And so it began...

The following is a review of The Sopornos Boxed Set #1 that essentially took the first four previous releases and offered them up unchanged in a box set. Having already reviewed them at various websites online years ago, revisiting them now that porn parodies are making a comeback (largely thanks to Jeff Mullen & Scott David from All Play Media), I have far less desire to give a blow by blow description of each scene as I normally would, opting this time to give a general overview with a picture from each scene of the four flicks. Jimmy D. was one of my favorite directors back when these were made and his chemistry working with non-sex actor Rob Spallone, also a director but very talented in the lead role here, was nothing short of fantastic. The later volumes that have audio commentaries between the two are well worth a listen and you can get more detail on half of these by checking them out at Sopornos 2 and Sopornos 3.

The Sopornos Boxed Set #1

VCA

Genre: Parody

Bobbie Barron and Tabitha Stevens

Director: Jimmy D (1-3); Wit Maverick (#4)

Cast: #1: Tabitha Stevens, Steve Hatcher, Phyllisha Anne, Herschel Savage, Lauryl Canyon, Julian, Bobbie Barron, Johnni Black, Kendra Jade, Tyce Bune, Guy DiSilva

Non sex roles: Windy Nites, Rob Spallone, Jimmy D., Sonny Spallone, Victor Burger, Robert Martin, Harry Wise, Damien, Wayne Wright, Ahso Hashimoto, Barry the Box Man

Cast: #2: Lola, Juliet Sheridon, Tony Tedeschi, Bill Margold, Jewel De'Nyle, Samantha Sterlyng, Herschel Savage, Heather Lyn, Adam Wilde, Bridgette Kerkove, Joey Ray, Alec Metro, Kendra Jade, Tyce Bune

Non sex roles: Windy Nite, Rob Spallone, Jimmy D., Dave Cummings, Gene Ross, Monica

Cast: #3: Monique DeMoan, Cherie, Brooke Lane, Nikita Denise, Tony Tedeschi, TJ Hart, Julie Meadows, Marty Romano, John Strong, Adam Wilde, Herschel Savage, Bronze, Mr. Marcus

Non sex roles: Windy Nite, Rob Spallone, Jimmy D., Edward Electric, Robert Martin, Wayne Wright, Deckboy

Cast: #4: Tawny Roberts, Sabrine Maui, Tony Tedeschi, Kat Kleevage, Kyle Stone, Rick Roberts/Patrick, Honey, Dru Berrymore, Steve Hatcher, Shayla LaVeaux, Hershel Savage

Non sex roles: Windy Nite, Rob Spallone, Jimmy D., Henri Pachard, Bill Margold, Maya, BC, Missy Burnett, JP Gary

Length: #1: 98:04 minutes

Length: #2: 123:00 minutes

Length: #3: 114:04 minutes

Length: #4: 104:04 minutes (complete version); 75:44 minutes (wall to wall version)

Date of Production: #1: 6/7/1999

Date of Production: #2: 8/30/2000

Date of Production: #3: 9/10/2001

Date of Production: #4: 9/22/2002

Extras: The first volume of the series had a photogallery, some star bios, three trailers, and that was it. These extras were repeated throughout the series but later volumes provided more quality as the yearly series became increasingly popular despite legal challenges by HBO for copyright infringement at this parody of The Sopranos. Volume #2 showed that the series success allowed for more extras of higher quality, including a great audio commentary between Jimmy and Rob, sticking in my mind over all these years for the way they exchanged some ball busting (but funny) comments. There was also a 14:03 minute Behind the Scenes feature that showed a younger Jewel De'Nyle, the guys fighting over the plot in pre-production, but Rob being Rob was the best part of it. There was also a trailer to the first volume of the series and the standard VCA Interactive commercial of the time as well as the Sex On Demand feature used to skip the talking portions altogether. The third volume of the series had another great audio commentary with all the usual comedy provided for fans of the series and the two principles in charge of the production (Jimmy and Rob) but Dino Bravo joined them too. There was then the usual batch of standard extras (with six trailers though), an 11:30 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by Jonathan showing the boat more than anything (hint: the commentary made a lot of hay about the asshole boat owner and his demands, if you only listen to part of the commentary, that is the best of the best). Finally, the volume 4 Behind the Scenes feature was shot by Henri "Wayne Wright" Pachard and lasted 13:10 minutes, showing how Wit Maverick took over from Jimmy D for the fourth volume of the series and did a decent job in the role. There was also a 4:34 minute long Blooper Reel that added some humor, 6 trailers, two photogalleries, Star Bios, and another commentary. The commentary this time had Shayla LaVeaux, Rob Spallone, and Wit Maverick all contributing to the running gags. Jimmy was missed but even if the chemistry between Wit and Rob was not nearly as good, Shayla making up for it to a degree but sounding a bit high too.

Condoms: Lots

Audio/Video Quality: The Sopornos Boxed Set #1 was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as shot years ago by talented directors Jimmy D and Wit Maverick for VCA Pictures in this MPEG-2 mastered standard definition release. The series actually looked better each year despite some friction as to time constraints and fights over budgets, Jimmy and his producer pal (as well as lead non-sex actor) Rob Spallone fought to make the yearly series one of the best parodies that still had solid sex scenes. The lighting varied depending on the location, scenes shot in the back of moving limousines were not as solid as those shot on static sets poured with light, but the composition of the camera angles always seemed to favor the ladies to the best of Jimmy's abilities. The fleshtones were accurate, the grain minimal in all but the weakest lit settings, and I saw few compression artifacts as the bitrate hovered around the 5 Mbps range most of the time. The audio was presented in 2.0 Dolby Digital English stereo using the standard 192 Kbps bitrate, with little separation or dynamic range and few missed background noises (each volume seemed to have some missed camera shots or audio slips; making it part of the appeal to a few of us reviewers that always looked for them). The vocals were clear on all the movies though and the music appropriate so the audio was actually a step up in terms of most porn made when these were originally released. Overall, the biggest change was when volume #4 was handled by Wit Maverick as his use of Jim Malibu and himself on camera, a different editor, and different way of shooting made that volume look different (in some ways, better lit and clearer too).

Body of Review: Jimmy D and With Maverick were some of the best directors at VCA Pictures back when the DVD format was still taking hold in the industry. Nowadays, gonzo rules and anything goes but back in the late 1990's and early 2000's, this was not the case with VCA one of the dominant forces in advancing technology as used in porn. Features used to be standard in the industry and Jimmy was one of the best at shooting them, Wit less experienced but also a top notch director in terms of balancing all the elements needed on set (Jimmy was better at doing more of the production himself). One of the series they both worked on back then has now been released in a boxed set format, combining four full movies with all the trimmings in the value priced The Sopornos Boxed Set #1. The series was a parody of the HBO series The Sopranos with Rob Spallone serving as the lead mobster, adding some edge and humor missing in far too many titles these days. The recent return of parody porn or light comedies based on mainstream efforts have been undergoing a renaissance of sorts due to their popularity so it makes sense that VCA released this back catalog set, followed by the second sex that finished off the series. Of note was HBO bullying VCA into ceasing production of the show but in terms of heated sex and often hilarious humor, this was one of my favorites since some of my early favorites back in the early 1980's. Here's a brief look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that condoms were used for those still interested:

The Sopornos #1:

Scene One: Tabitha Stevens, Steve Hatcher

Scene Two: Phyllisha Anne, Herschel Savage

Scene Three: Lauryl Canyon, Julian

Scene Four: Bobbie Barron, Tabitha Stevens

Scene Five: Johnni Black, Julian

Scene Six: Kendra Jade, Tyce Bune, Guy DiSilva

Scene Seven: Tabitha Stevens, Herschel Savage

The Sopornos #2:

Scene One: Lola, Juliet Sheridon, Tony Tedeschi, Bill Margold

Scene Two: Jewel De'Nyle, Samantha Sterlyng

Scene Three: Jewel De'Nyle, Herschel Savage

Scene Four: Heather Lyn, Adam Wilde

Scene Five: Bridgette Kerkove, Tony Tedeschi

Scene Six: Jewel De'Nyle, Joey Ray, Alec Metro

Scene Seven: Kendra Jade, Tyce Bune

Monique DeMoan, Cherie, and Brooke Lane

Nikita Denise!

The Sopornos #3:

Scene One: Monique DeMoan, Cherie, Brooke Lane

Scene Two: Nikita Denise, Tony Tedeschi

Scene Three: TJ Hart, Tony Tedeschi

Scene Four: Julie Meadows, Marty Romano

Scene Five: Julie Meadows, John Strong, Adam Wilde

Scene Six: Julie Meadows, Herschel Savage

Scene Seven: Bronze, Mr. Marcus

Julie Meadows!!!

Julie Meadows!!!

Julie Meadows!!!

The Sopornos #4:

Scene One: Tawny Roberts, Sabrine Maui, Tony Tedeschi

Scene Two: Kat Kleevage, Kyle Stone

Scene Three: Tawny Roberts, Rick Roberts/Patrick

Scene Four: Honey, Dru Berrymore

Scene Five: Tawny Roberts, Steve Hatcher

Scene Six: Shayla LaVeaux, Hershel Savage, Tony Tedeschi

Bronze

Tawny Roberts and Sabrine Maui

Summary: The Sopornos Boxed Set #1 by talented directors Jimmy D and With Maverick for VCA Pictures each offered up a slice of gangster life in the funny way porn seems able to convey a balance between sex and entertainment. I know many people fast forward through the dialogue parts of features but if you do so, you'll be missing out on some funny material, even the three commentaries provided worthy of listening to as far as I'm concerned. I even listened to them all over again (it's been years) and it reminded me that porn doesn't have to be just about sex, though any feature not covering the action very well will almost ultimately fail for most consumers. I rated the set as Highly Recommended due to the value as much as how well the series held up, the four flicks including a lot of fuck for the buck, strokability, and replay value for me. There were mostly blowjobs and vaginal plowing but some well known anal lovers will recall a few of the better scenes having ladies taking it in the ass too. In short, The Sopornos Boxed Set #1 was a tremendous value, often found online for barely over $20 at better retailers and if you like the HBO series, mobster themed porn, and comedies, you can't lose here.

Tawny Roberts and Rick Roberts

Honey and Dru Berrymore

Tawny Roberts!

Shayla LaVeaux!

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