House of Ass

Title: House of Ass
Director: Tristan Taormino

Reviewed by Zak, from San Diego County

The cover did not exactly inspire great confidence. Anal sex isn't intrinsically interesting to me, but if the people involved are making it interesting that's fine. However the cover also proudly proclaims that it contains Joanna Angel's first interracial scene. So, um, her
touching a black guy is kinky and frisson-inducing enough to merit special mention? That's just bizarre.

Then the first thing I did was watch the previews. This did not inspire more confidence somehow. Let's just say I'm not going to run out and buy Adam & Eve video's back catalog.

Then the movie started with a disclaimer that everyone should follow the Surgeon General's safe sex guidelines and practice monogamy or abstinence and that condoms were only a last resort. Did I really just see that, or have I been drinking mercury all day long? What?

The premise of House of Ass is that Tristan Taormino invited a bunch of porn actors to a cabin in Big Bear (the words Big Bear were never spoken, but I'm positive that's where it was) to let them hang out and have whatever kind of sex they wanted with whoever they wanted to have sex with. Kind of hokey, but okay.

None of this lead me to expect what I got. Things kick off with Tristan interviewing the cast. It quickly became clear that I wasn't in standard pornoland. The answers she was getting were real-people answers.

Things quickly moved to actual sex and I noticed a couple of things.

First was that the video was surprisingly well lit and shot. Second was that listening through headphones I could clearly hear stage directions and the things that the performers were whispering to each other. They hadn't dubbed the sound. This made things much more interesting.

The first scene dragged on. I found it mostly uninteresting because both performers (Scott Nails and Joanna Angel) were ringing my crazy-people bell pretty hard. It's a personal thing for me, it wasn't hot that they both seemed personally out of control-- I'm just too aware of how destructive that can be, and they were not acting.

The next scene was Justine Joli and Sarah Blake and it was rather genuinely hot. I was dimly aware of Justine Joli as someone of note in the industry. It's obvious why people pay attention. She's got massive amounts of charisma, she seems like an interesting person and she's stunning to look at. Still, the scene was slightly marred by knowing what the UV index is in Big Bear and watching her pale, pale skin outside in the sunlight while someone else was licking her. Either there was no sunblock or Sarah Blake was not tasting anything
fun. Still, hot sex.

The next scene was Mr. Marcus and Keani Lei and it was pretty delicious too. Keani Lei makes noises like a squeak toy during sex, and that was somewhat distracting, but she's very enthusiastic and seems to be having a genuinely good time. Not so down with the
'fetishy black' thing, but all my misgivings about that are dealt with elsewhere.

In fact, the entire thing can be summed up by genuinely good time. Except of course for the couple who left before they filmed a scene, but whose interviews were left in.

The next scene was Mr. Marcus and Joanna Angel. Hotter than I would have expected considering that I didn't really like Joanna Angel, but still difficult to find her sexy.

The last scene was a giant pile-on orgy of pretty much everyone plus another couple -- Saana and Talon. Fun.

The best part about the video was the 'Behind the Scenes' feature as it had an interview with Mr. Marcus where he attempted to tackle the issue of race in porn. [I totally agree... SB] There was no sugar-coating or grandstanding, just the troubling middle-ground of a professional in an industry that doesn't respect him. It was genuine and not at all reassuring.

Overall, it was not at all what I was expecting based on the packaging in an entirely good way. I'm impressed.

-Zak

Comments

[sasha]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hears a metaphorical high pitched shrieking when I watch Joanna Angel.

[Banzai]

"both performers (Scott Nails and Joanna Angel) were ringing my crazy-people bell pretty hard."

Perfectly stated, summing up my own objection to watching Joanna Angel in particular. Although she's an alt porn actress of note (enough that her first interracial scene is a selling point), she genuinely sounds like she's being hurt during sex, and it distresses me.