In my view, few onscreen stars in the field of gay erotica have progressed to the director's helm successfully. Fewer still have the brains, balls, energy and talent to continue doing both at the same time. Count Michael Lucas among that very small number. And in "Auditions: Volume 1: Director's Cut" he lets us in on his casting process, featuring models that want to participate in one of his feature productions. Although he doesn't perform in every scene, Michael's presence is felt throughout, guiding the action here, sliding his fist into an ass there. In the scenes where he does get in on the action, his usual raunchy (in a very good way) behavior enlivens everything that happens onscreen. The director doesn't edit the scenes much, leaving in some stuff that some might consider too raunchy -- when the performers fart, you hear it (and sometimes, you see it). For me, it didn't detract from the heat in the least, if anything it made the models even more real.
The first is a body-sculpted gym instructor names Wilfried Knight. His chiseled, furry torso and handsome face are a one-two punch, and Michael, who is in bed with the stud, totally gets off on them. Michael and Wilfried chat a bit, with Michael checking out his sexual likes and dislikes (part of every scene at the beginning), then the two burn it up with some mutual cocksucking and rimming. Wilfried then gets on the receiving end of Michael's legendary cock, and the bottoming performance he gives is sexy as hell, arching his back and taking it all with a lot of style. Michael seems totally into the perky ass, especially when Wilfried blows a load as Michael is still fucking him.
Buff Frenchman Christophe Blanc performs with boyish Jack McCarthy. Here, Michael directs off camera for the most part. Christophe has the kind of tapered torso that forms a very defined V-shape, and while Jack is a total bottom, his cock is huge. Interestingly, Jack also bears a slight resemblance to Michael. The scene is mostly oral, although Christophe does get a chance to go at Jack's literally perfect ass for a while. Michael's camera goes in for many close-ups as Christophe tongues it and spreads Jack's asscheeks, displaying his winking, pinkish-brown hole. Jack easily manages two cum-shots in the scene, but it seems like forever before iron man Christophe shoots his load, holding out despite lots of fucking, sucking and stroking. When he does let go, the load is huge, which is maybe why he waited. Jack's face gets coated with Christophe's load, and afterward Jack licks and sucks Christophe's uncut cockhead clean.
Nasty sexpig Alex Clark is up next, performing with Michael, and to look at this dude's clean-cut, square-jawed face, with his piercing blue eyes and chin goatee, it's hard to imagine just exactly how raunchy he is. His shaved head and smoothly muscled body look great on camera, and his performance is unforgettable, including foot worship, piss (both on his exposed asshole and directly in his mouth), and lots of ass sniffing, rimming and fucking.
Brazilian-born Alex has a gorgeous pink asshole, ringed with soft, downy fur. Michael shows it off, asking the stud to push it out for the camera, making it wink lasciviously (and nearly causing me lose it right there). Alex, who confesses he loves ass smells during the interview process, seems to get off with Michael sitting on his face, and later, Michael returns the favor. Alex loses it while riding Michael's cock, and then Michael blows a load soon after. These two studs definitely had a lot of chemistry performing together.
With his wiry body, huge uncut cock and dark good looks, it's easy to see why Michael was entranced by 24-year-old Italian boy-toy Federico Ferro. His ass is astounding, able to take huge dildos and buttplugs with ease, and his solo performance is absolutely jaw dropping. Although Federico has a partner, he says that he gets off best when he's by himself, and then he shows how he does it, popping an immediate boner and getting up on all-fours, his ass completely open and exposed, his thick uncut meat swinging between his legs. Federico then shows how he can fist his own ass, easily sliding it in. Later, he also takes an impressively huge dildo and the thickest buttplug I've ever seen. But Federico, for all his own ministrations, gets turned on enough to shoot his load when Michael steps in and shoves his fist into Federico, letting loose a huge load of cum that just volcanically streams from the head of his cock, dripping down his dick and balls, and coating his ass. Then Michael pushes some of the cum into Federico's hole, followed closely by the buttplug. Michael stays dressed the entire time, although he does unzip his jeans, releasing his completely erect dick, which he strokes as the action progresses. Both dudes cum at the end of this sizzling, raunchy buttplay scene.
The finale stars good-looking Puerto Rican Wilson Vasquez for a jerk-off performance. Wilson's main asset is his killer smile, even though he is also gifted with a tight body and huge uncut dick. Wilson gets undressed, all the while sexily flirting with both Michael and the camera. He shows off his ample foreskin, stretching it with his finger, and demurs when Michael offers him sex toys (bummer!). Still, Wilson is a joy to watch, even though he pretty much just does a straightforward jerk-off. The interesting part is that Michael seems to be understandably completely captivated and tantalized by Wilson, which adds a lot of heat to the scene. Wilson's load, when he shoots, leaves his furry lower belly coated with droplets of cum. He squeezes the head of his dick, rolling the last bits out over his foreskin as the camera gets a tight-in shot.
Overall, this is an excellent, bare-bones production. Michael, rather chameleon-like, doesn't force any of the guys to do anything they aren't turned on by -- that's why he interviews them thoroughly before each shoot. Whatever they are comfortable with, he molds his own performance, or direction, to their preferences. The final product bears this out, as each stud seems to be captured at his best, and totally relaxed for Michael's camera.
DVD features: Chapters; trailers; and no regional coding (playable worldwide).
A DVD Review by Martin Cox