Up Up And Away & Heart Throbs (Double Feature) Review

Distributor: Adam & Eve Edition Details: Standard DVD MSRP: $29.95 DVD Release Date: August 2002 Release Specs: Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Disc: DVD 9 (SS, DL) Special Features: Photo Galleries, Previews DVD-ROM Special Features: none

As this disc contains two separate movies that are very slimly related Up! Up! and Away! and Heart Throbs, I'll be doing a review on each one and each film’s specific extras and then a general extras, navigation and a parting thoughts for the entire disc as a whole.

Synopsis:
Cody Nicole and Paul Thomas own the struggling Transglobal Airlines, which is about to go bankrupt. Paul Thomas disappears in a plane crash and Cody Nicole becomes aware of a scheme by Sasha Gabor to try and set up Paul Thomas and take the company away from her so she tries to find a way to save the company.

Audio/Video:
There are two audio tracks available on the disc for the film. I assume that one must be monaural and one must be a stereo re-mix, however, the both sound as if they are monaural and they sound exactly the same. Both tracks are English 2.0 tracks and they sound exactly as one would expect an 80s audio track to sound. The limitations of the original source are very evident but the tracks are clean and the dialog is easy to hear. There are no other language tracks available and no subtitle tracks available.

Up! Up! and Away! is presented in the full screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1. I’m not sure of the original aspect ratio for the film but if the picture has been formatted to fit your screen there is no evidence of it in the print. The print is worn but decent. The color levels are occasionally slightly light and there are occasional artifacts throughout the film. Overall, this print is more than acceptable given the film’s age.

Special Features:
The only extra on the disc specific to Up! Up! and Away! is a photo gallery that contains 18 cropped stills from the film that you have to flip through.

Navigation:
There are six chapters available from the film specific menu for Up! Up! and Away!. Each one is identified by a video clip from where the chapter goes to. As there are twelve different sex scenes in the film, you can’t rely on the chapters to get to where you are looking for unless you are lucky.The re is a time code encoded on the disc for this film.

General Review:
Up! Up! and Away! is the third film in the five film All American Girls series. The plot from the previous films does not carry through to the film though. The plot in the film is decent but mostly serves to connect the sex scenes together and some viewers may find it to be nothing but fast forward fodder. For viewers who are interested in the plot there is enough to it to keep the viewer interested throughout the film.

The cast looks rather good in this film, much better than the average cast of the 70s, but not as good as the average cast from the 90s. Some stand outs are Stacey Donovan and the always alluring Ginger Lynn, who unfortunately just has one short scene. The cast does a decent job with the material they are given, not that it amounts too much, but it’s good enough that you aren’t going to be banging your head into the wall over it.

The sex scenes in the film are much shorter than the films of today, as can be seen by the fact the film fits twelve sex scenes into an hour and 24 minute film. Viewers who like long sex scenes will be sorely disappointed by this. The women in this film are much hairier than the women of today, which may bother some viewers. The sexual themes in the film are oral and vaginal sex with female masturbation, lesbianism and toys. For viewers who care about such things, there are no condoms used in the film.

There are some technical problems with the film, as can be expected. The synch rate on the camera wasn’t slowed down for filming the television, so the scan lines are present in the picture which is very annoying for that scene. It wouldn’t be as bad if the camera didn’t linger on the television so long. During the sex scenes, there are too many close ups and not enough long shots. You almost never see a shot of the whole person, usually just the face or the genital region. These are the worst and only really detracting problems from the film.

The Scenes:
All of the sex scenes in the film are relatively short and unfortunately there are several performers that I couldn’t, despite my best efforts, identify. In the first scene, Paul Thomas takes on Stacey Donovan for a very shot scene that starts with a BJ and then concludes with vaginal sex. In the second scene, Paul Thomas and Cody Nicole go at it with some female masturbation, followed by some pussy eating. Cody then reciprocates by giving Paul a BJ before they head into the vaginal sex. In the third scene, Debi Diamond takes on an unknown guy for a BJ and vaginal sex.

In the fourth scene the lovely Ginger Lynn takes on Sasha Gabor for a BJ, followed by some pussy licking and then the vaginal sex. In the fifth scene, Stacey Donovan returns this time to pair up with Jerry Butler for a BJ and some vaginal sex. In the sixth scene, Paul Thomas gets Bunny Bleu and Lisa Thomas in a scene that starts with some simultaneous pussy eating and a blow job. The scene then heads into the vaginal sex.

In the seventh scene, Sasha Gabor returns, this time paired up with Gabrielle Behar for a blow job and some vaginal sex. The eighth and ninth scenes are interlaced with each other. In the eighth scene, Bridgette Monet and an unknown female take on David Cannon for some lesbian pussy licking, followed by a blow job and the required vaginal sex. In the ninth scene, Colleen Brennan, Cody Nicole and Laurie Smith have a lesbian love fest that involves some pussy eating and a double headed dildo.

In the tenth scene, Cody Nicole takes on an unknown male for a blow job, some pussy eating and then the obligatory vaginal sex. In the eleventh scene, Jamie Gillis gets Colleen Brennan and Laurie Smith for a BJ and the vaginal sex. In the twelfth scene, Cody Nicole and Jerry Butler go at it for some vaginal sex in a very short scene.

Parting Thoughts:
While Up! Up! and Away! is not an excellent film from the very end of the golden age of adult entertainment, but it is still a good fun film from that period. Viewers who enjoy the classics should enjoy viewing this film. Viewers who hate a plot, require nasty sex or require long sex scenes will probably want to skip this film. As this film comes with a second one from roughly the same period, it makes for a good purchase for fans.

Screenshots:

Synopsis:
Four sex-craved representatives of the Amalgamated Cosmetics Company travel to Hawaii to try out their new Shocking Pink Lipstick, which brings women to their knees, literally.

Audio/Video:
There are two audio tracks available on the disc, one that I assume is an English 2.0 Mono track and one that I assume is an English 2.0 Stereo track. However, both tracks sound exactly the same on my equipment and sound as if they are monaural in nature. The limitations of the source material are evident, but the audio tracks are more than acceptable. The dialog can be heard at all times during the film. There are no other language tracks and no subtitle options available on the disc.

Heart Throbs is presented in the full screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1. I don’t know the original aspect ratio for the film but judging from its release date, this is most likely the original aspect ratio for the film. If it has been cropped for this presentation, no evidence is available on the disc. The print is in very decent shape considering the age of the film containing occasional artifacts throughout the film. The colors are good throughout most of the film, but look slightly washed out in one small area. For the age of the film, this print is more than acceptable.

Special Features:
The only film specific extra on the disc is a photo gallery that contains 18 stills that you have to flip through yourself.

Navigation:
There are six chapters available from the film specific menu for Heart Throbs. They are identified by a video clip from the area of the film that the chapter goes to. As there are seven sex scenes in the film, the chapters are better than the ones for Up! Up! and Away!, but still are lacking. There is a time code encoded on the disc for the feature film.

General Review:
Heart Throbs is part four of the five part All American Girls series. Like the previous entry, Up! Up! and Away! the plot does not carry over from the past films and is completely independent here. The plot is rather thin, but holds the film together. The plot is much akin to the mainstream sex comedies from roughly the same time.

The cast does a decent job with their roles. A notable performance is that of a younger thinner, note I didn’t say young and thin, Ron Jeremy who proves he had acting ability at one point in his career. Many of the females look good, but are a bit hairier than what some viewers may be looking for. The males are decent but some of them may also be a bit hairier than what some viewers may be looking for, most notably Ron Jeremy and Harry Reems.

The sex scenes are well done and the cast interacts well with each other. The sex in the film is very tame but has decent variety throughout the scenes. The sex scenes are notably shorter than the ones in the films of today, which some viewers may not like. The sexual themes in the film are oral and vaginal sex with lesbianism, female masturbation and titty fucking. For viewers who care about such things, there are no condoms used in the film.

The camera work in the film is great, often looking like that of a mainstream film. The sex scenes are well filmed. Some viewers may not like that the first sex scene with Ron Jeremy is intercut with non-pornographic footage. The locations used in the film are absolutely beautiful and definitely enhance the viewing experience.

The Scenes:
The sex scenes are rather short in this film and despite my best efforts, many of the performers I was unable to identify. In the first scene, Ron Jeremy and an unknown female start out with some pussy eating followed by vaginal sex. In the second scene, three unknown females pleasure each other with some pussy licking and female masturbation.

In the third scene, Ron Jeremy teams up with two unknown females for some pussy eating, vaginal sex followed by a blow job then some combination vaginal sex and lesbian pussy eating. In the fourth scene, an unknown male and unknown female go at it with a blow job, some pussy eating and the required vaginal sex. In the fifth scene, Ron Jeremy and two unknown females start out with some pussy eating followed by some vaginal sex. Then Ronny gets his tool shined before going back to the vaginal sex during this, Ronny switches over to the other woman for some more vaginal sex.

In the sixth scene, an unknown female and Sasha Gabor get to have some fun starting out with a little 69 action before going into the vaginal sex. The next scene is a short tease scene featuring an unknown male and unknown female performing a blow job. In the seventh and final scene, an unknown female gets to have some fun with Harry Reems for a blow job, some pussy eating, vaginal sex, some titty fucking and a blow job finale.

Parting Thoughts:
Heart Throbs is a fun movie from the 80s that is sure not to disappoint fans of films from that time period. Viewers who hate porn with a plot, like long sex scenes, require nasty sex or hate their talent to be hairy will want to pass on this film. The print is in good shape and with the inclusion of another film from roughly the same period this is a decent disc to pick up.

Screenshots:

Special Features:
The only common extras that the two films share are the previews for other Adam & Eve titles. Contained on the disc are previews for Sex Across America: Las Vegas, Sex Across America: New Orleans, Sex Across America: San Francisco, Sex Across America: Miami, Crystal Dreams, Sex Spell, Puppeteer, A Midsummer Night’s Cream, Caribbean Undercover, A Wolf’s Tail, Emerald Rain, The Fiesta, Invisible, Sex Island and A Witch’s Tail.

Navigation:
When you pop the disc in your player, you get prompted to choose which movie you are interested in watching. After making your selection, the movie you chose starts playing. To view the menu for the specific film, you have to use your menu key on the remote.

Parting Thoughts:
Up! Up! and Away! and Heart Throbs are two classic films and although neither one is a stand out from its time, they are both rather enjoyable. If you are a fan of the classics, like porn with a plot and don’t mind your women, and some men, to be hairier than those of today, these films are definitely worth a view. If you hate porn with a plot, like your women to be shaved, require long sex scenes or require nasty sex scenes you will probably want to skip these films.

Past Reviews Interviews