Chemistry DVD Review

Actors: Tristan Taormino, Mr. Marcus, Mika Tan, Kurt Lockwood, Marie Luv, Dana Dearmond, Jack Lawrence, and Taryn Thomas

DVD Menu Feature Disc:

~ Easy to navigate
~ Includes Feature film, Scene Selection, and Positions Room

Positions Room: Consists of videos having to do with: “Pussy Eating”, “Blow Job”, “Missionary”, “Doggie”, and “Cumshot”. I kind of felt like this was nothing special, it was pretty much just compilations of scenes including those specific things from the feature film. In these videos you are watching the same thing you see when you watch the feature movie, it’s nothing new. The only pro is that it makes it easier if you want to just watch those specific kinds of scenes because you can go straight to it instead of treading through the extra fluff in the video.

Feature film: Chemistry focuses on the seven adult film stars listed above. These stars were chosen to stay in a house together for 36 hours and have to be taped by camera people the whole time they are there. There aren’t any scripts given to them or any schedules. They get to choose the “who, what, where, and when” for all of their sex scenes basically. There is also a “confessional” that they go into tell the viewer the “why” of what they chose to do. Tristan Taormino directed the video, she decided she wanted to do a video to give the viewer a more authentic “no holds barred” kind of video. This is also the first volume in the Chemistry video series.

The video starts off with all 7 of the stars sitting in the living room of the house with Tristan Taormino. Tristan Taormino is interviewing them, asking questions like “What do you think people most misunderstand about porn stars?”. The scene seems to be there to help the viewer get to know the actors in the film better. It also shows the viewer that they aren’t just porn stars, they are real people. One thing that I kind of felt detracted from the scene though was that the women were all sitting around with their breasts hanging out and that seemed to put a fine line between the real person/porn star aspect. It took a little bit of authenticity away for me because I felt that in a way they were still stating that they were porn stars and that they were just there because they were getting paid to do it.

One feature of the video that pops up during the sex scenes in the “perv cam”. The “perv cam” is operated by one of the 7 porn stars and they are filming parts of the scene along with the professional camera person. In some instances it was okay, but in most scenes I found it to be very distracting as it pulls you out of the fantasy into reality in a way.

The sex scenes in the movie were definitely unique (as the actors were allowed to joke and talk to each other unlike in most porn) but I felt that some lacked a bit of chemistry compared to the other scenes in the movie. It almost seemed as if they were overacting (fake orgasms) or being a bit awkward which also took a bit of the authenticity away from the video. Alot of the positions that the actors assumed were those you would see in a typical porn movie. Though they are porn stars – so that probably was due to it being out of habit or something like that. I do like that there is variety throughout the video – a threesome scene with Mika Tan, Taryn Thomas and Jack Lawrence – that eventually evolved into a Taryn Thomas being double penetrated by Mika Tan and Jack Lawrence. There is also pegging in the video – Mika Tan pegs Kurt Lockwood with a strap on. Pegging was not something I expected to see in the video – but was glad it was there because it added something unique and not often seen in “straight” porn. There were also a couple “foursome” scenes, one filmed on the “Perv Cam”, the other filmed as a regular scene. Another disappointment to be was that there wasn’t a lesbian scene at all through the movie – though I admit I am extremely picky about lesbian scenes because I hate it when it seems like a couple of women faking being lesbians – with no chemistry. It would have been nice to see it included to see that it was catering to everyone. A plus is, that safe sex is shown as well – some use of condoms; use of lubricants during toy use and anal sex.

I really feel that the idea behind this film was great, because it was completely unscripted. The women got to do what they wanted, when they wanted which pleases the feminist in me because it strayed away from the air of male dominance that is in some porn. I wasn’t really into all of the scenes, but the scenes I liked – I really loved. The only thing is, if you watch porn to be in your own little fantasyland, than the Perv Cam and the interview scenes thrown in can be a bit jarring to reality. You go from watching sex, to suddenly thinking “Oh wait, this really is just a movie with porn stars – not authentic sex.”

All in all, I would give this video 4 stars, despite the cons – it really is a well made film and I will always love Tristan Toarmino as a sex educator:

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