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Family Business

Digital Sin/Tabu Tales

Genre: Drama, Erotic

Director/Writer: Jacky St. James

Cast: India Summer, Van Wylde, Penelope Stone, Steven St. Croix, Jessa Rhodes, Tyler Nixon, Brenda James, Logan Pierce
Non-sex role: Alec Knight (uncredited in scene one)

Length: 109:30 minutes

Date of Production: 2013

Extras: The best extra was the 14:55 minute long Behind the Scenes feature, starring three fourths of the cast (Jessa and Steven were not included for some reason). Jacky spoke with them as couples, exploring the taboo themes involved with their movie trysts; of interest was the disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD that helped spell out the fantasy aspects of the show without coming across as preachy. There was then a sex act menu, a photogallery, some trailers, spam and company information.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Family Business was presented in anamorphic widescreen as shot by director Jacky St. James for Digital Sin under her new Tabu Tales line. The director of photography was Eddie Powell, no surprise there, an acknowledged expert in the field with very few peers in terms of quality production work, their collaborations together considered some of the very best the industry has to offer. Unlike a recent competitor’s title touching on a few of the same themes, this one was much more reminiscent of the classic “Taboo” series starring Kay Parker though with all the modern upgrades in cinematography. It was clear that a lot of love went into the movie and it looked great, the editing by Gabrielle Anex (per the cover) or Eddie (per the credits) and lighting certainly stepping up their game to make this a winner technologically speaking. There was a company watermark in the lower right corner of the screen but it was very light and unobtrusive so few should complain. My sole complaint was how some of the footage looked like the color saturation and/or lighting was completely different (most notably in scene three). The aural components were no slackers either, the quality of the stereo English presentation combining clear vocals, appropriate ambient sounds, and a mixture of well handled musical pieces to work really well.

Body of Review: Jacky St. James and her work with Eddie Powell at Digital Sin, has led to a revolution of sorts in porn helping the rise of eroticism sometimes attributed to a handful of their peers. Having watched much more of it than I’ve had time to review in recent years, I can safely say that if the others were there “first”, they were certainly not “best” by a long shot, Jacky and Eddie providing the real deal so much better. Their latest collaboration is a new line called “Tabu Tales”, the idea behind the short vignettes being to showcase erotic tales that push the limits of societal norms. The first release in the line is called Family Business and unlike the old Showtime series by Seymore Butts, the dramatic content here was realistic, full of chemistry, and extremely strokable in a way that a gonzo lover like me rarely recognizes. Each of the four scenes centered on step family trysts where both consenting partners relished the impromptu encounters, the sex flowing naturally out of every day events. Of note was the age appropriateness of the couplings, no stretches of the imagination needed here as is all too often the case elsewhere, and the personal chemistry of the couplings; the believability of the encounters such that the company placed a disclaimer on the front of the credits. Also of interest was the reliance on lesser known cast members in most cases (not including stars India Summer and Steven St. Croix of course), the quality of their performances surprising me no end in each case though I admit to really liking Jessa Rhodes a whole lot.

The press release for the movie said this: “Digital Sin has announced the upcoming release of Tabu Tales, a new vignette series which delves into carnal desires that emerge from sordid relationships. Each steamy installment of the erotic series will feature four unique stories told through the eyes of one of the central characters. The first installment of Tabu Tales entitled, 'Family Business', focuses on forbidden desires within a family of steps (stepfathers, stepmothers, stepsons, stepdaughters, stepbrothers, stepsisters) and pairs some of the industry's hottest stars, India Summer, Jessa Rhodes, Brenda James, and Penelope Stone with popular male performers, Van Wylde, Tyler Nixon, Logan Pierce, and Steven St. Croix. The risqué vignettes in ‘Family Business’ explore a variety of illicit relationships including: a woman's journey into her own sexual awakening with her stepson, the hidden desire between a stepfather and stepdaughter during the preparation of her wedding, a young woman who accidentally discovers her stepbrother's kinky fetish, and the explosive attraction between a stepmother and stepson at odds with one another. "What drew me to this series was the psychological heat that is created within scenarios where one or both people are off-limits. Sex that's wrong sometimes feels very right," says award winning writer and director of ‘Family Business’, Jacky St. James. "Dialogue-driven vignettes add a level of sexual tension between the characters before they get to unleash that desire on one another. It's incredibly sexy to watch that unfold on camera." With cinematography by award-winning director, Eddie Powell, ‘Family Business’ elevates the quality of the typical vignette series by adhering to the same standards of visual storytelling we've seen from Powell in New Sensations/Digital Sin's most critically acclaimed releases Torn, The Submission of Emma Marx, and The Temptation of Eve. The visual artistry and compelling storylines in ‘Family Business’ will appeal to a wide range of audiences interested in higher-end vignette releases that explore passionate sex within illicit relationships.”

The back cover described the movie like this: “Sexual intensity reaches its boiling point within four illicit relationships. After a sexually repressed stepmother begins a career selling novelty products, her insatiable, inner sex goddess seeks refuge in the arms of her doting stepson. The hidden desire between a stepfather and his stepdaughter becomes unleashed while rehearsing the father/daughter dance for her upcoming wedding. A young woman's discovery of her stepbrother's kinky fetish becomes the ultimate foreplay for their forbidden attraction. A step mother's secret obsession for her spoiled stepson explodes when he catches her masturbating one hot summer afternoon. Family Business. Sometimes sex is so wrong, it's right.” Here’s a brief look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that no condoms were used for those still interested:

Scene One: Hot and Bothered: India Summer, a lean and attractive brunette well known in feature porn circles as well as a major player in the MILF genre, was up first as a stepmother to Van Wylde, a newcomer male who looked the role too. She would have him do yard work in the smoldering heat of the summer, the guy acting like a petulant child with his shirt off most of the time. She offered him a lemonade to cool down, the guy catching her rubbing herself through her dress in which an act of defiance led to an apology of epic proportions. He kissed her and she kissed back, lifting her up to place on the countertop so he could remove her drenched panties. He knelt down to gobble her gash and she reciprocated with a thrilling knob slobbing, the vaginal penetration positions including plenty of taste testing and a 69. They showed chemistry and a lot of eye contact, India jerking him off to her open mouth to elicit his genetic juice, the baby batter satisfying her lust for the moment.

Scene Two: Dancing Around The Truth: Penelope Stone, a tattooed brunette in her first credited performance, was up next with Steven St. Croix. He was the relatively new stepfather teaching her to dance for her wedding, Penelope making the first and second moves as they embraced during the lesson. There was a feeling of mutual attraction here too, her eye contact and physical gestures making it clear that she did not find it at all creepy after they had “the” conversation, the one about a single mate satisfying every need (a common pre-wedding concern). She kissed him and he kissed back, the gal jumping into his arms before being lowered onto the nearby couch for him to suck her pierced nipples gingerly. Few guys can play such a role without coming across as total creeps, I’ll leave it to others to explain just how he did it but it worked better than expected, the man slowly working his way to her crotch for some cunnilingus of her bald beaver. This caused her to physically respond and she worked him into her mouth with a lot of skill, especially for a newcomer, before some active vaginal riding. This continued until he withdrew to unleash his population pudding all over her torso, the spunk landing from tit to crotch.

Scene Three: Airing Dirty Laundry: Jessa Rhodes, the beautiful young hotty seen on the front cover, was up next with relative newcomer Tyler Nixon, when she spotted him sniffing her used panties. The story centered on her catching him without him noticing, the idea turning her on though he never gave in when she made subtle moves to further their relationship. To take it to the next level she planted some panties in his dresser, confronting him about his fetish but easing his mind into how she felt about him as well. Like many real trysts, she made the next move by removing her panties and jumping the guy, his initial reluctance overcome as she stuffed her silken draws into his mouth with the speed she also displayed to stuff his turgid pecker in her own mouth. Jessa is a major cutie with an all natural body, her previous efforts reviewed favorably by a number of my associates (and myself of course), but her feature acting skills were in full evidence here, none of the overacting seen all too frequently in works by even the big feature houses, the gal earning her place on the cover. Just as she ate him, he gobbled her gash too, The resulting active penetration positions and mutual chemistry between them elevating the quality of the replay value for me. Her allure reminded me of several mainstream actresses too, the neatly trimmed patch of pubes pointing to her own slice of heaven. The scene ended when he tossed out a nut of splooge onto her crotch but they cuddled and kissed before it wrapped up, another solid little scene to appreciate.

Scene Four: The Awakening: Brenda James, a lean blond best known for her lesbian work, was up last with Logan Pierce as he helped show her how her approach to selling sex toys was not going to work. He pointed out the need to personalize her approach, the gal admitting to never having tried any of the devices (of interest was how the toys came from the NS Novelties catalog) so she caved in to use them all in a fine little montage. The use of the toys helped her transform into a sexual dynamo, giving her the confidence to open up and dress better, be more assertive, and otherwise upgrade her life. That was when Logan made his move, offering to help her experiment with some of the male-centric toys, which led to them kissing after she initially rebuked his advance. Their kisses led to some caressing and Logan kneeling between her spread legs to use a toy on her as he munched her heavily trimmed pussy, some vaginal penetration included before she slobbed his knob. Her hand to gland friction enhanced it for him and he soon rimmed her, using a small toy on her pucker as he banged her in doggy. She was an active rider with good eye contact, the believability of the resulting tryst enough to merit a nod until a final hummer drained him of ball batter though she stopped just short of using the same toy on him that he used on her.

Summary: Family Business by director Jacky St. James for Digital Sin combined solid technical values, well crafted writing, and a group of excellent performers to merit an easy Highly Recommended from me, my desire to see future releases of the Tabu Tales line secured. The idea that sexually attractive adults related by marriage rather than blood developing a degree of fantasy sexual interest in one another was natural and came off as well handled in each case, not needing to rely on crazy plot devices or extreme examples of pushing boundaries like other titles have done of late (Daddy’s Girls, I’m talking about you!) to sell the material. In short, I liked Family Business a whole lot and hope it gets all the awards it deserves, Jacky St. James and Eddie Powell hitting yet another home run.