Just like the characters in the film, New York porn director Carter Stevens tried his hand at Hollywood with TINSELTOWN, on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Sleazy Hollywood agent Fred (director Carter Stevens) has seen and heard it all, and he's relating it to a naïve reporter in the tale of three would-be starlets who came to Los Angeles to make it big. Corn-fed Mary Jo Harmon (Danielle Raye) leaves her farmer fiancé back in the Midwest and has the misfortune to meet talent procurer Morty Green (William Margold, MARILYN & THE SENATOR), UCLA drama student Pat Norman (Tawny Pearl, TABOO) gets invited to a Hollywood party by her teacher, and New York hooker Dominique Allwyn (Ashley Brooks, DEMENTED DEATH FARM MASSACRE) accompanies a John to the West Coast. The two hopeful thespians and the prostitute all end up at the same party. Mary Jo is wary about what is expected of young women who want to be stars but Morty promises her that a "meeting" with executive Jack Warren (Con Covert, A SCREAM IN THE STREETS) and his wife (Pat Manning, THE YOUNG LIKE IT HOT) would speed up her trajectory to the screen. Pat is magnetically drawn to Steve Ransom (Jack Shute, ULTRA FLESH) who promises to get her work if she will live as his slave and service others for him. Dominique is the only one not expecting anything when her John passes her along to executive Jerry Kaminsky (Eric Edwards, CORPORATE ASSETS), but he sees raw talent in her and hard sells her on a contract and a three picture deal. Of course, things are not always what they seem: Mary Jo's screen test – after she has been serviced director Curtis (Mike Ranger, SAME TIME EVERY YEAR) and his cameraman (Dave Rosen) so they will make her look good on camera – is laughable but she proves just the type to draw star Mel Carter (Randy West, L.A. RAW) into renewing his contract, Pat is put to work on what turns out to be a porn film, and Dominique is unable to memorize dialogue or emote but she's got the look.

Although somewhat lighter in tone than some of director Carter Stevens' other works, TINSELTOWN is still a somewhat darker take on the casting couch scenario than the likes of CANDY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD. While it is certainly not a film for the #MeToo generation, it does not use the gullibility of young actresses for comic effect, focusing instead on the machinations of those who exploit them. Mary Jo has to be manipulated, Pat thinks she is in love, and Dominique knows that she is being fed a line even and being exploited even if it is not actual prostitution. The film has a good balance between story and pornographic vignettes, and makes deliberate use of the contrast between production value scenes and cramped hotel room or mattress-on-the-floor sex scenes. TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE's Michael Donovan O'Donnell has a small role as "Porno Pete" the director Pat's first film.

Previously available on VHS and DVD from VCA, along with a later TINSELTOWN TRIPLE FEATURE with IN SARAH'S EYES and ROLLERBABIES from Alpha Blue Archives, TINSELTOWN gets a 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen encode from a 2K scan of the original camera negative from Vinegar Syndrome. Apart from some flickering and fading at roughly thirty-five minutes into the film, the presentation looks quite clean and colorful starting with title opticals (which must have cost a good chunk of the budget). Bare flesh glows and primary wardrobe colors pop. The DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono track is in fine condition and optional English SDH subtitles are also included.