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Young Matthew Ludwinski becomes the Dirk Diggler of 21st century in Going Down In LA LA Land. The obvious comparison for this film is with Boogie Nights. Unlike the other film Going Down In LA LA Land as a gay film gets up front an honest about the porn industry being a great gay industry. And we have up front gay characters.

Ludwinski after breaking up with his boyfriend in New York decides to try to make it in Los Angeles as an actor. Of course he soon realizes that Los Angeles is the only place other New York where every other attractive young person is trying to make in film and television and its worse here.

Ludwinski sort of slides and glides into the porn film industry first behind then up front of the camera. Then it's a bit of escorting and then he hooks up with Michael Medico, a most closeted star of a G rated situation comedy. As it turns out Medico is a lonely man looking to express his love which in his case still not dare speak its name to Middle America.

What was interesting here is during the course of the film, Ludwinski could have taken any number of different courses professionally and romantically and his life could have been tragic or nondescript or any number of other life places. Go back over the film and see what I'm talking about.

Allison Lane plays his best friend who gives Ludwinski room and board while he's in Los Angeles. She's interesting and even though she betrays him, she's likable in her own way. She's obsessed with fame which is the problem.

I was involved with someone many years ago, attractive, but obsessed with fame. He never got anywhere near that because he failed to realize that people in theater do it because they love it. If fame comes, it comes, most will never see it, but those who stay with it love theater for its own sake.

Her role is small, but Judy Tenuta puts some real bite into her couple of scenes as a washed up has been actress who also drugged out on fame and celebrity.

Going Down In LA-LA Land is one interesting take on gay life among the aspiring on the west coast.

Young hunky Adam (Matthew Ludwinski) moves from New York to California to become an actor. He shares an apartment with a friend named Candy (Allison Lane) but can't find work. Finally, in desperation, he takes a job as a production assistant for gay porn movies. His good looks and muscular body catch the attention of executives in the company and he starts posing for nudes and eventually "graduates" into doing gay porn. Then he falls in love head over heels with a closeted TV performer (beautifully played by Michael Medico) but then tragedy strikes.

I think director Caper Andreas is very talented. I've seen most of his other movies and have (to varying degrees) liked them. This is very good. Not his best but still good. The script is tight and moves quickly. Ludwinski is an incredibly hot man and a pretty good actor. He has frequent shirtless scenes and there's quick flashes of nudity from him. Also Andreas plays Nick--a photographer--and him and Ludwinski have some very hot guy-on-guy kissing scenes. Also there's a small role by Andreas' regular Jesse Archer and Judy Tenuta and cameos by Bruce Vilanch and Perez Hilton. Despite the porn setting there's no full frontal nudity (except for once briefly) and no explicit sex. It all ends up in a big happy ending (which is totally unrealistic) and has good acting across the board. So it's worth catching.

This is Casper's best effort to date. The film is beautifully shot and directed. While there may be a misstep here or there, they are easily ignored given the level of acting.

Candy (Allison Lane) and Adam (Matthew Ludwinski) make a warmly klutzy pair of friends who met in film school and have eventually landed in Hollywood. Candy has an apartment, paid for by her boy friend, with a room Adam can crash in until he's got a job.

While some the story is cliché, much of it is original, based on Andy Zeffer's semi-autobiographical novel. Again, while some of the plot points about getting involved in the porn industry aren't particularly new, the tale of a love affair gone awry, with the hope of redemption, rings true.

I found the connection between Adam and John quite convincing. Judy Tenuta as Zinnea, an old friend of John's with secrets of her own, is particularly comical, if over the top in Judy's trademarked manner.

This is not a heavily dramatic story, but is sufficiently entertaining that I heartily recommend it. Having Bruce Vilanch pop in for a cameo was an inspired bit of casting.

It is a mix of romantic comedy and serious drama. Which at points creates an interesting space of humor and tension that feels real and mimics true life. While at other points it's too funny to be serious while at the same point too serious to be funny, which creates a sense similar to look at modern abstract art and thinking either I am missing the point here or they failed to hit their target.

Overall it is a good movie that has a nice balance between sweet and tragic but it bothered me that some characters came into the story seeming to be important and then just kind of drop out of the story with little to no explanation as to why or what happens to them.

The movie show us the difficulty to get as an actor job on Hollywood, and how the people are be able to do, for to get some money, have a good story, but the actors are terrible, I didn't feel any emotion with them. The only character that save is John Vasteli , divided between show who he is or continue hidden the true from the other people and your audience. At least has a great end.

I liked the movie for being mostly light-hearted, but still posing some serious issues (coming out, entourage, drugs).

The film has its share of gay stereotypes, all in good fun. You have the fag hag, the gossipers at the bar, and the not-so-common hag-of-the-other- fag (more or less) which obviously starts on the wrong foot with the protagonist.

Still, the movie is not entirely predictable and the acting, while slightly over the top at times, makes it worthwhile.

It's not ground-breaking, yet not cheesy. A really good movie to watch at home on that day when you feel tired and need something to lift up your spirits.

With just a few deletions, this predictable non-erotic movie could play on the Hallmark Hall of Fame or the Disney Channel. Both the title and the box-cover photo of our bare-chested hero convey the unmistakable message that we'll at least enjoy some beefcake and maybe other naughty business in this independent effort. Alas, you finish watching this snooze-fest and realize that you never saw or experienced anything sensual. I'm not saying that this should have been a Falcon Studio sexcapade. But when you see major male movie stars like Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, James Franco, etc. showing complete nudity, then you would think an independent movie--free of a big studio censorship--would at least give us a brief glimpse of our hero. Turn on True Blood and Sons of Anarchy on cable and male nudity is the norm. And this is why I keep harping on the lack of eroticism that killed this movie for me. Our storyline finds the hero moving to L.A. to start a new life. He finally wounds up as the number one gay porno idol in the world, on the magazine covers and box covers of his X-rated career. Yet, you're never given any reason to think this. For instance, when he auditions for a porno role, we see him in bathing trunks. Just when he begins to slip them off, the scene cuts to another one of him fully clothed. When he's filming his first porno scene in a shower, we see him filmed from the chest up. And that's it. So much more could have made this movie exciting, arousing, hot, charming, but instead we're treated to a vanilla opus that might appeal to viewers who don't want to have a hard-on.

The cast grabbed me so fast, I was hooked from the opening few minutes. Very funny,heart warming,perfectly acted,great production values and the cast of characters were real. I couldn't sleep because of a broken heart and found this movie on cable. Had no idea what it was about and thought it might cheer me up. It did more than that. Made me take a look at me and make some decisions about how I wanted to live my life, with the integrity in which Adam lived his. Don't settle for anything other than what you want and deserve in life. Live with integrity and strength of character. The characters in this movie acted the parts so well that they really made me think about issues like this. Not many movies have the power to do that. That is what a great movie should do.

....."Brokeback Mountain." ......(*Alternate title for this review: "I Hear the Crabcakes are Excellent").

In its first near two-thirds running time, "Going Down in Blah-Blah Land," is the typical "Hollywood meat grinder" story about all those aspiring, young Newbies scrambling for a foothold, after arriving in the world's film capital. (WARNING: Beware those Gay video porn-mills!). ....Ah, BUT, then come the very best parts, where we start to see...(well, you'll find that out, below).

NOW TO OUR CAST: And saving the best for last, here's a glimpse at the major characters...beginning with:

• *Allison Lane, as the ditzy B(Girl)FF of the male Lead. Named "Candy", she is the supportive and often funny--yet sometimes tiresome--friend from back home. (Good for Allison...she gets more screen time than anyone other than our main star).

• Next, in a major (time-wise) supporting role, we have the Director, himself: Casper Andreas, playing a "User" of a guy, who we'll later see as the true scuzzball he becomes. (This viewer thinks Andreas would do well, in future, spending all his time BEHIND the camera....for I'm starting to picture him as he appears in his last scene---or is that just effective acting?).

• AND FINALLY: Let's speak to that "CHEMISTRY" mentioned above. RARELY, in an American produced Gay film, do we get to see such an emotionally deep relationship between two men. It was obviously developed by main actor, Matthew Ludwinski (as our gorgeous "Adam") and his co-lead, Michael Medico (as sweet, but closeted, "John") during their shooting time with one another. Their "few" scenes together will keep you RIVETED. We can a..l...most Touch what they burn off the screen at us. (And there's the shame of this movie: 56 and one-half minutes into it before we even see this couple together--except for a "prologue" of sorts). NEVERTHELESS, you tell me if the likes of this film relationship has been seen, in this country, since the days of "Brokeback Mountain"!

Oh, I had my doubts, well into this movie......but Matthew Ludwinski held me to it.

****

At the beginning, I thought this movie was like any other from West Hollywood, but it ended nicely done a with a very romantic ending side (With Adam and John) and mixed with the witty personality of Adam's best friend Candy. The actors made good job and the connection among them was believable and made sense in that entertainment industry where economical power, lust, sexual desires and even drugs are present to end in a romantic relationship and even some scenes were not of my cup of tea, i continued watching it and the more i was getting to the end, this film became more interesting! Music background was right, direction and set up locations were good also and Acting was memorable. Very hard to find in these American Hollywood stories!

I have been watching gay cinema for about two years now and its really hard to find those decent movies. You have to go through tons to find those ones that really are good. This movie is absolutely one of them. Amazing acting and on screen chemistry between the actors make this a move you would want to see over and over again.

The director starring in this movie was daring and works really well as I can not imagine seeing that character portrayed by anyone else. Candy, Adam and John are all amazing characters as well and they just jump off screen and its as if your watching real life and not something on the television or computer screen.

I'm not often kind to the genre and with good reason. Most gay themed movies are either over the top drama or or so poorly produced as to be unwatchable.

The storyline is a bit old with boy leaving New York believing he'll hit it big in LA but bites it big time. Porn is awfully enticing when you're broke and on the verge of starvation but nothing will ruin a career faster. The love interest here will tell you that.

Production values are pretty good here. The budget didn't break the bank but they did a great job with what they had. The acting is acceptable by most accounts. Lighting sound and direction are pretty solid.

Trust me. It takes a lot for me to be kind. I can count on one hand the number of quality American gay films and this just might qualify.

This film is a hoot - an absolute laugh riot. Allison Lane, the female lead, just about runs away with the film her scenes are so hilarious and she is so absolutely delightful. She is everyone's favorite fag hag. The two male leads are perfect for each other and their chemistry really lights up the film. The entire cast is perfect in fact including some famous Hollywood celebrities who make the most of their brief appearances. The film really captures the LA scene for those of us who know it and the photography and locations are great. Very, very funny with some bits that are not just campy but have you laughing your head off.