Top Adult DVDs of 2005

A Year in Review 2005 Adult DVDs

Writing any list purporting to contain the "Top" porn titles of a given year is generally considered a fool's errand. The reasoning for this is that porn is perhaps the most personal of genres where no two people seem to agree on exactly what is "hot" and what is "not" but our reviewers took great efforts to consider the many factors that make up so-called "great" porn. Thus, the two lists comprising the Top Porn of the Year were born at X Critic as an effort to help consumers find some of the best porn released in the year with the major genres examined closely. Companies went out of their way to submit healthy sized boxed sets this year, knowing full well that the amount of fuck for the buck would factor into decisions by those offering up year end lists which was why shows like Pirates competed with Camp Cuddly Pines Powertool Massacre and The New Devil In Miss Jones for the top spot this year. In the end, each won a place on our lists for different reasons but each of them were important titles for various factors. Camp Cuddly Pines had a tremendous set of extras while Savanna Samson was easily the best actress in the lot but Pirates had the appeal of multiple contract performers and was a fun movie to boot, resulting in the swaying of our opinion in its favor.

Female friendly titles were so popular that a second list had to be added though both lists offered up a lot of feature porn this year. From the vampire chronicles of Dark Angels 2, the artistic visions of Catherine and Contract Girl, a classic revisited in Robinson Crusoe on Sin Island: Collector's Edition, to the police related Internal Affairs and Lovers Lane to the return of a fan favorite in The Villa; there were numerous titles worth your time and money to enjoy with the special someone you care about. Most of these titles worked best when they strayed far away from the usual conventions in porn by providing enough story to convey a central idea but not get bogged down too readily in the cliches we all recognize in modern porn.

The lists separated the differences between men and women in terms of favorite director too. The men favored hardcore enthusiast Jules Jordan with more than a passing nod to Robby D. with his Teen America series while the ladies preferred the stylish couples porn of Celeste, notable for her use of HD equipment and cameraman Robby Dallas as much as slow motion, seductive music instead of vocals, and a "look" that put them in the mood. If you think of Jules and Celeste as two opposite ends of the spectrum, Robby would be somewhere in between them though admittedly closer to Jules in conceptual terms and presentation.

There were a lot of new faces in porn this year too but in terms of sheer star power in a quality release showcasing their abilities, the nod had to go to Reign of Tera as Tera Patrick pulled off a coup against the popular Jenna Jameson this year by offering up her best ever performance full of energy, passion and everything we like to see in a performer while the lovely Jenna continued her exodus from porn by limiting herself to sex with women only. Tera's legions of fans were no small factor in the decision but the current crop of newcomers were looking great and showing the old school stars that the future is going to be extremely competitive so keep an eye out for our Spotlight picks for a glimpse into potential future winners too.

The biggest trend in porn though was a carry over from previous years. That's right, the wonderful world of gonzo productions. From companies like the tag team duo of Red Light District and Platinum X Pictures to the Evil Angel Empire and Elegant Angel, fans were clearly in the mood for getting the most value for their money; wanting less story and more sex. With the relatively rare exception of the features mentioned above, it's easy to see why fans sought out the hardcore material and it was noticed that the majority of production companies catered to that demand.

Lastly, the Playgirl Posse were adamantly in support of the vignette driven releases once more where appealing men and women had more erotically charged scene together. From the continued release of oldies from Candida Royalle to the dreamy Vivid titles, to the multitude of Wicked Pictures releases, to the Best of Playgirl TV special, each release shared a common heritage in being made for women with the assistance of women; a fact all too often overlooked when dealing with the largely untapped female market.

Highlights of The Week

If you've been reading the Blue Room or browsing the adult reviews lately, you'll probably be familiar with the lead starlet of the first two highlights of the week: Lanny Barby. This brand spanking new (and I do mean "spanking") Vivid contract performer has set the company afire in hits such as Lanny's Summer Daze and Nameless 3. Each offered up a different style for Vivid as Paul Thomas tried his hand at experimentation and largely succeeded in providing some serious fuck for the buck with the lovely brunette proving that the tides of change are indeed working wonders at the powerhouse company. Lanny wasn't the only gal worth watching though so check out both of the titles for a plethora of pussy, heated sex, and further evidence that Vivid is about to change the rules once more.

In recent years, the fascination with semen by fans has continued to spiral upwards. Our reviewers have seen time and again that titles involving all aspects of what has been called "Baby Batter", "Spew", and a variety of other choice terms get a lot more attention than most other releases so it comes as no surprise that recent hits such as Cum Fart Cocktails 3, Lick It Up 2, and Cream Filling 3, have all received some favorable attention. While CFC 3 was easily the grossest of the trio, each of them had plenty to offer fans of the admittedly interesting genre.

One of the understated axioms of porn is that the women have sex for money; making them the virtual equivalent of hookers despite those who gloss over the term by calling them performance artists of actresses. Three of the most straightforward titles in this regard have been the excellent Anal POV (Prostitutes on Video) 3, the subtle Desperate House Whores 3, and the foreign made Veronica Da Souza: Some Piece of Ass!. In terms of value, APOV #3 was easily the winner with a double disc collector's set but the others provided some fine fucking by a number of the world's most skilled women. One look at the list of starlets, oops, I mean ladies, will tell you all you need to know given their track record in solid performances but they've proven to be exceptionally talented wherever they've worked.

Sometimes, style is more apparent than others and this would be the case in both Gina Lynn's Flash 2 as well as Bridgette Kerkove's Obsession. While Gina preferred a more subtle approach, Bridgette went straight for the crotch with both providing better direction than they have in other recent efforts. If you take a look at them side by side, you'll soon find that strokable material can be found at both ends of the spectrum and there were some fine "ends" on display in each of these titles.

As part of our ongoing look into interracial porn, we came across two of the more worthy versions of this genre in PervAsian, the twisted tales of Asian women well skilled in the art of milking a nut; and Good Girls Gone Black 3 where the size myth of the men gets tested in the best way possible, using a series of talented porn performers that actually prefer dark meat. Pick your pleasure with either, or both, of them but remember that like all other aspects of porn, what works for one fan may not work for another.

The discussion about quantity versus quality gets a heads up look when you compare Mike John's Boobaholics Anonymous against Alex Ladd's Off The Rack 3. Each offers over two hours of boobs swaying and bouncing around with the larger set(s) on view in Mike's title but he wins in terms of extras and running time too. Alex, on the other hand, can't be denied as his casting offered up a nice selection too. If you really like titty play then, give both a look, just as you would if one of the women offered you a peek at her chest.

Since breast comparisons yielded some merit in the last few titles, it makes sense to use this methodology when comparing titles bearing other similarities. That said, fans of youthful gals will get a chance to appreciate the relative merits of Michael Stefano's Teenage Peach Fuzz versus David Luger's Teens Cumming of Age 3. David wins in terms of length but Michael offered up gals that were somewhat more skilled in the sexual arts without sacrificing the newness factor fans clamor for. If you have to decide between them, you'll be racking your head since both are quality releases but the closer you look, the more you'll find both provide superior stroking value and fuck for the buck.

Last up today are a couple of titles hitting both ends of another spectrum. Fans of lesbian lover action will rally in support of Uncle Stevie's Pussy Party 12 while fans of rough sex will find Bobby Manila's Spank Me! I'm A Bad Girl will appreciate the lack of limits the women show when being spanked by hands and riding crops by sexually aggressive partners. Don't make the mistake of thinking PP #12 was any less stimulating though since some of those ladies were hardcore in search of winning the contest against other talented women. Like we always say; different strokes for different folks!

Titles We're Looking Forward To

Fans of foot play in their porn have never had to look too far to find some of the most heated, sexually perverse foot fetish material since director Brandon Iron went to work for Platinum X Pictures. His series, Ten Little Piggies, has shown the fetish market that you don't have to settle for just some kink, poor technical values, an less than an hour of footage as is customary these days when you can pick up one of his titles that is overflowing with the usual amounts of fuck for the buck RLD/PXP offers up. Any day now, expect to see the review of the latest in the series, Ten Little Piggies 7, by reviewer Adam Wilson. If the past is a good guide to future performance, we think this one will please all with a love of feet.

Fans of feet may also be looking forward to Zero Tolerance's version of foot fetish fun (FFF) with Tic Tac Toe's #2. One look at the cast list starring a veritable plethora of pussy endowed with very appealing tootsies will tell you that gals as hot as Veronica Da Souza seem to be willing to cater to your needs and director Mick Blue has pulled out all stops in what could well become the porn equivalent of the arms race (well, foot race) as he challenges Brandon's release for the title of best foot title of the year. That's why we'll have reviewer Rob Randell on the case, seeing if Mick's vision is up to speed with the already established leader of the pack.

Hustler's director Cash Markman seems to have a winner on his hands with Dance On Fire, a series of heated vignettes starring such notables as Sandra Shine, Eva Angelina, and Courtney Simpson all vying for top honors in this tribute to the American workplace. Colonel Mustard will in charge of this one and hopefully it will pass his vaunted inspection, known to be one of the toughest gauntlets at X Critic in terms of evaluating titles with some potential.

Lastly, while we send Don off to check out the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, we've charged him with gathering intel on as many women of diverse ethnic backgrounds as possible. While he's away, we're hoping that in the interim, reviewer Michael Vega, himself an aficionado of ladies from all sorts of backgrounds, will provide a heads up look at 101 Ethnic Beauties, a title with plenty of potential to offer fans the kind of stroke material they deserve in a day and age of companies cutting back their excesses. If the advertising is correct, this two disc set will have clips from over a hundred scenes from the vaults at Video Team, one of the leaders in ethnic porn these days.

Overlooked Titles You May Have Missed

Say what you will about superstar Jenna Jameson but her track record of hits is still unparalleled in the history of porn as she continues to switch gears in order to become the queen maker instead of the queen. In a title known far and wide for having caused more than a few waves but also establishing Jenna as more than just a one hit wonder, Wicked Pictures released Flashpoint to adoring fans everywhere. Jenna's acting range was somewhat lesser than her ability to coax a load out of her partners but the homage to firefighters everywhere came long before the tragedy of September 11th had everyone tripping all over themselves to pay tribute to those who protect us from harm.

Leave it to director Mike John to convert a newbie as he did with reviewer Rob Randell with No Cum Dodging Allowed 5. This was Rob's first exposure to the series but with a cast including Jasmine Byrne, Karina Kay, and Lauren Phoenix; to name a few. It's easy to see why he found it "fun" given the quality of talent involved but ultimately, Mike John assembled the cast and crew in order to do just that; convert the masses to his way of thinking.

Reviewer Don Houston became a fan of the talented Penny Flame after watching her performances in Shane's World 36: Snow Trip; an unlikely adventure by a crew of performers that didn't get along very well except when they were screwing each other silly. Calling it "hyper-charged", "unpredictable" and offering a "higher level of spontaneity" than most porn, the show impressed our often jaded reviewer quite a bit. Since seeing this one, he's even gone out of his way to pick titles with Penny in them, proving to be quite a catalyst for renewing his interest in women with darker hair.

Reviewer Ian Jane believed that Harlot was:

"An interesting porno with a plot that combines a reasonably interesting story that examines some unique psychological aspects of sexuality in a roundabout way, with some truly steamy sex scenes. The more Aurora Snow in anyone's smut collection, the better I say." So fans of the lovely Aurora Snow that might've overlooked this one should rush right out and get it.

Lastly, we look at The Private Life of Sandy Style, yet another in the well received Private compilation series; this time providing around 5 hours (that's not a typo folks!) of entertainment in a two disc package. If you've ever watched one of this series, you'll see why Don thought it was a "no brainer" with a tremendous amount of fuck for the buck, serving as the perfect compilation of scenes featuring Sandy Style. All compilations should be so rich and full of value as this one (as well as the rest of the series).

We'd love to read your comments and feedback on this column, Send us your thoughts on other things you'd like to see in the space, or even random thoughts about the world of porn. Drop us a line at [email protected].

This Week's The Blue Room written by: Don Houston.