Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Sex Review

Reviewed by astroknight  on  1/31/2008

The Little Details

Running Time: 81 min.

Production Date: 10 / 18 / 2006

Director: Tristan Taormino

Cast: Adrianna Nicole, Ariel X., Lorelei Lee, Ricki White, Manuel Ferrara, and Marcos Leon with Tristan Taormino in a non-sex role

The Short Story

Initial Expectations: Tristan is one of the foremost experts on anal sex and has put out very well received books and videos on it already. I can't help but have high expectations for this one as well.

Initial Reaction: It's a very nice instructional release.

Who Should Watch It : Anybody wanting anal sex instruction

Who Should Avoid It: Anybody wanting anal sex information for both men and women

The Technical Stuff

Audio /Video Quality: The technical aspects are pretty good. The audio is normally clear, but there are a few background noises and the voiceovers sometimes cut in at a level slightly different from the other people talking which makes them a bit more noticeable. The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen, and looks pretty good. The lighting is nicely done, but the video is sometimes soft to the point of looking slightly sloppy. The camera work is smooth, but it could have been cleaned up quite a bit. The technical aspects are easily the weakest part of this release.

Music: There's a little soft music here and there that works very well to help keep the softer feel of the release.

Menus: The main menu is nicely done and lays out all of the choices and extras on one screen with a very complete and friendly look. It even lets you watch the scenes with or without instruction while listing the players in it.

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 Manuel Ferrara, Adrianna Nicole, Lorelei Lei, Ariel X., Ricki White, and Marcos Leon to share their knowledge of anal sex.

Scene 1 – Ariel X. and Lorelei Lee with Tristan Taormino lecturing

Tristan starts with a small anatomy lesson with a diagram, discussing the pain aspect of anal sex, and why one should be interested in anal sex. She brings in brunette assistant Ariel and bottle blonde assistant Lorelei and chats with them about why they like anal sex and any tips they have both for giving and receiving. Tristan talks about lubes and desensitizing agents before Lorelei warms Ariel up with a little rimming followed by some finger and toy play while Tristan talks about what's happening as well as discussing techniques. Tristan talks about things which might not feel right and how to resolve them as well as different types of anal toys.

This is a very nice opening to the movie. Tristan covers the basics very well, and does so in a very informative and sex positive manner. Lorelei and Ariel do a very nice job as her helpers, and make the anal play look very natural as well as enjoyable. Add in the group workshop feel with some of the viewers throwing out questions, and this scene because extremely approachable and a great way to open people up to the thought that anal sex isn't just for porn stars and hookers. This is a very nice start to the movie.

Scene 2 – Ricki White and Marcos Leon

Ricki, a cute brunette with a fugly mole piercing, starts out in a metallic purple bikini talking about the fun of anal sex before Marcos talks about a bit of the male thought on anal sex, how it just isn't right, and his secrets for anal sex. With Ricki on all fours, Marcos plays with her pussy and ass with plenty of lube before moving on with a string of red silicon anal beads. They move on to fuck, first with Ricki on top riding Marcos cowgirl style with her pussy as he plays with her ass and then slides a plug in at the same time. He moves on to slide his cock in her ass cowgirl style before fucking her ass missionary style. Marcos even fucks Ricki's ass as she lies on her stomach on the bed before the scene ends without a pop. Throughout it all, you get comments from Tristan as well as pop-up tips about the action.

This is another very nice scene. The sex is explicit, but due to Tristan's comments and the pop-up tips the sex serves more as a reinforcement that the action really is enjoyable. For those looking for something a bit sexier with their education the lack of a pop at the end might stand out a little bit, but with this being an educational release I really don't think it holds the scene back much. If anything, it could have nicely been addressed by doing a visible pop on the ass while talking about the increased safety risks of anal cream pies. This is another very nicely done segment.

Scene 3 – Adrianna Nicole and Manuel Ferrara

Bottle blonde Adrianna starts out the final scene in a little black top with her bra showing talking about why she prefers anal sex to vaginal sex and what she's found guys commonly doing wrong while Manuel talks about what turns him on about anal sex. They even talk about why they love to have sex together before the scene cuts to Manuel rimming Adrianna as she presents her ass to him on all fours. He continues to warm her ass up with a small toy before she sucks his cock as he helps to strip her down. Manuel removes the plug to work on Adrianna's ass with a dildo as she strokes his cock, and after they play orally a bit more they move on with the actual fucking and some insertion techniques. Manuel works Adrianna over in doggie, reverse cowgirl and spooning, and once again finishes the scene without a visible pop. Throughout it, once again, there are a few comments from Tristan as well as a few pop up tips.

This is another very nicely done segment. There's great chemistry between Adrianna and Manuel, and although they can often get plenty energetic and vocal they keep the action nicely restrained here without letting it feel like it's being held back at all. There's a very nice focus on the foreplay once again and some nice attention given to some of the little details of the anal sex. Once again the lack of a pop shot stood out slightly to me, but not so much that it interferes much with the scene. This is another nicely done scene with some very nice information built into it.

Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Sex is a very nicely done instructional release. The focus is very sex positive, and although the action gets plenty graphic, it never seems dirty or raw. There's always a focus on the pleasure of anal, and I was really impressed with how Tristan had some of her helpers talk about things that have worked very well for them as well as the things that many people do that just aren't right. With the marketing juggernaut Vivid is, I was also very impressed with how the movie avoided endorsing certain products and kept information on the toys and lubes very general. As for complaints, any that hit my head were very minor. Perhaps my biggest complaint is that of the lack of pop shots, and although I can easily understand it in the interest of keeping this more of a couples feeling instructional release, the increased risks of sexually transmitted diseases do seem worth mentioning with anal sex. With the movie not even lasting an hour, I also think a couple minutes should have been spent on anal play for men, both for the aspect of pleasure for the man as well as the man gaining knowledge so that he can make anal sex that much more enjoyable for his partner. Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide to Anal Sex is a very well done instructional anal sex video that I can't help but recommend to anybody who's curious about where to start with anal sex or who just wants to see if they can do it a little better with their partner.

The Extra Stuff

Trailers are included for Chemistry and Chemistry 2. There's also a bonus scene, featurettes, and commercials.

A featurette on safe sex is included lasting just over two minutes featuring Marcos Leon and Ricki White. As Marcos and Ricki demonstrate, Tristan talks about dental dams, both purchased and homemade, and homemade tongue condoms. There's also a little talk on gloves and safer sex in general. This is a pretty good featurette. It's simple and friendly, and is informative while being fun and not getting too dry. This is a nice featurette.

A six minute featurette is included on how to give yourself an enema. As Adrianna 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 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 behind the scenes featurette lasts a little under ten minutes. You get a few outtakes and plenty of laughs as Marcos and Ricki work through the safe sex featurette. There's also plenty of laughs (as well as boobs) as Tristan works with Manuel and Adrianna, and some nice chatting with them after the scene. Finally there's a few comments from Tristan on the amazing chemistry between Manuel and Adrianna as well not being able to masturbate to it since they've been shooting for three days. This is a great behind the scenes featurette. You get plenty of chemistry between the stars and plenty of laughs and personality from Tristan and the cast. Marcos and Ricki's segment is hilarious, and Manuel provides some great moments as well. This is a very enjoyable featurette.

Bonus Scene – Ariel X. and Lorelei Lee

Bottle blonde Lorelei starts out kissing brunette Ariel before sucking her tits and having her bend over so she can tongue her pucker. Lorelei moves on to work her up to a few fingers before letting Ariel lay back on the bed as she fucks her ass with a toy and they give her clit a little attention. Ariel breaks out a pair of purple gloves and a silver dildo to help work Lorelei on, and nicely works Lorelei's ass up to the dildo with plenty of tongue and finger play. She picks up speed as she goes, and looks to give Lorelei a nice anal orgasm before the finish things up with some passionate kissing.

This is a great bonus scene. Lorelei and Ariel have great chemistry and they keep the action moving at a very nice pace. The camera captures the action well once again, and the scene remains friendly without feeling held back. Basically, this scene seems perfect for the movie.

The Down -n- Dirty Sex Stuff

Themes: Straight, instructional, lesbian, rimming (female > female), anal, toys, and DP (technical)

Raincoat Factor: Medium 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 wanting a little help regarding anal sex, this one's going to be well worth your money. There's plenty of tips as well as a great sex-positive feeling to the movie. The technical aspects are pretty good and there's a lot of effort put into the extras. This is an impressive release.

Note to Tristan Taormino / Vivid: You seem to make a great team here. I hope this is the start of a long line of instructional releases.

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

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