Blending The Match

Reviewed on: May 25, 2006
NSFW.ARMY

Genre:

Gay, European

Director:

not identified

Cast:

Max Costello, Adam July, Alex Manzoni, Eros Michelini, Alex Nocentini, Antonio Parenti, Luca Pollini, Giorgio Valli

Length:

83

Date:

produced July 2004

Extras:

There are no extras on this truly bare-bones disc. There is not even a true scene selection feature, just a chapter selection to access what seem to be three randomly assigned chapter stops which don't correlate to the multiple scenes in the film- one of the chapters actually drops you right in the middle of a scene! There is one abnormal setting worth mentioning- after the feature ends, rather than return to the menu like most DVDs, this one simply stops the disc completely, putting your player back to its internal start screen graphic.

Audio/Video:

This DVD is presented in letterbox format. Strangely though, it seems like the video wasn't originally intended for this aspect ratio. There sometimes seems to be a "stretched" effect, with the actors looking slightly pulled wider and out of proportion. Worse, there are moments where the visuals have a bit of a disturbing "fishbowl" effect that made us almost nauseous. During the more noticeable moments of these distorting effects, the sensation definitely made us feel off-kilter and tipsy. The video also appears at times to not quite keep up with the action. It is as if not enough frames were used in the filming, creating some moments that have a bit of a jerky, unsmooth feeling. This was almost like this was a transfer from a streaming webcast. The video also suffers from annoying artifacts. There are multiple flickers and specks on the screen, and a couple of bad pixelization moments. Some of the editing is also very rough, creating sudden poor transitions from one angle to another. Aside from these problems, the video has decent detail, and colors are bright and sharp. Audio is an unremarkable PCM stereo. The only spoken audio is from an off-screen narrator (which we think is supposed to be the voice of the lead actor in the feature), and it is in Italian so most American viewers will not understand what is being said anyway. The background track is generic synthesized instrumental music that is not particularly notable but is at least at an appropriate volume. The one thing that was annoying about the music is that it would just inexplicably stop suddenly in the middle of a scene, with no other audio replacing it. It was as if the song ran out and the filmmakers were too lazy to loop it or add some other music.

Body of Review:

'Blending the Match' - just what does that mean anyway? According to the back cover "When you met two guys under the same hot passion, you have truly engaged in blending the match... Would you like to blend the match?" We still don't understand what that means. Perhaps since English is not the native language of this Italian production, the title made sense in the original pre-translated version. No need to fixate on that title though, as the video really does not have any theme or plot that a viewer needs to keep track of.

All the scenes take place in the exact same location: a set of wicker chairs in what appears to be a small credenza or grotto type waiting/lounge area like you might find set up at a hotel or restaurant. The wall is painted to resemble the outdoors in that regrettable style you find in themed cafes or resorts. It all looked very tacky Palm Springs to us. Since the action never leaves that set of chairs, we can't even tell exactly what the location is supposed to be (a hotel or a spa maybe?).

The men are all Italian, and for fans of that distinct Greco-Roman look, the men here will appeal to them. The guys range in age from looking mid-twenties to well into their forties.

Scene 1:

lead guy and two others

The feature begins with the lead actor as he sits in a wicker couch in this lounge area where all scenes in the movie take place. He begins to recount details of his vacation via off-screen narration in Italian, and the scene jumps to him in the same couch with two other guys, and they are already well in the middle of some action. The lead guy looks late-thirties, with a buzz cut and has classic Roman-European features. One of the other guys looks more Greco-Mediterranean and appears to also be in his late-thirties, while the third guy is a cute dark-haired lighter-skin, not-quite-in-shape guy who appears to be in his mid-twenties. The three guys are kinda just pleasuring each other in a very slow, relaxed manner, with some oral and kissing. The pacing here is very slow, which typically only works if there is a feeling of true love or romance, which does not at all exist here. Everyone actually looks bored to death, like it is a lazy summer afternoon and they can't think of anything else to do to pass the time. You practically expect the actors to let out yawns or sighs from boredom. Eventually, our lead guy gets up and fucks the younger guy doggy-style, while the younger dude frenchs the Greek-looking guy. It is eerily silent- no one lets out a moan or shows any signs of actual pleasure. The guys do shift positions eventually, and the camera has some extreme close-up shots of the dick thrusting in and out which unfortunately just looks jerky (see our comments in the video section above). Finally, the younger guy lets out some moans as he cums, followed by our lead actor and finally the third guy in the scene.

Scene 2:

older guy and younger hairy guy

Our lead guy goes back to narrating his tale, but he is not in the subsequent scene. We see an older fortysomething guy with sharp features and a serious look (reminds us of someone's stern dad, especially with his graying hair) sitting in the wicker couch as he is being serviced by a younger mid-thirties very average-looking, hairy-chested guy. The older guy looks like he has absolutely no interest in the other guy and is doing this just because it is readily available. At one point, he even reaches for a cigarette and takes a drag while he is being sucked on. He eventually fucks the younger guy doggy-style for a bit, then he sits down and the younger guy gets to ride his dick. This only goes on for a short time before they both cum.

Scene 3:

lead guy and younger unshaven guy

The scene goes back to our lead actor, who is sitting on that wicker couch again. He is being serviced by a lean unshaven younger guy who really, frankly reminds us of one of those slick, sleazy characters from Brooklyn named "Vinnie" that you see on TV. He takes his time sucking on our lead boy's dick, and this is another of those slow-action scenes. Our lead guy then face fucks the younger guy, which is kinda hot as the younger guy seems quite capable of taking our lead boy's whole cock in his mouth. The younger guy then eats our lead guy's ass for awhile, really plunging his tongue all over that butthole. Usually this is done to prepare the guy getting rimmed to be fucked, but we next see our lead guy fucking the other guy instead. Finally, the two jack off to end this scene.

Scene 4:

lead guy and younger guy

Our lead guy is back at it again, this time with the same pale, younger guy from the first scene. The younger guy is totally soft, which is quite noticeable as he is ahem, rather small down there. He gets down on his knees to suck the lead guy, but when he gets back up, we see he is still soft. Next, our lead guy tries sucking on the younger guy instead, and he manages to get him up to a weak half-erection. He then fucks the younger dude as they lay side by side on the wicker couch, and the younger guy does seem to be enjoying it despite his half-boner. Both guys soon cum, ending the action more prematurely than we would have expected.

Scene 5:

lead guy, bald guy, older guy

Next, we see our lead guy sitting on the wicker couch, enjoying a summer drink with a bald nicely-toned early-thirties guy who we will resist comparing to Vin Diesel. At least this time, we get to see their little foreplay before diving right into the action. The two start kissing, and soon, the tank-tops come off. They continue kissing and groping for a bit before the pants come off. Even then, the underwear stays on for awhile longer while they make out. The bald boy finally takes off the lead guy's briefs and starts licking his shaft. We see that the bald guy has a tongue piercing that pops up and down as he sucks the cock. During this whole time, we are shown glimpses of the older dad-type guy from the second scene, who is standing off in the shadows spying the action. He eventually gets up the nerve to creep up to the duo, and he pulls off the bald guy's underwear and starts sucking him. The trio shift positions and the bald dude straddles our lead guy while getting fucked by the older guy. Our lead guy goes kinda soft, which must be because he is really not getting any action and is acting more as a cushion for the bald guy than anything else. We are strangely bothered by the bald guy's butthole. It has some weird folds of skin that kinda remind us of a vagina, and whenever the older guy pulls out, his butthole looks so loose and wide, all we could think was "slut!". We next see the bald guy and the older guy standing over the lead boy, and the two cum on him to end the scene.

Scene 6:

younger unshaven guy, older bear guy

The guido-ish "Vinnie"-looking dude is back, complete with an oversized ball-chain necklace to complete his look, and he is sucking off a hairy "bear" type guy. They soon switch off, and the younger guy gets to face fuck the bear dude. Next, we see the bear guy getting fucked, in that same damn wicker couch which must be really gross by now. The two change positions to doggy-style, and pretty quickly, both cum, ending this rather short scene. We go back to some quick narration from the lead character, before "The End" flashes on screen and it is all over.

Concluding Words:

Despite the DVD's technical flaws, this video will appeal to fans of Mediterranean men. Most of the European adult videos available in the USA feature Eastern European men, so having one with Italian men will find itself a natural audience. The guys are quite good looking, but since the sex is pretty uninspired, you might want to just rent this DVD first. We also should mention that in a couple of scenes, there appears to be no condom use, which may be a turn-on or turn-off depending on your personal preferences.