Pure Bliss Review
Adam & Eve
Studio: Adam & Eve
Category: Feature film , Straight
Directed by: Bud Lee
Starring: Ian Daniels, Temptress, Monique DeMoan, Cheyenne Silver, Anna Malle, Jon Dough, Devin Wolf, Joel Lawrence, Dale Dabone
Released on: 9/14/2000
astroknight's ratings for this movie:
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Reviewed by astroknight on 11/4/2000
Running Time: 95 min.
Production Date: 7 / 30 / 99
Director: Bud Lee
Cast: Temptress, Anna Malle, Cheyenne Silver, Monique DeMoan, Devon Wolfe, Jon Dough, Joel Lawrence, Ian Daniels, and Dale DaBone
Extras: Previews, photo gallery, and bios of a few of the cast members. The extras are pretty typical of Adam & Eve's previous releases.
Audio Quality: Very uneven. I found myself constantly working the volume on my TV. There's also a few spots which seem obviously dubbed and a few that seem dubbed but aren't that noticeable.
Video Quality: Good.
Music: The music is soft and romantic through most of the movie. It's also well balanced with the rest of the audio.
Initial Expectations: With Raven Touchstone writing, Bud Lee directing, and Temptress and Anna Malle in the cast this seems like a sure winner.
Initial Reaction: Pretty average. It seems like a good couples movie.
Disc Problems: The movie went back to the main menu when at the end of Chapter one.
Review: If you've watched a lot of adult films, odds are that you've pretty much seen 'Pure Bliss' before. 'Pure Bliss' is the not uncommon story of an author who writes erotic stories, which are used as scenes in the movie. Due to Raven Touchstone's writing and Bud Lee's direction, it doesn't feel like a complete re- run.
'Pure Bliss' is the story of Alyssa (I think. I couldn't quite make out if it was Alyssa or Melissa after several attempts.) (Temptress), as struggling writer who's married to Richard (Devon Wolfe) the boy next door and her childhood lover. He's the only man where things were ever clear between them and who knew just how to touch her. They have a good sex life, which we of course get to see. The scene is pretty good and seems quite representative of stereotypical couples sex. There seems to be quite a bit of tenderness between them, and of course, it happens at night in the dark. The shadows interfere a little here, but it also fits the characters and the scene.
Alyssa gets a letter a few days later from Simon (Joel Lawrence), a well known publisher. She finds out that he wants her to write a few stories for him, but he wants her to write erotic stories. She doesn't think she can write erotic stories, but Simon talks her into it. Her first story, 'The Girl In The Mirror', is about a rich man (Joel) who stops at a whore house to go the bathroom. He intends to leave right away but on his way out sees the girl in the mirror (Cheyenne), who is touching herself gently. He's drawn to her and they have sex in front of the mirror. Cheyenne does a very good job here. She's very soft and you can see why Joel is drawn to her. The camera work is excellent. Throughout the scene, you can always see Cheyenne in the mirror. There's a few short moments when Joel is also seen in the mirror, but it's not often.
Alyssa later has dinner with Simon and meets Max (Jon Dough), who I assume is Simon's boss. Alyssa is strangely drawn to Max, and Richard senses something is up. He's very jealous, but this doesn't seem to bother Alyssa. She and Max soon make love, although their both married. Alyssa inquires about Max's wife, Jane (Anna), and finds that she's returning in two weeks. Max tells her that she'll love his wife, since everybody else does, and Alyssa immediately hates her. In the time until she returns, Alyssa spends most of her time with Max, as there isn't much love left in her marriage to Richard.
Alyssa's next story is about a girl who gets into nude modeling. She was nervous at first, but then met another girl who had done it before. Dale DaBone plays the photographer who captures both Cheyenne, who is thankfully back for a second story, and Monique DeMoan on a hay wagon outside. Throughout the story, Dale only photographs and never joins in. It's a pretty typical lesbian scene, although it's done very well for an outdoor scene. There aren't any signs of wind noise or the like.
We next see Alyssa practicing her golfing while Simon accompanies her. He invites her to dinner with himself, Max, and Jane. Although hesitant at first, she joins them and really does hate Jane. Jane is extremely overbearing and appears to have Max completely whipped. Alyssa thinks back to Max's story Anatomy of Passion and wonders if Anna was the girl it was written about. Of course we have to flash to the story, which has Anna in leather and dominating Ian Daniels. Ian is only there for Anna's pleasure, and she reminds him of it constantly. It's a normal scene for Anna and she does a good job with it. That night, Alyssa cries herself to sleep in Richard's arms.
The next day Alyssa goes to Max's house to talk to him. Max is out, but Jane finds her and apologizes for her behavior the previous night. Much to Alyssa's surprise, Jane is a very normal person who knows about Alyssa and Max. More to Alyssa's surprise is that she's okay with it and supports it. Jane realizes that she can't make Max completely happy and that Alyssa fulfills the needs that she can't. Alyssa and Max talk about it at Alyssa's home, and then Anna joins them for a very tender threesome. Anna is very restrained, and I gained a new respect for her acting abilities in this scene.
The biggest complaint I have about 'Pure Bliss' is the audio. Most of it is clear, although I had trouble making out whether Temptress's character's name way Melissa or Alyssa. The level of the movie seemed to change constantly. I had to adjust the volume in almost every scene, even though nothing changed. This can be a frequent problem in some cases when things change from a plot sequence into a sex scene, but I was having this problem during the scenes themselves. Perhaps Adam & Eve is trying to have their films not be wanking material by keeping one hand occupied. Granted, I ended up holding the remote throughout most of the movie, but most remotes only take one hand!
Unfortunately, 'Pure Bliss' is short on extras. The bios are okay, but they don't do the entire cast. The photo gallery is okay, but they are short photos that take up maybe a quarter of the screen, which is covered by the title shot of 'Pure Bliss'. This makes them a little more difficult to see. As usual, Adam & Eve does give some good trailers for several movies.
If Adam & Eve is going to put 'Pure Bliss' in a 'Premium Collection', it seems like they should have some better extras. I admit that the picture quality is very good and other than the volume level the audio is very good. I would associate a 'Premium Collection' release to be similar to most mainstream studios' Collector's Editions. I expect a top of the line release, such as a collector's or premium edition to have something more than just a good transfer of the movie. Adam & Eve did a very nice job on the behind the scenes for 'Fire & Ice'. I'd expect something like that here. Unfortunately, it's the same overall quality as their previous standard releases.
Raincoat Factor: medium low
Overall: 'Pure Bliss' makes a great couples movie. There's nothing too special about it, but the plot, acting, and sex are all well done. Fans of Temptress will definitely want to pick this one up. The video is good through most of the movie, but the audio is slightly uneven, so keep your remote handy. Unfortunately, there's very few extras.
Themes: straight, group, lesbian, rimming
NO: anal
Production Date: 7 / 30 / 99
Director: Bud Lee
Cast: Temptress, Anna Malle, Cheyenne Silver, Monique DeMoan, Devon Wolfe, Jon Dough, Joel Lawrence, Ian Daniels, and Dale DaBone
Extras: Previews, photo gallery, and bios of a few of the cast members. The extras are pretty typical of Adam & Eve's previous releases.
Audio Quality: Very uneven. I found myself constantly working the volume on my TV. There's also a few spots which seem obviously dubbed and a few that seem dubbed but aren't that noticeable.
Video Quality: Good.
Music: The music is soft and romantic through most of the movie. It's also well balanced with the rest of the audio.
Initial Expectations: With Raven Touchstone writing, Bud Lee directing, and Temptress and Anna Malle in the cast this seems like a sure winner.
Initial Reaction: Pretty average. It seems like a good couples movie.
Disc Problems: The movie went back to the main menu when at the end of Chapter one.
Review: If you've watched a lot of adult films, odds are that you've pretty much seen 'Pure Bliss' before. 'Pure Bliss' is the not uncommon story of an author who writes erotic stories, which are used as scenes in the movie. Due to Raven Touchstone's writing and Bud Lee's direction, it doesn't feel like a complete re- run.
'Pure Bliss' is the story of Alyssa (I think. I couldn't quite make out if it was Alyssa or Melissa after several attempts.) (Temptress), as struggling writer who's married to Richard (Devon Wolfe) the boy next door and her childhood lover. He's the only man where things were ever clear between them and who knew just how to touch her. They have a good sex life, which we of course get to see. The scene is pretty good and seems quite representative of stereotypical couples sex. There seems to be quite a bit of tenderness between them, and of course, it happens at night in the dark. The shadows interfere a little here, but it also fits the characters and the scene.
Alyssa gets a letter a few days later from Simon (Joel Lawrence), a well known publisher. She finds out that he wants her to write a few stories for him, but he wants her to write erotic stories. She doesn't think she can write erotic stories, but Simon talks her into it. Her first story, 'The Girl In The Mirror', is about a rich man (Joel) who stops at a whore house to go the bathroom. He intends to leave right away but on his way out sees the girl in the mirror (Cheyenne), who is touching herself gently. He's drawn to her and they have sex in front of the mirror. Cheyenne does a very good job here. She's very soft and you can see why Joel is drawn to her. The camera work is excellent. Throughout the scene, you can always see Cheyenne in the mirror. There's a few short moments when Joel is also seen in the mirror, but it's not often.
Alyssa later has dinner with Simon and meets Max (Jon Dough), who I assume is Simon's boss. Alyssa is strangely drawn to Max, and Richard senses something is up. He's very jealous, but this doesn't seem to bother Alyssa. She and Max soon make love, although their both married. Alyssa inquires about Max's wife, Jane (Anna), and finds that she's returning in two weeks. Max tells her that she'll love his wife, since everybody else does, and Alyssa immediately hates her. In the time until she returns, Alyssa spends most of her time with Max, as there isn't much love left in her marriage to Richard.
Alyssa's next story is about a girl who gets into nude modeling. She was nervous at first, but then met another girl who had done it before. Dale DaBone plays the photographer who captures both Cheyenne, who is thankfully back for a second story, and Monique DeMoan on a hay wagon outside. Throughout the story, Dale only photographs and never joins in. It's a pretty typical lesbian scene, although it's done very well for an outdoor scene. There aren't any signs of wind noise or the like.
We next see Alyssa practicing her golfing while Simon accompanies her. He invites her to dinner with himself, Max, and Jane. Although hesitant at first, she joins them and really does hate Jane. Jane is extremely overbearing and appears to have Max completely whipped. Alyssa thinks back to Max's story Anatomy of Passion and wonders if Anna was the girl it was written about. Of course we have to flash to the story, which has Anna in leather and dominating Ian Daniels. Ian is only there for Anna's pleasure, and she reminds him of it constantly. It's a normal scene for Anna and she does a good job with it. That night, Alyssa cries herself to sleep in Richard's arms.
The next day Alyssa goes to Max's house to talk to him. Max is out, but Jane finds her and apologizes for her behavior the previous night. Much to Alyssa's surprise, Jane is a very normal person who knows about Alyssa and Max. More to Alyssa's surprise is that she's okay with it and supports it. Jane realizes that she can't make Max completely happy and that Alyssa fulfills the needs that she can't. Alyssa and Max talk about it at Alyssa's home, and then Anna joins them for a very tender threesome. Anna is very restrained, and I gained a new respect for her acting abilities in this scene.
The biggest complaint I have about 'Pure Bliss' is the audio. Most of it is clear, although I had trouble making out whether Temptress's character's name way Melissa or Alyssa. The level of the movie seemed to change constantly. I had to adjust the volume in almost every scene, even though nothing changed. This can be a frequent problem in some cases when things change from a plot sequence into a sex scene, but I was having this problem during the scenes themselves. Perhaps Adam & Eve is trying to have their films not be wanking material by keeping one hand occupied. Granted, I ended up holding the remote throughout most of the movie, but most remotes only take one hand!
Unfortunately, 'Pure Bliss' is short on extras. The bios are okay, but they don't do the entire cast. The photo gallery is okay, but they are short photos that take up maybe a quarter of the screen, which is covered by the title shot of 'Pure Bliss'. This makes them a little more difficult to see. As usual, Adam & Eve does give some good trailers for several movies.
If Adam & Eve is going to put 'Pure Bliss' in a 'Premium Collection', it seems like they should have some better extras. I admit that the picture quality is very good and other than the volume level the audio is very good. I would associate a 'Premium Collection' release to be similar to most mainstream studios' Collector's Editions. I expect a top of the line release, such as a collector's or premium edition to have something more than just a good transfer of the movie. Adam & Eve did a very nice job on the behind the scenes for 'Fire & Ice'. I'd expect something like that here. Unfortunately, it's the same overall quality as their previous standard releases.
Raincoat Factor: medium low
Overall: 'Pure Bliss' makes a great couples movie. There's nothing too special about it, but the plot, acting, and sex are all well done. Fans of Temptress will definitely want to pick this one up. The video is good through most of the movie, but the audio is slightly uneven, so keep your remote handy. Unfortunately, there's very few extras.
Themes: straight, group, lesbian, rimming
NO: anal
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The opinions expressed in this review of Pure Bliss from Adam & Eve are not necessarily the opinions of Adult DVD Talk. Adult DVD Talk provides a public forum for consumers to post their DVD reviews. Adult DVD Talk does not edit these reviews.