 The 15th Annual Hard Choice Awards
(for films reviewed in 2008)
It's that time of year when everyone with something to say puts it in a list. This is my list. No party, no fanfare, no shindig, no porn stars, no statuettes. No lifetime achievement awards, no drag queens, no envelopes, no acceptance speeches, no Ms. Congeniality. Just the year's best in all-male porn.
Guaranteed to keep you hard.
By Onan the Vulgarian
With Harley Shadow
Red became the new black in 2008, when studios and content producers looked at their bottom lines and saw losses where there had always been profits. Porn was no longer recession-proof.
Despite that, quality and heat registered higher than ever on the Dickter Scale. Coming up with this year's shortlists and choosing the winners was a harder choice than ever before.
Jim Steele's work made me look twice. After getting in a rut directing films that were practically interchangeable with each other, he started directing web scenes for Suite703.com and blew me out of the water multiple times. Then, sad to say, that company halted further production.
Another Steele, Chris, had an amazing year, pulling rabbit after rabbit out of his hat while flexing his writing and directing muscles. If I had a category for Best Sex Comedy, Ass Cruisin' would be the clear winner.
Speaking of amazing, John Bruno took giant steps in 2008. If you watch the films he wrote and directed as the head of Massive Studio, the transition to lead director for Falcon seems a sea change — a disconnect in the kinds of models, scenarios, sex, sets. Yet Bruno asserted himself as the master of his craft or sullen art (to invoke poet Dylan Thomas), no matter what the trappings. As I wrote in my review of Winter Heat, he is an Iron Chef of the vanilla genre. And can less be said of Titan's Brian Mills, whose journey in 2008 has been in the opposite direction, towards the harder and darker side of sex?
There were surprises both good and bad on the international front. The bad is that Lucas Kazan's Italians and Other Strangers may be his swan song. The good includes Skin Deep and Rio, the best work yet from directors Kristen Bjorn and Dennis Bell, and multiple productions from directors Robert Boggs and Alexander that further establish their unique visions and voices.
Overall, the vision and artistry of directors drives the industry. We may watch porn for hot new bodies, eye-opening camera angles and sizzling ways to connect, but the directors are the guys behind the curtains bringing us that excitement. To that end, I'd like to say congratulations and thank you for a terrific year whose accomplishments may not be best reflected in profits and losses.
 Among this year's harder choices was choosing a Performer of the Year. Tommy Lima is underrated; I singled him out at the start of his career and was the first to interview him for the gay press. His work is always as stellar as his body is hard-n-hot. Max Schutler, besides delivering one fine fuck after another, is an international ambassador of sexy charm. Erik Rhodes' bullshit detector and take-no-prisoners attitude still earn him more friends than foes, and he's relentless in the sack, whether topping or bottoming; this was his year. And Dean Flynn can do no wrong. He is as personally charming as he is handsome, and every production he's in is the better for it. But the scales tipped in favor of Logan McCree, who pushed his personal envelope with challenging scenes, earnest acting and a heartfelt screenplay (for The Drifter) that gave porn a touch of class. All these guys improved my outlook.
There's no avoiding the fact that this year there is an elephant in the room. In June 2007, Raging Stallion director Chris Ward and three of his staff paid a visit to a remote Arizona ranch to size it up as a possible location for a porn western. Fourteen months later, a classic was born. Filmed at the actual site of the bloodiest feud in American history and helmed by three directors, To the Last Man did not so much think outside the box as it atomized the box. It also demolished sales records, proving — as did the studio's GRUNTS last year — that even during harsh times when consumers guard their dollars closely, an original and outstanding production will attract viewers. It will be interesting to see how To the Last Man influences tomorrow's porn.
As always, there are omissions — some glaring — from this list. Even though I have 20 years and nearly 5,000 reviews under my belt, some studios and distributors deem me not worth the cost of a screener. So be it.
Thanks to the rest of you — I wish I had time and space to mention you all — for keeping us hard all year, and thanks to every reader. Please hold our feet to the fire and let us know how we’re doing.
Performer of the Year
Logan McCree
Runners-up: Dean Flynn, Tommy Lima, Erik Rhodes, Max Schutler
 Best Film — USA
To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: Ass Cruisin', Jet Set; Folsom Prison, Titan Media; Return to Fire Island, Lucas Entertainment; Winter Heat, Falcon Studios
Best Film — Foreign
Skin Deep, Kristen Bjorn Productions
Runners-up: Italians and Other Strangers, Lucas Kazan Productions; Masters & Servants, High Octane; Rio, AMG Brasil; Grand Prix, AYOR Studios
Best Director — USA
Chris Ward, Ben Leon and Tony Dimarco, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Hon. Mention: Chris Steele, Ass Cruisin', Jet Set; Brian Mills, Folsom Prison, Titan Media; Joe Gage, Home Invasion, Titan Media; John Bruno, Winter Heat, Falcon Studios
Best Director — Foreign
Kristen Bjorn, Skin Deep, Kristen Bjorn Productions
Runners-up: Alexander, Bathhouse Exxxtasy, Alexander Pictures; Lucas Kazan, Italians and Other Strangers, Lucas Kazan Productions; Herve Bodilis, Masters & Servants, High Octane; Dennis Bell, Rio, AMG Brasil
Best Director — Web
Jim Steele, Suite703.com
Best Screenplay
Logan McCree, The Drifter, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: Chris Steele, Ass Cruisin', Jet Set; Chris Brand, Betrayed, FPG Entertainment; Robert Boggs, Grand Prix, AYOR Studios; Tony Dimarco, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
 Best Actor — USA
Ricky Sinz, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: Tony Buff, Folsom Prison and Home Invasion, Titan Media; Aaron James, Ass Cruisin', Jet Set; Logan McCree, The Drifter, Raging Stallion Studios; Erik Rhodes, Afterparty, Falcon Studios
Best Actor — Foreign
Ralph Woods, French Kiss, Bel Ami
Runners-up: Bruno Boni, Italians and Other Strangers, Lucas Kazan Productions; Chad Driver, Grand Prix, AYOR Studios; Steve Hunt, Masters & Servants, High Octane; Tommy Lima, Tommy Lima in Brazil, Alexander Pictures
Best Supporting Actor
Wade Warren, Interrogation, Xtreme Productions
Runners-up: Jason Crew, Brothers' Reunion, Lucas Entertainment; Vinnie D'Angelo, The Drifter, Raging Stallion Studios; Cole Ryder, Black Meat White Heat, All Worlds Video; Scott Tanner, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Best Non-sexual Performance
Johan Paulik, French Kiss, Bel Ami
Hon. Mention: Ricky Sinz, Hotter Than Hell 1, Raging Stallion Studios
Best Videography
To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: Betrayed, FPG Entertainment; Breakers, Titan Media; Hung Country for Young Men, Jet Set; Masters & Servants, High Octane
Best Art Direction
To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: Fun House, Titan Media; Jock Itch 1, Screaming Eagle; Masters & Servants, High Octane; Million Dollar Boy, Sprittz
 Most Passionate Sex
Diesel Washington & Eric Moreau, Double Standard, Titan Media (composite photo #3)
Runners-up: Tom Chase & Brad Patton, Couples III, COLT Studio; Vinnie D'Angelo & Logan McCree, The Drifter; Dean Flynn & Eric Moreau, Fun House, Titan Media; Mitch Branson & Eric Valentin, Inside Out, COLT Studio
The Year's Best Sex
- Alexy Tyler & Tristan Jaxx, Contact, Mustang
- JT & Lex Laziruzz, Da Hating Game, Pitbull Productions
- Eddie Diaz & Jude Collin, Excess, Rascal Video
- Johnny Hazzard & Vinnie D’Angelo, Hazzard Zone, Rascal Video
- Nash Lawler & Kirk Cummings, Hot House Backroom 8, Hot House
- RJ Danvers & Josh West, Jock Itch, Screaming Eagle
- Trystian Sweet & Cole Waters, Sporty Balls, Fratboy (composite photo #4)
- Diesel Washington & Steven Ponce, Telescope, Titan Media
- Scott Campbell & Antonio Biaggi, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
- Tommy Lima & Antonio Bello, Tommy Lima in Brazil 1: On the Beach, Alexander Pictures
Best Sex for 3 or More
- The cast of Blackballed 6, All Worlds Video
- The Mangiatti Twins & Brian Bodine, Cruising Budapest VI, Lucas Entertainment
- Tony Elliot, Milo Peters & Elijah Peters, Cyber Games, Falcon International
- The cast of Hotter Than Hell 2, Raging Stallion Studios
- Trystian Sweet, Rod Daily & Kevin Cavalli, Hung Country for Young Men, Jet Set
- Ross Hurston, Johnny Gunn & Francesco D’Macho, Paging Dr. Finger, Hot House
- Michael Lucas, Claudio Martin & Kurt Wild, Pounding the Pavement, Lucas Entertainment (composite photo #2)
- Jean Franko, Ricardo Safado, Rodrigo Ferrais, Rocco Banks, Harry Louis & Erik Demko, Skin Deep, Kristen Bjorn Productions
- Marcelo Sousa, Cosme Diaz & Francisco Macedo, Tommy Lima in Brazil 2: In the Jungle, Alexander Pictures
- Vinnie D'Angelo, Jude Collin & Justin Jameson, Winter Heat, Falcon Studios
Best Daddy-Boy Scene
Kaven Sincer & The Ass Professor, Spread Dat Butta, Pitbull Productions (composite photo #1)
Runners-up: William Wood & Lucas Knowles, Cock Tease, Jet Set; Dean Flynn & Kurt Wild, Copperhead Canyon, Titan Media; Dean Phoenix & Kyle Pierce, Forever Young, All Worlds Video; Alex Chandler & Tory Mason, Paradise Found, Buckshot
Best Solo
Rick Fontana & Marc Vidal, Sun Kissed, Bel Ami
Runners-up: Damien Crosse, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios; Martin Mazza, Casting Madrid Vol. 2, Jalif Studio; Dominic Sol, Hot House Backroom 8, Hot House; Scott Tanner, On the Job, Raging Stallion Studios
Best Oral Sex
Jackson Wild & Chad Hunt, Unknown: Ghost of a Chance, Rascal Video
Hon. Mention: Dominic Pacifico & Tyler Dix, Workin’ Hard, Mustang Studios
Best Rimming
Justin Christopher & Jay Black, Big Bigger Biggest 1, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: Andreas & Bruno, Boys of Buenos Aires, Latin Heat; Dean Phoenix & Kyle Pierce, Forever Young, All Worlds Video; Riley Burke & Jude Collin, Suck It Up, Rascal Video; Damien Crosse & Anton Harri, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
 Image Too Incendiary for Words
François Sagat in a clown mask & fishnet leotard, Fun House, Titan Media
Best Dirty Talk
Jake Starr, Pounding the Pavement, Lucas Entertainment
Best Vocal & Facial Expressions During Sex
Dean Carter, Slide, Jet Set
Hon. Mention: Kurt Wild, whenever he has a cock in his ass
Best Movie for Butt Lovers
Take It Like a Man 1: Azz on Fire, Pitbull Productions
Hon. Mention: Strong Will: The Assertion, Buckshot
Best Music
To the Last Man, JD Slater & Nekked, Raging Stallion Studios
Hon. Mention: Slide, Joe Wilson, Jet Set
Having a Blast! (cum shot)
Lil Nellie, Spread Dat Butta, Pitbull Productions
Runners-up: Rafael Alencar, Pounding the Pavement, Lucas Entertainment; Lil Nellie, Pain in Da Azz, Pitbull Productions; Geoffrey Paine, Hazzard Zone, Rascal Video; Ricky Parks, Massive, COLT Studio
Rub Me the Right Way
Adam Champ and Darin Hawk, Couples III, COLT Studio
 Best New Kids on the Block
Performer, USA: RJ Danvers
Performer, Foreign: Dolph Lambert
Director: Steve Cruz
Studio: Spritzz
Destination: Argentina
Best Classic DVD
Seven in a Barn, Bijou Video
Hon. Mention: 19 Good Men (Having Intimate Pulsations), Bijou Video
Cleverest Title
The Twink Whisperer, PZP Productions
Onan's Pantheon of Michelangelo Bodies
Eddie Diaz, Dean Flynn
Deepest Throat
Jackson Wild
Hon. Mention: Logan McCree
 Most Fuckable Boy in the World
Kurt Wild
Runners-up: RJ Danvers, Tory Mason, Jason Michaels, Zack Randall
Best Chest
Furry: Mike Dreyden
Smooth: Rod Daily
Best Buns
Blake Riley
Runners-up: Dillon Crow, Ty LeBoeuf, Lucas Lucky (aka Vasco Fernandez), Jason Michaels
 Best Mind Fuck
"Erotic Positions for Two Consenting Males," in which models demonstrate every conceivable position for anal penetration. It's an illustrated gay Kama Sutra with a sense of humor and gravity-defying positions; in Cowboy Virgin, Athletic Model Guild
Hon. Mention: The Gregorian chant music used on the soundtrack of Cyber Games, Falcon International
Savage Humor Award
Shouting "I said no teeth," Ricky Sinz fires his six-shooter into the air while Damian Rios is blowing him; To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Hon. Mention: the movie Farts!, Lucas Entertainment
 Hottest Man on the Planet
Milan Gamiani
Hon. Mention: Eric Moreau
Chance Erotic Moment
Damien Crosse licking the sweat off Anton Harri’s back down to his ass, To the Last Man, Raging Stallion Studios
Hon. Mention: Sparks fly between Cameron Marshall and Krystal Kali when they catch each other watching their boss fuck his girlfriend, Shifting Gears, All Worlds Video
Things They Didn't Teach You at School
Lee Dakota uses his penis as a luminaria, Sounding #2, Raging Stallion Studios
Runners-up: While Jason Crew fucks himself with his own cock, Brant More rims him and licks his shaft, Flatiron Fuckers, Lucas Entertainment; Tony Buff uses a stun gun on Derek da Silva’s cock and balls, Folsom Prison, Titan Media; The sit-fuck in Skin Deep, in which Bruno Jones fucks himself on Jordi Casal's cock as if it were a living dildo; Derrick Hanson & Tony Bishop playing happily with their penises — and a bunch of sounding rods, Sounding #1, Raging Stallion Studios
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