Overview:
Back in the spring of 2000, Walter Murch (celebrated sound designer and film editor for such motion pictures as The Conversation, Cold Mountain, Touch of Evil and The Godfather: Part III) began work on a re-edited, restored version of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece, Apocalypse Now. The first step of Murch's arduous task was to retrieve the original, uncut negative print of the film from American Zoetrope's climate-controlled archives tucked away in a limestone cave in Pennsylvania. This was the first time I'd heard of film vaults and the romantic idea of entering a random cavernous opening while going for a leisurely hike along a rock face, only to find the missing reels of Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924), footage from Alfred Hitchcock's unfinished Number 13, as well as complete cuts of Too Much Johnson (Orson Welles, 1938) and every lost work by D.W. Griffiths was enough to cement in my mind the fantasy of dozens upon dozens of vaults, each holding numerous masterpieces by cinema's most important auteurs. Also, I hoped for porn.

While there are a number of heterosexual pornographic websites that claim to hold a wealth of undiscovered material, few label themselves "vaults". In the transsexual porn industry, this is even less common; there is only one "vault" that immediately comes to mind. That vault is, of course, the Shemale Movie Vault (which also happens to be the subject of today's review)! The Shemale Movie Vault tour pages offer up a number of solid reasons to throw down some cash and join the site: "Full screen DVD quality movies" featuring some of the "nastiest footage" you're ever likely to see, twice-weekly updates, as well as membership to Shemale Mov for no extra charge. There are enough hot preview pics to give any tranny fan a raging hard-on, but there are definitely more than a few things every potential member should know about Shemale Movie Vault before they make a transaction that cannot be unmade.

Once logged into the site, you may be a little disappointed that the page design doesn't mirror that of the tour area, which looks vibrant and modern with a feminine twist. The members' area is substantially less impressive but still looks good enough to prevent you from vomiting all over your keyboard. The main page offers the same links and browsing options as most porn sites: links to News, Library, Video Feeds, Bonus Sites, and Support are all located in the top-most menu, with the most recently added scenes displayed in a column below, while upcoming updates are previewed by an enticing image on the right. Shemale Mov is listed as an accessible bonus site, but there's also the surprise appearance of Club Bisexual, too. Score - another free website to enjoy for Shemale Movie Vault members! As this site doesn't claim to, or seem to, host any photo content, let's get right to it and check out some saucy tranny videos.

Clicking on the Library link will take you to a page that displays a shitload of thumbnail images, each of which will load up the corresponding video page when clicked. You also have the option of browsing by category, be it couples, solo, group sex, shemales fucking guys/babes/shemales, pornstars, and the mysterious misc. category. While it'd be nice to be given the names of the featured performers for each scene, I suppose we'll find that little tidbit out soon enough.

Each video's own viewing page allows you to read a brief description of the scene, check out some screenshots, and choose between the downloadable MPEG and WMV formats. The WMV is the largest file, featuring a resolution of 640x480; the MPEG only hits about half that quality. While the MPEG is nicely sized for iPods and other portable media devices, the WMV is pretty disappointing. Even though the image is fairly clear and vibrant, the resolution doesn't exactly scream "high-quality" video, as was mentioned on the tour page. Still, the term High Definition wasn't used so it's not like the webmasters lied or anything. The scenes generally feature some pretty standard hardcore tranny sex. Whether they're coupled with a man, woman, or group, the titular shemales wave their dicks around and get titty-fucked like nobody's watching. The sex gets pretty heavy on occasion; a little dull on others.

The Video Feed page that is linked to in the main menu bar offers access to a number of, well, video feed pages, to be frank. From the tropical flavor of Real Shemales from Brazil to T-Girl Finder, Shemales on Chicks, and over a dozen straight hardcore feeds, there's quite a lot to take in here. Give yourself a few hours to browse and you'll surely find some pretty enjoyable fuck scenes.

With little else on the site to discuss, let's see just how much you can expect to pay for a monthly membership. It looks like $29.95 is the only pricing option currently available, aside from a small discount you get if you sign up for 90 days at a time instead of the standard 30. While that's not amazingly expensive, it is a touch steep, especially what with this economic downturn and whatnot. Fortunately for those of us that have to watch our wallets right now, Mr. Pink's reviews are free and always striving for greatness. Want proof?

Pros:
- Members get access to a huge video feed archive and two bonus sites, both of which also feature hardcore tranny content.

- Shemale Movie Vault is regularly updated; twice a week, in fact.

- Many of the models are convincingly feminine and could give even the most homophobic redneck at least a semi.

- The tour page gives you a very good idea of what's in store for paying members.

Cons:
- There are no photos or vidcap galleries on Shemale Movie Vault. None at all.

- The video resolutions could definitely be higher and more impressive, if given attention.

- The scenes tend to get repetitive after a little while. The sex isn't anything groundbreaking.

- The content is not exclusive and can be found scattered around other areas of the Internet.

Conclusion:
Shemale Movie Vault may not contain any hidden celluloid masterpieces, but the content is generally quite enjoyable. Even though the scenes don't break any new ground and can get a little dull if you find yourself watching too many in one sitting, they're still enjoyable enough to get the job done. A membership to Shemale Movie Vault also gives you access to some great bonus sites and video feeds; I'd be surprised if your time isn't split evenly across all areas available to you. With a little work, "the Vault" could be a thoroughly recommendable site but, until then, it's just a pretty good one.