Flashpoint - Wicked

Starring: Jenna Jameson, Asia Carrera, Brad Armstrong, Brittany Andrews, Eric Price, Jill Kelly, Johnni Black, Jonathan Morgan, Mickey G., Mike Horner, Missy, Sindee Coxx, Steve Drake, Sydnee Steele, T.T. Boy, Veronica Hart

Rating:

Customer review by: Dark Image

Buy this title: USA | UK | Europe | Australia & NZ

Once in a long while we get a movie like Flashpoint. In fact, the last time we got a movie like Flashpoint, it was called Backdraft and it only had one sex scene on top of a fire engine. (All movies about fire fighters need a sex scene on a fire engine) Someone decided that what the adult industry needed was a movie with the plot quality of Backdraft and the sexual heat of Conquest. Lo and behold, Flashpoint is created upon the forge of horny Jenna fans everywhere!

The Plot: Most porn movies start with a sex scene inside of two minutes. The theory is that you want to grab the audience's dick and get its attention. This actually works. Trust me, if you grab anyone's dick you have their complete attention. However, this movie starts with a group of firefighters responding to automobile accident. As they work to extract the crash victim, the damaged engine catches on fire and the car explodes, killing both the accident victim and one of the firefighters. During the funeral, Jenna is interrupted by one of her coworkers (Lt. Hill) who won't leave her to alone to talk to herself. It turns out that the Lieutenant and Jenna had a relationship in the past, and he thinks it's time they got back together. Jenna doesn't think so. (Jenna! Dude, he's a porn star! You know he's going to be good in bed!) Anyhow, Bill comes to her social rescue and everyone goes back to the fire station to get some sleep.

Jenna and Bill spend some time talking. Here we discover why Lt. Hill is being such a prick. He saved Jenna's life during a particularly bad fire, during which he incurred an injury removing him from active duty. As a result, he is expecting some gratitude and he apparently doesn't realize that he's become a prick in the process. Anyhow, Bill lends Jenna a sympathetic penis and comforts her in the manner of porn movies everywhere. Note, this is a good 10-15 minutes into the movie at this point. With most adult films, we should be thinking "This is a porn movie, right? Yeah, there are chicks with implants, but I could see that at a Britney Spears concert," Thankfully (and somewhat amazingly) the plot is interesting enough that you don't care.

After watching the happy couple sneak their way around the fire station, looking rumpled and ravished, a fellow firefighter can't sleep and wanders off to the break room. There he finds two of his coworkers who can't sleep either. After some reasonably corny dialogue that is nonetheless delivered pretty well, they decide to comfort each other... Just like the Lieutenant and Jenna comforted each other. It's nice to know that they are keeping their spirits up and the patented Porno Therapy Treatment #1 works wonders for everyone's morale.

During an emergency call to rescue two big-breasted women, Jenna hesitates at a particularly inappropriate moment. It turns out all right and the ladies are very grateful for the big muscular firefighters coming to their rescue. Jenna has a little talk with her boss, whereupon we discover that her sister drowned when she was young, and Jenna had a tiny flashback. Right now, I would be thinking no matter how good of a lay she was, get the hell away from this chick. Everyone around her either burns, drowns or walks with a limp.

Jenna's ex apparently has trouble letting go of his failed relationship. He essentially has a wet dream where most of the station has sex on one of the fire engines (Yippee! I knew this movie was better than Backdraft at this point). After the dream, we find that two of the firemen have a date with the young ladies that they had rescued earlier that day. They show up looking for a good time, and they get it in spades. This makes sense to me, especially for the drowning victim. These guys saved her life! (The least she can do is take it up the ass for them.)

The plot takes a turn when we discover that Jenna is under investigation by the arson unit. Note, this is a good thing because up until now the plot hasn't done much other than set up the characters and the fact that everyone gets laid. A lot. Apparently one of her nametags was found at the scene of a fire. This is not terribly unusual, but her fire station wasn't called in to help with that fire. Ooooooh! How did it get there? The arson unit thinks that maybe she had something to do with the fire, and will continue to investigate.

While we're waiting for the plot to thicken like omelets & buttermilk, we watch a completely random bit of sex. That night, one of Jenna's other coworkers, Mike, makes the mistake of reading a "dirty magazine" (listen to the commentary to find out which one) and staring at Jenna's barely constrained chest. Needless to say, he has dreams of Jenna to keep him company that evening (which we get to watch, naturally).

Remember how that plot took a twist a couple of sex scenes back? Well, it does it again after yet another sex scene involving a dinner guest and what women really do when they go to the bathroom in groups.

Porn with a plot twist! Who would have thought it was possible?

The Cast: OH YEAH! This is pretty close to the best cast I have ever seen in an adult movie. I know there is a large fan base for Jenna Jameson, and I can see why. She is most definitely a big plus to this film. But the fun doesn't stop there! We have Asia Carrera (my absolute favorite), Jill Kelly, Johnni Black, Sindee Cox and Syndee Steele are the names that I recognize right off the bat. Missy and Brittany Andrews round out our little group of Perfection, Incorporated. Alas, I don't recognize these last two from memory. I will definitely recognize Missy after this movie, though! She is one of the few performers in this film who still has OEM tits. More power to her!

The gentlemen serving up their talents for your entertainment are Steve Drake, Mike Horner, Jonathan Morgan, Mickey G., T. T. Boy, Eric Price and Brad Armstrong. Please note, that Brad is also the director of Flashpoint. Wow, that's got to be rough. Make the movie your way and get to have sex with the actors. I need a job where I get to do things my way and have sex with the employees. Maybe I should run for office...

In all seriousness, these guys are not just porn stars; they are actors in the adult film industry. The distinction is subtle but important. These guys and girls can act. All of them. Without exception. After watching so much tripe this is a refreshing change indeed. I have to say that there is only one thing missing from this cast list to make it perfect. I want Stacy Valentine. I want the Mistress of Sweaty Sex to grace us with her body in all its splendor. Throw her on top of Asia or Jenna and life will be good. But why stop there? Hell, I want a three-way between Jenna, Asia and Stacy! (Okay... To be fair, what I really want is a four-way between Jenna, Stacy, Asia and Darkmage!)

The Sex: Contrary to most adult films that I have seen of late, we do not start the movie with a sex scene! We actually get plot first! Quite a bit, actually. Eventually, we get around to actually seeing the sex you paid for, but it is worth the wait. Jenna and Billy G. go at it in the garage of the fire station, on a bench. Wow, a bench, huh? Wouldn't it make more aesthetic sense to screw on the fire truck? (Patience, Grasshopper. When you can snatch the condom from my hand, you will be ready.) Someone once told me that Jenna Jameson is the highest paid adult actress to date. I can fuckin' see why! For starters, she's beautiful. That always helps. Secondly, she is an extremely active in her scene here. She moves, she writhes, she twitches, she caresses, she fondles, etc. The woman does not just lie there and take it like a body temperature bag of jello (I think I dated her). She's there to have sex. Last, but not least, she creates a sex scene that is believable. Contrary to most of the adult actresses I know of, she actually makes me believe that she has forgotten about the camera. She doesn't look like she's putting on a show, she looks like she's fucking Billy G. Once the ball starts rolling (so to speak) these two create a scenario that you can believe in.

While the entire scene is very good, some parts just stick in your mind and won't let go (even with sandpaper). Jenna gives a great looking blowjob! While some people strike a pose and bob their head up and down, Jenna uses her entire body when slurping the sex snake. As another bonus, Jenna does not moan like she's a tape on a loop, she sounds like she's getting good sensations and having a great time. Hmm... I'm running out of compliments. Mickey G., while possibly looking more mature than most male adult stars, does quite a good job on his end of things. He is a great compliment for Jenna, and they work very well together, right up to the pop shot across her breasts. (As an interesting note, this is the only scene in the entire movie where condoms are used. The rest of Flashpoint is all done bareback.) The camera work on this scene is amazing. Lots of overhead shots and pans across to wide angle shots of the happy couple. It works really well and this scene is excellent. What more can I say?

As Jenna and Mickey sneak back into the living quarters of the fire station (When I was in college, the half-naked trot down the hall afterwards was called 'The Walk of Shame'), Steve Drake gets up in the middle of the night and wanders in on Johnni Black and Jill Kelly in the break room. Now, despite my personal dislike for fake breasts, these women are hot! The three of them go around and around from the couch to the weight bench and back again in an impressive scene. Jill really is the one to watch here. She moves extremely well, especially when mounted reverse cowgirl on Steve's dick. Her hip action is great, and she looks like some major sensations are running up her spine into her brain and playing patty-cake with her pleasure centers. Johnni holds up her end of the scene as well, but she should learn not to do much in the way of doggie style. Her breasts are beginning to fold unnaturally and it is obvious, but not distracting. Oh, and my favorite little dick trick, Johnni pulls the dick out of Jill and gives it a couple good healthy slurps before tucking it back in. Oh man, that has got to feel awesome. Johnni gets Drake Dick in the ass in a great penetration shot and Jill lends a couple of helping fingers to get Johnni's rocks off. Steve finishes up all over Johnni's pussy and there is a rising cheer from the crowd!

Editing in this scene was a little jumpy. Lots of cuts seemed overly jarring and didn't really flow together. Still, it wasn't enough to be too distracting. Overall, this scene was very good! Both actresses look great, even with the chest enhancers and the three of them work very well together. Great job, guys!

Grasshopper, you have proven patient and shown much strength. You have sat through plot and dialogue in a movie about firemen with nary a whimper (okay, you had two kick-ass sex scenes to help you along, but that's a minor detail). As a reward for your discipline, you shall witness the Sex on the Fire Truck scene. Oh yeah! Sindee Coxx, Jill Kelley, Mickey G. Johnni Black, Brad Armstrong, Steve Drake and one other person (Mike Horner, I think) all get to go at it all over a ladder truck. This scene is done very well, with the film slowed down to just the right speed to keep the necessary dreamlike quality (it is a dream sequence, after all). There is one extra guy who usually attaches himself to Johnni Black's mouth, and they all rotate around by the end of the scene. As the scene progresses, they work their way up the truck until Brad Armstrong is getting a blowjob on the ladder. Yeah, yeah, yeah... make whatever Freudian corollary you want here. We've all heard it before. So, after polishing the big engine and watching the hoses spurt, the firefighters make sure that all fires are quenched and left dripping wet... Okay, I'll stop.
Needless to say, this scene kicks ass. Orgy scenes are hard to shoot, as it is difficult to keep the viewer interested in what you are showing them and keep them interested when you switch to another couple. This one pulls off that necessary trick very well. The camera work here is exceptionally well done for adult cinema, and looks much like the work done in the first scene. Once again, the sex will not disappoint.

Yeeeeeehaaaw! Darkmage is a happy camper. Why? Because Darkmage is a big Asia Carrera fan, and he once again is reminded why he gets a stiffy whenever she appears on screen. Now we get to act out every firefighter's fantasy: Two lovely women, whom you have rescued from certain death, are going to show their gratitude by sucking you dry. Life doesn't get much better than this. Especially when you met the ladies they were wearing only bathing suits and looked like Asia Carrera and Syndee Steele! Asia and Jonathan Morgan go at it in the pool, while Syndee and Eric Price decide that she's had quite enough water today, thankyouverymuch! They will adjorn to the living room to discuss her gratitude. I'm kind of two minds about this scene, really. It is a good scene as far as anyone's standards go, but after watching seven people ravish each other on a six-ton fire engine, you feel kind of let down.

On the whole, it's a very good scene. Asia does a little oral action on Jonathan in the Jacuzzi that just looks beautiful. She sticks her legs out to each side and you can just see her muscles ripple like a dancer's. Droooool. Asia really does steal the scene here. It is an orgy, after all, and she hops from one guy to the other with that patented "I can't believe I get paid for this!" smile that is so infectious. Combine that with her squeaking as she gets more and more excited and the life of a pornophile is very good. Well, enough about Asia. I'm biased. What about Syndee? She does very well, too. She gives a good blowjob, and takes some anal ramming on the coffee table. It looks wonderful. Gone is the heavy reliance on vagicam shots. Oh, they're present, but the camera hangs out in the back often enough to give you some real eye candy.

Syndee is a lovely lady and she has a lazy "I'm enjoying whatever the hell you're doing down there" look that is a pleasure to watch. She doesn't seem quite as light-hearted and fun about the whole evening as her partner in porn is, but I suppose it's a matter of style. The scene finished up in fine fashion with two competant cumshots on Syndee's pussy and face. All in all, this scene is definitely above average. Alas, compared to everything else you've seen in this movie so far it just doesn't quite keep the same momentum. It's too bad, really. I am a big A.C. fan (like you couldn't tell) but I can't really say that this was the best scene in the movie. It's not a bad scene (not by a long shot!) but it just isn't as good as what has come before it. Granted, this is like saying a Corvette is a letdown after going canyon carving in a Porsche.

Have you noticed that we've only watched Jenna in one scene so far? This cannot stand! We, the undersigned porn fans, do hereby demand the reinstatement of Ms. Hot Hips to the movie's carnal display in order to... Oh, hey cool! One of Jenna's coworkers (T. T. Boy) is having a dream about Jenna in one of her more natural habitats. He has good company as I'm sure there are thousands of young men (and probably a fair number of women) who dream about Jenna, too. I don't think they dream of Jenna in red latex with a spiked collar in a burning warehouse (maybe T. T. should cut out the pepperoni pizza before bedtime, hmm?) T. T. Boy, to his credit, doesn't show up in a discreet strapless number. No, strapless would not go well with her Latex Lovesuit. His outfit consists entirely of a couple straps and some buckles (Plus shoes. It can't be a porn movie unless you're still wearing your shoes) Our dream Jenna and Mr. Boy get it on amidst the burning flames that appear from nowhere and don't actually burn anything. Yep, it's a dream sequence. But it is a good dream sequence! Jenna does some sensual posturing in an outfit that would get a stiffy from a eunuch. Jenna performs up to the quality that we have come to expect from her (Namely, she kicks ass!) On the audio side, the background music has apparently found the bass guitar and doesn't want to let it go. I won't bore you with the list of positions, but it looks fucking great, especially the initial penetration shot. At one moment, Jenna loops one leg over Brad's shoulder and does a standing position that looks amazing, but must hurt like hell. I saw this exact position in Conquest, and it looks just as good now as it did then. What I really want to know is how she managed to give a blowjob while wearing a collar with six inch spikes on it. I have to hand it to T. T. Boy, he is just as sensual in this scene as Jenna is. He moves quite very well, none of this "in, out, repeat if necessary" crap. In the end, he gives a good shot across her chest.

As nice as Jenna's body and sensuality is, I still can't get over the expressions on her face. I don't know how she does it, but her eyes tell you more about what she is feeling than anything else in the scene. This, to me, is the mark of an adult film actress, and not just a porn star. It is strange, but even with big breasts, tight ass, leather outfit, spiked heels and spread out in all of her taught and tight glory for the viewing audience, her eyes turn me on the most.

Our next scene is a seemingly random encounter between Jonathan Morgan and Missy. Just in case you didn't have enough sex on the fire engine, these two are going to entertain you with the ol' push & pull with the expensive equipment. Missy looks exceptionally good here and I'm always a sucker on... er, I mean for natural breasts. I suppose in all adult films you do have to bow down to the industry standards in sex scene development. This movie is no exception, for our lovely lady is wearing high heels, thigh-high white stockings, a pink raincoat and matching underwear. Ladies, do you really go out in public like this? If you do, call me! Still, porn fashion notwithstanding, Missy gives a high-impact blowjob and works Jonathan Morgan over like a sexual meat tenderizer! Again, we get a lot of the overhead camera work and that bass guitar is back with reinforcements (the bass drum is riding shotgun). Missy is definitely a treat for the eyes, if not the ears. Alas, she has perfected the art of the porno moan and will treat you to it every few seconds. Still, you don't really care about that because this woman is amazing. My personal opinion is that the very best women in adult cinema have mastered the art of hip action. Ginger Lynn is one such master, and Missy is right up there. When she sits down in a reverse cowgirl, it's like watching a snake do the tango. About halfway through she whips out the video camera, which adds a nice kinky touch to it. Pamela Anderson would be proud! Just to make it a little more interesting, she adds spice to her home videos by taking it in the ass. Even when she's flat on her back, Missy is still a joy to watch. Jonathan Morgan does his best, but Hercules couldn't keep up with Missy's performance. He ends this scene with an unfortunately weak pop on her crotch. Still, it's not enough of a detraction to make this scene anything but excellent.

Apparently women in water have a thing for banging the firefighters that rescue them. Witness Jenna on the receiving end of Brittany Andrews' gratitude in a restaurant bathroom. Lesbian scenes are really not my thing, but there are several perks to recommend this one. For starters, among Jenna's other talents, she can munch carpet with the best of them. The sex starts of extremely well with a visual of Brittany practically leaping onto Jenna up against a wall. After that, it just gets better. I must add this scene to my small, but growing, collection of truly awesome girl/girl scenes. It bogs a bit in the middle when Jenna first gets her shirt off, but hooo boy! does it take off from there! You would have to pry these two apart with a crowbar. They trade places once or twice but they both are very active on both sides of the equation. Yeah, just another typical day at the restaurant! And I have got to give Brittany Andrews credit for a perfect rendition of the ditzy, just-been-fucked-five-ways-to-Sunday blonde firefighter groupie when she watches Jenna leave the room, calling out that timeless phrase of great sex: "Call me?"

This is a great scene to cap the movie with. Sit back and enjoy the last of the plot as it unfolds for your viewing pleasure. Hmm... 5, 6, 7 scenes total! And the least erotic scene out of all of them was merely "damn good."

The Image/Audio: The image is very good for most parts of the movie. Some of the outdoors scenes suffered from some slight compression artifacts and haloing. Colors are sharp during indoor scenes, but most of the outdoor scenes seem slightly washed out. Watch carefully during the sex scene on the fire engine, you can see the compression squiggles along the patterns of the ladder. The only real problem with the image comes during the behind the scenes featurette. The image is grainy, has low color saturation and there is a problem at the top of the image where the image distorts to the left. The bottom of the image has a light green hue at the very edge of the image. Somebody apparently collected this behind the scenes stuff from a videotape or something low-end. It looks terrible (however, I'd rather have terrible-looking extras than no extras!)

The background music, while above average for a porn movie, is turned up a bit too high and you can't hear the actors much during a sex scene. For the plot scenes (and there are many), the audio is mostly okay, if a little muffled. For the outdoor scenes, you should bring a copy of the script. The microphone seems to pick up almost everything except the actors. Alas, any time there is background music, you won't hear any dialogue and sometimes even when there is no background music you're going to have problems. The audio is the one weakness of this DVD (the image problems in the feature are not enough to bother anyone) and it almost seems like this is one trick that Adam & Eve haven't quite mastered yet. The background music is a touch too high and the wind noise from a few outdoors scenes detract from good performances. I've noticed this in a couple other Adam & Eve releases.

The Extras: This DVD is one of the few that I know of that includes a commentary track. I love commentary tracks! This particular one is by the director of the film, Brad Armstrong, who also appears in a couple scenes. From a technical perspective, this track is fascinating. It covers a lot of what goes into making an adult film, including some of the special precautions that have to be implemented. It is an excellent glimpse into how to make an adult movie, but it is not without its downside. Unfortunately, it is spaced by some fairly lengthy silent moments and some frankly obvious statements ("Here is the fantasy sequence on the fire truck. You can see she's polishing the equipment.") Hah. Still, don't get the impression that the commentary isn't worth listening to. It definitely is worth it. But if he says "It's a beautiful thing" one more time, I'm going spike his lubricant with Novocain.

Whomever designed the menus deserves a pat on the back (or how about a raise?) The menus are a few yards above some mainstream DVDs that I've seen. Scene access, audio selection, biographies... blah blah blah. Sound typical? Not by a long shot! The bios are not just bios, they are animated and someone is nice enough to read the biography to you. The different pages of information have these cool flame transitions that rock. The photo gallery has some nifty background music and little touches like a border and radar-style transitions that are also kickass. There is an interview with Brad Armstrong and a behind the scenes featurette that is the best that I've ever seen for adult film, bar none (hang on, Dreamquest is coming soon!) The behind-the scenes has seven chapters, lots of humor, and interesting insights into how you make your movie look real without actually having to endanger your actors. Top it off with a selection of trailers for other Adam & Eve films (Satyr, Conquest, Crazed and the trailer for Flashpoint) mix well, pour and bake in the inferno at 450 for thirty minutes. This DVD was designed by the pros!

No doubt about it, somebody went all-out on this disc. In a features-per-dollar comparison, this DVD is going to be up in the top ten of everyone's adult list.

The Good: Jenna, Asia, lots of great sex, a full-length commentary, behind-the-scenes and a car exploding into flames. The sex is damn good, too.

The Bad: Dialogue audio level problem, poor quality image on behind- the-scenes extra.

Overall: If you haven't seen this, then you need to. If you have seen this, then you know what I'm talking about.

You can buy this title here: USA | UK | Europe | Australia & NZ

Rating:

Customer review by: Drew Black

Wow, what a DVD. Flashpoint may be the best all-around adult title that I have seen. It has great looking performers, great sex scenes, a half-decent plot and Jenna Jameson. What else could you ask for?

Flashpoint is about a fire station full of gorgeous, horny firefighters. It's like the hottest porn stars in the industry are firefighters in their day jobs. Brad Armstrong has created a title that will be high on most people's favorite porn list.

I really liked the alternate audio track feature of Flashpoint. You can listen to the director's commentary throughout the movie. It provides an interesting perspective on the making of the movie and some of the challenges involved. I recommend you watch this one straight through once before checking the director's commentary out. You'll have a greater appreciation for the planning, production and basic hard work that went into making this DVD.

I could go through the play-by-play details on this one (I never do so why start now) but I won't ruin it. It's really worth picking up to see for yourself. All of the fans of Miss Jameson will really like this one. She looks great and does a pretty good job of acting in the non-sex scenes as well. Flashpoint is a "must-have" for any porn fan.

You can buy this title here: USA | UK | Europe | Australia & NZ