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Red Vibe Diaries (1997)

Perhaps the best way to describe this James Avalon feature film is to compare it to almost having an orgasm, but not quite getting there. You know those ones - where all the conditions seem to be right, and you think you're on a winner, but somehow, little things get in the way and you just can't quite make it.

Don't get me wrong, this movie is a better film by far than most porn flicks, and it has plenty of elements that will appeal to women; indeed, I bought this DVD because it had been recommended by the ladies at Good Vibrations. And without doubt, it is very arousing and entertaining, and well worth spending an evening with the vibrator in front of the TV. It's just that, well… they came so close to making a really really good women's smut flick, but fell down in the execution, as it were.

"What would possess the wife of a renowned neurosurgeon to risk everything to become a prostitute at a high class Beverly Hills brothel?" asks the back cover. This is essentially the plot of Red Vibe Diaries - one lonely and bored woman's search for pleasure. Our heroine, left home alone by her busy husband, explores her sexual fantasies, and then allows her libido to lead her into extremely pleasurable prostitution. The scenario offers numerous opportunities for female friendly sex scenes. Thus, we start with Samantha masturbating in the bath with her new red vibrator, imagining a lesbian encounter at the sex toy shop. Along the way we see her fantasies of passionate sex with her absent husband, and then her friend introduces her to the woman-owned brothel. Eventually, Samantha indulges in wild sex with various clients.

Red Vibe diaries sets up so many opportunities to depict female-positive sex, and yet it lets us down on most occasions. The reason for this is simple. The director repeatedly resorts to mainstream porn clichés, and tailors his sex scenes to male audiences. Thus, our lesbians hammer each other with dildoes for fifteen minutes and "tongue joust" rather than kiss (perhaps so as not to ruin their perfect lipstick). The clit doesn't get a look in. And the male-female sex scenes are primarily penetration based. We're talking hard and fast penetration here too, the sort that never seems to end, even though we KNOW she must be getting sore. There's always the typical cumshot at the end, and all the women keep their high heels on. Even lead actress Stacy Valentine's enormous fake tits are a distraction. They float in the bath.

Perhaps I'm just a little jaded. The fact remains that this is a very good porn film, one of the best I've seen. The acting is near-professional standard. The production values are sky high. There's even some interesting dialogue and real emotional involvement. Rest assured there's enough here to keep you entertained and busting for an orgasm, and it certainly won't insult your intelligence. The men are just as good looking as the women, and their dicks are plenty big. The scene with Samantha's husband is surprisingly tender and vaguely romantic. There's even arty camera shots to keep things from being boring. It's just that… I want more. I expect more I deserve more, dammit.

Red Vibe Diaries illustrates to me that it really wouldn't take much of an effort to make a really great porn film for women. A little more real kissing here, a lot more cunnilingus there… I mean, really, is it that hard to show realistic clitoral stimulation? And wouldn't it be nice if the man came inside the woman for once, and we got to see his face at that point…?

Ladies, despite all I've just written, I really do recommend Red Vibe Diaries, if only because it is so much better that 99% of the porn movies out there. If you buy only one mainstream porn video this year, this should be it.

Starring: Stacy Valentine, Lexus, Alyssa Love, Misty Rain, Maya, Deva Station, Clarke Irving, David Steel, Vince Voyeur, Marc Wallice, Tony Tedeschi, Alex Sanders
Director: James Avalon
Studio: Metro Home Video

Available From
Ms Naughty: DVD

This review also appears at For The Girls!

Reviewed May 2003