Fresh Meat 20: Rear To Rear

Evil Angel

Genre: Gonzo

Director: John Leslie

Cast: Sharka Blue, James Brossman, Neo, Gloria Gucci, Julia Crow, Frank M., Katy Caro, Linda Shane, Frank Gun, Nick Lang, Piper Auston, Joelean, Frank Del Toro, Carol Weiss, Greg Centauro

Length: 140.5 minutes

Date of Production: 12/7/2005

Extra's: The best extra was the series of deleted footage from four of the scenes that totaled around 25 minutes. It added value and showcased some gals better than others but added value for my viewing experience and that's what extras are all about in my reviews. The other extras included the obligatory photogallery, John Leslie biography, cast list, filmographies, a pop shot recap from the scenes (but no John Leslie Blues Band commercial as has been standard for a long time), and some trailers.

Condoms: Some

Audio/Video Quality: Fresh Meat 20 was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as shot by director John Leslie for distribution by Evil Angel. The lighting was decent enough to allow the viewer to see most of the action but subdued enough to qualify as artistic for the pretentious few who forget it's a porno used for stroking off to. The grain and video noise were a bit better than average for John's work of the last few years and the over saturated colors weren't all that bad this time though I'm not going to kid you and suggest they were as infrequent as many others in the field. The composition of the shots and editing were both competently handled, making the ladies look nearly their best although not always focusing in on their best attributes. The DVD mastering seemed well done and only a handful of compression artifacts were observed along with minor flaws that few of you will care about. The strength of any of John's movies lays not in the technical excellence so much as his devotion to raw energy, something he tends to capture when it rears its lovely head. The stereo English audio was offered up in a 2.0 Dolby Digital but the cast didn't speak and the music wasn't used very much this time, making it kind of on the weak side for me.

Body of Review: If ever porn produced a legendary performer turned director, it would be John Leslie claiming the title. A veteran of the golden age of porn, John has been through it all and seen so many things that he puts the auteurs to shame by comparison. Sometimes though, this leads him to shoot his movies with more of an eye towards artistic vision instead of straightforward fucking as fans want, limiting the stroke value of the flicks he offers as one of the original directors for Evil Angel. Thankfully, his latest movie, Fresh Meat 20: Rear To Rear is a return to the basics for the guy in most ways. Unlike Fresh Meat 19 or Fresh Meat 18, the nature of the movie was less to impress the viewer with special angles, tricks, or other fancy directorial mannerisms and more on the meat and potatoes style fans clamor to see. There wasn't a lot of circus act sex and it could be argued that John missed the boat as the genre took a turn towards the extreme but it was a generally well handled flick in most ways. Here's a breakdown of the scenes by cast and action, noting that a condom was used by one of the guys:

Scene One: Sharka Blue, the blonde featured on the front DVD cover, was up first in a scene with James Brossman and Neo on a couch. She began by masturbating in her Playboy panties and sports shirt, drawing their attention almost as much as she did mine. They were dressed like Jake and Elwood Blues (The Blues Brothers) sans sunglasses and they assisted her act by cramming fingers into her pussy and ass like dear old friends of hers. She reciprocated by smoking a cigarette before smoking their meat poles, handling them just fine, with some fair energy and enthusiasm as the camera worked it's way around the trio. The guys soon started plugging her pussy and ass, giving her a DP with various stops along the way for taste testing before the inevitable mouth loads of semen came her way. It was a moderately appealing scene, largely reinforced by her looks over her usual amount of skill not on display this time, with the unmistakable use of a condom for some reason (which is very rare in foreign shot porn these days).

Scene Two: Gloria Gucci, masturbating in a black leather dominatrix outfit complete with strap on dildo, and Julia Crow, wearing a white fishnet dress as she sucked off Frank M. outside, were up next in an interesting scene. Gloria graced the lower left hand side of the front DVD cover while Julia was relegated to the back cover for some unknown reason but each had a lot to offer the scene. Initially, the scene played out like one of John's voyeuristic shows but Gloria joined in and soon took over from her pal as each got to suck and fuck with their usual amount of talent. Frank was in an extended state of bliss as he drilled away at their various holes but the gals were having fun too; elevating the heat of the scene more than a little bit. There were a number of permutations in regards to positions but among the most active was Julia's anal ride just before he blew his load to their mutual faces. This was another solid ride yet neither of the gals pushed their typically wilder natures, making it about average for their skills.

Scene Three: Katy Caro, the hotty on the upper left hand side of the front DVD cover, and Linda Shane, a gal with an attractive face but a wonderfully fleshy ass as seen on the back cover, were up next with Frank Gun and Nick Lang as their meat puppets in a living room scene. In terms of visual appeal, both gals had a lot to offer and it wasn't a bad way to start to show some lap dance action as well as split the couples apart by use of a glass partition in the house. Each gal displayed some fine oral skills along with the tease before they began the pussy pumping action in earnest. The foursome reconvened in the room together for some more excitable action with anal being the major act in doggy style (with some minor rough stuff and taste testing along the way). The weakest part of the scene was the way the gals kept saying "ohh, ahh" repeatedly (a little bit of fake moaning goes a long way with me) but I couldn't deny the appeal of their beauty. It ended with the gals taking the pop shots to their mouths but I wish they had kissed a little to swap the semen since it might've elevated the action a bit.

Scene Four: Piper Auston, a curvy brunette in a form fitting dress, and the semi-retired hotty Joelean, sporting a pink dress, were up next with Frank Del Toro in the upstairs living room. Piper and Frank began the fun as Joelean masturbated in front of them on a comfy chair with Piper jerking off her partner before engaging in some kissing with him. For her part, Joelean was looking very fit and muscular; a tribute to years of good living. It wasn't long however when both gals double teamed his shaft, Joelean taking on something of a spoiler role where she intermittently participated with them with each gal limiting her sexual repertoire to oral and vaginal stroked before the ultimate pop shot closed it all out. Joelean took the load straight into her mouth and shared it with Piper but not directly as if cumswapping. In short, it was a fair scene with a semblance of John trying something new with the gals.

Scene Five: Carol Weiss, a lean gal with a sweaty, nontraditional look to her closed out the show with a workout in the gym before finishing off partners Greg Centauro and Nick Lang. Compared to some of the women in the movie, she was far less gifted in the genetic lottery but that typically forces a gal to compensate with sheer skill by learning new tricks. Her aqua colored PVC outfit really didn't do much for her until she started peeling it off against the mirror at which time I noticed she was all natural and possibly worth a second look. The guys rubbed and teased her a little before she offered her services, with them oiling her up some more for a nice visual effect. She blew them and otherwise screwed with them like a champion; doing vaginal, anal and a DP on the padded cushions located on the floor. She was moderately active in riding them but not to the level needed to generate any significant heat from the action (at least compared to some of the other scenes), dodging the pop shot fluid when they offered it up to her mouth in the end.

Summary: Fresh Meat 20 was one of those times that I felt obligated to arte the movie as a Rent It even though I'm sure the less discriminating among you will think better of it. The women were largely attractive with hot bodies and nice moves but I've seen almost every single one of them throw themselves into scenes with more energy (usually a LOT more energy at that) and passion, making this a step backwards for them. The amount of tease offered up was far less than John is known for, also limiting the replay value of the movie, and the technical concerns were only a slight step forward for the legend. It'd be easier to evaluate the guy if I hadn't been watching his work for decades on both sides of the camera yet I got the impression that he wasn't catering to his strengths this time and the movie suffered as a result. The mix and match of foreign gals with domestic hotties was a pretty good idea but one put on the back burner and the end result was a pleasant title to check out but far from John's better works in recent years. Still, I'm sure it'll provide some solid stroking pleasure for a time or two but it got old even during the first viewing in a few of the scenes since they simply didn't hold up all that well. It's difficult to put a finger on it (I was glad John didn't rely heavily on circus act sex but there needed to be more "spark" or intensity shown to interest me) but I think this title shows John changing gears; hopefully his next works will show his ability to rise from the ashes and offer up something more fulfilling.