Pin Ups

Wicked Pictures

Genre: Vignette

Director: Michael Raven

Cast: Nicole LeShelle, Julia Ann, Randy Spears, Bella Starr, Jessica Jaymes, Stormy "Storminator" Daniels, Scott Styles, Justine, Katarina McKenna, Harley Davis, Chris Cannon, Bianca Pureheart, Eric Masterson, Sasha Monet, Talon
Non-sex narrator role by Michael Raven.
Missing in action: Charlie Laine (advertised on the cover and credits but not appearing in the movie (unless it was an alias)

Length: 86.5 minutes

Date of Production: 5/23/2003

Extra's: The extras included a twenty-nine minute long All Access: Behind the Scenes feature by Jeff Scott, a bunch of photogalleries, Star Stats, promotional reels, Free Speech Coalition commercial, DVD-ROM extras (company profile, casino game, award winners, desktop backgrounds and weblinks), trailers to movies such as Hercules, XXX Training and Falling From Grace, and a double sided DVD cover.

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: The picture was presented in 1.85:1 ratio widescreen color, not the standard for the industry at this time (when anamorphic widescreen becomes standard, I'll be long dead I fear). Technically, I think the picture looked exactly like Mr. Raven wanted it to. There was a lot of slow motion and use of effects to accomplish a certain look, which varied by scene I might add, and if you like that look, you'll be ecstatic. Normally, a little of this style goes a long way for me but I'm willing to admit I enjoyed it this time. There was some grain and lighting issues but again, I think he wanted it that way, certainly at the beginning of each scene where it was obvious but also the lesser amounts in the rest of the show. The audio was presented in the 5.1 Dolby Digital surround English that Wicked Pictures has been using. There did appear to be some separation between the channels but not a full-fledged 5.1 set up. In any case, the vocals were drastically downplayed and the music took center stage. It sounded as stylish as it looked, something you will love or hate.

Body of Review: Michael Raven, a long time director in the adult industry, is known for providing stylish entertainment in his movies, be it features or erotica. In the second release of his line for Wicked Picture's erotica collection, Pin Ups, he takes a look at the concept of pin up gals, the ones you used to see on calendars and in advertisements, as fundamental to the male experience in days gone by. Long before porn was a household item as it seems to be now, man had what was somewhat more openly socially acceptable to use to inspire them. While much of porn these days seems to be careening off a cliff, with companies chasing each other to find the most extreme sex allowable by law to provide shock value over sexual fantasy, Mr. Raven and Wicked seem to find comfort that they know their market niche. This is a good thing since I've found that there's an audience for everything, including more erotic content such as this DVD provides. If you're looking for something a bit more stylish than crude, read the following scene breakdowns:

Scene One: The movie started off slowly with a masturbation sequence by the lovely Nicole. She rubbed herself and the visuals combined well with the gal's look. The sequence was warm but too short for my tastes with her savoring the moment.

Scene Two: Julia, the attractive contract star, starred in this scene with Randy. She was dressed up like a Hollywood starlet from years ago and he was her chauffeur. He went down on her, she playfully teased him a bit before returning the oral favor, and then the two screwed on the old car before she jerked him off to completion. It had a lot of slow motion effects but looked pretty good.

Scene Three: Bella and Jessica, dressed as rig workers at a pumping station, had a lusty lesbian scene together. The fusion of the droning beat and slow motion photography actually worked well this time as the two licked, rubbed, and fingered one another to orgasm. I really liked this scene as it was hot (I'm not known as a fan of the more stylish stuff Mr. Raven sometimes makes but he can make some great stuff).

Scene Four: Stormy, the award-winning contract star and hot blonde, had a scene with Scott on a jeep. He was dressed up as a military man and she was his girlfriend with the two of them having an outdoor reunion on the military style jeep. They made out a bit and then he went down on her before she went down on him for a brief time. He then slowly took her from behind for a bit, switched to missionary, and rubbed out a load on her pretty face.

Scene Five: Justine and Katrina, both lean gals with their own look, had a lesbian scene at night by a clothesline. The two were wearing French lingerie and slowly licked one another all over. There were no huge plastic toys shoved in and out (a good thing, I assure you) and the pace of the scene was very sensual indeed.

Scene Six: Harley, playing a gun moll of sorts, waited for Chris to come and solve her crime. She masturbated with her gun a bit (Wow! Something for NRA porn lovers!) until he came to her and warmed her up orally a bit. She reciprocated by giving him head and then they screwed, initially in doggy style and then in cowgirl. I liked the use of the mirror and other visual techniques but she wasn't exactly the hottest gal of the show (if you're in Florida, maybe you'll run into her for a great strip show).

Scene Seven: Bianca, a hot looking cutie, was dressed as a waitress in a 1950's diner. She really looked the part (at least Hollywood's version of such a thing since I've never seen a gal that looked that good last at a diner anywhere) and Eric played a Marlon Brando-esque street thug that took her sexually. There was oral and then straight in a few positions with her blowing him to completion. The visuals were again very creative and pleasing (which is true in general of the whole movie but some of the added touches are worth noting, in this case, the sunglasses).

Scene Eight: This last scene was a solo scene by Sasha in a closed down strip club. Her customer, Talon, did not get to participate, only watch, and he jerked off while watching (as most of you might do watching the movie). This was her first appearance in an adult movie, especially recruited by Mr. Raven himself after he saw some of her modeling, and she indicated on the BtS feature that she's looking to do more in adult. I hope she wasn't kidding since I'd like to see her do more.

Summary: I'm going to rate this one as Recommended but I'm split about doing so. The target market for this movie will find it very erotic and hot to watch while a great many will find it tame and boring. There wasn't a bunch of circus act sex, the men wore condoms, and the stylish look and sound don't even usually appeal to me but I liked it this time. While it's certainly hardcore sex, having all the penetrations you'd expect of it, and there was enough variety to appeal to many that are not traditionally fans of porn (masturbation scenes, lesbian action without the garish toys, and one-on-one being standard here), the style elements tended to wear on me after a short time. In short, a little of this goes a long way but I think a number of you will like it. I wondered where Charlie went and why there weren't twelve scenes (to go with the pin up theme) as well as why Julia wasn't in more than one scene but it was fun to watch. If you'd like some screensavers and desktop pictures, you can go to the website, Official Website (they spelled it wrong on the DVD cover), for free too.