Phoenix Rising

Carmen Luvana's been electrocuted by the state for killing Julian, her husband —which she didn't do— so it's a foregone conclusion that she'll meet up with an avenger in the afterlife. And since Gwen Summers isn't around to play the Crow role in this sequel to Cramer's award-winning 1998 feature, the task falls this time to Aria —a good choice, since Aria's already proven herself to be a fine actress as well as a sexual performer, looks great in Goth makeup, and both gals are about the same height.

But Aria's not the lead in this one, and sadly, Carmen will need a few diction lessons before being able to fill the shoes of, say, Sydnee Steele, who essayed a similar role in the original feature.

But what the hell; acting isn't everything, and what with eight sex scenes (including two b.j.s and one girl/girler) to choose from, there's bound to be something to interest every viewer. (Hell, we got interested just watching gorgeous blonde Ace, the newscaster, who doesn't do any sex but says her lines well and is a near double for a young Tippi Hedren.)

So Carmen sets out to find who actually offed Julian, and the path leads first to crime boss Dillon, who's busy getting it on with minion Chloe Dior in horsie, mish and two cowgirl positions before the facial.

From there, the trail leads to crooked cop Tony Tedeschi, who gets a note slipped to him in a strip club to meet someone on the roof. That turns out to be Aria, who allows him to lick and finger her pussy as she's braced against a wall. Horsie and anal doggie follow, during which the petite brunette squirts, then takes a pop right to her mouth, in the tape's best scene.

The trail (and plot) meanders a bit, but along the way, there's a fine coupling between gangster Lee Stone and pretty Kelli Tyler, also on a rooftop, with mish, doggie and a sideways reverse cowgirl bounce that will cause Tyler to lodge in most viewers' memories. Carmen diddles herself during that last romp, but shortly joins in a threeway that also includes Dillon and Sophie Evans that has all the earmarks of a dream sequence... until Carmen kills Dillon at the end.

Cramer once again proves himself to be a fine director, and deserves pre-noms for both his writing and directing here, as well as an early nod for Best Video Feature. Aria and Tedeschi similarly get nods for Best Couples Scene, and Dillon for Best Supporting Actor — Video.

Review from AVN