REVIEWS:

About Blessed Elysium Motion Picture Films:
"The is a nother side to the New York underground film scene, a new movement that shamelessly embraces the tools and
structure of commercial films, but infuses them with educated, self-important precision in addition to the unmistakable mark
of poverty. Clearly, they show the appropriate amount of contempt for the classic Hollywood paradigm, but they are hopelessly
devoted to you, the viewer, who has too long trudged the dreary fog-and-stool-filled forest of film. Blessed Elysium
Motion Pictures, based in NYC, understands the importance of doing something new, but this group of filmmakers is
interested in doing something good, something that they can care about- like the parents of an ugly child. The only difference
is that they sell their ugly child for entertainment purposes." -Film Threat Magazine

A Night of Märchenfilme
"...I contacted the people at Sacrum Torch and demanded that they send me a copy of these films for my very own.
Several weeks later, I was delightfully rewarded with a videotape containing most of them, called "A Night of Märchenfilme"
- from "märchen", the German word for fairy tale. A fitting title, chock full as it was with gnomes, fairies, evil witches, and other impish,
elemental beings. And what would you expect from a company called "Blessed Elysium Productions" after the Greek
word for "paradise" in classical mythology?...Pick up a copy of "A Night of Märchenfilme". You will be amused, bewildered,
and not a little bit creeped out...I was charmed by the originality, the wit and the whimsy, the peculiar absurdity of the plot lines, the
grotesque, bizarre, fantastic costumes, the spooky mood lighting, and the over-all effective use of the medium, a harlequinade of clownish
knavery and dreadfulness on b&w super-8, artificially stressed film made to look like a relic from the Charlie Chaplin days, including
old-timey-looking title pages in place of dialogue. "Pure genius" , I said to myself, and I don't say that often." -Dagobert's Revenge

"The soundtrack to Märchenfilme is a zany and influriatingly catchy cornucopia of classical and rock-based melodies by Eric and
Lisa Hammer, Mors Syphilitica, The Lust Wall, The Vitulos Secession and Guy Lombardo (my grandmother's favorite,
God rest her soul). And as if that were not enough to make this a true treasure and a deserving addition to your midnight movie collection,
the video also features Eric Hammer's bombastic and wrenchingly sardonic voice-over narration as well as his Monty Pythonesque
animated shorts strategically positioned like quirky tattoos on the sinewy body of contortionist. And like that extraordinarily lithe
body, Lisa Hammer's creative instinct is agile, quick on its feet, and marvelous to see in action... And just when you thought you may
have gotten in over your head, there is the comic relief of the Naughy Public Service Announcement. This short features a
delicious Mistress Carlotta mercilessly whipping a bound and gagged "naughy boy", and a bevy of "haughy girls"
being gleefully spanked by the Marquis de Vanderwolf. "Let the punishment fit the crime", I always say...." -Propaganda Magazine

"Welcome to the Elaborate Empire of Ache. Herein there are no words. There is no color. Everything you see hides behind the dust,
scratches, and grain of the ages. Images flicker along to pulsating rhythms. There is nothing natural here. Movement is stilted, slowed,
or speeded. Shadows abound and eye make-up is plentiful. This empire of ache originates from the cinema primeval, an extension of early
experiments in expressionism. This is filmmaking capable of evoking a visceral response to the seemingly simple oneiric monochrome images
and overtly complex soundtrack. These are sights and sounds that don't belong to the world. These are visions that remain on the periphery of
conventional modern narrative. They have been summoned out of the darkness by the talented Lisa Hammer and the members of her Blessed
Elysium Moving Film Company, submitted for your approval in A NIGHT OF MÄRCHENFILME. A collection Hammer's films
spanning 1987-96, A NIGHT OF MÄRCHENFILME is presented as a night out at the cinema complete with public service
announcements stating the rules of the theater (and the severe consequences of breaking them). Also included is a preview for
"Not Farewell Sweet Flesh," the only full-color piece to be seen on MÄRCHENFILME. The look of the piece is reminiscent of Italian
horror films, complete with over-dubbing that sounds as if it's come from some third-party preview. The rest of the films can best be
described as beautifully rendered, nightmarish fables. The real stand-out of the collection is "(The Elaborate) Empire of Ache"
which has less Maya Deren and more Robert Weine. The outlandish costumes, askew sets, chiaroscuro lighting and
multi-layered music cohere to create an unsettling fantasy world. This video is available from www.insound.com."
-Mike White, Cashiers Du Cinemart

"I get really irritated by compilation tapes comprised of short films that have no business being compiled together. Thankfully,
that's not the case inthis decade's worth of work from Blessed Elyssium Productions' Lisa Hammer.Ranging from 1987 - 1996, this
collection of six shorts shares a number of common traits. They're all shot in a flickering, scratchy black and whitestyle reminiscent of
1920's cinema, they're all essentially silent films, and they're all, well, pretty weird. Among the highlights are "Adieux, Dames," asurreal,
voyeuristic encounter of what appears to be a woman's suicide dance,and the bizarre, indescribably hallucinogenic "(The Elaborate)
Empire ofAche." The centerpiece of the collection, however, is undoubtedly "Jorinda and Joringel," a Brothers Grimm fable adapted
as a sexually charged gothic fantasy about a handsome prince's struggle to rescue his betrothed from the clutches of an evil witch. Come to
think of it, you could add "sexually charged gothic fantasy" to the list of constants linking these films.However, not everything is quite so heavy.
"Blessed Follies," which opens the tape, features a collection of comely flappers intercut with title cards listing the "theater rules" while "Naughty
PSA," bookending the collection, provides some stern but tongue-in-cheek S&M-laced punishment to those patrons who didn't heed those
opening rules. Very heavy on exotic and outrageous imagery and short on narrative cohesiveness, these odd and disturbing liveaction films
would be right at home in the creepy animated world of the Brothers Quay. Not my cup of tea, exactly, but uniquely intriguing, nonetheless."
- Merle Bertrand, Film Threat Magazine

Crawley:
"A disturbing look at OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Crawley succeeds in taking viewers into
the mind of someone afflicted a little more seriously than Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets.
Shot in B&W Super-8 and edited on video, the stark visuals aid in creating a horrific mood. At first I
thought the title was in reference to Aleister Crowley (Magick in Theory and Practice), but rather,
it is descriptive of the main character's mode of ambulation: skittering along, afraid to step on any
cracks as he thinks his doing so once broke his mother's back. Wonderfully off-beat."
-Cashiers du Cinemart

"Crawley is a dark comedy which draws heavily on the childhood fears of co-writers Ben Edlund and Eric
Hammer- fears ranging from killer bees to the inevitability of their parents' spontaneaous combustion."
-Film Threat Magazine

"...A hilarious sketch in which a deranged mad-man named Crawley tries to harmonize forces of strange
attraction occurring between food items on his table."
-Dagobert's Revenge

Special attention should also be paid to a terrific trio of shorts from Lisa Hammer: Crawley (co-directed by Ben Edlund,
creator of The Tick comic book), The Dance of Death, and Empire of Ache. In styles that, respectively, pay homage to
Eraserhead- period David Lynch, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-esque German Expressionism, and classic silent-film technique, these movies
entertainingly encapsulate the predominant obsessions of goth—which include an unexpectedly wistful nostalgia for a misty past.
"I have always loved silent movies, old pictures, music, graphics and manners of dress," Hammer says. "When people mention movie stars,
I automatically think of Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, and the Gish sisters. I do cherish the 'old days,' but I don't want to actually live in the past."
-Baltimore City Paper

Pus$bucket:
Director Lisa (Houle) has certainly come up with something---I'm not sure WHAT exactly it is, but there's a streak of
warped genius running throughout it....It's obvious that Lisa must've had a severe Catholic school upbringing, or some similar
shock to the nervous system when she was young. And her scathing sense of humar is prevalent in every frame. Lisa incorporates
several elegant, hallucinogenic sequences into the tale. And her more evil moments capture a dark, dreamlike realm that fits
beautifully within the murderous scenario. A mind-boggling saga!!! -Shock Cinema

"Two religious maniacs, Judas (played by Terrence Fleming) and Corned Beef (played by Eric Hammer), are visited by
two aliens, Madeline Virbasius and Dion. Virbasius, dressed as the Virgin Mary, tells thetwo to kill people for Jesus
and to drain the puss from their heads and bring it back to them. Fleming and Hammer set out to bring "the VirginMary"
back as much puss back as possible in a bucket (hence the title).

I was lucky enough to see an advance showing of this film fromsomebody who was involved in its production.
PUSSBUCKET is based on the Broadway musical and is done by Blessed Elysium Productions. It isgoing to be distributed
by Film Threat Video, and I don't know when it will be made available. PUSSBUCKET, which is currently not rated,
I expect will end up with an R rating. On a scale of zero to five, I give PUSSBUCKET a three (with reservations).
PUSSBUCKET contains explicit language, adult situations, and violence (it actually contains one scene
of graphic violence with a prosthetic breast, but it is so obviously fake, it don't count it).

PUSSBUCKET is an interesting grade Z film. It is shot in grainyblack and white and is obviously an amateur
production with a *very* low budget. I think the biggest problems with the film are: it isamateurishly filmed with a lot
of jerky motions; a lot of close-ups that end up going too close; and the film is about half an hour too long
Other than that PUSSBUCKET is an interesting film that will reward the patient viewer with some wonderful moments.

Two parts of the film that were particularly good was thetelevision evangelist, Steve Green, with his 1-900-DIAL GOD
number, and the news anchor man, Steven Deal. The songs in the film, what few thereare, are great. Unfortunately it
doesn't look like all the songs from the Broadway show made it into this film (I haven't seen the Broadwayshow, but I only
remember three songs from the film, and I am sure the Broadway musical contained more than that).

Unfortunately for the film, some of the scenes are so badlyphotographed and the sound is so poor that it is unclear wha
is goingon and that drags the film down. I don't recommend this film foreverybody, but only those with an open mind and a
taste for the bizarre. I don't know what the release availability of this film is going to be.If it comes to your video store for
a cheap enough rate, you might be interested in trying it"....Brian L. Johnson, Internet Movie Reviews

Jorinda and Joringel:
J&J :A Grimm's fairy tale of two lovers separated by magic and lust. A seductive,"silent" movie, with stunning visuals
and a brilliant musical score that ranges from gently haunting to horrifying in one half-hour.
-Propaganda Magazine

Not Farewell, Sweet Flesh
"Sweet Flesh has that 'Romeo and Juliet', very Baroque, Hammer Film look to it. Almost Ken Russel-esque."
- Film Threat Video Guide

"This film is a rich and exceptionally well-made rock-opera (yes, opera!) concerning the fateful love between a mortal woman,
"Ilsobeah" (Laura Wise), and "Seraph" (Terrence Fleming), a member of the Underworld. Discovered, the lovers are captured
by "Queen Zapkiela" (Lisa Houle) and her minions of punishment-a sentence of death. Needless to say, the couple escapes the
demons to join one another in another world. Sound like a lot to happen in 15 minutes? Well, it is. But by playing the archetypes
(and even the dullest of viewers knows "Romeo and Juliet"), Lisa is able to compress the plot, pour on the spooky atmosphere
and inject dramatic interludes that make Sweet Flesh behave more like a feature than a short. Visually and
textually extravagant with deep reds and soft, pale blues, the film is shot with a simplicity that discards the quick cutting
"music-video" look in favor ofthe dramatic frame or pose. The final shots of the lovers' dying embrace is gorgeous- the moonlight
catching them as they clutch beneath the trees- as is the scene in the Underworld chamber, which is positively lush with a real scale
that expands the film's mythical content. Lisa, who also wrote the film's music and lyrics and sings both the "Zapkiela" and
"Ilsobeah" roles, is obviously one of the more talented filmmakers we've run across in
some time and deserves attention." -Film Threat Magazine

"Lisa shows tremendous ambition in this short feature. Not Farewell, Sweet Flesh is a 15 minute opera that
attempts to establish an otherworldly mythic epic. Lisa effectively creates a somber mood through creative camera work
and excellent lighting. The Neo-Romantic soundtrack is also very effective in embellishing the overall mood."
-Moe Works at Wal-Mart