2.5
out of 5.00 -
Film:
4
Extras:
2
Video:
2
Audio:
2
-
2/22/2001
Released in 1997, THE PRIVATE DIARY OF TORI WELLES was directed by the featured star's ex-husband, Paul Norman, who is better known for some less-than-artistic work (like the cheap and goofy semi-"classic", EDWARD PENISHANDS) and generally mediocre films, and this video is no exception. This movie was a much-anticipated comeback video for one of adult's most popular actresses. Although pornstars come and go, only a handful make such a significant impact that they become living legends, and Tori was definitely one of them. This full-figured Latina beauty actually appeared in less than a hundred titles from 1989 to 1991, but her white-hot starring roles in NIGHT TRIPS and THE CHAMELEON shot her to superstardom. For anyone who has any doubts, I heartily recommend either of the above movies to see just why her sexual magnetism and effortlessly carnal abilities have made her legendary. In particular, her threesome performance with Victoria Paris and Peter North in THE CHAMELEON was astounding, and her all-girl ménage a trois in NIGHT TRIPS was one of the best lesbian encounters ever filmed.
As it turns out, Tori is reunited with her CHAMELEON co-star Tom Byron for the opening scene. He is apparently getting a mold made of his penis and it's up to Tori to keep him aroused while all the goo is being slathered on him. Even though it's been years since she had sex before the camera, she slips into character with ease. Their encounter is clumsily directed, but has a spontaneously raw feel which can't help but arouse.
The other scenes are interesting, but are shot so poorly that watching some of them becomes more trouble than they're worth. Tori masturbates wildly in her room, and then gives a blindfolded blowjob to some anonymous dude. Because these scenes were taped in the dark, you feel like you are watching her with night-vision goggles. Tori sits on a butt plug and then later inserts a dildo up her ass while the camera captures the action on the floor. In the next scene, she deep throats a guy while blindfolded, before getting on all fours for some fierce doggy action. Occasionally, the cameraman sticks his dick into the shot for a few sucks here and there, and the scene ends with a double blowjob, which ends rather abruptly.
Far better is her encounter with Kaitlyn Ashley, who looks rather drawn and unkempt here, but has a natural chemistry with Tori. We are given clips of casual encounters between them at the Adult Video News Awards and elsewhere, so their scene together seems naturally built up. After watching Kaitlyn and Tori go at it for sometime, bystander Michael joins in for a rousing threesome. Their adventure together is filled with lots of contortioning positions, toys and athletic sex. Occasionally, Tori takes a break to roll her eyes back in what I assume to be orgasmic bliss. Michael cums on their face, which they promptly lap up and exchange in deep kisses. This climactic moment would have been a lot hotter if we could see the action better, but the sexual sentiment is nevertheless clearly evident.
The ending scene is dubbed "The Marathon" and is self-described as a simple ass fucking which lasted for six hours (Huh? Is that physiologically possible?). For the sake of the home viewer, the segment is truncated to less than a half hour, which is more than enough to get the gist of what's going on. Again, technical problems and disruptive editing make much of the action very difficult to watch, but it does lend a kind of amateur, hidden camera flavor which makes it barely passable. I doubt that I would ever give this vignette a repeat viewing, but at least it pads out the running time.
The video ends with an "explanation" of why this video was made and released, which might pass as a half-assed apology for the overall quality. The "post-game interview" isn't very insightful, nor is it well done (some visual strobing is added while the camera is focused on her). After a few words, the DVD simply and unceremoniously ends and you are taken back to the main menu.
The extras on the disc include a bunch of blurry trailers for other Sunshine DVDs and a puzzling photo gallery of the "Sunshine Girls" (instead of stills from the movie). There is a multiple angles feature on this disc, which mainly contains scenes of other movies while the soundtrack to the main feature is heard. Given the quality of these "bonus" scenes, I don't know why Sunshine bothered: the video clips look like they were transferred from a black and white rental tape and features some women and men who can most politely be described as "well-fed."
For those who are used to seeing this exotic beauty as she appeared when she made her debut, the sight of here may be a bit of a shock. Without the benefit of makeup, soft lighting, and more flattering direction, Tori looks more than a bit weathered and worn (not to mention "medicated") throughout most of her scenes. In particular, there are some nakedly revealing minutes after her straight scene with Tom Byron, where she seems to be sobering up in shock "...I was there and it felt so fucking right...felt good. Fuck that! Fuck that! Nobody...I don't owe anybody anything except for me and my business! Fuck that! Fuck that! That's what I do" and she continues mutter on and go into spurts of giggling while the camera rolls on. Whether her bizarre behavior was an act (given the kind of performances Tori has done in the past, I doubt that this scene alone had that much of an effect on her) or whether her former husband just took advantage of his wife's private display of emotions is anyone's guess.
But that is where the appeal of this video lies. Many movies attempt to capture the "real" lives of porno actresses with gonzo video-making or a contrived "behind the scenes" interview followed by sexual set-ups. However, Paul has accomplished something rare in porn: a curiously interesting and nakedly realistic look at a former adult video superstar, warts and all. In no way am I suggesting that this video was made with any notable degree of skill or creativity. Indeed, many of the visuals look worse than amateurish, and some are downright incompetent especially during the night shots, where grain washes over the entire scene.
Overall, it is a testament to Tori's legendary, over-the-top sexuality that even at her most unflattering physical appearance and with some of the most unimpressive production values imaginable, she can still make a scene work. I can only recommend this video as a supplement to anyone who has collected her past videos, and want to get caught up with her today (circa late 1990s). Presently, another living legend, Ginger Lynn, has made a far more successful comeback in excellent features like TORN, WHITE LIGHTNING, and NEW WAVE HOOKERS 6, and it's unfortunate that Tori has been relegated to a far less noteworthy video encore. Nevertheless, I found THE PRIVATE DIARY OF TORI WELLES to be hot and eminently watchable (in spite of itself), and so might you.
By:
Diesel
3.25
out of 5.00 -
Film:
4
Extras:
1
Video:
4
Audio:
4
-
8/16/1999
We reviewed the much awaited video version of The Private Diary of Tori Welles in February of '98. Tori who'd been dancing for several years after she quit making videos, returned for this one-shot at the request of her ex-husband, Paul Norman, who wrote, shot, and directed the feature. We're also treated to footage of Tori getting body cast at Doc Johnson's lab, as well as helping Tom Bryon keep his cock hard while ot gets plastered..and why waste a good erection, eh? A blindfold fantasy is played out; Tori fools around with Kaitlyn Ashley and boyfriend in one of Kaitlyn's last hardcore roles; then gets it on anally and other ways with Hardman in some very grainy and dimly-lit footage.
This DVD also has programming on two alternate tracks during the first 40 minutes. The first "angle" has sensuous softcore footage of Tori, while the second has a series of hardcore scenes, most of which don't involve the star. Unfortunately, the soundtrack remains that of Track 1 throughout.
There are five "jump to scene" buttons, but using the skip buttons on the remote control allows for several more jump options. There's also a photo gallery of glamour and hardcore shots, none of which are from this production. The transfer liiks reasonably good in real-time most of the time, but some pixelation and stair-stepping is noticeable in slo-mo and freeze-frame. Still, the amount of material on this disc makes it an item well worth stocking.
By:
Mark Kernes