Private Penthouse Box Set 2

Private Pictures

Genre: Features (6 of them)

Director: Antonio Adamo

Extra's: trailers, Production Notes, multiple languages, subtitles, photogalleries, The Report (behind the scenes), biographies

Audio/Video Quality: The movies are all in full frame, keeping their original 1.3:1 ratio aspect. The picture on all of them is very consistently crisp and clear with almost no exceptions (a few dark scenes were less than perfectly lit). The audio tracks, at least the English tracks, were also well done and while there wasn't a lot of separation in the channels, I believe they were all in stereo.

Body of Review: Penthouse Magazine was one of the original challengers to the Playboy empire in years gone by. The magazine provided somewhat more risqué photo's of attractive women from around the world while Playboy stayed mostly in the domestic market and was barely above the glamour shots you'd see in more mainstream magazines of the day. Over time, both Playboy and Penthouse were behind the times as more graphic material became legal (or at least less legally challenged). The porn market being what it is, advances in technology have pretty much forced magazines to find alternative avenues for making profit. This being the case, Playboy went with cable television sales and Penthouse went with making a movie deal with Private Pictures. This collaboration is responsible for 12 movies, all directed by Antonio Adamo.

Adamo is known for a particular style of movie-light on plot, pretty women, and graphic sex that includes oral, vaginal, anal, and DP's along with facials and orgies. He is also known for making movies that include a stylish form of slow motion photography and a look that is hard to accurately describe. That said, he has a following not unlike Andrew Blake or Michael Ninn, if somewhat smaller in number. It's been said, by myself and others, that you either love him or hate him. Over the years, I've softened that belief in that you really have to be in a mood for his work more than just an either/or situation. With the release of the Penthouse/Private boxed set #2, the rest of the Penthouse movies made by Private have now been put in a position of affordability for the average consumer. In effect, there's a lot of fuck for your buck at a great price.

Below are the titles that are included in this boxed set with the listed production date, length, cast and number of scenes. Be forewarned that one of the biggest complaints people have with these movies, and Adamo's style in general, is that the sex scenes lack heat/chemistry/passion or whatever other term you prefer to call it. The women seem, in almost all cases, to be looking directly at the camera and mechanical in their approach to the sex. For some fans, that's not a problem-they're just happy to see the hot babes, doing things they'll never get to do without paying. For others, the passion found elsewhere is more important to them than how attractive the cast looks. As always, it's your choice. Keep in mind that none of the acting here is exceptional, none of the stories worth discussing in detail, and the cookie cutter nature of Adamo's style (which is a good thing for many fans) make this a true value only if you are a fan. I'd suggest renting one first-if you like it, you'll like the rest.

Sex Opera: 5/01: 102.5 minutes: David Perry, Lynn Stone, Natasha, Laureen Kiss, Michelle Wild, Mercedes, Dora Venter, Phillippe Dean, Ian Scott, Alex Mantegna 8 scenes

Eve Insane Obsession: 7/01: 102.5 minutes: Lynn Stone, Sophie Evans, Claudia, Sandra, Adriana Esteve, Natali, David Perry, Alex Mantegna, Alberto Ray, Nick Lang, Franco Roccaforte, Toni Ribas 7 scenes

Sex Forever: 7/01: 90.5 minutes: Claudia Jackson, Kathy Anderson, Liza Pinelli, Lynn Stone, Sophie Evans, Alex Mantegna, David Perry, Karl Ben, Roberto Malone, Toni Ribas 6 scenes

Without Limits: 9/01: 118.5 minutes: Chrystal, Claudia Jackson, Lynn Stone, Maria, Melinda, Natali, Sandra Iron, Sophie Angel, Sophie Evans, David Perry, Nacho Vidal, Toni Ribas 8 scenes

Too Many Women Foria Man: 11/01: 99.5 minutes: Claudia Ricci, Jessica Florentino, Lynn Stone, Sandra Irons, Sophie Evans, Alex Mantegna, Francesco Malcom, Phillippe Dean, Phillippe Durock, Toni Ribas 7 scenes

Without Limits 2: 3/02: 116.5 minutes: Sophie Evans, Lynn Stone, Claudia Ricci, Sandra Irons, Laureen Kiss, Toni Ribas, David Perry, Franco Roccaforte, Steve Holmes 6 scenes

Summary: Much of the sex is fun to watch as long as you don't care whether the women, almost all hot looking babes from Europe, are getting off. For all my reservations of this set, mostly due to Adamo's style, it really is a bargain. The box itself looks pretty good and the foldout nature of it allows you to save space (as well as money)-behind each disc, is a picture with one or more of the women and the dvd hub is one of the newer ones that locks the disc down without you're needing to bend the disc itself (great improvement for Private). For those looking for these discs, you're not going to find a better bargain and I'll give this a High Recommendation with the caveat that they are tailored for a specific market niche. If you like anal sex with pretty women as listed above, go for it!