Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Sex

Vivid/Smart Ass Video Productions

Genre: Instructional

Director: Tristan Taormino

Cast: Lorelei Lee, Ariel X, Ricki White, Marcos Leon, Adrianna Nicole, Manuel Ferrara
Non-sex roles by: Tristan Taormino, others not directly credited

Length: 81.5 minutes

Date of Production: 10/18/2006

Extra's: The best extra was an anamorphic widescreen bonus scene starring Lorelei Lee and Ariel X that was shot for this movie. Unique bonus scenes are not common on Vivid titles so I was happy that this 21 minute lesbian anal scene was not just another scene tossed in from the archives. It started off with Lorelei rimming and preparing Ariel but quickly resulted in anal penetration, the gals reversing their roles for Lorelei to be a receiver soon afterwards (splitting the dynamic in half rather than one gal dominating a particular role). They had fun and it was a nice stroke-worthy bit, though heavier on toys than a male/female scene. There were then two non-narrative versions of the male/female scenes for those that have already picked up plenty of information and don't want to condition themselves to blowing a wad to Tristan's voice. They were followed by a 6+ minute guide to giving yourself an enema. Thankfully, there was no graphic expulsion of the water displayed (though some of you may be disappointed) and it ended with some text tips with Tristan providing a verbal overview throughout the show. There was then a 2+ minute guide to safer sex, going into detail about making, and using, things like homemade dental dams with all the usual talk about monogamous and tested partners having more freedoms to safely forgo them. That was followed by two trails to Tristan's other Vivid titles released to date; Chemistry 2 and Chemistry 1. There was some spam and a commercial for Tristan's Vivid-Ed website. Lastly, there was a funny 9.5 minute Behind the Scenes feature that showed a lot of fun on the set; Tristan showing her very appealing breasts to a sexually stimulated Manuel and Adrianna Nicole (nice rack; Yum!). I wished it was longer and more detailed but only if more interesting footage was available.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Sex was presented in a crisp anamorphically enhanced widescreen color with an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 as shot by director Tristan Taormino for Vivid under her Smart Ass Productions. The lighting was flat and not too harsh with Tristan essentially lecturing a group of everyday looking types in a large living room. The sex scenes were covered from a few angles, capturing the women looking their best as the lighting maintained the slightly saturated but pleasant look. There was some minor grain but nothing much and the framing of both sections of the show were better than expected. The audio was presented in a 2.0 Dolby Digital English using the standard 192 Kbps format as expected. The two sections of the show had clear vocals and some light, generic guitar based music though little separation and the dynamic range was not very varied. I did notice that when a couple of questions from the audience were made, the lips seemed slightly out of synchronization.

Body of Review: Tristan Taormino is one of the most well rounded ladies involved in making adult entertainment these days. Aside from her varied academic accomplishments and awards for her numerous writings, she has also made a handful of movies for some of the biggest companies in porn, now working for Vivid under her Smart Ass Productions label. The latest project by the lady is similar to the Nina Hartley Guide Series under Vivid's new Educational label called Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Sex. Tristan takes the project slowly, lecturing a small group of adults in a workshop format in a living room, providing a safe and clean environment to discuss what was once taboo; anal sex. The format was very much like Nina's, even going so far to credit the veteran star and her husband in the credits, which was a bit drier than her writing and personality tend to be yet serious enough that you can introduce someone to the subject using the DVD without nearly as much stress as if the DVD took the funny route (for an alternative, less serious approach, try the Shane's World College Guide To Anal Sex and Devinn Lane Guide to Strap On Sex; both offering a similar take on the subject; albeit less informative). The back cover said it like this: "Village Voice Columnist and anal sex expert Tristan Taormino leads a group of couples in a class in the anatomy, tips, and techniques of anal pleasure. She welcomes her co-hosts Lorelei and Ariel who demonstrate various techniques for the crowd as Tristan narrates what they are doing; workshop participants watch and ask question. We meet Ricki and Marco, who talk about their experiences with anal sex and share their favorite positions, techniques, and trick for maximum pleasure. Next, we meet Adrianna and Manuel, an experienced young couple with a vast range of anal know how who are also eager to demonstrate their anal style. All in all, it's an educational introduction to the most intimate of erotic acts, demonstrated by those who truly know, and narrated by one of our nation's leading sexual experts, Tristan Taormino. Learn, enjoy and experience anal pleasure, by experts." Okay, while this isn't exactly a stroke flick, there were some pretty heated sexual exchanges taking as the cast provided working examples of the practice. That said, here's a quick look at the scenes that took place, noting that condoms were used:

Scene One: Lorelei Lee, a curvy blonde wearing a red top, was up first as she penetrated the ass of Ariel X on a comfortable chair in front of the audience during the lecture. She began by kissing and stroking Ariel's backside, soon applying lots of lube as Tristan continued to describe the process for safely working those fingers in. This led to toys and some related topics, my biggest complaint being that Lorelei did not get to receive (thankfully covered in the bonus section).

Scene Two: Ricki White, a brunette wearing a purple bikini underwear ensemble, was up next with Marcos Leon. They discussed their experiences with anal sex in two separate interviews that were edited together. This led to him warming her up and using a toy before penetrating her in several positions. The action was explicit enough for those wanting something hardcore but not so graphic as to turn away those newer to porn. There were a series of pop up videos with tips as the scene progressed, followed by the couple cuddling in bed as they talked about the experience.

Scene Three: Adrianna Nicole, another blonde with nice curves (and a huge honking tattoo), was up with male performer of the year uber-stud Manuel Ferrara. The dynamic was the same as their interviews were edited together before the sex. Tristan narrated from time to time but the majority of the action was the couple going at it and having a lot of fun in the process. It was a bit more by the numbers than a typical porno but as an educational flick, it worked nicely (and she either got off or acted like she did a few times during the scene), no population pudding flying in her face in such a way that would put off many checking out the movie as an instructional method of exploring their desires (neither scene with men had the traditional pop shot for those who care).

Summary: Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Sex by director Tristan Taormino for Vivid under her Smart Ass Productions was worth a rating of Recommended to me for the way it seriously dealt with the topic of anal sex. It didn't get too advanced and show the guys getting boned themselves either so the men out there can safely pick up a copy to introduce the practice to their wives without fear of the dreaded "you first" argument that so many of them seem to have adopted these days. Women wanting to learn a whole new way of enjoying sex and probably keeping their significant other from looking elsewhere to satisfy the anal mystique can learn that despite what they have been told, anal sex can be fun and worth checking out for their own pleasure too. The cast was a solid selection of performers and the technical aspects were well handled too, though the lecture format is a bit dry for my liking, perhaps emulating Nina's works in the field a little too closely. In any case, it seems clear that Tristan is set to take over the reigns of the industry instructional guru if her follow up titles, including the upcoming Guide to Cunnilingus, prove to be as well done. In short, Tristan Taormino's Expert Guide To Anal Sex showed the gal preparing to dominate another field of endeavor with the help of those at Vivid, probably the best choice the company could have made given her ability to balance information with a female's sensibilities.