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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: November 29th, 2016.
Director: Lawrence Talbot
Cast: Vanessa del Rio, Jesie St. James, Joanna Storm, Mai Lin, Paul Thomas, Kelly Nichols, Taija Rae
Year: 1983/1984
Purchase From Amazon
The Movies:
Two early eighties Lawrence Talbot features on one double feature DVD release from Vinegar Syndrome!
Silk, Satin & Sex:
First up is Silk, Satin & Sex - which opens with a ridiculously catchy theme song courtesy of 'April Showers' that babbles on about… silk…. Satin… and sex. While this plays out, a few ladies find themselves recipients of mysterious envelopes. Inside? Invitations! Of course, these gals know what's up and before you know it's they've all met at the right place at the right time - but not before one of the gals, Denise (Vanessa Del Rio), gets it on with her man (Jerry Butler).
Getting back to the main story, Denise arrives at her destination where she meets Valerie (Jesie St. James) - the host of a lingerie party! Denise and all the other guests gather round to talk about lingerie and to share some sexy stories with one another, all while the foxy maid (Veronica Hart), pokes around. Given that she's the host, it makes sense that Valerie goes first as she tells a story about how she hooked up with a guy who painted a bunch of shitty butterflies all over her body. Eventually she married the guy, we're told.
From there, Fanny (Joanna Storm) gets inspired and talks about meeting the man who would become her husband. As such, we see how she boned the guy she would marry after which another party attendee (Tiffany Clark) discusses how a hypnotist who was trying to help her with her smoking wound up getting in her pants as she fantasized about wandering around a beach. She was smart enough to put a ring on that, because it's totally romantic when your therapist puts you under and molests you while you're off in dream land!
The next vignette features Mai Lin going at it with Jose Duval. She looks great, he looks well past his prime. Regardless, he gives it his all and when they realize the elevator they're waiting for isn't working, they kill time by having sex in a hot tub. This gets Fanny so turned on that the party turns into a lesbian sex orgy while Denise discusses how she screwed a redneck (Butler) on a fire escape of the wrong hotel room - but no matter, the guests inside aren't upset in the least, rather, they decide to join in!
Why on Earth you'd cast the beautiful Veronica Hart in a movie like this and not have her get in on the action is anyone's guess but the fact is, she doesn't really do much here. That leaves the rest of the cast to carry the bulk of the film and this happens with varying degrees of success. Jesie St. James had seen better days at this point but she at least puts some effort into her scene. Vanessa Del Rio was always dependable and that's the case here, she's a spirited performer indeed. Mai Lin looks fantastic but pairing her with an aging and, quite frankly, weird looking partner for her scene was a mistake. It hurts what could and should have been a good scene. The lesbian orgy is predictable but entertaining enough and the movie is nicely shot, plenty colorful and well edited. Who cares if the story is full of contrivances!
Turn On With Kelly Nichols:
The second feature finds starlet Kelly Nichols playing herself, talking to the camera in hushed tones about all the benefits of a healthy sex life and letting us know that as the movie plays out we're going to learn all sorts of great stuff. The 16mm cinematography uses an intentionally soft focus and often times employs natural or low level lighting to give things a dreamy, fantasy vibe.
And that there is the basic setup. This is not complex nor is it deep but it does offer viewers the chance to see some interesting performers at work. Sharon Kane shows up in an early scene and after that we get a chance to see Taija Rae in her prime. This would be a great opportunity for her fans, were she not also cast alongside creepy Jose Duval again. It would seem Talbot had a fondness for the actor as he used him in both of his features! Brooke Fields also shows up here as does Chelsea Blake. As the scenes play out we learn about erotic smells, the joys of solo play, sex toys, oral sex, oil rubs, various positions and a fair bit more.
Nichols narrates all of this, doing her damnedest to ensure that we know just how arousing we're supposed to find it all. The whole thing is fairly weird, throwing in some Kama Sutra style illustrations and using lots of unorthodox new age music on the soundtrack (courtesy of 'Andre and Randy Jetson!'). It works in that it's interesting and entertaining and the sex is well handled.
As to the top-billed Nichols herself? She narrates it and appears on camera in between vignettes looking just fine wearing some white fur and not much else, set behind a row of candles sitting provocatively in the kind of giant wicker chair Laura Gemser seemed to prefer in some of the Black Emmanuelle movies. She does not, however, get down and dirty. She serves as our host without actually participating in anything until the last scene, at which point she proves she deserves the top billing she received in this, and quite a few other, adult features of the day.
Video/Audio/Extras:
“Both films scanned and restored in 2k from 35mm and 16mm pre-print elements†on this DVD, with Silk, Satin & Sex presented in 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen and Turn On With Kelly Nichols presented in 1.33.1 fullframe. The first feature looks cleaner and more colorful than the second, no doubt due to using 35mm stock but both pictures look quite good. Detail is about what you can expect at this point in the game from a good standard definition transfer and texture and depth are pretty solid. Colors are handled well and black levels are solid. Some minor print damage does show up here and there but there are no issues with edge enhancement or obvious noise reduction and the image is free of compression artifacts.
Both movies get the Dolby Digital Mono treatment, in English with no alternate language options or subtitles provided. Both films sound fine. Dialogue remains clear and crisp and the scores sound good. Levels are properly balanced for both features though some might note some minor hiss in a few spots.
Aside from a trailer for the first feature, static menus and chapter selection there are no extra features on this disc.
The Final Word:
Vinegar Syndrome's DVD release of Silk, Satin & Sex / Turn On With Kelly Nichols isn't the high point in their Peekarama line of adult movie double features, but it offers up enough entertainment value thanks to some interesting cast members and quirky storyline to be worth a look. The presentation quality is up to the label's typically solid standards.
