LOOSE SCREWS: SCREWBALLS II (1985)
Director: Rafal Zielinski
Severin Films

The one aspect I remember the most from SCREWBALLS is without question its generous helping of gratuitous nudity. One scene in particular, in which Linda Shayne (HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP) smashes her breasts onto the back window of a van parked at a drive-in playing THE ARENA, all but ensured that the movie would forever hold a lasting place in my heart. With Linda and her talents in mind I sat down with LOOSE SCREWS fully expecting to see an abundance of bosoms and maybe a joke or two, after all a good sequel is supposed to take familiar elements from its predecessor and kick them up a few notches. While their is no “boobs on the back window” scene I am happy to report that LOOSE SCREWS lived up to my expectations in that it wasn't really funny but there were a lot of naked ladies present.

Brad Lovett (Bryan Genesse), Steve Hardman (Lance Van Der Kolk), Hugh G. Rection (Alan Deveau), and Marvin Eatmore (Jason Warren) have just pulled their last prank at Beaver High. Rather than let each man repeat their senior year for a fifth time, Beaver High's principal decides that it is in everyone’s best interest to transfer the quartet to Coxwell Academy, a special school for students with special needs. Guided under the tutelage of principal Arsenault (comedian Mike MacDonald), Coxwell Academy is clearly unprepared to deal with the four young men as within minutes of their arrival Brad and his boys manage to trick the entire female student body into taking their tops off. Let loose on a campus filled with slender young scholars, the perverted foursome has the world at their fingertips but it is French teacher Mona Lott (Cynthia Belliveau, GOOFBALLS) who is the apple of everyman’s eye. Wagering as to which man will be the first to make Mona moan, the four young men try every trick and scheme in the book in their attempts to catch Mrs. Lott in a compromising situation, all while trying to stay one step ahead of the authoritative arm of Mr. Arsenault.

Where as SCREWBALLS was a period piece set in the 1950s, LOOSE SCREWS is set in the then present day of 1985. As such, the fashions look ridiculous and the music is God awful but fear not, the teased hair and cringe-inducing tunes do little to distract from the film's ultimate goal of showcasing as much female flesh as the budget will allow. Save for the difference in time periods, LOOSE SCREWS doesn’t differ too greatly from its predecessor as both feature stories designed around seeing one particular character in the buff. In such regard the biggest difference between the two films is that unlike in SCREWBALLS where you had to wait until the closing credits to get a glimpse of Purity Busch’s goods, LOOSE SCREWS allows for Miss Mona Lott to display her God given talents on multiple occasions. Besides Cynthia Belliveau, other notably “performances” include Annie McAuley, who can also be seen in RECRUITS, Canada’s take on POLICE ACADEMY and more recently in the sexploitation throwback VIVA, and Beth Gondek (HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT II) who plays a young student with an infectiously bouncy laugh named Candy Barr, not to be confused with the famed Burlesque star of the same name.

Nudity is paramount in LOOSE SCREWS which given the fact that comedy was clearly an afterthought is a very positive thing. Crammed to the hilt with what feels like rejected Benny Hill sketches, the film's humor keeps the tone lighthearted but does little to elicit a laugh. Jason Warren and Alan Deveau are the only two returning cast members from the first film and the only two likeable male characters at that, as Bryan Genesse and Lance Van Der Kolk simply fail to connect as the two studs of the group (by jason). While I do give the film credit for keeping the action moving, with most set-ups played short and sweet, a few do suffer by overstaying their welcome and a handful just simply feel completely out of place. Never have I gone to the beach and had an impromptu dance number break out (Thank God!) but if I did I would much prefer it to happen in the 1950s than the 1980s. The picture’s nightclub scene also left me befuddled as it was the first time I’ve ever seen a wet t-shirt contest where the girl with the biggest boobs didn’t win.

Released on VHS through Lighting Video and DVD in 2005 through Buena Vista, Severin Films bestows LOOSE SCREWS with the same love and affection it did with its 2009 release of SCREWBALLS. Released on DVD and Blu-ray, LOOSE SCREWS is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio with anamorphic enhancement. Skin tones appear accurate as do colors as a whole, though the film's visual palette is not exactly all that bright to begin with. The Dolby 2.0 mono mix does perhaps too good a job as both dialogue and the films mind numbing 1980s driven soundtrack shine through like a bell.

Extras are kicked off with a commentary track with director Rafal Zielinski. The soft spoken Zielinski recalls quite a bit about his tenure on LOOSE SCREWS, though he doesn’t sound all that thrilled for being known as the go-to guy for Canadian “Ball” comedies. SCREWS did however provide Zielinski the opportunity to shoot a number of musical inspired numbers, a dream of his, including a titillating aerobics montage. I was surprised to hear how shy Rafal is as he claims he would turn away from the camera whenever a nude scene was being filmed. I’d be willing to bet he was the only crew member doing so at the time. A ten minute interview with producer Maurice Smith delves into the SCREWBALLS series as a whole, with Smith making mention that he is still sitting on a treatment for SCREWBALLS IV. Production manager Ken Gord is also present for an on camera interview that runs just under five minutes and in a move that will surely appease sex comedies completists, Severin rounds out this releases extras by including the film's 88 minute International cut which runs 10 minutes longer than the rated R, director's cut. Presented in “Authentic VHS-Vision!”, the International cut features no additional nudity, though its presentation does offer a feeling of nostalgia to anyone who rented such skintacular fair throughout the early 1990s. (Jason McElreath)

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