Red, Hot & Safe

Director: Sam Abdul, Mike Donner, Karen Dior, Jamie Hendrix, & Wash West Studio: No Ego Productions Starring: Drew Andrews, Rod Barry, Dino DiMarco, Peter Dixon, Doug Jeffries, Dean O'Conner, Sky Thompson, Tony Valenzuela, Tony West, Grant Wood, Allan Gassman (non-sexual), Nick Stevenson (non-sexual), Ken Ryker (non-sexual) Rating:

The people who worked on this movie volunteered their time and services, no one was paid, and the money earned from sales of this video--according to its producers--will be donated to various AIDS charities. It's for a worthy cause, so I wish I could give it a stronger recommendation, but I can't. Some of the biggest names in gay porn contributed to Red, Hot & Safe with decidedly mixed results.
    In the first segment, "Show Me How," Tony West gets an explicit safe sex demonstration from his hung and horny doctor, Peter Dixon. Somehow I don't think the AMA would approve of this doctor's bedside manner. The actors are sincere, but the situation is so outrageous, it verges on camp.
    In "web.cum" Dino DiMarco and Grant Wood find each other in a chat room, then they set up a meeting IRL. It's an okay segment. But even though it does feature condom usage, there's no real message about safe sex. (That's sort of a good thing.)
    "Tony's Sex Adventure" is the worst segment of the five. Tony Valenzuela tries to give an ernest--albeit extremely long-winded--lecture about living a safe but active lifestyle while Doug Jeffries makes an ass of himself hopping around the studio like an idiot and mugging for the camera. His antics are so disruptive, even Tony looks annoyed by the end of it. (I would've paid Jeffries not to work on this project.) You'll want to roll your eyes when Jeffries finally does get serious and gives his speech about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
    In "After Dinner Mint" Drew Andrews and Sky Thompson play lovers in another sermon-free segment. Like 99.9% of all gay pornos made since 1992, the actors use a condom. But the after dinner mint of the title upstages the rubber.
    Wash West's segment, "Rubber Is Natural," is the best overall with its funky soundtrack and mind-bending editing. Twinks, Rod Barry and Dean O'Conner, find a secluded spot in the woods where condoms grow on trees and plants secrete anal lube like aloe. (Do the bird droppings contain nonoxynol-9?) West always puts a lot of care into his projects, and he has a strong cinematic vision. The porno stigma aside, there's really no reason why he couldn't direct a mainstream feature. I know I'd pay to see it.
    If you'd like information about the charities benefiting from sales of this video or accounting information about the distribution of those proceeds, contact: No Ego Productions, 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 562, West Hollywood, CA 90046. Or call (310) 726-6969. (This information was first made available in 9/98 and is possibly out of date.)