Miles' Rating:

Starring: While debate over Paul Thomas's place in the pantheon of porn directors rage, he remains out strongest storyteller. "Marissa" will do little to change that view, though porn hounds who believe he's too couples-oriented, too soft, may have trouble with this sumputously mounted, superbly directed drama about a Jazz saxophonist (John Decker) unable (unwilling?) to choose between his beautiful wife (Sydnee Steele) and his manager turned girlfriend (Cassidey). Thomas tells the tale with unsual depth and some of the richest sex scenes I've seen in years. As the tale spins down and Decker discovers balancing infidelity has a price, the film takes on even greater power.

It's flat out one of the best shot films in years, loaded with clever set pieces, like Decker video taping Cassidey while she flashes him while strolling over the Brooklyn Bridge, and the rooftop fuck between Decker and April. The jazzy soundtrack adds tothe film's moody ambiance.

It's blistering. This is a showcase for Cassidey's voracious sexuality, from her gymnastic hump with Devin Wolf to the more kinky turns with Decker. Cassidey's sexual performance pulsates with truth. At the same time, Thomas often shoots Steele's gorgeous body in background scenes like ghostly reminder of what Decker risks losing. Though Steele has some good sex scenes, she's most effective as the presence that hangs over Decker and Cassidey.

The initial coupling between Cassidey and Decker captures the chaos of unbridled sex with a power rarely captured in modern porn.

Cassidey is not as strong as actress in the non-sex scenes. Her line readers are sometimes flat and inauthentic, unlike her bedroom behavior. But that's a minor flaw in an otherwise remarkably sexy and relentlessly sexual film.

A 10. Thomas hits a homer.

Posted By Miles, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/12/06 1:58 PM