True Lesbian - Lilith Likes to Watch

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Title: True Lesbian
Year: 2020

Starring: Alina Lopez, Kendra Spade, Angela White, Jay Taylor, Khloe Kapri, Gia Derza 

Director: Bree Mills

Synopsis:  Relatable queer stories of lesbian curiosity, excitement, hesitance, and seduction...and just like in real life, some end in happy endings and others in heartbeak. - Via AdultEmpire.com.

Lilith's Notes: Sometimes you just need hot lesbian content.

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  "Just Feel it."

This film was very refreshing. It was exactly what I needed after feeling a bit of burn-out while focusing on my novellas. There are only so many hours in a day and I had been compounded by the weight of each of them lately.

True Lesbian is an anthology consisting of three shorts. As I have for other series of this type, I will review them each in their own section.

What Sets Us Apart

Kendra Spade and Alina Lopez play two Mormon missionary ladies who find themselves at odds with their faith and their love for one another. It is an achingly touching story and it actually made me feel feelings. It's extremely rare for me to feel emotions in porn other than disgust, amusement, or vague admiration. I either like the story or I don't. The sex is hot or it isn't. The production values are cheap, or they aren't. I can name right now four times porn has made me feel things with my heart. (Perspective, Teenage Lesbian, and Safe Word. Two of those are Bree Mills movies.)

Kendra Spade, whom I've previously been luke-warm on, is absolutely stellar in this. Alina Lopez is always good but rises to the occasion to meet Spade at every emotional turn and it comes across on the screen. The ladies are amazing to watch and you can't look away as they cry real tears and pray to their god to give them strength during this difficult mission. There's more intimacy and eroticism as they hold hands than an entire sex scene. The graphic sex is just a bonus.

This is the kind of scene you show when you want to argue porn is more than just getting off, that porn has bad acting or no acting. This story is a goddamn fucking tragedy and fuck you for making me feel feelings and suddenly getting an ex-Mormon kink!

It's got nice, appropriate music, the costumes are good, the sets look meager and pious rather than cheap and it's shot beautifully, with cool blues and warm rosy pinks.

I have literally nothing bad to say about this. Other than it ends. It is tender, loving, passionate, forbidden, moving, emotional, impactful, and just astounding.

5/5.

Show Me Your Room

This one is much more contemporary and straight forward. Jay Taylor plays Masie, an unhappy housewife with secret sapphic tendencies. Tonight she's making a dinner for her husband's boss and her wife Andrea. As soon as they arrive, Masie is instantly attracted to Andrea, and who wouldn't be? She's played by Angela White.

After a bit of polite dinner time banter, Andrea asks for a house tour. She toys with Masie and they end up in the master bedroom together.

What can I say? It's Angela White giving another woman her first lesbian experience. It's great. It's just what one should want out of this set-up.

Here's the thing about Angela White. It's very easy to film her incorrectly, to fetishize her. The camera remains respectful, and full of admiration for her amazing charisma and physique.

Jay Taylor's body is full of little skips and twitches, she comes across as hyper-sensitive, easily stimulated, and she's completely at the mercy of White. Or is she? Enthusiastic consent is woven through this entire scene and it gives Jay the control over every little thing. I enjoy that porn is paying more attention to this. It's one way to the path of normalizing it.

I once more felt feelings during this. Not to the extent of the first short, but they were there. I was so happy for Masie to have her sexual desires thoroughly fulfilled by a kind, beautiful sex goddess. There was real "Oh my God I can't believe this is really happening," energy to it. It felt very real.

Is it perfect? No. The audio levels are unbalanced and I had to keep raising and lowering the volume. The sex scene has no music. One could imagine music from the dining room floating into the bedroom, hiding the passionate moans. It would have added a sense of danger and realism.

Also, it runs just a touch too long. Near the end I felt the women were losing energy. Cut maybe five minutes of it.

But I suppose Angela White having too much lesbian sex on my screen is a good problem to have.

4/5

Just Spend The Night

This one was by far the least enjoyable.

Obviously it's good to work through our issues in a healthy way. And obviously LGBT kids in the 90's had a rough time, but I've already seen this director tell this story. It was called Teenage Lesbian and it's one of my favourite adult films ever made.

Khloe Kapri plays Charlie, a high-school graduate lesbian who drives her 19 year old sister to a sleepover with other 19 year olds. There Charlie is branded "LEZ" on her forehead in lipstick by the other girls. While Charlie washes it off in the bathroom, Eden, played by Gia Derza, walks in to check on her and the two ladies fuck.

We're made to believe that Eden doesn't fuck girls and Charlie probably hasn't had many experiences but they're balancing on bathroom appliances, fucking like porn stars and just…eh. There is commentary in here about how vicious women can be to one another but it's kind of over before it starts.

Also, Brooklyn Gray is in this and she doesn't fuck anybody.

Might I have enjoyed this scene more if the movie started with this? Maybe. It had two very tough acts to follow and it lives in the shadow of the acclaimed Teenage Lesbian. If the film had started with this story I might actually have liked the other two even more, as impossible as that sounds.

3/5.

Best Moment: The finger interlaced hand-holding in the Mormon story. It was then I knew I was in for something special.

Worst Moment: The porny-ness of the third story. It could have been some sweet lesbian bath time together or something.

 
LILITH'S SCORE: 4.5/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

Love Emergency - Lilith Likes to Watch

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Title: Love Emergency
Year: 2019

Starring: Kenzie Reeves, Tommy Pistol, Riley Steele, Sarah Vandella, Nia Nacci, Scarlett Bloom, Jake Adams 

Director: Will Ryder

Synopsis: A college dropout named Vinny, living in his mom and step-dad’s basement, applies for a janitor position at the local hospital after he meets a beautiful nurse. Life gets flipped upside down when his idiot friend hacks the computer and he mistakenly gets hired as an emergency room trauma surgeon. Love, sex and hilarious mayhem ensue during his quest to remain employed so he can win the girl's affection.

- Via AdultEmpire.com.

Lilith's Notes: It won 4 AVN Awards and 3 XBIZ Awards in 2020 including Best Comedic Screenplay and Comedy of the Year.

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"Yeah, cum used to do that to me. Not anymore. I LOVE Jizz."

In early 2020 I had an ambitious plan. I was going to watch and review all of the 2020 Nightmoves films and review them in one big video.

Then, 2020 happened. Covid. Pornhub got scrutinized, and sites were reworking how they operated. My monumental review ended up on the back burner.

Well, by the time you read this, I will have endured my first vaccine against Covid, so I thought why not post a medical-themed review!

So here's Love Emergency. 

I was looking forward to this film. I enjoy Kenzie Reeves. There’s something about her I find charming. She seems very easy going, but cheeky. She was a bright spot in this film. It wasn’t a bad movie by any means, but it was just so serviceable that there’s not much to say about it. I know I snickered at a joke or two but for the life of me I can’t remember what they were. The performances were good and everyone seemed to be having a great time and riffed well off one another.

Jake Adams was fun as Vinny’s trouble making best friend Griff. Tommy Pistol was good at deadpan delivery, and it was all just...fine.

It was far better than Captain Marvel XXX, but even then, I remembered the jokes in that movie.

It was a solid movie, probably great if you’re stoned, just nothing to ruminate over.

Best Moment: Kenzie Reeves’ presence.

Worst Moment: There’s a vile poop joke. I looked away from the screen and took off my earphones while it was happening. That’s a hard nope from me.

 
LILITH'S SCORE: 2/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

The Voyeur AKA L'uomo Che Guarda - Lilith Likes to Watch

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Title: The Voyeur (AKA L'uomo Che Guarda)
Year: 1994
Starring: Katarina Vasilissa, Francesco Casale, Cristina Garavaglia Director: Tinto Brass
Synopsis: A troubled college professor becomes obsessed with the idea that his emotionally distant wife is having an affair with his invalid father. - Via IMDB
Lilith's Notes: It's a Tinto Brass movie, but merely one of many.

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"He makes me say I'm his sow."

There comes a moment in every cinephile-erotique's life when they have to really commit. They can't just sit on their laurels and say "Of course I know who Tinto Brass is. I've seen Caligula. Twice!"

So, anyway, of course I know who Tinto Brass is. I've watched The Voyeur.

Eduardo's father Alberto (Played by Franco Branciaroli) is ailing and his wife Silvia (Played by Katarina Vasilissa) is emotionally distant. So of course Eduardo (Played by Francesco Casale) thinks they're fucking one another. Instead of discussing things like a mature adult, he pontificates on the nature of voyeurism with the college class he teaches, and falls down a metaphorical void of existential dread while stirring eggs or having dreams about his mother.

Our hero, ladies and gentlemen.

I don't really know what to say about this one. Maybe it's a case of things getting lost in translation. It's not bad. At times it's quite good, but it didn't really grab me the way I think it wanted to.

As far as lost in translation goes, the music in this is horrendous. It's all comedic wah wah trumpets that I think are supposed to be sexy but it's not. It's all very, very doofy.

Second of all, there was a completely off-putting scene were a woman from Africa (Played by Raffaella Offidani) points out that she had undergone female genital mutilation and equates it to losing her virginity. It stunned me, and completely pulled me out of the film. Maybe it was a different time? Maybe it's not considered a human right's violation in 90s Italy? It was just so weird.

Fortunately, the movie is quite lovely. The clothes are absolutely beautiful, with a lot of semi-sheer, gauzy fabric that outlines the silhouette of the women who wear these fluttering nightgowns. Or tops so loose women just casually fall out of them, breast first, and no one bats an eye or tries for a grope. Tea sets that are so petite they're precious. Panties are emblazoned with shimmering detail, and everyone's eyes just shine so bright. The film looks good, if not a bit luke-warm-80's-leftovers.

In a moment of despondent curiosity, Eduardo spies on his ailing father with his provocative nurse Fausta (Played by Cristina Garavaglia) through the window. The scene is fractured, kaleidoscopic and there's plenty of opportunity to see what one wants to see, and maybe not what actually is. Later in the film, Eduardo is at the cinema with his wife Silvia and on screen the actor is looking through a window much like Eduardo himself had done scenes previous. It was an interesting attention to detail but I almost wish the set pieces were reversed. It's presented without commentary, Eduardo doesn't notice the echoing motif and I know it was purposeful but I just sort of ask…why? If the characters see no deeper meaning, and the audience has nothing to draw from it, it just comes across as the director thinking himself clever.

I think this was trying to be some deep dive into the psyche of a man detached from passion and intimacy but I didn't have a lot of sympathy for Eduardo. Maybe next time, don't marry a woman that looks like your mother, buddy.

Best Moment: Any time Silvie was getting dressed or undressed. Katarina Vasilissa is an absolutely stunning woman.

Worst Moment: I didn't even discuss the gay pervert physiotherapist character. Imagine Mario but he can't keep his fingers off old-man dick. Also, they used prosthetic dicks in this film.

LILITH'S SCORE: 2/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

Adelaide - Lilith Likes to Watch

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Title: Adelaide
Year: 2019
Starring: Gianna Dior, Khloe Kapri, Seth Gamble, Codey Steele
Director: Whitney Wright
Synopsis: Adelaide has a cold, sharp, cool demeanor, and it's difficult for even a talented psychiatrist, like Dr. Roman, to figure her out. She's spun her web and Dr. Roman walked right into it. Can he resist her seduction? Can anyone? - Via AdultEmpire.com
Lilith's Notes: It’s written and directed by Whitney Wright and was nominated for Best Feature Production for the 2020 Nightmoves Awards

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"Look what you’ve done."

Dr. Roman is a psychiatrist with a seemingly happy marriage and a thriving practice. Enter Adelaide, a troubled young woman who enjoys leaning into scandalous talk and over-sharing.

 
Have you ever experienced that feeling when you know you should like something more than you do? That’s Adelaide, for me, anyway.

Dr. Roman and his wife, Holly, are trying for a baby, and right away I’m critical. “Put a baby in me” is a plot that doesn’t lend itself to cum shots or facials. Fortunately, Khloe Kapri remembers her character’s motivation and not a bit of jizz goes to waste.

 
Then, we meet Adelaide. It’s established that Adelaide’s father isn’t in the picture anymore and she has a poor relationship with the rest of her family.

 
The next appointment, Adelaide arrives early and finds another of Dr. Roman’s patients. He has been dumped by his girlfriend and Adelaide propositions him. They fuck the way Adelaide likes it: Hard and rough. The scene goes on for almost an hour. How long do sex scenes have to be, really?

Dr. Roman investigates Adelaide and discovers her files were incomplete and the doctor that was tending to her was in a terrible accident. This, combined with the “daddy isn’t in the picture” point stuck in my brain and led me down a path of expectation that went unfulfilled.

Adelaide discovers a secret about Dr. Roman’s wife and seduces her. The two fuck on a couch and Dr. Roman walks in to see them nude. Holly tries to apologize and Adelaide gets dressed and casually leaves the scene.

What follows is the best scene of the film. Holly and Adelaide both draw baths for themselves and the shots switch back and forth between the two women. Adelaide enjoys a good sexy soak while Holly grabs a bottle of pills.

Dr. Roman goes to Adelaide’s home and sees a shrine to her own insanity and fixation of him on her wall. They fuck. What’s nice about this scene is that it’s more tender than the previous sex scenes. He gave in and he was all she wanted. He calmed her wild streak.

There’s an orchestral score that plays during the film and it’s really nice. It’s elegant but at times ominous and intense. It sets the mood for the whole thing really well, especially during the aforementioned bath scene.

But, this movie is a valley of set ups with no pay off. The movie established Adelaide’s father was gone, so I honestly expected a twist where Dr. Roman turned out to be Adelaide’s father and that she knew that. But it never happened. I was set up for something that never had any pay off and I’m left unsatisfied. If this were a mainstream film I would suspect that this was an issue of studio interference. It’s just full of these dangling threads.

This had potential. If I was here purely for physical want and a desire to simply get off, then this is probably fine but I can see what this could have been and it just falls short. It looks good, it sounds great, and that one bathtub montage was inspired, but I just wanted more.


Best Moment: The bath tub sequence.

Worst Moment: Holly and Dr. Roman don’t interact since the scene were he finds her fucking Adelaide. That plotline isn’t fully resolved.

LILITH'S SCORE: 3/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

9 Songs - Lilith Likes to Watch

Title: 9 Songs Year: 2004 Starring: Margo Stilley, Kieran O'Brien Director: Michael Winterbottom Synopsis: In London, intense sexual encounters take place between an American college student, named Lisa, and an English scientist, named Matt, between attending rock concerts. - Via IMDB Why it is Notable: One of the most sexually explicit mainstream films. It showcases actual unsimulated sex between the two lead actors.

"Sometimes when you kiss me, I want to bite you."

I've made mention in other reviews that I have no formal education in film, film critique, or any other art-form. So, I'm fully prepared to admit there's a big chance that I'm simply missing something. In reality, I'm just here because I have thoughts and I want to share them. I also want to elevate exceptional films that might otherwise go un-noticed, and deflate arrogant bullshit that's too puffed up on its own ego.

If you follow my social media, you know that I'm writing a series of novellas that take place in a fictional, Hollywood-type city. Each book deals with a different aspect of fame, and most of it is musically themed. This is why I chose to review 9 Songs. It was thematically relevant to my interests.

Matt, played by Kieran O'Brien, and Lisa, played by Margo Stilley, are lovers in London who spend their time fucking, going to concerts and either arguing or acting ambivalent toward one another. They're unlikable people and they have nothing keeping them together except for sex. Even the concerts they attend, there's nothing special about them. They don't discuss music, or seem to feed off the energy of a live show, or talk with other fans or anything. The bands, the titular nine songs, it's all incidental.

The first sex scene is, I think, trying to be artistic, with use of heavy shadow. Unfortunately the end result is grainy and hard to make out what's going on. There' s a difference between shadow and absolute darkness.

In contrast, there is an incredibly beautiful sex scene that takes place in the kitchen/dining room area. 

Morning light streams in through the window and bathes the couple in gold. It's beautiful and the highlight of the film. She begs for him to come inside her. Remember that.

After some more sex scenes, Matt asks Lisa if they'd ever fuck without a condom. But, I assumed that morning sex was condom-free given the way she was begging him to come inside her. Of course, it's easily hand-waved away but it pulled me out of the film and made me overthink things. That's not why I'm here.

The filming for the concerts is bland and uninspired. As a framing device, the concerts don't work at all. It renders the entire movie choppy and disconnected. There's no meaning or weight given to bands, songs or lyrics. At least, not in a way that's accessible to the average viewer. Most of the songs sounded the exact same to me.

It's not all bad, there was an inspired scene where Matt straps Lisa's hands to the headboard, and blindfolds her. He slowly toys with her, until Lisa begs Matt to fuck her. Lisa has no patience. Savor the moment!

Other than sex, the only time they share tenderness is when Lisa reads to Matt while they're in bed together. This happens twice and it's sweet and feels like an organic couples experience.

Tensions rise between the two after they go to a strip club where Lisa seemed to enjoy the attention of the stripper, and Matt leaves a fit of silent, simmering jealousy. From there, Lisa spends more time with her vibrator than with Matt.

 
Finally, Lisa tells Matt she's returning to the USA for a year. They never see each other again.

Sure, this could be a tale of one intense romance between star-crossed lovers from different worlds, who find connection through a shared love of musical expression. Like a porn version of Guardians of the Galaxy. But the connective tissue is not there at all. This movie is an excuse to get people to fuck on film and call it art, and progressive, and transgressive, and provocative.

That's not a story, that's a sex tape.

Best Moment: The morning kitchen/dining room sex scene.

Worst Moment: The concert scenes. Oh, the irony.

LILITH'S SCORE: 2.5/5 - I waffled between a 2 and a 2.5, but the morning sex scene and the blindfolding bumped it up a little.

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

Primary - Lilith Likes to Watch

Title: Primary Year: 2020 Starring: Ana Foxxx, Kira Noir, Small Hands, Penny Pax, Derrick Pierce Director: Casey Calvert Synopsis:  Follow two polyamorous couples who share passionate sex with their partners whilst also engaging in steamy relations with other characters as the simultaneous storylines coincide and connect. Via Lust Cinema Why it is Notable: Directorial debut of Casey Calvert and nominated for several XBIZ and AVN awards. Winner of AVN 2021's Best Supporting Actress for Kira Noir and XBIZ 2021's Best All Female Sex Scene.

"Is this okay?"

We have a lot to go through so let's just dive in, shall we?
Two couples are out on dates. The first couple, played by Derrick Pierce and Penny Pax, are enjoying a night at a restaurant while the other, Small Hands and Ana Foxxx, are meeting for a blind date at a food truck.

Ana Foxxx takes Small Hands home and we learn she is married to Derrick Pierce.

I had completely forgotten what this series was about and that reveal was a good twist. They bury the lede nicely.

We watch Derrick Pierce fuck Penny Pax. The sex us good and feels relatively human while still being porny. It helps that the first porn scene is performed by Penny Pax, a woman with natural beauty and gentle charisma. There's something incredibly genuine about her. Its filmed nicely, with great warm lighting and a nice use of shadows.


Episode two opens with Kira Noir, girlfriend to Small Hands, trying to pick out what to wear for a night on the town. She goes to a bar with Small Hands watching over her to make sure she's safe. She goes home with Michael Vega.

As the scene goes on, Vega is constantly, consistently asking if his actions are alright. He's checking in, he's acquiring consent for his actions, and it's sweet and breezy and doesn't break the flow of the scene. It doesn't kill the mood or break immersion for the audience. Consent is sexy.

They fuck, and it seems very focused on the woman's pleasure. Then again, Kira Noir almost always seems to be legitimately enjoying herself. She just erupts into giggles and its very sweet. Sure, some scenes are more performative than others, but she nearly always looks like she's happy to be there. 

There were two noticeable close ups during this scene. One was when Vega was fingering Kira Noir. It didn't look porny so much as almost instructional. Are we learning something here?

The other close up was a really adorable shot where Vega's foot was pressed against Kira's foot. Little things such as that make this series stand out.

Episode three opens with Ana Foxxx fucking Isiah Maxwell. It is, so far, the most porny scene. Up until this point the series has at least introduced us to characters before they fuck, or established all the relationships. Not here. Until stated otherwise, I had made up my own connection between these two. He trains her dog.

We eventually learn they have some sort of connection stemming from the past and he sees her whenever he's in town. Then he leaves the series, never to be seen or heard from again.

Meanwhile, Derrick Pierce goes on a date with Penny Pax who is being a motor mouth and complains about her husband. When Derrick Pierce gets home to Ana, he complains about how exhausting she is. Ana sticks up for Penny's husband, she and Derrick get in a spat, and Ana goes to visit Small Hands. They discuss boundaries, and secrets, and Kira Noir gets home.

Cliffhanger!

In episode four, Small Hands, Kira, Ana and another girl played by Serena Blair go to an escape room. Small Hands doesn't get a single clue. It's a long, extended scene of people mostly walking around confused, and talking over each other. Also they give away the entire escape room.

After their great escape, Ana, who is Small Hand's date, asks if she could join Kira and Serena. She does.

The viewer is now witness to the epic coital meeting of Ana Foxxx and Kira Noir. A fuck long time coming. I'm not sure if this is the first on-screen scene they've performed together but it's certainly the first I've seen and it was well worth the wait. Poor Serena is a little under-loved in this scene, but she, and her tongue, is a trouper! Overall, it's a really good threesome which the series builds nicely and has a plot-progressing payoff. It's not just threesome for threesome's sake. (unlike Threesome.)

Episode five begins with a yelling match between Small Hands and Kira, about how she effectively stole his date, how he was trying to make him jealous, and all manner of things. She leaves the house and goes to hook up with some random guy.

 
She meets the guy at his place and to say that he comes on strong is an understatement. He wastes no time kissing her while she tries to at least get to know him a little.

Kira is almost attacked. She isn't, but I'm glad she got out of there because I didn't want this to get too Requiem for a Dream-y. I think this series is trying to be honest and open minded and I'd hate for it to suddenly shift into the viewpoint of "immoral thing is fun and great until IT'S NOT!"

And I like some non-con stuff, I just need to be notified in advance.

In contrast to this, Ana makes love to her husband and that's good because we get to see their loving relationship. There are obvious rules in place. Things only they share. Like butt-stuff!

For the finale, Ana confronts Penny, and tries to educate her on the dynamics of open relationships. She doesn't love Derrick, she just thinks she does. Kira and Small Hands talk and decide they would like to try a threesome. Then, they have make-up sex where he comes inside her.

Primary is an illuminating look at modern relationships. It touches on what feel like actual conflicts and revelations for these kind of lifestyles. It doesn’t romanticize and it doesn't vilify. It comes across as honest and frank. The sex scenes are well shot and feel relatively natural while still being just fantastical enough to still be titillating.

Best Moment: That foot thing. I'm not even a foot person but it was just another form of intimate connection through physical contact.

Worst Moment: The Ana Foxxx/Isaiah Maxwell scene. It was the most porny, it took up most the episode's run time, and wasn't as fleshed out as the other couples in the series.

LILITH'S SCORE: 4/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

Fantasex - Lilith Likes to Watch

Title: Fantasex Year: 1976 Starring: Jeffrey Hurst, Terri Hall, Jennifer Jordan Director: Roberta Findlay, Cecil Howard Synopsis: A shy, sex-obsessed young man and a plain young woman both work for a publisher of dirty books. When they get tired of being pushed around at work, they turn to violence against their employer and his secretary to get revenge. - Via IMDB. Why it is Notable: It was co-directed by a woman director and features Terri Hall.

"My whole body shook as I emptied my cargo." 

Bernard, played by Jeffrey Hurst, is a nebbish editor or slush-reader at a publisher of dirty novels. He secretly crushes on his co-worker Jane, played by Terri Hall. He's pushed around by his boss, and at home he endures and overbearing mother. His only escape are the dark, sexual fantasies in his mind. 

 
I picked this because, hey, I like dirty books. I read dirty books. I write dirty books. This plot could be fun. The protagonist is a reader for a publisher of erotic novels and he imagines himself in the stories. What more could I want?

Oh, I don't know. Likable characters? Interesting sex scenes? Competent ADR?

First of all, the IMDB summery is a lie. They never get revenge on their secretary or boss. That's all tucked safely away in fantasy sequences. Either whoever wrote that summery fundamentally misunderstood the film or something went over my head.

This movie was boring, and as readers would know by now, boring me is a cardinal sin. It was so boring that, even when they implemented a twisted circus fantasy, I didn't care. How badly do you have to fuck up to make a sexy circus boring?

There was a non-con fantasy segment and it felt sleazy and gross. The actress, Jennifer Jordan, was shaking, and shivering and she didn't look like she was enjoying herself at all. Honestly I refuse to believe she's that good of an actor. It wasn't fun.

Terri Hall is always welcomed, but she wasn't used to her full potential here. She was mostly relegated to sloppy blowjobs and unimaginative cowgirling. The one time she shone was during the circus scene, where she's bent backward over a table and sucking one guy off while a woman eats her out.

Even a sweet wedding night fantasy is boring. 

Jeffrey Hurst eats out women like he's being forced to lick a lemon. There's very little gusto or interest. The dirty books, read in voice over while the action takes place on screen, are badly written. They're the kind of stuff you'd expect to read in the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. 

I wish I liked this, for so many reasons. Not least of all that it was written and directed by a woman. That's something of note, since it was rare back then for women to be behind the camera rather than in front of it. I suppose, if anything, Roberta Findlay did a good job chameleoning her way through the industry. This porn definitely sounds like it was written by men.

Also, look at that poster. It's so beautiful it makes me angry.  

I've seen the Fantasex concept done better, in a little movie called Nightdreams.

Utterly disappointing.

Best Moment: There was some cool 70s graphic wallpaper that I really dug. I want it. Also, Terri Hall.

Worst Moment: The pacing. The Sex. I was bored. 

LILITH'S SCORE: 1/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

Safe Word - Lilith Likes to Watch

Title: Safe Word Year: 2020 Starring: Mona Wales, Mickey Mod, Nina Hartley Director: Erika Lust Synopsis: Christie is an uptight theatre director who embarks on an unexpected journey into the world of BDSM when a new neighbour, Mickey Mod, moves in to her building and sparks a dormant desire within her. - Via Lust Cinema Why it is Notable: It's nominated for AVN Best BDSM Movie or Anthology, and several XBIZ awards including Feature Movie of the Year. It won XBIZ Best Screenplay award.

"I want to book you."

I have never agreed with the philosophy that one must love themselves before they can love another person, or expect to be able to be loved. I am a fucking mess. Everybody is in one way or another. In my case, there are things about me that I can never change, and will never love, and the people who love me see beyond those bullshit things anyway. Because they are a part of me, and no amount of self-love will change that.

Lucky for me, I honed a sharp wit and effervescent personality. But, I can be a lot.

Then came Safe Word, a four episode mini-series by Erika Lust, and it's the closest I've come to buying in to the possibility of self-love and whole acceptance.

Christie, played by Mona Wales, is a writer-director for the stage and she's trying to bring her theatrical vision to life. She's sharp and snappish, and nothing seems to be going her way. Her actors are making a mockery of her work and there's a leak in her apartment ceiling. She goes up to the apartment above to yell about the leak to her upstairs neighbour Mickey, played by Mickey Mod, but instead come across a bound woman played by Julia Roca.

Thinking she came across something disturbing Christie begins to dial the police but stops, and hides in a closet. She watches Mickey and the woman and realizes this is consensual, and stays, enamored, as they explore BDSM with him firmly in control.

The first episode sets the plot and feel of the series, with good use of light and shadow. It introduces us to most of the major players of the film. The bulk of the episode's runtime relishes in the scene of Mickey and Julia's fun. The scene takes its time, and lovingly watches Mickey tease and torment Julia. There is a modicum of restraint though, as the scene very rarely cuts back to Christie. When we do see her, she's enraptured and never shown masturbating or anything, like one would think. The entire encounter is well-paced and much more interesting to experience than the typical 30 minute fuck-fest so common in porn nowadays.

Things pick up even more in episode two. Christie has become enthralled with Mickey's activities and she finds one of his videos online, where he dominates another woman. Christie follows along with the video, dripping ice on her nipples where Mickey plays with ice, or chokes herself as Mickey chokes his partner. The energy of the entire scene is high and yet somehow it still manages to build. There's a tense anticipation as Christie picks up a lit candle and, with a shaking hand, contemplates dripping hot wax on her own skin. Will she do it? Will she relent? If she does it, will she like it? Or has she taken herself too far? There's a sense of escalation to the scene, an arc, and it ramps up the intensity. It like an action sequence and it was a more exciting scene than most modern action films. 

 
Episode three is the highlight of the whole series. Christie goes to meet a dominatrix for a session. She lays out what's acceptable, and what her limits are. She doesn't want to be talk to like a child, and she doesn't want to be hit in the face. Some spitting might be alright, though. The Madame, played by Nina Hartley, tells Christie to put her face on the ground and stay there until she returns. I initially thought the entire episode was just going to be that shot, which would be an interesting idea and I've been fine with that. But no, the Madame returns shortly and she and Christie goes through the session, guiding and teaching Christie the ways as they go. It's a phenomenal scene over all but what really sets it apart is one stellar moment. The Madame tells Christie to repeat after her and one would expect the Madame to say something like "I'm a slut." or "I'm a good slave.", but what she does make Christie say is so affirming and makes Christie smile so brightly she practically glows. And it made me think there might be something to this whole self-acceptance thing. I won't spoil it here, but you'll know it when you see it. 

 
After the session, Christie knocks on Mickey's door and tells him she wants to book a session with him.

The final episode is good, but it's not to the level of episodes two and three. Christie goes to a fetish club hosted by Madame, where Mickey is the lead dom. The location they filmed this is an industrial work of art in and of itself. Large and cavernous but architecturally intriguing, with pillars that seem to float horizontally serving as a coiling stairway into this exclusive underworld. Whoever was the location scout deserves respect. The fun begins and Mickey selects Christie to be his slave and subjects her to all manner of caining, flogging, choking, and fucking. It's a good scene but it has the same energy throughout. I was expecting a return of the ice, or the ropes, some call-backs that were set up in earlier episodes, but that never happened. Christie is taken over her sexual edge and is then embraced by the members of the party and accepted into their group with a symbolic ring that looks like a collar.

Safe Word is amazing. It's daring, and respectful, bold and intimate, honest and open. There's no shame, but it's not shameless. It's resonant and profound and wonderful. It's the antithesis to the 'sex contracts' and abusive notions of BDSM that have been so prevalent in the last decade. It is true BDSM, and it is what the collective consciousness should think of when they think BDSM. Everyone should see this.

Best Moment: That moment when the Madame says those words to Christie. My heart fluttered.

Worst Moment: The worst moment is also the best moment. I can't imagine anything else living up to that moment. Everything else is going to shine just a little less bright now.

LILITH'S SCORE: 5/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.

A MESSAGE FROM LILITH

Hello, I hope you're well.

Due to PornHub's current situation, all Lilith Likes to Watch videos have been removed from PornHub. Previously, we embedded videos from PornHub into the Lilith Likes to Watch reviews but now those reviews can be found on the Lilith K. Duat Fetlife account or XHamster.

Select XHamster hosted videos have been embedded at LilithLikestoWatch.com and can be viewed with the Video Reviews tag.

Stay safe. Wear a mask. It's sexy. 

Underworld - Lilith Likes to Watch Halloween Trick & Treat III

Title: Underworld Year: 2013 Starring: Jessica Drake, Xander Corvus, Asa Akira Director: Brad Armstrong Synopsis: After a robbery gone wrong, Tanya finds herself in a coma-like state, which has her cross into an eerie Underworld, a dream-like purgatory where lost souls go to find out their fate. Along the way she meets a cast of mystical characters, who help guide her on a journey through the Underworld. - Via Adult Empire.com  Why it is Notable: It was featured on the documentary X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time and won 15 awards in 2014

"Get on your knees and beg for your life."


Welcome to the next bit of Lilith Likes to Watch Halloween Trick & Treat. Tonight we're featuring a high-concept, low effort offering from Brad Armstrong about life, death and everything in between. I had a sneaking suspicion this might be bad so I was prepared with an adult beverage.

I heard about Underworld on the documentary X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time. I was intrigued by the visuals, and the concept. They made it sound really profound. It was instantly on the list for a Halloween feature. I was looking forward to this movie for nearly a year. I needed these visuals.

But over the years I've seen visual marvels and I know what pornography is capable of looking like and sounding like. This? This just doesn't do it for me.

The movie starts and we just jump right into sex. There's not much to say about it except the sound mixing or editing or whatever is really weird. There's no music, but the vocalizations are too loud. My laptop master volume was low and I was wearing ear phones and I still felt like the sound was passing through my earphones and out into the room.

At first, Jessica Drake is a better actress in this than she is in Lost Love. During the non-sex scenes, she and Steven St. Croix have chemistry. In the parking garage they're held at gun point. Tanya, played by Jessica Drake, fights back and manages to tear the mask off one of the muggers. She is shot and her boyfriend Brian gets her to the hospital.

In the hospital, Doctor Collins, played by director Brad Armstrong, sneaks into a closet with nurse Julie, played by Presley Hart, and they fuck. The scene itself is fine. The problem, for me, was that it could be in any porno ever. And I'm not a fan of Brad Armstrong's oral technique. The scene just reeked of "I'm the director and I want to fuck this girl". It kills the tension the movie had built up so far. It could and should have been left on the cutting room floor. Nothing of value would have been lost except for another scene to masturbate to.

Tanya is wheeled into an operating room and the doctors begin to work on her. They say words like "innubate". That's not a thing. You mean "intubate".

Tanya wakes in a black void where she's greeted by the tall, dangerous behatted figure Slice, played by Xander Corvus, who seems to be having a ball. Slice takes her through the darkness to a figure named Mecca, played by Julia Ann. Mecca tells her to fight to live and to move forward. Tanya walks off and Mecca gives Slice a blowjob.

This movie still had some good will with me. I liked that the rig around the hospital bed was all twisted up around Mecca in the underworld. It's the bare minimum of parallel symbolism but as I've recently adopted the personal mantra of "You work with what you have to get what you want", well, I admire the effort. Good for them.

The problem is that the movie's lighting and editing is flat and uninspired. It's always top-down white light with no strong shadows or atmosphere. This film would have benefited enormously from colour filters or lens gels. This movie wants to look like a goth horror show but I've seen it done better in nightclubs. Still, the costumes and make up is pretty impressive but the harsh lighting does it no favours.

Tanya moves on and she meets Scarlet, played by Asa Akira. She represents the blood flowing through Tanya's veins. Here, the set design is a little more creative, with red strings threading across the backdrop and crimson waterfall splashing into a pool. Asa Akira looks good. I like her hair, outfit and makeup. They’re fucked by two Blood Studs and I was reminded of the devil male dancers in Elvira's Las Vegas show from Elvira Mistress of the Dark.

Scarlet gives Tanya a cloak and tells her it will protect her. Around this time I'm wondering what sort of dangers she's supposed to be looking out for. Mecca told her to be wary of others, how they're not all helpful. Except Tanya never encounters anyone who wants to harm her until the end. Sure, some of these creepy customers aren't the nicest, and can be rough or sadistically playful but they're all here to help her fight for her life. She never encounters a soothing white light beckoning her to follow, or doubt, or devils or anything. There's nothing to protect her from.

Then she walks across a desert with the anthropomorphic representation of her bones, played by Tommy Gunn, Cameron Lee and Adrianna Luna. She wanders away and her bones pulls out a boner and bone down in Bonetown.

In the real world, they pack Tanya with gauze and in the Underworld, Tanya awakens on a platform in the middle of endless water while above her, the physical representation of gauze, played by Capri Cavanni, does an aerial ballet on white silks. It's a good idea. It communicates the meaning very well. But it goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on and it's shot in a very boring way. Despite being nicely designed, Gauze Girl's costume is very cheap looking. For some reason the acting feels incredibly stilted during this scene. More so than usual. Tanya and Gauze fuck each other and use toys on one another.

Tanya then finds herself stitched to a wall and a sleek, sexy ragdoll named Stitch fucks her with her boy-toy Suture. Asphyxia Noir is clearly having fun in the role of Stitch and this is obviously her fetish bread and butter. The makeup stays on through a very thorough fuck and I am impressed. Suture makes funny orgasm noises and I giggle.

Finally, Tanya encounters Death, played by Derrick Pierce and it's of course what the entire movie's been building up to. Tanya has to fight Death to live. So, she should really fuck the shit out of Death, right? Be the best lay Death has ever had? Make him beg for her to let him rest? Nope. Death does most the work. Death fucks her, she doesn't fuck him. And Death doesn't really use her so much as ...yep...this is a sex scene in a porn movie. Come on, man.

As the doctors work to save Tanya's life, the defibrillation paddles come out. The doctor says clear and a nurse has her hands on the operating table. So that's fun. You can at least try, guys.

Here's the thing. I love a look. If you have an aesthetic, you have me. I will forgive almost anything if you have style. Underworld has the bare minimum of style but it's just not acceptable. Between this and Lost Love, I can say that Brad Armstrong is not an artist, he is a pornographer. Which is fine, it's what we're all here for after all. But I've seen better style in your average Hot Topic.

I don't know if Armstrong was one of those kids who always wanted to be goth but never broke out of the mainstream, or if Jessica Drake just has all these ideas for dark, epic porn tales and Armstrong just points the camera at her to keep her happy. If that's the case, good for both of them. They found success, but it’s mundane success. Whatever the story and wherever that camera is pointing, your flat lighting is doing your wife no favours. Even when Rob Zombie showcases Sherri Moon's ass, he at least selects the most flattering and exciting lighting with which to do it.

The saddest part? I never opened my adult beverage. This movie didn't deserve it.

I watched this sober.


Best Moment: The scene where Mecca gives Slice a blowjob.

Worst Moment: The doctors fucking in the closet. It was needless.

LILITH'S SCORE: 2.5 Out of 5. - It's A Halloween Trick.

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.