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This extremely tense, well-paced episode concerning the war with the Gorn revolves around Pike's ability to make so many split-second executive decisions that determine the fate not only of the Enterprise and its crew but the entire Federation.

I'm surprised at the torrent of criticism in reviews posted here which critically miss the point. Somehow Hitchcock is considered a genius of film suspense, but his movies depend on many instances of what he termed the MacGuffin -basically a black box plot device used to propel the story without revealing exactly how key elements work.

Here, in Davy Perez's screenplay, we have dozens of scientific ideas or concepts submitted by Pike's crew (or Spock to Nurse Chapel in sick bay to save their ailing collelague) for him to act upon. Any one of which are crucial to survival and victory, but for which the details are irrelevant -the viewer cannot be expected to understand the scientific basis for all this.

So taken as entertainment, this is just what the doctor ordered - an action-packed, at times frightening sci-fi adventure. The relationships between the crew members are easy to identify with, and contributions to the success of the mission are well-distributed among them This extremely tense, well-paced episode concerning the war with the Gorn revolves around Pike's ability to make so many split-second executive decisions that determine the fate not only of the Enterprise and its crew but the entire Federation.

I'm surprised at the torrent of criticism in reviews posted here which critically miss the point. Somehow Hitchcock is considered a genius of film suspense, but his movies depend on many instances of what he termed the MacGuffin -basically a black box plot device used to propel the story without revealing exactly how key elements work.

Here, in Davy Perez's screenplay, we have dozens of scientific ideas or concepts submitted by Pike's crew (or Spock to Nurse Chapel in sick bay to save their ailing collelague) for him to act upon. Any one of which are crucial to survival and victory, but for which the details are irrelevant -the viewer cannot be expected to understand the scientific basis for all this.

So taken as entertainment, this is just what the doctor ordered - an action-packed, at times frightening sci-fi adventure. The relationships between the crew members are easy to identify with, and contributions to the success of the mission are well-distributed among them.

Anita Rinaldi employed top American XXX writers (Raven Touchstone and Tony G) for this well-shot (in Budapest) Private Video feature, but unfortunately the corny script doesn't ring true. That's a shame, since the Continental actors perform well, and Rinaldi's direction is solid.

Simple story has girl-next-door beauty Tera Bond searching for her sister in Budapest, and falling into bad company. A staged purse-snatching (by Zenza Raggi) has the snatcher's partner Antonio Ross pretending to be a Good Samaritan and "saving" Tera, but only to inveigle his way into her confidence. He spends the entire movie helping her while trying to get her money and, in very predictable fashion, falling in love with her, leading to a tacked-on, totally unconvincing ending of "turning over a new leaf".

On the way we see the story of Tera's boyfriend Frank Gun back home, cheating on her with beautiful blonde Dora Venter, and the unsatisfactory screenplay even attempts to make Frank & Dora "good guys", too. Numerous hardcore sex scenes, including a nightclub orgy featuring the missing sister, are here for the fans, but instead of a crime expose everything is merely chalked up to experience.

Rinaldi has her cast speak in English, rather than the usual dubbing, and like the rest of the movie this aspect is technically proficient.

Latest edition of this Girlfriends Films series focuses on mainly unrequited love, using the format of a diary to reveal crushes and lust that is not overtly expressed.

In each vignette, the object of a woman's affection finds out through the diary and is not just turned on, but encouraged to turn her friend into her actual lover. Fortunately, the casting of the eight actresses involved is right on the money.

A prime example is newcomer Ama Rio writing in her journal about how exciting it is to be massaged by Cassie Del Rio at her salon. After a session, Cassie discovers Ama's left her purse behind, containing her diary, and can't resist reading it. She apologizes for peeking when she returns it when Ama returns, but the cat is out of the bag (literally) and the two women realize their mutual feelings, and make love on the massage table.

These two brunettes resemble each other physically, and it's a perfect teaming once the sex begins.

A quite similar story occurs when lanky redhead Erin Everheart finds Serene Siren's lost diary that had fallen long ago in the laundry room behind the dryer. Reading it, she discovers Serene's secret feelings for her, and she phones Serene to meet after being apart for several years. Once more, the friends become lovers.

In this case, the two actresses are quite a contrast to each other: Serene specializing in lesbian cinema, while Erin, so physically different from her, is a star of gonzo and extreme porn. But together they are a passionate pair.

Sydney Paige and lovely blonde newcomer Ria Rose play lovers, but reading Sydney's diary reveals how lonely Paige feels whenever Ria is away from her. The younger woman is touched by Paige's diary passages, and their love enhanced.

Finally, we have Sophia Locke finding her friend Ivy Ireland's diary, also left behind in Ivy's purse, and that reading also reveals a side to Ivy she never was aware of. Their subsequent love scene is quite moving. Ireland, who has so far been mainly cast in gonzo assignments, bears resemblance to Playboy's famous girl-next-door model Barbi Benton, and deserves more acting roles.