Saturday, June 07, 2008

Massive is, as Massive Does

It's June. In San Francisco, that means it's Gay Pride Month. For this transplanted blogger in Atlanta, it means starting the celebration via video. It's been a while since I have posted something For the Boys: aka a porn vid review. But I MISS San Francisco and doing my little freelance gig for COLT Studios, so here is a look at their latest release. [In the spirit of full disclosure, yes, I have a friend in the following video and, yes, I have done some freelance writing for the production company. However, as I stated earlier, my 'critical sensibilities' have made and broken friends before.]



MASSIVE (dirs. John Rutherford, Kristofer Weston, Mick Hicks (solo scene) USA, 2008, 115 mins.) features a couple of the biggest guys in the COLT Studio Group, as well as... well... a couple of the hairiest! In short, it is musclebear HEAVEN for some of you! There is also a fairly hunky "twink" thrown into the middle of it, but with mixed results, both technically and asthetically. The collection of five scenes opens with something as close to a "plot" as a typically impressionistic John Rutherford collection comes (which leads me to believe that this might be a segment directed by Kristofer Weston).


Scene one, features COLT Man Darin Hawk as an office receptionist paired with the debut of COLT Man Ricky Parks, who is delivering a package. (I recognized that office that is used as a set, too!) This is the first time I have seen Darin on video, and I must say he surprised me! I have not been that taken by his print work, as he has an uncanny "single expression" in all of his photos. Here he exudes a playful and boyish charm, along with an obvious excitement and attraction to Parks, which are qualities that director Kristofer Weston seems truly adept at getting from his performers. Darin's eyes were fabulous in this! I hope Hawk will harness those fleeting moments of vulnerability and excitement into his still modeling. Parks physically, and appropriately, outsizes him, and though I do not know if this was his actual first shoot or not, he does seem a bit uneasy next to Hawks' eagerness. However, the boys do go at it with aplomb! The only minor additional critique I could add is that I sort of wish that the scruffy beard on Hawk were actually on Parks. A clean shaven face would accentuate Darin's charm, as a little scruff would have punctuated Ricky's butch factor, which is already nearing Pete Kuzak levels!

Scene two opens on a hot, summer day, and features two of COLT's largest models. COLT Man Mickey Gunz is tossing a football and wrestling around with COLT Man Skye Woods in a pool. Both men are captured here in, what could best be described as, linebacker-shape! They are clean shaven, smooth chested and beefed up to the max for this scene! That's a good thing for some of us, but not necessarily the kind of shape you want to be in when performing in the blazing sun all day. They take the action poolside, where the guys are dripping sweat by the end of the scene, which is not one of the most action packed moments in gay erotica, frankly. On one hand, this is probably the most "honest" of the scenes, as the two guys are doing their best in uncomfortable conditions for a couple of guys of their physical size. The action does not feature the acrobatics that are on display in a later scene. It is one of the longest of the scenes, clocking in at over twenty-five minutes. If you like it BIG, Burly and sweaty, then you'll knock yourself out on this one!


Scene three takes a departure in ALL departments. First, the other four scenes are in 16:9 (widescreen anamorphic). Scene three is standard 4:3 and is technically separated, which caused a bit of a "skip" on my DVD player, as well as necessitating an aspect change on my projector, going into the scene, as well as when it moved onto the next. I do not know what affect this might have on HD-TVs, as the system will need to change ratios along with the disc. Also, I found as I was toying with this technical hiccup, that I was unable to chapter skip out of the scene, but had to return to the main menu in order to move on to scene four. This might prove to be something of a challenge to some, as scene three features the stand-alone "twink" of the set.

Scene three introduces newcomer Emilio Estaban in a solo, the direction of which is credited to Mick Hicks. Estaban's most notable features are his eyes and his arms. They're huge! Both of them. In fact, his eyes are so intense that this young performer is going to need some exceptionally strong direction and creative editing to even out the bumps. When he looks into the camera, it can be stunning. However, in this scene, he also continually looks off camera, presumably at the director. It is an irony that in porn, as opposed to theatrical film, that you SHOULD look into the camera and not away at the crew. He appears nervous about focusing that much attention. He'll need to get over that. Also, the action of the scene itself is simply in a chair and cuts to a shower. Solos are deceptively difficult scenes to pull off. The performer and director must have a clear objective and internal process engaged. If he is pleasuring us, then his concentration must be on the camera. If he is pleasuring himself, then his thoughts must be internally focused and not distracted by the crew. Estaban does not seem to be able to engage himself in the fantasy of us behind the camera as well as he could. One last thing, I found the body (belly button) and facial (lower cheek, etc.) piercings to be sort of distracting. The scene ends with a technical hiccup into the next.

Scene four features the pairing of Ricky Parks and Skye Woods. Both men have trimmed up some compared to their earlier scenes here. Also, Skye Woods has let his body hair grow in a bit, which complements his overall definition. Not to put too much of a fine point on it, but the two guys display some really fine butts! This is the shortest of the five scenes, clocking in at just over fifteen minutes. However, it is the most action packed of the bunch, featuring near gymnastic feats, all played out on a huge four poster bed. Woods displays his trademark flexibility, which Parks takes FULL advantage of! At one point, Woods actually bench presses Parks over him as he is blowing him! You gotta see it! Then, as if that weren't enough, director John Rutherford tosses in a COLT brand toy, which Parks literally pounds into Woods ass! The scene is just an INTENSE fifteen minutes and, for me, the highlight of the DVD! The general quality set in this scene continues on into the final scene, featuring two of the hairiest guys in the COLT stable.

COLT Man Mitch Branson, who displays an exceptional commercial handsomeness and charm, is paired up with the exotic, and exceptionally hairy in his own right, COLT Man Adam Champ. The scene is set in a living room, with a huge and conspicuous poster of an Adrian gown behind them, making it the "gayest" setting of the bunch! However, Branson knows what he is doing in front of the poster AND the camera. He is probably the most accomplished performer of this set of men, as he takes control of the scene, starting with a stirringly erotic striptease of Champ, before he eventually strips himself. It is a great piece of work that Branson can fill nearly fifteen minutes before he even drops his pants! Where the previous scene was all athletics, this scene is nearly all seduction, before Champ proceeds to get down to business on Branson, so to speak. The guys are really hot! I really can not tell who is responsible for the direction of this scene. It does take a bit of an awkward jump from seduction to full-on plowing. It is as if Rutherford directed the seduction and Weston directed the sex. But, regardless, once you mentally shift gears, you will appreciate the work of everyone involved. However, there is a LOT of hair there, which just sort of punches my retentive buttons, as far as "cleaning up" is concerned, after their explosive finale.

The Extras: There is a 'slideshow' of stills. There are also previews of five other COLT Studio Group productions. It is available on DVD and on VOD at the COLT Studio Group website.

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