Jackaroos Review

The Details

• Title: Jackaroos
• Studio: Sarava Productions / Kristen Bjorn
• Producer(s): Kristen Bjorn
• Director(s): Kristen Bjorn
• Videographer(s): Kristen Bjorn
• Editor(s): Malu Martino
• Cast: Hogan Maloney, Blue Vainer, Josh Sherwood, Arturo Ramirez, 'Foot-Long' Sean (aka Sean Davis), Boy Dickson, Dingo McGee, Brumby Jack & Geoffrey Cox
• Date of Production: 1991
• Running Time: 1:25:45 hh:mm:ss ( 4 scenes & 12 chapters: Scene 1:1~3, 7:45, 8:25 & 4:40; Scene 2:4~6, 5:15, 7:05 & 9:00; Scene 3:7~9, 7:20, 6:50 & 4:35 and Scene 4:10~12, 6:20, 7:15 & 11:15 )
• Menus & Chapters: Easy to navigate menu with the video divided into 12 chapters (actually, 4 scenes of 3 chapters each). Touching the 'menu' button when loading the disc bypasses the annoying legal notices – a plus.
• Extras: Standard fare except that there is a director's commentary accompanying the automated slide show (very good images) that can be enabled or disabled. Nice touch. Unfortunately, there is nothing identifying the individual performers, neither in the opening titles (just a list of their noms-des-porn), nor in the closing credits (although, by cross-referencing with Bjorn's web site, this is easily acquired information). I do like having the cast members identified (making it easy to find more videos staring those who float my boat).
• Packaging: Hogan Maloney graces the front cover. There are small images of most of the cast on the rear cover.

The Story

Jackaroos, subtitled 'An Australian Outback Adventure,' is the story of a loose-knit group of Aussie cowboys who live, work and play hard far from the city lights. ('Jackaroo' is Aussie slang for cowboy, making it a particularly appropriate choice as the title for an Aussie cowboy skin flick in the American market.) The story is presented as four chapters containing three scenes each narrated by the 'hero' of the of the video, Hogan Maloney, who tells us of the Jackaroos' hard times on the cattle stations in the Outback. This life of hard times I'd suffer gladly any day of the week and twice on Sundays!

1. Driven between a Rock and a Hard Place (Hogan Maloney & Blue Vainer) — A duo between Maloney, the video's supposed narrator, and Vainer, beginning with traded blowjobs in the front seat of a Toyota Land Cruiser, continuing with Maloney being mounted on the Toyota's front bumper and finishing several fucks and many cum shots later with Maloney riding Vainer's major wiener in the nearby rocks. The two men are more rugged than 'pretty' handsome as is befitting the theme of the video. The sex is hot with a lazy pace.
2. Barbie-Skewered (Ouch!) (Josh Sherwood, Arturo Ramirez & 'Foot-Long' Sean Davis) — A 3-way in which Sherwood is first well-basted and then thoroughly roasted, spinning on the formidable spits of Ramirez and Davis in the spacious living room of an elegant, rustic ranch house. Here the pace picks up a bit in both speed and intensity. It is obvious that Ramirez and Davis both enjoy Sherwood's ass – he must have been bowlegged for a month afterwards!
3. Horseplay at the Billabong (Dingo McGee, Brumby Jack & Boy Dickson) — Three handsome younger men on horseback take a break to cool off (heat up?) after a hard ride on the rocks in and around a pool. What begins as skinny-dipping rapidly shifts to a major suck- fest. Jack has the biggest cock of the three and plows each of his two playmates in turn while the third enjoys being sucked by the fuckee. I'd love to horse around with this trio at their next pool party!
4. Field Hands ('Foot-Long' Sean Davis, Geoffrey Cox & Blue Vainer) — Field hands Davis and Cox invite Vainer to join their duo. At one point Cox is sucking both 'Foot- Long' and Vainer, who's no slouch in the cock department either, at the same time. After the first round of copious explosions, Vainer sucks Cox while 'Foot-Long' fucks him. Then they trade places with Cox riding Vainer's cock while Vainer sucks Davis. There is enough meat in this scene to keep Oscar Meyer in business for years.

What I Liked — The lazy, summer afternoon feel. The scenery: animal, vegetable & mineral. And the men: relaxed, rugged, handsome & hot. There are some amazing cum shots in this video. I think one of the things I like most about Bjorn videos is the almost non-stop sequence of cum shots rather than the sex for thirty minutes and then everyone cums pattern in videos from most other directors. Maloney and the trio by the pool were my favorites in the looks department. And my favorite sex in the video was the final chapter of the Davis/Cox/Vainer grouping and again, the pool trio. These guys are hot.

What I Disliked — Unlike his more recent videos, 'Jackaroos' is dubbed with a voice-over track rather than having live sound; and some of the dialogue, especially in the heat of passion, is more distracting than exciting. Also, I realize that Bjorn was aiming for an authentic Australian feel but the narrator's accent is a bit overboard. Just turn down the volume and supply your own sound effects: there is certainly no lack of incentive.

DVD Quality — This is a DVD reissue of the first of Bjorn's videos shot on Beta format (rather than direct to VHS) and the quality shows. The transfer to DVD is excellent. Audio quality is good also although you might need to adjust volume at times (mostly to subdue the voice-over).

Overall Thoughts — Over the course of more than two dozen Bjorn videos, I've come to expect exceptionally handsome hunks, exotic locales and a consistency of sizzling sex seldom seen in the mainstream gay videos from the left coast. Were I measuring 'Jackaroos' against California's best, it would hold up quite well; however, compared to much of Bjorn's other work, even allowing for his development with videos released since this one, I feel this video falls a bit short. The guys seem more natural than those in contemporary Cali efforts but they are no match for the exotics Bjorn brought us from Brazil and later from Canada, Hungary and Russia. And the sex is merely great (with several of Bjorn's trademark 'no- hands' eruptions), not over-the-top as in some of his other work. Maybe it's that the Australian men (as good as these are) are just too much like American men, despite the hokey voice-over. In other words, 'he done good,' but from Bjorn's porn, I want more.

~ GaySatyr – 7/21/01
gaysatyr@mindspring.com