Porn Week: Los Angeles Vacation: Collector's Edition

Shane's World

Genre: Reality Gonzo

Director: Jimmy D & Dave West

Cast: Natalie Heck, Naomi, Whitney Stevens, Amber Rayne, Sasha Grey, Lexi Bardot, Nikki Jayne, Poppy Morgan, Presley Maddox, Richelle Ryan, Gwen Diamond, Brandi Lace, Katie Ray, Jamie Brooke, Bobbi Starr, Jayna Oso, Brian Surewood, Oliver Sanchez, John Strong, Ben Kelly, Marco Banderas,

Length: 89:05 minutes

Dates of Production: 2/16/2006 to 2/23/2006, 9/9/2007, 10/5/2006 to 10/10/2006

Extras: There were some great extras here too, beginning with a heated sex scene pushing even Marco Banderas to his limits, a beautiful blond taking three cocks in hardcore style (including a DPP) that lasted 19:20 minutes. This was followed by Bobbi Starr and John Strong doing the deed for 17:43 minutes, the load of population pudding satisfying her for the moment. Then came Jamie Brooks and Brian Surewood on a tropical beach lasting 22:01 minutes. This was followed by a short tease sequence lasting 4:30 minutes where fans of gymnast porn will get off quickly, a few trailers, and a photogallery.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Los Angeles Vacation was presented in the same 1.78:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen it was shot in by directors Jimmy D & Dave West for distribution by Shane's World in the MPEG-2 standard definition codec using a frame rate of 30fps. The hodge podge of clips taken from the shoot included a lot of rough looking footage but that was part of the fun here, the polished look of the ending scenes probably reserved for other movies. The lighting was a mixed bag and the editing did a decent job of keeping the production light and fun; Jimmy D's scenes shining in terms of composition to make the ladies look their best even if there was a bunch of questionable lighting. The video bitrate varied all over the place too, generally seeming to come in around the lower 5 Mbps area for those that care. The audio was presented in 2.0 Dolby Digital using a 48 kHz sampling rate and a 192 Kbps, showing little separation between the channels and a lot of background noise but good at preserving the dynamic of the adventure too.

Body of Review: One of the things I have learned over the years that I've watched porn is how you can differentiate almost everything if you look closely enough but few projects fall into that category where you have to accept as being truly unique. One of the companies responsible for providing the most off beat, out of the ordinary, and totally entertaining releases for years now has been Shane's World, especially now that they distribute a variety of small companies led by "hungry" directors unwilling to rest on their proverbial laurels. The latest title I received from them is yet another fun flick, this time taking a look at the incredibly popular "porn vacation" phenomenon with Porn Week: Los Angeles Vacation: Collector's Edition. The basic idea is this; fans with enough money can sign up to join a series of porn shoots, formerly overseas but now in Los Angeles too. As a member of the press, it is easy for me to forget how limited access to most shoots like this are for civilians, the concept started by Dave West. Dave thought about how many people would enjoy being on a porn set and actually participating in the production of a movie, getting to rub elbows (and other parts) with performers that are well known and rarely accessible to them. The idea of Porn Week even led to a reality television series (that I'd love to get a look at) now airing in England where ratings have kept it afloat but to truly be a part of the action, joining the vacation is the best way possible to see the fantasy of porn unveiled.

Rather than give you a run down of the five basic scenes here (where Naomi and Natalie Heck get boned by Brian Surewood, the orgy with most of the cast sucking and fucking, Gwen Diamond crashing a Ben Kelly scene in progress as Katie Rae takes the hard one, Sasha Grey and Brian Surewood actively screw on the stairs, or even Jayna Oso and Ben Kelly screw by the fireplace), I'd rather give a quick head's up as to the experience itself. I haven't gone on one of these trips (maybe some day they can book Brianna Love, Alexis Texas, Flower Tucci, and several of my other favorites only to find out the males can't make it that week; allowing me to step up to the Viagra filled plate and take over) but having spoken with Dave West and his business associate Gazzman back in January about the whole premise, I found it to be a very unique vacation idea.

Imagine for a moment that you have full access to the cast and crew of a porn shoot, even joining in yourself to assist in helping out. The end result will surely be a highlight of your life, much like if you could work on a mainstream project as it were; being able to point to the movie(s) and say you were there when it happened. Granted, from the footage shown, it looked like many of the men hanging out on set were as camera happy as a Japanese tourist on vacation (or a porn reviewer at the yearly AEE getting hundreds of snap shots to document the event...cough). Mere feet away from the action, you get to see the ultimate in high definition that was once referred to as "real life". There are still plenty of places where live sex shows exist in this world but this goes beyond that to involve the making of a movie that will likely last as your personal porn highlight much like getting your first porn chick handjob or hummer at a convention. Exactly what happens during the frequent parties the vacation sponsors is left up to the participants too, you really never know just how friendly some of the starlets will be with you.

So yeah, this DVD serves almost as an infomercial with some sex scenes attached, the bonus scenes adding stroke value to round out the package. You can go to the company website and find out more about taking the plunge yourselves but I thought the material outside of the scenes themselves to be amusing as well, seeing a few people I've met at conventions having a grand time as they and the press found out exactly how cool it can be to be on a set where you are expected to jump in (though not necessarily as a performer). If this isn't a perfect match for Shane's World and their reality based college parties, road trips, and other antics, I don't know what is but given the totality of the package, I'd rate this one as Recommended.

Summary: Los Angeles Vacation was the first in the long running series to be shot here in the USA and I liked it a lot, enough that I didn't want to be stuck taking notes for this review in fact so I apologize if you wanted a blow by blow grocery list of sex acts from the scenes. The true value in the DVD was only partially about the sex too, Jimmy and Dave doing a fine job capturing the sex as the tourists had the time of their lives. In that sense, you really can't go wrong this time but I think working on a porn set will given even the most jaded of fans a new lease on how much fun can be had, albeit with the idea that it is still a commercial enterprise. In short, Porn Week: Los Angeles Vacation: Collector's Edition will hopefully result in many future releases documenting the show and even the television series coming here to late night cable. Good work!