Lightning struck twice in 1993 when two studios, almost simultaneously, released films called Sunsex Blvd. I never saw the Gino Colbert version, which starred Steve Regis as Dex Norman, but its thundering success gave West Hollywood's TomKat Theater a second lease on life as a gay porn palace.

Catalina's Sunsex Blvd (no period) was directed by Brad Austin and put Zak Spears in the limelight, as Norman Desmond. Zak chewed the scenery but his hammy performance was good enough to earn him a Best Actor nod at the now defunct Gay Erotic Video Awards.

Lines like "I am big, it's the pictures that got small," almost scream for someone to give them a gay spin, and Austin's script has a field day with Billy Wilder's original screenplay. In today's political climate, it'd probably garner a lawsuit, given the troubles Lucas Entertainment has had over La Dolce Vita.

Norman, a faded porn star, hopes to make his “return” to all-male video with a movie about the life of Saint Sebastian. Derek Jarman (may he rest in peace), look out! Former Phoenix resident Brandon Wells plays Joe, the William Holden character, whom you will remember as the film’s narrator, found floating face-down in the swimming pool in the opening shot. We also get Mark West as Nancy Olson, Max Stone as a ringer for butler Erich von Stroheim, Steve Maverick as Cecil B. DeMille, and Dave Logan, Chuck McCoy, Michael Ashley and cover model Scott Randsome as assorted other fuckers.

Like its estimable predecessor, Sunsex Blvd is filmed in black and white, turning to color for the sex scenes. I’ll skip the plot, since you already know it. Only two of the sex scenes were up to my low standards: the New Year’s Eve Party coupling of Joe and Norman, which was hot from end to end, and the quickie between Joe/Brandon and yummy Mark West later in the film.

The cute and compact Dave Logan has been better in mostly everything else he’s ever done. Chuck McCoy is just another underdeveloped cute blond chicken type; Scott Randsome’s solo should have been left out altogether (and why did they put him on the box cover?!) and the rest of the cast seems more uncomfortable than anything else. But it's camp from start to finish and it has improved with age.

Fetish alert: you may want to check out the shiny bald pate and killer barbed-wire tattoos on Max Stone.

Spears winds up with egg all over his face instead of the cum you probably expected. The boy can fuck, but he sure as hell can’t act. He probably deserves a special award, however, for his final scene. Descending the staircase amidst popping flashbulbs, hovering crowds of reporters, and eager cameramen, he announces “I’m ready for my cum shot,” and then delivers the goods like a pro.

The DVD has chapter selection, safe sex PSA, PopShot-on-Demand; 75 minutes.

posted Aug. 25, 2008