So far, the most romantic erotic video of the year goes hands-down to Going Down in Style, thanks to a new talented director who knows how to compile one of the most stellar casts in the gay business. Babbitt takes the gorgeous and classic-looking Michael Brawn — winner of AVN's 1992 Best Actor — and puts him in a very classic and elegant setting as an eccentric closeted homosexual who invites guys to a dinner party of a lifetime.

Each of the baffled guests are excellent actors in their own right, including award-winning Johnny Rahm, Grant Larson and Rob Cryston as well as oft-nominated Chip Daniels and an amazing pair of newcomers, sleek Al Michaels and buffed Peter Baldwin. The story has the guys interacting socially and sexually as Brawn watches on closed-monitored TV from afar.

Even his cool, calm and collected servant, delightfully portrayed by Grant Larson, gets in the act in one of the best oral scenes of the year with Chip — watch that ice cube scene! It's all technically beautiful, and shot with great care. The final seven-guy free-for-all orgy is a bit too long, though and it appears that even the "guests" got a bit bored, especially since it seemed like more bottoms were around than tops. The settings are gorgeous, but the plot falls just slightly short on the final scene and I didn't believe the trite denouement.

Nevertheless, the loving kissing segments, the fine crystal, the under-the-table jack-off scene at dinnertime and other scenes is going to make this a word-of-mouth video that will make people go down to their local porn shop.