Cinesex - 2 Disc Collector's Set

With talent like the incomparable Leena, the always sexy Asia Carrera, and the incredibly hot Lisa Ann, CINESEX is a classic porno film deserving of the critical acclaim it received back in the early nineties. The story borrows its concept from Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose Of Cairo" in which an actor onscreen comes to life and switches realities with an audience member, and allows its cast to stretch their acting skills as well as to show off their always excellent carnal talents. Director Michael Ninn was a master at hardcore feature films, and this two-parter is one of his finest. Cal Vista has done an excellent job with the DVDs packaging, presenting both films on two discs in a fold-out display with sexy photos of its superstars. If you enjoyed Lisa Ann's recent work as a comeback "MILF," then you'll love seeing her during her younger and more energetic days. Naturally, anything with Leena is worth watching, and her anal scenes are filled with pure passion and heat.

Unfortunately, this "high definition" presentation has a glaring flaw. The movie is indeed widescreen, but the bottom and top of the picture has been cropped significantly in order to accommodate the 1:85 ratio. I knew something was wrong after I popped in Disc One, and noticed that the top of Steven St. Croix's head was lopped off awkwardly. The picture composition simply doesn't look right, and some of the sex scenes suffer from the changes, particularly close-up of blowjobs and medium shots of the fucking scenes. A comparison with my crusty, old videotapes confirms that this movie appears to have been shot in full screen (1:33 aspect ratio) originally, and that the content has been altered to fit widescreen proportions. It's really a shame because this type of butchering can be quite distracting to fans who know and love the movie. Those who aren't quite as devoted to nostalgia or correct cinematic presentations probably won't care. But I do, and I object.

Extras are limited to some promotional material and an "animated menu." Given the age of this flick, I really didn't expect any bonus materials which had anything to do with the actual film. However, let me stress again that Asia, Leena and Lisa Ann are worth enduring all the flaws.

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