Review of Live Virgin

Introduction

Before you take any of my comments about this movie as gospel, please be aware that this is a pre-release copy and some details may change for release. Hopefully this will include the soundtrack, but more of that later.

Imagine the scene. The postman arrives and delivers another package from Reviewer. More discs to review, a nice weekend in front of the TV with the missus. Remove discs from package and what do you get? Southern Comfort, not bad going to enjoy that one. Live and Virgin, in a CD case with no cover or anything. Cue strange looks from over the breakfast table. Nervous laugh and explanations of I`m sure it`s not that kind of disc dear!

But it is. Nearly.

This is a lighthearted film about the porn industry with quite a serious message which will become obvious later, although it did rather spoil the ending for me.

Bob Hoskins as a porn magnet (interesting idea, could make walking through Soho difficult) really has to be seen to be believed.

Video

An anamorphic image that is really nicely presented. There is no noise or interference and the picture is pin sharp.

The colours are crystal clear with quite a nice distinction between the brights and darks.

Scenes that are of particular quality are the police station holding cells and the gardens of the large mansion.

At no time during the film did the picture become degraded through the use of quick movement shots and was in general a pleasure to watch.

Audio

This was a bit of a shame in that the disc only contains a 2 channel stereo soundtrack, which will hopefully be corrected on the release editions. Saying that this is one of the best stereo soundtracks i have heard and more than once I had to get up and just check that there was indeed nothing coming from the centre speaker.

So if it`s changed it would be nice, but it`s not going to greatly destroy your enjoyment of the film if it`s not.

Features

A trailer and scene access.

Conclusion

From something that looked extremely dodgy came a film that I really enjoyed. Robert Loggia (Ronny Bartalotti) gives an excellent performance as the porn director / concerned father who just happens to be married to Bob Hoskins (Joey) ex wife, who has an addiction to cosmetic surgery.

Mena Suvari (Katrina Bartalotti) is not so convincing as the young virgin who is about to have sex for the first time as part of a pay-per-view event. You get the feeling that maybe she`d be a bit more anxious about the whole affair.

The best traditions of porn are lived up to with the name of the proposed lead male star in the event, Tommy Salami. What a name.

There is also room for a God from the industry to make an appearance as a police desk sergeant. Ron Jeremy aka The Hedgehog. A true legend in his own trousers. (24 minutes in if you want to know!)

There are also some wonderful throw away lines that crop up throughout. My personal favourite has to be when Ronny blunders onto the set of another movie and upsets the director. When the director finds out who Ronny is, he is gushing with praise. The line ,"You`re the Scorsese of porn" has to go down as an all time classic.

Overall a very funny film that does have a serious side. How you view the film will depend on your feelings on the porn industry. If you are completely against it then you probably won`t enjoy the film as much as if you have no problems with it.

Very good, well worth watching.