Resident Sex

Vivid Entertainment

Genre: Feature

Director: Paul Thomas (as "Chuck Lords")

Cast: Alexis Malone, Jack Venice, Monique Alexander, Trent Tesoro, Selena Silver, Brett Rockman, Bobbi Dean, Jerry, Rick Taylor

Length: 82 minutes

Date of Production: 2/24/2005

Extra's: The best extra for most consumers will be the five bonus scenes taken from other releases. I prefer seeing material made exclusively for the release itself but some of you don't mind this kind of thing. Three of the scenes had Monique Alexander in them and the other two did not (standard Vivid practice). There was also the standard Vivid mini-biography for Monique Alexander, two photogalleries, a fetish menu, trailers, a double sided DVD cover, some limited credits that certainly helped me identify the cast, and my favorite extra of all, a 16.5 minute long Behind the Scenes feature that gave the cast, especially Monique Alexander, a chance to goof around on camera between their scenes. There was also the usual spam at the front of the DVD that I couldn't skip, a major pain in the ass as always.

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: Resident Sex was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as shot by director Paul Thomas for Vivid Entertainment. The biggest problem with the picture was the amount of grain and video noise most of the scenes had; probably due to a lack of proper lighting. When lighting levels get too low and they aren't compensated for, the amount of flaws showing up quickly gets in the way of the action, as was the case here. While the fleshtones weren't too far off due to this problem, when viewed on a large screen television, the problems are magnified substantially and even a quick look on my home computer (with superior monitor and compressed image) showed this one to be a weak picture. The stereo audio wasn't bad in terms of vocals but the droning music was as bad as any other Paul Thomas movie and the possibility of having a second, non-music, track would greatly improve a feature like this for me (and others). There wasn't much separation between the channels and the dynamic range was nothing to write home about but except for the music, it was about average.

Body of Review: Director Paul Thomas has long established himself as a fixture in the world of porn and whether or not you think he's a talented director (there's a large body of evidence on both sides of the argument), he's as close to a porn historian as anyone now that Jim Holiday is sadly lost to the abyss. One thing I've noticed about his movies is that when he uses one of his aliases, he seems to generally churn out the movie with a lot of rough edges (I've done the same thing on various websites with reviews so I can sympathize). The latest of these is a little movie starring hotty Monique Alexander called Resident Sex. The movie takes place on the set of a porno being filmed with all the usual aspects of such a release. The reason such movies are plentiful is because they're easier (and therefore cheaper) to make than an intricate plot, acting, and all the other aspects of a "Real" feature. If you like the cast, take a look at my quick review, noting that condoms were used but they weren't overly obtrusive this time:

Scene One: Alexis Malone, an all natural bleached blonde (I know that sounds like an oxymoron), was up first wearing a skimpy two piece outfit by the luxurious fireplace as she teased the camera a little bit. Monique watched her from the balcony but it was Jack Venice that had the honors of having her this time. She blew him fairly well (he had problems getting wood though) and they went through the motions during the vaginal sex but the scene lacked any of the spark that the director claimed such releases have. I've seen her in some heated scenes in the past so I know it wasn't her causing the problem but generic sex is something I could engage in myself (rather than buy a porno) so forgive me if I yawn aloud during this one.

Scene Two: Monique Alexander, the cute Vivid contract gal on the front DVD cover, was up next after a false start with Selena Silver, with Trent Tesoro. I liked Selena's tease footage better than hers and other than seeing the crew in the background mirror; it wasn't technically bad. My biggest complaint (and the reason why the last scene didn't work for me) was how the scene was edited into the first scene, lowering the heat between the two of them. Some of you may enjoy this type of thing more than I do but in many ways, it's a throwback way of doing things from the 1980's, probably where Paul learned to do it (hopefully, he'll unlearn it soon). The sex was the standard oral and vaginal; and she was certainly looking cute but lacked the energy I had hoped to see from her as well as the chemistry she shows when she's turned on.

Scene Three: Selena Silver, an Australian cutie that has grown on me over the last year or so, was up next in a scene with Brett Rockman. While not the focal point of the movie, her earlier tease was easily the best of the show and she has developed quite a following for her opinionated musings on the internet nearly as much as her talented activities on camera. While she may not have the visual appeal of Monique or Bobbi Dean, I had no doubt that she'd provide the best sex in the movie given her past (and her partner's skills). The scene had some decent oral with a playfulness unmatched by the other scenes, some solid oral, and even gave the viewer some anal although not as passionate as her backdoor antics in other movies. I didn't like the interruption during the oral but it wasn't bad otherwise. I also noticed that she's put on some weight and it looked pretty good on her from my point of view.

Scene Four: Bobbi Dean, another bleached blonde with some nice curves, was up next with creepy Jerry on a red couch. The bed worked better for the last two gals but I know Paul likes to provide some minor variations on settings and when you're limited to a house, what can you do? Otherwise, in my opinion, she was the most attractive gal in the show and even some razor burn didn't dissuade me from believing it. Some guys prefer the heated antics of gals like Selena and others are into the muted performances by gals that are more visually appealing (I can go either way in this regard) so while the sex was basic (oral and vaginal), it had some minor merit for me.

Scene Five: Monique Alexander, again looking very hot if too lean for my tastes, had the last scene on a couch in the darkened living room with studly Rick Taylor. Of all the guys in the movie, he seemed most perfectly matched with her (Brett was the best stud but he also got to work with Selena) and the two could have easily passed as a real life couple by the way they interacted together. The sex was tame in terms of acts but if you're in the market for seeing oral and vaginal sex with her, the manner in which he slowly took his time managed to enhance the scene more than average. I just hated the continually droning music (a huge problem in Paul Thomas movies) and sometimes weak camera work.

Summary: Resident Sex was worth a rating of Rent It to me, largely due to the lame music, formulaic sex, and the various visual flaws encountered during my viewing. The sexual highlight of the movie was Selena Silver but I'll be the first to admit that Monique Alexander has a lot of untapped potential that I'd truly like to see "tapped". The amount of sex taking place provided little fuck for the buck and the extras were mostly generic with the extra scenes would've added far more value had they been made exclusively for this DVD. I know Paul Thomas can make a good movie (and I'm not using awards as a reference for all the usual reasons) but when I see one of his aliases, I know not to expect too much.