DVD Review: “Island Fever 4”

There is so much sex going on in "Island Fever 4" that the viewer will be surprised that he/she didn't show up in the movie by mistake.

Exquisitely shot on Bora Bora and the Bahamas, this wall-to-wall beaver picture leaves one wondering why the cast bothered to come back to Van Nuys at all, unless getting the sand removed required being airlifted from the island.

Read our review after the gap.
- GP

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Island Fever 4

Studio: Digital Playground
Director: Joone
Cast: Jesse Jane, Teagan Presley, Jana Cova, Sophia Santi, Kinzie Kenner, Marie Luv, Evan Stone, Tommy Gunn, Scott Nails, Jean Valjean, Marco Banderas

Review by Gram Ponante

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"Island Fever 4" washes ashore in a 3-disc package loaded with extras. The first two discs contain the movie, which is comprised of (I think I have this right) 28 individual sex scenes. There are masturbation scenes, two-girl romps, boy/girl interludes and, every now and then, a four-contract girl extravaganza.

Directed by Digital Playground co-owner Joone with camera work by himself and "Jack's Playground" (et al) director Robby D., the movie actually seems like a merging of the styles of Robby D., with his arresting tableaux, and Digital Playground director Celeste, whose movies have little to no dialogue and are essentially moving postcards with music.

Joone blends these styles for a beautifully shot couples' fantasy.

Digital Playground's contract stars Jssse Jane, Teagan Presley, Jana Cova, and Sophia Santi are the stars of the show, but Kinzie Kenner and Marie Luv are brought in for a little extra zing. The scene structure is simple: shots of white sand, turquoise sea, sunsets, wind through the palm trees, mountains, and lots of sex on, in, or near same.

The viewer will never see a boom shadow, never hear awkward interview questions from behind the camera, never see choking, spitting, or roughness, and might occasionally cringe at the thought of how all that sand and salt water felt after eight days of shooting.

In its contract stars, Digital Playground has four distinct personalities. Jesse Jane is the leader of the pack. All sinew and girlie parts, Jane grabs the camera and doesn't let go. Teagan Presley seems like the wayward little sister and is a little devilish. This movie is an excellent vehicle for her. She said at the release party that she stutters; with no lines to memorize, Presley is free to express herself otherwise. Jana Cova is a softer, more wholesome blonde than Jane or Presley, and is strictly Girls Only.

Sophia Santi is the odd one out, and for me she steals the movie. Taller and darker than the three tiny blondes, Santi, a former Penthouse Pet, might have been chosen to round out DP's stable because her look is a little more exotic like, say, original "Island Fever" star Tera Patrick. Santi, towering over her labelmates, represents real women in the land of the spinners. She's not on the "IF4" poster.

Each woman but Cova and Santi has a boy/girl scene, and standout segments include a four-contract girl soiree at the end of disc one, two loads that say "I love you" from Jean Valjean to Teagan and from Scott Nails to Jesse, a fun vignette in which Sophia bodily plucks Jesse out of the water, and a surreal headscratcher in which Jesse learns some form of Sand Bocce from the natives.

Also notable is the condom use limited to partners of Teagan. With all that sand, wasn't it uncomfortable enough?

I asked Jesse Jane what the cure was for "Island Fever".

"Is that a joke?" she asked.

"I guess so," I said.

With every bit of reality sandblasted away to reveal a Harlequin romance bookcover (except with fluid), only Santi appears as if she might exist in real life. This movie is literally fantastic.

"Island Fever 4" is every bit as accessible as last year's blockbuster "Pirates" without the burden of a story; buy it if you like to watch the pros work.

· Digital Playground (digitalplayground.com)
· Order: "Island Fever 4" (adultdvdempire.com)