Funn & Games Review
Funn & Games
(Full review HERE)
Cast: Nick Stone, Victor Rios, Simon August, Sean Anderson and Roman Reade.
Director: Richard Wagner, Ph.D.
Writer: Steven E. Webb (The storytelling is wordless—there is no audible dialog.)
Production date: 2001
Length: 70 min.
Extras: An 8-min. behind-the-scenes featurette and four performer galleries with 5–15 photos each.
Audio/visual quality: Daddy Oohhh! is a young studio that’s still working toward improvement in their technique. Expect some problems with grain, soft focus, rough edits and white balance shifts. The camera style is not highly explicit and usually avoids extreme close-ups. But the lighting is good overall, and the sets are visually appealing. The first scene incorporates the same classy modern rooms that appear in Good Morning Men, with a mirrored headboard providing an alternate angle on some of the action. The second scene features a sexy red and brown tribal-themed den that I haven’t seen before.
Daddy Oohhh!’s soundtracks never fail to please me. Funn & Games’ moody romantic sextronica is extremely easy on the ears, even if it does loop once or twice. There is no location sound—just the music.
First impression: Why is it spelled “Funn?” Maybe because there’s one “n” for “naughty” and one for “nice!”
Scene highlights: Funn and Games includes two sensuous, full-length scenes that unfold on a Sunday morning in the Pacific Northwest.
Nick Stone and Victor Rios awaken with a kiss on a sunny Seattle day (no, it doesn’t always rain in the Emerald City). Victor helps Nick out of his “I love boys” tee shirt. This is followed by more kissing, full body embracing, a little tussling to determine who loses his skivvies first—these men definitely care about the “play” in foreplay! They walk hand-in-hand to an indoor balcony, where Nick slo-ooo-wly loses his Halloween-themed boxers so Victor can knead and rim his cute hairy butt.
Meanwhile, another early riser is tanning on the deck of the same bed and breakfast. Simon August is all by his lonesome, but he capably takes matters into his own hands with a bottle of baby oil. By the time he spots the Nick and Victor through a window, the tall, fair stranger is sporting a very attractive erection. Who could resist? Certainly not this loving couple, who happily welcome the inquisitive guest with big smiles and friendly smooches.
Nick and Victor each take a turn providing double blowjobs. Simon mushes his face deep into Nick’s ass cleft while Nick deeply sucks Victor’s uncirumcised penis. The threesome triangulates several other ways, and Nick accepts the center spot twice as the oral giver and anal receiver. Simon gyrates his hips and swizzles Nick’s sphincter before pumping it hard and fast. Victor agreeably completes Nick’s anal workout. Nick and Victor lie side by side and pop healthy loads in quick succession (no cutaway shot) while Simon supports. The scene concludes with happy cuddles.
Roman Reade graciously asks Sean Anderson to step inside after Sean stops by with a misdelivered letter. Sean doesn’t appear to be at all dissuaded by the fact that Roman is wearing only a towel around his waist. By the time they settle into the leather sofa, there’s a significant tenting effect going on. They nuzzle together, and Roman unties the drawstring of his neighbor’s sweatpants with a hungry sideways glance. The blowjobs include a little mutual masturbation. Roman does an exceptional job of taking Sean’s cock repeatedly down his throat before slipping it effortlessly into his ass.
They make a smooth, connected transition between positions with Roman grinning in wild ecstasy at Sean’s gusto. After Roman receives extended anal attention, Sean self-stimulates for several minutes and climaxes onto the side of Roman’s face. The editing could have been a little tighter here, but I can see why all the footage was included. Roman repeatedly eyes Sean’s perfect penis with an awestruck gaze, exactly like he’s discovered the face of God. Roman then strokes his own extra-long schlong to release a light load onto his ribcage.
The behind-the-scenes featurette captures a peek at post-coital glow, along with Sean shaking off a leg cramp. We hear good interaction between the cast and crew and see a few flubs. There’s even a bit of extra sex, including a pretty little clip of Simon giving the cameraman a knowing look while he plays with himself.
Screenshots: At this writing, soft-core images from Funn & Games are available at the Daddy Oohhh! website. They provide a good sense of the attractiveness of the performers and the overall vibe of the movie.
Thumbs up: The sex has a genuine warmth and authenticity to it. I never once doubt that these men really want to be doing what they’re doing. It’s fun—and inspiring—to watch as expressions of pleasure and delight play across their faces.
This is the fourth Daddy Oohhh! production I’ve reviewed, and I continue to be thrilled by the uniqueness of each one. I never get the sense that I’m watching assembly line porn. Funn & Games has much of the same sweetness as the first Daddy Oohhh! movie I watched (Willie Gets a Brand-New Thing), but in an all-sex format as opposed to a feature.
Just as a footnote, the Daddy Oohhh! producers have endured a bit of criticism over the fact that their movies don’t always emphasize ejaculations. For the record, Funn & Games scores a reasonably high cumshot percentage: four out of five. Nick’s is especially hearty (as it should be, after all that loving attention in scene one!). The penises stay nice and hard throughout, too.
Thumbs down: Although I dig the romantic feel of this movie, I initially felt a little teased and even frustrated by it. These men seem to go deeply into the lovemaking, and I kept wanting to see and hear the intercourse more explicitly. I especially missed the sounds of the friendly ass slaps, the spontaneous laughter and the grunts of arousal and pleasure. This is largely a personal preference, however. Viewers who like their porn on the softer side might really appreciate the lack of intrusiveness in this presentation. It bothered me less during the second viewing, when I better understood what to expect and raised the rating from three stars to four. (I also liked the freedom of playing the DVD at an appreciable volume while simultaneously enjoying the view of the roofers on my neighbor’s house through my wide open window!)
Themes: Gay, three-way, masturbation, oral, deep-throating, anal, rimming, kissing, undressing, tease, facial.
Condom use: Yes, consistently for anal sex. We even see Victor lubing up and rolling his rubber on, which suits me just fine.
Juice-o-meter: Medium for the first viewing; high for the second.
Final analysis: Funn & Games is a good choice for viewers seeking joyful smut. The attitude is affectionate and positive, without lacking in intensity. The performers’ personalities really shine through their facial expressions, which gives the sex a feeling of freshness and realness. I definitely believe Funn & Games is worth watching more than once!
Willie Gets a Brand New Thing Review
Willie Gets A Brand New Thing
(Full review HERE)
Cast: Jeff Baron, Nick Stone, Mateo Urrutia, Luc Hugo, Justin Strife, Gabriel Comet and Simon August (all actors are nicely identified by clips in the credits, which I appreciate).
Director: Richard Wagner, Ph.D.
Writer: Toby R. Nodtobe (based on a book by Henry David Threw, and yes, you should read the movie’s end credits for even more goofy puns)
Production date: ©2002
Length: 97 min. (The cover states 105 min., which is the length of feature plus the length of the behind-the-scenes featurette.)
Extras: An 8-min. behind-the-scenes featurette and a slide show with 27 movie stills.
Audio/visual quality: The visual quality is acceptable, but a little amateurish. There are ongoing issues with camera jitters, soft focus, color shifts, grain. The lighting is always adequate, but sometimes rather harsh and uneven. The camera operators eschew proctocam close-ups, instead providing teasing glimpses from just enough angles to confirm that the anal penetration is authentic. The balance of wide, medium and close-up shots is generally pleasing. The scenes include a bit of footage from Willie’s Canon ZR40 digital camcorder. It’s lower in quality, but this actually works really well (almost like a special effect) in support of the story. The cumshots are shown from two or three different perspectives in quick succession, which I enjoy. The locations are also reasonably classy, with quirky and interesting art.
The synthesized score ranges from romantic to rhythmic. It has an atmospheric quality that reminds me of planetarium music. There’s some looping, but the soundtrack flows nicely and is above average in quality. The location audio suffers from a bit from background hiss. A few directions to the performers are faintly audible. The volume shifts a little in some places, but the balance between the sex sounds and the music usually seems about right.
Disc problems: I wish the titles weren’t split two-thirds of the way through the movie. The viewer can’t skip or scan across the “sticky spot”—an inconvenience which makes the DVD authoring seem a bit sloppy.
First impression: Willie’s brand new thing is a fine thing indeed!
Scene highlights: All Jeff Baron (“Willie”) wants for his birthday is a mini-cam. Fortunately, his lover Mateo Urrutia (“Matt”) and other close friends know just how to nurture him for a truly memorable day.
Mateo awakens Jeff with a kiss and a prettily wrapped present. Jeff is eager to test his birthday toy, and he encourages Mateo to do a little performance for the new camera. Mateo shyly smiles as he strips out of his tank and sexy boxer briefs (which are patterned like the Canadian flag). A few more kisses persuade Jeff that he needs to set the camera down. They alternate blowjobs, and Mateo also appears to rim Jeff before giving him anal love in doggy and missionary. The pacing is gentle, and the angles aren’t terribly explicit, but Jeff’s sustained, appreciative eye contact keeps the chemistry at a nice simmer. Mateo removes the condom and spurts a photogenic load (against a blue backdrop) onto Jeff’s balls. Jeff doesn’t achieve an orgasm himself. These two guys make a very convincing couple, however, so this pairing has a lot of allure.
Mmmm…the weight room. I can almost smell it. The establishing shot briefly lingers on the beefcake photos on the wall. I love watching men pump iron, and it’s fun to check out these guys’ form. The trainer, Nick Stone, does curl/press combos—my most favorite exercise for biceps and deltoids. Oops, sorry…I was getting a little distracted there. You want to know about the sex, yes? It’s very good. Nick starts with a friendly little ab massage for Justin Strife, a weight room newbie who’s learning tricep pull-downs. The undressing is shown (which I really like). The blowjobs are done in every possible permutation and are interspersed with kissing, nipple play and mutual masturbation. Nick gleefully grips the bar and performs mini-pull-ups to fuck Jeff’s mouth. The ass play evolves from fingers to tongues to penises. Jeff reaches back and grabs Nick’s hip to pull his cock in. Justin also gladly accepts a turn at Jeff’s butt. Both men spurt onto Jeff’s well-toned torso. Like every scene on this disc, this one has light yet good energy; no one’s ever idle for long.
Returning from a run, Gabriel Comet, Luc Hugo and Simon August dive into the fun part of their workout. There’s oral affection aplenty for all involved. Simon flashes a huge grin at Jeff’s camera while receiving a rimjob from Gabriel and blowjob from Luc. Luc pulls his black jockstrap to the side so Gabriel can swallow the full length of his dick. For the anal, Gabriel dons a cheerful yellow condom, and Simon straddles him cowboy-style. Luc then welcomes Gabriel’s cock in two positions and shoots a wild little load in several directions. Luc is the only one to climax, so this scene feels a bit weaker than the one before it. Yet it’s still engaging enough to hold my attention. It helps to see Jeff circulating with his camera and stroking in enjoyment. Also, Gabriel is black, which adds a pleasing interracial aesthetic.
Mateo throws a nice little surprise party for Jeff and his friends. Gabriel, Luc, Simon, Justin and Nick gather round the cake to sing “Happy Birthday.” The guys exchange affectionate hugs—I don’t know if that’s common in gay porn, but it’s a rarity in the hetero porn that I’ve seen. After I watched it once, I went back and watched it again. Nick and Justin sneak off to Jeff’s bed, where Luc catches them kissing and undressing. Of course Jeff finds them, too, and pretty soon we have one big happy heap of erect cocks. The scene lasts a half-hour, so I won’t give a blow-by-blow. I find it sexier than most orgies I’ve watched, though. There’s excellent balance in the activity among the participants—lots of trading around, but nothing too rushed or chaotic. Nick appears to have no trouble taking Jeff’s penis down his throat. The anal givers are Nick and Justin, and the receivers are Jeff and Luc. The birthday boy Jeff, who’s been saving it up all day, orgasms first. Everyone else soon follows. The movie wraps up with some sweet cuddling between Mateo and Jeff.
Screenshots: At this writing, stills from Willie Gets a Brand New Thing are available at the Daddy Oohhh! website.
Thumbs up: The DVD notes explain, “Daddy Oohhh! is replacing what has gone missing from adult entertainment: the romantic, alluring and seductive aspects of sex. All our products are being produced to appeal to a vast, underserved consumer group—women. While there is an explosion of sexually explicit material available these days, very little is tailored to female tastes. Our remedy…put the playfulness back into sex play, and do so with wit, style and humor. We assume this ethic will resonate well with all sex positive people regardless of gender.”
If I’m at all representative of Daddy Oohhh!’s target audience, I must say they are well on their way to fulfilling their mission statement. My primary feelings while watching this movie are delight, amusement and arousal. I especially like the way that Jeff issues gentle commands and encouragement from behind his mini-cam. He’s a great model of sexual self-awareness and confidence. His interaction with his friends also adds a clever “gonzo within a feature” twist to this lightly-plotted movie.
Incidentally, the cover photo makes Jeff’s hair appear dark brown. Actually, his coloring is more-salt-than-pepper. Very sexy. I adore guys who are going silver yet still have youthful faces and hard bods. The entire cast is good-looking, in fact. Without exception, the performers’ faces are handsome, and their physiques are fit (not overblown).
Thumbs down: The behind-the-scenes featurette (inaccurately labeled as “bloopers”) includes the director’s reassurance to the performers that he doesn’t expect everyone to ejaculate in every scene. I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me is cheering, because I admire and applaud his no-pressure style. On the other hand, it is porn. I love cumshots—they’re fun to watch, and they bring scenes to a tidy (or not so tidy) conclusion. It’s probably more realistic that these men don’t always pop, but I find myself wishing they would. Every guy in my fantasies climaxes every time.
Even to my untrained, inexpert eyes, there are problems with the way the bedroom’s lit. The key and fill lights appear to be nearly equal in intensity, casting unnatural-looking multiple shadows. It doesn’t help that additional ambient lighting comes from the recessed ceiling fixtures and bedside lamps. So the color temperature is uneven—the guys move in and out of orangish spots on the bed. The problem is not severe enough to ruin my enjoyment of the movie. It does give this production a less-than-polished appearance, however, and anyone who’s seen more than a few dozen pornos might notice it. The lighting in the gym is better.
Themes: Gay, threeway, group, masturbation, oral, anal, deepthroating, rimming (strongly implied), interracial, kissing, foreplay, undressing, exhibitionism, voyeurism, weight lifting.
Condom use: Yes, always for anal sex. Often we get to see them going on or off, which meets my preferences.
Juice-o-meter: High.
Final analysis: Despite the middling technical qualities (could be better, could be worse), Willie Gets a Brand New Thing charms me from start to finish. The upbeat story and chemistry keep me juicy throughout. It’s nice work from a newer studio; I recommend it for all of us who appreciate some romance with our hardcore gay porn.
CountryTime, Country Fine Review
CountryTime, Country Fine
(Full review HERE)
Cast: Jeff Baron, Brett Collins and Cody Scott (each clearly identified by clips in the credits, which I always appreciate).
Director: Richard Wagner
Writer: Toby R. Noddtobe, based on a book by Henri de Ballsack. Someone’s had fun cooking up a slew of puns for the end credits. My favorite? The production sound mixer, Sean Song d’Moor.
Production date: ©2002
Length: 65 min.
Extras: A 10-min. behind-the-scenes featurette and a gallery with 42 images.
Audio/visual quality: The visual quality is tolerable, but not the finest effort I’ve seen from this studio. The camerawork meanders at times; there are unsteady moments in the handheld footage and possibly too much use of the zoom. The focus is not always as sharp or careful as it should be. The lighting conditions also pose a minor challenge, due to the high contrast between sunlit windows and candlelit interior. Despite the flaws, the movie’s never unwatchable. I do think there’s a nice, realistic appeal in the overall appearance of the location and the performers.
The 2.5 star A/V rating reflects the fact that although the visual aspects are slightly below average, the soundtrack is good. The romantic anthems are composed specifically for this production and possess a gentle, old-timey country charm. The balance somewhat favors the music, but attentive listeners should be able to understand the dialog.
First impression: The living is sweet and soft and mellow in this corner of the country.
Scene highlights: Two lovers, Jeff Baron and Brett Collins, are relaxing with buddy Cody Scott at a weekend cottage. Dressed casually in tees and jeans, they enjoy a friendly game of Seattleopoly. Cody goes to jail, which prompts Jeff to give him a teasing shove and pull off his shirt. The game continues, with all men eventually losing their shirts. Brett leaves to fetch another beer and doesn’t seem to mind that Jeff and Cody are kissing when he returns. In fact, he joins them.
Jeff sweeps the game board out of the way so they can all trade smooches on the ottoman. Flies get unzipped, and denim falls away to reveal white undies. Jeff apparently has second thoughts, however, and calls a halt before they take things further.
Jeff and Brett retreat to their bed, where they snuggle for a while in a semi-doze. Cody spies on them and begins to masturbate. There’s a pleasing slo-mo shot of Jeff and Brett sliding their cocks against each other. Up to this point, everything’s been foreplay, with the clock reading 23:42 as Jeff places his lips on Brett’s cock. They add lube for further fondling, and Brett takes his turn at providing oral. When the anal sex begins, we are not in position to see Brett’s entry into Jeff. Cody sees it, though, and smiles broadly.
Cody finally dares to step into the room, climbing into bed at Jeff and Brett’s invitation. Oral affection flows freely, mostly in the form of sensuous double blowjobs. Everyone takes turns at giving and receiving. Brett provides more anal love to Jeff; again, the footage is not explicit—you’ll have to trust the facial expressions if you need evidence that it’s really happening. Cody also goes prone for a brief (incomplete?) anal penetration from Brett, but most of the footage here concentrates on the nice kisses and eye contact between Jeff and Brett. After quite a bit of further kissing and stroking, Brett releases a strong pop onto his own belly, followed several minutes later by Cody’s equally strong pop onto the same spot.
The behind-the-scenes featurette offers peeks at the photo shoot, suggestions and improvisation from the director, nervous anticipation and camaraderie among the performers, a center of gravity blooper and postcoital cleanup in the shower.
Screenshots: At this writing, soft-core images from the set of Country Time, Country Fine are available at the Daddy Oohhh! website. They accurately portray the look of the movie and its performers.
Thumbs up ‘n’ down: Depending on your preferences, the format of this movie could be a big plus or a big minus. I’m an erotic realist who takes delight in watching tenderness between sexually attracted men. But ultimately, Country Time, Country Fine is a little sluggish even for my tastes. I prefer more momentum in my sex, and I feel somewhat unnerved by the start-and-stop-and-start-again rhythm in this movie. Still, it’s worth noting that it’s nearly impossible to find smut consisting of a single scene, lovingly streeeched to a full hour and beyond. Viewers who crave the satisfaction of romantic and true-to-life pacing, complete with its hesitations and moments of awkwardness, might absolutely love Country Time, Country Fine. I do think these men share a genuine warmth; they can’t even keep their hands to themselves in the behind-the-scenes footage.
Themes: Gay, threeway, oral, anal (not explicit), masturbation, kissing (major theme), undressing, foreplay, voyeurism.
Condom use: Yes, for anal sex. We get to see Brett putting his on.
Juice-o-meter: Medium low overall.
Final analysis: This movie is not my personal favorite among Daddy Oohhh!’s growing catalog of titles, but I do think it serves a sadly neglected niche. If you’re a member of the special viewing audience who prefers sex that’s wholesome and easygoing and completely unrushed, then Country Time, Country Fine might indeed be fine and worth your time.
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