DVD Review: “Indigo Noir”

One of the unexpected pleasures of watching more pornography than I ever thought possible is every now and then getting turned on by a scene. The adult market has expanded exponentially based only on myriad variations of people fucking each other, and so I usually stay interested by talking about lighting or how the movie might remind me of "Jaws".

But from the first scene of "Indigo Noir", with its short, simple (and sometimes silly) setups, the movie is all about delivering the same vital message as when the first porn movie was shot on video: Why don't I go out and get laid right now?

Read our review after the gap.
- GP

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Indigo Noir

Studio: Adam & Eve
Director: Roy Karch
Cast: Lexington Steele, Vanessa Blue, Angel Eyes, Sydney Capri, Alexis Silver, Kapri Styles, Tee Reel, Nat Turner, Max Black

Review by Gram Ponante

Roy Karch has been directing porn for about 10,000 years, and his sensibility varies between Timeless and Out of Date. The latter is not his fault; the only choking you'll see on one of his sets is when one of the crew members mistakes a craft services chicken finger for a mozzarella stick. And perhaps he might not know how best to exploit multiple tattoos and piercings but I think that is because he realizes, like we all do deep down, that they just get in the way.

But fucking has been fucking forever, and people still pretty much do it the same way. It's getting in there that's the problem, and this is where Karch's casual, to-the-point setups come in.

"People don't just walk in a room and fuck," Karch said. "Even in the fucking Seventies."

"Indigo Noir" is an "ethnic" high-end gonzo for Adam & Eve. The movie is introduced with a stylish blue/black credits sequence, then the fun begins.

Kapri Styles is lazily soaping herself up in a tub. Her nipples are perfect. Every now and then she casts a glance over at the shower, where partner Max Black is ignoring her. They don't talk. Have they been fighting? He gets out and spends an overlong time primping at the mirror, which would be funnier if one didn't get the impression that he's not acting. He's still not paying any attention to her, but she finally convinces him.

Getting filthy after bathing? Timeless.

One more note about this scene: either Black's cock is HUGE or Styles is two feet tall. It's a little disconcerting. My jealousy is only mitigated by the sneaking suspicion that it would take him longer to get inside Styles than it would for me...

Mr. Marcus interrupts Sydney Capri while she is masturbating. This is a recurring theme in Roy Karch movies. If you see him, you should ask if this has ever happened to him. Capri has been waiting for Marcus to get home and, when he does, he hardly notices her. Convincing him to put the goddamn phone away takes about 30 seconds.

Capri Got Back. Word. No Lie. For real. And Mr. Marcus is not wearing his trademark Red Sox cap so the air is not tinged with a sense of impending doom. Now and then she looks at him all nasty, which is a plus, because you know from the look that she doesn't mean it.

Lexington Steele and Vanessa Blue show up next. All Lex wants to do is play pool and she won't let him, perched as she is with a dildo on the billiard room couch. They have an excellent chemistry. In real life, they announced their engagement a month after this scene was shot. They broke up six months after that. The moral? Interrupting a man's nine-ball might have delayed consequences.

The charm of this scene is that, no matter the pornish trappings that seem impossible to avoid throughout Adultdom (I will start a No High Heels Club some day and you will join it), we still feel that we are watching a couple with some history, and that's nice.

The final scene is between Tee Real/T. Reel (there is no universal standard on spelling this guy's name) and British spitfire Alexis Silver. Silver is particularly saucy, and T. Real labors to seduce her as a bartender picking up on one of his patrons. It is the only scene in the movie in which a woman isn't busting the moves on an initially indifferent man.

Luckily, Real does not have to work that hard because Silver is, er, easy.

This is a solid piece of work that straddles porn's current Low Overhead trend and the "classic" era's penchant for giving a damn about the audience. The scenes that worked best had less dialogue, because either the performers should have been miked or the boom guy should have gotten in closer. In general, though, the little bit extra for lighting and comfortable locations paid off in a movie that did exactly what porn flicks should, with no distractions but a little thoughtfulness.

· Order: "Indigo Noir" (adultdvdempire.com)
· Vanessa Blue (vanessablue.com)
· Adam & Eve (adameve.com)

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Previously: Porn Valley Dispatch Archive