Up and Cummers 97

Nearly a hundred entries in this ubiquitous Randy West pro-am series already? And many more to follow, I'm sure. Where there's a lack in innovation, the formula lends itself to the ultimate fantasy of the porn viewer: that these are real girls doing real things in real homes across the country (or, in this case, Randy West's home in California). These girls just happen to be a little more into sex than your next-door neighbor and are, inevitably, a lot more exhibitionist. While the formula works, that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. Ultimately, this DVD is good for a few viewings or as an example of pro-am in your collection, but it's not by any means a classic or the kind of video which will have your wife/girlfriend/significant other begging to go to the video store to see more.

Each scene is set up the same way: Randy West is behind the camera and he does a short interview with the starlet either by herself or with the boyfriend/husband she has brought along to have sex with. This leads to a girl-only strip session with West calling the shots. From here, the couple get into bed and go through a multitude of positions and, when luck works out, West joins in for a bit of the action himself.

The benefits of the formula are many. The viewers get to know who the girls are, what they look like in clothes, what their voices sound like, and we get led along a leisurely path where each sex scene takes probably forty minutes. The camera takes long, loving shots of every inch of the starlet's skin and, where the sex sometimes loses momentum, the "realness" usually makes up for any boredom.

In this installment, Gyselle Dahl kicks things off as the girl to settle all your pornographic fantasies about Eskimo women. She's cute and lithe with a hint of brown skin and long black hair. She and her boyfriend, with assistance from West, work up to a sexual frenzy with multiple orgasms all around.

Next, Jody Moore is adored by West's camera, and there is much to adore. She is simply beautiful, sort of the Australian answer to Pamela Anderson, with her blonde hair, pretty eyes and lips and lovely body. Unfortunately, Moore doesn't seem too enthused about being there. She poses, gets naked and then takes on her husband Craig for most of the sex. All is followed up by a quick blowjob on West. In her interview segment, Moore seems to have a fun enough personality, showing off newspaper clippings from her brief dabble in Australian politics, joking with West. The actual sex scene though is a pretty affair. Perhaps it was first-time jitters, or perhaps Moore's real strength is as a still model rather than a sexual dynamo on screen.

Fortunately, West follows up the previous tranquil antics with Monica Sweetheart. With Moore on the cover, it might seem that Sweetheart would be overlooked as second best, but in all actuality, she shines here as the true star. Everything seems to come together for her as she photographs well, radiates her personality for the camera and then seems to genuinely enjoy her sex scene with veteran Eric Everhard. This scene is a pleasure to watch, and it's well served by the long running time. As if an afterthought, Trinity, from installment #91, pops in for a quick blowjob with West as this video's closer.

With all that excitement, it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, both in the formula and in the technical details. In fact, after 96 previous installments, I'm surprised there haven't been more little fixes along the way. To begin with, West's bedroom looks like a comfortable place even when it's all washed out on video, but I'm starting to feel like I know the layout better than West himself. A change in scenery would do wonders for the pacing of the video. It also seems that after shooting and editing as many of these as he has, West would have noticed how much improvement could be had simply from properly recording the sound from his performers. His voice, so close to the camera, booms through while every one of the subjects gets lost in quietness. Lighting is another issue with West's white walls and bright, daytime light. While some scenes look all right with this standard, others suffer. Jody Moore in particular, with her pale skin, tends to look washed out in blue/green hues which could have easily been avoided with a set of cheap gels to go over any studio lights. While the amateur "look" and slow pacing are part of the appeal of a series like this, I'd like to see West break out of that repetition and try a few changes and tweaks to help make these videos stand out even more.

The DVD extras are standard. Chapter breaks, a picture gallery and previews round out the package. Be forewarned though: West cleverly holds back on the previews. The few scenes that are presented are cut down to offer just a glimpse (including a brief scene of superstar Tera Patrick in her early days as an adult actress). On page two of the previews, the box covers cease to be actual links to previews and your only option is to return to the main menu. This seems like sort of a slight on West's part, if only because he has hundreds of hours of video to pull from to make this a true interactive experience.