetheless as good at crafting a movie as anyone else. I wouldn't call it perfect or brilliant, but that ain't what it tries to be. It's a B-movie at its best; exploitation with brains.