Habits Of The Heart Review

Reviewed by Principal Skinner  on  9/5/2000

HABITS OF THE HEART is a straightforward, five scene, no frills porn video which is absolutely average in terms of both content and value. Porn superstar STACY VALENTINE, popularly known from her acclaimed interactive disc from VCA called CHASING STACY, appears in three of the sex scenes on the disc, and is prominently displayed on the cover jacket. Obviously, this video is meant to appeal to her hardcore fans, allowing them to view some "older" [as in age of the videos, where she is obviously younger] Stacy appearances before she became a VCA contract girl. The one really big advantage to getting DVDs of her earlier work is that there are usually no condoms intruding in on the action, and sometimes, a healthy oral/facial is always a possibility. Although I enjoy watching the very curvy, blonde, blue-eyed Stacy in action, I was far more interested in seeing gorgeous Raylene and the legendary Aja in action. As it turns out, their scenes were the most disappointing of all, and all I was left was a slightly above average Stacy Valentine vehicle.

Although hard-bodied, shapely peroxide blondes with big boobs are nothing new in porn, and in fact are far and away from being a preference of mine, Stacy Valentine has been one of my new favorites since I first noticed her in Ginger Lynn's TORN. Her voluptuous figure and Anna Nicole Smith-ish looks and charm for some reason really work on me. Of course, it certainly helps that her oral skills are excellent, as well demonstrated in her two straight scenes containing plenty of slow, wet deep-throating, which are almost reason enough to buy the disc. Ms. Valentine also knows how to open herself up to a raging hard-on as well as any girl working in porn, although she is definitely less athletic than porn actresses of yesteryear like Debi Diamond, or Selena Steele or Leena. For the lucky viewer, Stacy does take two facials in this movie, which is actually a rarity in today's big studio releases.

The scene with the most potential for being a really volcanic encounter was a brief girl-girl tryst involving J.R. Carrington, who does all sorts of dildo playing on Stacy's private parts, which serves as a prelude to a threesome with Peter North. J.R. Carrington is also a typically attractive busty blonde, who works well with Stacy, but their scene together isn't exactly heated or passionate. They both then turn to Mr. North, who rather does nothing but prop himself up in their bed for a very hot dual blowjob. Incredibly, there are beginning moments during this cock-sucking team-up where The Porn Actor Formerly Known as Matt Ramsey seems to have difficulty maintaing an erection (he grabs the base of his cock as if to support it from falling over), and throughout the entire scene, he does not bother to move one inch from his seated position (talk about lazy!). Thankfully, the scene pays off with his famous beer can splooging straight on the lovely faces of these two blondes, and that saves this otherwise slightly disappointing scene.

As for the non-Stacy scenes, Alyssa Milano- lookalike Raylene goes through the motions in her straight scene which otherwise bored me to tears. Thin, auburn-haired, and drop-dead gorgeous, Raylene is a sight to behold, but her looks alone cannot make up for this mediocre encounter. Even more disappointing was the girl- guy scene featuring the usually teriffic Aja, who has been well-known for her awesome deep- throating skills and fun-loving attitude. Although it has been a few years, Aja looks as beautiful as ever, and her body still looks as hard and as tight as it did in her earlier videos like SURFSIDE SEX and ONLY GAME IN TOWN. Unfortunately, she seems inexplicably reserved in her single scene, first by giving a rather tepid blowjob, and then going through the grinding positions as if by rote. I was almost surpised that her partner actually managed to cum, given her lackluster attitude.

The picture quality on this DVD is okay, for a shot-on-video release. There is some digital artifacts present, but the problems never distract from the action. Adam & Eve also offer absolutely nothing in the way of extras, except for a chapter selection feature which should be standard on every porn DVD in the first place. Of course, extras never really concern me if the main feature is up to the standards of what a a good, hot porn flick should be. In this case, HABITS OF THE HEART qualifies...but barely.