I'm anal.

I admit it.

Ever since I started reviewing DVD's (mainstream and adult) in 1999, I've had a bug up my ass about trying to review each and every title I could get my hands on.  Good, bad, or in between, I couldn't part with a DVD until I had written a review on it.  Something about passing on a review made me feel guilty.  Maybe it's because I didn't have a lot of porn when I was younger.  Maybe it's because I can't stand seeing adult titles without any available reviews.  I'm sure a psychiatrist would have a field day...

So, anyway, DVDs would pile up--even ones I really didn't like--with the excuse that someday I would get around to writing that review and remove that obligation from my soul.  And, of course, since I'm anal, no quickie review would do--no sir, a detailed review it had to be!  That really made it tough to keep up with new porn since I was always thinking about all of those titles in the review queue.

About a year ago, the guilt really started to get to me.  I wasn't able to review a lot under the perfectionist approach, and ultimately, for most of the DVD's I was reviewing they weren't worth the time that I was putting in to review them.  Although I hate this catch all, I finally had to tell myself, "Relax...it's just porn."  X-rated movies aren't artistic masterpieces (with a few rare exceptions) or stunning social commentaries.  Maybe a short & sweet review is enough for most of the stuff out there?  Did anyone ever want to see a novel written about a gonzo fuck flick?

So I started to write some shorter, less-detailed reviews that focused more on my overall impressions.  They're easier and more fun to write, and they help me with my guilt problem.  That approach also helped boost the total number of reviews I wrote last year.

Now, I'm taking it one step further.  With unlimited rental services, I'm now averaging about 15 or so new titles per month--and that's in addition to the purchases I make and the backlog of titles that I already have.  So, as you can see on the main page of SakiVision.com, I'm listing the DVD's I've watched this year (25 and counting as I write this), along with my overall rating of the discs.  For most of them, I won't ever write a review--only if I really want to write, will I.

Part of me still feels guilty about sending back a rental or selling an unwanted title without firing up FrontPage first.  But then all I have to do is start thinking about sitting through a couple hours of so-so sex, recording the disc details, making screen captures, writing the review, and uploading it all, and I come to some sort of inner peace about my decision.

I'm still anal.

But I'm relaxing.

The Red Band View is a semi-regular editorial feature by Saki, an adult DVD reviewer, with commentary on the adult video industry from a consumer's viewpoint.  The opinions expressed are those of Saki and do not necessarily represent those of anyone else.  The term "Red Band" refers to the color of the screen preceding movie "coming attraction" trailers, red meaning the preview is restricted to adult audiences only.

If you have a comments about a Red Band View editorial, please send them to saki@sakivision.com.  By doing so, you agree that your edited comments may be used on this site at Saki's discretion.