Plot: What’s it about?
Although Cody Abilene (Darby Hinton) has lots of luck with the ladies, he can’t seem to find as much success with his normal profession. So while his bedroom is often filled with beautiful women, his work schedule is often blank and by turn, he is always looking for a big case. He lives on a yacht named Malibu Express and while he comes from a well off family, he still needs cash just like everyone else. When the girls on the yacht next to his aren’t trying to keep him inside, he tries to poke around for cases, usually without much success. But when he gets the chance to work for Lady Lillian Chamberlain, he marvels at his good fortune and takes the case in an instant, as it offers high profile and high wages. He is supposed to look into the murder of Chamberlain’s butler, but as he snoops about, he runs into some unexpected clues, dangerous turns, and of course, more than a few gorgeous ladies. As the case unfolds, it proves to be his toughest assignment yet, but he is determined to get to the bottom of the case. He soon discovers some buried connections between the victim and Russian banks, one which he is forced to work with some old flames to fully investigate, if you know what I mean. But can Cody somehow manage to uncover the truth and reveal the criminals, all while sleeping with as many women as possible?
This one has lots of guns, mystery, fast cars, and of course, beautiful women, the perfect example of Andy Sidaris’ cinematic touch. In fact, I’d place Malibu Express toward the top of the list of his efforts, as it is a lot of fun to watch. As with Sidaris’ other pictures, this one isn’t an award level production, but it knows what it is and fulfills its purpose, with solid action, solid thrills, and very solid breasts. With five centerfolds from a famous men’s magazine plus some bonus honies, Malibu Express has flesh to spare, especially when the top of one June Khnockers is removed, thanks to her oversized melons. A kind of backwoods James Bond story, this movie tries to be a legitimate action flick, but thanks to budget limitations, isn’t able to be as grand as it would like to be, though on the Sidaris scale, Malibu Express scores well. Some humorous one liners break up the action scenes and in this kind of movie, a sense of humor is a must. Its hard to be too critical of this one, as it knows its place and never takes itself too seriously, as the filmmakers knew it was just a fun flick and that shows. If you’re a fan of Sidaris’ other pictures, then without question, Malibu Express will make a nice addition to your collection. As usual, Ventura’s disc is solid in all respects, making this a more than solid recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
Malibu Express is presented in a full frame transfer. As with the other releases in the Andy Sidaris Collection, this one looks very good and much better than previous video editions, so fans should be very pleased. The image is super clean, with minimal grain, marks, and other debris, which allows for a more refined, brighter picture. The colors come across in solid, bold form and of course, flesh tones look natural from start to finish. That last part is important, since Malibu Express is loaded with so much flesh. I had no problems on the contrast side of the coin either, thanks to well balanced black levels throughout. I can’t see how this movie could look much better on DVD, another terrific transfer from the Andy Sidaris Collection.
Audio: How does it sound?
The trademark Sidaris elements are well presented here, as all the bullets, bombs, and even babes sound terrific. The action scenes have more punch of course, but all the sequences sound solid and as well as you could expect. I mean, this isn’t a brand new DTS ES remix, but its about as good as the material is going to sound, so I see no reason to complain. The shootouts, car chases, and explosions all come through well, while the musical soundtrack is clean and never gives cause for concern. No troubles with dialogue either, as vocals remain crisp and free from volumes errors at all times.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As always, Sidaris and his wife Arlene provide an audio commentary track, which gives a brisk overview of the production. The various stages of shooting the film are covered, such as finding the stars, staging the stunts, writing the screenplay, all the bases seem covered in this session. The information seems to be on the same template from film to film with these two, but its still nice to hear their comments. In addition to an introduction by Sidaris and an always topless Julie Strain, you’ll also find featurettes on Sidaris stars Suzi Simpson & Cynthia Brimhall, some interviews, a selection of still photos, an Andy Sidaris Film School featurette, and the trailer for this film, as well as the other Sidaris Collection releases.
