Someone, in commenting on classic porn from the 1970s, said that the goal was to make a movie that was still watchable with the sex taken out. That's the way Nic Andrews makes porn films. From the standpoint of plot, writing, acting, and cinematography, this film is way, way above average. This movie is worth watching even without the sex. It is an outstanding couples film, or film for people who are newbies to porn. Don't get me wrong, the sex is good, it's just that it isn't raunchy or cutting edge. Also the sex scenes are a little short; each should have been about five minutes longer.

...

"A Gay Man's Take on Straight Porn"

Well, this is the second Digital Playground disc I've seen, and the first I've ever reviewed, so how did it stack up?

The Movie: Okay, I'm going to start this off by saying that if you hate movies with a lot of talking and character stuff, then avoid Stripped at all costs. This movie is very dialogue heavy, and all the sex is very spaced out. There are several really well done strip scenes, but I don't know if many would find them all that worthy of wank material. This is a very strong couples film, but is not a very good whack movie.

The sex is ...

I guess, that its the first porn movie I watched, when I was more interested in the plot than the sex scenes. It can mean two things: First that the plot was so great that nothing more counts, or Two that the sex scenes were so bad that even the plot (which in average porn movie is generally lousy) looks great. In this case both things are partly true. The plot is really better than the sex scenes, but on the other hand its not as good as one can expect, and the sex scenes are maybe not the worst in the world but not so great too.
Anyway, to watch this movie was pretty refreshing. It was ...

Stripped (a.k.a. Devon Stripped) (2002) Studio
Digital Playground

Genre
Couple's Feature

Director
Nic Andrews

Starring
Devon, Ginger Lynn (non-sex), Monica Sweetheart, Daniella Rush, Holly Hollywood, Monica Mayhem, Nakita Kash, Barrett B., Herschel Savage, Julian, and more in non-sex cameos

Running Time
1:38

DVD Format
Single Sided, Dual Layer (DVD-9)

Aspect Ratio
1.66:1 (letterboxed)

Special Features
Full motion video menus; audio ...

Running Time: 101 min.

Production Date: 2 / 07 / 2002

Director: Nic Andrews

Cast: Devon, Daniella Rush, Ginger Lynn, Holly Hollywood, Monica Mayhem, Monika Sweetheart, Nakita Denise, Barrett Blade, Herschel Savage, and Julian in sexual roles and April, Chennin Blanc, Ginger Snaps, Anthony Crane, Andre Madness, Robbie D., astralknight, Nic Andrews, Adella, Lea De Mae, and many more in non-sex roles

Initial Expectations: Ive heard great things about this title, and am going in with very high expectations.

Initial Reaction: Its not Nic Andrews best movie, but its still a heck of a lot better than most everything out there.

Who Should Watch It : Couples, fans of the cast and strippers, and anybody wanting a slightly artistic porno

Who Should Avoid It: Anybody wanting nastier sex

Audio /Video Quality: The audio is very clear and well balanced in the non-sex portions of the movie. The sex portions, however, have most of the audio drowned out by the music. The video is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen, and shot on mini-35, which is digital media thats a bit like a combination of video and film. It has a bit of grain, and looks about like film when its treated right. Its very well lit, and I dont think there was a single shadow that didnt look like it belonged.

Music: The music changes in style a bit throughout the movie. Some of it has a techno feel, some of hit has more of a dance feel, and some of it feels like well done porno music. Regardless of the style, its always a bit too loud for my tastes and drowns out a lot of the actual audio in the scenes.

Menus: The main menu has a nice balance of a still and animation. The chapter menu is pretty standard and lets you choose a scene based on a small clip of each scene and a chapter number.

Disc Complaints: Although the movie has a time stamp, none of the extras do. I always like to jump around in features and featurettes, so this always ticks me off. If nothing else, I sometimes hop to the end of a title to see how long it takes if Im limited on time, and I cant do this without a time stamp. Luckily, Digital Playground seems to have dropped this practice, so hopefully I wont have to whine about this with any future releases from them.

The Feature: After commenting to her best friend Ginger Lynn that shes having a hard time paying her bills due to a deadbeat boyfriend, struggling actress Devon learns that Gingers paying most of hers by working as a stripper. Although Devon is initially resistant to the idea, she quickly changes her mind after visiting Ginger at the club. She gradually gets deeper into the business, learning what she can do to completely support herself while gaining more confidence in herself, or at least, opening up to things she might not have done before.

Devon starts things off with Barrett Blade after a rough day. Barrett starts out helping Devon out of her clothes and then gently licking her kitty as she lays back on their bed. Devon nicely reciprocates for Barrett before turning around and letting him fuck her from behind. Devon rolls over to let Barrett fuck her missionary style before he launches his nutty goodness on her stomach, and then finishes things up with a passionate kiss. Its a very nice scene to start things out with. Its very slow, loving, and passionate, which should start things out very well for any couples watching it.

Monika Sweetheart tries out for one of the more advanced jobs at the club with owner Herschel Savage. After dancing for him a little, Monika drops down to suck him and then slides herself onto his shaft for a little reverse cowgirl action. They keep going in doggie and missionary before Herschel drops his man chowder on Monikas face. Its a hot scene thats surprisingly tame for Monika. The chemistry isnt overflowing here, which works pretty well for the overall scene.

Monica Mayhem and Nakita Ka$h get busy in the bathroom after trying to introduce Devon to the pleasures of another woman. Nakita hops up on the bathroom counter for Monica to lick and finger her. Monica moves between the stall doors and counter for Nakita to return the favor before they finish things kissing. Its a hot scene with very good chemistry, and actually feels like it comes to a real ending rather than having a timer go off to tell the director that the scene should be done now. This always makes me feel that the director really knows what hes doing, since he can bring a scene to a conclusion without gobs of guy goo possibly blinding somebody.

Holly Hollywood turns Devon to the lesbian side of things in the next scene after spilling a little wine on her. Holly helps Devon out of her clothes to get at her goodies, and then gives Devon a good licking. Since no good deed goes unpunished, Holly bends over on the bar so Devon can easily tongue her twat in return, and finally plays with Devon one last time as a reward for doing so well. Its a great scene with excellent chemistry. Its obvious that both Devon and Holly are having a ball, and it makes the entire scene work great.

Finally, Devon heads upstairs for some solo time with Julian after a little action with Daniella Rush at a bachelor party. Julian tongues her twat before letting her see how much of his cock Devon can take in her mouth. Julian moves Devon through missionary and doggie before showering her ass with his spooge spray. Its a pretty hot scene, and a nice way to wrap things up.

Devon Stripped is a well made adult movie. As usual with Nic Andrews, the words adult and movie work together, rather than seeming like an oxymoron. The movie is well written, as well as very well acted, with both Devon and Ginger Lynn doing a fantastic job. Some of the scenes seem just a little tame for the performers, such as Monika Sweethearts scene, and although they might not work for the more extreme fans of the performers, they should work very well for the couples that want to watch it. Devon Stripped is a very well done adult film thats a nice deviation from most of whats out there and aimed at couples.

Extras: Many of the common extras are here, as well as many more. Bios giving a photo and a background are included for Devon, Ginger Lynn, and Nic Andrews. The slide show lasts about two minutes with about five seconds per very nice looking snapshots or full screen photo. If youd rather watch them at your own pace, you can also watch them as a photo gallery. Theres also a trailer for Devon Stripped, a commentary, outtakes, bloopers, casting videos, and a behind the scenes featurette.

Nic Andrews, Devon, Ginger Lynn, Barrett Blade, and screenwriter Beth Ann Raphael team up to do a full length commentary for the feature. They all seem to have a great time watching the movie, and talk about pretty much anything that comes to mind. Nic talks quite a bit about the technical aspects of the movie, while everybody else pipes in about the stars, sex, and anything else they want to. As usual with Nics commentaries, everybody seems to be having a great time. The commentary is filled with laughter and you get a good feeling of everybodys real personalities. Its a great commentary!

Bloopers are also included. Theres about three and a half minutes of the standard bloopers youre used to seeing from pornos. You get people cracking up, flubbed lines, and other things going wrong. In addition to the standard bloopers, there are audio bloopers for the radio show and DJ in the background. The radio show bloopers last about a minute and a half and has a nice bit about what happened to a well known award winning director. The DJ bloopers last about three minutes and has a lot of fun with the standard strip club DJ callings.

The final casting calls are also included, which is an extra you rarely seem to see. You get to see about two and a half minutes each of Monika Sweetheart reading for the lead role first, followed by Devon and Barrett. Its an okay extra, but not great. As good as Monika is to watch sexually, its easy to see why Devon and Barrett got their roles.

Finally, theres a featurette on The Making of Devon Stripped, which lasts about eleven and a half minutes. In a nice touch, most of the cast is nicely identified as they take the screen for the first time here. As usual, you get a nice blend of the scenes being shot, Nic Andrews working with the cast, and the cast screwing around on the set. Theres also a nice segment of Ginger Lynn working with the extras during her strip club sequence. Its a very nice behind the scenes featurette, and once again you get a nice taste of the cast as people.

Themes: Straight, stripping, and lesbian

Raincoat Factor: Medium

Overall: Currently, Devon Stripped can be found online for between $20 and $35 with many stores offering it near the low end. The low end is a pretty fair price for this one. The movie is very well done, but I dont know how much replay value it will have for most people. The technical aspects are very good, as are the extras. If youre at all interested in this one, dont be afraid to give it a chance.

Note to Digital Playground: Its great to see you supporting the widescreen movie format, but in the future I hope you take your support all the way to anamorphic widescreen.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me .

Other reviews by Astroknight

Based On A True Story,so was Showgirls come to think of it but anyway

Opening shot of Devon hey isn't that Michael Jackson's nose???

Devon wakes up and goes on some auditions and either is rejected or walks out. Devon goes home to Barrett B. after a long day of hitting the road and he suggests a movie and take-out

Devon & Barrett B
Before you can say "hey where's the pizza dude" Barrett and Devon are in the bedroom. Barrett slowly undresses Devon and goes down on her. Devon then returns the favor. Doggy Style. Barrett then pops on Devon's stomach. Nice couples scene and ...