Wash West's latest epic, Technical Ecstasy, begins with what is probably the most explosive opening sex scene of the year. There is enough chemistry and heat in that one scene alone to generate electricity for an entire town through a winter storm.
It begins with doe-eyed Chad Kennedy wandering naked through the desert. A car appears, and it's Sam Crockett. Crockett and Kennedy exchange some dialogue and then plunge right into the sex, which begins orally on the hood of Crockett's car and ends with an volcanic fuck in Crockett's trailer. From the second that Crockett slips his big ol' country cock into Kennedy's hungry hole, the volcano erupts, and it is severely doubtful that any gay man will be able to make it to Scene Two without replenishing some fluids. Mixing Crockett's dirty mouth with his sexy country drawl and Kennedy's groans of pleasure as Crockett buries his bone deep into his ass will have viewers across the country fainting from the heat. It is an incredible scene - at one point, without missing a thrust, Crockett slides a big mirror underneath Kennedy so the young man can see what Crockett's cock looks like as it embeds itself in his ass. Truly unforgettable.
Turns out the whole scene is a fantasy that has been constructed through Hard Futures Corporation, a virtual reality company run by Dr. Drew Andrews. Andrews' test patient is adorable Dean O'Connor, complete with that innocent baby face and puppy dog eyes. O'Connor has stepped into the role of Kennedy during the previous fantasy and enjoys his first time in the "Technical Ecstasy" realm immensely.
He heads home to lover Derek Cameron, but it's clear that there are signs of trouble brewing for the lovers.
O'Connor's second time turns him into black stud Dennis Lincoln, who, with his real-life lover (at the time) Tony Donovan, shoot some hoops before they head indoors for some more intimate physical activity. Both trade sucks, Donovan rims Lincoln to no end, and then the two take turns fucking the other - Donovan's first bottoming experience on film. Both guys have huge dicks, huge ones, and enjoy working on each other for another hot little scene.
O'Connor's next experience morphs him, thanks to the technical wizardry of porn star-turned-editor Adam Rom at Aries Post, into Sandy Sloan, who is a G.I. bunking with three other hunky military studs: Gorgeous Brett Ford, handsome Rob Kirk and newcomer Jason Rose. Some chiding goes on before the boys are whipping out their cocks to see whose is biggest. Of course, Ford wins, and the four fall into an oral free-for-all where everyone gets a taste of everybody else. Soon, little Sloan is leaning over the bunks as, one by one, his buddies take aim and slam their missiles into his ass for a rigorous pounding. Not to be outdone, Sloan turns the tables and, one by one, slams each of his buddies in turn as well. So no one leaves the fantasy without a dick up their butt. Ford is an incredibly natural actor, and here's hoping he gets more roles that showcase not only his sexual abilities (which are amazing) but his acting chops as well.
Things are starting to get sticky (and not the good way) for O'Connor. He becomes ill and personal traits from some of his "characters" are starting to invade his life.
Lover Cameron notices and thinks that hubby is having an affair. While picking up O'Connor's clothes, the card for Hard Futures falls out, and Cameron takes a trip to Dr. Andrews' place himself. Andrews tells Cameron that there are dangerous side effects, but they only occur in a very small amount of subjects. However, those few that remain are considered "Reality Casualties." Cameron decides to try out the Kennedy/Crockett fantasy and heads home. But that doesn't satisfy O'Connor. He heads back to the clinic, where Andrews tells him that three's the limit, and O'Connor has used his up. O'Connor begs, and Andrews turns into a sleaze right before our eyes, twiddling O'Connor's ear, asking, "What would you do for another time?" O'Connor answers "Anything," and Andrews whips out that meaty schlong of his, which O'Connor devours right in the office. It is a brief oral scene but shows how desperate O'Connor is and what a sexual deviant Andrews is.
Strapped in for his final time, O'Connor morphs into hunky Jon Eric for a leather fantasy involving sexy top Joe Romero and insatiable bottom Marc Hamilton. It's the weakest scene in the film, but it's shot so well and the performers seem to enjoy what they are doing. Hamilton begins in a cage, where Romero taunts him with his dick and then throws him into a leather sling, where he gets it on both ends from Eric and Romero.
When the fantasy ends and O'Connor emerges from the suit, it's not O'Connor. It's Eric. Reality and fantasy have merged togethe, and there's no distinguishing anything anymore. Eric flees the lab and heads to his house - O'Connor's house - only to discover that it's for sale. There is not even a hint of O'Connor's presence around. Eric checks his wallet and discovers that he is, indeed, someone else. He has a home, he even has a dog - he calls the operator and discovers there's no such place as Hard Futures Corporation. Everything is upside down. Months go by, and Eric has settled into his new lifestyle when he sees Cameron walking one day. He confronts him, eventually bringing him up to his apartment. Cameron is depressed but decides that one little fling won't matter. They head to the bedroom and proceed to make love. They take turns sucking each other before Eric fucks little Cameron, who has visions of lost love O'Connor during the lovemaking. Eventually, before he is about to slide into Cameron, Eric asks if he knows who he is. Cameron replies that he does, familiarity crashing down on him, and they complete their act. As Eric cums, O'Connor materializes and all goes back to normal.
There is a dark little twist at the end that bugged me but fits the tone that West created, that dark, unfeeling realm of the technical world and how so many people are dependent on it to get through their daily lives. The computer world has replaced so much, and with this introduction of virtual reality, it appears that no feelings or thoughts can be our own anymore.
The video is fantastically shot, another credit to West's huge talent. The music kicks (although fans of West's participation in Red, Hot & Safe will notice the music from that in the final Cameron/Eric scene), and the editing is fantastic. West has an eye for detail, as with anything he does - O'Connor is a chronic nail-biter and when he morphs into the other characters, particularly Eric, that trait carries over to them as well. It is almost as if you don't know what is real and what is fantasy. West is sure to be up for some Grabby noms in many categories this year.
The final rave is for the performances. There is not one wooden line of dialogue uttered in the entire video. Standouts who are sure to be selected come nomination time are Andrews, who plays the sexy and sleazy doctor; the Crockett/Kennedy scene, which will no doubt be high on the Grabby voters' list; Cameron, who pulls off a surprisingly restrained performance of the ignored lover; and, most particularly, O'Connor, who has a natural acting ability coupled with that boyish innocence that will have viewers cheering for him from the minute he's introduced. He's a strong contender, I think, for Best Supporting Actor.
There's not much else to say - it's an incredibly hot and complex video that works on every level. West has done an awful lot of excellent work in his short time as a porn director and has truly earned his place as one of the most talented porn auteurs in the industry.
From the stylish, limited-edition 3D box cover to the wealth of talent immersed inside, any fan of West's or the talented cast would be smart to check this virtual fantasy out. Hell, check it out anyway. It's one of the best videos of the year.
- Jeremy Spencer