Undressed Reviews » queer

I wish that I had seen Roulette before Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out. It is not that I didn’t like Seven Minutes. It was a strong offering, but I certainly was not blown away by it.

I was by Roulette. I fucking loved it.

Aside from having some of my favorite queer performers in it, the soundtrack kicked ass, the chemistry felt real for the most part, and the presentation was a near perfect mix of indie aesthetic and deliberate professionalism. The camera work is at times amazing and the sound and editing choices back them up beautifully. To top it off, Trouble breaks up the sex scenes and clears the proverbial palette with indie music videos. It was somewhat reminiscent of surfing the internet…you know, porn porn—oh hey, I wonder if Someband has new music video—porn porn porn….

Except that all the porn in Roulette is real and shot well and no one has implants or is crying and Roulette probably isn’t putting any viruses on my computer. Ok, maybe it is not much like surfing the internet.

The thing that really sold me on Roulette was the diversity of performers and scenes. We got to enjoy everything from an engaged pair of dudes fucking on a rooftop (Walter Crasshole and Nikolaj) to a gangbang with a few of my favorite queer stars (Jiz Lee, Syd Blakovich, Rozen Debowe, and Donny) to a burglar (Dia Zerva) masturbating while showering herself with stolen milk.

That diversity makes the focus of Roulette hot sex and not queers or bois or fags or anything else but Hot. Sex. It is beautiful.

Mimi

We haven’t watched or reviewed a great deal of porn so maybe this isn’t actually saying much, but other than as a joke (“Yes, it’s a SATYR porn! It’s hilarious!”) I have never wanted to show a porn to a friend. I’ve never thought, “Hot damn. This is fun as hell to watch.”

Part of what strikes me about Roulette is that it’s obviously porn on a mission (“bring art back.” is shown alone across a black screen at the very end of Roulette’s film trailer), yet there’s nothing overbearing, pretentious, or preachy about its tone. It comes across with a high amount of youthful, rebellious energy. Sexuality, lifestyle, gender identity, and age are all blurred and solidified and then broken down again. The lack of clarity, as opposed to being distracting, is really exciting. It feels more honest.

Of course, the energy of Roulette is greatly aided by music selections and the three indie music videos placed within the whole of the film. My favourite was Katastrophe’s Big Deal, which re-creates Andy Warhol’s famous Factory and his eventual attempted murder by Valerie Solanas. The song itself, the grainy black and white film quality, and the living character of Andy Warhol all fit together perfectly. The other two videos are for Scream Club and French Quarter. The style in which the last two videos are shot completely matches with the overall film – close-ups, hand held cameras, DIY attitude – so there’s no break in continuity.

Also, Joseph wasn’t exaggerating when he was talking about the mash-up of awesome people from various backgrounds and perspectives. Roulette is the winner of Feminist Porn Awards 2009: Most Diverse Cast. Well deserved. There’s a burlesque performer seduced by her real life girlfriend while attempting to prepare for a performance (she misses it); a wrestler who breaks into a teammate’s locker and masturbates with what he finds; two “fags in love” with bright pinkish-red mohawks and makeup drink a 40 and fuck on a rooftop; a seriously sexy blonde who breaks into someone’s house and masturbates with their milk – and so on. You get the idea.

Some of the sexiest masturbation scenes I’ve witnessed were in this film. I really didn’t think watching someone jerk-off while wearing gym socks on a locker room floor would turn me on, but it happened. Trouble’s curvaceous body lit by only a red light and her self-satisfying moans are certainly memorable. And I’m not sure that I will ever look at milk the same way again. Every scene appeared to be so genuine, so thoroughly enjoyed, so individualistic and respectful. How could it be forgotten or ignored?

I have laughed at porn, cringed at porn, fallen asleep while porn was on, masturbated to porn, fucked to porn, and liked porn… seldom do I love porn. So listen up, kids, I’m about to say something special: I heart Roulette.

The Naked Truth

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Sound Quality: 4 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: N/A

Entertainment Value: 5 out of 5 stars

Creativity: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

We’re not creepy! YOU’RE creepy!

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Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out!

Undressed — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:59:46 +0000

Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out! provided for review by Good Vibrations

Mimi

After reading an interview with Courtney Trouble in Bitch magazine , I could tell that we were missing out. (We also need to know more about some other people in the interview, such as Bren Ryder, but hopefully we’ll get to them in another post.) Trouble is an individual working in the adult industry committed to making feminist pornography and bringing queer sexuality and lifestyle into a more accessible, realistic state if being. She founded No Fauxx, an arousal and art driven website for the queer community, which the site claims is the first of its kind. Whether or not that’s true, it’s still pretty amazing. I recommend reading the interview and checking out the links we’ve provided to further understand Trouble’s perspective on her own work and her goals.

We suddenly ended up with three of Trouble’s films – much to our delight – and Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out! is the one we chose to start with. The first line of description on the back of this pink, very contemporary punk rockstar DVD case is, “Reality porn is coming out of the closet in this first-ever gonzo queer film.” It probably sounds silly, but I give Trouble props for having a case that accurately represents the film – all of the “fresh-faced performers” are on the cover with obvious tattoos, piercings, “alternative” style and/or diverse body types so we can see who is involved; again, in the description – which is kind of rough-looking typewriter text – it is described as a “kinky slumber party” and that definitely carries through in the film; all throughout the film there is music that reflects the style of the DVD case itself; and “reality porn” along with mention of how the cast picks their own partners and their own toys gives the viewer an indication that this is not going to be like scripted porn with professional stars and excellent lighting in every scene.

Since I have been disappointed in the past with how misleading a DVD case for porn can be, I really appreciate knowing what I’m getting into, especially if I am actually purchasing the porn.

I’m going to break it down to lists because there is so much I could say about Seven Minutes in Heaven, but for the sake of a readable review, I probably shouldn’t. So here is a condensed version:

+ The performers are amateurs and a few first-timers so the interactions are, generally, more fun and interesting. Nuances of their individual personalities come through, which is, to me, quite sexy. My favourite performers were Puck Goodfellow and Sophia, but all of them contributed in really special ways.
+ “I have a 48 inch ass. What more is there to say?” – God Bless You, Jae.
+ Sara Lee Sinful has an orchid for a vagina. Seriously. It’s exquisite. Thank you, Tina Horn, for making a point of it during your scene.
+ Safer sex! I was so happy to see gloves and condoms used on all of the toys.
+ Quite a bit of spanking and even a short discussion on appropriate places and ways to spank people. I especially enjoyed the scene in which Tina Horn is being spanked by Carson.
+ Jae showing Sophia how to put on a strap-on was pretty fabulous. I also like how later, despite her inexperience with strap-ons, Sophia totally got into “jerking off” with Tina Horn.
+ NO annoying fake-ass sex noises. This in itself is fucking amazingly wonderful to me. I want to scream it from rooftops and do cartwheels down the street.
+ Oh, and how could I forget… the various body types. (And we ain’t just talkin’ boob size.) Thank you, Courtney Trouble, for recognizing that sexuality is not limited to a size 4 and big tits.

- The scene with Carson and Joline, there’s a wonderful close-up shot of Joline’s vagina being teased from behind by Carson, but the shot is so grainy that it’s difficult to appreciate. Normally graininess isn’t that big of a deal to me – I think it can even be a positive thing in some cases – but in this instance it disrupted my appreciation of the scene. Perhaps the lighting, although little, still had the effect of cooling Joline’s already pale skin down further. A little too cold and washed out. There were other parts of scenes like this, but most of the time the light was warmer in tone, which worked better.
- Music. Nothing against the music selection, it goes along with everything else in the film, but it was pretty disjointed in some places. Were they using an iPod? Is that why a song would end and then there just wouldn’t be anymore music despite the scene continuing? Or why it was louder in some scenes? I’m sure that filming unscripted can be tricky, but a little more consistency with the music, especially because of how aggressive it was, would have been less distracting.
- The editing was also rather disjointed in some places, mostly in the beginning. When going from scenes of the performers kissing to laughing and talking, then to Tina Horn and Sara Lee Sinful’s scene, it was especially choppy and awkward.
- Again, an editing issue. When Puck Goodfellow and Carson were having a scene in one room with Tina Horn and Sophia having a scene in the next room (no door), the overlapping sounds were kind of funny in a way that made me less drawn to the scene. I knew that there were scenes overlapping in a way, but perhaps a direct, visual acknowledgement of that could have worked better. It would have added to the kinky slumber party atmosphere, too. Sex everywhere all the time!!

There were a lot of positive points and quite a few negative points as well, but overall I’m really excited about Trouble’s work and her participation in a movement toward an evolved adult industry, one that encourages a more honest, pro-female approach that brings together fantasy and reality. Sure, it’s a business, but we don’t have to be dirtbags about it.

Joseph

The very beginning of this film let me know that it would not be typical porn. It started with each person being allowed to describe themselves however they saw fit. A few of them told us that it was their first time performing on camera and for a couple of them, it was even their first queer experience. That alone made the dynamic between some of the people filmed very interesting.

I was somewhat worried about my opinion of this film because we’ve been reviewing so many porns made for queers that I have been jonesing for some wang. Being a heterosexual male, I have been desirous of some heterosexual depiction on screen. Upon reflection, I realize that this experience has been a tiny little taste of how frustrating the porn world must be for a queer person. I mean, I am choosing to watch porn that does not directly apply to me. For a long time, persons living alternative lifestyles didn’t even have the option to watch porn that reflected their sexuality. Even now, there are only and handful of directors and production companies making films for that group. That must be really annoying. Anyway, because I was tired of watching porn that does not reflect my sexuality, I was worried that it would be difficult to be fair to Trouble and her film. Thankfully, I don’t think it turned out to be an issue.

One of the first scenes involved spin the bottle and it was fabulous because of the awkward kissing and obvious lack of chemistry between a few of the people participating. It was nice to see those moments because it helped with the sense of reality that Trouble was trying to portray. As the film went on, they all warmed to one another and lost most of the awkwardness pretty quickly. Sex will do that to you.

About midway through watching I began to be worried that this was going to be somewhat of a negative review because I kept finding things that bothered me about the editing and music presentation. My complaints directly echo Mimi’s so I don’t feel the need to reproduce them, but I will say that they were certainly a sore point for me.

Understanding what gonzo pornography is supposed to be, the low quality lighting and somewhat awkward angles at times didn’t bother me. However, the editing could have been handled better and the music certainly could have, too.

Aside from those two complaints, I am pleased that Seven Minutes in Heaven: Coming Out! was made and I look forward to seeing more of Trouble’s work.

P.S.
Is it just me, or does that title sound like it is setting Seven Minutes in Heaven up to be a series? We can hope.

The Naked Truth:

Aesthetics: 4 out of 5 stars

Level of Arousal: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: N/A

Storyline: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Confessions of a heterosexual

Undressed — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:44:10 +0000

I have always been embarrassingly heterosexual.

I can’t help it, I just have no attraction whatsoever to men. I can appreciate a physically attractive man or a man with a charming wit and warm personality, but I have no desire to do anything beyond appreciate.

I think of this as a problem. Viewing Mimi’s pansexuality only makes things worse. Good grief, it is unfair. She is attracted to all people regardless of sex. Dudes, ladies, dykes, femmes, bois, transsexuals, pre-op, post-op, all of it! And I am only really attracted to women that resemble women.

The way I see it, I’m missing out on a whole lot of feeling and potential experience. It’s not like my sexual attraction to women is exponentially stronger than someone attracted to all sexes because I am only attracted to the one. It just means that I am missing out on all the others.

Let me post an exchange about porn star James Deen between Epiphora and Mimi from Twitter the other night as an illustration:

Epiphora – This discovery makes me happy: http://bit.ly/R88BV

undressedreview – @Epiphora He’s actually pretty attractive. Like, a lot.

Epiphora – @undressedreview Hence looking for scenes with him in them and whichever semi-attractive chick I can find.

undressedreview – @Epiphora I approve. Excellent idea. I’m kind of turned off by a lot of guys in porn, but he is… yes.

I looked at his pic and thought “That guy looks like he smells like weed.” I’m not saying that James Deen would necessarily do it for me, but NO GUY does it for me and it seems like a shame.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that being anything other than heterosexual is easy in this society. Men being attracted to other men is no joking matter in mainstream America. Because of the closed way that men are taught to think about sexuality and the systematic vilification of homosexuality, being attracted to the same sex can make your life hell in this country. I understand this. So please don’t think that I envision those with wider sexual preferences than mine as living in a sex-crazed state of euphoria. I just think that being attracted to more would open more vistas to me.

Sure, I’ve tried to be attracted to men. I do it all the time. I look at people and I think “He’s a good-lookin guy…I could…do sex stuff with him…” My heart (wang) just isn’t in it. I think I probably could have sex with a man. I could become aroused by the experience alone and probably have a decent time…I just wouldn’t be enjoying it because of the man per se. Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.

My feelings about limited preference being detrimental are not limited to sexuality. I feel the same way about NASCAR, professional wrestling, country music, M.I.A., the artwork of Gustav Klimt, and eggplants.

-Joseph

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

CrashPadSeries.com Volume 3

Undressed — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:22:43 +0000

Crashpadseries.com Volume 3 provided by Blowfish

Joseph

In case you don’t know, The Crash Pad Series is based upon Shine Louise Houston’s 2006 debut film of the same name. The crash pad is a place where dykes and femmes alike can go to have uninhibited sex. Unfortunately I have not seen the The Crash Pad itself, but if it is anything like the series based on it, it is HOT.

The DVD that Blowfish sent us is a collection of episodes from the website. From the looks of it, that’s how these collections are offered; four or five episodes per DVD. Volume three features some performers that are quickly becoming favorites of mine: Dallas, Shawn (Syd Blakovich), Dylan Ryan, Princess Donna, Jake, Lorelei Lee, Billy Jack Gunn, Paul Gunn, Red, and Javier.

If you’ve been reading the site or following Houston’s work, you’ll recognize several of those names. Houston has a tendency to use familiar performers (I don’t really feel comfortable calling them actors because they are not acting in even the traditional porn sense. The people in Houston’s films are not pretending to have hot, enjoyable sex – they are) in her productions, which is fine since she has such stellar performers.

This particular installation of the Crash Pad Series involves deep throating, squirting, the fabulous Hitachi Magic Wand, and lots of authentic queer sex. I don’t have any complaints about this collection. None. I personally was not turned on by the scene between “cousins” Billy Jack Gunn and Paul Gunn because my sexual tendencies are unwaveringly hetero and those two look too much like biological men to do anything for me.

The particular copy that was sent to us has some issues with the sound being out of sync in a couple of spots. It was minimal in the beginning but by the last scene (Red and Javier) it was completely incongruous. I sent Blowfish and email to see if this was an artistic choice of Houston’s that I didn’t get or a simple defect but at the time of this writing, I have received no response.

If you don’t want to wait for a DVD to be shipped to you just go to http://www.crashpadseries.com where you can view any of the episodes (there are more online than offered on the individual DVDs.

Mimi

I have a lot of respect for Shine Louise Houston’s work so when it came time to watch CrashPadSeries.com Volume 3, I was really excited and my expectations were high, which is a pleasant shift from the usual. (I’m not a huge fan of porn, which is often boring, stifling regurgitations of sexuality and beauty to me. At best, it’s a good laugh.) I was not disappointed. I enjoyed every scene of this DVD, which I have not been able to say about any other porn thus far.

Whoa shit.
Whoa shit, indeed.

In episode 16, Dylan Ryan enters the crash pad, but instead of trying to join Dallas and Shawn, she hides nearby. While Shawn ties Dallas up to a chair, sucks Dallas’ strap-on cock, and then proceeds to fuck herself silly, Dylan Ryan is sneaking glances, biting her lip, obviously aroused. Eventually Shawn and Dallas move to the bed and continue to pleasure themselves and each other. I really enjoyed the chemistry between these two. They appeared to have a lot of fun.

In episode 17, Dylan Ryan comes out of hiding after Shawn and Dallas leave. She throws herself down on the bed, smiling and burying her face into the vibrant red pillows and sheets. Watching her writhe and inhale the scent of Shawn and Dallas’ sexual encounter is really arousing, perhaps even more so than when she actually strips and masturbates. It may be more of a personal thing than anything else, but entering the mindset of the voyeur, entering the fantasy of unknown bodies and personalities – the way she pulled the sheet between her legs, thrust her hips toward the bed, inhaled deeply, and smiled so big – is a huge turn-on.

That’s what I need. Honest arousal. Honest reaction.

Joseph didn’t seem to enjoy Episode 15 with Billy Jack and Paul quite as much, for reasons rather obvious, and we ended up talking more throughout its duration. We talked a lot about gender identification, bisexuality, pansexuality, and considered our relative ignorance when it comes to various lifestyles. For example, I trip over terminology quite a lot because I want to be respectful. It’s hard when everyone has personal preferences that may not be clear. Houston’s porn films are especially challenging, and I think she would probably smile if she heard me say so.

Despite the distraction of our talk, I found this scene just as arousing as the others. Aside from a little initial awkwardness, both performers seemed to forget that a camera was even there. They just did their thing and their thing was hot. (Also, how great is it that Paul Gunn has a “pussyboy” tattoo?)

In episode 21, Lorelei Lee enters the crash pad to find Donna and Jake ready to fuck, and she’s not so sure at first, but quickly convinced! (If only I had the powers of persuasion that Donna has…) This part of the scene was really annoying because the sound was a bit off; however, the three of them really made up for it. Lorelei Lee, god bless her, didn’t make constant obnoxious goat noises like she did in Superfreak. Jake was quiet, reserved, and yet really involved in significant ways. Donna, of course, dominated most of the actions in the scene. All three of them seemed really into it (when Lorelei Lee and Donna are making prolonged eye contact later in the scene, it’s pretty intense), yet joked and laughed occasionally.

Last but not least, episode 19 with Red and Javier was, sadly, hard to watch because of the sound disturbances. And you can watch it muted, like we did, but…. it’s not the same. Red and Javier are really sexy performers – I liked watching them even without sound. Red can wear a strap-on and bend me over anytime she’d like.

As always with Houston’s films, she places emphasis on safer sex practices, which I find really appealing in porn. Also, despite the reoccurrence of performers, there’s something really “fresh” about their presence. Perhaps it’s the scenery, the camera angles, the tone, the personal interactions between performers. You just know that it’s going to be sexy and authentic, yet light-hearted and fun. Perfect.

The Naked Truth:

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Level of Arousal: 5 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: N/A

Storyline: 3 out of 5 stars

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

There is no Crash Pad where we live, but we do have a shed…

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Champion

Undressed — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:54:50 +0000

Champion provided by Blowfish

Mimi

When we first received Shine Louise Houston’s Champion in the mail, we debated on whether or not it was actually porn because there is not one single finger going into anyone’s vagina anywhere on the cover. We hadn’t seen any of Houston’s films yet and joked in our ignorance, “Perhaps she’s trying to make a real movie and it will be the most painful display of acting ever seen.” Such movies are watched only with whiskey.

Naturally, we put it off for the right time and meanwhile we watched Houston’s older film, Superfreak, which made it crystal clear to us that Houston is someone to take seriously. Serious in the respectable sense, not in the sit in the dark alone and listen to Sarah McLachlan sense. There is an excellent balance of playfulness and hardcore eroticism in Houston’s work. It’s refreshing, really.

Champion is full of talented, sexy, charming performers such as Syd Blakovich (she has a great website), Jiz Lee, Javier, Dallas, Madison Young and Dylan Ryan. Syd Blakovich plays Jessie Eaton, a cold son of a bitch making her way into women’s professional Mixed Martial Arts, as well into the pants of various individuals. It backfires when her old nemesis, Bobby Malone (Javier), punishes Jessie for having sex with Bobby’s girl through blackmail. While Jessie is trying to decide what to do about it, she is also dealing with her sexual attraction to Violet Vahn (Dallas), her opponent in and out of the ring. Of course, this being porn, they end up fucking. One can’t let hairy pussy go to waste.

There was not one single scene in Champion that I didn’t like, and any complaint I could muster up would be really minor. Not even worth mentioning. Houston has a great deal of talent to begin with, but it’s obvious comparing Champion to her older work that a lot of the awkwardness has been refined. In between loving Jiz Lee’s beautiful face in ecstasy and watching Dylan Ryan squirt, I spent a fair amount of time during the film admiring the camera angles or the naturalness of the lighting.

It’s true that this film is more like a “real” movie than your standard fair porno, but it didn’t ever leave me feeling bored or miserably hoping that the acting scene would end soon so the sex can commence. While Jessie is at the gym or watching a recorded fight in preparation for her match, there’s another sex scene going on simultaneously. A working visual balance is created that carries through a sophisticated level of eroticism.

Champion is sophisticated because it acknowledges complexity within gender and sex, yet maintains a sense of humor and humanity. It’s not glamorized bullshit, it’s just fucking hot. Period.

Joseph

Mimi already covered almost everything that I had in mind to say about this film. It was well made, the stars were hot and the chemistry was real. As if that wasn’t enough, there was enough of a plot to give you some investment with the characters that you are watching have hardcore sex.

For me personally, the connection is what made every scene (except for Madison Young’s) go from hot to stellar. Even though the connection with the characters is somewhat cursory, it is very real and I think Houston understands that giving that sort of depth will make us hot in our minds as well as our dirty bits.

The superb camera work and lighting choices even prevented Young from ruining the scene that she was in. While all of the other actors seemed to have real chemistry with one another and looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves, Young is not convincing. It is almost like she watched some mainstream porn and then decided to take those traits into the queer porn world. Fake noises and all. I apologize, I know my problem with Young must be getting old by now. Maybe if I hadn’t watched Bride of Sin first, I wouldn’t loathe seeing her so much. She is hot, I’ll give her that.

I’m glad that Houston makes cameos in her films. I liked seeing her as the ghost of Rick James in Superfreak and she appears in Champion as the world’s most meek reporter. It is always nice to put a face with a piece of work and her perpetual small roles almost strike me as a signature. I look forward to watching The Crash Pad and seeing how she will put herself in that series.

I am really happy with the gender role blurring, power dynamic swapping, queer porn we have been watching. Because of the expert way that Houston handles these films, I would be very interested to see what Houston would do with a hetero-oriented film. She does such masterful work playing with and setting up masculine dynamics within her queer films, I would love to see how she handles directing biological males. Perhaps one day…

She said “chocolate?” -I said “No.”- She said POW!

The Naked Truth:

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Level of Arousal: 5 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: N/A

Storyline: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Shine Louise Houston’s “Superfreak”

Undressed — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:53:24 +0000

Shine Louise Houston’s Superfreak provided by Blowfish

Joseph

In non-porn movies there are several levels; good, okay, bad, and so-bad-it-is-good. Although I think that almost all porn is bad, I thought that Superfreak would be a so-bad-it-is-good porn.

It starts off with our pal Madison Young pretending to masturbate (badly) at home. Then the main and only plot device comes into the room: The ghost of Rick James. Said ghost dives into Young and, possessed by the funky spirit of James, she pulls out her trusty Hitachi Wand and masturbates for real. Watching Young please herself is much more enjoyable than watching her pretend to please herself or watching her speak.

Once Young has vibed and shaken herself silly, she puts on some clothes and goes to a party. At said party, Young immediately approaches Dylan Rion and says a wonderful pickup line, “It’s a good thing I brought my library card cause I’m checking you out.” Based on Rion’s reaction, I am glad I’ve never used this line. Rion proceeds to fuck Young in a room full of people. How rude.

This scene has some very hot moments but it also has some very awkward camera angles. The awkward camera angles are in every scene of Superfreak and never stop being perplexing. After the two are done fucking in the corner, James exits Young in search of a less spent host which he finds in Guy Handful who is arguing in the bathroom with Rozen.

However, because the film is anachronistic, we see James enter Shawn in the kitchen before we see Handful and Rozen. Shawn finds Vasa right after she is done pissing in the kitchen sink because the bathroom was taken (we see why later, yowza) but this does not deter Shawn in the least. She takes a mouthful of water, sprays it into Vasa’s pussy and then immediately goes to town. What follows is in my opinion the hottest scene in the movie. I say this not only because Vasa is super cute, but because the chemistry between Vasa and Shawn seems very natural (we learn in the behind the scenes that they are a couple in real life) and the sexuality portrayed is very raw and powerful.

After that hotness is over, we get to see what was going on in the bathroom with Handful and Rozen. They were arguing. But then James came in and with his supernatural superfreak supercharm ended the argument with one sentence. “Less talking, more fucking.” And there was. Rozen’s intense pleasure convulsions and wails really make this scene. Though, it makes her look like the one that is possessed.

Next we see Dana DeArmond and Princess Donna being bored on a couch. They discuss going home but before they can get up to leave, Lorelei Lee plops down between them and asks if she has missed the party. They respond the way any reasonable young women would, by throwing Lee down on the coffee table and tag-teaming her. This scene has some hot moments in it as well, but the noises that Lee makes (kinda like a goat) are so obnoxious to us that we had to mute it in order to enjoy the hot parts. The ghost of Rick James has nothing to do with this impromptu party sex, but walks in and sees it. And approves.

After the credits rolled, we watched the extras and I’m very glad that we did. There are interviews of every cast member and it is revieled that everyone but Rion and Young knew each other before shooting. I have a lot of respect for Houston for casting that way. It greatly reduced most of what I hate about porn which is its fakeness and it exploitative nature.

I was wrong about Superfreak. It falls into the good porn category instead of the so-bad-it-is-good category. Awkward camera angles aside, this was a great example of what porn could be. Granted it was silly and didn’t even try to have a real plot, but the sex was real and engaging and it was well lit and recorded. I look forward to seeing more of Houston’s work.

We were hoping to summon the ghost of Rick James.

Mimi

This is the first film of Shine Louise Houston’s that I’ve had the pleasure of watching. The DVD packaging looks very professional and sets the tone – freaky, funny, and hot. Reading “real people having real sex” in the synopsis led to a brief glimmer of lustful hope; however, I was still really skeptical about enjoying it because, well… Madison Young is on the cover and while I am a fan of her ass, I am not a fan of her work. Another porn with her as the leading star simply did not sound appealing.

Despite the film opening with a scene that had Madison masturbating, it is immediately clear that Houston’s films is different – colourful, stylish, good quality, good sound, wild, and intentionally funny. Intentionally is the key word there. Even the music that accompanies each scene fits in line with the humorous, casual atmosphere. It’s not over the top, but definitely lingering close enough to make you sweat.

The ghost of a funk singer inhabiting people and getting them to do “freaky” shit is a very simple plot, but it allows the viewer to know what he or she’s getting into from the beginning and provides a basis for the humor. And like any good film plot, it holds the scenes and characters together, making the scenes fluid and (I’m using this word loosely) believable. Who has sex in a crowded room? Young does if she’s got Rick James’ ghost inside her! She also, apparently, learns how to stop masturbating like she’s having a damn self-induced seizure and really gets down to business with her Hitachi Wand, rope, and glass dildo.

When Young gets to the party, Dylan Rion wastes no time to make her move, which Young intercepts with a bold (and wicked cheesy) pick-up line. They start kissing and fucking with a strap-on against a wall, which at some points was really hot on account of Young’s juicy ass being gripped by Rion’s hands. Rion’s animated playfulness is also really entertaining after the sex part of their scene is over and they’re kneeling behind a couch, recovering and acknowledging their actions. I still can’t stand the noises Young makes or her facial expressions, but it’s not enough to completely ruin the scene.

My favourite scene was the one with Shawn and Vasa because it was the most intense, energetic, fun, and those two are just flat out sexy. They both seemed completely comfortable and happy to be playing their respective parts. I love the inclusion of the water! Obviously, for practical reasons, some “cleaning” was necessary since Vasa just took a piss in the kitchen sink, but watching Shawn spit water onto Vasa’s pussy and then Vasa’s surprised/excited facial reaction was enough to make my hips stir and sexual appetite grow. (Note to self: We need a kitchen sink hose. Oh, and a bigger kitchen.) Nothing about their interaction feels fake, forced, or exaggerated. How fucking hot is that? When Vasa wiped some of Shawn’s nether juices on her face and in her mouth, I almost squealed. Seriously. This is one sexy scene.

In second place, regarding my favourite scenes, would be the one between newcomer real life couple Rozen and Guy Handful. The acting was about what you’d expect in porn (not very good), but their sex scene was much better than what you’d expect. (The second option is more important, if you ask me.) No obnoxious noises, no fake expressions, and Rozen has amazing, natural looking breasts. She appears to completely forget the cameras, bucking her hips hard and screaming.

The last scene was difficult for me to enjoy because I took such a disliking of the half-laughing, half-goat noises Lorelei Lee was making constantly. It would have been fine, really, but when I say constantly, I mean she stopped to inhale. We muted it so that I’d stop yelling at the television and startling the cats. I also took issue with there being ass to vag finger insertion because even though I know they stopped and cleaned/lubed up periodically, I think that porn should be held to a practical, safe standard. Like when Rion and Handful had condoms on their strap-ons – that made sense, that felt appropriate. However, if you’re not paying attention like I was at the time (hawk eyes!), then you probably wouldn’t even notice and, all of that said, it was still a hot “stone femme” on femme scene.

Having seen Bride of Sin already and knowing Young is a huge rope slut, it’s encouraging to know that Houston obviously let Young use the rope for her masturbation scene. Positive female sexuality? Houston’s not all talk. Frequently throughout this simple, fun film we are introduced to notions of gender identity, roles, and how people are challenging them everyday just by leading honest, authentic lives. You can see this fully articulated in the Behind Kink interview where a rather soft spoken, joking, encouraging Houston directs her crew and talks about challenging pre-determined roles, whether it’s directly related to porn or life itself. All of this is worthy of respect, if not titillation. Probably both.

The Naked Truth

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Level of Arousal: 4 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: N/A

Storyline: 3 out of 5 stars

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!

Madison Young’s “Bride of Sin”

Undressed — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:12:49 +0000

Provided for us by Blowfish

Mimi

My fiancé and I come from different backgrounds, but for the most part we overlap ideologically, and where we don’t, our open-minded natures create a bridge. I have more experience, knowledge, and desire of BDSM; however, we both feel an interest for BDSM in it’s various forms and it finds it’s way into our bedroom (or living room, bathroom, local park…) periodically in the form of light power play, bondage, and spanking. After reading the synopsis, I was actually excited and hopeful for Madison Young’s Bride of Sin. I thought that seeing a film directed by a woman about BDSM might further brighten that original spark.

My optimism also stemmed from the film’s nicely designed case. As far as pornographic films go, it certainly deserves kudos for not being really distasteful. A rather pretty redhead, Young herself, is on the cover in traditional white wedding bridal garments, ass exposed and prominent, seeming to ask the potential viewer to spank her, hard. You can also see her, on both the front and the back of the case, tied up quite elaborately and overall, it seems impressive. In addition to Young, three other stars are listed: Ariel X (Maid of Honor who leads the innocent Bride astray), Selina Raven (betrayed partner), and Claire Adams (Priest who offers Young salvation for her betrayal).

Looking at the DVD case for Bride of Sin, you wouldn’t know that there’s a fairly low quality film stored inside.

When you turn the film on, you will quickly realize that the wonderfully lit photographs on the DVD case do not reflect the quality of the film itself, and the dialog, which is very little and loosely sets up what might be called a plot, is difficult to hear. Because of this, the first half of the film felt more like someone’s home sex videos strung together than a film for which money is exchanged.

Plot is always a dubious thing within porn. As ridiculous as a plot might be, it can still work to add creativity and excitement, while also pacing the film. It makes it feel worthwhile. I’ve watched CGI monsters “battle” in sex competitions for freedom, gladiator style; satyrs converting humans through sexual rituals; history “explained” through pivotal sexual exploits; and much more simplistic plots, like a girl in search of an orgasm – they all help hold the experience together, to create fluidity, to make you feel like you weren’t ripped off.

So, moving on from the plot and film quality, one can look forward to Young’s full, delicious ass being squeezed and spanked throughout the film, Ariel X giving Young an intense orgasm on a church pew, Raven’s sexy strap-on paired with feminine vest suit in which she fucks and slaps Young, and the elaborate bondage and rigging scenes set up by Adams. I enjoyed the scenes with Raven and Adams better because the chemistry seemed very authentic, fun, and those ladies were better Dommes. Perhaps there was simply too much of the tragically typical noises (hissing/slurping, for example) that people make in porn for me to get really turned on by the first half of the film.

The most interesting and impressive aspect of Bride of Sin is Adams, a pro bondage model, rigger, and director. After watching the ‘behind the scenes’ portion of the DVD, brought to us by Behind Kink, this judgment was only reinforced. She appears very intelligent, capable, and confident. This is also why she makes an excellent Top.

I find it exciting and interesting that a young woman assembled a team of women to help her put together a pornographic film based upon her own fantasies (talk about personal power!), but the problem with it remains that I can’t really take Young seriously as a sexual, creative force, taking the reigns. Aside from the rigging done by Adams, this comes off very much as a weekend project put together by a few girlfriends. I can admire an individual for openly embracing their sexuality, but that doesn’t mean I want to pay them $40 for it.

Joseph

When I opened the box from Blowfish, I was pleased to see that most of the movies were women friendly. I don’t like porn at its best, but I despise commonplace, exploitative porn. If nothing else, porn made by women for women would be something new.

Unfortunately, Madison Young’s Bride of Sin did not prove to be new or worth viewing. Far from being a step forward for the industry, it was poorly written, poorly shot, and the sound reproduction was atrocious. Hearing the writer/director/star talk about the “process” in the behind the scenes (which was filmed on higher quality film that the actual movie) just made me embarrassed for her.

The plot of Bride of Sin is that Madison Bound is getting married but having an affair with her Maid of Honor. After getting a swirly from her fiancé because of her indiscretions, Young goes to a priest to confess and be cleansed of her sins. Of course (this being a porn), all of these scenes are based around sex. This particular porn is focused on BDSM because Young really enjoys being tied up. And therein lays the problem. Young is genuinely enjoying herself in every scene and that is great for a performer…but not for the director. She comes off like someone that wanted an excuse to have sex with these performers, so she made a movie. Young always looks like she is having a really good time and it is evident that the technical and artistic aspects of making this movie were an annoyance to her and therefore marginalized. At one point in the behind the scenes you actually hear the camera woman call her on it. They are discussing a shifting light in the background that the camera woman thinks is distracting. Young looks at and says “That doesn’t really bother me.” And the camera woman replies “Nothing bothers you.” Touché

The lighting is sub-par, the sound quality is so bad that even if Young had written an academy award winning script, we would not be able to hear a word of it, and the scenes are poorly paced. The only redeeming factor of Bride of Sin is Claire Adams and her impressive skills as Young’s priest. Adams brings a much needed element of expertise and confidence to the scenes.

Aside from Adams’ scene, the only thing done well about this film is the production of the packaging. You can definately tell that more care was taken with the production of the case than the production of the film itself. Based on the packaging you would never be able to tell that there was a grainy, poorly thought out, painful film awaiting you.
If you are turned on by bondage and BDSM, then Bride of Sin may do something for you. Maybe. However, at $39.95 (retail), I still think you’ll end up feeling ripped off. I feel ripped off and I didn’t pay a dime for it.

The Naked Truth:

Aesthetics: 2 out of 5 stars (Young, you can thank Adams for your two points.)

Level of Arousal: 2 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: N/A

Storyline: 0 out of 5 stars

Overall: 2 out of 5 stars

The blindfold helps the viewing experience.

Getting Undressed is better when you tell everyone on the internet!