All the great sex and adrenaline-pumping visuals that earned the VMS release of Bodyslammin': Shake &Tumble a full five-A rating (April, '98) are augmented herewith chapter stops, still photos (with "slide show" capability), and, most impressively, 5.1-channel surround sound.

Considering Alex Sanders' growing reputation as a cutting-edge editor and effects man, DVD would seem the ideal format to show off his post-production savvy. Unfortunately where the picture is concerned, what was arguably a demo-quality effort on 1/2-inch videotape has made the transition to DVD with mixed results: At its best, the picture is clean and sharp — at its worst, it's pixelated quite noticeably, even if only for a few frames here and there. This is due, according to Sanders, to a non-standard "film-look" process that was applied to the original videotape master, and not to any flaws in the authoring and transfer to DVD. Considering the program material, one could easily dismiss the occasional pixelation as another visual effect — many viewers likely will — but having seen the tape, we know the difference.

Bottom line: great sex, MTV-style visuals and the remastered soundtrack make Bodyslammin' wellworth stocking, and a natural add-on sale or rental with Bodyslammin' 2.

It's probably premature to call Bodyslammin' the Schindler's List of Alex Sanders' career.  But after witnessing this two-hour-and-twenty-minute technical and sexual triumph, one is sorely tempted to declare the competition for this year's Best Gonzo Video over, and any other hopefuls as pretenders to the throne.

Sanders sets the tone for his high-octane sex 'n' sports fantasy in one of the most engaging and stylized opening credit sequences this side of Seven and Tomorrow Never Dies.  Skydiving, jet skiing, a motorcycle rally, and no small amount of computer-generated post-production wizardry provide the dazzle as a hard rock beat and rapid-fire edits preview the over half-a-dozen bone-stiffening sex scenes to come.

After a strong opener between Sanders and Sid Deuce (these two have fucked a gazillion times, onscreen and off, but still manage to strike quite a few sparks), a nasty three-girl-three-guy group grope scores the first of the vid's many sexual pre-noms.  European import Anita Dark does her part to rack up pre-noms two and three when her oceanside bikini tease segues into a sweaty, panting boy/girl with the director, first on the beach, then back at his digs.  Here, the camera practically worships Dark's body, revealing in crisp detail every curve, texture and fold as Sanders hammers his turgid cock in and out of the brunette's gaping pussy.

A later sequence with Katie Gold, Holly Body, Dakota, and Jessie James starts out as a deceptively pretty all-girl with overtones of Andrew Blake, develops rapidly into a marathon group encounter worthy of Bionca, and peaks with an exquisitely raunchy Sanders/Body twosome featuring a multi-position anal that would do John Stagliano or Tom Byron proud.  That Dakota takes a dildo the size of a beer can up her ass - then gapes wide for Sanders' pistoning cock - is merely the icing on the cake.  Chalk up sexual pre-nom number four.

In the other sex scenes (all first-rate), Sanders gets his wick waxed by LeeAnna Heart and her girlfriend at a Hollywood motorcycle rally and again in his bedroom; gets blown by three strippers while driving around in his Hummer (!); and fucks a pretty blonde, first at his hotel, then again on the bow of a motorboat as it plows its way across Lake Havasu in broad daylight.

Hardcore strokers may find some of the interim sequences - such as the pole-dancing, the motorbike rally and a bikini contest - a bit lengthy.  Frankly, we thought they made the tape.  And those who prefer a little tease and titillation before their sex will appreciate the aesthetic even more.  Besides, from such stuff awards are won and cable sales are made; indeed, if MTV showed hardcore porn, Bodyslammin' would be at the top of their heavy rotation schedule.

In addition to the above pre-noms, consider Bodyslammin' a frontrunner for direction, videography, editing, and special effects.  And come January, don't be surprised if it finishes at the top of the heap.

It's really that good.