Sex Files: Erotic Possessions

I got several Cinemax channels as part of a package deal when I got cable, and I have to ask, are these movies the only kind they ever play? It seems like it, so since I'm up at 4 in the morning and bored, I decided to comment on this one. I'm really not sure what it's about, as all I saw were constant sex scenes. Which is ok, obviously that's the whole point of the movie, but come on. The acting is terrible, the women's breasts are so fake and deformed, and the sex scenes are not very believable. I mean, it's obvious from watching them that the characters couldn't possibly be having sex. So it just ends up being silly, not erotic. If you want a sex movie with no plot, terrible acting and hideously deformed women, go rent a real porn film. At least those have real sex in them. If you're a guy who just wants to look at naked chicks, try Playboy. At least then you don't have to put up with corny dialogue.

The more one sees of these almost-porn erotica films, the more predictable they are. Basically, plot is of the same nature -- a mystery of some kind is always the prerequisite. And so too are the appearances of surgically enhanced breasts (I won't say who's -- it's no mystery!) along with amateurish-porn-like sex scenes that reveal everything the women have to offer but stop short of everything the man has to offer. (A nice way of drawing the line between erotica and XXX.)

"Erotic Possessions" is about one woman's (Shauna O'Brien) odyssey that begins one night while watching an old movie. The sexy siren in it (the underappreciated Griffin Drew) surfaces in O'Brien's dreams, and becomes a major, threatening nightmare shortly after, seducing O'Brien and everyone she cares about.

During this film, we get to see excessive sexual escapades between O'Brien and boyfriend John Smith (or Jonathan Smith or Jarrod Carrey or whoever) and a partner-swapping display between O'Brien and best friend Amber Newman's boyfriend Jay Stewart (or Jason Schnuit or Jason Stewart or -- sometimes these name changes are infinitely more entertaining than anything onscreen). And we get to see Smith and Newman together too. And O'Brien and Newman, even. And O'Brien with Drew. And Drew with Newman. And Drew and Smith.



Let's just say that when a 80- to 90-minute film involves, roughly guessing here, 6 to 8 sex scenes, you know that what the film's title says isn't necessarily what the film is truly about. And let us also confess that what the film's title suggests, and what the description of the film states, is not necessarily the reason regarding why we're willing to watch.

I don't know what happened to Griffin Drew, but this is one of the first movies I've seen with her in it in a while. Anyway, here's the basic plot:

Two couples head off to an old house that used to belong to a semi-famous Hollywood movie star in the 40's and 50's (star played by Griffin Drew). Shauna O'Brien plays one of the women, and she sits down with her boyfriend one night and watches one of the star's old movies. Well, soon afterwards, there's a knock on the door. It's a woman who looks just the one in the movies (to nobody's surprise, also played by Griffin Drew), asking to use the phone.

Creepy, ain't it??

That's where the whole "possessions" part comes in. The spirit of the star comes back from the grave and seemingly "possesses" this poor woman's body, all in the name of getting that one big part she couldn't get when she was alive.

Did I mention Amber Newman was in this as well? It sure is hard to miss her, though.

Unfortunately, this flick could have been better in some places, so I have to knock a full grade point off. Griffin's dual role is an interesting twist. It's not a must-see, but if it's on, it wouldn't hurt to watch it.

A cut above the usual soft-core cable flick. It seemed to have more production values, and a much better plot than most of the genre. The direction was rather arty, and it worked well most of the time. However, early in the film there was a glaring cut silence between scenes. Maybe there was some heavy-handed editing there. The surreal aspect of the story was a good way to avoid other plot complications, such as infidelities, and the accompanying sluttiness, that usually keeps one from liking the characters very much in this sort of film. I thought the acting was first rate, and the (long) simulated sex scenes okay. The star, Shauna O'Brien, while a beautiful woman, sports such an amount of silicone on her chest that she seems borderline deformed. I suppose a lot of people must find that attractive, or actresses would quit mutilating themselves in that way. Amber Newman and Griffin Drew suffer from the same malady, albeit to a lesser extent. (At least they didn't draw an immediate wince from me as soon as their tops came off.) Morgan Kelly had by far the best breasts in the movie, of a normal size, and they would actually move when she did. Aside from the silicone, all of the actresses did very well. This film is worth checking out.

This soft-core porn flick is one of the best available. Start with the obvious - the woman are luscious. The beautifully endowed Shauna O'Brien is the centerpiece but Amber Newman, Griffin Drew and Morgan Kelly all have lots of camera time, some of it together. Fortunately the whole thing is well filmed so that you can enjoy their activities, even in a couple of scenes where simultaneous sex liaisons are taking place, one in the flesh and one in the fantasy.

And that is what sets this film apart, it actually has both plot and characters. The plot involves a dead actress (Drew) trying to "finish" her final film, albeit in the form and person of a young starlet (O'Brien). This results in mind-control issues of "who has Claire's body today?" Of course, who ever is in control has sex on the mind, just with different purposes.

So who saves Claire from being taken over? Her lovely friends, Newman and Kelly, of course, who not only try to figure out what's happening but also get drawn into it as they are influenced and seduced to have sex themselves in a number of lovely displays.

There's a lot to enjoy visually here and the story and characters manage to be good enough to not get in the way. It's a real pleasure, one of the few films I give the soft-core 5 out of 5.