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Reviews
I Like to Play Games Too (1999)
Would-be thriller is chock full of nasty folks
There's nobody to root for, or even care about, in Ed Holzman's would-be erotic thriller. Dominick (Bobby Johnston) runs a "private social club" that's really a front for an international prostitution and blackmail operation. Suzanne (Maria Ford) owns a clientless ad agency; a "friend," Nick (Scott Carson) suggests Dominick as a potential client. Dominick and Suzanne proceed to do their best to outwit each other in a series of sexual games.
With both of the principals more or less equally amoral, the only possible fun in this movie is watching them go at each other. But Holzman's leisurely pacing throughout, and characters that never go beyond skin deep, spoil the fun. Dawson is wasted as Dominick's personal assistant, Mona. The one character who has a shred of decency is Suzanne's assistant, Tracy (Stephanee LaFleur), but she's clueless and powerless--not much more than a spectator.
Holzman has done better work than this. The sex scenes even start to get tedious halfway through the film.
Surrender (2000)
Routine erotic thriller
Sometimes the whole turns out to be less than the sum of the parts. This is one of those times. Sahara Riley is a talented writer, Kelley Cauthen is one of the most dependable directors in the business, and the cast is first-rate from top to bottom.
So why is "Surrender" such a two-star disappointment? Part of the problem goes back to the concept: Kira Reed conducts interviews of people who recount their erotic escapades, which are shown as flashbacks. The result is episodic, with little in the way of plot or character development to tie the episodes together.
As eye candy, "Surrender" is an attractive confection. Cauthen knows how to use a camera, and the actors are gorgeous and enthusiastic. There are surely worse ways to spend an hour and a half, or thereabouts. It just seems a shame that, given these resources, more couldn't have been done.
Lap Dancing (1995)
Backstage peek at strip club doesn't quite work
This is the story of Angie, an innocent in H'wood who, in order to shed her inhibitions and win a starring role in a sexy movie, must learn to shed her clothes in a strip club. This movie should not be used as a recruiting tool for ingenues.
Tane' McClure and Kim Dawson are the two strippers who help Angie (McCommass, as lovely a young lady as has ever been naked on screen) discover her unrealized erotic potential. Both tend to go over the top a bit, but given the surreal nature of their characters and the situation, why not? Director Mike Sedan gives them their head (that's a horse term, not a sex term, folks); he's busy making sure the camera catches all the action. And there's plenty of it, onstage, backstage, in the club patrons' laps (thus the title), out in the alley, in a grocery store on the way home, and at whatever other locales I've forgotten.
Taken at its own level, this is a well-made cautionary tale about what you have to do to succeed in show biz. The fact that it's balderdash doesn't matter.
All the Way Down (1991)
Routine plotless, characterless porn.
This is a nothing-special video with no discernible plot, no attempt at characterization, just a series of routine couplings. Patty Kennedy and Madison play with a strap-on dildo; Kimberly and Paula watch, then play with each other. Kennedy, Madison, and Kimberly each have a scene with one of the men, and there's a peculiarly energy-less "orgy" involving everyone.
Lurid Tales: The Castle Queen (1998)
A failed attempt at a Gothic romance.
Whoever added the phrase, "Lurid Tales," to the title should be sued for deceptive advertising. It's about as "lurid" as a cup of lukewarm milk.
Shannon Dow Smith is "Tom Dunsmore," an American college student who is induced by an evil video arcade manager to try a new "virtual reality device." The "device" transports him to 18th century England, where he is plunged into the middle of a dispute between three lovely ladies and the corrupt local land barons. (There are mentions of a despotic king, Puritans, and an unresponsive Parliament, but these "historical details" are so far wrong that it's better not to listen to them.) Tom, of course, sides with the ladies; for his trouble, he is arrested and hanged, which ends his "virtual reality adventure." So much for plot.
Smith's "acting" consists mostly of a simpering smile that seems to be saying, "What am I doing in this mess?" The somnolent pacing, foggy soft-focus imagery, and muddled plot undercut whatever dramatic interest might have existed. Even the "erotic" scenes are rendered impotent by syrupy slow-motion, coy camera angles, and prudish editing.
Gorgeous Kim Dawson in the title role, and the delicious Betsy Lynn George and Christi Harris as her nubile daughters, try desperately to breathe some life into the film, but their efforts are hurled fruitlessly into a vast pit of mush.
Director "Ellen Cabot" (actually David LeCoteau, helmsman of dozens of bozo exploitation flicks) may have been aiming for a Harlequin romance; "she" missed badly.
For the record: The flick was filmed in Romania, with almost all minor roles filled by "local talent," some of whom evidently learned their lines phonetically.
One last kvetch: The end credits include a cast list, without indicating who played which role. This is a disservice to both the actors and the audience; the practice ought not to be allowed.
The Sexperiment (1998)
Silly trifle redeemed by stars' performances.
Don't expect too much from this made-for-Playboy trifle. The silly plot merely provides a pretext for a series of strangely unimaginative erotic vignettes. However, stars Dawson and Carson manage to make it all worthwhile; their performances as "Candace" and "Peter" brighten the screen even when they don't have much to do, and their lovemaking scenes are tender, realistic, and affecting. This movie justifies the fast-forward button on your remote!
The Voyeur (1997)
Most overlooked movie of the decade.
This is surely the most overlooked movie of the '90s, perhaps because of the misleading title: It's not about voyeurism, it's about love, romance, and not taking anything for granted. Director Shames uses perfect pacing and clever fantasy scenes to smooth out the bumps in the plot, while stars Kim Dawson (Brenda) and Al Sapienza (James) electrify the screen with the best performances of their careers (so far). Dawson is incandescent as a young woman who wants more from her marriage than she's getting; Sapienza is superb as a man who's baffled by his wife's dissatisfaction. It's played for comedy, but this is a smile-and-feel-good movie; it radiates warmth and affection from fade-in to fade-out. Only the poor choice of title, the lack of "bankable" stars, and abysmal marketing kept this little delight from the audiences it deserved.
Carnal Fate (1998)
Interesting but confusing erotic drama
Kim Dawson, who co-wrote (with Michael Paul Girard) and co-produced (with director Mike Sedan [Lapdancing]), gives her most complete performance since "The Voyeur" in this erotic time-shifting tale. Multiple flashbacks/flashforwards, and a cast that includes several men who look too much alike, make for a confusing story, but Sedan's directing and the performances of Dawson, Collin Bernsen, and the rest of the cast make it worth the viewer's while.
Maui Heat (1996)
Good cast, amateurish production
This Playboy production features plenty of flesh, a hackneyed story, and a lot of wasted talent. Dawson and Jeffery are, as usual, first-rate, and Andercon, Rowe, and Yates do their jobs well enough. But sloppy production and a script-by-committee make for a frustrating viewing experience. (Have you ever seen a character--the STAR, no less!--whose hair style changes from shot to shot within the same scene???)