Radium 1

Matt Zane Productions/Pleasure

Genre: Vignette

Director: Matt Zane

Cast: Tera Wray, Jenner, Faith Leon, Mark Zane, Holly Wellin, Rick Masters, Velvet Rose, Lee Stone, Tiffany Rox, Steve Taylor

Length: 90:22 minutes

Date of Production: 4/6/2007

Extras: The best extra (and only one of consequence) was a 5:10 minute long Behind the Scenes feature. Most of it had flubbed lines by Tera Wray and some limited meat interviews (ie: by men) so it really did not impress me. There was a photogallery, a single trailer, a pop shot compilation and some spam (with a slipcover case).

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Radium was presented in 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as shot by director Matt Zane for Matt Zane Productions to be distributed by Pleasure Productions. The interviews were taken at the 2007 California Metalfest by a handheld camera but the sex scenes were moody and dark, shot in some anonymous locations. The lighting was limited for the scenes with a lot of jumpy editing and cel lighting as though captured by a drunk cameraman. The motion effects (slow motion) and fades looked like someone was trying too hard to be "hard" though the ladies were all suited for the kind of alt-porn kind of look presented here. I didn't see any compression artifacts and the ladies were definitely downplayed in terms of their looks but I'm willing to bet that if you are into Metal music, none of this will matter to you. The bitrate was typically in the lower 5 Mbps range for those who care, using the standard MPEG-2 codec. The audio was offered up in the usual 2.0 Dolby Digital English with the 192 Kbps bitrate. The interview portions were hollow and full of background noise but the music videos were as well done as I've seen on MTV's late night showcases (loud, distorted, and full of rage). The sex scenes would all start with some tease footage to metal music and then progress into the couples screwing with lighter music playing in the background ("lighter" meaning lighter for metal). The vocals could be heard over the music for those who care but there wasn't any separation and the dynamic range was limited.

Body of Review: Matt Zane has not been directing for long so his recent deal under his Matt Zane Productions with Pleasure Productions is a springing board to bigger and better things from where I stand. Rather than do a gonzo like most of his peers, he went a different route by emphasizing heavy metal music in his latest release, Radium. The movie was a set of five vignettes edited between some metal music videos with interview footage at the 2007 California Metalfest to add to the appeal for those head bangers interested in the movie. If this is your type of thing, by all means skip the review and rush out to get a copy but if you're on the fence, read on. Here's a quick look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that no condoms were used here:

Music Video: The Beserker: (All About You) The show started off with this video that looked like it cost $50 for the beer money. While this could be construed as a rotten thing to say about any other type of music, true Metal fans will know that it was quite the opposite; the hardcore edginess working for the crowd into this kind of music (as with the other clips, sandwiched between Tera's interviews).

Scene One: Wounded Veins: (Society 1) Tera Wray, the gal featured on the front cover, was up first as she danced around during the tease portion of the sex scenes in her lingerie. Once that was done, she was getting worked over by Jenner; the gal yelling out as he fucked her pussy after some minimal oral. The abundance of lube was weird and despite what she said, she appeared to be in paid during the penetrative portions of the scene; the resulting wad of population pudding gracing her face after an admittedly active ride. I have mixed feelings about the generic nature of the sex here but I can see why they hired her as a contract gal at Pleasure.

Music Video: Everybody Dies: Rock Stars Don't Count: (Society 1) This was a live version of the song with a lot of interesting quirks as the lead singer was dragged around by hooks on his back. Yikes!

Scene Two: I Need A Remedy: (Hollow) Faith Leon, a hotty wearing a red fishnet top and black skirt, looked more like Vanessa Lane thanks to her incredibly heavy make up but as she teased with her black thong and showed her sweet body, I was okay with it. Then weird third tier moper Matt Zane joined in to massage her ass as she claimed that she wanted to be "fucked, so bad". The exaggerated porn moaning was weak but he warmed her up manually fairly well before she blew him; the enthusiastic hummer elevating the scene a bit as she deepthroated his shaft. They did some vaginal screwing after that but she was pretty passive during the fucking so it was far from a good scene but the way her ass cheeks rippled looked pretty hot when they did doggy. She also drained his balls dry with a handjob/blowjob combination so for all the issues I had with it, it was still worth a look.

Music Video: Train Wreck Orchestra: (With Passion) This was another garage band looking video with none of the effects the others had, looking cheap by comparison.

Scene Three: Storyline: (Hollow) Holly Wellin, a sexy brunette wearing slutware to enhance her rocker appeal, teased using her assets to their fullest as the blue eyed Brit said the magic words to nasty Rick Masters: "fuck me". He started opening up her pussy with two hands before she gave him a noisy blowjob while paying too much attention to the camera. Her throat used as a cock socket, she slobbed his knob in a messy fashion too, leading to the pussy poking penetration where her ass zits were prominently displayed. Once on top of his lap though, she aggressively rode cock, switching to anal for an even faster ride. That continued until she milked his balls dry so whatever limitations the technical stuff had, her taking the matter into her own hand (jerking him off to her open mouth) proved productive.

Music Video: Unleash The Bastards: (Municipal Waste) This was another garage band stage video montage; complete with mosh pit.

Scene Four: Lie: (Society 1) Velvet Rose, a native Texan with cornrow hair, was up next and as I recall, she retired a couple of years ago so it was interesting to see her shaking that sweet ass of hers in the black bikini before doing the massive Lee Stone on a more traditional porn set. The medieval look of the set aside, he rimmed her and pulled down her panties, savoring the taste before she reciprocated with a short hummer. He then tore into her pussy as she spouted verbal coaxing, moving to an equally passive anal before the facial finished it.

Music Video: Mortiis: (Decadent and Desperate: Absentia) Earache Records This was more of a demon based video where the effeminate lead singer posed a bunch while chained up to a wall.

Scene Five: Astronaut: (Malcom Bliss) Tiffany Rox, a sexy little strumpet with big hair and a curvy body, was up next as she followed the generic formula with aging lothario Steve Taylor. The tease she gave was decent but far too short, the warming up phase another problem for length, and the oral was lackluster at best. She took a facial after a passive vaginal ride; the gal seeming far too chipper in attitude for this type of porno.

Summary: Radium by director Matt Zane for Matt Zane Productions was probably the ideal porn for heavy metal fans that want to enjoy their favorite brand of music with a little porn but it was too short and devoid of any seriously heated sex to rate as anything other than a Rent It. Relying on a gimmick, in this case the music, is risky in porn since most people don't go to a porno for music any more than they go to porn for serious acting. Still, the technical values were on the weak side and the extras were in need of spicing up so unless you're a dedicated fan of the bands mentioned, Radium seems like it would be best suited for a narrowly defined audience.