Riot Sluts! (Mason's Riot Sluts!)

Platinum X Pictures

Genre: Gonzo

Director: Mason

Cast: Gia Jordan, Katrina Kraven, Ariana Jollee, Domineko, Doni Blass, Karl Kinkaid (KK), Mandy Bright, Brandon Iron, Frank Gun, Erik Everhard, Kami Andrews

Length: 133.5 minutes

Date of Production: 3/27/04

Extra's: Porn extras vary wildly these days with some companies providing nothing at all and others providing extra discs of content that include more sex, interviews, and a host of interesting perks that mainstream releases have yet to top in any significant manner. Like most Platinum X Picture releases, the primary emphasis of Riot Sluts!, is the movie itself, preferring to fill the DVD with sex footage instead of the stuff many of us watch once (or less). To me, the best extra was the 36.5 minutes of Behind the Scenes footage with Mason directing the cast and crew (there are those who would argue that she is simply the front for a male director that this extra can be used to dispute). Even if you don't usually spend any time watching BTS features, you'll want to check this one out in order to 1)see more of the cast in action or various states of nudity, and 2) get a better idea of the mindset that goes into Mason's very different vision. The next best extra this time was the 17 minute long interview with Mason. Before you get too excited, it was audio only with no visual references to the young (and very cute) director, done in a car by Toby Damon(?). The other extras included some trailers, a photogallery, and minor blooper footage at the end of the movie.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: The picture was presented in the expected 1.33:1 ratio, full frame, currently the standard aspect ratio for porn. Like many of Platinum X Pictures other releases, the picture quality wasn't perfect but it was certainly within the usual parameters for gonzo porn. Specifically, the colors were slightly off at times, the focus somewhat uneven at times, the camera movement sometimes jarred a bit, and there was pattern noise on some of the scenes (usually related to the fishnet stockings worn). I suppose it could be argued that the visual quality of the scenes reinforced the raw nature of the sex so I'm not going to write a thesis on every perceived flaw it had. The audio was presented in 2.0 stereo with minimal separation between the channels. You could hear what the cast was saying, some of the background noise, and little else but make no mistake that audio is not a facet that appeared to get a lot of thought here. If you like the voyeuristic element the scenes presented, you'll be happy with both the audio and video but the technical aspects were secondary to the sexual tension; making perfectionists like myself a bit ill at ease.

Body of Review: In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about how far should porn go to provide the absolutely hardest sex acts to entertain the masses. Many people have taken the stance that whatever the market will bear should be the standard, others think appealing to the federal government should be the focus and still others figure that good taste will win out over all. Frankly, each group has its good points (and bad) and the discussion is not likely to end anytime soon. After all, what turns me on more than anything else usually revolves around attractive gals having sexual fun in nice settings but I have learned to appreciate a wide array of other experiences too. One of the so-called frontrunners of this debate is an attractive young lady by the name of Mason.

Mason is somewhat of a mysterious figure in porn to many since she is very protective of her identity. She started directing at Elegant Angel and now makes movies for Platinum X Pictures as her style has evolved. For those who have been living under a rock, her style of porn is to make no-holds-barred porn with few limits, often skirting the boundaries of good taste, if no completely disregarding them. She prefers to focus on slapping, spanking, spitting, and balls-to-the-wall boning as her calling cards, making no apologies for the fact that she, as a woman, can be just as hardcore as any male director in porn today (or ever). While she's only made a handful of movies in her short career, she has done as much to fuel the fires of the previously mentioned discussion as any of her contemporaries, including Max Hardcore (The King of extreme porn).

There are those who would argue that her brand of porn is dangerous in that it invites governmental regulation, objectifies women, and even uses her gender as a veil to promote abusive relationships just as her supporters argue that she is making a stance that freedom of expression, both commercially and on a more personal note, is worth the risk. They would further argue that as long as the relationships portrayed involve consenting adults, no one should interfere with Mason's attempts to provide entertainment, shock or otherwise, and that the final say in any such endeavor will be the consumers (after all, if no one buys her movies, she'll either stop making them or tone them down to a more "acceptable" level).

That said, this review is on her latest release, Mason's Riot Sluts!, Platinum X Pictures 69th release. The movie is a series of five scenes where the sex is rough, the cast is willing, and the entertainment value is undeniable if you have even the slightest interest in seeing women live out some extremely edgy fantasies. Some women are in charge, others are submissive, and still others are on an equal footing with their partners but the common thread in this DVD is that it isn't porn like your father used to buy. The term "Riot Slut" is generally defined as women accepting their own sexuality without reserve, throwing caution to the wind in terms of societal norms. They like the rough stuff and make no apologies to the judgmental masses, much like porn does in other aspects of life. Slapping, gagging, anal, ATM, DP's, spanking and a whole lot of dirty talk are frequently employed here in a manner that would shock most sailors (trust me, I know). It isn't for everyone and if you aren't a fan of this kind of sex, do yourself a favor and skip it now before you get all excited and blame me. Noting that I prefer something a bit more conventional to get off on, here's my take on the DVD:

Scene One: Katrina, a black-haired gal with a harsh look and lots of tattoos, took a dominant role to Gia in the first scene. Gia's fairly new to porn and has a cute look combined with that high school slut look that so many men find irresistible. The two were out in a back parking lot in broad daylight as Mason walked up on them (in a point of view style reminiscent of John Stagliano's work). Katrina mouthed off and the next thing you know, the gals were busting up a car (actually smashing its windows), before going at it. For those who find most lesbian scenes tame, you might find this more interesting as the dildo play, the dirty talk, and physical abuse aspects outweighed the usual porn conventions by a big margin. In the end, four men who were watching acted as though they were going to join in but Mason shied away from doing this (much to the chagrin of most viewers, I'm sure). The concept of the "Riot Slut" established, the movie continued.

Scene Two: Ariana, the hotty on the front DVD cover, was up next. Her role in the scene was as something of an upper-scale gal dominating Domineko, a Black man stuck in a cage (under somewhat more appealing circumstances than his ancestors). She spit on him, slapped him, and maintained control of him by doing what she wanted, when she wanted to do it. They were joined by Karl and Doni who altered the equation a bit but I always felt that her sexuality was in charge of them, not the reverse. From her blowjobs to the penetration of her pussy and ass, the scene had a lot of energy (something I noticed in the first scene too). Rather than rely on a laundry list of sex acts, suffice it to say that this scene had a lot going for it if you like this type of sex. The bonus for Ariana's fans is that it was billed as her first interracial scene but they'll also want to check it out based on her extreme attitude here as the gagging, the energy, and the attitude were much better than average, even for her.

Scene Three: Mandy, one of those gals you watch and fall in lust with over and over again, displayed that her talents have not deteriorated since she began taking a more active role in the industry (she used to work exclusively for Private Pictures). Her partners in the scene were Brandon and Frank with each of these two perverts contributing some of their unique style as they dominated this well known performer after she took a leak on the kitchen floor. She started off with a bit in her mouth, wearing a great fetish outfit, crawling over to get some manly attention from her partners. She blew them with plenty of energy, took them in her pussy and ass handily, and the DP was further proof that she could keep up with anything they had to offer. The theme of slapping, spanking and other rough play was very noticeable throughout the scene (like the whole movie) and fans will enjoy it a lot.

Scene Four: Katrina, this time playing a bitchy heterosexual gal, started off her second scene by fussing at the unseen (but not unheard) Mason about her extravagant hotel accommodations. Apparently, she confused the classy surroundings with being to stuffy for her tastes and the next thing you know, she's jumping Erik (who played a room service dweeb). If you've seen his previous work, you'll know that he revels in the rough sex angle as much as anyone shy of Brandon, so the two got along famously as they licked, sucked, fucked, and even kissed (yes, kissed-it was a more subtle theme of the movie) into oblivion. This scene was less vocal than her first, other than the passionate screams and moans, relying on the visuals more to convey the rawness the two had to offer one another. The sex was more conventional this time, primarily oral and straight with some spanking, which surprised me since both of the performers are well versed in the edgier sex Mason focuses on in her movies.

Scene Five: Kami, a gal known as much for her bondage modeling as her porn performances (to be fair, she's been very active in shooting movies this year), was up next. She has dark hair and a curvy body with the kind of attitude that Mason likes to shoot. Her scene was with the infamous Brandon himself, a legend in the rough sex porn crowd. She wore shiny black boots with buckles on them, some skimpy fishnet panties and a matching crop top, and a smile. While her face is not what you'd expect as a picture-perfect example of a Vogue magazine cover, her sexual appetite is widely considered to be enough to propel her to a shot at porn stardom. The scene took place in a large commercial car garage, with the two going at it after she strokes her beloved automobile. They boned after some gagging action, her sucking his ass, and the usual heated circus act stuff, with fans likely to appreciate her anal antics a lot. Like some of the other scenes, there was a fair amount of ATM (ass to mouth), and it ended surprisingly with him tying her up and locking her in the trunk of her car.

Summary: Rating something like this is very tough for me since it could be looked at a number of ways. I'm not sure I agree with Mason's philosophy as expounded in the movie and her critics have made some significant points over the last year or two but taken as a microcosm of the whole "Extreme Vs. Conventional" argument, I think Mason's fans will find this release to be easily worth a rating of Highly Recommended. If my qualification of the rating is frowned upon by any of you out there, keep in mind that porn is the among the most personal of tastes in terms of genres and this title is one that you'll either love or hate regardless of how I explain it. The women all appeared to enjoy themselves, getting off in the process several times, the technical values were decent, if not great, and the amount of fuck for your buck was very high if you like rough sex. Some day, I might get a chance to check out Mason's previous works (that led to her leaving Elegant Angel as not part of their vision of the future) in order to see her evolution as a director but even I have to admit that this DVD had enough going for it to warrant checking out.

Note: You can see recent candid shots of several of these performers by visiting: My Photo's and read about their antics at 2004 AEE Show. Unlike other websites though, I respected Mason's privacy enough to not take any pictures of her, so you'll have to look elsewhere for those.