In Style

Brad Amstrong's In Style is proof that if you have a good location and great photographers and editors, you can create the illusion of a classy production. Add a Wicked Pictures budget to this equation and the possibility of failure diminishes almost completely. In the latest release from Wicked, Armstrong rents a Andrew Blake hat and some Cameron Grant shoes in an effort to make artistic couples friendly porn. Although Devinn Lane appears on the box cover, it would be more appropriate if she was replaced by a picture of the mansion where all of this was shot. The production borrows heavily from the lavish location allowing it to influence and even overshadow almost every aspect of the movie. This isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it appears to have a distracting effect on the filmmakers, and ultimately the audience.

In an industry that feels obligated to supply contrived storylines and dialogue to every production, In Style bypasses these pitfalls by concentrating solely on the sex...and classical noveau architecture. The movie features a number of scenes that literally all run together. The first scene provides a good sense of what lies ahead as Devinn Lane stands in front of a gate and proceeds to masturbate while dressed in some fancy (and no doubt expensive) black lingerie. Classy? Yes. Well photographed? Yes. Strokable? Not really. Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of masturbation and girl/girl scenes. It's not my cup of tea, but if you like this sort of stuff you'll be hard pressed to find better photographed scenes in a recent release.

Although it didn't have my favorite performers, the best scene on the disc features Miko Lee, Alexandra Quinn, and Pat Myne in a hot three-way near a pool. Sometimes everything just comes together and this is exactly how to describe this scene. Shot outside on a sunny day in Malibu, the scene looks fantastic with a perfect blend of blue sky and water complimenting the sweaty pool side action. After some good oral and vaginal pounding, Miko threads her sphincter around Pat's vertical cock for some hard and loud reverse cowgirl ass slamming. Apparently Miko made such a ruckus ("Fuck that ass!") that some not-so-nearby neighbors called the cops. Good job Miko!

Another thing that really impressed me were the numerous short blowjob scenes. There are about four of these and each runs about two or three minutes long. Each scene is a simple blowjob ending with a nice facial. In fact, due to a misunderstanding (as explained by Armstrong in the commentary) Miko Lee takes an internal oral cum shot. Needless to say, that was a bit surprising to see in a Wicked picture, but welcome all the same. Private has been doing successful stand-alone blowjob scenes for a while so I can't give credit to Armstrong and crew for originality, but I can give them kudos for successfully lifting a good idea.

Despite my gripes about the movie, the DVD as a whole is absolutely fantastic! First off, I can't get over how good it looks. In Style looks like it was shot on film, yet Jake Jacobs' credit reads, "videography." If this really was shot on some sort of digital video, it really fooled me. The transfer to DVD looks pretty clean for the most part. There is some pixelation in the darker color ranges, but nothing too distracting. Although most of the sound is generic porno music, it is presented in crisp Dolby 2.0 stereo. As with most Wicked releases, the disc really shines with the extras. My favorite extra is the director commentary featuring Armstrong, and Devinn Lane. I've listened to some of Armstrong's solo commentaries on other titles, but this is the first where I've heard him comment with a performer. Needless to say, two people on a commentary track is better than one. Lane and Armstrong both provide interesting little insights on the production and the business in general. Since there is virtually no dialogue in the whole movie, I recommend switching over to the commentary; it's much more interesting than the music, and you might learn something. For example, Devinn provides some good pointers on performing cunnilingous. On the downside, Devinn also talks about how much she likes "swallowing" and taking it in the ass. I say on the downside because she performs none of this nasty stuff in front of the camera... what a tease. She only appears in one scene with a flesh and cock, and even then she doesn't touch it... talk is cheap. Complimenting the commentary is a nice "behind the scenes" featurette that runs about 17 minutes. Put together by Toni English, this mini documentary features some impromptu interviews with the performers and also captures a "behind the camera" aspect of a few scenes.

In Style is by no means a bad movie. It is easily head and shoulders above most of the crap that is cranked out on a daily basis. At the same time, the production is hindered by its insistence to constantly exude a pretentious air of class and style. Without a doubt, this film will hit its mainstream target demographic and cause many fans and critics to wet themselves. However, fans appreciative of real hardcore from the likes of Anabolic, Extreme Associates, and Evil Angel, will only sap the life from their DVD player's fast forward capability. Watching In Style is like viewing a Hollywood remake of a foreign classic. Most people won't notice or care that the filmmakers lacked vision and originality, while others will praise the work as a monumental achievement. But true porn aficionados will know better and look past the carefully organized layers of style to discover very little substance, all while knowing they've seen this movie before...and it was better the first time.

There are very few times that a single title will have all the things that you are looking for. I would honestly have to say that this one comes very close. Its got pretty much everything that a male oriented, straight-up, straight sex feature usually has minus any and all plot. The only real detriment to the film was that the soundtrack was edited over almost all of the moans and groans. This is not a major sticking point, but I do like to hear some of the action and not just see it. For most of the scenes, the sex is better than I expected, and unfortunately for Devinn Lane fans she is not the real stand out on this disc. I really thought that Miko Lee deserves most of the credit for making this disc worth the money. I say this because none of Devin's scenes seem really all that spirited, but the scenes that involve Miko really seem to stand out and shine.

I basically thought that this was really just a good overall disc. There isn't really anything overly special on it, but it is quite artistic and the sex scenes are pretty well rounded including 2 masturbation scenes, 3 three-way scenes (all of them 2 girls 1 guy), 4 blowjob segues, 2 full on lesbian scenes, and 1 straight one-on-one scene. What really struck me about this disc are the 4 short blowjob scenes. I really think that these 4 scenes separate this disc from so many others. It is so rare to see short oral sequences in a feature adult film, but I thought this aspect of the film was really awesome. It was a welcome surprise to see really talented girls suck cock from start to finish before another scene began. One of the best ones was also one of the shortest. Miko Lee deserves kudos for taking her man by the balls and really working him hard. I would almost call this particular blowjob "ferocious." I don't think I have seen any other pornstar work a sack like that, and I think she almost made him come twice. Now that would have been a site to see.

All of the three-ways on the disc were also really steamy. I would rank the style in which they were presented close to a Private film, but the sex and the women were not quite as hot as they usually are in a Private film. Of course I must apologize for my personal preference, but I must admit that I like seeing girls who are all natural even if they don't have huge breasts. That aside, this is a really great disc with some fabulous performances that should not be missed.

One of the greatest things about this feature is that it sets the standard for extras on a DVD. In Style has more features than you can possibly imagine. Included on the disc are bios, a behind the scenes feature, a director's commentary track, 2 photo galleries, and trailers. The only thing I thought was annoying was the repetition of the animated title screen?it got to be a little too much seeing it over and over again.

This disc is definitely worth your money. I was really impressed by the amount of thought that was put into it in terms of artistic value and making the most out of the DVD format. This is one title that is certainly trying to elevate the genre of adult film.

While the production values, locations, costumes and photography are top-notch, much of this film is just so-so. Devinn Lane doesn't touch a cock once (her opening solo scene is a beautifully shot exercise in boredom), and she appears to be merely going through the motions.

The real star here is the luscious, feisty Miko Lee, and her poolside bone ride is the highlight of the DVD. Most of the other performers (with the exception of Sydnee Steele's hot three-way) seem more concerned with keeping their lingerie intact than with the action at hand. The short blowjob scenes (again, Miko is the exception) are strictly by-the-numbers affairs, and the lack of location sound in most of the film is annoying. Note to aspiring porn directors: Music is fine - and In Style's soundtrack sounds hip and all - but I'd really rather hear the filthy exhortations, groans and screams at full volume rather than some atmospheric trip-hop noodling.

DVD features are average, with a couple of trailers and a "behind-the-scenes" short which adds nothing to one's enjoyment; while savvy porn consumers may understand that the business is ultimately just a job to these actors, we don't actually want to hear and see them say that!

In short, In Style is a pretty piece of high-gloss adult entertainment, and if you're into platform stilettos and sexy lingerie you'll find much to admire here. Otherwise, Cameron Grant and Michael Ninn do this sort of thing better.

Wicked is putting out some really great DVDs each week. Now with In Style on DVD, the best Devinn Lane title to date is available. Devinn Lane stars in 7 of the 11 scenes. I should also note that 3 of the 11 are 3-5 minute blowjob scenes. The highlights of this DVD were the excellent girl-girl scene between Maya Devine (a.k.a. Wendy Divine) and Devinn; and the commentary with director Brad Armstrong and Devinn Lane, which was really interesting.