Back in my drive-in days I called the genre Chain-Gang Women, in honor of the Jerry Gross movie of that name, but later folks christened it WIP, more inclusive. This new entry brings an entirely different sensibility from porn star and lesbian auteur Dana Vespoli.
The four separate vignettes are somewhat varied in content, with the finale titled "Breakout" perhaps capturing DV's sentiment most clearly. Working on a low budget (2-day shooting schedule), and minimal sets, we see escapees Charlotte Stokley and Lily Cade with gun holed up in a nondescript room worried about imminent capture. They have "one last time" torrid sex, absent sensuality but in the almost violent/urgency mode that Vespoli utilizes in her acting roles as well. At the end they pull a kind of Butch/Sundance, rushing to their doom and a freeze frame.
This sort of nihilism makes for a downbeat climax, but the other segments are more romantic with a capital R. Opener titled "Court Appointed" is equally claustrophobic, making one wonder if Vespoli's true calling might have been Live TV (Playhouse 90, Alcoa Hour). Sara Luvv, portraying a Lindsay Lohan type, is visited in her cell by public defender Dana DeArmond, and after some verbal sparring, the kinky DDA gives lovable Sara a fast course in lesbian love techniques, right there in the cell.
The DVD's Behind the Scenes short subject indicates this was the first meeting between the two actresses, and the sex is charged with a sense of spontaneity -often lacking in the "umpteenth time" sex scenes by genre vets. Clear result of this encounter demonstrates how such a clinch can be more about power than sex. Briefly in this scene and elsewhere male crew member Amazon Beard has a non- sex role as the prison guard, and is surprisingly listed for same in the end credits.
"Eastern European" is the tile of a sex scene set in a corner of a prison yard (open air sex, but still claustrophobic) between Karlie Montana and title roler Misha Cross, an attractive Polish actress who often works with Dana. Both girls tell of hard-luck back stories, and then make love (with seemingly no one in the prison around to watch for the next half hour).
"The Mentor" teams Sinn Sage and Nikki Hearts, basically dealing with a central issue of prison life: dom vs. sub. Both iconic Sinn and punk-oriented Hearts make a strong impression here, but Sinn simply doesn't look her age (30s -good for her!) so an older-looking actress might have made for a better contrast.
As in other Vespoli features, like GIRL/BOY and Hollywood BABYLON, there is definitely a personal stamp of urgency and despair here, but the four short- short stories remain paper-thin and lack a memorable impact.
The four separate vignettes are somewhat varied in content, with the finale titled "Breakout" perhaps capturing DV's sentiment most clearly. Working on a low budget (2-day shooting schedule), and minimal sets, we see escapees Charlotte Stokley and Lily Cade with gun holed up in a nondescript room worried about imminent capture. They have "one last time" torrid sex, absent sensuality but in the almost violent/urgency mode that Vespoli utilizes in her acting roles as well. At the end they pull a kind of Butch/Sundance, rushing to their doom and a freeze frame.
This sort of nihilism makes for a downbeat climax, but the other segments are more romantic with a capital R. Opener titled "Court Appointed" is equally claustrophobic, making one wonder if Vespoli's true calling might have been Live TV (Playhouse 90, Alcoa Hour). Sara Luvv, portraying a Lindsay Lohan type, is visited in her cell by public defender Dana DeArmond, and after some verbal sparring, the kinky DDA gives lovable Sara a fast course in lesbian love techniques, right there in the cell.
The DVD's Behind the Scenes short subject indicates this was the first meeting between the two actresses, and the sex is charged with a sense of spontaneity -often lacking in the "umpteenth time" sex scenes by genre vets. Clear result of this encounter demonstrates how such a clinch can be more about power than sex. Briefly in this scene and elsewhere male crew member Amazon Beard has a non- sex role as the prison guard, and is surprisingly listed for same in the end credits.
"Eastern European" is the tile of a sex scene set in a corner of a prison yard (open air sex, but still claustrophobic) between Karlie Montana and title roler Misha Cross, an attractive Polish actress who often works with Dana. Both girls tell of hard-luck back stories, and then make love (with seemingly no one in the prison around to watch for the next half hour).
"The Mentor" teams Sinn Sage and Nikki Hearts, basically dealing with a central issue of prison life: dom vs. sub. Both iconic Sinn and punk-oriented Hearts make a strong impression here, but Sinn simply doesn't look her age (30s -good for her!) so an older-looking actress might have made for a better contrast.
As in other Vespoli features, like GIRL/BOY and Hollywood BABYLON, there is definitely a personal stamp of urgency and despair here, but the four short- short stories remain paper-thin and lack a memorable impact.