Change Your Image
lor_
Served as Chairman, New York Film Critics Circle: 1993/94.
Favorite interviews were with: Michael Douglas, Sophia Loren, DeForest Kelley, Joan Chen, Joe Henderson, Ismail Merchant, Klaus Kinski, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Spike Lee, Malcolm McDowell, Zoe Lund, Melvin Van Peebles, Ultra Violet, Wolfgang Petersen, Claudia Cardinale, Serge Silberman, Margarethe von Trotta, Alec Guinness, Leonard Nimoy, Susan George, Joseph Losey, Gale Anne Hurd, Dennis Hopper, Peter Greenaway, Katt Shea, Ken Russell, Maggie Greenwald, Jim Jarmusch, Peter Brook, Jurgen Prochnow, Andy Warhol, Judy Davis, Chuck Vincent, Fred Zinnemann, Wim Wenders, Max Von Sydow, Michael Moore, Terry Gilliam, Rita Jenrette, Karen Lynn Gorney, Bruce Beresford, Jack Thompson, Russ Meyer, Sam Raimi, Abel Ferrara, John Sayles, William Greaves, Nino Manfredi, Lee Van Cleef, Michael Cuscuna, Bille August, Jewel Shepard, Andy Sidaris, Michel Deville, Claude Sautet, Claude Lelouch, Alfonso Arau, Alan Parker, Reinhard Hauff, Traci Lords, Jim Jarmusch, Martha Coolidge, Candida Royalle, Giuseppe Tornatore, Edward James Olmos, Paul Hogan, John Mackenzie, Peter Hyams, Jennifer Beals,, Adrian Lyne, Samuel Fuller, Dario Argento, James Toback, Lasse Hallstrom, Fred Williamson, Gabriel Axel, Joe Bastianich, Aaron Sanchez, Danny Meyer, Steve Hanson, Matthew Kenney, Douglas Rodriguez, Simon Oren, Stanley Donen, Lindsay Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter, Edward Pressman, Harold Becker, Larry Cohen, James Ivory, Jack O'Connell, Michael Phillips, Kevin McClory, Jackie Mason, Joan O'Brien, Stanley Donen, Joseph B. Vasquez, Don Bluth, William Lustig, Al Goldstein, Simon Wincer, Valeria Cavalli, Dave Fishelson, Lizzie Borden, Roberta Findlay, Rob Cohen, Doris Wishman, Robert Tapert, Bruce Campbell, Bill Cosby, Pasquale Squitieri, Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Tim Kincaid, Joel M. Reed, Gregory Dark, T.L. Lankford, Fred Olen Ray, Victoria Paige Meyerink, Lawrence D. Foldes, Rick Marx & Ted V. Mikels
Reviews
Lovers and Lollipops (1956)
Getting real
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with Hollywood romantic movies- certainly "Rome Adventure" with Peck and Hepbutrn shows how it's done properly. But then tendency toward schmaltziness, like in the '70s when Erich Segal and Herman Raucher briefly ruined the genre with their megahits, makes one yearn for a more realistic approach, as evidenced in this indie pic from the talented makers of "Little Fugitive".
The film preserves many successful elements from "Little Fugitve", with Peggy Dunn irrepressible as the cute kid at the center of the love story involving her mom Lori March and mom's boyfriend Gerald S. O'Loughlin, fabulous photography of New York tourist locations and realistic portrayals of the way real people behave.
The romantic stars are both professional actors, and that helps a lot in building empathy, especially for March's character. There's a fresh spontaneity to the action, short on plot but strong on multi-dimensional roles. Dramatic moments are scarce but powerful, and the main defect of the movie is a rushed, unconvincing happy ending. When John Cassavetes took up the indie tradition a decade or so later, he has more hard-nosed and less sentimental in his approach.
Little Fugitive (1953)
One for a time capsule
Independent cinema has its roots in movies like "Little Fugitive", a landmark release of 1953. It was an era of gimmicks, like 3-D and CinemaScope to attract audiences back to theatres when TV was encroaching, and it's quite a relief to watch this touching, highly cinematic bit of NYC realism.
It's a simple tale of youthful pleasures, more than just nostalgic. Little Joey feels like a criminal on the run when his older playmates trick him into believing he's killed his brother Lenny with a rifle, and with $6 left by his mom he's off on an adventure at Coney Island on his own.
THe professionally edited and shot footage is a wonderful artifact of the time, a simpler period, but filled with small, universal truths. One striking fact is that Joey raises money to pay for pony rides when his money runs out by collecting Pepsi and Coke bottles on the beach, and turning them in for 5 cents deposit each - some things never change!
East Side/West Side: Where's Harry (1963)
Seeking meaning (and hope)
This most unusual episode of the series (skillfully penned by Stanley Greenberg) moves away from the gritty reality and social problems of NYC for a dramatic, highly personal tale of a midlife crisis. The guest stars' performances are fabulous, and an understated George C. Scott is perfect as both sounding board for them and sly catalyst for change.
Director Tom Gries, later to direct the classic Western "Will Penny", uses a highly stylized approach, more suited to a theatrical piece than "East Side/West Side"'s location photography. Simon Oakland plays a successful Jewish businessman who had suddenly left his wife (without a bye your leave) seven months ago for Cleveland, and returns to his boyhood neighborhood to rent a room above a grocery store from a Black family led by James Edwards and Royce Wallace.
He tries to recapture the feeling of his youth, and Gries artfully uses him in dream sequences as an adult back in his past similar to Bergman's classic fantasy scenes in "Wild Strawberries". Meanwhile, his long-suffering wife Norma Crane is helped by Scott to find some meaning in her empty-nester existence by volunteer work in an orphanage, still wondering whatever happened to her errant husband.
Crane's acting is spectacular as the couple is eventually reunited and she must adjust to the shock that Oakland left her on purpose, high and dry. With the assistance of a wonderful little turn by an all-wise doctor Muni Seroff ( very fine, unsung character actor), and especially by Scott, there's hope for this couple after all. And the story of Edwards' upwardly mobile quest for the American Dream forms a perfect counterpoint to the main story of Crane versus Oakland.
Oopsie!: Come One, Cum All (2024)
Trans-male action
I guess this Oopsie! Segment falls into the 'bait & switch' category, as TS superstars Ariel Demure and Jade Venus service a trans-male (classifed FTM) for a change. Yes, Nicky Zeal is a trans-male, only the third such FTM performer I've seen in mainstream porn (after Buck Angel and Austin Spears). His presence is a surprise, as when he gets naked the hairy guy has a pussy, not a cock.
Format is corny, already used in the series, with the comical gimmick quite tired: at the movies both Jade and Ariel place their cocks in a popcorn box or a fake-Pringles style canister to surprise Nicky, not very funny anymore as a prelude to sex.
It's the usual slapstick porn, made kinky by the casting. The issue raised is a dichotomy between positively representing Trans people in real-life versus exploiting them in porn. In porn, what sells is basically "chicks with dicks", as Robin Byrd used to promote with her own brand of positivity on her softcore cable-access TV series decades ago. In real-life among the trans-females who've transitioned, their private parts can fall into either camp (and there have been trans-females with pussies working occasionally in porn, notably Drew Deveaux, but without much success). A trans-male in porn is merely a curiosity thus far, and with the right wing persecution going on currently I fear for the safety of the entire non-cis population.
The Holdup: Episode One (2024)
Low-brow
Digital Playground's press release calls "The Holdup" a cross between "Bad Santa" and "Die Hard", but this Christmas-themed crime comedy is strictly low-brow porn. It's not one of director Ricky Greenwood's best efforts.
Initial segment of the 4-parter has DP regular Scott Nails as a mall Santa, unfunny and no competition for Billy Bob. He has group sex in his store with three elves, Anna Claire Clouds, Mikey Star and Van Wylde, and gets caught by the boss (Lexington Steele) when he tries to erase the store's surveillance camera footage of the dirty deed.
They all get fired by Lex, and no actual crime has been committed thus far. The pair of babes are sexy and that's all the website's fans demand.
Transfixed: Let Me Take Care of Everything (2024)
A sensual couple
I enjoyed this Transfixed segment, because teaming voluptuous Black actress Lily Starfire with the label's favorite (of late) TS star Zariah Aura resulted in solid eroticism.
The 2-minute set-up is pointless, as usual, with the couple celebrating Zariah's job promotion by having Lily pamper her. For the first half of the vignette, Zariah is strictly passive and blindfolded, then she takes over and f*cks Lily in the behind.
Anal sex is usually reserved for a trans-female as "bottom" in this series, but this time out it is cis-female Lily who takes that role. Her very large natural breasts are a treat, and Zariah delivers a successful money shot on them to end the show.
Kraft Suspense Theatre: The Safe House (1965)
Lousy 'Nazi hunters' thriller
A uniquely intriguing cast is wasted in this poorly-written (by TV hack writer Richard Adams) Kraft Suspense Theatre episode that has hardly anybody for the audience to root for. A talented director, Tom Gries, does little with this material, and the nihilistic ending had me groaning.
Steven Hill and Dane Clark portray Nazi hunters from Israel, in Switzerland to try and capture German nuclear scientist Francis Lederer, whose beautiful daughter Gila Golan is the emotional center of the show. West German undercover agent Eric Braeden gets ahold of Gila as he also wants to capture her father for his government, while the bad guys, led by very evil Albert Paulsen, belong to a mythical/legendary network called Die Spinnen (The Spider) that is dedicated to helping ex-Nazis escape to friendly countries after World War II, take charge of Lederer. And there's another Die Spinnen operative, family man John Banner in the mix.
Just as real-life Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal competed with the West Germans, so too we have Braeden and Dane/Steven forming a combative temporary alliance to get their hands on Lederer. The suspense starts out okay, but Adams' contrived screenplay, mainly set on trains, goes nowhere in a hurry.
The casting agent here deserves a medal: Hill is famous for his role a year later as the lead star of "Mission: Impossible", losing his job after a season because as an Orthodox Jew he refused to work on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. Decades later he became a regular co-star on "Law and Order" for well over a hundred episodes, and I can attest to the fact that the scheduling on that series was far more flexible to accommodate his religious beliefs, as they would shoot for just one day at a time on my block in Chelsea dozens of times over the years (and my neighbor upstairs in my building, Julianne Nicholson, starred on their sister show "Law and Order: Criminal Intent". Dane Clark, the tough guy Jewish actor from Brooklyn plays an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, a fellow Israeli resident Nazi Hunter.
Gila Golan, a favorite of mine from the '60s when she had the female lead in "Our Man Flint", is a star from Israel, never to achieve the career heights of her similarly named Gal Gadot. Eric Braeden a year later became famous playing a Nazi as co-star on "The Rat Patrol", a series created by Tom Gries. Banner of course was the friendly German sergeant on "Hogan's Heroes", while Albert Paulsen was an actor from Ecuador, typecast in German and other European roles. And Francis Lederer was Czech. All of them, except for Gila, are portrayed in a negative light.
Naked City: The Face of the Enemy (1962)
Corny to the nth degree
The TV writing team of Lou & Peggy Shaw (Lou's biggest hit was as producer and creator of "Quincy M. E." many years later) are responsible for this lousy episode of "Naked City".
Jack Warden gives a one-note performance as a World War II hero, medal winner who got a ticker tape parade down Broadway's Canyon of Heroes, now reduced to being a bum. He clashes with the law due to a jewelry store smash & grab robbery, but gets off thanks to his war record.
Cornball episode starts off with soap opera-style pathos, as his ex-wife Kim Hunter is mean to him when he tries to crash his daughter's wedding. Paul Burke is Mr. Nice Guy, offering him money to get back on his feet and even buying his war medal out of the goodness of his heart. But when stereotypical crass boss Sorrell Booke insults Warden's dignity during a job interview, Jack goes psycho and embarks on a killing spree, believing he's back at war. Guess which cop ends up shooting him down at the end.
Only redeeming feature of sitting through this long slog is the great Sylvia Miles, perfect as an empathetic bar waitress who listens patiently to Jack's sob story about the war -she is one great character actress, who I had the privilege of seeing in her memorable (to me at least) one-woman show "It's Me, Sylvia!" on stage two decades later.
Route 66: From an Enchantress Fleeing (1962)
A misguided story
The subject of "Momism", introduced by novelist Philip Wylie way back in 1942, is the starting point for an oddball story by Abram Ginnes, a writer who, after being Blacklisted in the '50s, wrote for "Naked City". Stirling Silliphant was obviously intrigued by this arcane subject matter, and clumsily embraces it for this filler episode of "Route 66" during Maharis's unfortunate absence.
Early in the episode, which deals rather bluntly with the notion of women dominating and thereby harming men, there is a moment I enjoyed fleetingly.
As the central character, an eccentric inventor Arthur O'Connell, throws water on the whole notion of Artificial Intelligence, stating that his mechanical inventions (including a Rube Goldberg-type "Love Machine") cannot think or create. This scene alone shows how dated Silliphant's segment is.
So as Milner becomes involved romantically with beautiful Anne Helm (she's the bright spot here), and works for her mom June VIncent (a dentist to very young kids) and searches among all-male retreats and cults for her errant hubby O'Connell, it seems like a silly version of the Battle of the Sexes.
Story makes fun of O'Connell, but unfortunately, a forced happy ending has June subjugating herself to him, a misogynistic conclusion.
Four Star Playhouse: Meet McGraw (1954)
Familiar tough guy private dick
The writing team of Gwen & John Bagni cover all the private eye cliches in this entertaining if corny Four Star Playhouse segment of a failed pilot for a Frank Lovejoy series.
What makes it fun, besides the fine performances, is the concentrated format, covering an entire movie arc in just 25 minutes of running time. McGraw's trials and tribulations in a case starring film noir veteran Audrey Totter add up to the usual "don't be the fall guy" routine, enlivened by a couple of plot twists and some very snappy dialogue. It's not all that different from a satirical sketch taking off on the genre: it's easy to imagine Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca or Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman in the roles in a send-up.
Lovejoy does a good, if effortless, job and Totter is fun, right up to her bugeyed finale.
Furankenshutain tai Chitei Kaijû Baragon (1965)
Johnny Yuma goes to Japan
One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Ishiro Honda; Produced by , for Toho; Released in America by Woolner Brothers Pictures. Screenplay by Tomoyuki Tanaka; Photography by Hajime Koizumi; Edited by Ryohei Fujii; Music by Akira Ikufube. Starring: Nick Adams, Tadao Takashima, Kumi Mizuno, Koji Furuhata and Takashi Shimura.
Another poor latter-day Japanese monster flick, with the novelty of Nick Adams' presence. Ridiculous plot has the original Frankenstein's heart sent to Hiroshima during World War II for experimentation concerning its immortality. After the A-blast the heart mysteriously grows to be a Caucasian boy (played by a Japanese actor with Frankenstein monster makeup) who is studied by Nick and grows larger and larger. The film's general technique has much in common with the original "King Kong", but adds a lot of silliness. Such as Frank's penchant for eating dogs, plus the mystery of his crawling hand which somehow remains alive and growing apart from his body, not to mention an oversize prehistoric reptile refugee from Godzilla films.
Science Fiction Theatre: Death at My Fingertips (1956)
1956 CSI
This episode concerns how science intersects with law enforcement, and presents the story in the form of a police procedural. Unfortunately, it lacks the inspiration of the classic story by Philip Dick filmed as "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise (a story published coincidentally the same year as this "Science Fiction Theatre" segment).
The story of a murder in which fingeprint evidence points to another scidentist revolves around experiments to create synthetic human flesh that can duplicate someone's fingerprints. The suspect's fiancee June Lockhart does the research to prove her man's innocence, and the actual culprit is caught in a lousy ending.
Episode earns a D for dullness. The awe and wonder of top-notch science fiction like "Minority Report" is nowhere evident here.
Flight of the Lost Balloon (1961)
Take that, Verne!
One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed and Screenplay by Nathan Juran; Produced by Bernard Woolner, for Woolner Brothers Pictures. Photography by Jacques Marquette; Edited by Rex Lipton; Music by Hal Borne; Stop-Motion Animation by Jim Danforth. Starring: Mala Powers, Marshall Thompson; Douglas Kennedy, James Lanphier, Robert Gillette and Felippe Biriel.
Extremely poor science fiction adventure lifted from a Jules Verne story. Our heroes travel along the African continent in a balloon and have numerous scrapes with danger, against poorly processed stock footage.
The Frozen Dead (1966)
Ludicrous pastiche
One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Screenplay, Directed and Produced by Herbert J. Leder, for Warner Brothers. Photography by Davis Boulton; Edited by Tom Simpson; Music by Don Banks. Starring: Dana Andrews, Anna Palk, Philip Gilbert, Karel Stepanek, Kathleen Breck, Alan Tilvers, Basil Henson and Oliver MacGreevy.
Not much thought went into this Herbert J. Leder special, but the underlying premises are quite interesting. 1500 leading Nazis were frozen in 1945 and German scientist Dana is experimenting on perfecting a way of successfully reanimating them. Unfortunately, rather than develop this plot, auteur Leder decides to pastiche a whole legion of science fiction and horror genres, featuring a mad scientist and his assistant in his lab, young thing and a buddy hunting for a missing friend, keeping a head alive action, face behind the mask business, clairvoyant discovery of facts via dreams, and zombie-like abortive guinea pig folks hanging around.
Logic is wholly absent as Leder refuses to make his story credible in a record-breaking bit of cinema cliche-mongering. Leder has well-endowed Anna Palk traipsing around in a white nightgown for three separate nights; on the fourth night she sleepwalks in a pink nightgown! We never return to the original teaser plotline, and the ending is even more foolish than expected.
Lioness: Beware the Old Soldier (2024)
Taylor: Action Man
To heavily paraphrase Mel Brooks: "It's good to be Taylor Sheridan". Television's hottest writer-producer wrote himself into the lead role in the Second Season kickoff of "Lioness", and his direction of the concise action scenes is top-notch.
Of course, the emotional center of the show remains safely in Zoe Saldana's character, put under enormous pressure (as usual) to save the day, at the expense of her family life and sanity. In this case, it's rescuing a kidnapped congresswoman shanghaied to Mexico - I would have cast photogenic AOC as the lady in bondage, but that's just me.
Taylor on screen reminded me of Tom Laughlin as the iconic "Billy Jack" in the 1970s, and of course the highly independent Laughlin was also a hyphenate who had Wellesian total control over his productions. Perhaps Taylor could resurrect the mythic Billy Jack character for a new generation. Laughlin's hubris had him ending up running in several campaigns for president - I sure hope Taylor doesn't!
Homeowners Association (2024)
Mighty neighborly
Alex Isadora makes a strong impression in the MILF sweepstakes in "Homeowners Association", a playful Missa X adventure in suburbia, where neighbors can overcome their petty antagonisms and get to know each other better through sex.
Alex is quite uppity at first. Reading the riot act to new neighbor Ryan Driller about his pretty stepdaughter's nude sunbathing, of which the locals do not approve. Ryan stands by his daughter (played by Addison Vodka), and eventually the matter seems settled, but Alex is not prepared for the seductive powers of Eve and her dad.
The resulting threesome is one hot XXX scene, with both actresses excelling as they share Driller's dick and satisfy each other in Sapphic fashion. Young beauty Addison is fast becoming a fan favorite, and the snappy dialogue provided by both Missa X and Maddy Burton adds to the fun.
Shh! Don't Let Them Hear! (2024)
A second helping
The team of newbies Lola Aiko and Bianca Bangs return to Allherluv playing stepsisters for the second time, after turning the fans on several months ago in "Something to Do".
This time around, Lola has returned from college only to find her sister occupying her bed -it turns out that Lola's mom let Bianca have it during her absence. But she's able to overomc her natural possessiveness, and soon they're getting on famously, and willing to take their relationship a giant step further.
The scene works thanks to the refreshingly natural beauty of these new talents, who, not surprisingly, are older and far more experienced in Sapphic sex than they look. Director Craven Moorehead gets the best out of his players, and I'd bet this won't be the last time Missa X gives them a casting call.
Bridal Exposure (2024)
One new, one regurgitated
Lauren Phillips and her assistant Izzy Wilde have set up a display of sex toys for sale at a Bridal products convention and Izzy attempts to serve prospective customer Whitney Wright. Wright flirts outrageously and demands a demo of a dildo, but then drops the toy on the floor as an excuse to scoot under the table and give trans-female Izzy a blow-job.
They're caught in the act by returning boss Lauren, and quickly a lesbian threesome results with Lauren dominant. Many positions later, Izzy fails to deliver the customary cum shot, though she does maintain an erect cock throughout the scene.
No script credit here, for obvious reasons, while director Stella doesn't give her cast any direction, evidenced by the actresses occasionally looking at the camera by mistake. Whitney, wearing a white wedding dress and veil, is very glamorously styled, while Izzy looks more mature than before, sporting new, big breasts but still wearing her jail-bait role braces on her teeth.
Danger Man: The Nurse (1960)
Quite suspenseful
Pat's able to outwit the bad guys in this highly suspenseful tale of escape, set in the Middle East (but unconvincingly shot mainly on studio sets,even for exterior shots).
His exceedingly difficult task is to escort the infant king of a Middle Eastern nation under attack by rebels, who have just assassinated the 10 month-old child's dad, the king. Everyone is armed except for Pat, but as he always manages to do, he outwits them and save the kid as well as his pretty Scots nurse (played nicely by Eileen Moore).
Everybody (except for her) is very sneaky and unreliable, not only the Arabs but also UK citizen Jack MacGowran, who is working for a double-dealing local Mukhtar. I enjoyed the ending, which as usual ties up the show swiftly and efficiently.
Bad Girls 6: Ridin' Into Town (1995)
Tough babes
Paul Norman specialized in offbeat porn movies (e.g., "Edward Penishands"), and this time he spotlights a girl biker gang, with pretty good results.
First off, it's fun watching usually glamorous porn stars Celeste and Jeanna Fine in their black leather jackets as tough bikers, fighting amongst themselves. A lovely blonde, Yvonne, is with them as the stereotyped biker girl, and early in the movie the butch babes gang-bang her as late-night entertainment around the campfire.
More fun occurs when they go up against some would-be tough guys, including a cute moment when Jeanna beats up Bud Lee after Lee tries to manhandle Yvonne (Lee is the production manager and guest actor, not directing this Vivid project).
Unfortunately, after plenty of sex scenes, the movie loses gas and meanders in the last half, where Norman could have benefited from hiring a professional screenwriter rather than doing it himself.
Dreams (1995)
Highly erotic sci-fi
Kaitlyn Ashley and Jeanna Fine are terrific in this ambitious VCA sci-fi feature by Stuart Canterbury. Its starry cast and ample production values make for a visually imaginative erotic voyage.
Jeanna Fine is surprisingly convincing as a research scientist, with college professor Joey Silvera her test subject for dream explorations in the lab. He is put into what looks like a machine to do CT scans. Joey is also having erotic dreams (already, before testing) of his buxom student Kaitlyn Ashley, and in the course of the movie we're treated to eight full-length sex scenes and plenty of erotic fetish imagery, all with a 90-minute running time (thanks to the concise approach to XXX content back in the day).
Fine is believable in her lab coat, wearing glasses and acting the part, but when she puts herself into the dream experiment, she fantasizes herself (in blonde wig) making love to Vince Vouyer as Joe DiMaggio in his Yankees uniform!
There are frightening moments here, including the surprise ending, but director Canterbury is careful to put the sex first, avoiding most of the pitfalls of making a would-be crossover porn/mainstream genre film.
Science Fiction Theatre: Beyond (1955)
A sober approach
The premiere of this ground-breaking science-fiction TV series avoids the sensationalism that almost always accompanies programming about UFOs and instead sets a standard for a realistic approach instead. Add in the highly unusual decision to film the show in color way back in 1955 (I didn't watch TV on a color set until a decade later) adds to the quality.
Buttressed by a fine supporting cast, William Lundigan is quite earnest as the test pilot who hit Mach 2 and reported live that a UFO was moving parallel to his ship, only to be disbelieved by the military brass. The resulting investigation, which includes his wife Ellen Drew testifying on his behalf after she interviewed a science expert on the subject, turns out with a surprise ending, not just gee whiz! Time, but rather food for thought.
Anal Intruder 9: The Butt from Another Planet (1995)
Amusing and arousing sci-fi parody
Its title signals total schlock, but thanks to talented actress-director Teri Diver and her busty, sexy co-stars it's a high-quality porn comedy.
Tony Tedeschi plays Shlong and Kim Chambers is Boulder in a light spoofing of "The X-Files". They find nude Jordan Lee mumbling incoherently with her butt high in the air, and the poor girl is a victim of space alien butt-f*cking.
Two aliens have invaded, Tom Chapman and Nikki Sinn, who are busily draining energy from humans by having anal sex with them. Nikki is perfect casting for the role given her career as an anal sex Queen, and her full-body green paint job has her ready to audition for "Wicked", the play, not the porn label.
In flashback, director Diver has a 3-way with Jordan and Chapman, the one that resulted in Jordan losing her mind. Somehow with this nonsense the story results in a sort of happy ending.
Sci-fi porn is popular, and in this case worthwhile.
Hardcore (1994)
Super Nikki Dial romance by Bud Lee
Nikki Dial is scrumptious playing dual roles in "Hardcore", a top-notch Vivid Video directed by Bud Lee and written by the fine actor Richard Pacheco (who is not in the cast). It's far better than usual from VV.
Nikki plays a busy porn star Dolly whose agent Tony Tedeschi has been working her too hard. She needs a vacation, and gets lucky when a doppelganger shows up at her door answering an ad for a job as Nikki's stand-in, and she's hired, to pretend to be Dolly and fool Tedeschi while Nikki's away attending her friend Dyanna Lauren's wedding out in the wilds.
It's a simple story, but works well to show the porn biz from an insider's point-of-view, with both Bud Lee and top '90s director Nic Cramer having cameo roles as film directors (natch). Ron Jeremy also cameos as a co-star for the fake Dolly whose big dick scares her. In a happy ending, she gets Tedeschi to play the role himself and everybody lives happily ever after.
The gals look terrific, including Katilyn Ashley as a fluffer (who surprisingly uses anal sex to help get stud Alex Sanders ready for his cum shot), and a romantic Barry Boxx score adds to the show's success.
Rebel Without a Condom (1996)
Mild exercise in nostalgia
Cash Markman delivers an underwhelming nostalgia trip back to 1957, only its title spoofing the James Dean classic movie. Fake sets and weak casting complement the insipid voice-over narration from star Selena.
The rebel is Michael J. Cox wearing his black leather jacket. He is bullied and beaten up by his male co-stars (including Brian Surewood whos is billed as just "Sin" in the credits) until finally hooking up with Selena in the final reel and taking her away from her stultifying existence in the small town of Applewood.
Selena is unimpressive in the lead role, outshone easily in the sexiness department by busy Randi Storm. Superstar of the future Stephanie Swift is wasted in the supporting cast. Cox does not wear a condom, but in another sex scene, Michael Hurt does.