Sex Across America 2: New Orleans Review

Cast: Alexandra Silk, Alexis Amore, Alexis Fire, Sydnee Steele, Jessica Drake, T.J. Cummings, Rob Dancer (aka Rod Danger at IAFD), Evan Stone and Luc Wylder in sex roles; The Cigar Man and Scarlet Begonia in non-sex roles.

Director and writer: Luc Wylder

Production date: 5/12/00

Length: 115 min.

Lagniappes: (That's New Orleans-speak for extras...) A 31-min. behind-the-scenes featurette, bios for all female cast, 14 trailers, a gallery with 37 photos (viewable as thumbnails and slide show) and a hot shot button.

Audio/visual quality: Fallen Angel DVDs tend to be uneven in technical quality—sometimes the lighting or camera angles leave a lot to be desired. But Sex Across America Second Stop: New Orleans is probably the best I've yet seen from this studio. The footage from the two cameras has been edited together in a pleasing manner, usually letting me see what I want to see (the biggest exception is the indirect view of the anal sex in the third scene). A few places are slightly overlit (leading to saturation), and a few are slightly underlit (leading to grain). But for the most part, the lighting's pretty decent. There are also infrequent soft focus and color shifts, but normally the picture stays sharp and clear.

The soundtrack often has a fun New Orleans jazz and blues flavor ("When the Saints Go Marching In" is the theme for the opening credits, and one non-sex piece sounds an awful lot like Allen R. Toussaint). The balance during the sex scenes occasionally puts too much accent on the music. On the other hand, Alexis Fire is so joyfully noisy in the second scene that she maxes out the audio. There's a small amount of dubbing during a couple of brief enhanced motion segments (which I could've done without). I don't have any major complaints, though—I consider the sound good enough for a gonzo flick.

Disc problems: The on/off option for the hot shot icon works, but even when it's on, it's not operational on my Apple DVD Player (version 2.2.1). Personally, I couldn't care less, since I never use this feature anyhow. I'm extremely happy that there are no navigation problems like I've been experiencing with later volumes of this series (Sixth Stop and Eighth Stop). I can skip and scan around in the scenes to my heart's content.

First impression: Oooh whee! This baby's sweet as a beignet and hotter than Tabasco sauce!

Scene highlights: In each installment of Sex Across America, Luc Wylder and Alexandra Silk lead a small cast of performers on a trip to a particular city or state. This time, they acquaint their crew of Californians with the sweet southern comforts of the Big Easy. Rather than visiting during Mardi Gras, they take a relaxing (and in my opinion, much more interesting) vacation during the Jazz Fest.

Following a quick intro to the nightlife on Bourbon Street, Alexis Amore and T.J. Cummings say "good morning" in the music room of their stately accommodations. He catches her goofing around on the baby grand and offers a sweet kiss and shoulder rub. I love watching the foreplay—the caresses perk me up even better than cafe au lait! There's not much oral or finger stimulation for Alexis, but she seems quite keen to pull down T.J.'s boxers and wrap her lips (and briefly her breasts) around his cock. He removes her shoes and teases her nipple with the condom. T.J. sexily shifts his hips from side-to-side as well as in-and-out during the vaginal intercourse. (The piano is put to good use as a prop.) They definitely seem to click, with the slow, sensual sex soon yielding to a hard, fast pounding. T.J.'s jizz sure does jazz—it tracks from Alexis' pubic bone all the way to her ear!

The whole crew stops at Dos Jefes, where the friendly Cigar Man (an adorable, portly older fella with a big mustache) invites Alexandra, Alexis Amore and Alexis Fire into his humidor. The ladies savor the smells of the fine presidentes and happily settle into the comfy sofa in the Cigar Man's smoking room. He gives each one a light. Alexis A. loses her cigar virginity and Alexis F. blows a few well-formed rings. There's enough fun smoking footage that I think anyone with a cigar fetish will be extremely pleased. The women lose interest in their enormous stogies, however, as soon as they discover some even larger cylindrical objects in the "special reserve" box. Alexis A. spunkily accommodates two dildos in her vagina. Alexis F. helps Alexandra enjoy one end of a flexible double dong in her pussy and the other end in her ass. Alexis F. rolls up into a tight pile driver and almost falls off the couch from the thrill of Alexis A.'s strap-on. The guys also masturbate in the background, but the gals' joie de vivre totally carries this rollicking scene.

Sunny, horse drawn sightseeing leaves Alexis F. and Rod Danger feeling frisky. They get busy on the couch as soon as they return to the house. He presses his face against her pussy and plunges his finger in until she blissfully clamps her legs together and cries, "Stop!" Alexis provides a teasing blowjob with beautiful eye contact, and they start the vaginal sex with slow, full strokes in missionary. Alexis can't take too much of this; soon she's begging Rod to go harder, which leads to another apparent climax for her. A few kisses bridge the transition from vaginal to anal sex. Alexis' smile extends from ear to ear when Rod enters her from behind. She gets him off with her own mouth and handwork, rewarding herself with a nice, sloppy facial. Rod is pretty quiet and laid-back here—he seems like the type of guy who's content to let his woman drive the scene, and she drives it very well.

The whole group returns to the Cigar Man's outdoor bar for sun and fun on his porch. Playground-style swings replace the regular barstools. The ladies provoke a little mischief, and soon Alexandra hops up on the counter so T.J. can tease her with tongue and fingers. T.J. experiences a spasm of pleasure as Alexandra slips her hand past his jeans and into his boxers. He lies back on the swing and provides oral for Alexis A. while Alexandra does the blowjob. Alexis F. helps Alexandra cool down with an ice cube massage. Alexis F. and Rod pair up at the bar as Alexandra and T.J. enjoy vaginal sex on a park bench. Eventually all three ladies converge on T.J., with Alexis A. receiving some oral and Alexis F. offering some handwork. T.J. wanks onto Alexandra's pretty behind while the women cheer him on. This scene has a somewhat scattered quality, but it's so lighthearted and easygoing that I can't help but really like it. Even the Cigar Man gets a little into the action—Alexis A. lets him fondle her breasts and buttocks and briefly diddle her clit.

That evening, Sydnee Steele and Jessica Drake are cruising the Crescent City. There's some very nice footage of their butts and lots of tease as Luc and Alexandra follow them back to the hotel. Evan Stone greets the ladies upon their return. They joke about what he's hiding in his pants, but they don't let it stay hidden for long! This is one of the better threeways I've seen; these performers are totally team players. I love how they stay connected in a little daisy chain as they work their way down the hall to the back bedroom in the suite. Oral affection circulates freely, followed by steamy vaginal sex for both Jessica and Sydnee (Jessica has a highly believable orgasm). Meanwhile, Alexandra gets so excited from photographing them that she can't resist giving Luc a sexy blowjob. He somehow manages to hang on to the camera so we can see his point of view. Luc comes onto Alexandra's tongue from her handwork; Evan climaxes onto Jessica's back and Sydnee's tongue. This scene may well be the best of all the satisfying scenes on this DVD, and it's a perfect one to end the trip.

The behind-the-scenes featurette contains repeat action from the movie, but it also incorporates outtakes, alternate angles and other edited footage that reveal some of the mechanics of the moviemaking process. I find it interesting; however, viewers who prefer the illusion of spontaneity in their gonzo will want to skip this bonus. The bios feature lots of fun facts and rate several notches above standard porn bios.

Thumbs up: Of the 70 adult DVDs that I own, this one is among the top five most fun. For sheer playfulness and spunk, Sex Across America Second Stop: New Orleans keeps me grinnin' like a gator. Most of all, I adore this series' ongoing emphasis on positive female pleasure. The sex is never too harsh for me, yet it's also never too timid. I'm pretty sure there are several real female orgasms on this disc (if they're faked, they're too good for me to tell). That always makes me very happy. Plus, a couple actresses handily bring the guys to orgasm all on their own!

Of the three volumes that I've reviewed, this is the first Sex Across America which features a location that I've actually visited. I'm impressed at how well it captures the spirit of New Orleans (at least from a tourist's point of view). I can't believe I missed the Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar the last time I was in the area. But to the best of my knowledge, they're still in business, and I'm going to make them my first priority when I go again. (In case you're wondering, the dos jefes are two wooden Indian chiefs flanking the front door. Stay sharp, and you might be able to spot them.)

Thumbs down: There's not much holding this one back from a five-star rating. The audiovisual quality is very good, but not exceptional. I appreciate the male talent better than my good friend astroknight, but I agree that the guys are not uniformly attractive, and that does slightly impact my enjoyment of the movie. And though this isn't a "thumbs down" for me (since I'm almost a toy fetishist), viewers who don't care for assertive toy usage will probably hate the cigar shop scene, where the ladies play with the dildos with great gusto.

Themes: Straight, lesbian, threeways (g/g/g, b/g/g), group, masturbation (male and female), oral, vaginal, anal, rimming (f>f, m>f), titfuck, DP (technical), DPP (technical), smoking (cigars), toys (dildos, strap-on, playground-style swings), sensation play (ice), tease, light spanking, voyeurism, exhibitionism, facials.

Condom use: Yes, except in scenes 2 (lesbian) and 3 (Alexis F./Rod).

Juice-o-meter: High.

Final analysis: If you're looking for a lighthearted and high-spirited gonzo flick that emphasizes female pleasure, y'all might love Sex Across America Second Stop: New Orleans. There's enough variety in the scenes to give this movie a broad appeal. But cigar fetishists in particular should take special note of the excellent second scene.

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