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Under the Covers

From Candida Royalle

Starring: Syren, Lisa Ann, Sativa Verte, Richard Range, Primo, Charly Carlyle, Erika Kole, Mariah Ritani, Johnny Dannon, Tyler Marciano, Jamye Waxman, Andre Trauberg and Miochele Capozzi.
Directed by Candida Royalle
Will Appeal To: Couples, porn viewers with a sense of humor.
From: Adam & Eve
2006

As with all Candida Royalle films, Under the Covers has a plot. And loads of dialogue, co-written with Jamye Waxman, who also stars in a hilarious non-sex role. I won’t tip you off to the content plot-wise, but I will say it’s amusing and kept my attention. It also didn’t distract from the sex; the sex didn’t distract from the plot, either. Ms. Royalle knows what she’s doing. She’s been doing it for decades. I don’t know why, but she’s the only director in the adult industry who really seems to get the whole plot/dialogue thing without totally ruining the sex. Mind you I would prefer more come shots and, well, dirty stuff, but these films are designed to appeal to couples and porn-viewing neophytes, so there’s never much edge to them…or vague shades of misogyny. I am, for some inexplicable reason, drawn to Max Hardcore and the like, though I am not into that sort of thing in my live sex life. Hmmm, what would Freud say?

Anyway, in reference to reality, I watched this with a friend. He loved it! With an especial emphasis on the masturbating sex shop girl and a huge appreciation for the redheaded Mariah Ritani. I’ll second the latter, as I thought she was luscious and sexy. And she was a last-minute replacement for a starlet who was a no-show at 6am. For a crew who scrambled to salvage a day of shooting, I have to say they did a splendid job! Ms. Ritani brings a fresh, raw flavor to her scenes that will, perhaps as in the case of my companion, have you with your hands down your pants! Hahah! And just wait till you see her lingerie! In fact, everyone in this movie was wearing great lingerie, an addition that didn’t go unnoticed by either of us.

Sorry, I got sidetracked. Let me give you the rundown on the sex. In scene one, we have the newcomer and absolutely adorable Sativa Verte paired with Richard Range, who, if you happen to have a thing for, um, young men, is just as nubile as his co-star. They both look dewy and new and yummy and young! Their sex is sweet and innocent, if that’s possible in a fuck flick. He’s videotaping her, and the cuts between “live” color and “on video” black and white are artsy and interesting. A nice touch.

After a trip to a sex toy shop (the brightly hued Babeland in beautiful Soho), sex therapist Charly Carlyle treats herself to a masturbation session, dumping a selection of sex toys onto her coffee table. She chooses a laughably large dildo and my companion and I were slobbering to see her take in every inch. Alas, it wasn’t to be. But she does put it to good – and climactic – use!

Scene three is really two separate sex scenes combined: our delicious doctor answers the ad of a hung hunk and Primo arrives, a bronzed specimen of firm pecs and well-groomed body hair. Their humping is intercut with another masturbation scene: Erika Kole transforms from virginal to vaguely vulgar with the help of a pile of vibrators and dildos. Her short, pleated skirt didn’t hurt, either! And those boots! Well, I’m always a sucker for masturbation scenes, but my friend reallllly enjoyed this one. “Hot!” and “Steamy!” were his exclamations, even the following day.

Scene four, then, opens on a dominatrix’s receptionist, the entertaining Ms. Waxman, who captures the stagey severity of such situations with smart-alecky Manhattanite savviness. Plus, she gets to wear some cool boots, too, that Michele Capozzi has the pleasure of polishing. Nice! What transpires inside the dominatrix’s dungeon is a whole different story of dominance and submission. While the authenticity of BDSM was somewhat lacking, once the sex started things got nice and juicy. Ahem. Mariah Ritani and Johnny Dannon are a kinky couple there to partake of Mistress Chloe’s services, but turnabout being fair play, Ritani winds up topping the Mistress, played by Syren. The two work well together, tongues and fingers flying and a few passionate kisses taking place between them. Mmmm, sweaty!

The final scene is a four-way party orgy with feathered masks and more lovely lingerie. Our curious reporter finally gives in to her kink and winds up with the Dannon/Ritani duo, joined by the tasty and new Tyler Marciano. The action here appears relatively unscripted and spontaneous, a feeling affirmed by the behind the scenes footage, cleverly called Undercovering Under the Covers. This wasn’t like any other backstage porn antics. You get to listen in on production glitches and personal moments, as opposed to the usual giggly confessionals and vapid starlet interviews. You’ll even get a peek into Royalle’s apartment, where we meet her cats. It was a much more authentic peek that gives a much clearer idea of what shooting a porn video is actually like and it only enhanced my enjoyment of the film.

As a confession, Candida and Jamye are both friends of mine. I’ve partied with Sativa and Johnny Dannon and recognized a few familiar faces in the Masked Ball scene, even behind their feathers. I had friends on the set, producing music and assisting with lighting, so I suppose you could say I can’t be very objective. But I have watched sooooo many porn movies and I can say it’s really nice to see one that isn’t either a low-budget hack job or a big-budget vanity piece, but just a heartfelt piece of filmmaking. It’s also refreshing to see so many real boobs, hear some well thought-out dialogue and get a few laughs. Not to mention sexual inspiration. It’s no wonder Candida Royalle is the industry’s most respected female director. Hooray!

[Written Feb. 2007]