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Performers of the Year 2011 Blu-ray

Elegant Angel

Genre: Gonzo

Director: William H. Nutsack

Cast: Gracie Glam, Manuel Ferrara, Asa Akira, Toni Ribas, Tori Black, Kristina Rose, Erik Everhard, Nyomi Banxxx, James Deen, Jayden Jaymes, Phoenix Marie

Length: 258:17 minutes (191:21 minutes & 66:56 minutes)

Gracie Glam

Date of Production: 11/30/2010 (box cover); 12/25/2010 (credits)

Extras: For many, the best extras will be the four bonus scenes on the second disc from movies like The Bombshells (Andy San Dimas scene with Anthony Rosano lasting 28:14 minutes), It’s A Secretary Thing 2 (Jenna Haze with Tom Byron lasting 30:36 minutes), Buttwoman Returns (Alexis Texas with James Deen lasting 35:02 minutes), and Performers of the Year 2009 (Bobbi Starr with Manuel Ferrara lasting 33:56 minutes). I described them below in detail but it remains notable that none of the ladies were included in the main flick, though all of them were certainly eligible. There was then a related extra in the form of a short, 8:56 minute Behind the Scenes feature, never really able to detail much given how brief the clips were this time. The rest of the extras were just generic fodder including six trailers, a photogallery, and a pop shot compilation from the scenes along with some spam.

Condoms: None

Asa Akira

Audio/Video Quality: Performers of the Year 2011 Blu-ray was presented in the usual 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color as shot by director William H. Nutsack for Elegant Angel using the high-definition MPEG-2 codec with 1080p resolution. The lighting was good as expected and helped minimize the grain & video noise. The composition of the shots tended to favor the ladies, rarely chopping off their heads in a frame or missing out on significant portions of the action. The editing by Robert Laplanc was smoother than I’m used to in most cases, the additional polishing up adding to the strokability of the scenes (less obvious distractions). I saw no compression artifacts although the bitrate varied substantially, often seeming to be in the 13.2 Mbps range. The audio was presented in the usual 2.0 Dolby Digital English using the 192 Kbps bitrate (and 48 kHz sampling rate), the separation was nonexistent and the dynamic range limited but at least the vocals could be heard most of the time (as could some background noise). The music from Mybeatshop and the company archives were solid enough for the scenes themselves, showing some polishing up indicative of a movie of the year attempt.

Tori Black

Body of Review: Elegant Angel is one of the modern porn industry’s success stories in part thanks to the efforts of director William H. Nutsack. He loves the ladies and it shows in his works all the time, his sly bits of humor never overshadowing the sexy women or heated action he provides. His latest movie of merit making it my way of late is Performers of the Year 2011, the flick a smash hit and instant classic in the words of so many colleagues of mine. With names like Gracie Glam, Phoenix Marie, Asa Akira, Tori Black, and several others here, the likelihood of this one standing out was very high going into watching the double disc treat. The short version is that all the elements were polished up significantly beyond average, culminating in a fantastic hit to be appreciated for a long, hard time.  This high definition Blu-ray version of the movie is something I have been waiting for since I saw the original, Elegant Angel one of the few companies smart enough to leave the gels, filters, and other post production tricks alone when adapting a title to the improved format (enhancing resolution significantly on the visuals). Here’s a brief look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that no condoms were used for those still interested:

Kristina Rose

Scene One: Gracie Glam, the hotty with the least amount of industry experience of the cast, was up first after a short interview, providing a few reasons why she is such an up and comer beyond just her sexy looks. Her pretty eyes and youthful looks were delightful to watch, the tease a montage of indoor and outdoor footage where she wore a sparkling blue thread or yellow one piece, some sunset photography enhancing her look for me. When the tease was over, she was in her blue string outfit in the lap of Manuel Ferrara, the man servicing her orally as though enjoying every moment. He stuffed his face between her ass cheeks and spanked her, Gracie inhaling his pecker for the blowjob though both of them showing a tremendous amount of personal chemistry and playfulness throughout the scene. He toyed with her asshole and she soon actively rode his rod vaginally as though on fire, her best positions being on top but all of them frightfully strokable. There was a touch of foot fetish, breath play, smothering and solo work, Manuel busting a nut of population pudding all over her lower abdomen for her to taste.

Nyomi Banxxx

Scene Two: Asa Akira, the beautiful Asian hotty seen on the front cover (third from the left), was up next as she followed the formula of the interview before the creative tease montage, the gal wearing a simple black string bikini or going naked before hooking up in bed with Toni Ribas. They kissed and pawed each other, Toni taking his time more than he usually does as he warmed her up, their respiration rate elevating even before he used four fingers to cause her to orgasm in a juicy manner. He continued playing with her and she slobbed his knob aggressively, some choking and anal stretching readying her for additional active riding, the vaginal leading to nearly as active anal, lots of taste testing but the two alternating between slower and seductive work and aggressive, balls to the wall screwing. The scene eventually ended with Asa blowing him to completion, jerking him off and sucking him with no regard to her smeared makeup and swallowing much of his genetic juice even though he choked her.

Jessica Jaymes

Scene Three: Tori Black, one of the leading beauties in porn these days (second from the left on the front cover), was up next as she expounded on her career for the previous year as well as where she was headed. This led to the slow tease, her red & black corset and knee high boots looking sexy but the plain bikini undies looking more elegant (no pun intended) with the variations just as attractive as she smoked a cancer stick. There were also some striped stretch pants but the accessories seemed distracting, something such a fine young lady just doesn’t need in a tease sequence. The sequence led to her paired up with studly Manuel Ferrara, the couple on a black leather loveseat as they kissed and pawed each other with chemistry. He fingered her at length and ate her front and back, Tori reciprocating with a head-centric hummer that included her hand for more friction. He pulled her hair when they vaginally boned too, some rough stuff encouraged by Tori during their vaginal positions, less so during their anal exploits that were surprisingly strong given her reliance on looks so often in many other scenes. They kept eye contact as well as most of the others and she went crazy bouncing on him too, the ending load of spew gracing her face from his rapidly stroking hand.

Phoenix Marie

Scene Four: Kristina Rose, a personal favorite brunette (first on the right side on the front cover), extolled her upgraded career at the hands of the company and suggesting she was continually improving during her interview before the tease began. The tease included a lot of her wonderfully sexy ass shaking around in a red piece of lingerie, my only issue being it seemed far too short even though it included footage in and around the house. She was then paired up with sexually aggressive Erik Everhard, his attentive hand and mouth working her all natural tits and other body parts smoothly between kisses. He ate her at length and she throated his cock actively, bending over for him to penetrate in both her pussy and ass as she fingered her back door. Erik masturbated with her ass cheeks first to drive her wild with desire, the gal seemingly most excited during the vaginal sex or when she gave him some delightful head. The taste testing aside, the look she provided showed she was happy to be there, her eye contact and other body language making it clear that he was on her short list for better scenes. The scene ended when she knelt before him and he held her head steady, beating off a missive of genetic juice all over her face for her to lick up.

Scene Five: Nyomi Banxxx, a curvy black gal with delightfully brilliant eyes, was up next as she paraded around in her mock Southern Belle outfit in the house and out by the pool after her interview. This footage was interspersed with some plain metallic silver bikini clips, a portrait of seduction being painted as some diversity was introduced to the series. She was then shown on the white couch wearing a neon pink bikini and black fishnet stockings, dominating James Deen as he serviced her orally (with a concentration on her tits and crotch). She was then very vocal about the vaginal pounding he gave her, some taste testing leading to anal work before all was said and done. I liked that she pushed back to get more of his pecker inside of her, the guy feeding her some of her own juices from time to time when she allowed him to stop pounding away at her holes. He choked her a little and eventually tossed off a wad of semen to her face as she knelt before him, Nyomi giving some post coital head to savor him one last time.

Scene Six: Jayden Jaymes, a curvy and fetching brunette that has recently stated she was only going to do lesbian scenes for awhile, was up next as the first scene of the second disc. She began with a short interview, leading to a sultry tease in her pink bikini undies overlooking the valley, the gal eyeing the camera as it scanned her body, including some indoor shots of Jayden in frilly undies as well as the balcony shots I liked so much. The action began quickly once she was paired up with studly Erik Everhard in the bedroom, his pants all over her crotch and her mouth aggressively slobbing his knob before he stuffed his lucky face between her ass cheeks. Jayden showed a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy here, making it one of her best scenes in some time (as her best performances are always dependent on who she works with), her facial expressions alone elevating it along with the attendant chemistry. She playfully encouraged him to snack on her crack some more and they then began a series of pounding vaginal penetration positions, the intermittent oral adding to the heat of the scene. Her ass cheeks rippled as she rode his pecker and she kept her fishnet stockings and garter on during the sex, Erik even using her ass cheeks to masturbate with as she lay on her stomach. That finished him off and he bust a nut of genetic juice on her ass, both of them satiated so very well.

Scene Seven: Phoenix Marie, a curvy blond that I have grown quite fond of in recent years, was up last after a short interview. She wore a fetish corset and accessories that truly enhanced her look, the lighting a bit more provocative than the flat lighting Nutsack so often uses to explore the ladies. She swayed seductively and was then seen in red bikini undies, only a short clip of her in black bikini bottoms out by the pool displayed before she was on the all white bed with James Deen. He was the sexual aggressor here but she verbally led him into doing what she wanted, his tongue flickering on her perfect pucker and finger stretching her as she purred in contentment. She orally inhaled his cock and both continued to provide a solid oral experience when they began vaginally screwing, some foot fetish action and additional oral expanding their sexual repertoire nicely before she started stuffing her fingers into her ass. A glass anal plug was introduced and this included some technical DP work, James moving to pure anal as he tore into her sweet ass wildly and flexible Phoenix positioned herself with her ankles behind her head. There was some choking and ATM, Phoenix giving a great set of blowjobs between positions and sucking the semen off her feet where James jerked off his round of spunk. This was one of his best scenes to date, my appreciation for her work leading me to acknowledge that she elevates everything she participates in already (translation: I expected no less from her but it was great work).

Bonus Scene: The Bombshells: Andy San Dimas, a skinny brunette initially known for her "alt porn" efforts, was up first as she provided a tease montage using settings outside and in the white room, her all natural form swaying nicely in time to the music. While I tend to like meatier gals more, she definitely had some physical appeal, her ass shaking alone begging for a stiff dick drilling away at her asshole. There was no anal this time but she seemed okay with almost everything else, moper Anthony Rosano caressing and kissing her as she laid back for him to eat out. He orally serviced her well enough, Andy sucking her fingers as though they were his cock while he ate merrily away. That led to her going down on him passionately, trying him on for size with her hands and without, aggressively slobbing his knob with abandon before engaging in a series of active vaginal riding positions. They appeared to have some chemistry together and she provided more enthusiasm than usual here, the taste testing leading to him jerking out a wad of genetic juice to her face.

Bonus Scene: It’s A Secretary Thing 2: Jenna Haze, the ever popular porn star seen everywhere these days, was up last as a job applicant for a secretarial position. Tom Byron was the boss and given their previous works together, I knew the sparks were going to fly! She looked much younger than her true age thanks in part due to her near school girl look, her glasses and short skirt a look she has always been able to pull off better than most of her peers. She played the grown up daughter of his friends that he knew as a child, catching him off guard a bit before she made sexual advances including a super charged blowjob. The vaginal led to anal with ATM, Jenna once again deploying her dirty talk to elevate the heat of the action for the world. He snacked on her ass crack for a short time too but she drove the heat of the scene throughout the length of it. Fans of glasses might appreciate that she kept them on the entire time too, not always the easiest thing to do when actively a penis, and she used a vibrator for a short time, but the scene was driven primarily by her enthusiasm for cock and the manner in which he seemed to adore her on multiple levels.

Bonus Scene: Buttwoman Returns: Alexis Texas, next up in an aqua colored dress that truly enhanced her look, was made up in glamorous fashion during a night tease on the pool deck, following the formula successfully as she jumped into the pool playfully, using the fountains as masturbatory devices. She was then seen sitting on the love seat with James Deen, her hair still wet from the experience as the couple romantically kissed. James spent considerable time going down on her before vaginally hammering away and she aurally coaxed him to go hard and deeper as a result. There was some choking but it wasn't a big part of the scene, the penetration followed by Alexis blowing him nearly to completion until they went back to bumping uglies. The scene itself ended when he jerked out a wad of semen to her ass cheeks though, the guy using her ass crack to jerk off a bit more before it ended.

Bonus Scene: Performers of the Year 2009: Bobbi Starr, an anal princess not seen on the front cover, was up last as she walked through a house in her fetish attire, the camisole and boots giving her a rougher look than she normally had. Bobbi was made up to look her very best here, gyrating and masturbating but not really "dancing" as most of the others had tried. It worked for her edgier appeal, the strong winds in the background setting the tone of the moody setting. Once the tease was over, she was working with Manuel Ferrara, the man a personal favorite of hers if I recall correctly. Bobbi is another gal that likes rough sex and doesn't care who knows it, coming out of a wooden crate to work Manuel's dick as he requested. The chemistry between them was obvious and she went right to sucking him off, Manuel reciprocating and choking her before plunging deep inside her pussy when she bent over. He pulled her hair and smacked her ass too, hammering away at her biscuit until he went down on her at length. They soon moved from vaginal to anal sex too, the couple driving it deep inside of her ass with some taste testing by Bobbi to clean him off. Eventually, they finished up getting each other off and he bust a nut to her face, Bobbi climbing back into the crate to be sealed up once more. MMMMM!

Summary: Performers of the Year 2011 Blu-ray by director William H. Nutsack for Elegant Angel was designed to be one of the big hits of the year, the cast selection and double disc treatment providing fans with a tremendous wealth of strokable footage and replay value. The technical values were superior too and there was no doubt in my mind that the movie earned every bit of the Xcritic Pick given all it had to offer. In short, Performers of the Year 2011 joins previous volumes in the series to showcase some of the most popular ladies of the year in what often amounts to their best scenes. I found each performance to be an exceptional tryst but favorites like Kristina Rose and Phoenix Marie were certainly as good as the work by Jayden Jaymes, Gracie Glam, and Asa Akira; the amount of strokable material here supplemented by the exciting four additional scenes on the bonus disc to make this one a solid winner.  For me, this Blu-ray upgrade was clearly a fine addition to my collection since the visual upgrade, when viewed on a television over 50" in size and sporting the 1080p resolution is just too good to pass up.  My take on these upgrades is why settle for marginally better titles in the format released by other companies when Elegant does such a better job with them? In any case, I truly enjoyed the movie on a whole new level that can only be properly appreciated on a large screen television.