Presented by "Masturbate Theater," "8 ½" is introduced as "the tale of an embattled director," as it was when Fellini turned in his masterpiece of the same name (and when Tommy Tune did a masterful job with it as the Broadway musical "Nine"). However, in Fellini's triumph, the director was a besieged man at a crossroads in every facet of his life. Director Matthias Von Fistenberg doesn't even make an appearance in his version, instead actually getting to direct scenes, something Guido Contini never successfully did in the Fellini version. So, in the Von Fistenberg treatment, there really isn't a plot, and the 8 ½ of the title refers instead to the minimum cock size allowed for the men. I think we can collectively deal with that, especially since the models here really know how to use them!
The first scene pairs hunky daddy type Adam Faust, with his tiger tattoo and clipped chest hair, with gorgeous blond Aaron King. It's a mistake to think of Aaron as a twink because though he looks the part, this is no under-experienced babe, but a true wow performer. He and Adam trade blowjobs with a tone of immediate nastiness, Adam adding work on Aaron's ass after just a few quick sucks. Lubed fingers sail into Aaron, but within mere moments, Adam's cock is instead doing that job. Billed as Aaron's first bottoming scene for Dark Alley, Aaron is surely no virgin, because he takes Adam's manly fuck with ease. With Adam's pushy style, he probably wouldn't care anyway, sailing ahead with an ass-slapping depth charge of a fuck. Aaron encourages the fuck to be bigger the whole time, flipping easily between positions so that Adam can unleash further fucking fury on him. Agile Aaron is happy to contort his body into any form that makes it easier for Adam to get in deeper and faster. Both guys cum at the end, exhausted from the hearty scene.
Danny Fox is one of my favorite Dark Alley performers, a chameleon type who looks both magazine cover handsome and punkish. His hair shaved into a short Mohawk, he is partnered here with exceptionally tall Aaron Summers, a hairless brunet with a hefty cock. Danny, in his physically chiseled perfection, blows Aaron excitedly. If Aaron doesn't initially match Danny's surging energy, which is nearly impossible, he still turns in a fantastic rimjob on Danny's muscular ass, diving his tongue in with fearless laps. After teasingly allowing his cockhead inside Danny's ass, Aaron eventually slaps on a condom and puts the whole damn thing in. An awkward insertion sparks Danny into action, working backwards on all-fours as Aaron fucks him. A missionary position works better for Aaron, opening up with some real energy. The fucking here is relegated to only a few moments before both are cumming, a disappointment given what Danny Fox can usually do with a scene.
Returning to the decidedly dark flavor of the first scene, hairy brunet Dillon Buck makes out passionately with bald Brett Silvers, himself a muscular dream. Displaying grand chemistry as they feel around each other, they set up a passion that does not abate. Brett blows Dillon's sizey cock first, though Dillon controls when and how. The upward-turning dick is not an easy suck, but Brett manages the challenge wonderfully. Impatient Dillon wants Brett's ass, and during the blowjob, he starts fiddling with it, soon flattening Brett on the mat so he can rim and finger it, spreading the hairy hole. Keep Brett in the same position, Dillon fucks him, and Brett registers the pleasure eagerly. Dillon is very confident, opening up with more power as he continues, but keeping in contact with his bottom through lots of touching and kissing. For an intermission, Dillon munches again at Brett's butt and then slams him again with a missionary fuck quickly before shooting on Brett's hairy pelvis.
Dillon Buck returns for the final scene. Standing alongside red-haired hottie Tim Kruger, the two get blown by the artfully tattooed Demetrius, a performer truly without limits. An ideal sucker for large cocks, he deep-throats both with sterling facility, aiming to keep his face at their balls as much as possible. The boys are happy to feed Demetrius' insatiable appetite for cock, and he seems to like it best when they are rough with their face-fucking. Demetrius remains the focal point here, taking a feisty fuck from Tim and continuing to suck Dillon. Tim is fond of full in-and-out thrusts, using his big cock to full advantage when soaring into Demetrius with giant pushes. Demetrius is turned around so Dillon can fuck him, which he does with no resistance. Tim had already cleared a smooth pathway, so Dillon can ape Tim's harsh insertions before Tim returns to use them himself. With Demetrius on his back, Tim does the best topping of the scene, then going at Demetrius sideways as another show of Demetrius' anal capacity. It takes a bit of toe-sucking for Demetrius to get Tim to cum, a load he slurps up before howling out a shot of his own. As for Dillon, he gets another trip into Demetrius' ass with Tim gone so he can work up a cum-shot.
Not all of "8 ½" is smooth sailing. There is definitely a choppy quality to some of the hurried scenes, definitely some models who have wood problems, but overall, director Matthias Von Fistenberg has been able to overcome that to turn in a sleek short four-scene film with his stamp of piggishness notably evident.
DVD features: Chapters; trailers ("Mutiny," "Unleashed," "No Exit," "LeatherPunks," "Paris: Behind Closed Doors," "The Show: 1 and 2," "Quickies" and "Gaytanamo"); and no regional coding (playable worldwide).
A DVD Review by Brent Blue