Submission of Emma Marx, The Review

Reviewed by astroknight  on  2/13/2014

Running Time: 116 min.

Production Date: None given

Director: Eddie Powell and Jacky St. James

Cast: Penny Pax, Riley Reid, Richie Calhoun, and Van Wylde

Audio /Video Quality: The technical aspects are excellent. The audio is clear and very well balanced. The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen and looks fantastic. The picture is clear with great care towards the lighting and a very solid hand on the camera.

Watermark Warning: Although I don't know of anybody who likes watermarks, I can understand companies wanting to take some kind of action to protect themselves with how much piracy occurs in today's world. As I know some don't agree with this thought, I will note that there is a tasteful watermark in the lower right corner that's so light that I'm not sure if comes and goes through the movie or if it just fades into the background that well. If one has to do a watermark, this is definitely the way to do it.

The Movie: When Penny Pax interviews businessman Richie Calhoun, she's more than intrigued by his control issues, and becomes even more intrigued by him when he sends her a warning that he will have a fantastic offer for her in a few months so long as she doesn't contact him before it. So begins Penny's exploration of a BDSM relationship, just as her sister Riley Reid embarks on a “normal” engagement.

After Van gets down on one knee to propose to smoking hot brunette Riley, he stands up and they kiss passionately. They quickly find their way to a bed with rose petals strewn in a heart shape on top and help each other undress as they continue to kiss passionately. Riley plays with the rose petals and drops them over Van's cock before moving in to eagerly eat it. Van slides off Riley's panties to eat and finger her in return before fucking it missionary style. He also spoons her pussy while kissing her before Riley sucks him clean and gets on top to ride it reverse cowgirl style. They finish fucking missionary style before Van pulls out and pops on Riley's stomach. After he unloads they kiss and admire her sparkling new ring finger.

After cutting her dinner with Richie short, Penny can't bring herself to leave and instead grants his wish for her to strip down to her stockings. He has Penny touch her bald pussy as he watches before she sits on the table at his command. She lets him run a hand along her leg before he moves in to kiss her nipples, and then moves his kisses down across her stomach before eating her bald pussy. Penny undresses him at his command and gropes her way around his boxer briefs before dropping to her knees and shyly pulling them down. She looks away from his cock when it pops out, but then strokes it when Richie guides her hands to it. She sucks his cock before riding it cowgirl style, and then lays back for Richie to fuck her missionary style. Richie uses his tie as a bridle as he fucks Penny from behind, and then lets her drop down to eagerly suck and stroke him to a pop she hungrily takes in her mouth and appears to swallow down.

After setting boundaries at work as well as on weekends together, Penny finally lets Richie know she's ready to try anal sex. She bends over a desk to let Richie tongue her holes from behind and begs for him to give it to her as he plays with her holes from behind and helps to undress her. Richie finally grants her wish fucking her ass from behind, and after playing with her pussy a little lets her lay back on the table for some anal missionary action as well. Penny also lets Richie stretch her ass in both cowgirls with her wrists tied together with her panties. She bends over the table to let Richie fuck her ass a bit more, and he finally pulls out to pop on her ass.

After surrendering to Richie, he takes Penny to a bed, undresses her, ties her to the bed, and blindfolds her before putting headphones in her ears with music. He moves a candle around her body before teasing her with drops from ice cubes that he holds over her. He pours the candle wax over Penny's stomach and runs ice over it before moving down to work on her bald pussy with his tongue and fingers. He teases her with his cock, and slides it in missionary style after she begs for it. Richie also slides below Penny to fuck her reverse cowgirl style, works her over with a flogger, and then rolls her over and restrains her again before taking her from behind with a little ass play mixed in. They finish fucking missionary style, and once again Richie lets Penny have a solid load over her stomach before coming up to kiss her nipples and mouth.

One of the first thoughts I had watching The Submission of Emma Marx was that this is what 50 Shades of Grey wanted to be. The biggest difference is that while 50 Shades of Grey felt like it was written by a twelve year old girl who was still waiting for her first kiss and saw a few bondage pictures in a porno magazine, The Submission of Emma Marx feels natural and honest. This movie is as deserving of its nomination at this year's AVN Awards for Best BDSM Release as it is Best Romance Movie. I love how Penny's character questions herself through the movie about her BDSM relationship with Richie due to it not being “normal” for society but being what fills the hole in her soul (as well as her other holes in the process). I also loved how this movie treated BDSM in a much more realistic way, paying attention to the balance of pleasure and pain as well as the aspects of control right down to using a safe word (something the “mainstream” world seems to either not know about or just chooses to ignore when portraying BDSM action. The movie becomes all the more impressive when one realizes that this is basically a four person movie. Yes, there's a few extremely minor characters that are little more than cameos, but The Submission of Emma Marx largely revolves around Penny and Richie's growing relationship as Penny sees her sister Riley have a “normal” relationship and engagement to Van. The progression is not only written very well, which is no surprise with a Jacky St. James script, but extremely well acted by Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun. Penny and Richie drive the movie extremely well, to the point they both seem like no-brainers for the Best Actress and Best Actor nominations they've received.

The little details also really stood out to me in The Submission of Emma Marx. Once again Gabrielle Anex does a masterful job with the editing and sound, and Paul Woodcrest is fantastic with the camera. That's not to say that Jacky St. James and Eddie Powell don't deserve a heck of a lot of credit for their direction (because they definitely do), but having support like Gabrielle Anex and Paul Woodcrest definitely makes their job look look all the better. The music is also extremely well done, and definitely raises the movie another notch. Although I can't completely place the music, I'm pretty sure it was a Rachmaninoff piano concerto and is a good, however not great, version of the piece. The little details definitely make a big difference in The Submission of Emma Marx.

The Submission of Emma Marxis a fantastic adult film that deserves every bit of attention and accolade that it's received. I'll admit that there's a few times I wanted a little more from it, but it definitely seems to accomplish everything it was trying to do thanks to fantastic performances from the entire cast, a very well done script, and great direction from the always amazing Jacky St. James and Eddie Powell. The Submission of Emma Marx is one heck of a great movie.

The Extras: Trailers are included for many entries from New Sensations' fantastic Romance line. The photo gallery lasts about a minute and a half. There's also a behind the scenes featurette, cumshot recaps, and commercials.

The behind the scenes featurette lasts about eight minutes and starts out with some good fun and personality from Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun. Richie talks a bit about himself and the movie before he and Penny work with Jacky on one of the scenes. This is a decent little behind the scenes featurette, but I really wish there had been more than just a couple moments with Penny Pax. Even with that complaint, this is a nice addition to the overall release.

Condom Usage: None

Final Thoughts: It's well worth the purchase, especially if you were even the least bit interested in 50 Shades of Grey.

Note to New Sensations: Thank you for giving Jacky St. James and Eddie Powell the support they needed to make movies like this.

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