Up and Cummers 1

There are a few girls in this industry who have achieved a legendary status in porn --- despite an unusually low video output --- by virtue of their raw sensuality and sexuality. What sets them apart from the hundreds of fly-by-night (or lay-by-night) actresses in the endless barrage of videos appearing every month is a charisma or screen presence which can elevate the average porner to a collectible classic. In my years of "viewing" porn, the best of these starlets include Tori Welles (NIGHT TRIPS and CHAMELEON), Lauren Hall (TRICK TRACY, PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT and THE TEASE), Celeste {ELEMENTS OF DESIRE and THE DINNER PARTY), Francesca Le (CENTERFOLD, FACEDANCE, and A CUM SUCKING WHORE NAMED FRANCESCA [yes, the is the actual title from Anabolic Video]) and finally, the star of Randy West's UP & CUMMERS #1, Roxanne Blaze. This very natural, very attractive blonde took top industry award honors for her breakthrough role in JUSTINE: NOTHING TO HIDE 2 before disappearing from the world of porno in the mid-1990s. For anyone who has not seen JUSTINE, Roxanne Blaze stars and literally takes over of the entire movie. Her sexual and acting performance is amazing and every one of her many scenes are worth watching again and again (I obtained this Metro feature on tape and laserdisc before buying the DVD...she is that great!). Recently, Vivid Video released STEAMY WINDOWS which I pre-ordered just because Roxanne Blaze shares a couple of scenes in this surprisingly good Ashlyn Gere vehicle. And now, New Machine has seen fit to release (finally!) the first volume of Randy West's ongoing pro-am series, UP & CUMMERS, which happens to feature my all-time favorite Roxanne Blaze scene. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to review it for Adult DVD Empire.

On a purely technical level, the video image is not exactly a rainbow of bright and beautiful colors. Ms. Blaze wears a tight, sexy red dress (though not for long) in this otherwise dark and almost monochromatic image. Even worse, there is a very light, but noticeable, vertical noise bar which moves across the screen from right to left, and is very apparent during dark scenes. This is usually the result of an electrical noise cycle contaminating the video dubbing process, and suggest that the the DVD transfer may not have been taken from the original or the best video source. Truth be told, the early editions of the UP & CUMMERS series were never models of visual clarity, but I expect better from a DVD transfer. The picture is slightly better than videotape, but not that much of an improvement. Still, what a joy it is to have an scene accessible video source which won't be subject to the wears and tears of repeated viewing. The remaining DVD elements including sound and chapter access and photo gallery are very good with no problems that I could discern.

Roxanne is first introduced by way of all-girl expert Felicia, who lies casually on a bed next to Roxanne before introducing her to sapphic lust. After some dirty pillow-talk, the girls break out their toys and go at each other without hesitation. Their coupling is relaxed but spirited, and they are into each other long enough that when Randy West offers his services (to Roxanne only), it is not as much of an intrusion as one would think (most great lesbian scenes are ruined by some doofus joining in too early). As good as their tryst is, it is eclipsed by her second scene which features Randy Spears and Randy West having their shot at this new superstar. But this opening scene kicks the program off into full gear.

Roxanne's next scene (actually the third scene on the DVD) begins innocently enough with an interview by Randy West, who remains off camera for as long as he can muster (no doubt recovering from his earlier encounter with her). The discussion is straight-forward gonzo talk; Mr. West isn't exactly Ted Koppel when it comes to penetrating questions. But Roxanne's unpretentious, articulate personality makes her immediately likeable, and even moreso when she engages in a lengthy solo masturbation. Randy Spears then enters the picture, obviously as excited as we are by the sight of this blonde beauty indulging in the pleasures of her own flesh. They engage in a slow, but hot one-on-one session and it is a total turn-on to see Miss Blaze sucking and riding his cock like a pro. Finally, the director joins the party and she gets to experience "the stereo Randys" (their comment, not mine) for a fantastic threesome. And as a capper to the whole affair, Randy engages her anally, and from initial penetration to the inevitable money shot, the heat is re-ignited all over again. While I much prefer to see two women (or more) in any menage a trois, I found this scene to be top-notch erotica --- a truly magical moment with one of the hottest girls to come and go in the world of porn.

Sydney St. James is introduced as the second vignette on this disc. A peroxide blonde with a hard look, her interracial encounter with Sean Michaels is a "just okay" interlude between the main attraction's Blaze-ing scenes (sorry, I couldn't resist). Randy West once again invites himself to the party, but I was a was too worked up in anticipation of Roxanne's two-guy team-up to care very much about Ms. St. James. Finally, Kitty Yung , a sexy Asian performer who would later become a fan favorite, closes out the program with a solo session of self-pleasure. Masturbation scenes are not my favorite, and Ms. Yung's scene hasn't really changed my mind about them, despite her unbridled enthusiasm and inhibitions. She does look great in a tight, red outfit, but I would have preferred to see her paired up with someone other than just herself.

However, for me, all these other scenes all merely extra icing on the cake. Roxanne Blaze is truly a gem to behold, and every scene with her is worth watching and preserving. Her appearance in UP & CUMMERS should not be missed. And while you're at it, why not order JUSTINE: NOTHING TO HIDE 2 as part of a double-feature? I guarantee you complete satisfaction!

From these humble beginnings sprang Randy West's massively successful (Vol. 79 just made its rounds through our office) series. Part of the appeal, of course, is the laid-back manner in which U&C is executed, a quality that really comes through in the first volume. Randy doesn't even pretend to have a plan, and it's refreshing. Vol. 1 gets a rating boost from the hot Roxanne Blaze scene, as does Vol. 4, thanks to Misty Rain.

The discs all look and sound very similar, and given the limitations of the source video, New Machine has done an acceptable (if not spectacular) job of bringing them to DVD. The transfers have very washed color, which is the fault of the original tapes; and fair amount of pixelation, which is the fault of the DVD. The scenes have varying degrees of color moire based on how they were lit. To the good is the huge number of chapter stops on each disc, which we love.

Extras: Step-through still gallery, interative menus, trailer.