Playgirl: Surrender To Lust

Wicked Pictures/Playgirl

Genre: Vignette

Director: None credited

Cast: Julia Bond, Niko, Penny Flame, Michael Fuller, Avena Lee, Eric Masterson, Dominica Leoni, Anthony Hardwood, Cassie Courtland, Marcos Leon, Katja Kassin, Tyler Knight, Nicole Sheridan, Voodoo, Brooke, Jean Val Jean; Sarah Blake (bonus scene only)

Length: 102.5 minutes

Date of Production: 6/7/2005 (box); 7/28/2005 (credits)

Extras: The best extra was the bonus scene called Wimbledon between Sarah Blake and Anthony Hardwood as described below. It lasted about 10.5 minutes and seemed warm as the two enjoyed each other's attentions. There was then a 5 minute long montage of Niko suited for the ladies, followed by a 5+ minute Playgirl Centerfold edition with Kris Davis as the focal point for the ladies. There was then a photogallery, some trailers, a promo reel, some spam, a coupon for buying stuff directly from Playgirl, a true double sided DVD cover, and a cardboard slipcase to protect the DVD case.

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: Playgirl: Surrender To Lust was presented in non-anamorphic widescreen color as shot by an uncredited director (or several given the variety of visual styles employed here) for Playgirl TV and distribution by Wicked Pictures. The emphasis of the short vignettes was to provide a less explicit, erotic look at sexual liaisons between men and women. As such, the lighting was varied and the use of special visual effects added in to provide something designed to appeal more to a female point of view than that of a jaded porn reviewer. Make no mistake about it, I know a lot of women that find this kind of thing boring and at least a few men that appreciate the more sensual nature of this kind of photography but a little goes a very long way and some scenes suffered from a lot of grain as a result. The composition of the camera shots seemed to favor the men with the camera geared to offering the men as the focal point of the vignettes but it was still uneven and I can see why no one wanted to claim credit for shooting the scenes. There were no compression artifacts and the picture was otherwise decent if one step above late night cable television offerings on Cinemax. The audio was presented in a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround English with a decided leaning towards the music over the vocals of the cast as they engaged one another sexually. The majority of vocals were the voice-overs by the uncredited hostess of the show, outlining the scenarios presented, but again, the music was the focal point (some of it quite decent).

Body of Review: Wicked Pictures has long partnered up with a variety of companies to expand its influence and offer fans something different. As the preeminent feature porn producer these days, they have deals with Marc Dorsel and Playgirl to offer foreign and female friendly porn outside of the titles they produce directly. The latest of these releases is Playgirl: Surrender To Lust, a series of vignettes where women fantasize about romantic sex with men under a number of scenarios. In general, the sex was on the lighter side of hardcore with oral and vaginal being pretty much all you'll see with limited positions and short scene length to contend with but a number of eye catching couples that some of you new to porn may enjoy more than a seasoned viewer of the genre (male or female). If you like female friendly titles such as those Candida Royalle provides and want to take the next step but aren't quite ready for Wicked's main body of work, this will serve as a nice selection of scenes to enjoy. Here's a quick look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that the sex was formulaic and will only appeal to a limited audience:

Scene One: Maharaja: Julia Bond, a very appealing young lady with a nice figure and beautiful face, was up first as the concubine of Niko in this Middle Eastern fantasy. The voice over was a drag but it helped set the stage for the scene (though I'd rather this have been done by actions over words). The veils, the repetitive music, and the low lighting all managed to provide the kind of erotic mood that some of you prefer over the harsh lights of most porn. They kissed, rubbed, and slow oral each gave each other then led to some vaginal pumping where he did most of the work in the limited positions. It ended when he busted a nut on her ass cheeks, kissing her as the camera faded away.

Scene Two: Model & Photographer: Penny Flame, playing a photographer in a skimpy outfit, directed Michael Fuller as he slowly stripped off his clothing for her on a limited set that had a red couch and lamp with little else to distract from the couple. As he followed orders, both got turned on and began getting into one another but it ended up to be mostly a handjob scene where she got him off to both of their delights. It was an interesting change of [ace but it did make him come across as gay by the way he seemed some standoffish to her attentions.

Scene Three: Chess: Avena Lee, an attractive Asian gal, and Eric Masterson, your everyday porn performer, were up next as they played a game of chess with an old world styled set. She won so she took him as her prize, taking control of his body though giving him a chance to suck her nipples too. He then went down on her and she reciprocated, each giving painfully slow head to the other as if to make it last. She gave an active ride on the couch during the reverse cowgirl but I didn't sense anything other than a mechanical performance from both of them (and I like them but recognize when they are going through the motions). It ended like the other scenes, a pop shot after a couple of vaginal penetration positions, but wasn't terrible if you're not wanting any spark.

Scene Four: The Party's Over: Dominica Leoni, a cute blonde in a red dress, was up next on an outdoor patio at night with lothario Anthony Hardwood at the end of a party. The scenario had him as passing through the area with each meeting at a mutual friend's party, following the formula with some oral and vaginal screwing; showing the sensitive side of things in the very grainy scene. She was a decent ride and seemed to have fun but his rubbing out a load to her ass cheeks ruined the mood more than a little bit.

Scene Five: Morning Glory: Cassie Courtland, a fan favorite blonde, was up next as she watched Marcos Leon shower while lounging in her white lingerie. She dried him off and then proceeded to make him late for work with neither getting to say much as the music droned on. They kissed a lot and she was a an active partner, though it got kind of cold the way they boned about mid way through the scene.

Scene Six: Hot in the Hills: Katja Kassin, the leading German anal queen, played a hostess waiting for her party quests, with Tyler Knight coming up behind her to lovingly caress her on the balcony of their fabulous ocean front property. They moved to the couch and followed the erotica formula but there was precious little sexual tension between the couple as they went down on one another before the penetrative aspects of the scene. She was probably the most active female of the cast and worked his shaft to the bone, showing yet again that she has no problems with interracial though I was surprised it was such a short scene and had no anal before the ass cheek pop.

Scene Seven: Last Call: Nicole Sheridan and Voodoo, a real life couple playing throwbacks to the late 1960's, were up next as he played a modern bar tender and she played a lady on the prowl. They always show chemistry but as much as the scenario was cute, it paled compared to most of their recent work, seeming like a light version of their better work to me. Like the other scenes, it was oral and vaginal only with the ass cheek pop, ending in a seductive kiss.

Scene Eight: The Garden of Sin: Brooke and Jean Val Jean, playing the original couple in the garden of Eden, picked the apple and let the snake win by partaking of the forbidden fruit. The rest of the scene was riddled with special visual effects and while they looked good together, they weren't given much room to enjoy anything outside of a formulaic romp on a large bolder. The music was totally out of place for the scene and it worked better when I muted it for a second viewing.

Bonus Scene: Wimbledon: Sarah Blake, a cute little redhead that I don't see in porn often these days, was up in a short bonus scene as a tennis partner to sports enthusiast Anthony Hardwood. It was a by the book scene but the two appeared to fit well together even if she was likely half his age.

Summary: Playgirl: Surrender To Lust was a sort of Wicked Pictures-lite offering for newcomers to porn to enjoy. The women weren't abused and the design of the action was much like real life sex in how short the scenes really were with lots of mood enhancing aspects used to elevate the expectations of the audience provided to make it worthwhile. I know that most of the people watching porn for years will find this tame (even boring) but it wasn't about circus act sex or providing lengthy scenes of sexual Olympics as most gonzo seems geared to so I think you'll either love it or hate it with me taking the middle road of Rent It since it made for a nice, albeit slow, change of pace. In short, Playgirl: Surrender To Lust may be a fine gateway product to entice your lady friends into at least trying out porn but it'll leave most of you wanting more so prepare to get some of Wicked's bigger hits along with it.