Hotel Tales

A charming little sleeper of an adult video, efficiently directed by dependable Bud Lee, who holds the rare distinction of having been married to - and, alas, divorced from - two of the greatest exotic beauties the porn industry has ever seen : Native American goddess Hyapatia Lee and awesome Asia Carrera. Though he has a tendency to crank 'em out fast 'n' cheap, his movies are usually well made showcases for whatever starlet he happens to be working with. The downside to this productivity is a lack of erotic imagination, in part the result from an over-reliance on soft-core cable coverage, which in this case almost ruins two perfectly fine Sydnee Steele scenes. Lee's sure no Stagliano and primarily gearing his work towards the couples and pay per view crowd takes its toll in the heat department. That said, HOTEL TALES manages to overcome these reservations at least some of the time, courtesy of a cute George Kaplan script filled with believable dialog and surprisingly strong characterizations from the female cast.

Problems arise when a hotel suite turns out to be not double but triple booked while there's a convention in town. Offering his apologies along with unlimited bar tabs and free pay per view, manager Dale DaBone (so impressive in Paul Thomas' FADE TO BLACK) can convince the three very different women to share the room. Corporate bitch Sydnee Steele, whose unconventional features remind me of a cross between Golden Age alumni Lesllie Bovee and Sharon Mitchell (and who turned in a career performance in another P.T. film, MARISSA), scorches everything in her path, either sexually or through verbal abuse or more commonly a combination of both. Her laundry closet encounter with hardworking chambermaid Jessica Drake (looking lovely in specs) represents Sapphic splendor at its finest. The more glamorous and confident Zoe, who modeled both her hairstyle and laid-back bedside manner after tragic porn starlet Savannah, turns in a respectable "Queen Bee" romp with bellboy Eric Everhard. Infinitely more turned on (and more of a turn-on) is the invariably incredible Inari Vachs - also at her best for P.T. in THE AWAKENING ; are we perhaps detecting a pattern here ? - as the mousy wallflower daydreaming about hunky bartender Dillion Day (star of Mike Raven's UNDERWORLD) until her reluctant roommates get her to take matters into her own hands, so to speak, with the delicious DaBone.

In addition to the encounters mentioned, there's an all girl grope featuring the three stars that fans would forever have begrudged Lee for NOT including such a sequence. The result isn't likely to disappoint anyone per sé but could have been hotter. The same can definitely be said of the two scenes botched in editing. Steele's number on security guard Eric Price (who is getting decidedly more handsome with age) takes forever to get to the hardcore footage. At least this sequence is saved somewhat by Sydnee surrendering her rectal passage to Price's probing penis. No such luck for the fleeting Steele/Day duet that starts out explicit but turns completely soft when they're joined by Zoe, going as far as to obscure an implied double facial pop ! The actresses really save the day here. Steele and Vachs impress both in and out of the sack, as they already had many times before, but Zoe proves to be that rarity : an adult performer actually more interesting as a thespian than as a sex worker ! She was much hyped as Sin City's contract starlet for the new millennium but called it quits after appearances in a few rather decent Michael Raven movies, including the star vehicle SMOKER. Given comparatively scant screen time, Drake's another delight, handling her dialog well. Another bonus is the expert cinematography by longtime genre DoP (and occasional filmmaker) Jack Remy who remains true to his lofty reputation by making all the ladies look their absolute loveliest.

Writer George Kaplan and director Bud Lee collborated on many films, and this Sin City release displays their combined talent.

It's a simple but highly workable premise: 3 women are all booked for the same suite at a hotel, and no alternate accommodations are available, due to a convention being held in town. Their amorous antics make for a solid Adult film, very well acted.

Sydnee Steele is an uppity businesswoman who likes to push people around, but by the lesbian-threesome finale she has become more tolerant of her suitemates. Principal player is Inari Vachs, who voices over her thoughts, mostly of an amorous nature, portraying the mousey one, while Zoe is a busty blonde bombshell who visually dominates the proceedings.

It's a pleasant Couples film, full of explicit sex but also including quality softcore moments as well. Jessica Drake gets top billing from Sin City, but has only a minor role as a hotel maid easily seduced by Sydnee.

Sin City went kaput several years ago, and I miss their particular brand of mainly unpretentious, well-crafted story films, no longer in vogue during the current gonzo era.