In Aphrodite

Riz Story not only directed and edited this fancy new offering from Vivid, he wrote the music, too. Better still, he stocked it with all the best Vivid contract stars past and present, including Dasha, Raylene, and Cheyenne. Toss in soft lighting, a deliberately grainy look, a hint of oversaturation -- oh, and a little bit of slow motion, a requisite effect for all arty porn flicks -- and you've got...

Well, actually, that's a good question. Story is definitely working the music video style of porn, though his music tends more toward the ambient. He likes to mix in the sounds of his performers with the music as well, a choice that struck me as ill-advised, as the result reminds me too much of cheapo overdubbed porn, certainly not Story's intent.

The six scenes are all pretty enough, though there's nothing breathtaking or groundbreaking here. Story doesn't skimp on the hardcore close-ups, yet somehow, with all the artsy touches, they never feel clinical. That's a big bonus. But at the same time, too much technique can be distancing. And this movie is all about technique. (Shouldn't it be all about sex? Sigh.)

Each vignette has a title, of course. "In You" features Dayton, Bobby Vitale, and Cheyenne, plus a little too much of the fog machine in places -- when Dayton's riding Vitale's meat, it threatens to obscure the action. Fortunately it's dissipated by the time the Dayton sandwich hits the screen.

"Do You Want To Go" is a boy/girl pairing with Kiri and Devon Wolf, and that starts off with a romantic music selection and a lot of kissing, but does manage to fit in a little bit of rimming before the old in-out begins. It's pretty to look at, but nothing special. The same goes for the next scene, "So Come Along," a girl/girl entry with Raylene, Dayton, and a very lucky acrylic dildo.

The focal point of the vignette called "Dasha" is -- well, you guessed it, the icy blonde Slavic beauty herself. She's matched up with Dillion Day and Chris Cannon, and believe me, she handles them with ease. There are hands all over hrer body, probing her pussy and ass. She rides one of the boys hard and wet; the scene culminates in a nice DP.

"In Aphrodite" is a three-girl scene, the most highly styized so far, with black-and-white interludes (the signature touch for any porno with artistic aspirations). The strap-ons come out for this little gathering, but the action peters out without any particular warning.

"Covenant" has a fun fetish flavor to it. One girl is clearly the dom (she gets to wear the fetishy fashions); she just gets to watch. Another lucky girl acts as the submissive, and allows herself to bottom to two cocks. There's no DP, but there's a lot of sandwiches to go around, in missionary and doggie. And our girl Cassidey really likes the anal portion of her servitude, no doubt.

The mist is back in "Sodom," although it's ill-timed; there's one touchy moment where it looks like the Cheyne is fucking Chennin Blanc so hard that steam is coming out of her pussy. There's a little playful fetish flavor here, too, when our gal is gagged with her own panties, and the anal missionary finish is a definite plus as well.

The finale comes in "Temple of Gomorrah." The Temple apparently comes stocked with its own decadent-looking rock band. Each scene is briefly re-enacted on the dance floor in front of the drum set before it all devolves into a big orgy.

With this many scenes, Story is to run a tight ship. The editing is snappy, but in many cases, much of the sex is too short, not allowed to develop to a natural, er, climax. But there's no denying that Story has a visual knack. If you like your porn on the arty side, this is worth checking out, but be warned -- the art damage is heavy indeed.

Extras are the basic Vivid package -- galleries, bios, and alternate angles.