Stud Hunters: A Hard Man Is Good To Find

Femme Productions/Adam & Eve

Genre: Feature

Director: Candida Royalle

Cast: Ava Vincent, Brian Bishop, Leila Swan, Johnny Dannon, Tara Indiana, Alexandra Silk, Grego

Non-sex by Candida Royalle, Michele Capozzi, Neville Chambers, A. Josephine Buio, Alexander Aaron, Andy Blackfire, Cinderella, Cool, Bill Darnell, Dylan, Ron Hirt, Matthew McDermott, John McVay, Micky Musket, S. Price, Rugby Rhodes, Eugene Romano, Anthony Rome, Vic Savage, Socks Schecter, Kinky Sherpa, Big Stu, Charlie Thompson-Reynolds, Billy Valentine, Jean Valjean, Marty Wadd, Veronica Vera, James Michelle, Heather White, Roger Hines, Miguel Trinidad

Length: 83.5 minutes

Date of Production: 3/10/03

Extra's: Audio Commentary track with Candida Royalle, 2 dvd set, 5.5 minute Scrapbook of pictures from the production (I would've preferred a commentary for them instead of the light music), 20 minute Behind the Scenes feature (titled: Making an erotic movie with Candida Royalle), 5 trailers, including one to One Size Fits All, 3.5 minutes of Bloopers, a message by Candida (describing her movies in a general sense), a biography of Candida, advertisement for Candida's "Natural Contours" vibrator line

The extras were very well done, and taken as a whole, a lot better than average-adding plenty of value to the package.

Audio/Video Quality: The picture was presented in 1.33:1 ratio full frame. For the most part, it looked very saturated with red tint (during the sex scenes). This was done for artistic reasons but it drove me crazy. The audio was presented in stereo English with clear vocals and solidly produced music.

Body of Review: Candida Royalle, a porn star turned director, makes movies for adult women and couples. Contrast this with the majority of "adult" movies which are essentially one dimensional in nature. Some women, and men, also appreciate movies that are not the latest gonzo splooge-fest and aim for the mind (commonly known as the largest sexual organ by those who know something about psychology and physiology). In Candida's 15th movie, Stud Hunters: A Hard Man Is Good To Find she once again shows a movie made from the woman's point of view.

The movie is a comedy that takes a light-hearted look at a casting call for men, held by a female porn director, "Carla Divine", in search of new talent. Those familiar with porn know that there are very few men who work as performers in porno's, and women are very vocal about this being a big turnoff for them. As always, Candida turns the tables on the conventions of porn, and provides something a bit different for audiences. The plot is minimal, the laughs are frequent, and the end result is not what you'd expect from a "porno".

Okay, if you're looking the latest volume of Barely Legal, Nasty Nymphos or the Adventures of Buttman, you're going to hate this movie. The sex is far less explicit than almost anything on the adult market. It's not designed for the raincoater crowd, or the jaded old porn hound like yours truly. It's made to introduce couples or women to porn. Think of it as a gateway drug (in a sense). The sex is secondary to the foreplay, love making, and all the stuff other than the actual penetration. There aren't any facials either and condoms are used. I know a lot of people employed in the porn world believe this type of porn doesn't sell and there's no market for it. I suppose I'd counter that Candida's company has been going strong for nearly 20 years, and even her earlier movies still sell consistently (as opposed to the current market where almost everything made is out of mind within a couple of months-unless it's on sale in the bargain bin). With this in mind, here's a look at the scenes:

Scene One: Ava, one of the more attractive blondes in the adult industry, and newcomer Brian, had an erotic scene together. Rather than a timed scene with a list of sex acts as most porn producers seem conditioned to provide, they have what would be considered great lovemaking-taking time to explore and enjoy each other. I didn't like the red tint used here but that's something I've been conditioned against, having watched way too many gonzo porno's. I liked the scene even though it was barely harder than late night Cinemax movies.

Scene Two: Leila, a gal who was not a professional performer but looked very attractive herself, was shown to be warmed up by watching the previous couple from a control room. She is surprised by Johnny, another newcomer, and the two shared as much chemistry as the first couple. The two scenes were edited together and shared plenty of heat for those willing to enjoy the moment, rather than trying to get off in record time (which is a porn convention).

Scene Three: Tara, a curvy gal who is a professional dominatrix in real life, and Marcus, had a frantic little scene that seemed really fun. Any of you that have had spontaneous sex in a semi-public place will find this appealing even though she was not exactly built like a model. Not bad-I just wish it was longer.

Scene Four: Alexandra, one of the most outrageous gals in porn and someone who seems to enjoy life to the fullest at every step, Grego, Brian, Johnny, and Marcus, had an erotic little scene all their own. In the scene, the guys all work her over using touch and caresses with only one of them getting any penetration. I've seen her in dozens of movies and rarely has she been better in a scene.

Summary: I'm going to rate this as Recommended based on my tastes but it would rate far higher for anyone new to porn watching or couples. I'd be willing to admit that if I were to have to pick a movie to watch with a gal, I'd be picking one of Candida's releases. I'd like to see her attempt a feature porno with a full plot and story in her next release, perhaps with a bit more sex, erotic sex like shown here would be fine. As a total package, this was a very solid release and the commentary alone was worth a rental. Good job!