Like a Moth to a Flame Review

Distributor: Toby Ross / BDF (Big Dik Factory) Edition Details: Standard Streaming Movie Specs: Genres: Vignette, Gay, Thriller Run Time: 91 minutes Rated: XXX Release Year: 2009 Director: Toby Ross, Joe Rubin Written by: Toby Ross, Joe Rubin Cast: Johnny Carvajal, Joe Rubin, K.L. Kenzie, Rick Morrissey, Blake Melvin, Brian Chankin, Andrew McArdle, Kostja Darvi, Ata Hoolpa, David Daju, Danny Fox (as Daniel Fox), Rachel Cable, Kerry Weber, Nick Eskow, Derek Scott Graves, Omar Mashal, Rikki Ray, Omar Perez, Patrick Reid, Dakota, Sam Snowden, Devlin Wilder (as Erik A. Williams), Ryan di Noor, Anthony Blaze, Brandi Harnish, Angel Garcia, Z.D. Smith, James Vallo (as Jame Vallo), John Sanchez, Erick Jaffa, Alan Mora, Franchesco dela Scinto, Christy Hudson, Jerry Bach, Kevin Thamavong, Moondog Darwin Release Specs: Audio: English Stereo Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

Like a Moth to a Flame is a gay hardcore vignette movie by co-writers and co-directors Toby Ross and Joe Rubin. Like a Moth to a Flame consists of three heavily-plotted dark vignettes that all deal, in one way or another, with repressed homosexuality. The three vignettes are “In Our Darkest Moments” by Toby Ross, “In the Darkness Softly...” by Joe Rubin, and “In Deep” by Toby Ross with segments by Joe Rubin.

“In Our Darkest Moments” tells the story of Kevin (Johnny Carvajal), a closeted gay man, who is married to Gwen (K.L. Kenzie). He loses his wallet one night when out on the down-low that falls into the hands of hustlers Brian (Brian Chankin) and Evil (Joe Rubin). Gwen starts to get suspicious of Kevin's nighttime activities as he tries to get back his wallet.

“In the Darkness Softly...” has Blink (Danny Fox) witnessing the fifth of the rosary killings that have been going on in gay cruising spots. The rosary killer (Andrew McArdle) lets Blink escape and Blink finds himself drawn to the killer as he becomes infatuated with him.

“In Deep,” the final vignette, has a city being paralyzed by a homosexual killer (Devlin Wilder) who has been performing ritualistic murders with the men he has sex with. Police Captain Nye Rifkin (James Vallo) seems unable to find the killer as the city becomes more and more panicked.

Like a Moth to a Flame isn't a traditional hardcore movie in the sense that most viewers think of hardcore movies. There aren't any complete sex scenes in the movie nor is there any penetration that this reviewer can remember. Instead, the graphic sequences are used to advance the story. The vignettes have extensive non-sexual portions and all three have complete and well-done stories. The best by far is “In Our Darkest Moments” but none of the three should disappoint viewers.

The cast, as a whole, does an excellent job with their roles and Like a Moth to a Flame is nicely shot as well. The “In the Darkness Softly...” has some odd optics that are used that don't really help the segment, however, they don't ruin it either. The score for Like a Moth to a Flame is excellent and fits the mood of the movie perfectly.

While Like a Moth to a Flame is of gay-interest, straight viewers that aren't offended by erect penises will enjoy this movie too. The three vignettes feature strong and enjoyable dark storylines, good acting, and good production values. Like a Moth to a Flame is highly recommended.

The edition of Like a Moth to a Flame screened is the streaming-only edition available on TobyRoss.com. Toby Ross and BDF (Big Dik Factory) have done a nice job with their streaming-only edition of Like a Moth to a Flame. Like a Moth to a Flame looks like it was shot digitally and is presented in the Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 pillarboxed to the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The image looks beautiful with no noticeable blemishes and the colors in the movie look good. There is a TobyRoss.com bug in the lower right-hand corner of the screen throughout the movie.

Like a Moth to a Flame is presented with an English Stereo audio track. There aren't any noticeable issues with the audio track and the dialog in the movie is clear and easy to understand at all times.

Toby Ross and BDF haven't included any extras for their streaming-only edition of Like a Moth to a Flame.

Like a Moth to a Flame is a hardcore gay vignette movie that offers three dark vignettes that are heavy on the plot that only utilize hardcore material to advance the story. As a result, Like a Moth to a Flame is an excellent movie that is well worth watching by viewers of all orientations. Toby Ross and BDF (Big Dik Factory) have done an excellent job with their streaming-only edition of Like a Moth to a Flame on TobyRoss.com with excellent video and audio quality.

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