Bordello Blues Review

Cast: Devinn Lane, Ava Vincent, Renee La Rue, Inari Vachs, Gwen Summers, Alex Foxe, Chris Cannon, Michael J. Cox, Mickey G. and Ian Daniels.

Director: Wesley Emerson

Production date: 7/18/00

Length: 83 min.

Extras: Full motion chapter indexing, commentary by Devinn Lane and Wesley Emerson, 17-min. behind-the-scenes featurette, 15 trailers, 6 audio bios, slide show with 31 stills, plus various promotional materials for Wicked studio.

Audio/visual quality: The focus is slightly soft in places, but overall quite good. Lighting is adequate. Crew members are infrequently visible along the edges of the set or outside the windows. Enhanced motion appears here and there. A strong and typically fast beat drives the music. The "dance floor" groove is occasionally not to my taste, but overall, it's very listenable and well-balanced with the sex sounds. Some commentary on the optional audio track has been censored for legal reasons (for example, the sound cuts out when Devinn begins to name the owner of the car driven by her character).

Why I chose this DVD: What's good for the goose is good for the gander. I like male anal stimulation scenes, and I knew beforehand that Bordello Blues includes one.

First impression: It's not all I was hoping for, but objectively speaking, it's still a good couples' feature.

Scene highlights: Devinn Lane's husband has recently died, leaving her in dire financial straits. She drives out from Beverly Hills to check on her only inheritance, a ranch-style house in Nevada. Devinn steps out of her car dressed in a conservative gray cardigan, dark-rimmed glasses and clunky shoes. Ava Vincent answers the door in a black lacy bra and panties, and Devinn faints after learning her only tangible asset is a bordello named Mount Joy.

In scene one, bordello girl Renee La Rue meets her client Chris Cannon in a large, pink-tiled bathtub. She rinses his body with wine from her glass and poses provocatively in the water. He warms her up with oral attention (including rimming, but the camera angle doesn't allow a direct view). They follow with vaginal in reverse cowgirl and anal in missionary and doggie. There's a cutaway shot (no ass-to-mouth), and Renee gives Chris a blowjob until he comes on her face. It's not a bad scene, yet it doesn't hold my interest. Chris' style strikes me as somewhat reserved--although as Devinn points out on the commentary track, a bit of restraint in anal positions is probably a good thing. It also bothers me to see a drop of blood clinging to Renee's perineum while they do the anal doggie. Hopefully, it's only menstrual blood (since she doesn't seem to be in pain), but it almost looks like it's dribbling out of her anus.

Alex Foxe is all dolled up in red, but she's helping client Michael J. Cox stay in the black. She strokes his hair and offers stock market advice as he licks and massages her pussy. Although the actors weren't acquainted before this scene, they seem to establish an emotional as well as a physical connection. The action includes missionary, cowgirl and reverse cowgirl. The cameraman captures a pleasing shot of their faces touching as they work together in missionary. Alex gives Michael a blow job, and her hand work causes a voluminous pop on her chest and belly. "Is that all of it?" she teases. "Give me five minutes," he replies. According to the commentary, this is Alex's first-ever b/g scene, and I find it both tender and very sexy.

The next scenario creeps me out a little. Gwen Summers plays a licensed massage therapist who relies on prostitution to pay her bills. Devinn has gone to her late husband's bedroom to rest and consider the brothel's future, and Gwen enters under the pretense of providing an innocent massage. She gradually coaxes Devinn into a sexual encounter to "relieve her tension," thereby convincing her that the brothel is a worthwhile cause (not exactly plausible, but then again, it's porn). A therapist (of any kind) who manipulates a client for financial motives is not a fantasy of mine, but I give credit to the actresses for somehow keeping the chemistry light and playful. Gwen uses her tongue and a g-spot vibrator, which makes an intriguing little buzzing sound when it hits Devinn's hood ring. Devinn returns the "favor" by giving oral and finger stimulation to Gwen.

Devinn decides to diversify the menu of services at Mount Joy by capitalizing on her employees' many talents (one's a CPA, another's a broker, etc.). She applies for the necessary business licenses, which draws the attention of local supervisor Mickey G. It's an election year for Mickey, so he sends legal assistant Inari Vachs to spy on the brothel. Inari applies for a job at Mount Joy and gets busy that same night with Ian Daniels. They start with oral for her, followed by doggie, cowgirl, two missionary variations, a blowjob and a facial. Good news: Inari's eyes roll back in her head. Bad news: Ian wears white socks and gym shoes through the entire scene. (Well, I guess that's the advantage of sweat pants--they come off in a hurry without all the fuss and bother of untying shoelaces!)

Three weeks later, Mickey arrives at the brothel to get Inari's report. But she has revealed his sleazy intentions to co-madams Ava and Devinn, and they pair him off with Renee instead. Renee takes Mickey to the "Marquis Room," which is secretly wired for "video souvenirs." They enjoy a few minutes of 69 before Devinn quietly slips through the door. She pulls off her mini-skirt to release her strap-on. Devinn doesn't use it immediately; instead she puts her hands on Renee's hips and guides her moves in doggie. Renee and Mickey then go to missionary while Devinn sits on Renee's face. Devinn and Mickey maintain great eye contact the whole time. She then blindfolds him, rolls him onto his back and penetrates him. This is exactly what Mickey wants, and he's quite happy when Devinn starts thrusting harder. He adds some hand work and ejaculates on his stomach. The commentary indicates that this scene is rather controversial for Wicked. If so, I salute them; it's hot, yet still tastefully done.

With compromising video footage in hand, the women have no more concerns about Mickey shutting their business down. Ava and Devinn celebrate by becoming more than "just friends." They retreat to a bedroom, where they kiss, engage in oral sex and stimulate each other with fingers and two different vibes. The two look very striking as they nurture one another in this pleasant scene.

Thumbs up: I've watched the main menu animation repeatedly just for the great theme music and blue-tinted glamour photos of Devinn Lane. Both the commentary and the behind-the-scenes featurette are valuable additions to the disc. And I hope I'm not beating this point into the ground, but I do think the strap-on scene with Mickey G. is a lot of fun.

Thumbs down: The heat feels very uneven to me. I am aware that my preferences are becoming more defined over time (this is my ninth review), so my goal is to provide enough information that each reader can decide for him or herself. From my personal perspective, however, only half of these scenes actually turned me on.

A minor peeve: the house used for this location needs some screen doors. I don't mean to nitpick, but I am distracted by the sheer number of insects that land on naked flesh in this movie. The performers must have nerves of steel; I don't think anyone ever flinches or tries to shoo the flies away.

Themes: Straight, lesbian, three-way, anal, rimming (male to female), male anal stimulation, facials, toys (strap-on, vibrators).

Condom use: Yes, in every b/g scene. That makes sense, though, since the action takes place at a brothel.

Juice-o-meter: Medium.

Final analysis: This movie is worth a look if you appreciate couples' fare or if you're a fan of any of the stars. The acting and technical qualities are above average, and much of the chemistry is very good.

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