Note: The following is a review for the HD DVD version of Intoxicated, a major Celeste title for Digital Playground that was released in standard definition DVD a few years ago to heaps of praise; largely due to it being Devon’s first anal. The content of the movie was the same and the extras barely modified to include HD DVD trailers that show off the higher resolution of the titles that are either out or about to come out in the popular new format. The quick version of the review is that the show looks and sounds substantially better but it always looked pretty good so it's value as a double dip will depend on your wallet (and the music, while beautifully handled by Joey Pulgadas, was not to my personal liking since I prefer the vocals of the cast involved in the audio tracks). While HD pictures reduced for the web would not truly show off the enhancements in quality, I suggest you check out this Trailer for Intoxicated to get a better idea of what it looks like in this new form.  Enjoy!

Intoxicated HD

Digital Playground

Genre: Erotica

Director: Celeste

Cast: Devon, Scott Nails, Celeste Star, Alicia Alighatti, Sammie Rhodes, Csilla, Jerry, Karlie Montana, Sandra Shine, Marlena

Length: 91:08 minutes

Date of Production: 8/29/2005

Extra's: The best extra was the 6:38 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by Max Massimo; starting off with the comedy of the Virgil cam where lots of humor was presented at the expense of everyone onscreen (and off). Devon finally contributed to the comedy by badmouthing Barrett Blade (her former boyfriend and costar in Rush) about how anal receptive he was (“four fingers”, “begging for it”, etc.) but I wish it lasted longer, even if some of the trailers had to be cut as a result. The other extras were the usual photogallery and trailers to movies like Pirates II, Island Fever 4 HD, Deeper 1 HD, Babysitters HD, Pirates HD, Jack’s Playground 27 HD, Contract Star HD, Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak HD, Jack's Teen America 3 HD, Island Fever 3 HD, Hush HD, Jack's POV HD, and Cockasian HD.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Intoxicated HD was presented in the usual 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color it was shot in by director Celeste for Digital Playground using a full 1080p resolution (technically, unconverted from the 720p it was shot in) and the AVC/MPEG-4 codec to provide a modestly improved picture from the SD version that came out previously. Digital had the foresight to shoot using the latest technology and their back catalog is only now being released in HD-DVD (more of them in Blu-Ray starting next month) so expect a lot of improvements as the company becomes more handy with the new formats and continually upgrades their equipment. The grain of the original and compression artifacts were minimized and the resolution was decent enough to bring forth previously unseen details though in some cases, they were not favorable to the ladies or men performing. Sidney Michaels was the editor and if you truly like Celeste's heavily stylized earlier works, you will appreciate all he did to maintain that look throughout the show here. The lighting varied too much to pigeonhole under a single definition but suffice it to say that the female eroticism Celeste sought to achieve was in full bloom in all the scenes. There was virtually no grain or video noise, I saw no compression artifacts, and the composition of the scenes was such that all the gals were made to look fantastic, if a bit sterile at times. Celeste's slow motion, heavily edited visuals were also used a lot so make no mistake about it; if you've liked her past work for the company, you'll also like this one but the reverse is also true (my own experience is that a little bit goes a long way; even if the last two female friends I've had watch her movies seemed to think she was a genius). The BTS looked better by comparison but in the feature, the fleshtones and the blacks were almost as solid as some of Celeste’s latest works; albeit with the usual artistic leaning, yet marred by the heavy use of slow motion that the BTS was not encumbered with. The audio was presented with the upgraded 5.1 Dolby Digital + and the improvements were slighter here with little separation between the speakers in most cases and the oft-complained about lack of vocals marring the otherwise decent effort. In terms of the audio track, the bad news for me was that the vocals were completely missing in favor of a very appealing set of musical pieces. I'll say it again; I prefer vocals over music in almost every case but I'll still be the first one to admit that the replay value of this kind of quality music was probably higher (and one of the points I've been "ordered" by my gal pal to mention as being more what she wants to hear).

Body of Review: Celeste is known as the contract director at Digital Playground who caters to women and couples like few others in the porn industry. Her use of visual and auditory tricks is second only to the way she captures a mood or feeling although she uses everything at her disposal to achieve her ends in that regard. Her latest release is Intoxicated HD, a series of erotic vignettes that star a number of appealing women, most notably former Digital Playground contract performer Devon, who has her first on-camera anal scene at the end of the movie. If you've never seen a Celeste movie, my description in the technical section of the review sums her work up nicely by pointing out it's largely made for women, couples, and those new to porn as erotic material rather than circus act gonzo that you can find anywhere. It won't appeal to everyone but at least she's true to herself and the technical values were better than she usually provides. That said, here's a breakdown of the scenes by cast and action, noting that there were no condoms used at all:

Scene One: Devon, beginning the movie in a black polka dotted dress, red fishnet stockings, and a set of white panties, was up during the credits with Scott Nails as her partner. He spent time licking her feet (and shoes) as he disrobed her and started jerking off with the stocking as assisted by her. She gave one of those slow motion blowjobs that Celeste favors in her flicks, followed by Scott licking her back and boning her from behind. I know many consumers, myself included, aren't fans of porn stars that have overdone it in getting plastic surgery but she's still a hotty and it's unfortunate that Digital Playground let her contract expire recently. The screwing for this first scene was not the advertised anal but it had some foot fetish jerking off at the end and he came on her feet for those into that sort of thing. It wasn't a bad start to the show but I doubt I'll ever truly appreciate the slow motion and audio effects Celeste uses nearly as much as my female friends do.

Scene Two: Celeste Star, an attractive brunette with pulled back hair, a classy dress, and excellent make up, was up next in a solo masturbation scene that used heavy editing to instill a sense of eroticism that even I picked up on. Still, rubbing herself and tasting the juices might've been more appealing to me if the camera hadn't of spent so much time close up on her, though she was in rare form during the scene in terms of playfulness.

Scene Three: Alicia Alighatti, another attractive brunette, was up next as she swam in the outdoor pool while Scott Nails watched her. Her eyes and lipstick looked enhanced to the point of standing out glaringly but she soon enjoyed the ministrations of his touch as he found every nook and cranny to explore after they shared a cigarette. He even went so far as to finger her ass and pussy at the same time and feed her a sample although it was done in such a manner as to come off as somewhat more high end than something you'd find in a gonzo production. The blowjob was slow, as expected given the style of production, and the lipstick marks on his shaft were evidence of the nature of the scene (more realistic than most porn where such things are wiped off between position changes). She did ride his cock in her pussy for a moment before he jerked off onto her face but it was a slight ride and not something my gal pal liked as much as a few other scenes.

Scene Four: Sammie Rhodes, a blonde with all natural breasts, was wearing a satiny red dress in the following scene. She didn't look as made up as the last few gals and had a leg spreader bar between her ankles as she struggled in the zebra chair she was tied to. There was also a glass dildo attached to her leg by means of some red tape, allowing her to jill herself as she saw fit. This type of solo scene would've worked better with some assistance or if she had been freer to explore herself but it wasn't bad.

Scene Five: Devon, looking like a captive with her leash firmly attached; got to play with Csilla and Jerry in the next scene. The use of a glass door to separate the two ladies was interesting on a visual and esthetic level; and I'll admit to always liking women pressed against glass even though it typically happens in shower scenes. In any case, Csilla stripped her clothes off and Jerry moved over to her side of the partition for a slow blowjob. Devon looked longingly at the action as she masturbated and the couple boned quickly to a pop shot on the glass that Devon tried to lick. It was cool to watch but ultimately unsatisfying for me.

Scene Six: Karlie Montana, a lean brunette with an all natural body, was up next in a short solo scene on a white bed. I haven't seen a lot of her but think she has some solid potential as evidenced once more by her playful smile and heated antics here. In all, this scene seemed more like the cheesecake material provided by Playboy right up until the large black dildo came into play. She gave it a sloppy blowjob before some minimal penetration but I'd have offered to lick it clean for her at the end.

Scene Seven: Charlotte Stokely, a freckle faced bleach blonde wearing a ball gag, white top, red sequined shorts, and fishnet stockings was up next as Scott Nails teased her with a clear plastic paddle. Her milky white body and all natural breasts will appeal to many of you as she displayed a sort of innocence rarely found in porn these days. She was still bound when the initial blowjob began but he freed her for the pussy pumping action of his then hardened shaft. I'd like to see her go all out in normal motion given the contrast she offered with the guy but the style was second only to Devon's anal in terms of a selling point here so it came as no surprise that the couple held back here. Still, it had some heated moments and had me ready to look her up nonetheless.

Scene Eight: Devon, this time dressed in a form fitting white top and large sunglasses, came across as one of those trophy girlfriends you see in movies with her direct approach to the camera here. In essence, she was doing her solo scene directly to the camera as though it were you, the fan, who was getting the attention. In some ways, that made the scene better than her virtual reality sex release from a while ago except that it didn't last very long. If you like Devon though, this masturbation sequence will greatly appeal to you as it had a jaded old porn vet like me pretty worked up too.

Scene Nine: Sandra Shine and Marlena, in a lesbian tryst together, seemed to be into the spirit of the action as they fingered, licked and otherwise engaged in sex with one another in front of a large set of windows as the sun set. The setting outside was bright enough to keep the gals just slightly better lit than silhouettes but only barely and the glass dildo that was deployed her could only be made out due to the way the scene was shot in HD. I prefer harsher, flatter light but could see why this style might appeal to couples wanting more mystery in their sex scenes. Either way, both gals looked hot and well worth a few replays thanks to the manner in which they seemed to enjoy the action.

Scene Ten: Devon, last up in the ultimate scene of the movie, wore a shiny red dress as she ate cherries out of a martini glass with Scott Nails. He used them to play with her privates and there was no oral or vaginal sex to begin this one; after a bit of fingering, he went straight to the anal on the comfy bed. It was filmed in slow motion, like the rest of the movie, and there was no vocal track but you can't say that she cheated this time as she took the majority of his penis deep inside her rectum. He popped onto her cheeks when it was through but there was never anything in the scene aside from the anal so I guess its safe to say that Devon left Digital Playground with an anal bang.

Summary: Intoxicated HD was yet another title that you'll either love or hate as is the standard by director Celeste. If you like glossy, attractive HD movies made for couples seeking an erotic experience; you'll think my rating of Recommended is too low just as those of you into the misogynistic styled gonzo productions where women are treated like pieces of meat to be abused will think I'm being too generous. Sometimes, the mark of a good pornographer is in how many people they can offend or turn on so in that sense, Celeste has achieved the best of both worlds. In any case, the women presented here have rarely looked even close to this pleasing and much of the credit goes to cameraman Robby Dallas for his fine work on the scenes. In summary, Intoxicated HD shows a side of Devon that had never been displayed on camera before and fans will want to check this one out for all it had to offer; this HD-DVD version definitely looking much better (regardless of the slow motion used at all times) and Joey’s music appealing to me even if I still wanted a vocal track as an alternate if not the main track.