Public Service

Wicked Pictures

Jessica Drake!

Genre: Feature

Director: David Stanley

Lindsay Meadows, Darryl Hanah, Jessica Drake, and Chris Cannon

Cast: Kelly Skyline, Dana DeArmond, Barrett Blade, Jessica Drake, Eric Masterson, Lindsay Meadows, Darryl Hanah, Chris Cannon, Randy Spears

Non-sex roles by FJ Lincoln and David Stanley

Length: 116:11 minutes

Jessica Drake

Date of Production: 2/16/2008

Darryl Hannah and Randy Spears

Extras: There was a 13:09 minute long scene between Jessica Drake, Michelle McLaren, Brad Armstrong and Aaron Wilcox from The Artist that I described below as the first extra. I had just seen it so the value was lessened for me (I always prefer extras that are unique to the production in hand) but I see a lot of porn so your mileage may vary. The 20:38 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by Mark Stone (edited by Jef) was a lot of fun; David hamming it up, Jessica looking great, and most of the cast having a lot of fun while making the movie with some clips of action from the scenes too. There were six photogalleries, a 2.41 minute long Box Cover Shoot, 2 star stats, a cardboard slip case, a true double sided DVD cover, the usual DVD ROM material, some spam, a promo reel, and 9 trailers (two at the open of the movie, one for the feature itself, and then six new titles of assorted quality.

Jessica Drake and Randy Spears

Condoms: Yes

Jessica Drake and Barrett Blade

Audio/Video Quality: Public Service was presented in an anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen color as it was shot in by director David Stanley for Wicked Pictures (again assisted by Francois Clousot; credited as director of photography). I always prefer an anamorphically enhanced picture so it was pleasing to see David return to the sanity of providing one, even if this was not his best work to date. The lighting seemed more natural than average for a Wicked Pictures release, resulting in some grain, minor video noise, and shadows. The composition of the shots was good, enhancing the look of the ladies but sometimes showing too much propensity to move when a static shot would've worked better thematically. There were compression artifacts and macro blocking due to the darker nature of the scenes that limited the appeal and the bitrate seemed to frequently hover in the upper 4 Mbps range so it could have looked worse. It was a decent looking fuck flick at times, even for a smaller budget release from the company, striking me as big on creativity even if low on actual budget (a dynamic that David excels at when he tries). The audio was presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround English track or a 2.0 Dolby Digital track in Spanish. My Spanish is rusty and limited to technical fields but it seemed to convey the general mood of a porno even if never looking lip synched up like much of the anime I review seems to be. The main track was showing a 384 Kbps bitrate (twice the normal rate for a porno) did have some separation between the channels but most of it appeared to be related to the musical score; this time a somewhat generic offering lacking in anything special to talk about.

Body of Review: David Stanley was one of the most truly artistic directors when he worked for Wicked Pictures, a kind of art that I might not have always appreciated but certainly the kind we hear about during porn prosecutions where so many want the world to buy into the "porn as art" concept. Leaving aside the tortured interpretation of gonzo as "art" for the moment, it has long struck me that David should have gone with independent film making rather than porn years ago to satiate his muse. Let's face it, had his features sold as well as the latest highly promoted Stormy flick, he'd still be gainfully employed but Wicked as a company walks a tight rope in that regard too. How often do hardcore porn lovers select one of their flicks over a Jules Jordan epic for stroke material? That is why engaging little features such as Public Service strike me as potentially the best kind of porn feature you can get these days. This new release stars hotty Jessica Drake as a cop out to investigate her slacker husband for a crime he didn't commit. Rather than make a joke of it, David treats the material like an episode of your favorite crime show, obviously made on a shoestring budget on the fly. The cover said it like this: "Lead police investigator (jessica drake) is forced to cope with the harsh reality that her husband is the prime suspect in the disappearance of two young escorts. His infidelity fueled by her unwavering work ethic, Monica is plunged deep into the seedy, sex-filled life of a lingerie model as she goes undercover to find out the truth. As she does, she discovers a hidden sexuality within. As Monica's love life with her suspect/husband is re-ignited, the truth is finally revealed. Can sex save a marriage? Only the truth can expose a life of Public Service..." Here's a brief look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that condoms were used for those still interested:

Scene One: Kelly Skyline, a cute blond in a white blouse and plaid skirt, and aging porn matron Dana DeArmond, were up first as hookers hired by an unsatisfied Barrett Blade. He jerked off as the two gals performed on a bed in a seedy location, the scene driven largely by Dana in a pretty solid outing for the gonzo-turned-alt princess. Dana sucked a lot of ass here and did so with much more energy than her other projects of late, Kelly cooing loudly as if she was getting off in the process. The fingering and oral led the way with Dana stopping just short of fisting the gal (her thumb stayed out though all eight fingers went in at one point) with Barrett impotently pawing them from the sidelines. The attempt at foot fetish action was minimal but he ended up rubbing out a load of population pudding on Dana's crotch, never having entered her or Kelly in any way, shape or form.

Scene Two: Jessica Drake, as the unlikely detective assigned to a case where she would be legally prohibited as a conflict of interest, was up next going undercover with sleaze merchant Eric Masterson, as she disrobed for him and gave him quite a show. Her red mesh top and black skirt allowed for easy access; the solo show ending when Eric jerked off a small load of semen to her hands. While decidedly offbeat, these first two scenes showed how the director was willing to move away from generic formulaic sex (Eric resuming his persona as David's on-screen counterpart) to contribute to the overall feature rather than the feature existing solely to stage the sex.

Scene Three: Lindsay Meadows, Darryl Hanah, Jessica Drake, and Chris Cannon, were up next as part of the establishing scene of the sex club. Jessica masturbated on an easy chair as the other gals ate each other they put on a show for the guy (his name was Harry; a sweet, well paying businessman). The box eating and titty play by Lindsay and Darryl were okay (I loved Darryl's legs and ass when she bent over to eat Lindsay), but once Jessica started rubbing herself in the school room set, especially as Chris began getting some play from the others, the heat was on. Both gals slobbed knob very solidly, Lindsay getting the initial vaginal bang but Darryl not deprived either. Neither gal was allowed to be an active ride thanks to the set up but it was an okay show where Chris popped on his pair of pals while Jessica stayed on the sidelines.

Scene Four: Jessica Drake, returning home after a long day of getting sexually turned on, was up next after she pounced on Barrett Blade; the man sitting at the kitchen table. He ate her pussy really aggressively as she spoke of cumming, her clothing left on but in a state of disarray as he orally serviced her front and back. Jessica's verbal coaxing was the better part of this portion though, her own oral skills coming into play soon enough. She inhaled cock but used her hand too much, limiting how much of his small penis could go down her throat as he pumped into her mouth. A touch of titty fucking led to a moderately active vaginal bang, a few positions leading to him popping on her even though the levels of chemistry were minimal.

Scene Five: Darryl Hanah, no longer wearing her pirate eye patch, was up in a dark alleyway next, the smoky haze showing macro blocking and too much grain but enhancing the MILF's appeal too as she blew Randy Spears. There was no completion here and it served best to elevate the mood of the moment, Jessica dragging him off for the next scene.

Scene Six: Jessica Drake, now wearing the stripper cop outfit as she interrogated Randy Spears, used her role to ask serious questions of the masturbating man, her clothing loosening up as the process continued. I'll admit that dressed as she was, Jessica could have had me confessing to just about anything to continue the show, be it the sinking of the Titanic, the Revolutionary War, or even the fall of Babylon but she elevated the psychological game between the two of them as she read him his porn rights; "the right to choke her with that big fat cock" being the best of the moment. She jerked him off and slobbed his knob aggressively, her chemistry with Randy indisputable as she acted out her fantasy role so well. That she made it to climb onto his cock for an active ride on her tight pussy was a bonus as far as I was concerned, the guy spanking her fleshy ass as she bounced enthusiastically on his penis while fingering her own ass. He jerked out a load to her leg and the drama continued.

Scene Seven: Jessica Drake, wildly riding on top of Barrett Blade in bed, was up last as they were interrupted by a phone call to solve the crime. Some plot details later, she returned to the interrogation room with him for one last day at work, wearing her stripper cop outfit as she gave him a combination show and lap dance. The sex was definitely less explicit here and had no formal conclusion, more plot points closing things up.

Bonus Scene: The Artist: Michelle McLaren, a statuesque blond with large implants, was up next as she dominated wimpy Aaron Wilcox; the man dressed up in submissive gear to her liking. She kept control of him via her flogger as much as the chains and leg spreader binding his will to hers; a short tease leading to her going down on him actively. She was hot enough that I could understand the scenario, Jessica giving some directions as the pair went at it. Aaron was freed to allow better access and he was eating Michelle out in no time, the editing something I have long hated in porn; two separate scenes combined. Jessica Drake was being anally eaten by Brad Armstrong and she reciprocated with a healthy knob slobbing; both couples plugging away shortly after that. Jessica preferred the anal sex more but neither lady was really active and both men came on their respective partners at the same time (mouth pops).

Summary: Public Service by director David Stanley for Wicked Pictures gave me the idea that it went over budget or wasn't done on schedule, some missing plot points leaving me hanging more than the middle school acting by all but the leads. Still, there was a few bits of smoking hot sex and if you are looking for a feature with some sex in it rather than a stroke flick with some talking, you could do far worst so I rated this one as a Rent It. The creativity and overall appeal of the action added up to something off the beaten path, as I've come to expect of David's works, but I reiterate that it seems as though he'd be better off using his skills outside of porn rather than try to advance the unwilling industry and the entrenched fans it has built up over the years. In short, Public Service offered an interesting look at a porno crime drama that could have worked better with more polishing up. Jessica Drake looked as sexy as ever and for fans like myself, that alone will merit checking it out, but as a chronicle of David's later works, it also seems to provide insight into his pulling away from the formulas that have dogged him for years (limiting his creative juices).