Foreword: The Sexual Freak series by Digital Playground has become one of the best spotlight series showcasing a particular performer in the industry. Rather than rely on previously released footage or halfhearted attempts to give a gal a couple of scenes, this one tailors the entire dynamic of each volume to the personality of the lady. The following review is modified from the original review of the series opener Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak primarily in the technical areas since little changed aside from the trailers being for upcoming and previously released titles in the HD DVD format. If you've seen their previous efforts in high definition formats, including Pirates HD DVD, Island Fever 3 HD DVD, and Teen America 3 HD DVD; you'll know why the company has been widely hailed as a trendsetter leading the pack for years, their efforts not going unnoticed by the consumer.

Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak HD-DVD

Digital Playground

Genre: Vignette

Director: Robby D.

Cast: Jesse Jane, Tommy Gunn, Marie Luv, Marco Banderas/Duato, Roxy Deville, Scott Nails, Sunny Lane, Holly Wellin, Erik Everhard

Length: 106 minutes

Date of Production: 4/1/2006

Extras: The best extra was the 6:17 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by Scott K. It wasn't the longest or most complete BTS feature I've ever watched but it was certainly one of the funniest (using subtitles, word balloons, audio effects and repeating dialogue to make points on top of the cast goofing around). The commentary about Melanie (the make up lady) being worthy of a "Golden Dildo Award" for transforming Roxy into a very lovely hotty was enough to make me laugh out loud. There was a photogallery, a biography for Jesse Jane, and 9 trailers for movies like Pirates HD DVD, Island Fever 3 HD DVD, Teen America 3 HD DVD, Cockasian, Pirates 2, Control , and others.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak HD-DVD was presented in the same 1.78:1 widescreen color it was shot in by cameraman Jim F. and director Robby D. to be released by Digital Playground later this month. The original Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak in SD DVD format last year showed a lot of care going into the production, but the advent of technology forces the company to go back and clean up various little aspects due to the enhanced resolution of this 720p version in HD DVD, using the popular VC-1 codec. Each of the previous releases in the format have been improvements, though only marginal improvements for those without the right equipment to watch the movies on, including titles like Pirates HD DVD, Island Fever 3 HD DVD, Teen America 3 HD DVD, that came out earlier this year. As the company gets a better handle on the remastering process, you can expect greater detail and more improvements, especially for newly shot titles, but this one was slightly changed in some ways to provide a few more special effects than I remember yet making it a better looking title all around. As I said before, "In terms of lighting and sheer quality of picture, the movie was looking about as solid as anything shot for the company in HD with the scenes all being distinctively captured in varying styles that remind me of the Celeste style Robbie records for the erotica series his main squeeze directs. There was a conscious effort to tone down the Celeste style though and bring in some vocals as well as more straightforward gonzo standards; a pleasing compromise for those of us that prefer the edgier stuff but appreciate the softer material at times too (though I'd turn the knob a couple more notches towards Robbie's gonzo style for future outings to make it better). There was no grain or video noise observed, I saw no compression artifacts, and the composition of the scenes was such that all the gals were made to look fantastic." The audio was presented using 5.1 Dolby Digital+ and the Digital PCM output gave the vocals and music an added boost as it played on my admittedly better surround set up. The improvement here was less immediately noticed than the visual component of the movie (where you could make out individual leaves on the tree through the window this time) but still invoked an enhanced response thanks to the aural qualities as I said before: "decent separation and dynamic range, with the various selections providing a nice aural setting for the visuals in the large mansion it was shot in. The other good thing about this one was that some vocals were employed along with the music, elevating the levels of perceived chemistry for me. The music was pretty solid in most cases too, providing the variety needed to give the scenes some extra replay value." One of the things important to note is the editing and music seemed even better under the enhanced resolution, a tribute to Joey Pulgadas (he was in charge of both aspects of the movie) who was apparently ahead of the curve; if only other projects hold up as well under the increased scrutiny of the format, Digital Playground will be sitting pretty.

Body of Review: Robby D. has experimented with many styles of shooting porn in the last ten years, many of them pretty good. As he gets more acclaim for his work, he gets bolder and bolder, providing some very nice twists on styles that have been largely burnt out by some of his peers; in effect reviving them somewhat. His recent attempts at POV work and gonzo have taken many fans by storm as being just different enough to show new tricks came be offered up without losing the energy and passion the format is known for providing. Today's review of the upcoming Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak HD-DVD is another case in point; rather than go strictly with the Celeste style of erotica he shoots, Robbie tried a fusion with his regular style, and while it may have been a bit too cautious for my tastes, it was certainly a few steps in the right direction. That the series of vignettes starred the lovely Jesse Jane made the package all the better for this fan to enjoy but here's a quick look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that no condoms were deployed here:

Scene One: Jesse Jane, dressed up in a sexy outfit consisting of webs, was up first as she took charge of studly Tommy Gunn in the mansion. He was reading (or least scanning the pictures) and looking dapper when she put a gun to his head and demanded he fuck her. She bound him before he could say, sure thing babe, and the interesting music played on in the background as she sucked him off long and hard. The editor's playfulness with speed control (speeding up and slowing down the picture) struck me as unnecessary but it improved with each time I watched it. The way she jerked him off in the chair and otherwise appeared to get off teasing him was fun, marking a return to the Jesse I thought was lost to the admittedly erotic Celeste style forever (pleasing me no end). She freed him to go down on her too, with him showing a bit slower style (she did have a gun after all), but providing a thorough servicing nonetheless. The vaginal ride was very active on her part, driving her body into his as she impaled herself on that cock of his. This continued with her cleaning him off (PTM) and swapping out positions, until he busted his nut all over her mouth. Whew!

Scene Two: Marie Luv, a lean black gal with a nasty streak a mile wide, was up next as she brandished a riding crop on her own pussy, while teasing the camera on the couch. This led to Marco Banderas/Duato servicing her, starting by licking her feet clean as she stroked him with the crop. For those into power exchange sexual antics, this will serve well, although the pace of the music was a bit fast for the visuals on display. He worked his way up to her crotch, savoring the taste as his mistress enjoyed herself, swapping over to blow him in slow motion after that. It looked like a good hummer but the slow motion got in the way for me and weakened it more than a little bit. She then climbed up on his cock and started riding him with an increasing tempo, rubbing herself as she continued. This led to anal play with a large black plug, replaced by his cock at the first opportunity he could take. He finished up by popping on her breasts, in this mixed (energy and chemistry) scene.

Scene Three: Roxy Deville, a newcomer brunette that looks very attractive when properly made up, was bound and left on the floor on the hallway by sexy Jesse Jane, who was in charge of her and Scott Nails. Making it clear who was boss, Jesse then reappeared with her charge on a bed, stroking Roxy's body on the white sheepskin cover as she went down on her. Roxy liked the attention now that it centered on the pleasure aspect of the BDSM concept, Jesse working her up to a frenzy orally before letting her get a taste. They both then freed Scott, blowing and face riding him before the inevitable vaginal screwing. Jesse got first dibs and showed the active riding of the first scene was no fluke, Roxy cleaning the cock for her from time to time. Roxy got to ride too although not as aggressively, with her and Jesse in a 69 to provide Scott full access. He popped on Roxy's ass to close out the act.

Scene Four: Sunny Lane, a very cute performer with long hair and a feather duster, was up next as she cleaned the bar with Marco Banderas/Duato playing a puppy dog for her pleasure. He would chase the squeaky toy and fetch it for her to throw again as she bent over in her short skirt. Eventually, the skirt came off and he serviced her orally, licking her like a lollipop on the barstool. She sucked him off in return, leaving streamers and slobber all over the place, tonguing his balls before sucking on them. The look on his face when he was about to penetrate her was priceless, as he bent her over and gave her a bone of his own that she could bounce on in the standing vaginal. The radioactive lighting and echoing vocals were not immediately pleasing to me, but I caught myself overanalyzing the situation to remind myself that they were having a great time. He rubbed out a load to her mouth to finish it up with the almost surreal look just starting to grow on me.

Scene Five: Holly Wellin, a seductive brunette that has been featured in a number of Digital Playground movies of late, was up next as she played pool with Scott Nails. By the looks of it, they were playing a popular drinking game (miss a shot and take a swig of booze), leading to them teasing each other sexually with their clothes on. There was an edgy sensuality going on here, from her kiss to the way she pulled off his belt to the slow oral performed on his cock. Even in slow motion it got faster and messier, leading him to return the oral favor. He used an anal toy on her and stretched her ass out for the inevitable anal after an active bout of vaginal screwing by the pool table. There was a loop used at one point (maybe a couple of them) but it by no means diminished the heat of the scene that ended with the mouth pop.

Scene Six: Jesse Jane, once again in the dominating role, took care of the irrepressible Erik Everhard with her playing the hooker and him the wimpy client. She changed into a fetish corset and matching shoes, holding her paddle like she meant business. He serviced her orally as she tore off his clothing, working his dick in her mouth as though she wanted to snort ball snot in a matter of seconds. Thankfully, in porn circles he's known as a force of nature with excellent stamina so he held out against all odds to gain access to that perfect pussy of hers. Yet another aggressive ride by Jesse closed out the action when he blew a big load with her jerking it out manually. Yow!

Summary: Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak HD-DVD will clearly be on the "must have" list for any fan of Jesse Jane but it showed director Robby D. trying some new directions as well (and good ones at that). The amount of fuck for the buck, the women used, and the technical values all made this one easy to suggest as Recommended or better, depending on your level of tolerance for erotica style porn. The Behind the Scenes feature was short but also very funny, making me wonder when Robby will try his hand at a full blown comedy, backed up by his usual crew of Nick and Joey, both of whom are said to be major factors in Robby's success in recent years. That said, Jesse Jane: Sexual Freak HD-DVD did show Jesse getting freaky and served as notice that Digital Playground is not content to sit on their laurels just yet. For strokability and fun sex, this one seems to be a winner. My only concern about this upcoming release is that like Pirates HD DVD, Island Fever 3 HD DVD, and Teen America 3 HD DVD, the price is so high that it almost seems like someone is trying to stifle the growth of the high definition market. I would strongly encourage production companies and retailers alike to work out ways to keep prices reasonably similar to their standard definition (SD) versions in order to build the market up, lest such productions fall victim of the internet piracy that has slowed sales down so much of late.