Cast: Shy Love, Syvette Wimberly, Trent Tesoro, Trent Soluri, Tera Patrick, Spyder Jonez, Monique Alexander, Brooke Haven, Tommy Gunn
Non-sex roles: all were completely uncredited
Length: 101.5 minutes
Date of Production: 12/10/2004
Extra's: Personally, I enjoy seeing extras made for the movie, not tacked on material made for other releases so I probably enjoyed the 6.5 minute long Behind the Scenes feature more than anything else, even though it looked like someone was trying to balance out Tera's footage with Monique's in terms of length. Most of you will likely prefer the five bonus scenes from movies like Wife Swappers and Groupie (both described below), though none of them starred Tera either. There were two photogalleries, a short text biography of Tera Patrick, a positions room, trailers for movies like The New Devil In Miss Jones, Who Do You Love?, Extreme Close Up Lexie and Janine's Been Blackmaled, some advertisements (that can be skipped at the front of the DVD thanks to Vivid listening to our pleas), and a true double sided DVD cover.
Audio/Video Quality: Desperate was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color it was shot in by director Paul Thomas for Vivid Entertainment. The general quality of the production was higher than I'm used to for Paul although this wasn't one of his bigger budget releases and primarily a showcase for Tera Patrick (who probably cost most of the budget in fact). The lighting was enough to minimize the grain and video noise in most, though not all, cases. The composition of the camera angles were typically, though again not always, flattering to the ladies with some scenes looking better than others in terms of the care used to record them. In general though, the levels of grain and lack of compression artifacts showed me that Vivid has paid more attention to picture quality in the last year then they did in all the years combined since the advent of the DVD format. The audio was presented in the standard 2.0 Dolby Digital though the vocals came strictly out of one channel and the music was a mixed bag (showing some separation and elevated dynamic range but nothing like some of the high end features Paul seems to prefer working on).
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Body of Review: What do Collision Course, Reign of Tera, Island Fever 2, and Jack's Playground 25, have in common? Well, besides earning high ratings in most cases, they each star the exotic talents of Tera Patrick; the Vivid contract gal whose mere presence sets some fans to spontaneously combust on sight. I've followed her career for years and often noted how weak her actual sexual skills were until relatively recently when she made an effort to stop coasting on looks alone and get with the program. As a critical reviewer, it's very much my place to point these things out but I'll be the first one to admit that she earned her place near the top of the DVD Talk 2005 Top Porn List, edging out some tough competition for her spot. That said, one of her rare appearances of the year is now out with Desperate, a show described on the back of the box as: "She's desperate for it. Tera. Thief. Robber. Outlaw d' Amor. Join adult's most awarded directors Paul Thomas in an intimate look at Tera at her most notorious. With hot little Monique Alexander and Shy Love completing the felonious posse. Tera is Desperate, and this is definitely the crime of passion." With a lot to enjoy, fans should already have this one in their collection but here's a quick look at the scenes nonetheless, noting condoms were used even if they weren't all that noticeable:
Scene One: Shy Love, a curvy Brunette, lean newcomer Syvette Wimberly, Trent Tesoro, and Trent Soluri, were up first in a hotel room scene where they paired off to have a straightforward session of sex. Most of the action was oral and vaginal with Shy acting quite enthusiastic during some anal on the couch with Soluri. Shy got a pop shot to the bush while Syvette worked out a load to the face orally and that ended the initial scene. It wasn't a great scene, though seeing the crew in the window reflection was amusing at the end, and it set the stage for the premise and the sex was decent, if nothing exceptional.
Scene Two: Tera Patrick, the sexual lead for the movie and coveted contract star, was up next in a scene with real life partner Spyder Jonez; the thematic lead of the show. She wore an outfit that accentuated her curvy body rather nicely and he took off all but her lingerie fairly soon after a little light bondage in the boiler room where he tied her up and flogged her. The tease footage alone was enough to excite me, and he played with her using a purple dildo after she was obviously very wet. He porked her pussy using the "other white meat" (he played a cop impersonator) and she responded well, riding him as best her restraints would allow (no condom either). He popped on her face to close it out and while it wasn't the most heated pairing, the tease footage was definitely as solid as I've seen from her in the past (bondage aficionados will probably like it even more than I did).
Scene Three: Monique Alexander, playing the lean hotty roommate all dressed down in her undies, was up next with Tera Patrick, wearing a similar outfit as the two went to bed. Monique put on a strap on dildo that Tera took a shine towards, and she was sucking away on it in no time before kissing her gal pal full on the lips. In the past, Tera's simply gone through the motions during lesbian encounters but Vivid has worked on that issue so now she'd be fit for the next volume of Where the Boys Aren't given her energetic performance here. She actively took the fake cock inside her pussy and otherwise seemed to enjoy the action with her attractive coworker, doing some PTM and shining even more than she did in her last scene (though the foreplay was far too short for my liking). Tera ate a little bit of pussy and used a large purple double header dildo on Monique but never joined as they showed in the BTS footage. Still, it was a well done scene hampered only by the droning music.
Scene Four: Brooke Haven, one of the most well known curvy blondes in the business, was left off the credits of the movie for some reason but was also up next in a bedroom scene with studly Tommy Gunn aboard the ship. She knew the value of tease footage and her form fitting black outfit looked great on her body for as long as it lasted there. She coaxed Tommy into joining her for some fun in no time at all, each giving the other some oral pleasure before screwing enthusiastically. Like some of the other scenes, there was a bit more chemistry than average here and that elevated the action a bit in my book although she didn't really shine until given the chance to be on top (she was vocal throughout the scene though). The scene then ended when she assisted him in jerking out a huge load to her face and body, making it another notch in the show to brag about.
Scene Five: Tera Patrick, in a revealing little number, and Shy Love, all trussed up on a bondage table, were up last with Spyder Jonez in the darkened play room. Shy was giving him head when Tera walked in on them and stripped off her clothes, rubbing herself and playing with Shy's vulnerable body in the process. I liked how Tera used slow and sensual motions to help get Shy off in her predicament and while Spyder only truly screwed her (using a dildo on Shy), the lesbian antics did elevate the scene for me in terms of passion and heat. Whether or not you believe Tera is a reformed gal in terms of appreciating pussy as much as her fans do, her skill at performing on camera show her to be far better at conveying heat in such scenes (and I'm told that 2006 will show her skill levels increase another few notches). After some PTM by Shy, he unleashed his seed on both of their faces, closing out the sexual antics of the show.
Bonus Scene 3: Groupie: "Lanny Barbie, the latest (and loveliest) addition to the Vivid contract stable, was up next in a bathroom scene with Kurt Lockwood. She wore a purple satin top that fit her ample bosoms handily, some silk fishnet stockings, and a tiny PVC skirt that didn't last long. The pacing of the scene was a different than the others, perhaps to show the frantic nature of the type of sex they had. Visually, the camera took a voyeuristic view from low angles much of the time that worked well enough as long as her fishnets weren't on the screen (the pattern noise of the stockings was bad). She sucked him off after he warmed her cookie up a bit and they boned hot & heavy in her pussy before he rubbed out a load onto her face. I thought it was also a very well done scene with good replay value."
Bonus Scene 5: Wife Swappers: "Monique Alexander and Penny Flame, having left the living room (along with Wendy and Marco), showed their special bond on a bed next. While the lighting was weaker than average (too many shadows and slightly too much grain) and the focus sometimes seemed elusive, it looked better than the vast majority of work by Monique for Vivid (and there has been a lot of it lately). The gals did the usual licking and rubbing before employing a glass dildo. Some of the action seemed over the top, especially by Monique, but there was no denying the couple had fun together with some nice chemistry."
Summary: Desperate was notable for the amount of sexual footage it contained using Tera Patrick (you can see numerous pictures of her from last month by going to My 2006 Photo Essay). In that sense, her fans will want to consider this one a must have release. In terms of the story elements, the movie seemed like it was designed for another day of shooting but something got in the way, particularly because the unresolved ending it had to offer and some of the plot points that went unexplored at various points in the movie. Tommy's role was too limited though Spyder showed yet again that his acting was well above average for porn (his recurring role in HBO's Oz didn't hurt his ability to convey his character throughout the show. Monique was surprisingly strong in the limited role she had to play although Shy Love actually came across as better prepared for her role as the hooker in the scam. Tera's work at improving her sexual skill or at least ability to perform better on camera was enough for me, yet I long for a time when she is given a chance to shine in her non-sex work too (she has never been the best actress in porn) since I'm led to believe she's been working on those skills off camera. In all then, for all the rough spots Desperate showed, I thought it was worth a rating of Recommended for the general porn loving audience and even higher for those who enjoy watching Tera Patrick strut her stuff.
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