In Aphrodite

Vivid Entertainment

Genre: Vignette

Director: Riz Story

Cast: Cheyenne Silver, Dayton Rains, Bobby Vitale, Kiri, Devon Wolf, Raylene, Dasha, Dillion Day, Chris Cannon, Cassidy, Barbie, Dale DaBone, Joey Ray, Tanya Danielle, Ryan Conner, Chennin Blanc, Cheyne Collins, Lola, Isabella, Chrissy Sparks, Taylor St. Claire, Vince Vouyer

Length: 84 minutes

Date of Production: 7/30/2000 (box), 11/3/2000 (credits)

Extra's: The extras were a bit leaner this time. There were five unrelated bonus scenes, a short biography for former contract performer Dasha, a couple of photogalleries, some trailers, a double-sided DVD cover, and a positions room as well as the usual spam. Unlike most Vivid releases these days, there was no behind the scenes feature or material specifically made for this DVD release.

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: The picture was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color that has been the mainstay of porn for decades. The lighting was low and that contributed to the grain and video noise that bothered me so much this time. The worst aspect of the show though was the slow motion and smoke used to provide a certain effect known as lame porn. I've always held that a little bit of slow motion or adjustment of the frame rate goes a long, long way and this one filled up my quota of such effects for about ten years. The action itself might've worked much better had the effects been reigned in but it's easy to see why Vivid sat on this one for so long. The audio was presented in a stereo English track but there were few vocals since the emphasis was on the music. While I have always favored vocals over music, I have to admit that the music here was really pleasant to listen to.

Body of Review: Every once in a while, a company will take chances on a new director, a common tactic used to see if it can find the next best thing in porn. This often leads to some really lame productions since the directors seem to go off on a wild tangent, straying from the usual porn formulas that most of us accept as getting the job done. Don't get me wrong; I applaud efforts of artistic endeavor that work but newer directors usually try to expand the envelope too quickly, causing it to flop. Director Riz Story was one of these artists that screwed the pooch with a movie made in 2000 called In Aphrodite. The DVD is a series of vignettes that all employed smoke, slow motion, and lighting effects to present a different look at porn. With a cast of solid performers from yesteryear, one would think that it couldn't fail (but it did). If you like Andrew Blake's works, you can consider this a poor version of what he usually offers. Here's a breakdown of the scenes by cast:

Scene One: In You: Cheyenne, one of the hottest looking contract stars Vivid ever had, Dayton, a blonde known far and wide as an active bisexual, and Bobby, had a scene in a large bed where each licked and sucked the other in a smoky room. The slow motion aspect of the movie immediately struck me as an attempt to emulate a host of other directors, with decidedly weak results. There was also screwing but this would likely work for you only if you took a couple hits of good acid.

Scene Two: Do You Want To Go?: Kiri, a gal with a sweet looking ass that I never really got to know well, and Devon Wolf, a guy who looked much like a mainstream star, had the next stylish scene. Slow motion, weird lighting, and a camera bouncing around like nobody's business were the focal point this time. The music was actually quite pleasant but the visual elements were derivative of the style being copied so the appeal would be limited for most fans of porn. The oral and straight sex weren't bad but without the use of mind-altering drugs, it seemed a lot like rave music without ecstasy and a crowd (i.e.: flat).

Scene Three: So, Come Along…: Raylene, another former contract gal, and Dayton, a popular performer herself, had a lesbian scene with all the vocals stripped out on a bed. They licked and used a moderate sized dildo but the style interfered with the content and that caused this one to drag as well.

Scene Four: Dasha: Dasha, the hot blonde Russian gal, her real life boyfriend Dillion, and Chris had the next scene together. It started out with the men rubbing her body in a sensual manner, concentrating on her breasts and crotch as well as placing their fingers in her mouth. She was always a hotty and I was sorry to see her leave porn yet thankful that Vivid sat on so many of her movies (allowing me to see her long after she left the jizz bizz). This was a weak scene for her and included the same style the other scenes had (at one point making me think the scenes were taken from other Vivid movies, slowed down and given an alternative soundtrack) but it wasn't too bad for this fan to watch twice.

Scene Five: In Aphrodite: Tanya, Devon, and Ryan, three of the most attractive gals ever to grace a Vivid movie, had a lesbian scene together in a smoky room. They used licking and massaging as well as toys such as vibrators and strap on dildos to get off and if not for the same slow motion all the scenes here had, I'm sure I'd have loved the scene a whole lot.

Scene Six: Covenant: Cassidy, Barbie, Dale, and Joey were up next in a group grope of sorts. The frame rate here seemed especially slow and all the madly lame special effects were employed on a wholesale manner this time as well. The sex seemed energetic until the effects were taken into account, as the cast appeared to know exactly what got them off and proceeded to do so without hesitation. Oral and straight sex were the sex acts taking place but the focal point was the massage and kissing.

Scene Seven: Sodom: Chennin, one of the former popular gals in the business, and her then frequent partner Cheyne, had a scene in bed. He went down on her first and she reciprocated with an energy that couldn't be denied, even with the slow motion and effects used here. The couple screwed vaginally and anally before he jerked off his large load but again, the effects weakened the whole scene that might've otherwise been great.

Scene Eight: Temple Of Gomorrah: Cheyenne, Isabella, Taylor and Chrissy had a scene with Bobby and Vince where Cheyenne seemed the focal point for the orgy. She wore feathered wings and I guess they were the tempting devils as they all screwed and licked one another silly. I had to guess on some of the identities here since the effects were so heavy but I'm pretty sure I got all of them included. It was a good scene before the effects got a hold of it.

Summary: Well, a few people out there might enjoy this if properly stimulated by various recreational chemicals. I suspect that the real director is better known under another name but refused to take "credit" for this release since it was so bad. While the cast was solid, the sex and technical issues were lame so I can only honestly rate this one as a Skip It. Vivid makes much better porn than this on average and fans of the effects laden world of porn can do better elsewhere.

Note: You can see recent candid shots of more recent performers by visiting: My Photo's and read about their antics at 2004 AEE Show.