Roger's Rating:

John Stagliano's superiority as a director really comes through in his feature videos. Not that his Buttman videos are in any way lacking , however, I really feel that videos like this shine as jewels in the marrass of poorly shoot, poorly thought out, and poorly executed sex videos. The sex is always top notch, and as a bonus, there is a solid, followable plot that in interesting enough to keep all but the most overanxious fingers from straying to the fast forward button.

Laced in between the sex scenes are many long, admiring shots of the women that are the hallmark of Stagliano's videos. The opening shots of Fallon, Trinity Loren, Kathleen Jentry and Champagne, as well as the first dialog scene, in which Brandy Alexandre is shot from all the most flattering angles help to build the tension and get us plenty ready to see these lovely ladies in more revealing situations.

The story begins with two appraisers, Loren and Jentry, who seductively work on Giovanni Menendez's house. They prance around the house, openly distracting the poor homeowner with their impressive charms. Stagliano seems to have a great appreciation for the female from, and he brings this passion forth with his camera style, allowing the women to seduce the audience as well as Giovanni. Soon the appraising ends and the fun begins. After a brief objection to being shared by these two women, (What, are you NUTS?) Giovanni dives in with both hands, which is mandatory when trying to handle Loren's massive mams. While not as well endowed as her partner, Kathleen Jentry proves to be no slouch in the sexually appealing department either. Soon both women are hard at work making Giovanni forget all but the unearthly pleasures of these two angels. As three ways go, this one is top notch, with both women getting equal attention from the camera and most of the emphasis aimed at their respective forms. After alternating doggie fucking while eating pussy go rounds, Jentry hops on board and rides Menendez like a the sex charged cowgirl we all dream of. Not be left out, Trinity lends her most noticeable assets to the scene, providing us with a fantastic bit of tit fucking as Kat goes to work munching her pussy to a screaming orgasm. Giovanni then turns his climax over to Kat, who proves that he is in good hands, literally, as she jerks him off all over her fingers. There are so few good hand job scenes in X videos, that this one really stands out as a great one.

Distracted in post coital bliss, Giovanni is unaware that Trinity was busy stealing his jewels. Luckily for the girls, handyman Jack Baker is there to facilitate a quick get away when they encounter some car troubles. Narrowly missing the thieves, Giovanni places a call to Private D**K Stan Jensen, (Billy Dee) to help him get back the jewels.

Wanting to get right on the case, Jensen is held back by the irresistible sight of his secretary, Brandy Alexandre, who is more temptation than most men can resist. Somehow, Jensen overcomes his mounting desire and rushes out to foil the crime, leaving a half naked, and overheated Brandy in a lurch. Lucky for her, the dimwitted handyman isn't too far off. She gives his tool a thorough examination. In return, the doltish handyman, explores Brandy's perfectly proportioned and deservingly highlighted posterior. Could this have been the birth of Buttman? An ass like Brandy's is certainly the sort of thing that inspirations are made of. Once this geek of a man lets that tool out of its case, Brandy makes short work of the rather long dong, briefly, but memorably sucking it before mounting up for a bit of raunchy rodeo. It is a brief bathroom scene, Brandy's fine butt is once again highlighted as she rides, and as he fucks her standing up. She even shows a bit of acrobatic prowess, finding a way to wedge herself in for some nice reverse cowgirl in the tight confines of the bathroom. At last, she coaxes a good sized load right onto her face. Defiantly a nice bit of work by all those involved.

We go back to the plot, with Jentry arriving with Baker at his garage for a bit of repair work. Exploring the back lot, Kat runs into Jack's partner Nick, (Nikki Nights) The boyish punk haircu and greasy clothes do nothing to hide the incredible feminine beauty that Nikki exudes. This woman is hot with a capitol H. After plenty of good tease shots, Nikki finally starts a show with Jack for Kat. For Baker, who late in his career appeared only in non sex roles, this is a triumph as he is up and ready in record time, thanks primarily to Nikki's talented mouth. With his gorgeous partner bent over the hood of a car, Jack plunges deep inside of her, making her squeal in ecstasy. Paying their visitor no mind, the couple gets it on hard and fast, with Jack leaving his liquid love all over Nikki's perfect tits. Damn, this woman is gorgeous.

Unfazed by the carnal display, Kat uses the time to put her thieving skills to use. I won't give away the plot too much, but suffice it to say that Jack's kindness in all matters and his wisdom in life change Kat's mind on a lot of things. Suddenly, her thieving ways, and her unscrupulous partners (complete with Trinity Loren ranting about 'niggers') seem to bother her a great deal.

She emerges a new woman, complete with a short haircut. (Thank God she shed that bad wig, in favor of her platinum locks) Kat drops by for a visit with Jensen, but leaves him in a daze. Like all good men, Jensen deals with stress by letting his D**K do the thinking. This time, he does not let his secretary shower her attentions on the handyman. The desktop tryst between Brandy and Billy demonstrates why Stagliano found her so appealing. She gives Billy a very long blow job, seeming to have a great time all the while. Intercut liberally with some fantastic shots of that incredible backside. The two engage in an enthusiastic, three position fuck fest that is perfectly captured with just the right mix of close ups and longer shots to maximize the sexual heat. Capping it off, Billy drops a nice load onto Brandy's pretty face, leaving everyone with a big smile.

Back at headquarters, while a newly determined Kat is working on her dance steps, her three partners, Loren, Fallon and Champagne, have other moves to work on. I guess her concentration skills need a bit of work, as soon the antics of the lovely ladies is too much and Kat has to bail. That leaves us free to follow the girls as they explore each other head to toe. These licking lesbians are nothing if not complete in their loving of each other.

Her life seemingly changed forever, Kat makes a quick trip by her friend's garage to announce her newly turned leaf. It's almost too little too later, however, as Jensen shows up, hot on her trail. In a twist that only porn could dream up, the private D**k, allows his D**K to go public with Kat in the junkyard. Romantic setting? Who cares, the scene has genuine passion and heat. Imagine that. Jentry is incredibly sexy and brings something to the screen that is appealing on more than just a 'jerk yourself raw' level. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy her stretching abilities as she fucked, or the well placed cum shot she takes on her tits.

In all, this is a rare sex video that has high production values, credible acting performances and a well done plot to go along with the expected high octane sex that we all expect from John Stagliano and Evil Angel. While it is not his best work, Bare Essence is head and shoulders above the crowd. Definably worth watching and then some.

Copyright © Roger T. Pipe

Posted By Roger, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/5/06 1:58 PM

Jak Ohn's Rating:

Starring: Kathleen Gentry in on the box (in a short-haired blonde phase) and turns in a pair of sultry sex scenes; Nikki Knights is her usual lusciously nasty self in one of her last performances before retirement; Trinity Loren supplies her big titties and apparently small brain; Fallon and Champagne each show up for a lick and a paycheck; and Brandy Alexandre steals the whole show with her taut tush and bespectacled sensuality. The guys include black long-donger Jack Baker in one of his few sex scenes (as opposed to the goofy nonsex roles he played in the 80s), boffing the great Nikki; and Billy Dee, who actually attempts to act in between sex romps with Kathleen and Brandy.

Good for late 80s. This is one of the feature films John Stagliano directed before he pioneered Gonzo porn with his Buttman persona. It has the Stag hallmarks of steady camera work, reasonable editing, and long, admiring bend-over tush shots. Unfortunately, it also has a typical late-80s attempt to weave a plot around the sex, this time based on some trite private-dick theme. The plot is intrusive garbage, but the look and feel show some of the directing potential that Shag would develop as Buttman (without the self-indulgent smarminess of that character).

Spicy to extra-hot, depending on scene: 1) a three-way features an uknown guy with Kathleen, and Trinity, who seem more into each other than the dude; he has enough sense to pump between Trinity's big titties but not enough to come there. 2) Brandy, (after her peekaboo come-on to Billy Dee gets rejected) corners Jeff Golden in a men's room and gives him everything short of Golden Showers in a hot ride that ends with cum on her face and spectagles. 3) Jack Baker gets his shlong washed by the mouth of Nikki in a mechanic's garage before he tunes up her engine and squirts on her headlights. 4) Billy finally succumbs to Brandy's sexy bod on an office desk. 5) Trinity, Fallon and Champagne have a dance-studio lezzie trio of little consequence. 6) Kathleen and Billy finish things off with a quick bang. (What's missing is the later Buttman staple of anal perversity. ) Stag is good at keeping the action hot but sometimes stifles it with stupid plot tricks.

Brandy's lean sensuality and Nikki's raw lust.

That $^%$^%! attempt at a plot.

Seven and a half, based on about 45 minutes of eroticism.

Posted By Jak Ohn, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/12/06 1:58 PM