Bijou Pictures

Gay Porn Classics: Twins

TwinsThe subject of brotherly love has always been one of the hottest taboos. Never has it been more fully and tenderly explored than in the pre-condom gay porn classic we’re reviewing today, titled simply Twins. Delving into the fascinating world that only identical twins can fully understand, director Toby Ross treats the subject with an almost educational approach. It’s even more like a time capsule than most classic titles, giving us a look inside the twins’ actual homes (this can mean shag carpet and ugly floral print at times). These three sets of twins were filmed back in the 1970s, but this compilation was released in 1993.

As sensitive as it is sexy, Twins takes an almost documentary approach during the brief narrated segments, when we hear about the high incidence of sex-play between younger identical twins. Most of the time this tapers off when they get older, but not in the case of these three pairs.

The O’Brian twins are the first we watch. At the time they were filmed, they were active-duty Marines, which only makes this hotter. They horse around karate-style, clearly showing off, but it’s endearing. Then their shirts come off and they share a long moment of sexual tension, staring into each other’s eyes, until one begins to grope the other through his pants. The twin on top begins to kiss the other while stroking his pale, silky-smooth cock. One twin fucks the other in a way that tells us they’ve done this before. After he cums, he pushes his cummy cock back into his twin’s hole and fucks him until he cums as well. Boyish though they are, at times the O’Brian brothers resemble Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

In the next scene we meet Tim and Chris Christy, surfers living with a sugar daddy in Venice Beach. You can almost taste the salty air as you watch them kiss and masturbate onto glass – the camera is below it, so that we see the cum drops landing. Next they suck each other off. Tim tops Chris in doggie, missionary, and sidesaddle, then pulls out and cums on Chris’ ball sac. Chris, with his ass in the air and feet behind his own head, jerks out a cumshot that lands on his own face while Tim is rimming his asshole. We’re told that Tim and Chris later grew apart and led vastly different lives, which adds poignant significance to this segment.

The Karlstadt twins were both working at a San Francisco Safeway grocery store when they were discovered, and this scene was filmed in the small apartment where they lived as real-life lovers. One twin lounges with his shirt off and jeans pulled down to show his ass, which he keeps looking back at as if to tease us with its tasty roundness. This young guy knows how hot he is – and so does his twin, who keeps trying to pull down his jeans. The first twin resists at first, but soon he’s just as turned on and he submits to his amorous brother, letting him lick, suck, and then fuck him. This scene maps out the complex emotional landscape of that moment in time, caught for posterity on 8mm film, lit with gorgeously glowing natural light. It almost makes them look innocent.

We have a strong sense that what we’ve seen is not only far more risqué than the average porno, but also tender, an absolute treasure. Those who are tired of the porn clichés and want something unique will find it here.

Featured Category: Leather

DominusThe famous Folsom Street Fair will be held this coming Sunday on San Francisco’s Folsom Street and some lucky souls from AEBN will be there! This fair happens every year on the last Sunday in September and celebrates the leather scene. It’s the last hurrah for Leather Pride Week and although it’s not a gay men-only event, it’s been a proud tradition in the gay leather culture as well as the BDSM scene since 1984.

Leathermen trace their community to post-World War II gay motorcycle clubs. Butch gay guys emulated Marlon Brando’s sexy biker look in The Wild One, and gay biker clubs such as L.A.’s Satyrs and San Francisco’s Warlocks were an important part of the scene. An emphasis on masculinity resonated with gay men who were tired of being stereotyped as effeminate. Some of these men were indeed far more masculine than any straight, suburban husband. The leather scene didn’t emerge from BDSM, but as it evolved, the community was a natural place to explore curiosities about kinky sex and BDSM. For others, wearing black leather is a sensual pleasure, a thing of beauty as seen on Tom of Finland models including Peter Berlin.

Like Moths To A FlameLike many subcultures, leather culture has traditions and a history far deeper than we can cover in one blog entry. Folsom alone could fill a book, and probably has, as it’s reportedly the world’s largest leather event and BDSM showcase. If you’re going to miss Folsom, there’s lots of porn for celebrating your love of leather at home.

For classics, you can’t beat Bijou Pictures. We recently reviewed Born To Raise Hell, a treasure of the genre, but don’t forget the other two parts of the Dungeons of Europe Trilogy, namely Pictures From The Black Dance (part one) and Like Moths To A Flame. Another must-see is 1978’s 10:30 P.M. Monday, because the weekend is not the only reason for a good time.

One company known for leather flicks is Raging Stallion Studios, whose June release Dominus is among the most popular leather movies. Its menacing, provocative tone adds to its appeal, and there’s no plot to bog down the thrilling action between some of the industry’s best studs — anyone for an interracial pairing with beauty Jason Adonis fucking black stud Race Cooper? But if it’s an epic scene you want, Big Bigger Biggest features the instant-classic moment when super-top Ricky Sinz took a cock up his ass for the first time on film!

Ipanema HeatYou’ve no doubt noticed by now that the ever-evolving leather scene doesn’t look the way it did 60-70 years ago, and a brand-new release called Ipanema Heat from Dark Alley Media and Halcyon Studios might be one of our favorite examples of the new breed of leatherman. It’s an updated look (maybe influenced by the changes in biker culture?) and of course one thing hasn’t changed: the men are still absolutely volcanic. One summer holiday in Rio De Janeiro, Matthias Von Fistenberg and Tommy Hawk take over a penthouse in the famous Ipanema neighborhood for some hot bareback shenanigans you’ll never forget. We know Matthias nearly always means plenty of fisting, but not this time. However, leather and fisting frequently go hand-in-hand (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun), and you’ll see a lot of it in Berlin Underground and many other Dark Alley Media releases.

We at AEBN love leather as much as you do, and we offer more than 550 titles as of this writing. Some of our other favorites include Muscles In Leather (COLT Studio Group), the 2010 GayVN-winning Skuff 4: Downright Fierce (a relatively rare safe-sex leather title from Hot House Entertainment), and the 1996 military leather classic Code Of Conduct 2: Deliverance Director’s Cut (Falcon Studios).

Gay Porn Classics: Born to Raise Hell

Born to Raise HellOn the week of the Folsom Street Fair, we’re taking a look at one of the all-time legends of gay leather cinema.

There are plenty of porn films that like to set the bar high, but plastering the cover of your adult video with the line “Acclaimed as the best gay S&M film ever made” is quite a claim to have to live up to.

Born To Raise Hell from Bijou Pictures is an interesting one to review both for this reason and for the fact that it is, by gay porn standards, reasonably vintage — made in 1974. Seeing whether it stood the test of time as well as living up to its classic status was a big task right off the bat. But it’s probably no more audacious a question than the film’s tagline was in asserting the league in which it considered itself to rank.

Shot on film and directed by the iconic Roger Earl, its release marked the beginning of the “Marathon legacy,” featuring the best in all-male S&M classics. It was also responsible for bringing us the considerable talents of the now-famous leather daddy Val Martin. For both, it deserves a fair amount of credit, but is it any good?

Even by today’s envelope-pushing standards, Born To Raise Hell is fairly brutal. It’s genuine S&M and from its long opening scene it’s fairly obvious that there are no tricks in trying to portray the action as rougher that it is. These performers were fully committed to being smacked around and subjected to everything from nipple torture to pissing, fisting, some very aggressive spanking and bondage, naturally. Their responses to these different stimuli are, at times, even disturbing in their authenticity, with cries of anguish you very rarely see in porn today, unless they’re put on. The third scene in particular is hard to watch at times, as the unsuspecting “victim” is put through a range of sexual torments, including what can only be described as a crucifixion halfway through.

Aesthetically, the film quality is pretty much what you’d expect from a piece of pornography of its age. It’s always clear enough to see the action taking place, but certainly not the hi-def visuals we’re used to today. Audio is mixed with some moments clearly dubbed, but others authentic enough to pass as live. The outdoor scene that finishes the video doesn’t bother with vocals, however. The music is classic 70s porn camp, which is fine for those used to the genre during that era.

The best part of its age is the men. Even today, the quality of men in vintage porn from that decade seems to get a rise out of a lot of people. There’s just something about that rough around the edges, non-groomed and muscled archetype that seemed to epitomize performers in the medium during that time. Star Val Martin certainly doesn’t disappoint in his skills or on-screen presence either.

How does it stand-up against modern-day fetish pornography? Hard as it is to believe, you almost feel like we’ve regressed since this age of brutal, hardcore sex (some might say this is arguably for the better). You’ll rarely see scenes as intense, even from studios such as Dark Alley Media. It’s hard to know whether this is because these men were more open to pushing their limits than the adult film actors of today, because our porn watching habits have changed, or whether the lack of regulation for porn performers has improved since this time. Regardless, you will undoubtedly be shocked by the extent these scenes go to.

Gay Porn Classics: From Paris to New York

From Paris to New YorkFrom Paris to New York is a 1977 gay porn classic that has been rereleased on VOD by Bijou Pictures. As it’s definitely a product of the late 1970s, you can expect some classic gay disco tunes as well as plenty of mustaches and chest hair — and no condoms. Whether you experienced those days firsthand and want to reminisce or whether you’re a young man who’s curious about the ’70s gay scene, this is a time capsule packed with lots of cum-worthy action.

It’s summer 1977. A Frenchman named Paul goes on a vacation to New York, leaving his lover, Jerome, behind in Paris. Paul writes to Jerome daily, but his final missive contains the heartbreaking news that Paul is never coming back. That December, Jerome goes to New York to find Paul, but what he encounters there is a whole slew of reasons why his lover decided it was too good ever to return to the City of Light.

Wearing an enormous fur coat, mustachioed muscleman Paul reads Jerome’s letter in the back of the taxi cab. It reveals that the cab driver Jerome met at the airport offered to show him around the gay scene in New York and that’s when Paul knew Americans were far from timid. Either Paul has the same cabbie, or there must be more than one French-speaking, out gay taxi driver around town. Paul’s driver also offers to show him where the men with “strange desires” go. They fuck each other in some kind of meat locker.

Paul explores the city with occasional guidance from other men, including a souvenir store clerk who somehow recognizes him as a fellow Frenchman and invites him to spend an evening together after the shop closes. In secret corners, in pool hall restrooms, in a warehouse, men find each other for ecstatic couplings that at the time could be downright dangerous. From Paris to New York may show you your own reasons to long for those times that can seem so recent yet distant to those who were there, so exotic to those too young to remember them.

Gay Porn Classics: Jocks

JocksTo those with a hard-on for erotic nostalgia, old XXX film loops still cause an instant erection. If this is you, then you’re already halfway hard. Toss athletes into the equation and you’re fully sprung with this week’s classic gay porn title, “Jocks” from vintage smut purveyors Bijou Pictures and Nova.

This is all previously unreleased footage transferred from 8mm film. In six scenes, you’re bound to find at least one pairing to get you off.

“Pumping Eight” is the first scene, starring Chad Scott and Rick Adams. It’s all about fucking in the weight room. Who wouldn’t love a spotter who provides much more than a pair of eyes and ready arms to help you if you drop the weight? Dropping a wholly different type of load is more these guys’ style. Like the other guys, they’re manly in the 1970s way, with mustaches and gym shorts, and not as bulked up as today’s bodybuilding types.

Next is “Lapping it Up,” in which swimmers Don Michaels and Peter Watson get in a towel-snapping fight in the locker room that leaves one of them with a sore cock. How better to alleviate the sting than with manual and oral massage? This leads to a suck and fuck on the locker room bench and a bit of sexy shower frolicking afterward.

In “Hard Tackle,” starring Rusty Evans and Rick Scott, an injured football player gets a massage from the older medic. Rub-down quickly becomes rim job, which leads to the medic sucking the player’s cock and then the player fucking the medic. The injury doesn’t look too serious, given his vigorous fucking ability.

“No Holds Barred” is a wrestling scenario starring David Shaw and Jim Lucas, both lean-bodied manly men. They provide a valuable lesson in warming up and cooling down with a little stretching and wrestling before and after the main event.

Baseball players Rick Steele and Greg Samuels enter the locker room after a game in “Extra Innings,” and there’s no time for circling the bases before scoring – it’s just suck and fuck for these two!

“Hard Kicks” features soccer (football for non-U.S. readers) players Chet Samson and Dan Taylor. One of them got banged up during the game and it’s time for some sexual healing in the locker room. The injured party takes care not to get on his wounded knee, so it’s up to his teammate to kneel and suck cock. In further good teamwork, the non-injured player lies on the bench so the one with the bad knee can fuck his mouth – it’s one of the most exciting images in the movie if oral gets you off!

“Jocks” was produced in 1978 and it has a playful tone that many films of the pre-condom era possessed. As is usually the case with ’70s adult films, you can expect brief scenes by today’s standards. Still, some of the jocks manage multiple pops in a scene, a timeless skill if we ever saw one!

Classic Porn: Tricking

TrickingThose who spent their early porn-loving years watching those soundless film loops could spring an instant, Pavlovian boner as soon as the first scene of “Tricking” begins. This is a long-lost gem circa 1978, digitally transferred from 8mm film. By curating these classics and making them available on demand to those who remember them and to a new generation, Bijou Pictures does a real service to porn lovers.

If you’ve never seen vintage film loops, then the first thing to know is that they’re silent, with an instrumental soundtrack on top. You’ll see the actors talking only rarely, because they clearly believe in the “don’t talk, just fuck” method. That means you aren’t missing any plot points… what plot points? If you like the sounds of grunting and heavy breathing then you’ll miss those, but we think you’ll enjoy seeing the act of hooking up stripped down to its raw essence. Speaking of which, it’s a pre-condom era piece, so all the action is bareback.

In the first vignette, two hot twinks meet for a hard and fast fuck amid the junky ambience of some back alley. It’s like watching guys cruising in the rough part of town from the safety of your computer screen. The second scene features two guys at a bar loading in a beer order who get so turned on they stop everything and just start sucking and fucking in front of the bar.

Scene three shows us a suit-wearing man heading out the door with a briefcase when a sexy young jogger heading his way gives him a reason to be late for work. The twink takes a quick skinny-dip in the pool and seems hesitant at first when the DILF-y businessman makes a move, but soon they’re in the bedroom having sex. It makes it even hotter when you imagine that this daddy is a married man and he’s having a torrid affair with this neighborhood piece of ass.

Meanwhile, some other desk jockey decides to get his piece of male ass at work. It’s risky, but it pays off in cum. Other guys in the last two scenes fuck on the job too, only they’re laborers instead of office workers, giving them that blue collar hotness factor.

“Tricking” is very different from modern porn, of course, but there’s still an audience out there for such almost-forgotten classics. It would also make a great movie to play when you’re having a party and you want to encourage a sexy mood.

Classic Porn: Come of Age

Come of AgeIrresistible, innocent beauty Ron Durango (at bottom of box cover) walks down an L.A. sidewalk into a new life filled with sexual adventures he couldn’t imagine back home in Nebraska. This is the opening of “Come of Age, a classic gay porno from 1971. Bijou Pictures opened the vaults to bring us this flaxen-haired country boy’s tale of unabashed erotic discovery.

It’s Ron’s first day in town and he literally bumps into Mark Taylor (top of box cover), who takes him under his wing. Mark thinks he can hook Ron up with a job, but first it’s time for Ron to shower off the road funk and have a little fun. Cooking up a flimsy excuse to shower together, Mark sets the wheels in motion. He doesn’t have to try hard, because as it turns out, Ron is quite a bit easygoing about everything, including sex. He’s only had two blowjobs from a man before, and is curious enough to have a third right there in the shower from Mark.

Even though Ron has just gotten to town, he’s happy to tag along with Mark to his mountain cabin. It’s a no-clothes-allowed affair, so they strip as soon as they arrive. Mark and Ron cuddle in front of the fire after eating steak for dinner and, softcore porn style, there is implied sex. Don’t worry, it won’t always be so vague.

In the morning, Ron makes coffee and breakfast for Mark. Still naked, they explore the mountain and are in the midst of further exploring each other when a cute blond couple, Ralph Martin and Tom Winston, come along and startle Mark so much he literally tells them to take a hike. Uninhibited Ron says he didn’t mind having an audience while sucking cock, so he and Mark decide to follow Ralph and Tom.

Both Ralph and Tom have big dicks and when Mark and Ron see that, they can’t help staring in awe as the blonds have a nice, long fuck out in the sun. Afterward, Mark and Ron approach and offer to kiss and make up, so to speak, back at the cabin. They race each other on foot and we get to watch it in slow-motion.

Back at the cabin, the new guys discover the upright piano with the trippy paint job. Ralph and Tom try with limited success to bang out a song while Mark and Ron climb on top of the instrument and watch. Soon the guys abandon musical pursuits for something they’re a lot better at and something that’s a lot more group-friendly. Four-way sex on a piano is creative and requires some agility. Fortunately, they have more room to spread out when they get together a few weeks later, back in the city at Mark’s place. The four guys are all versatile fucks who turn their anal daisy chain into a game of musical tops and bottoms. You can tell this is the start of a beautiful relationship for all involved.

There’s nothing quite as beautiful as virile, slender young men frolicking in the sun, clad in nothing but the air around them. On the other hand, this is also a campy, old-fashioned kind of movie that many will enjoy for its pre-condom retro appeal and acting that’s generally better than you’d expect in a porno. “Come of Age” bears little resemblance to the porn of today, but there’s something timeless about getting away from it all for some outdoor sex, don’t you think?