the whole shebang

scene title:  the ex of my ex is my treat performers:  jayden cole, molly stewart site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l jayden cole, r: molly stewart and we say farewell to twistys with this entry. because i like the visual ambition and dedication to beautiful imagery of glamour porn, i perhaps have more of a soft spot for twistys than their limited scenarios, ridiculous poses, and frequently unimaginative camerawork deserves. their quality of their scenes lives or dies on the performances, which is why my scores for the site are all over the place, but rarely very high: despite featuring all-stars like joanna angel, shyla jennings, angela white, and jenna sativa this month, none of them were at their best here, something i'm willing to blame more on mindgeek's micromanaged scripts than on the performers themselves. this scene also has a very basic scenario, hardly worth the telling: jayde...

scene title:  wives with secret lives performers:  natasha nice, jessie lee site:  turning twistys  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l: natasha nice, r: jessie lee the turning twistys series has brought scenario-oriented porn to the forefront of twistys for the first time in basically forever: the site's roots in pure glamour photography mean that the visuals have always led scenes, with scenario an afterthought or forgettable piece of fluff. i'm not going to say that they're now telling sophisticated stories; this is still one of the most basic porn setups available: new neighbor drops in on unsatisfied wife, fucks her ragged while oblivious husband (once more the mvp of nonsex roles, will pounder) putters around the kitchen. but the knowing seduction is nicely played, and while it's preposterous throughout both performers commit so strongly that i can't help rooting for them. the visual contrast between the ...

scene title:  easter treat yourself performers:  nicole aniston, katana kombat site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l: katana kombat, r: nicole aniston the last time katana kombat appeared here, she was in charge of the scene with kenna james; this time the roles are reversed, as nicole aniston takes confident charge here and directs the action in smart and engaging ways. i haven't taken much opportunity over the years to enjoy nicole aniston's work (partly because she primarily does boy/girl), but she's a classic old-school pornstar, familiar with her angles and professional to the hilt. the very slight premise is wholly unconvincing, and even a bit nauseating, as the two of them enact a fluffy fantasy of simpering femininity that at least has the decency to be silent (set to dorky electronica) and brief. why two grown women would be undertaking this silly holiday ritual is a question so i...

scene title:  bending the ballerina performers:  mary moody, vera king site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer r: mary moody, l: vera king twistys may have retired the mom knows best brand, but i'm interested to see that they aren't wholly giving up on older/younger pairings. not that there's that much of an age gap between ballet student mary moody (26) and instructor vera king (32), despite mary's line of dialogue claiming to be eighteen. of course eighteen is close to retirement in the world of ballet, and no actual teenager with mary's figure would be encouraged to dance; but porn covers a multitude of sins. both performers are relatively new, having only been in the industry a couple of years; and mary, as a girl/girl only performer (her main gig is camming), has shot relatively little. that relative inexperience bears out in the performances, which are perfectly pleasant but a little awk...

scene title:  kiss me if you can performers:  angela white, anny aurora site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  holly randall (dir.) trailer l: angela white, r: anny aurora in a curious coincidence, anny aurora's girl/girl showcase for april, during which she is reigning as twistys treat of the month [sic], dropped the same day as lacy lennon's same for cherry pimps. (maybe it's not so curious: exactly halfway through the month is a pretty obvious schedule.) anny's choice of angela goddamn white, the most successful and awarded pornstar of her generation, as her scene partner is inspired; the scenario is rather less so. in fact, calling it a scenario, rather than merely a visual montage, is generous; although interestingly it's the kind of thing that a well-read lesbian of the 1940s or 50s might have had erotic fantasies about. both women dress in gauzy semi-classical robes as if in imitation of greek nymphs, fro...

scene title:  soft girl obedience performers:  jenna sativa, kayla paris site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l: jenna sativa, r: kayla paris i've always been a little skeptical of jenna sativa. not in the sense of the standard girl/girl fan "oh she's not really a lesbian" moaning, or even in the more discerning porn fan's belief that her white-of-the-eyes orgasms are over-the-top and inauthentic. i am one who appreciates any effort performers put in to convince the camera they're having orgasms, and i don't expect any girl/girl performer (whether exclusively so or not) to be a six on the kinsey scale. girl/girl porn is made for hetero consumption; if queer people are able to enjoy it too, that's a bonus rather than the objective. no, my issue with jenna sativa is that she rarely feels committed to the scene. i don't mean the sex: she's one of the top three or four all-time g...

scene title:  sorority row performers:  chloe cherry, ivy jones, mazzy grace site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l: chloe cherry, c: mazzy grace, r: ivy jones i have a confession to make: i don't care for young, willowy blondes. which doesn't mean i have anything against them either: young thin blondes are just as likely to make porn i'm interested in as anyone else. it's just that a scene predicated on the inherent desirability of the blonde nymphet has to get past my inevitable eyeroll and heavy sigh before capturing my attention with vivid personalities, interesting situations, or striking aesthetics. this doesn't feature any of the above. the exceedingly slight premise (three sorority girls practicing a cheer squabble over choreography, then literally kiss and make up) is an excuse for z-grade acting (only chloe cherry is remotely engaging, perhaps because i've seen her before and kn...

scene title:  i dare you performers:  shyla jennings, samantha hayes site:  when girls play  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l: samantha hayes, r: shyla jennings shyla jennings is almost thirty. here, she plays an eighteen year old, as she has for more than ten years and presumably will continue to do until she retires from the business. i mention this not to shame her for taking roles that her chirpy voice, short stature and still-fresh face allow her to, but to condemn the industry for having so many eighteen-year-old roles to cast her in and so few that allow her to play her actual age and level of experience. not that she's such a fool as to pretend to not know what she's doing, regardless of what the script says: virginal fumbling isn't erotic. but i'm old and weary enough that neither is the idea (let alone the reality) of an eighteen-year-old. teenagers, as a rule, aren't interesting people. they don't k...

scene title:  forever yours performers:  valentina nappi, joanna angel site:  turning twistys  ◅  twistys (mindgeek) production credits:  none listed trailer l: valentina nappi, r: joanna angel because i am the kind of ~~aesthetics~~ nerd who prioritizes porn that looks beautiful over porn that feels authentic, i have been keeping tabs on glamour site twistys for a while now. i was glad to see them make the move into going fully girl/girl this year, retiring brands that duplicated content elsewhere in the mindgeek empire and kicking off a new series, turning twistys, about lesbians seducing straight women. the results have been variable, but this is perhaps the best turning twistys scene yet. partly that's because joanna angel and valentina nappi are both sexual dynamos, so that it never feels like an unequal contest, but partly too it's because the very basic setup (valentina as a bride with pre-wedding jitters, joanna as a friend who sug...