Friends (Platinum Media) Review

Reviewed by astroknight  on  5/26/2004

NOTE: This is an amateur video. Amateur and homemade movies don’t have the budget nor the resources of studio porn, and therefore rarely get close to the same quality technically. I’m rating this DVD on the same scale, but most homemade or amateur features would rarely make it above a 3 on the standard scale I use for studio porn for their technical aspects. The performers also aren’t normally the ‘glamour stars’ one expects from studio porn, and instead use people who look like somebody you might encounter in your day to day life. Finally, the camera work has a different feel, as it’s often shot from a tripod or with somebody who doesn’t have the technical training or experience of professional cameramen. That said, amateur and homemade features have a great charm to them, simple because the people in them are doing what they’re doing to have fun and because they enjoy it. All the things that separate them from studio porn contribute to that charm, I hope people will keep that in mind when checking out this review and not just look at the ratings as the ultimate word on this release. Since the technical aspects are normally lacking and there normally isn’t much for extras in amateur features, I’ve weighted my overall rating more heavily towards the sex than I do in most studio porn.

The Little Details

Running Time: 70 min.

Production Date: 2000 - 2003

Director: None credited

Cast: Alisa and Lena

The Short Story

Initial Expectations: Although they aren’t perfect, the movies I’ve seen from Pixie’s Emporium have all been very impressive in their own way. I look forward to every one of them I watch.

Initial Reaction: It’s another winner from Pixies.

Who Should Watch It : Fans of all girl and solo action

Who Should Avoid It: Anybody wanting a lot of nastier action

The Technical Stuff

Audio /Video Quality: The technical aspects are very nice. There isn’t much for audio, but it’s fairly clear and there isn’t much for background noises. The video is also pretty good. There’s a bit of grain, but it’s even and the action is very nicely lit. There’s also a few remnants which rear their ugly head, as well as a few soft focus blurs. For amateur porn, however, it looks and sounds very nice.

Music: There’s a little music between scenes which is a bit loud, but that’s it.

Disc Complaint: There’s a watermark in the lower right corner of the screen. I mention it here because I know that a lot of people really hate watermarks. On the plus side, it’s clear and it stays there consistently throughout the feature so that you can put it out of your mind fairly easily.

Menus: The menus are simple, but work very well. The main menu has a small clip with simple choices which look nice. The chapter menu is very nice, and lets you choose a scene based on a still from each scene with the name of the girl in each scene and what the action is. Although there isn’t a clip from each scene, I think this chapter menu is far superior to what most of the major studios are currently using.

The Feature

Friends features two young girls who apparently know each other a bit. First is Alisa, a very cute brunette with a small tattoo on her back and a pierced navel and hood. Second is Lena, also a brunette but who looks to be a little older and not quite as good looking.

Scene 1 - Alisa

Alisa starts things out shyly playing with herself from under her peach shirt. She gives a few small flashes and reaches inside her white panties to play a little more. She lays back on the bed and lightly diddles herself while rolling around on the bed. Finally she seems to satisfy herself with a small orgasm before the camera fades out.

This is a nice opening scene. Alisa plays to the camera well, but doesn’t ever overdo it. She keeps a nice pace and never seems to rush things or slow them down too much. It’s a realistic feeling scene, and in the end, worked well for me.

Scene 2 - Lena

Lena starts out her scene lubing up a pair of her toys. She works on herself with a vibe while lying back on the bed and lets her other hand drop down to play with her ass. She plays with her ass a bit more before moving in front of the mirror to watch herself. Unfortunately, the thunderstorm is a bit too strong and the scene fades out unfinished.

This is another nicely done scene. I like how the feel of this scene is almost completely different from the other scene, and that it uses toys and a bit of anal. It helps this scene to stand on its own completely, and Lena does a great job of mixing things up and keeping it real herself. This scene is every bit as good as the opening scene despite not appearing to have an orgasm at the end.

Scene 3 - Alisa and Lena

The girls start out the third scene softly kissing each other and letting their fingers run across each other. After they each explore each other a bit they take of their bikini bottoms and keep working each other over down under back and forth. They take a few breaks to kiss before Alisa breaks out Lena’s toy and lubes both it and Lena’s pussy up a bit. She fucks Lena with her toy before sixty-nining her and getting a toy in return. They lose the toys for a little more sixty-nining before they finish things up kissing.

This is a very nice lesbian scene. The girls have great chemistry, look like they’re having fun, and keep a natural feel to almost the entire scene. It progresses nicely, and the toys don’t feel like a crutch like they do in so many other lesbian scenes. This is a good scene.

Scene 4 - Lena

Lena starts out her second solo scene lubing up a string of anal beads. She slowly slides them into her ass and continues to work herself over with it in a couple positions. She puts the toy aside so that her fingers don’t feel too left out, and finally the scene fades out.

This is another nicely done solo scene. I love how Lena puts a bit more anal action in here, and she once again keeps the pace and feel very realistic. There’s nothing too new here, but Lena keeps it enjoyable enough that I really didn’t care.

Scene 5 - Alisa

Alisa starts out her second solo scene on a bed in a cute black and gray bra and panties. After giving a nice little tease, Alisa breaks out her pink vibe. She lies back and works herself over with her vibe until she appears to have a nice orgasm. She moves around and keeps things going with her fingers until she appears to have another nice little orgasm. Finally, Alisa blows a kiss goodbye before the scene fades out.

This is another nice solo scene. Alisa never goes overboard in any way, but keeps things flowing nicely with some good spirit. I like how she continues things a little after her orgasm with the toy, as she seems to know just how to play to the camera without overdoing things.

Scene 6 - Alisa

Finally, there’s a bonus scene with Alisa. She slowly strips down and lies back on a couch as the camera watches her from above. She lubes up her pussy and then works on it with a metallic vibe. She keeps things nice and slow, and the scene ends when Alisa does.

This is a good scene to leave labeled as a bonus scene. It really doesn’t stand up compared to the others, and seems to go on forever at a slow pace. Alisa does an okay job, but the camera angle here really holds everything back.

Friends is a nicely done all girl feature. Although there’s only two girls in the entire feature, Alisa and Lena do a very nice job with their scenes. I like how you’re given solo scenes from each of the girls as well as a scene with them together, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I wished I would have seen more of them together. Lena seems to enjoy backdoor action, so I would have loved to have seen a little anal action between the girls rather than just in her solo scenes. About the only other complaint I can have about this feature is that the editing was a little rough at times, but that’s to be expected with this type of feature. As an amateur feature, Friends is an extremely enjoyable movie that I’m sure is going to get plenty of repeat visits.

The Extra Stuff

In addition to the standard commercial with the lovely Mandi*, there’s a three and a quarter minute photo gallery with about three seconds per grainy and slightly skewed still. There’s also a fifty second trailer for the feature which I hope shows up on a few other DVDs from Pixie’s Emporium.

The Down -n- Dirty Sex Stuff

Themes: Lesbian, solo, toys, spanking, and anal

Raincoat Factor: Very high

Condom Usage: None needed

The Bottom Line:

Currently, many DVDs from Pixie’s Emporium can be found online for around $13. This one’s well worth the money. The action flows nicely and has a great feeling of reality. There’s a little more effort towards the extras, and the technical aspects are pretty good for a gonzo movie. This is a great buy!

Note to Pixie’s Emporium: Great job here. It’s really nice to see how you’re trying to improve your DVDs! Keep up the great work.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me .

Other reviews by Astroknight