Amazon Falls (DVD) directed by Katrin Bowen

DVD. Run time: 80 mins. Language: English. An actress struggles to hold on what's left of her career in this independent drama from director Katrin Bowen. In her mid-twenties, Jana (April Telek) was convinced she had a future in Hollywood after appearing in a number of grade-B action movies as a sexy jungle warrior. A few days before her fortieth birthday, Jana is still in Hollywood and still thinks she has a chance of at stardom, despite all evidence to the contrary. Jana supports herself working in a bar favored by actors between projects, where she's struck up a friendship with younger and prettier Li (Anna Mae Routledge) whose career is on the upswing, while Jana is urged to flirt with her male customers fro better tips by her boss. Jana still makes the rounds of auditions for roles that keep getting smaller and more demeaning, with the filmmakers usually waiting until the last moment to mention the part requires nudity. Jana's boyfriend Aron (Zak Santiago) is a struggling musician whose drug problem is getting out of control. And while Jana's agent Margaret (Gabrielle Rose) urges her to be realistic and take some dinner theater work she's lined up, Jana decides to hold out for her big screen dreams, including a project being offered by the wealthy but mysterious Calvin (William B. Davis). Amazon Falls was inspired in part by director Bowen's experiences as an actress working for Troma Studios, and her friendship with would-be starlet turned murder victim Lana Clarkson, to whom the film is dedicated. Mark Deming, Rovi