Firebush 2

Platinum X Pictures

Genre: Gonzo

Director: Jewel De'Nyle

Cast: Isabella Soprano, Kris "Lucky Bastard" Slater, Charlotte Lee, Joey Ray, Emily DaVinci, Michael Stefano, Charlie Laine, Naudia Nyce, Katja Kassin, Sean Michaels

Length: 121 minutes

Dates of Production: 6/28/2004, 7/29/2004, 8/11/2004, 8/23/2004

Extra's: The best extra, by far, was the 10 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by Juan Cuba. A couple of the gals all got a chance to show their silly side and there was some sex footage for those who demand it too. It wasn't the best BTS features I've seen lately but it did manage to add some value to the DVD. The other extras included 4.5 minutes of photoshoot material, a pop shot compilation from the scenes, a directors biography, some trailers and a photogallery.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Firebush 2 was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as originally shot by the lovely Jewel De'Nyle. The lighting was good and this helped keep the grain and video noise to a minimum. I thought the colors were accurate and the camera angles usually complimentary although this was not always the case. On average, I think the picture was very solid with little of the edge enhancement a few people complained about in earlier Platinum X Picture releases. As far as the DVD mastering goes, the show had no compression artifacts and only a touch of visual break up on some of the fishnets worn by the cast. The audio was presented in the usual stereo 2.0 English and for the most part, the vocals were very clear as the gals moaned, groaned and begged for more.

Body of Review: Many who've watched Jewel De'Nyle's performances over the years have remarked at how alive she was when performing in so many of her scenes. Sure, a few gay critics fussed at her for not having a penis but otherwise, she was "Da Bomb" for many of us. While it's sad that she is no longer performing in front of the camera (I missed her last movie recently), she has made it a point to strive for excellence as a director in the male dominated world of porn. Unlike other women owners (or fronts for the real owners like JK), she has attempted to take the battle of the sexes back to the front lines and usually provides some of the hottest porn available (too hot for some retailers I'm told). Her latest release is Firebush 2, the sequel to Firebush 1, and the guiding theme is about having fiery redheads having sex. While not Jewel's best release of the last year, it certainly had enough action going for it to reinforce her standing as one of the most important people in porn these days. That said, here's a quick look at the scenes for you to see what it had to offer:

Scene One: Isabella, a curvy gal with brown hair (and some minor red highlights), was up first as she teased by a couch while wearing a white top and plaid skirt. Her ass had a lot of junk in the trunk for fans of fleshy butts and the scene with Kris was pretty solid. They did oral on one another, keeping the mood light and playful, and except for a perpetual grimace she had during the scene, I thought she got off at least once. It ended when he jerked off to her face and the chemistry was evident throughout the scene.

Scene Two: Charlotte, a redhead looking much like a gypsy with all her bracelets, rings and tattoos, was up next as she teased the camera by a set of French doors. Her all was also nice, though it had less cushion for the pushing, and the lingerie she wore helped distract me from her admittedly average looks. Joey was her partner and the two followed the formula but this scene wasn't as entertaining to me as the first one. Her energy level was okay but they seemed to be going through the motions more often than not and that killed it for me.

Scene Three: Emily, the little punk rocker looking gal on the front DVD cover, made an interesting choice for the cover since she might look younger than the rest of the cast but she's not even close to some of them in terms of sexual skill and energy. In any case, she wore the same outfit in the movie as the cover, performing a striptease by the fireplace before Michael joined her. The actual sex began with a point of view blowjob, after which she climbed aboard his lap for a slamming good time. She yelled much of the time and eventually took anal like someone far larger (for a tiny gal, she took a lot of cock in her ass) would be able to. At times, it became apparent that she was yelling to convince the camera (and therefore the viewer) that she was having an orgasm but other than the general positive attributes of the scene, I knew differently. It wasn't a bad scene though if these factors don't bother you. It did end with some swallowing action, although his load looked pretty small this time.

Scene Four: Charlie and Naudia, each with some red highlights of their own (well, one of them at least), began the next scene by making out on a couch wearing nice lingerie. Naudia's a cutie to many fans and Charlie wasn't bad either so fans will have something to look forward to here as the gals had a full fledged lesbian scene that included anal toys as well as lots of licking and rubbing. It wasn't a great scene compared to all the others but I liked parts of it just fine.

Scene Five: Katja Kassin, the redheaded German vixen that has enthralled many a fan in the last two years with her perfectly fleshy ass and cute face, gave some of the best tease footage of all to start the final scene. Her black & pink lingerie was hot on her and I could see why Sean wanted to sample this one. Her oral was great and her anal exceptionally heated with plenty of passion too as she rode him for a long time in various positions. I thought the vaginal aspects were left a bit light yet could she possibly turn in a bad scene with this guy? The weakest aspect of the scene was how tiny his pop shot was, perhaps he's working too hard lately, and the rest of it was great! Whew!

Summary: Firebush 2 earned a rating of Recommended by virtue of the cast, the truth in advertising, and the overall heat of the scenes. Even the weaker scenes were worth watching and Jewel's hand could be seen in many aspects of the production, unlike many absentee directors. I like redheads as much as the next guy but if you're a true aficionado of them, this will easily be on your must have list of titles to pick up. Is it any wonder that Platinum X Pictures has emerged as one of the "winners" of gonzo porn with all they have to offer, given shows like this one?