Absence of “Malice in La La Land”

November 8, 2010
LANK

Independent of the rest of the movie (which is a refreshing departure from standard porn fare), it is fun to watch Sasha Grey simply wander around naked in the desert. Normally we only get to watch Randy Quaid do that.

Malice in La La Land

Director: Lew Xypher
Starring: Sasha Grey, Dirty Fred, Andy San Dimas, Keni Styles, Ron Jeremy, Kagney Linn Karter, Phoenix Marie, Chayse Evans, Billy Glide, Stephen Powers, Chris Johnson, Danny Mountain, Alan Stafford, Mackenzee Pierce, Alyssa Reece, Kristina Rose, Juelz Ventura, Sadie West, Tommy Gunn, Jenna Presley, Lew Xypher, Tanya Moon

"Malice in La La Land" is an ambitious Europorno shot with American talent and paying homage to great Americans like Hunter S. Thompson and Quentin Tarantino in its depictions of things people can get up to in the desert.

Malice (Grey) is rescued by a rabbit from incarceration in an asylum and, before she is recaptured, leads her stalwart pursuer, orderly Jabbowski (a former street clown named Dirty Fred in a non-sex role), on a chase through desert motels and Jumbo's Clown Room. Along the way, she meets Keni Styles in a covertible and Hunter Thompson hat and Ron Jeremy, playing a sleazeball strip club kingpin.

The dialogue is economical, befitting the dusty dream Malice is having, and the movie benefits from an efficient and evocative soundtrack as well as bits of animation that takes us where costly real-life transitions can't.

"Malice" is fun because we spend very little time in L.A. itself, despite the title; it's a Belgian's perception of California or, as Cahiers du Cinema calls it, a Waffle Porn. We are treated to a juicy scene with Kagney Linn Karter playing a hick, a la Juliette Lewis in "Natural Born Killers," as well as what appears to be the asylum's real function: as some kind of fellatio lab for Andy San Dimas.

Unlike some porn epics, "Malice" does not overburden the viewer with story over sex, but we never really see enough of the performers, just the same. It's as if the production was erring on the side of artfulness and, because it wasn't going for Rocco Siffredi-style clinicality, let the pendulum swing too far back into restraint.

"Malice" might well be Sasha Grey's last big feature for a while, now that she's all famous and stuff, so, if not for the chance to see a dwarf or actual nipples (courtesy of Jesse Capelli and Mackenzee Pierce) in Jumbo's Clown Room, see it for Sasha.

· Miss Lucifer (misslucifer.com)
· Buy "Malice in La La Land" (gamelink.com)