A Game

Digital Sin

Genre: Vignette

Director: Ethan Kane

Cast: Penny Flame, Kinzie Kenner, Cassie Young, Ben English, Roxy Jezel, Lee Stone, Audrey Hollander, Otto Bauer, Alex Sanders, Roxy DeVille, Jenner; Celeste Star and Holly Morgan (both in the bonus scene only)
Non-sex role by Herschel Savage

Length: 110.5 minutes

Date of Production: 4/2/2006, 4/3/2006

Extras: The best extra for most people will be the bonus scene from Crush starring Celeste Star and Holly Morgan as described below. It lasted about 18.5 minutes and was a nice addition to the DVD extras package, even if I would've liked a scene made specifically from the cast of the movie itself. I also liked the 15 minute Behind the Scenes feature as the gals got ready for their scenes, posed, and had some extra sex footage (some of which was incorporated into their respective scenes). Not all of the cast were given air time here so your mileage may vary a bit but it was still a decent look at how the movie was approached. There was a photogallery, a true double sided DVD cover, and trailers to shows like Crush and Dark Angels 2.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: A Game was presented in an anamorphic widescreen color presentation with an approximate aspect ratio of 1.85:1 as shot by director Ethan Kane for release by Digital Sin. The most notable thing I can speak to initially is that it was heavy on special effects and light on straightforward sex (again!!!), something many of you are going to want to know about. The lighting was a mixture of spotlights, strobes, and all sorts of tricks used to convey a sense of style that many will either love or hate with little middle ground. There was substantial slow motion and rapid editing to instill a sort of montage effect to many scenes that I liked at times but found how a little went a really, really long way. There was some grain and pattern noise but in favor of the visual presentation, it was not heavy with either detracting factor most of the time. If you're looking for something besides gonzo or alt-porn, this may work for you much like many of the recent movies from Digital Playground but I'd rather Ethan scale back such trickery and emphasize the ladies more in a straightforward manner. There were no compression artifacts and the overall visual appeal wasn't bad. The audio was presented in a 2.0 stereo Dolby Digital with a loud, droning, music track that overwhelmed the vocals in most cases but did not completely eliminate them. This is the type of porn that would benefit by providing a second audio track like Anabolic does with no music.

Body of Review: Ethan Kane is known for the kind of stylish porn he has shot at Ninn Worx that used rapid fire editing, stylish lighting, and motion effects. He now carries on that tradition for his releases at Digital Sin, with the latest title being offered called A Game (or Game V1.1). Following his work on Crush that established his adherence to his former style, this proved to be another movie woven from the same cloth, a mixed blessing depending on how much you enjoy this kind of thing. Here's a quick look at the scenes, noting that no condoms were used, with a closing commentary for those in need of an overview:

Scene One: Penny Flame, a major cutie if you like gals with freckles as much as I do, was up first in a bit of black & pink lingerie (fishnet stockings, corset, panties, garter, stripper shoes) as she walked along a subterranean basement to a commercial establishment. The effects and droning music took away from the tease but as big a fan of her as I am, I still kept watching. As a similarly dressed Kinzie Kenner joined her, paddle in hand. The scene included masturbation (on my end of the screen too), some light fetish play, and the usual lesbian antics with some cool looking glass dildos (and a large double black regular toy too). I was happy that some of the vocals were kept intact, however weakened by the music that was lowered momentarily for them, but the introduction by aging lothario Herschel Savage went on forever and the technical matters behind the scene were really bothersome.

Scene Two: Cassie Young, a lean little blonde dressed in a black PVC top and short PVC pink skirt, was up next in a modified office setting (from the same building) as she teased before Ben English came in to discipline her. The rapid-fire editing and motion dehancement weakened the tease of him spanking her almost as much as the music did but it restarted to have her masturbating on a desk with her skirt raised up and that was cool. Her oral skills as she sucked his cock were pretty solid and she conveyed enough pleasure at slobbing his knob to make it look like she was enjoying the action as much as he was. He then started to bone her pussy on the desk but she hardly moved as he pumped away, even in the reverse cowgirl position (at least until the scene was almost over). It ended when he rubbed out a modest load to her face and she gave him some post coital sucking.

Scene Three: Roxy Jezel, one of the most skilled long time performers in the porn business (and a stunningly attractive gal at that), was up next in the boiler room of the building with the massive Lee Stone. Her black leather fetish outfit looked good but the fact that it was lit largely by fill lighting and flashing strobes limited the appeal of the tease footage. Thankfully, that ended with the black & white photography to find her in a chair masturbating her little cookie. That led her to dropping to her knees to suck off the muscular man of might, getting him all slicked up with her saliva as she pumped him using hand and mouth. He lifted her up for a standing 69, following up as he pummeled her pussy while she held on for dear life (and vocalized her pleasure). She was a semi-active lay here and while it wasn't one of her best scenes, it was pretty good minus the artistic crud Ethan employed to capture it.

Scene Four: Audrey Hollander, the award winning redhead on the front DVD cover, was up next as she gyrated in her red lingerie while sitting on a bed in the middle of a cavernous room (it wasn't shown that well on the cover). She was approached by hubby Otto Bauer and pal Alex Sanders as rose pedals fell on her from above; the gleam in their eyes saying what they had in mind. He stretched her ass with a glass toy from Phallix (another awesome toy from their collection) and appeared to be getting off as she worked herself over with the men in the background. That fueled her need for seed so they walked over and started the formal portion of the sex with her impaling her mouth on their rods so very enthusiastically. The men then took turns screwing her, Otto getting first dibs on her ass and a DP to follow. She was most active with a cock in her mouth and another in her ass but she has never shied away from the harder, if less fetching, sex acts and the ending facials were pretty good. There was definitely a level of chemistry that the technical aspects couldn't kill, and her fans should be satisfied at the overall quality of the scene.

Scene Five: Roxy DeVille, a foxy little brunette when properly made up, was up last in a dominatrix outfit as she sported a whip during the tease. Of all the ladies in the movie, she was the one to most benefit from the stylish effects and edgy manner in which the movie was shot so submissive partner Jenner appeared to be in for a treat. He sat in a chair, blindfolded with a collar on to show his status as her toy. This was then sidestepped to allow her to follow the formulaic masturbation in the chair, an act she seemed exceptionally skilled at, before she went back to working him over. Her blowjob was given very enthusiastically with the kind of energy she seems to be able to project when turned on. Instead of showing him going down on her, he was then plugging away at her beef curtains in a few positions; her showing some active pumping on his rod though not as much as I would have liked before the ending facial that largely missed her face.

Bonus Scene: Crush: "Celeste Star, the attractive brunette on the front DVD cover with the awesome eyes, was up first as she was shown trying to become a model in the big city. She had a stylish montage and some limited dialogue as photographer Otto Bauer shot her and reaffirmed she'd be a big hit. Instead of him nailing her though, Celeste was shown stripping off her clothing stylishly on a spiral staircase and eventually hooking up with another popular hotty, Holly Morgan. Both gals did some masturbation with the slow motion action that marks Ethan's previous works at Ninn Worx, with the ladies getting a taste of clam from one another soon enough. Holly's fishnet top buzzed with pattern noise and the music took over the vocals (you could hear the vocals but only slightly). The fingering present was appealing too and eventually the metal colored vibrator came out. It wasn't the best opening scene in memory but it should suffice for fans of the two gals."

Summary: A Game was clearly made for a limited audience that likes effects over heated performances, much like Crush was. I managed to like a few of the scenes in spite of my general dislike for the technical matters discussed above but I feel a rating of Rent It is the fairest way to go in terms of a rating. The levels of fuck for the buck, the extras, and the overall niche this one was directed at can adjust the rating as they feel fit but A Game struck me as having too many of the problems associated with modern "art porn" (although I accept that some of you adore this kind of thing beyond all rational reasoning). Perhaps the movie was best viewed in terms of Herschel's introduction to the final scene that it was "just porn" and "bullshit", summing up the movie far too well (and better than I could).