Editrix Abby  

Playgirl Private Pleasures

"Every Woman's Secret Sexual Fantasies"

Starring: Niko, Jean Val Jean, Chris Evans, Christian, Kurt Lockwood, Lee Stone, Nick Jacobs, Scott Styles, Alexis Malone, Aria, Domenica Leon, Jassie, Jazmin, Jennifer Luv, Victoria Sinn, Sharon Wild and Staci Thorn.
Directed by Skye Blue and Kelly Holland
Will Appeal To: Women…and men who’d like their women to watch porn!
From: Playgirl/Wicked Pictures
2005

It’s been well over a decade since Candida Royalle pioneered porn for women and it’s pretty surprising that none of the big companies have followed suit. Sure, they produce the occasional big-budget epics and plot-driven films, but for the most part California is still churning out gonzo after gonzo after gonzo, with artlessness being raised to, well, an art. Playgirl to the rescue!

Playgirl the magazine stubbornly remains a bit of an industry joke; it’s assumed that the only people who buy it are gay men. Which is such a shame. My mom bought me a subscription back when I was in high school and the mag should be huge by now, especially given the present day mainstream acceptance of porn. Instead it remains mired in old-school ideas which, if you’re familiar with the company that publishes it, is no surprise. But whatever the corporate politics and editorial time warp, evidently someone up there bought into a smart business proposal. Because this DVD is hot! Sure, they may have a ways to go, but it’s an impressive start!

Playing off of “every woman’s secret sexual fantasies,” this DVD consists of nine erotic vignettes. The downsides are the predictably lousy music and often laughable voice over dialogue. Once you get beyond that, it’s wonderfully wankable. No one has any lines and there’s not much acting involved. Evert story set-up is left to the voice over script and although every one of them made me cringe, after the blathering ended the sex was sizzling! I especially enjoyed Ticket Booth, when the strapping stud lifts his co-star up and eats her out while holding her in mid-air. Nice! This guy has sweat on his brow that you can practically lick off. Whew!

The sets are all distractingly fabulous, most notably a stainless steel kitchen in the baking scene. The guy in it is just as fabulous. He’s a bit more real in comparison to all the California tanned, muscular stud stars.

How does this vid stand apart from most others? Well, in addition to the attention to detail like the lovely lingerie and scenery, there’s way more kissing and not near as much of extreme close-up, ob/gyn-like camera angles. Also, the complete lack of female gratification I’ve noticed in a lot of the porn is definitely NOT the case here!

There are two “period pieces,” if that’s your thing, and both are beautifully shot. Bus Station stars a hot, long-haired dude who looks like Bon Jovi. I can’t wait to see more of him! And in Detective we see the most explicit scene of cunnilingus, with close up shots and long, loving lapping. Mmm! This artist eventually shoots his load on his co-star’s chest and, yes indeedy, all over her pearl necklace. Huzzah!

Rumanian male stripper Niko, evidently a Playgirl “discovery,” is on the box cover, but I didn’t spot him in any of the vignettes. There is an interview with him as one of the DVD extras, but it seems somewhat odd to put him on the box if he doesn’t perform in any of the scenes. Hmm. Maybe I missed him. The only other guy we hear from is Jean Val Jean, the cock-star in the French Mechanic scene. Excuse me while I swoon. This guy is ADORABLE! And that French accent only adds to his lickability! Mon dieu! He shares his story on camera prior to his sex scene—the only instance of this in the video—and it is hilariously similar to the porn chicks who babble on about themselves before getting banged in the usual jerk-off fare. It is SO weird to see a guy doing it! His scene has no unbearable voice over, which is a relief, so it’s well worth a few rewinds!

If this is the first entry in a series, it’s a spectacular start! My advanced state of jadedness may explain why I couldn’t stomach the “women’s erotica”-style voice over; it could very well be that it’s exactly what the female porn consumer wants. Whatever. You can always turn down the volume. With or without sound, this is a damned good way to spice up lackluster lovemaking, augment your masturbation or just add to your already healthy sex life.

[Written March 2006]