Honey Buns (Impulse) Review

Distributor: Impulse Pictures Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Comedy Also known as: Heads or Tails Run Time: 74 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1973/1975 Director: James Chiara Written by: James Chiara Cast: Matt Hewitt, Uschi Digard (as Ushi Digard), Rene Bond (as René Bond), Starlyn Simone (as Michelle Simone), John Barnum, Becky Sharpe (as Becky Pearlman), Sandi Carey (as Sandy Carey), Kathy Hilton, Harvey Whippsnake, Monique Cardin, Joan Devlon, John Seeman Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1

Honey Buns appears to have originally been made in 1973 as the softcore film Heads or Tails. There isn't sufficient evidence one way or another as to whether Heads or Tails was released in its softcore version. Then, apparently in 1975, hardcore inserts were shot for Heads or Tails, along with a new sex scene, and the film was re-edited to be a hardcore film under a new title Honey Buns.

Honey Buns tells the story of Harry (Matt Hewitt), a clumsy man who is an utter failure with girls that works at the Internally Yours feminine hygiene company. One day Harry runs into a man who goes only by the moniker The Magician (Harvey Whippsnake), who gives Harry a pill to make his dreams come true. That night Harry takes the pill in his apartment and beautiful girls start appearing in his abode. Each time that he is about to seal the deal though, they disappear as quickly as they appeared.

Since the hardcore inserts for the scenes were shot later, with different actresses and actors, much of the action is extreme close-ups to try and mask the fact that they aren't the same actresses and actors. Most of the cast was performing hardcore at the time the inserts were shot, so I am not sure why they were not brought back to shoot the sex scenes again. For the most part, the hardcore inserts are well integrated into the original film. There are some places that you can tell that the actress isn't the same, but they work for the intended purpose.

There is one full sex scene that was obviously shot just for the hardcore version of Heads or Tails. That is the one with Monique Cardin, Joan Devlon, and John Seeman, none of whom are present in the cast credits. The scene was shot to match with an advert in the newspaper that Harry is reading, to allow the new scene to become a fantasy of Harry's, explaining why none of the cast members ever appear elsewhere in the film. Other than the fact that this scene is shot very differently than the rest of the sex scenes, since it isn't composed of inserts in an existing scene, you would never know it wasn't part of the original film.

The script is fun; for the most part it is lighthearted and the plot keeps the film going at a good pace. There is one brief moment at the end where the plot takes a little dark turn, which is a little jarring, but it quickly goes back to the lighthearted nature that it had prior. The cast does a good job with their roles, Matt Hewitt does a great job with the main role of Harry, making the character sympathetic and amusing. Starlyn Simone, Becky Sharpe, Sandi Carey, and Kathy Hilton do a good job with their roles as the pill women. Fans of Uschi Digard and Rene Bond will be disappointed by their very small roles, despite their high billing.

Overall, the hardcore re-edit of Honey Buns, does a good job of mixing the new material with the old material to make the film look as if it was originally made as presented. There are a few flaws, but they aren't bad. As for the film itself, it is lighthearted and amusing, and does a good job of entertaining the viewer. The film is worth picking up for fans of the era and genre.

Impulse Pictures has done a decent job with their release of Honey Buns. Only the 1975 re-edit of Honey Buns is available on this release. The original softcore version titled Heads or Tails is sadly not present. Honey Buns is presented in the academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in 480p. The print used for the transfer is rather beaten up with grain, artifacts, and print damage. The film sports nice colors and is definitely watchable.

Honey Buns is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural audio track. The audio track isn't bad. There is hiss present throughout most of the presentation and there are a few occasional pops. None of this is overly noticeable and no one should have any issues with the audio presentation.

Impulse Pictures hasn't included any extras on this release.

Honey Buns was originally a softcore film named Heads or Tails that had one full hardcore scene added along with hardcore inserts to turn it into a hardcore film. The film is amusing and enjoyable in its altered state with a fun story and well integrated hardcore inserts. Impulse Pictures has done a decent job with this release.

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