Cry Wolf

There's a reason why Paul Thomas has become one of the legendary directors in the adult industry. And it has nothing to do with fancy camerawork, big special effects, music video-like edits, or frankly even creative sex scenes. The key to Thomas' success is the man knows a good story when he sees (or in some cases, writes) one, and he knows how to capture good acting on film - even when his actors are adult stars who haven't necessarily spent a lot of their time taking acting lessons.

Cry Wolf is going to appeal to a lot of porn fans because it marks two notable scenes in the career of Vivid Girl Monique Alexander. First, it marks Monique's first anal scene in a film. Second, it also contains her very first interracial coupling. We've actually seen her do both before in the release of Call Girl Confidetnial (and with the same actors she performs with here, no less), but her segments in this movie (Cry Wolf was shot back in 2006) are actually her first on-screen experiences doing either. However, viewers will soon discover a much more notable aspect to Cry Wolf - that it's one of the best adult features we've seen on DVD so far in 2008.

Cry Wolf opens innocently enough - with Marcos Leon (playing a former child star named Roger) returning home from a date with Monique Alexander (playing a wannabe actress named Sylvia). The two go inside Roger's mansion, where they flirt a bit, get involved in some foreplay with one another, and where things begin to go wrong...horribly wrong. It gets to the point where Roger sexually himself upon Sylvia...or does he? Viewers will spend the rest of the movie trying to figure out what really happened.

Roger calls up his friend Danny (played by Mr. Marcus) and tells him he's in trouble. Danny comes racing over to Roger's house, and Roger relates the events of the evening. But Sylvia hasn't left, as Danny suspects from Roger's story. No, Roger has bound and gagged Sylvia and is keeping her in the basement! Danny rushes downstairs to untie her, and just when we think we're going to find out what really happened, Cry Wolf leaps back six months in time.

In the past, we discover that Sylvia and Danny not only knew each other, but they were lovers. We also discover that Danny did some time for selling , and the dealer (played menacingly by Steven St. Croix) wants Danny to repay the money he lost when the cops confiscated all of the . To get the money he needs, Danny launches an elaborate plot to blackmail Roger...a plot that involves using Sylvia as sexual bait!

I won't give away any more of the storyline than that, other to say that Danny's plan doesn't quite work out the way he hopes. As for the sex in this movie? Well, by itself it probably wouldn't be notable (other than Monique's two "firsts"), but it fits nicely into the story as it unfolds. For the record, Monique takes it up the ass from Marcos Leon and does her first interracial with (in case you hadn't guessed) Mr. Marcus. Other scenes include Mr. Marcus in a threesome with Holly Wellin and Devon Lee; a mini-orgy scene involving Lexxi Tyler, Tory Lane, Carly Parker, Steven St. Croix and Jay Huntington; a threesome with Jayna Oso, Stefani Morgan and Marcos Leon; and a three-way involving Monique, Steven and Tyla Wynn.

Cry Wolf was shot on film by Thomas, but it's been given an anamorphic transfer here that looks quite nice, although there is some grain and the occasional fleck of dirt on the print. Extras on this DVD release include a 20-minute behind the scenes featurette (also anamorphic); five bonus scenes from other Vivid titles (all of them featuring at least one gal who's in Cry Wolf); six minutes of deleted sex from a scene involving Steven St. Croix, Staci Thorn, Marlie Moore and Riley Mason; and four trailers for other Vivid releases available on DVD.

Cry Wolf is so good, I can't imagine it not being remembered at the end of the year when the AVN Award and other major industry kudos are announced. Make no mistake, this is one of the best features we've seen from the industry so far in 2008. Be sure to check it out!

I don't know what else to say: "Cry Wolf" is the Best Vivid Video in many, many years-even though I'm not sure how many fans will appreciate the achievement of this Monique Alexander and Paul Thomas feature. Still, it gets my early nod for "Best Picture of 2008."

First: the sex.

Monique Alexander does anal with Marcos Leon, and has a long, romantic scene with Mr Marcus. And she does Steven St. Croix, as the cherry topper. So, if you're into "natural" girls, Monique is for you: she continues to keep her slim body just this side of anorexic. Her natural tits are still full, with muscle tone and shape, and her round, rock hard ass has no comparison in today's porn. What's more, after seven hard years in the biz Monique still shows enthusiasm for her work! And while "Cry Wolf" is mostly about the storyline, Paul Thomas keeps the viewers' interest, while advancing the plot, by having Monique parade around nude as much as possible. Works for me.

As does most of the other sex scenes. Marcus does a three-way with Devon Lee and Holly Wellin, that includes a nice anal, and lots of butt-shots. By the way, Vivid deserves Extra Credit for not making reference to Marcus being black. In 2008, the dating scene on most college campuses is thoroughly inter-racial-and nobody (except most porn directors) seems to notice that pretty, young white girls are getting fucked by good-looking, young black, brown and Asian guys. I say, let's end the "IR genre"-and just do color-blind casting.

Beside Mr Marcus, Steven St. Croix, as a pimp-villain, gets to party with Carly Parker and Tory Lane-not bad for a guy just past forty. Finally, Marcos Leon may have gotten the Gold Ring: he seems to be Monique's designated butt-fucker (he also did the honors in "Call Girl Confidential"), and he also gets to have a three-way with Stefani Morgan (who has no dialogue) and Jayna Oso. Nice work if you can get it, Marcos.

In a departure from most of Vivid's videos of the past seven years or so, the camera work (by Ralph Parfait) and editing contribute to the erotic quality of the scenes-not destroy it. Oh, yeah: there are a couple of "breaks" in the action, but the pacing is quickly re-established. Don't worry.

Beyond the sex scenes, I have to say that "Cry Wolf" is a departure from most current porn features: the purpose of this video is the "telling of a story." It's not about nasty sex, with a story wrapped around the set-up scenes.

"Cry Wolf" is about the "price of betrayal." All the characters betray each other-and the storyline is about the price each character pays. Some lose love, while others pay with their asses-quite literally. Speaking of which, I'm glad to see a video with a plot device that includes anal sex as more than just a concession to the fanboy public's obsession with having every porn star get fucked in the ass. "Cry Wolf's" storyline, and the betrayals, are driven by the act of anal sex-and its consequences. Nice.

Bottom line: "Cry Wolf" takes up where the Golden Age of Porn directors-Cecil Howard, Svelanta, Bob Chinn, Gail Palmer, Anthony Spinelli, Robert McCallum, Henri Pachard and (yes) Paul Thomas-left off before the advent of videotape. And, before everybody who could talk a girl into taking a dick in her mouth and holes, was proclaimed a "Director" and "Artist."

"Cry Wolf" takes us back to "reality": a story about people--told with "real sex" included. Which is what Hollywood still can't do. Not bad, Vivid. Not bad!