What little plot there is in Blue Angel concerns a mobster, Steven St. Croix, getting killed and winding up in what I would guess is a sort of purgatory. He's made a guardian angel and is told he can earn a trip to Heaven or Hell, depending on how good or bad he does in his new job. He's teamed with Herschel Savage (who Steven St. Croix has whacked earlier...and that is whacked as in as killing, not whacked as in masturbating...Let's not get confused here). But, Stephen St. Croix makes a mistake and Asia Carrera is killed before her time and will have to spend what should have been her life (50 more years) in purgatory until her actual death date. This works good for the keeper of the records, since Asia is a computer whiz and can help him with the books. And also good for Stephen St. Croix, since Asia is now in purgatory with him.
After seeing Love at First Byte, which had a good plot (although a short plot) with lots of humor, I wanted to give a Simon Wolf Studio with Bud Lee directing another try, so I rented Blue Angel. You don't really get to the main plot until about 40 minutes into the movie OR if you skipped the first two sex scenes, about 3 minutes into the movie. This movie has six sex scenes of the modern day standard length of approximately 18-20 minutes. Since the movie is only 127 minutes in length, that leaves very little time for plot. Even though I was expecting a short plot after Love at First Byte, Blue Angel's plot wasn't entertaining enough and either needed to be fleshed out (yeah, I said flesh) or written a little better. The very last part of Blue Angel is two sex scenes, with the movie cutting back and forth between the two scenes. If these last scenes had been cut just a little bit, then there would have been some room for a decent plot. The movie ends abruptly, with the last scene setting up for a sequel. I had no interest in seeing the sequel, until I found out that Blue Angels: The Second Coming was directed by Steven St. Croix. So maybe the sequel in this case might be better than the original. I grade this one a C-
A few other thoughts on Blue Angel:
As in Love at First Byte, Evan Stone never wears clothes, so he does not get to play dress up (and in his other movies, Evan appears to love a costume). Is this some type of conspiracy with this Simon Wolf/Bud Lee.....no costumes for Evan?
Stephen St. Croix may not the best actor in porn, but he always commits fully to his character, and that is no exception in this movie. The opening scene where he's having sex with someone's girlfriend and talks to the boyfriend while doing so is a little goofy but a scene that only Stephen St. Croix would seem able to pull off.
Asia Carrera demonstrates once again that she is a great "sex actress".
Blue Angel starring: Aurora Snow, Asia Carrera, Steven St Croix, Nikita Denise, Hannah Harper, Monica Mayhem, Kate Frost, George Kaplan, Kimi Lixx, Don Fischer, Evan Stone, Herschel Savage, Chris Cannon, Joey Ray and directed by Bud Lee
6 comments:
"...the modern day standard length of approximately 18-20 minutes."
This, in a nutshell, is why I can't stand current porn. I understand the idea of "bang for your buck," but super long sex scenes basically ensure that a movie can't be viewed in one sitting (without fast forwarding). I think there's plenty of room for 25 minute sex scenes in three hour movies...in gonzo.
I'll take a seven minute scene that's been edited with close ups and angle changes over a 27 minute scene that just feels like the let the camera roll.
Yay, you're back!
Well, this one sounds pretty skippable. I've been mostly watching classics. Mostly.
Oh, and I think Croix is a great actor - but I really loved seeing Stormy and Co. rip him to shreds in Tropical Stormy for not showing up for the shoot (hence they replaced him with Evan Stone, and rewrote the introduction to masterful - and brutal - effect).
Oh, and tell Mrs.X that I'm drinking wine, cooking pizza, about to watch a softcore gay movie about vampires all by myself. :(
Roger Feelbert: any sex scene over 15 minutes is going to start boring me and having me looking for the FF button.
For Gore Gore Girl's thoughts on this same subject, see her comments in This Ain't Star Trek below.
These present day sex scenes in plotted pornos are for the most part not even shot in one continuous shot, but are full of cuts/edits.
I remember years back going to the XXX Theater and XXX Drive-In (yeah I'm that old!) and seeing plotted movies that had the scenes "looped" to appear longer. Of course some of these were close up loops that weren't even the actors in the movies.
Gore Gore Girl: I'm barely back. I have 10 movies with notes and partial write-ups, but I'm such a lazy MF, I can't seem to get any of them finished.
I have Tropical Stormy(movie only), but haven't got around to watching it, but hoping that is as good as Operation Stormy.
The Mrs. said she would probably have a beer instead of wine, otherwise, Vampires & Pizza sounds like a great night.
Regarding cuts and edits in current porn and looping (or outright fakery) in older porn, you're absolutely correct.
To clarify my "let the camera roll" criticism of contemporary porn, the excess of a 20 minute scene makes it feel like they saw fit to include every second of the what was filmed, which is boring and exhausting.
It's not that every scene in older porn is better, but there are times I'll be watching something from, say, 1980, and think, "Wow, what a great, interesting shot.... Too bad they'd *never* cut a scene like that today because the actress isn't "open" to the camera."
Maybe I'm too prejudiced, but when I see movies as different as Joanna's Angels and the new Devil in Miss Jones, the scenes feel too similar to me (like I can see the underlying "position/camera angle" checklist); a feeling I don't get when watching films like Barbara Broadcast and Summer of '72.
I totally agree. I see a lot of movies where each sex scene is the same as the one that preceded it - just different "actors".
As you stated, it appears the director just has his/her list and checks off each position.
I agree too - the only new porn I buy with absolute dedication is Sam No/Mason - she has a formula, for sure,but it's a fabulous one.
As for older movies - when I'm writing reviews, I *constantly* write "this would be unimaginable today" which is rather depressing. But when you see dudes getting freaked out simply by seeing a guy's ass, it's no wonder things have become shitty.
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