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Quiver

Quiver

Released Apr 30th, 2002
Running Time 105
Director Michael Raven
Company Sin City Entertainment
Cast Jassie James, April (I), Monique Alexander, Olivia Saint, Steven St. Croix, Jessica Drake, Aurora Snow, Dillion Day, Evan Stone, Jay Ashley
Critical Rating AAAA
Genre Feature

Rating

Synopsis

General new releases and with the rest of Raven\'s fine body of work.

Reviews

Let it be said right up front that this is one beautiful video; so good that many would mistake it for film at first glance. Kudos to director Michael Raven for its gorgeous art direction and creative editing - both worthy of nomination - and to Jack Vincennes and Scott, both of whom deserve to be nommed for their videography.

In fact, there's only one problem (if one can call it that) with this "Midsummer Night's Dreamscape": The sex scenes, though reasonably hot, just don't measure up to the ambiance.

Quiver was obviously inspired by the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, though the storyline doesn't hew very closely to the legend. According to Bullfinch's Mythology, Psyche was such a beautiful woman, and so sought after by mortals, that she even made Aphrodite jealous, so the goddess sent her son Cupid to douse Psyche with the bitter waters of a certain Olympian fountain, thereby causing Psyche to be rejected by the very men who adored her. But though Bullfinch isn't very clear about it, apparently, in sprinkling the bitter waters on Psyche, Cupid sticks himself with one of his own arrows and falls in love with Psyche himself.

That more or less explains several images in Quiver, and suggests that Jessica Drake essays the Psyche role here, with Evan Stone as Cupid, but frankly, none of this is made very clear as the video unfolds. For instance, the viewer is never sure if Drake's and Stone's sex scenes are real or imaginary - and all the candles, drapery and slow-motion effects don't aid in solving the question. Not that it makes a hell of a lot of difference. Viewers will want to savor the b.j., cowgirl, spoon and doggie sex; most won't care if it's all done to a blue-toned background. Likewise, they won't care if Stone's doggie and reverse cowgirl action with Jassie James is imagined or in some mansion room that happens to be heavily strewn with crinoline.

But viewers who don't know that Psyche had two sisters may wonder how Monique Alexander, who hasn't made her presence known earlier, and who doesn't play Drake's sister here, just happens to be waiting in bed as Drake apparently goes searching for companionship in the middle of the night - and they may be slightly disappointed that the coupling - or, for that matter, the Drake/James/Alexander finale lickfest - isn't hotter.

Well worth mentioning, however, is the six-person orgy that forms the "climax" of the film. It starts as a masked ball, but before long, Dillion Day is plunging Aurora Snow doggie style, Steven St. Croix is doing the same to Olivia Saint as she's licking April, Snow takes a reverse cowgirl ride on Ashley, and April does the same for St. Croix - but as too often happens in recorded orgies, April's excellent hip motion is nearly lost as the camera pans to another couple. Still, it's the sexual highlight of the tape.



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