Hook Ups 8: Up The Ass With Class

Wicked Pictures

Genre: Vignette

Director: Mark Stone

Cast: Shy Love, Randy Spears, Aria, Lee Stone, Katja Kassin, Jay, Lauren Phoenix, Nick Manning, Selena Silver, Alana Evans, Melissa Lauren, Jerry: Mya Mason (bonus scene only)

Length: 119.5 minutes

Date of Production: 11/23/2004

Extra's: The best extra was a bonus scene between Mya Mason and Nick Manning from Hook Ups 7 that lasted 16.5 minutes long. It wasn't the best scene Wicked Pictures ahs used as an extra but fans that haven't seen it will likely appreciate getting more fuck for the buck than expected (and she did anal). Otherwise, the DVD included a Wicked-lite package of extras with the usual photogalleries, trailers, promotional reels, DVD Rom materials and a double sided DVD cover (no BTS feature, no interviews, commentaries, or other unique extras this time, sorry).

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: Hook Ups 8 was presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color that it was shot in by director Mark Stone for Wicked Pictures. The lighting this time was less than what Mark usually uses, almost as if he was trying a stylish change, but it didn't work for me as I like to see the action clearly (more so than such lighting allows for). There was grain, some minor video noise, and some compositional troubles that detracted from the scenes too but there were no compression artifacts and fans may forgive Mark his sins this time since he's usually so strong in the technical areas of his releases. The audio was presented with a choice of the usual 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround English or a 2.0 German track. There was no discernable separation between the channels and the dynamic range was limited on the English track but it was about average for those keeping track.

Body of Review: Mark Stone has long been one of the best directors of behind the scenes material and his other directing jobs haven't been bad either. Today's review is on his latest effort, Hook Ups 8, an all anal version of his popular series that tries to get gals working with partners they really want to screw on camera in order to instill extra heat. Like Hook Ups 5, the show wasn't perfect but it had some decent action going on for fans of this type of thing. Here's a breakdown of the action by cast for those still interested:

Scene One: Shy Love, a lean gal with large implants and an exotic Latina look, was up first describing how she was going to ride Randy Spears as he had never been ridden before. The camera gave her some tease time that allowed the viewer to see her at her best, using shadows to hide various minor flaws in her body as the two went at it in a darkened room on a wooden table. He snacked on her crack and fingered her tight ass as she became increasingly excited. She then blew him with a bit of energy before he started boning her pussy and then ass as if his life depended on it. Her throaty moans were interesting but the stylish manner that Mark used to capture the scene really didn't work for me as well as it should have. The chemistry wasn't the best I've seen of them but the energy levels were solid and the scene was fun.

Scene Two: Aria, the dark haired bodybuilder gal with a tight body and winning look, was up next in a bed with her frequent partner, the massive Lee Stone. The darker picture wasn't as favorable for her as it was for Shy (it made her wrinkles stand out; don't blame the messenger either) but she followed the formula here as she described what she'd do with her muscular bed buddy and the two went at one another as energetically as ever. They kissed, did oral, and screwed like they couldn't stop going at it, eventually doing some pretty solid anal for the camera. She did her pissing routine (some call it squirting) and ended up licking his load off the bedroom mirror but it was the chemistry they shared that made this scene a winner.

Scene Three: Katja Kassin, arguably the hottest anal queen in porn today, was up next in the kitchen with Jay. She sported her newer blonde look here but otherwise seemed at home following the formulaic method the movie focused on. The tease footage worked well for me but her ability to speak English and sound natural was a bit off this time (as though reading for queue cards). The two seemed well suited for one another as she has a curvy body and his muscles seemed to work for her as the two played. There was a fair amount of foreplay and oral before they took to screwing and I don't recall a single moment where the action let up. He did most of the work this time, a fact that surprised me since I've long appreciated her ability to ride a partner hard and wet, but I still liked watching her in action. Fans will note that she did some taste testing and it ended with a facial but this was far from her best work.

Scene Four: Lauren Phoenix, perhaps the only gal in the movie that had a chance of keeping up with Katja (the two appear to be nearly equally matched in terms of sexual energy and skill, especially with anal, when they are both at their peak), actually surpassed my favorite performer of the day in a scene with boy toy Nick Manning in the dining room. The two kissed and felt one another up before they got down to the oral and straight screwing. I'm not his biggest fan but he did a fine job with her as the two did the deed in various positions. The anal was not quite her best work to date but it was still very heated and I enjoyed the entire scene (it was the best of the show).

Scene Five: Selena Silver, the dark haired Australian, and blonde Alana Evans, were up next in the sole lesbian scene of the movie. I know some of you will feel gypped that the box cover proclaimed there were 7 anal scenes and the general consensus is that a lesbian scene doesn't count when they do anal but if you give it a chance as I did, you'll probably find it was a pretty decent scene. They passionately kissed and rubbed one another before going down with some pleasure. The toys came out and the strap on dildo went into play as they each got some plastic insertion action. It wasn't the best scene of the movie but it was fun to watch and I thought it had some of the best replay value of the show. I only wish it lasted longer.

Scene Six: Melissa Lauren, a dark haired French gal with an all natural body and pretty eyes, wore a tiny outfit as she performed the tease the others had done before her scene with Jerry by the fireplace. She seemed in charge during the fantastic blowjob but he took over, rolled the gal over, and gave her a bone of his own, before they got too lost in the oral. He did most of the work during the screwing portion of the scene and she took the anal as well as she always does but it seemed slightly more mechanical than I expected of her so even the decent facial didn't sway my final rating of the movie.

Summary: Hook Ups 8 wasn't the best volume of the series by along shot and yet, I liked some of the scenes enough to rate it as at least a Rent It, if not better. I might've rated it as recommended had the extras package been better but the weakness of a few scenes that should've been standout hits and the dark scenes made this one I just couldn't rate as highly as usual for the talented director. He tried something new, it didn't work out, and hopefully he'll go back to providing sex scenes that can be clearly watched without the stylish attempts to use shadows (which would work better if he were directing a spy movie or feature film). It was still a good flick but the replay value of most scenes was limited and therefore you'll want to rent it before shelling out so much cash for it.