The Submission of Emma Marx: Boundaries, from New Sensations Erotic Stories

★★★★½

Time: 2:21, Director: Jacky St James, Date: 2015

Screenshots: On our Tumblr

On the web: New Sensations Catalog, IAFD, Rich Moreland's Website

Cast: Riley Reid (24yo), Van Wylde (25yo), Penny Pax (25yo), Richie Calhoun, and Logan Pierce (24yo)

Source: 1920×1080 downloaded from the New Sensations subscription site

Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀

Review

When Jacky St James announced on her blog that she was planning a sequel to The Submission of Emma Marx, our first reaction was: She is a very brave woman. Sequels, as we all know, are dangerous.

The good news is that this is a very, very good movie, with an engaging story line, excellent sex scenes, solid acting, and strong camera work. The bad news, such as it is, is that it does have some shortcomings, and we didn't think it was as good as the first one. But remember: The first one was a great movie. It's just that this one isn't quite in that category. It will still be a strong contender at the awards shows next year, and at the very least Richie Calhoun really ought to win some awards for his performance here. He's been really good in other movies, but this is as good as we have ever seen him.

The story is set about three years after the previous movie ended. Emma (Penny Pax) and Mr Frederick (Richie Calhoun) have moved in together and have recently switched to a 24/7 BDSM relationship. He wants to include in their new contract the possibility of sex with other people, which she resists. But he gets her to start fantasizing about it, and they role-play such an encounter in the second sex scene. But things start to get complicated when an old flame of Mr Frederick's, Audrina (played, in a cameo, by Sara Luvv), shows up to see him. Emma starts worrying obsessively about problems that have emerged in their relationship and, in particular, Mr Frederick's sudden lack of interest in her. It turns out, however, that he has become uncomfortable with the 24/7 character of their relationship and wants to go back to a part-time arrangement. That ends up being right for both of them, and in the end she enthusiastically agrees to have sex with Mr Frederick and one of her co-workers, Shane (Logan Pierce).

The best thing about how this story is told, to us, is how much more developed the character of Mr Frederick is. We see him much more as a complete person here, with his own desires, and even his own vulnerabilities. He is also much more expressive of his feelings towards Emma, which allowed us to connect better with both of them. On the other hand, the introduction of Audrina seemed unnecessary, and it distracted attention from something much more interesting: Mr Frederick's own struggles with the nature of his relationship with Emma. We wish the story would just have focused more upon that topic, rather than to distract from it with fears about another woman. That would have provided even more of an opportunity for us to explore the character of Mr Frederick. And, as with the first movie, we thought this one relied too much upon narration. That's clearly a part of how Jacky St James decided to do these movies—it's not as if all her movies are like that—but there's a way in which the narration can become over-bearing.

As for the sex scenes, they are generally very good. The second scene—the role-play mentioned above—is absolutely fantastic. We thought Emma's standing in front of Mr Frederick and masturbating was hot in the first movie, and it is hot here again, as is how into the role-play he gets. The third scene is also extremely good. It is the only one that is really focused on BDSM, and it really got to us when Emma was begging Mr Frederick to let her suck his cock, especially when the camera turns to him, and you can see just how aroused he is because pre-cum is dripping off his cock. The last scene also has its moments, especially at the beginning. All three of the performers, but especially Penny Pax, do an excellent job conveying the mix of excitement and nervousness one might expect from people having a threesome for the first time. But there is too little variation in the sex once they start fucking, and so, at 29 minutes, the scene ends up feeling too long.

This is a more serious problem with the first scene. The beginning of that scene is wonderful. Nadia (Riley Reid) and Ray (Van Wylde) have been married for three years now, and one night after Emma has told them a bit about her relationship with Mr Frederick, Nadia asks Ray to blindfold her. His tender exploration of her body is unusual in porn, to say the least, and it really builds the sexual tension, and the sex starts off very hot and passionate. But the scene ends up being over 32 minutes long. Even if it had been varied enough to hold our attention for all that time—which it is not—we would have had the same complaint as we did about the first movie: Such a long initial sex scene in effect delays the start of the story. It's as if the movie itself doesn't really start until it's been going for over 35 minutes.

Finally, as far as the more technical aspects are concerned, Eddie Powell's soundtrack (which is available on Soundcloud) is a revelation. It is perfect for the movie and much more the sort of thing you'd expect to hear in a mainstream release. But, while the camera work is generally very good, it tends, as often, to become a bit pornish and predictable once the fucking starts. (Honestly: Why is that?) Even then, however, there are some great shots here and there, and we never felt as if the camera was lingering too long in any one place.

Overall, then, we strongly recommend this movie, and we applaud Jacky St James's continuing attempt to "bridg[e] the gap betweeen mainstream & xxx". Even if it is not quite as good as the first one, in our opinion, it's still a very, very good movie, and we'd happily watch it again. Indeed, I am sure we will.

Scene 1: Riley Reid and Van Wylde (♀♂)

★★★★☆

Time: 32:30

Female Orgasm: Yes, Cumshot: Pussy

Features: Deepthroat

Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀

Emma has finally been able to share some of her life with Mr Frederick with Nadia and Ray. This has piqued Nadia's curiosity, so she asks Ray to blindfold her when they go to bed that night.

The sex is playful, natural, and convincing, and there is a lot of talking and giggling. The sense of connection between them is maybe not quite as good as in the first movie, but this one is less romantic than that one was. They both seem to enjoy themselves quite a bit, though, and she cums at least once, maybe more.

The camera work at the beginning is outstanding. As often, though, once they start fucking, the focus shifts more to her, and he is sometimes out of frame for extended periods, especially here when she is atop him reverse. There are also a few more closeups than we would prefer, but it is still very good throughout.

The problem with this scene is how long it is. At over 32 minutes, it is very, very long, so it really needs to be very good to hold attention. And, while the beginning is terrific, and really sexy, the fucking sequences get a bit monotonous, largely (we suspect) because of the problems with the photography we have just mentioned.

Scene 2: Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun (♀♂)

★★★★★

Time: 18:00

Female Orgasm: Yes, Cumshot: Pussy

Features: Anal, Analingus, Tit Fuck

Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀

Mr Frederick has expressed a desire to see Emma have sex with another man, which she is reluctant to do. But she confesses an attraction to Shane, a new guy at the office. So he orders her to stand in front of him and masturbate while fantasizing about Shane, and to tell him her fantasy as she does so. He then stands up and blindfolds her with his tie, asking her to pretend he is Shane.

The negotiation that precedes the scene is terrific, as he tries to stretch her boundaries, but then reminds her that she is in control—nothing will happen without her consent. And he does a really excellent job of continuing the role play into the sex.

The sex is really, really hot. But what's really different about this scene is how vulnerable he seems, really for the first time in either of the two movies. There's a lot more expression here of his attraction to her.

The camera work is very, very good, with plenty of his face. Generally, the scene is shot in a very close and intimate way, but there are some pretty standard porno-style shots, and there is one POV-type shot we could definitely have done without.

Overall, though, a truly great scene.

Scene 3: Penny Pax and Richie Calhoun (♀♂)

★★★★½

Time: 22:00

Female Orgasm: Yes, Cumshot: Hands

Features: Bondage, Spanking, Tit Fuck

Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀

Emma has followed Mr Frederick one morning, because she is worried about where he has been going. It turns out that he has been creating a dungeon for them to play in, and now she has been a naughty girl, so she needs to be punished.

The sex is really very good, and the way he teases her at the beginning is very hot. They both do a good job carrying the story into the sex, as well, and she seems very aroused through much of it, and cums at least once, maybe twice. We also thought it was terrific how he came into her hands at the end. Very different.

Her vocalizations seem very pornish in this particular scene. In a way, that actually fits it, but it doesn't feel entirely natural. And, at least in the version we watched, there is a serious audio-video sync problem around 1:34:05. It starts to feel, at that point, as if it is (very badly) over-dubbed, though there is presumably some other explanation.

The camera work is once again terrific at the beginning, but there is a very long POV-style shot as she sucks him, and there are once again some fairly standard porn-ish shots when they are fucking. We do still see a fair bit of him, however, and there are some truly great shots, as well, including one of them both, seen in a mirror.

Scene 4: Penny Pax, Richie Calhoun, and Logan Pierce (♀♂♂)

★★★★½

Time: 29:00

Female Orgasm: Yes, Cumshot: Tits, Stomach

Features: Deepthroat

Pleasure ♀, Passion ♀, Balance ♀

Emma finally agrees to have sex with another man: Shane, from the office. So she and Mr Frederick meet him at a hotel room. Beforehand, Mr Frederick gives her a necklace with a locket marked "W", for "William". This has an unstated significance, since "William" is not a name she is allowed to use for him.

One of the nice things about this scene is how well everyone plays their role. There are appropriate amounts of nervousness mixed in with the excitement, espeically on Emma's part. There is also a wonderful moment when Mr Frederick tells her she can do what she wants, and she tells him, "Tell me", as if she needs that sort of permission. Generally speaking, she is much more focused on Mr Frederick than she is on Shane, which feels appropriate to the scene.

The sex is a bit dirty and degrading, but it's clearly part of her fantasy that it should be that way, as we learned in the second scene. But it gets a bit monotonous through the middle. It's hot how she sucks Shane and lets him "use" her mouth—again, that has been established as part of her fantasy—but that part of the scene goes on too long, and it's just not visually interesting.

Penny Pax seemed to us to over-act this scene a bit. She is a lot "louder" here than in the most of the other scenes we've enjoyed her in—and her vocalizations didn't always come across as natural.

The camera work is excellent at the beginning, once again, and there are some great shots later, too. But there are also the usual sorts of problems that we complained about in the earlier scenes.