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He Said:

He Said:

Released Apr 01st, 1994
Director Anthony Spinelli
Company Plum Productions
Critical Rating AAA
Genre Feature

Rating


Reviews

Along with every other well-informed porn fan, I looked forward to this production eagerly. As a big Tina Tyler fan, I was doubly enthused, and her co-star Ona Zee is always hot, and a fine actress besides. Unfortunately, this meandering mood-piece just never catches fire. The vaunted Spinelli touch with "relationship" porn is a heavy hand — but the story is predictable, the dialogue tired, and the characters don't seem to be changed by their experiences. Tina Tyler's shy Holly loses dream man Jon Dough to selfish seductress/roommate Ona Zee — and she just seems like a loser. Yes, she gets angry, and gives Ona what-for, but it seems neither liberating nor transforming, just petulance from a spurned loser. Tina comes alive a bit in her girl/girler with Ona — in fact, it's Tyler's first on-screen girl/girl scene ever — but shows absolutely no growth as a result of the new sexual experience. Likewise, her sex scene with Jon Dough strikes a few sparks (despite incredibly unflattering yellowish lighting), but she projects absolutely zero warmth otherwise.

The Spinelli power with actresses is also AWOL, as a basic director's mistake is made: Ona Zee, as the predatory Rachel, is allowed to simply blow every other actor off the screen. This is not a knock on Ona, who dominates this film not only through her acting, but by literally running four of the six sex scenes; the other actors should have come up to her level, not she down to theirs. Her opening anal scene with Zack Thomas starts slowly, but manages a sizzle by the end; she gets serviced by an uncredited Sean Ryder (as the son of a girlfriend of hers), but the best scene is her seduction of a phlegmatic Jon Dough. A sure nomination here for Ona, yet again.

Dough refuses to reply when Tina declares her love for him, but his diffidence and her whininess (she complains that he's too good-looking for her, at irritating length) make die scene seem sophomoric rather than effective foreshadowing. Dough's fall from grace has absolutely no resonance, because you never sense he has anyreal feelings for Tina in the first place. The result? We don't really feel sorry for Tina when her heart is broken, nor for Ona when she loses Tina as a friend and is left with a bottle of booze and a realization that she may not be dealing too well with aging. Nor do we feel vindication that Ona has gotten her comeuppance, because we identify with her more than anyone else. The rest of die crowd are ciphers compared to her vibrant presence.

Technical aspects lag, too. The music is jazzy/bluesy, but very repetitive, adding little to die building of sex scenes. The camera is a touch lazy, with the sex action not well-framed; the design pedestrian. A very good box and a fine marketing campaign will spur some customer interest, and Ona Zee fans will enjoy it. Additional cast: Nikki Sinn, Alex Sanders, Drago.



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