Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Pleasure For Men Review

Reviewed by astroknight  on  2/13/2010

The Little Details

Running Time: 101 min.

Production Date: 8 / 12 / 2008

Director: Tristan Taormino

Cast: Annie Cruz, Jandi Lin, Penny Flame, Christian XXX, Devin, Nomad, and Tristan Taormino in a non-sex role

The Short Story

Initial Expectations: When it comes to anal sex there are few people with the skill to pass on their knowledge as Tristan Taormino. The little I've seen of the Vivid Ed line has also been very impressive, which gives me very high hopes for this release.

Initial Reaction: It's a very nicely done instructional release that I can't help but recommend to anybody who's interested in the subject.

Who Should Watch It : Anybody who's even the list bit curious about male anal pleasure, or who has a partner who is

Who Should Avoid It: Anybody wanting an extremely clinical look at male anal pleasure

The Technical Stuff

Audio /Video Quality: The technical aspects are nicely done. The audio is clear and fairly well balanced, and I didn't notice any background noises. The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen and looks nice. There's a touch of grain, but the action is well lit and the camera work is smooth.

Music: There's a little music that rests quietly in the background during the demonstrations. It's fairly generic, but does have a slightly fun feeling that helps the scenes out.

Menus: The main menu is nicely presented with the cover still, the choices, and a few clips from the movie. It also lets you choose between watching the scenes with or without instruction.

The Feature

When it comes to anal sex, there are few out there who are considered as much of an authority on the subject as Tristan Taormino. Here she teams up with adult stars Annie Cruz, Jandi Lin, Penny Flame, Christian XXX, Devin, and Nomad to share their knowledge of anal sex relating to men.

Tristan starts the movie out with the “Anal Workshop” lecture. Tristan talks about how this once taboo subject for straight men is opening up, as well as stereotypes and myths about men and anal pleasure. She moves into a review of male anatomy with a nice focus on the key areas before discussing preparation for anal play. Tristan nicely discusses things to do, as well as things to look out for, when preparing for anal. She also discusses lube with a warning about desensitizing lubes, as well as why water and silicone based lubes are recommended over oil based lubes. Tristan covers warm-up including rimming, finger play, and the importance of gloves, as well as toys. She shows off several toys developed specifically for male anal play before being joined by helpers Penny and Devin.

This is a great opening for the movie. As always, Tristan comes off as being very open, knowledgeable, and friendly, which should ease any fears or nervousness that anybody has about the subject. She keeps things very professional, but never lets it get so dry that the subject becomes boring, and moves through the different topics at a very nice pace. This is a very good start to the movie.

Penny and Devin start out talking about their experience with anal play and sharing a few thoughts for men and women who might be a little nervous about male anal play. Tristan quickly checks out Penny's long shiny nails, and shows her how to work around the danger they may cause, and has Devin talk about what he loves and what he dislikes or worries about regarding anal penetration as Penny gets ready. They cut to Devin bent over, naked, and ready as a mostly naked Penny lubes up a gloved finger as Tristan double checks with Devin on what he likes and then guides Penny through a little opening finger play while pointing out details that should make things much more comfortable for Devin. As soon as she sees that Penny and Devin have things under control, Tristan leaves them alone to continue by themselves.

Penny continues to finger Devin's ass as he gives her a few instructions on how he likes it before choosing a silicone toy that she completely covers with a condom before lubing it up and working it into Devin's ass. She strokes him while working on him with the toy, and then kicks things up with a strap-on. He watches with a smile as Penny puts on her strap-on and strokes it as she lubes it up before letting Penny fuck him doggie style. Penny also fucks Devin missionary style as well as kicking things up a notch using a double ended dildo in her strap-on harness so she can get a little extra pleasure for herself while fucking him. She fucks Devin doggie style with the double dildo as well as letting Devin take control reverse cowboy and froggy style. Finally, Devin pops on Penny's chest with both of them looking like they're having a great time.

This is a very good demonstration. As Penny works Devin over, details about the different toys and positions being used are given by Tristan with voiceovers and pop-up messages. The commentary and pop-ups keep things very informative while letting Penny and Devin give a very nicely done and graphic demonstration. Throughout the demonstration Penny and Devin look like they're having a lot of fun, and both appear to be more than familiar with the subject. They keep the demonstration moving at a very nice pace and the camera captures the action very well and through a few well chosen angles. This is a very informative and nicely captured demonstration scene.

Annie and Nomad start out the second demonstration helping each other strip down on a bed. She has him suck her fingers before stroking his asshole, and checks to make sure it's okay that she plays back there before he rolls to her stomach and lets her work a lubed up finger into his ass. Annie works him up to two and then three fingers, checking to make sure he likes it as she stretches him out while also proving that he's far from a newbie when it comes to anal play. Annie makes sure to lube herself up a little more when Nomad asks for four fingers, and then works him over with a string of red silicone anal beads. She stretches him out a little more with a two tiered buttplug, and leaves it in while he works her over orally. Annie breaks out a strap-on to fuck Nomad doggie style before spooning him, and then fucks him stallion style bending over the bed with a new harness with a spot for a vibrating egg for her. Annie decides that she needs a little anal love as well, so she lays back to let Nomad finger her ass and fuck it with a glass dildo as she holds a ball vibe on her pussy.

This is another nicely done demonstration. I really like how Annie gets a little anal play in as well, but was a little disappointed that Tristan didn't point out that men with a little anal experience themselves can be better anal lovers for their partner because they know exactly how sensitive the area can be. I also like how a few different toys were demonstrated, as well as different positions. Once again there was very nice chemistry, and a very friendly feeling to the scene with plenty of smiles to ease the fears of those who are a little nervous about the subject. This is another nice demonstration, but it's a little short on tips from Tristan.

Asian Jandi starts out completely naked on a couch sucking buff and bald Christian's cock. She massages his balls and asshole while sucking him, and even works him into her throat a bit before he pulls her around to kiss her mouth and eat her ass. He kisses her passionately a bit more before letting her suck his cock, and Jandi quickly turns it into a bit of a handjob as well while also reaching around to finger his ass with one and then two fingers. She has Christan lay back so she can finger and eat his ass in addition to sucking his cock a little more with a few fingers up his ass. Jandi moves on to give Christian a stainless steel plug that she sucks to warm up before lubing up and sliding it in, and Christian insists on giving a little in return by turning it into a sixty-nine. He slides Jandi around to fuck her cowgirl style while keeping the plug in his ass, and after a bit she hops off to take a small pop on her tongue that she shares back with Christian. Christian pulls the plug out of his ass and takes a quick taste before giving himself a hand as Jandi grabs a glass double dong that she puts to work on his ass. She keeps fucking his ass with the toy as she sucks his cock and rides it reverse cowgirl style. She takes another pop in her mouth that she feeds to Christian before kissing him, and then grabs a curved black vibrating toy that Christan requests. Jandi is in awe of the toy and wants one for herself, but reminds Christian that it's all about him and slides it in while working on his cock with her hand and mouth. He fucks her doggie style while thumbing her ass, and eats her ass a little after giving her a nice orgasm. Jandi gives Christian a little more of the black toy, and finishes him off with it to get one last pop in her mouth that's once again passed over to him.

Not surprisingly, this is another very enjoyable scene. Jandi and Christian easily turn out the nastiest scene in the movie, but it's hard to think of it as being “nasty” when the two of them are having as much fun as they obviously are here. They both show plenty of enthusiasm, and I love how they mix the toy play in with their sex. This is another very nicely done demonstration, but there's a few things that might scare some couples.

Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Pleasure for Men is a very well done instructional release. Tristan has a great cast throughout the movie, and everybody involved with the male anal play seems to be having a great time. She starts things out very nicely with her lecture, and then moves nicely into the three demonstrations. There isn't a lot of variety to the demonstrations, but there are a few minor differences to set them apart with the different couples trying different toys and positions. That said, there were a few things that I think could have been done better. First, it would have been nice to have a short interview with Annie and Nomad and Jandi and Christian before their demonstrations. I think there's a lot of hesitation to try male anal play in couples out there, and a few more voices talking about what they like about it and giving a few of their tips should help ease some of their fears. The other thing that really stood out is that nobody ever mentions that guys who try anal themselves can be better anal lovers for their partners. There are a lot of little tricks to help anal sex be more comfortable, as well as plenty of little things that can go wrong, and I don't think anything can teach those things like experience can. Although sex is opening up greatly, there's still a taboo nature to anal sex for many, and although male anal play is definitely more taboo it's still something that couples can be on the same ground with in their relationship sexually as they experiment more. Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Pleasure for Men might have a couple minor faults, but they're very minor and not anything that should hold back anybody interested in it from picking it up.

The Extra Stuff

Trailers are included for Chemistry, Chemistry 2, Chemistry 3, Chemistry 4, Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Sex, Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 1: Cunnilingus, Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Oral Sex 2: Fellatio, Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to the G-Spot, The Expert Guide to Positions, Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Threesomes, Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Hand Jobs for Men and Women, and Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Rough Sex. There is also the ability to watch each of the three scenes in the movie without the instruction, several short featurettes, and commercials.

The three scenes from the movie without instruction lasts roughly an hour and a quarter. You get the same strong chemistry from each of the scenes, just no voiceover or pop-up tips as the girls work the guys over. This is a great bonus feature for the DVD.

The ”Safer Sex” featurette lasts about five and three quarter minutes. Cindy Crawford and Jack Lawrence demonstrate the use of a dental dam both with a store bought dam as common household objects. There's also a discussion on condoms with the help of Adrianna Nicole and Alec Knight and dental dams for anal with Ricki White and Marcos Leon. Safe toy and finger play is also discussed with the help of Penny Flame and Evan Stone. This is a simple but nicely done featurette that gets its point across in an informative manner without getting too dry.

”How to Choose & Wear a Strap-On lasts just under five minutes and features the cast from the movie. Tristan discusses how the best strap-ons are the ones you can put together yourself instead of buying as a full kit. She discusses important features of the dildos as well as the mental aspect, price range, and materials. Tristan also discusses a few specific strap-ons and the advantages and disadvantages of different styles as the girls show how they should be worn. This is a very well done and informative featurette.

The ”Solo Prostate Stimulation featurette lasts just under three minutes. As Tristan discusses the subject, the guys from the movie demonstrate. There's a couple toys discussed with their advantages and disadvantages. There isn't as much information here as in the other featurettes, but there's still enough to give those curious about solo prostate stimulation a little information to make them more comfortable about it. This is another nice addition to the overall DVD.

The ”Anal Hygiene and Enemas” featurette lasts about six and a quarter minutes and has been included on other Vivid Ed titles. As Adrianna Nicole touches up her makeup, Tristan chats about preparation and enemas, including how over the counter enema solutions are best dumped out and refilled with water for use. Ricki White joins in the demonstration for a discussion on enema bags. This is a very nicely, and very tastefully done featurette. There's plenty of tips to make the subject friendly, and although there's girls showing off the equipment, they never get so graphic as to even show a close-up of the insertion of the enema tube or nozzle (let alone showing the actual enema itself). If that isn't enough, Tristan repeats many of her points in text form at the end of the featurette. This is a very well done featurette with an extremely friendly approach as well as a lot of information.

The Down -n- Dirty Sex Stuff

Themes: Straight, instructional, toys, male anal penetration, interracial, rimming (male > female and female > male), ass to mouth, cum swapping, and male cum eating

Raincoat Factor: High

Condom Usage: None

The Bottom Line:

Currently, many of the Vivid Ed DVDs can be found online for between about $17 and $30 with most stores offering them for around $23. If you're interested in male anal pleasure, don't worry about the price tag and just pick this one up. The three demonstrations are very well done and Tristan's lecture and tips on the subject have plenty of information as well. The technical aspects are nicely done and there's plenty of effort put into the extras even if some of them are repeated from previous volumes. This is a very well done instructional release and one that I can't help but recommend.

Note to Vivid: You're doing a great job with this series. I hope you keep the Vivid Ed line around for a long time.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me .

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