Greetings again from the darkness. I recently watched NAKED AMBITION, a documentary on Bunny Yeager – a woman who excelled as a pinup in front of the camera as well as a photographer behind it. This film from writer-director Thomas Mignone (best known for his music videos) made for the perfect follow-up. While Bunny Yeager refused to join in to the shift towards more extreme content in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Mignone’s subject, Vanessa del Rio, not only carved out a career, she also became quite famous for her erotic and explicit films of the era.
Vivian Lamolle (“Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies”) portrays Vanessa del Rio and works hard to capture her charm and spirit. Filmmaker Mignone kicks things off by stating it’s 1981 and the film is “based on true events … allegedly”. The director conducted many hours of interviews with the real Ms. Del Rio (now in her 70’s), and much of what’s in the film stems from those conversations. By the time the film begins, Vanessa is well-established and well-known as an adult actress. Two of her film sets are referenced here, DRACULA EROTICA and FOXHOLES, making it clear that Vanessa was fully aware of the expectations and embraced this as career.
Supporting work comes from some familiar faces. Drea de Matteo plays Dominique, the club manager, and David Proval plays club owner Mickey. Both are alums of “The Sopranos”. Esai Morales plays Vanessa’s dad in flashbacks to 1960 Cuba, while Taryn Manning (“Orange is the New Black”) and Jesse Metcalf (“Desperate Housewives”) have key roles. Dita Von Teese also appears. Vanessa became legendary in an industry most of us can’t really relate to, and as you might guess, the expected timeline of popularity is a bit short for most performers.
The grittiness of the era and of New York City specifically is quite clear, as is the demanding pace of work and unfair distribution of revenue. It’s interesting to note that the film presents adult entertainers as real folks – some struggling to make ends meet, while others become marquee names. This is not a documentary, but does profile Vanessa’s career – including her advocacy for sex workers’ rights. The AIDS epidemic (and the accompanying misinformation) of the 1980’s convinced her to end her film career, yet it’s noted that she made over 200 movies in a twelve-year span.
The film will be released IN SELECT THEATRES on September 19th and On Demand October 14th.
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. “You have the right to remain silent.” Whether you say it out loud or just finish it in your head, the vast majority of us know what follows, even if it’s (hopefully) just from watching TV and movies. You likely also know that it’s part of The Miranda Rights … a list of rights that anyone being arrested is entitled to. If you are like me, you probably hadn’t put any thought into the origin of those rights or the requirement for law enforcement to recite them in a timely manner. Director Michelle Danner (THE RUNNER, 2021) and co-writers George Kolber and J Craig Stiles are here to educate by bringing us the story of Trish Weir and Ernesto Miranda.
Greetings again from the darkness. Dementia and/or Alzheimer’s Disease have touched most every family by now; a fact that works to the detriment of this film from writer-director Jay Giannone and co-writers Erich Hover and Eric Watson. The opening screen informs us that it’s based on a true story, and in fact, it’s actually similar to countless family stories around the globe. Of course, this doesn’t minimize the stress and strain and frustration and pain that this causes for family and friends, and it likely helps some understand that they aren’t alone in this battle.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 