Sex Across America 5: Miami Review

Cast: Alexandra Silk, Angelica Sin, Marie Silva, Robin Foster, Lori Rivers, Luc Wylder, Peter Foster, Jack Bravo and Rich Handsome.

Director: Luc Wylder

Production date: 11/18/00 (opening statement); 2/26/01 (box)

Length: 106 min.

Extras: A 54-min. behind-the-scenes featurette, bios for all female cast, 16 trailers, a gallery with 20 photos (viewable as thumbnails and a slide show) and a hot shot button.

Audio/visual quality: The video quality is pretty good, with decent lighting and only minor soft focus issues. Equipment and crew members sometimes appear at the edges of the screen, which is not uncommon for gonzo productions. The white balance is off in scene three, giving the flesh tones an orange cast. The camera angles emphasize close-ups to a greater extent than I recall for other episodes I've seen. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on viewer preference. There is limited footage of one actress' dilated anus during anal intercourse—it doesn't offend me, but it may not suit everyone's tastes.

The music consists of light, vaguely-tropical sounding jazz and slow blues. It plays at an unobtrusive level on the soundtrack. The recording levels for the location sound are sometimes low enough that a little dialog is lost.

Blunders, bugs and boo-boos: My copy (which does not appear to be dirty or scratched) contains an unreadable spot shortly into Angelica Sin's interview. Due to the paucity of functioning chapter stops, the only way I can watch the first scene is to skip ahead to the pop shot and scan back at 8x through the whole thing.

On my iMac, the chapter menu links to the last three scenes don't work. I am unable to play the fifth and sixth scenes at all on my current DVD player (v3.2); the old one (v2.2.1) can handle all but the middle half of the last scene (go figure!). The hot shot icon doesn't display, either. It's possible that I have a defective disc; however, I've experienced chronic technical issues with this series in the past. I've deducted a half point from the overall rating.

First impression: It's warm and sunny, but not quite as hot as I hoped.

Scene highlights: Sex Across America is a series that highlights the sex enjoyed by a small group of porn stars in a particular city or state. Hosted by Luc Wylder and Alexandra ("Alex") Silk, this particular segment focuses on real couples enjoying a winter break in Miami. Brief interviews with the female performers precede the scenes.

Angelica Sin and husband Rich Handsome take advantage of the heat in their South Beach hotel. Alex captures pictures while Rich fondles Angelica through her neon pink bikini. The couple tease each other about the fact that it's been a week since their last sexual encounter. Angelica's pucker pulsates as Rich licks her clit. A small spot of pre-cum dampens Rich's boxers. Angelica delivers a spitty blowjob, and Rich inserts his condomed cock into her visibly tight vagina and gaping ass. Angelica plays with herself during the anal sex and chats encouragement at her spouse. He pulls out and vibrates his shaft to ejaculate thickly on her muff.

After a photo shoot at the beach and a bounce on a trampoline, Alex gets playful by a swimming pool with Lori Rivers and Marie Silva. Marie's husband Jack Bravo stops by and allows the ladies strip him to his underwear. Marie slips Jack's johnson out through the leg of his boxers and begins a blowjob. They withdraw to the house for privacy while Lori provides cunnilingus and finger vibration for Alex. Lori dons a strap-on as Alex directs the action and coos with contentment. Alex then fingerfucks Lori (with long nails—ugh, I hate that). A large electric vibrator helps Lori squirt…and squirt…and squirt. This scene is perky, but ultimately, it fails to hold my interest. Girl/girl couplings are always a bit iffy for me, and the squirt is the only true standout factor here. I personally haven't chosen sides in the female ejaculation debate. But Lori streams so much fluid (from a spot tucked between her labia that seems to be a little above Alex's fingers), that I can't help but wonder if she's actually peeing (not that there's anything wrong with that).

The third segment catches up with Marie and Jack, who are performing their first-ever scene together for this movie. They begin with kissing and caressing on an animal print sofa. He warms her up with oral and finger stimulation, and she returns the favor with a sensuous yet deep blowjob. Jack gently grasps Marie's hair while doing her in missionary. The heat goes up a notch when she slides from the ottoman onto the tile floor into a pile driver position. Jack seems to enjoy this, soon sending a glob of cum down his happy wife's bald mons.

Robin and Peter Foster make out in a boat on the bay. She smushes her breasts against the windshield as he rims her. Peter's finger penetration causes Robin to gyrate and arch her back very appealingly. He helps her onto the beach, where they retreat slightly inland for the blowjob. A brightly colored blanket provides a good spot for 69. This scene nicely emphasizes foreplay and oral sex; the vaginal sex is rather brief in comparison. Peter does orgasm from the thrusts alone, pulling out to climax onto Robin's belly.

The owner of a local bar helps Alex and Angelica get naked. The two women put on quite a performance for the noisy crowd, even letting a few of the men lick their nipples. Thongs magically appear after a clumsy edit to 69 on the pool table. (The panties are better explained in the behind-the-scenes featurette.) Alex and Angelica suck on a big pink dildo, and they each take a turn as the vaginal receiver (much to the uproarious delight of the onlookers). There's a bit of rimming mixed in. Angelica's forehead glistens with perspiration as she squeezes out the dildo for the satisfaction of the room. The women wrap up with a happy kiss.

My best guess is that the last scene consists of a blowjob only; however, the middle two and a half minutes are unreadable on my copy. Luc creams on Alex's tits in the office where they've been narrating this production.

The behind-the-scenes featurette is nearly a full movie in itself. The footage includes: multiple photo shoots, Angelica and Alex freshening up before a scene, abundant flashing, an example of why strap-on dongs and press-on nails don't mix, a friendly cockatoo, dirty dancing, an underwear auction, interviews with the bar patrons and a dildo deepthroating demo. There's very little additional sex, but this is a fantastic extra nonetheless. (It's probably my favorite part of this DVD, in fact.)

Thumbs up: I love that every hetero pairing in this movie consists of a real life spouses. This type of thing is not always easy to find, and it's one of the great distinguishing features of this disc. The pairings with Marie/Jack and Robin/Peter convey some of the fresh feel of amateur porn, which is something I enjoy. The inclusion of the outdoor action (both sex and non-sex) is a plus for this production, too.

Just as a personal quirk, I'm also pleased that four out of five of the actresses in this production are brunettes. They look very striking in the box cover photos. Robin is the sole blonde (and even she has dark roots).

Thumbs down: Although the ladies project a nice degree of enthusiasm, I don't necessarily sense that any of them orgasm. Maybe that's not a fair comment, except that I've seen enough evidence of it in other volumes of this series that I've come to look for it. I suppose the squirt might count. It's not my thing, but hey, whatever floats your boat (and there's enough fluid in that scene that you probably could).

A badly placed plug for Adam & Eve bugs me, too. It reminds me of the shameless product display in Adult Stars at Home (which I reviewed earlier this month) and some additional prominent self-promotion in several other A&E releases. Mostly I'm annoyed that the ad is plopped between scenes, when I'm waiting for the next coupling to fire up. It's a bit crass, especially since the menu and box cover already display A&E's address multiple times for the convenience of viewers who wish to shop.

Themes: Straight, lesbian, oral, deepthroating, anal, rimming (m>f, f>f), gape, squirt (female ejaculation), real life couples, toys (strap-on, vibrator, dildo), exhibitionism, voyeurism.

Condom use: Only in the first scene (Angelica/Rich).

Juice-o-meter: Medium low. Unfortunately, my difficulties navigating this disc are a major factor here.

Final analysis: Sex Across America - Fifth Stop: Miami is moderately good gonzo which showcases real life spouses and which also offers a very nice behind-the-scenes featurette. Angelica's gapes and Lori's squirt might be a bit over-the-top for some viewers who enjoy couples-friendly porn. My disc doesn't play properly, which brings the rating down from "above average" to "average." Still, SAA5: Miami is worth having if you're collecting this series, especially if you can grab a copy at a bargain price.

YogaGrrl's e-mail is here.
YogaGrrl's DVD review list is here.