Another example of the internet streaming revolution, Digital Playground's DVD release "Smut" is merely sloppy seconds, an hour and a half comprising six brief XXX vignettes which are trivial even by comparison with sister label Brazzers' minimalist short subjects. Basically the only significant difference is that DP is an outlet for the parent company to distribute smaller-breast content.
Packaging gives no hint of this bait & switch, and the title is oddly misleading in that it suggests content considerably stronger than this ho-hum, generic porn lite. Yes, it is rated XXX, but in a better, more liberally-minded world, would rate no more than the equivalent of a PG (reserving XXX for more violent or disturbing stuff).
I have been paying considerable attention of late to the "set-ups", namely the crypto-story/character moments that occur even in most gonzo porn, unless it is strictly of a realistic, documentary style nature like the Amateur genre. My goal is to discover (if possible) why Max Hardcore-inspired gonzo has taken over the entire industry, and why the impulse to become involved in a story, which is still so strong in Mainstream Entertainment, has seemingly evaporated at the Adult end of the spectrum.
Robby D., much of whose work I have sampled but who remains among the lowest percentile of hacks in my opinion, simply cares little for storytelling even though DP has entrusted him with dozens of story features over the years spotlighting the label's top stars (Jesse Jane, Stoya, Kayden Kross, etc.). The junk compiled here is beneath contempt from a scripting point-of-view, and naturally has no writing credits. In each segment we have basically two characters (man and woman), the briefest dialog establishing their relationship, and then humping with no final explanation, twist or coda resolving the "short story". Even the worst of story- oriented porn dating back to 1970 had some sort of hook to either satisfy a viewer's curiosity, provide some sort of closure, or merely insult one's intelligence with a mindless switcheroo (a la Brian De Palma's endlessly copied "Carrie" finale).
Running down the failures: (1) "Breaking Hart" is a would-be sendup of the TV hit "Breaking Bad", but consists merely of Presley Hart driving her Winnebago up to stranded motorist (car trouble) Keiran Lee in a California desert and humping him - that's it, hardly a satire or anything other than visual reference; (2) "Slam Dunk" featuring Missy Martinez and Jordan Ash playing horse on a basketball court, with Ash pleading dehydration as an excuse for getting whupped, so they head inside, unveil Missy's massive (Brazzers-worthy) tits and hump. Ash, in particular, is terrible at improvising dialog in this mindless vignette.
(3) "Last Soldier" has Natalia Starr and Erik Everhard on the cheapest of sets shooting machine guns as if involved in the Iraq war. They run out of bullets and hump, so what? (4) "Last Chance for Gas" has usually reliable (for arousal) Brandy Aniston as a mechanic repairing a vintage station's gas pump, stripping to bikini due to the heat and then humping her boss Ryan Driller outdoors. Pointless.
(5) "Let's Make a Deal" has new heartthrob Leya Falcon looking fine with her boobs jutting out of a t-shirt presiding over a garage sale -she closes the garage door on customer Tyler Nixon and seduces him. This is perhaps the best segment, in that she tries to talk sexy throughout, at least giving the viewer something beyond in & out action.
Finale: (6) "Bride to Be" stars Tiffany Tyler doing a reverse striptease with white underwear, supposedly suggesting she's getting married (they were too cheap to feature a wedding dress), and having sex with Johnny Castle. He may or may not be the groom, but there's no point to this story, which might have been titled "White Panties" for all that matters.
All Digital Playground demonstrates here is "6 times zero = zero". Further evidence that the new owners are quickly frittering away the good will and reputation of a once leading video company.
Packaging gives no hint of this bait & switch, and the title is oddly misleading in that it suggests content considerably stronger than this ho-hum, generic porn lite. Yes, it is rated XXX, but in a better, more liberally-minded world, would rate no more than the equivalent of a PG (reserving XXX for more violent or disturbing stuff).
I have been paying considerable attention of late to the "set-ups", namely the crypto-story/character moments that occur even in most gonzo porn, unless it is strictly of a realistic, documentary style nature like the Amateur genre. My goal is to discover (if possible) why Max Hardcore-inspired gonzo has taken over the entire industry, and why the impulse to become involved in a story, which is still so strong in Mainstream Entertainment, has seemingly evaporated at the Adult end of the spectrum.
Robby D., much of whose work I have sampled but who remains among the lowest percentile of hacks in my opinion, simply cares little for storytelling even though DP has entrusted him with dozens of story features over the years spotlighting the label's top stars (Jesse Jane, Stoya, Kayden Kross, etc.). The junk compiled here is beneath contempt from a scripting point-of-view, and naturally has no writing credits. In each segment we have basically two characters (man and woman), the briefest dialog establishing their relationship, and then humping with no final explanation, twist or coda resolving the "short story". Even the worst of story- oriented porn dating back to 1970 had some sort of hook to either satisfy a viewer's curiosity, provide some sort of closure, or merely insult one's intelligence with a mindless switcheroo (a la Brian De Palma's endlessly copied "Carrie" finale).
Running down the failures: (1) "Breaking Hart" is a would-be sendup of the TV hit "Breaking Bad", but consists merely of Presley Hart driving her Winnebago up to stranded motorist (car trouble) Keiran Lee in a California desert and humping him - that's it, hardly a satire or anything other than visual reference; (2) "Slam Dunk" featuring Missy Martinez and Jordan Ash playing horse on a basketball court, with Ash pleading dehydration as an excuse for getting whupped, so they head inside, unveil Missy's massive (Brazzers-worthy) tits and hump. Ash, in particular, is terrible at improvising dialog in this mindless vignette.
(3) "Last Soldier" has Natalia Starr and Erik Everhard on the cheapest of sets shooting machine guns as if involved in the Iraq war. They run out of bullets and hump, so what? (4) "Last Chance for Gas" has usually reliable (for arousal) Brandy Aniston as a mechanic repairing a vintage station's gas pump, stripping to bikini due to the heat and then humping her boss Ryan Driller outdoors. Pointless.
(5) "Let's Make a Deal" has new heartthrob Leya Falcon looking fine with her boobs jutting out of a t-shirt presiding over a garage sale -she closes the garage door on customer Tyler Nixon and seduces him. This is perhaps the best segment, in that she tries to talk sexy throughout, at least giving the viewer something beyond in & out action.
Finale: (6) "Bride to Be" stars Tiffany Tyler doing a reverse striptease with white underwear, supposedly suggesting she's getting married (they were too cheap to feature a wedding dress), and having sex with Johnny Castle. He may or may not be the groom, but there's no point to this story, which might have been titled "White Panties" for all that matters.
All Digital Playground demonstrates here is "6 times zero = zero". Further evidence that the new owners are quickly frittering away the good will and reputation of a once leading video company.