Movie Talk: Where the Boys Aren't #16: Dark Angels (2003)

In all my years watching adult films, I have never actually watched a Where the Boys Aren't movie. This long running series was basically created to get popular porn stars together to do some girl/girl scenes. Eventually it became a showcase for Vivid's contract performers. #16 features a host of well known porn faces, including Jenna Jameson. With her we have Vivid staples such as Dasha, Brianna Banks, Mercedez, Sunrise Adams, Savanna Samson, Chloe Jones, Taya and Kira Kener. This series was taken over by Chi Chi LaRue when he came on as a regular director at Vivid, and he continued to film this series for them after he left due to Vivid going to condom optional for their boy/girl scenes. 

What happens when you have a drag queen direct some of the top female porn performers in the business? Everyone looks fricken amazing, that's what. I wanted to post screenshots, but I don't want to risk these Dark Angels ending up in Google jail with the Bad Wives. 

The general plot is that Jenna Jameson is the Queen of Hell, and Mercedez is an angel that she is corrupting. That gets wrapped up pretty quickly, and then... sex happens. I knew going into this one that there was going to be no plot. I basically just checked this one out to see how Chi Chi LaRue would handle an all girl feature. From what I saw here, he handled it pretty well. 

Now, while I did call this lesbian porn earlier, I really consider this more a girl/girl feature. While a lesbian audience may enjoy this film, the intended audience is straight men. However, this one doesn't feature anything in here that I would think a lesbian audience would find offensive. So there is that. 

What this project really is, is a glamour shoot. Every performer in this movie is done up to look stunning. Full hair, make up, costumes. The works. Everyone here looks gorgeous, and is shot beautifully, but not at the cost of being an adult film. This does right what I feel like Night Walk did wrong. There is no over indulgence in trying to be artistic. This is something where the point is to film amazing looking sex with beautiful women. While this may not turn me on, I can appreciate the goal here. There is a bit of drag flair in the presentation that I appreciate as well. The hair on some of these performers... I mean, holy hell! Savanna Samson has a perm that would make the 80's proud, and she rocks it so hard. If you are a fan of any of these performers, you will be seeing them looking their very best here. 

The obvious main selling point that Vivid is pushing in this one is Jenna Jameson. She was, and still is, one of the most recognizable names in adult films. Hell, my mother even knows who she is. She gets center spot on the cover, and obviously plays the Queen of Hell, so they are putting her front and center. This is still an ensemble for lack of a better word, though, so the attention is spread around with the whole cast getting a some focus in each scene. 

I mean, does this work as a movie? No. It isn't really a feature. I knew that going in, and for what it is I think it works pretty well. This is a themed talent showcase that works almost like a yearbook for who was under contract with Vivid at the time. This is more of what I expect from Chi Chi LaRue, especially from his Vivid output, and he does these kinds of movies exceptionally well. Will I be checking out some of his other Where the Boys Aren't movies? Maybe. Obviously there is not a lot here to appeal to me specifically, but I love the aesthetic of the film. I love how glam it is. The transition shots between scenes are so stunning. Like, frame the screen cap stunning. Not everyone can do that.

There is also a surprise at the end during the credits where you can get an idea of how Chi Chi worked with these performers. He was a favorite of a lot of the women working at Vivid, and you can see why in how he interacts with them. There is an ease at which he directs them, and a comfort they seem to have with him, and it shows on camera. 

As I was watching this one I was wondering why I added this to my watch list. I knew this was not something for me. I'm very far from the intended audience. Still, I wanted to check it out. I was curious. I'm glad I got to see it. While it really isn't my style, it is still a really good version of what it is trying to be. This blog is not really about me exploring pornography that turns me on. It is just me exploring what turns people on in general. I want to explore sex and sexuality as entertainment. That is why I cover such a wide range of material. From mainstream to softcore to hardcore, I want to see what people were watching to entertain themselves, and yeah, maybe get off. After finishing this one, I actually understood something I never knew before. If it is pretty, I will probably enjoy it. Maybe not as intended, but I'll get a kick out of seeing everyone glammed to the heavens. 

Watching something like Where the Boys Aren't 16 is interesting for me because it is a gay man directing porn that really isn't for him either. He is directing not for his own gaze, but the gaze of an audience that may not be comfortable with him as an individual, especially back in 2003. It is interesting to see how he approaches that material, and what he does to make it work both for his aesthetic as a director, but also for his audience who is there to get turned on. I think he handles it very well. He brings in the glitz and glamour of drag (and maybe a touch of camp), while also using is talents as a porn director to keep shoot exciting sex scenes. It is this kind of wonderful blend of styles. Chi Chi is no slouch when it comes to the bump and grind of it all, but there is an almost drag aesthetic that is brought into the costuming and make up that just heightens everything. It kind of has to be seen to be believed. 

I think he did an excellent job with Where the Boys Aren't #16.  I am sure there are plenty of people who enjoyed this movie for its intended purpose. I enjoyed it because it was so damn pretty! Bring on more glam please! If you have any recommendations, drop them down in the comments. Just try and keep it as clean as possible.