I've noticed of late that there is a certain lack of appreciation on the board for the reviews that Den at CAVR writes. I'll say up front that Den is a friend of mine, and I might be a bit biased, but I think CAVR is a WEALTH of information. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's a pay site (but it's very cheap, a little over $1 per month), but it houses over ten thousand adult video reviews, along with show reports, and a bunch of other fun little things here and there.
Den has posted links to a few of his reviews in the past, and I know that at first glance they might seem clinical and confusing, but the beauty of Den's work is not in the individual review. It is the combination of his work as a whole that is so impressive. His reviews serve a specific purpose--in that they run down the individual sex acts performed in the scenes. They are done by the numbers, which means that only in very rare circumstances does someone else come out with a review of a title before CAVR does. Finally Den's rating system is very simple, but very complex at the same time. I find his site extremely informative, both as a consumer and a reviewer. Den's niche is not comprehensiveness, but what he does is equally as telling and informative as any single carefully written review. It just takes reading a large cross section of his work to understand the vast amount of knowledge and inegrity that he offers with CAVR. Judging CAVR on one review is simply not a fair way to look at it.
I just thought I'd point that out for the benefit of those who have not scene his site, or for those who might not fully understand Den's great contribution to the adult industry.
I know I complained about one of his reviews before on ADT; heres the deal, and it is largely made all the more apparent in your remarks below-
'It just takes reading a large cross section of his work to understand the vast amount of knowledge and inegrity that he offers with CAVR...'
I for one do not want to be familiar with someones prior reviews or work to help me on their writing. Thats like saying you need to watch Jules Jordans 'Live Bait' series to appreciate Ass Worship. Your writing should stand on its own, and just because a large amount of clinical reviews are written is not enough to convince me that they serve a greater purpose than someone who actually puts more emotions into reviewing. I am quite sure that an audience exists for his reviews, they just aren't for me.
This is porn, and numbers/abreviations don't impress me. I need more descriptions about movies from the gut level, because when its reduced to mathematics, it really loses its soul....
Imagine 2 scenarios- 1. 18 yr old Women, Brown hair, 36-24-36 Does Anal. 2. Sensual, young woman with amazing body and great heat/ she really seems to enjoy taking it up the ass.
Which one helps a porn viewer more? I prefer choice 2.
Heres a sample of a Den review for the movie Vengeance-
'Serenity & Jewel & Gwen & Kylie. In room. Nude. Touching. Feeling. Kissing. Titty play. Eating. Fingering. Dildo play. Cucumber & Corn on the Cob get BJ. Solo. Fingering. Dildo play.'
This is creepy to even read, it sounds like a police report...
My first 87 reviews were play by play more or less, no emotion. Sure a lot of people said they liked them, but I was starting to hate that. I used to look at the rating of 0-5, and take that as the rating, and then do the scene breakdowns from there, with no description of the performers. At my review of Heavy Metal, I chose a new style, and stuck with that style for a while, now I think I finally found my perfect style, from review 120, or so, and up.
But the internet is a vast source of infomation, and a lot of people like Den's reviews. From what I've seen of them, they are good and quick reading for summaries, so those looking for a certain sex act will see if it's in a film quickly.
MLyons, I checked out some of the links Den provided.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and over again, but expecting a different result. - Albert Einstein
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DenverDon Benevolent
Firmly Embedded in Depravity 5914 Posts 7/02
Posted - Nov 7 2002 : 4:40PM
I've read quite a few of Den's reviews. They are cryptic, but useful, and as MLyons says many times he is first with a review posted on a movie.
I met him in the chat room one night, and he did say he was impressed with the reviews at ADT and the effort that must be required. I urged him to post more, and I think he has done it. I see him in the fourms a little more often.
Now whether he alters his style or not, that's his choice. But his reviews are useful.
I always find Den's reviews helpful as a supplement to other reviews, or as a first impression. He handles the essentials, who is paired with whom, which girls do anal, is there any peeing (I always glance at the GM Video reviews first, to search for that), and so on.
Den provides a wonderful service once you know how to make use of his site. You can bring up a list of an actresses appearances, and then read them to find out which activities she partook in each scene, so that if you simply must see Actress X perform Act Y, you won't be disappointed by that title.
Den has personally been very nice and kind to me, so I'm happy to speak up in his favor here. His disposition extends to his reviews, where he's never rude or crass, or dictatorial, like some non-ADT reviewers, and I appreciate that very much.
I have been a member of CAVR for a few years now and I actually prefer Den's review style. It is giving me the info I need to make a decision on whether to purchase a movie or not. I used to like reading reviews where the reviewer gave more of an emotional context but it became hit and miss. I would read a review where someone said the performers were passionately going after one another and then I purchase and found it to be a little dry in terms of energy. Everyone is different and what this guy saw as passion to me look like two people going through the motions basically. Now when I read reviews that more read like a narrative I pretty much scan for who is working with one another, what acts, and how the scene ends. It is what I prefer and I know it is not for everyone but luckily there are enough reviews that everyone can be happy.
I hope Den continues to do his reviews his way. I prefer color commentary, others like statistics and the raw numbers. It really is just a matter of TASTE; we are all HUNGRY for info and Den just 'COOKS' it different.
I prefer choice #1 any day. Choice #2 all it does is give a subjective opinion (his opinion) on the girl. I can easely watch the same video, see the same girl and say: <what the hell? is that dog a hot girl??>> ..on the other hand, Choice #2 is giving me FACTS (real information). For example if I'm looking for an euro-girl that change her name every 2 videos. A description like: "18 years old, brown hair, 36-24-36, does anal". Will help me a lot to make sure if she IS in the movie or not. The "does anal" part so early in the review will help me to save time and not to be forced to read a boring 200 lines review just to know if she indeed does take it up the ass. ..Honestly, sometimes I'm amazed of how much a reviewer can talk (write) in his review and at the same time how little he can help me to make my pick.
P-Knuckle said what I was getting at, in my round about way,
I hope Den continues to do his reviews his way. I prefer color commentary, others like statistics and the raw numbers. It really is just a matter of TASTE; we are all HUNGRY for info and Den just 'COOKS' it different.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and over again, but expecting a different result. - Albert Einstein
I think Den's reviews work for the seasoned porn viewer; if you are familiar with actors/performers/ and studios then they make a good summary of the dvd. Yeah, if a scene is Shyla, directed by Jules Jordan and comes out from Evil Angel, I don't need much more info than a quick rundown of the action. But imagine someone who is new to porn or is not familiar with certain genres, etc. They would have no idea what is on the dvd....
Read this clip I had posted from a Den review again,
If you have porn down to an algabraic formula, a'la-
DAP + Actress A - POV * 3 way = hit movie
...then I commend you for being able to be so mathematical and technical as to what you like. Maybe I need to watch more so I can make decisions based on DPs, cast, etc. But I need much more to make my decisions; a little bit of emotion is needed for me, whether it be in the review or porn itself.
Den definitely provides raw stats and knowledge, if there is a lack of appreciation for him, so be it (but people on here seem to like his reviews quite a bit.) Hey, when I go on vacation, I like travel books more than almanacs to tell me about the country I am visiting. His reviews read like raw data and I am sure they provide those who need it with the numbers and stats they want.
Reviews for porn run the full spectrum from obtuse and descriptive to acute and mathematical. Thats the beauty of it, and Den has his niche down. Bravo to those who put time into what they do; I would never discourage anyone from using Den's reviews for making a well informed choice.
Surprise. I love ADT and I find it to be a real good place for me to learn new things.
Thanks Mike and all the others for the kind words.
But, I must say that I am not a reviewer in the true sense of the word. I simply attempt to say what a scene contains and then give it a point value.
My apologies to the very good 'real' reviewers and sure don't want anyone to confuse my entry level writings with their very fine reviews.
My simple concise reviews are because I am using an old basic program that only allows a page with 20 lines of 78 characters per line and because I am not a writer.
My points system was an attempt back in the 1980's to help Dirty Bob when he was editor for Video Xcitement.
He quit giving points to a review and that is when I modified my programs to create the very simple html code and it became CAVR.
My reviews are level 101, but what I really like is the Rankings & the Stars Cross Reference and the annual ballot that allows the Fans to vote.
The most important thing to me is the GALS and the Movies. Enough on me.
Thanks to all, Den
I will continue to post to ADT
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DenverDon Benevolent
Firmly Embedded in Depravity 5914 Posts 7/02
Posted - Nov 7 2002 : 7:46PM
Den,
Definitely keep posting. Love the extra input.
Your review are the only source I can find on some material. Keep em going!
Any question about the forum and navigating, be sure to ask. Lots of people will help out.
Den, you do not need to apologize to anyone. Your reviews are as good as anyone else, they are different that's all. ....Just a couple of things: For example. If there are 3 brunettes/blondes in the same video and names don't really help to make a distinction between them; Try to add: Long/short/shoulder length hair. If the girl does dp try to add: cg/rcg/doggy/aerial DP. If the dp is brief or lengthy makes a big difference too. If you don't know the name of the girls in the video (specially in Hustler's) try to make the ID by where she is located on the cover: brunette on the left/blonde on the right.
I agree with Speelie, I think they are a good supplement. You can glance through them to see which ones might catch your eye, then delve deeper with a more colorful review that gets me a bit more excited to see the movie. I think Den has his own style which many people probably do enjoy, so keep it up. I do think it's a good resource for information, even if the format is not to my particular taste.
