As the second part of the movie opens, glamorous couple Ray Star and Savanna Samson are having a press conference, with reporter Michael Lucas on his cellphone through most of it. Kittenish Savanna and macho goateed Ray give wonderful acting performances, and after the conference, Ray sidles up to Michael in just a robe as the pouty-lipped anti-hero ogles him with desire. The trio then heads off on a Manhattan spree that includes shopping at the actual Marc Jacobs store in Greenwich Village ( http://MarcJacobs.com ). They finish at a swank nightclub where tattooed Brad Star is shaking his pelvis seemingly for the benefit of Ray only.
Famous movie star Ray engages the private services of blond Brad, who gives him a butt-wagging solo show. Naturally, Savanna, looking like an actually beautiful Jessica Simpson, is not happy at this turn of events, but Michael takes her away from the club to help her forget, leaving Ray all alone with Brad. Ray looks most dazzled by Brad's big butt, and even fully clothed is able to give it a luscious wet rimming. Ray's tongue doesn't find a part of it he doesn't want to lick fully. Swaggering Ray need only lose his pants for Brad to start blowing his awesomely big cock with a fine blowjob made even better by his helping hand. Ray is faithful to Brad's ass, but he also spends some time sucking his equally potent cock. Midway through everything, Ray undresses to only his giant back tattoo and the two continue their alternating suckings while the club's music pounds behind them. Often a plunging top, Brad is the one who takes it up the ass here for his movie star hero. An initial sit-fuck proves awkward, so Ray quickly fucks Brad missionary until Brad cums a fountain shot, the latter part of which is soaked up by Ray's mouth. Brad orally returns that favor.
Michael squires Savanna around town, as the two open up about their lives. "I'm surrounded by madness, observing," notes Michael. Savanna even takes time to flirt with an openly-gay Michael, rationalizing his cheating. The well-written scene is only a big tease for fans of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita," who know that as a blond in a black dress stumbles through an empty park, there is a big scene to come. And indeed, in an homage to the 1960 film's most infamous few moments where Anita Ekberg went splashing through a fountain to express her drunken joy, Savanna does the same, and even gets to snuggle with Michael as she does. This is done with total care, but as Lucas and Dimarco have wisely not chosen to do a paint-by-numbers rehashing of a film that can't be remade, this sideline from their story seems like a bit of pandering. Unfortunately, the evening ends on a low note as a furious Ray smacks Michael in front of the paparazzi (a word coined by Fellini in his masterpiece) for squiring around his lady. So ends another adventure for the emotionally starving Michael.
However, there is another party to attend, and this time Cole goes with Michael. "Why do they always look like unhappy rabbits?" Cole opines as Michael hopes to get Cole a publisher for his own work. The party is thrown by a true friend of Michael's, Spencer Quest, who actually has the first real words of advice for Michael before trotting over to very youthful brunet Jamie Donovan. He takes Jamie into a massive closet and begins to make out with this "freshman from Columbia." The mouthwatering dapper Spencer, as solid as any man can be, is an interesting mate for the tiny tempest Jamie. Spencer gets busy on his cock, sensually deep-throating the gorgeous thick piece with a wet mouth. He has a true method to his sucking, a real star turn here. Jamie gingerly sucks Spencer's most impressive shaft, using a hand to help out his plucky mouth. From the moment Jamie shows his pert pale ass, it looks inevitable that it will be raided, and Spencer treats it like the eye-opening discovery of El Dorado when he gently and lovingly licks at it. It doesn't stay merely pretty, as Spencer soon goes at the ass with abandon and then begins to pry it further open with his fingers. Spencer fucks Jamie, and my only complaint at the beginning is that both of them are still way too clothed. Spencer's fuck is ideal. He's playing the role of nonchalant older guy to the hilt, knowing that Jamie is just a momentary plaything. To that end, it's rare that Jamie's face is even captured by the camera. Spencer fucks Jamie and cums in a sadly short time and then makes out with the kid while he finishes.
At the party, Michael had wanted Cole to meet publisher Chad Hunt. Chad is all over Cole, who finally gives in to the open relationship depravity he has so detested in Michael, especially as Chad disparages Michael while they make out. Cole is way too hot for Chad to really pay much attention. Naturally, once Chad's cock is released from its confines, Cole works on devouring it. Kudos to Cole for doing a splendid job with more inches than most manage. Chad coos in his role as blasé top, letting himself be adored, and hairy-chested Cole isn't arguing at all. He simply finds comfortable positions for his exciting trips down Chad's cock. And when he gets all the way down, well, anyone who has seen Chad Hunt's size knows how great that looks! Ever the ass man, Chad licks at the deep pink hole between Cole's hairy cheeks. He has to give the boy some prep before fucking him. When Chad does, it's silky smooth. Cole isn't a toy bottom, he's the real deal. Chad is able to work him over with absolute depth and a comfortable gyrating rhythm that keeps going even when Cole is in charge and riding, still going to the base. I never tire of watching bottoms excel with Chad, especially when they don't just merely take him, but take him in cool positions and with defining speeds that show just how damn good they are. Cole cums being fucked and then Chad unloads on Cole's stomach.
With deadlines at the magazine, Michael is under much stress. His boss, Tom Judson, has even more bad news. It seems that Spencer is going to be arrested for fucking an underage kid, but not Jamie, who is 19 (that's more suitable to porn than infanticide, which Fellini tossed into his script). Even worse, Tom wants Michael to write the story of it. Spencer confesses his problems to Michael, using the myth of Icarus to help him along, and, though nervous, seems quite resigned to his fate.
And how does Michael respond? He takes to the bottle, and with some fancy editing and camerawork, his confused, increasingly drunken state is revealed. Is "La Dolce Vita" beginning to catch up with the man who lives for it? His travels find him in the pathway of Pete Ross, who decides to follow him. That entails a trip to a sex club, which doesn't seem like a bad place for Pete to find his story. An enormous anonymous orgy is happening all around as the denizens grab for Michael, but he walks by them without paying much attention. He finally settles on a room where he pulls out his cock and decides brunet Justin Christopher is his man. Justin already has someone sucking his cock, but it's a sex club, so I guess there are no rules. Words don't matter either, so Justin simply bends over and starts blowing Michael. Michael's imperious look is permanently plastered on his face, and that helps here, where his character is supposed to lack any register of what is going on while in his daze. Of course, he isn't exactly going through the motions. When he does a 69 with Justin, he works pretty nicely on Justin's enormous uncut cock. As sex happens around them, Michael moves to playing with Justin's ass, making it pucker for his waiting mouth. After another brief trip down Michael's cock orally, Justin becomes the centerpiece of the room when Michael fucks him. Justin seems awfully tight, and because of the dim lighting, Michael doesn't slam all the way inside him, opting instead for a rather elegant fuck. When Justin rides, concerns for all the rest abate, but Michael soon has him on his back, with a director's eye to how it looks. Justin creams with his legs wide open and Michael still ramming at him. As Michael cums, he spots Pete and knows he's in trouble.
A lovingly edited montage at the end not only reviews the debauchery, but also gives clues as to what is to come for Michael and those around him. The viewer is left pondering whether "La Dolce Vita" is actually that sweet, or has it curdled.
Before I forget, I have to note everyone's wonderful acting. This is a gigantic undertaking and since it is so plot-heavy, it requires porn models who can act. Aces like Spencer Quest and Ray Star help immeasurably in that department, but it's Michael Lucas himself who gives the best performance. This role is ideally suited to his casual yet icy persona, the eternal outsider with dozens of keys inside if he would only learn how to use them properly. At all times, he's acutely aware of the script, rather than his image (though often they are allowed to melt together), and he is sensational.
As the movie churns and the themes fly, as the writing reaches fever pitches and as the movie tries to stay true to its source material (at least the idea of it, for following Fellini's plot would be madness), what about the sex? After all, this isn't a remake of the 1960 film, but a porn inspiration of it. The sex always fits. That's a superlative compliment. There is no place in this script for sweet adoring sex. It's all angsty, all hectic, all momentary. Luckily, directors Lucas and Dimarco have made sure all of the models understand that, so the sex is forever churning at top speed, making sure never to get too moody, but just staying frivolous and nearly always emotionally anonymous. The three-way for Michael, Jason and Derrick in the first half is the movie's best sex scene, a creative breathtaking ride, but there simply are no duds here because everyone is knowledgeable about how the sex should be created.
"La Dolce Vita" aims as high as possible, and Michael Lucas and his team have put such precise care into the making of this movie and such a stamp on it that it resonates with vision and clarity, not to mention the outrageous perfection it clearly wants from the first glossy frame.
DVD features (3-disc set): Chapters; widescreen; sound options (normal, soundtrack without music, and music only); an entire third disc full of fun features: a featurette about the making of the fashion show, which is a gigantic undertaking of models, backstage artists and over 200 extras; behind-the-scenes footage (bloopers and outtakes); the Joe Oppedisano photoshoot for the cover shots; a Heather Weathers News Report; model biographies; galleries; the actual script; additional sex scenes (the first features Erik Grant and Cole Ryan; and the second Chad Hunt and Rod Barry; the third with Spencer Quest and Michael Lucas (which concludes with watersports) -- and all three are complete full scenes); trailers ("Encounters: Flash Point," "Barcelona Nights," "Encounters: The Point of No Return," "Encounters: The Heat of the Moment," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Manhattan Heat," "Lost," "Prague Sex Express," "Juve Boys," "Straight to Prague," "Vengeance 2," "Vengeance," "Hunt and Plunge," "Strangers of the Night," "Apartments," "Uncovered," "Lucas on Top," "To Moscow With Love Part 2," "To Moscow With Love," "Inside Paris," "Pick of the Pack," "Fire Island Cruising 1-8," "Auditions 5,6,7,8,10"); and no regional coding (playable worldwide).
A DVD Review by Brent Blue
