Manhattan Heat

With this feature, Michael Lucas has perfectly captured the pulse and energy of New York City. Thanks in no small part to Lucas' new videographer and editor, Tony DiMarco, Manhattan Heat's vibrant opening sequence to music by Boy George/The Twin combined with a weather report from WSEX radio achieves a Hollywood professional level rarely seen in gayporn. The rapid pace of the opening and connecting sequences settles down for the sex which has all the heat and intensity we've come to expect from a Lucas production. The camerawork is even better than we've come to expect, which suggests that director Lucas has finally found a videographer totally compatible with his ideas. The sex is filmed superbly. Another of the movie's strengths is the cast. Aside from Lucas and Arpad Miklos, everyone is new. Better yet, they are really good lays and into each other-they're having sex, not just doing positions for the camera. And they look good too. The nice assortment of types also gives this cast the diversity we associate with New York. The story-a theme, really-is fairly simple: When the temperature soars in the city all guys, whether gay or straight, want to have sex. This is then illustrated in five scenes. Though all are hot, two bear special mention. The fourway is one of the finest of the year. The camera is always in the right place at the right time and the guys do exactly what you'd do in a fourway, it's that real. And the final scene between Wilfried Knight and straight neighbour Arpad Miklos is preceded by a seduction scene that is so well played we almost believe that Arpad is being seduced. The way he pulls his hand back, the look on his face as Wilfried turns on the charm, and other small but thoughtful details give this scene an excitement in addition to the sex. Two other scenes would have benefitted from this treatment: Erik Grant getting it on with deliveryman Fredrick Ford and Matt Hyland doing it with repairman Asoka. They don't really look at each other, cruise, send signals that they are sexually attracted to one another, or engage in any sort of seduction-they just get down to it like porn stars. The sex itself does not suffer, but it would have been even hotter if the scenes hadn't gotten underway like ordinary porn scenes. Maybe next time. Cast: Asoka, Fredrick Ford, Erik Grant, Matt Hyland, J., Wilfried Knight, Michael Lucas, Arpad Miklos, Gabriel Sinclair