click for trailer

The Smiths (Blu-ray)

Digital Playground

Genre: Feature-lite

Director: Robby D.

Cast: Kourtney Kane, Scott Nails, Jennifer White, Mick Blue, Riley Steele, Manuel Ferrara, Kayden Kross, Tommy Gunn
Non-sex roles: Jim F., others not listed

Length: 97:40 minutes

Kourtney Kane with Scott Nails

Date of Production: 3/1/2010 (cover credits); 2/10/2010 (clap board during movie)

Extras: There was a 10:19 minute Behind the Scenes feature by Jamal Johnson (click to watch it) that was decent enough about introducing the cast and crew but fairly little of the humor that made the companies previous endeavors in the field gems to watch once upon a time. There were also the usual set of trailers, a slide show, a photogallery, and nothing else for those that care.

Condoms: None

Jennifer White

Audio/Video Quality: The Smiths Blu-ray) was presented in 1.78:1 widescreen using a 1080p resolution with AVC encoding as shot by director Robby D. for Digital Playground. The composition of the camera angles was generally flattering to the ladies, not as fluid as some of his earlier efforts but sporting enhanced resolution likely due to the use of the Red One camera system he now relies upon so heavily. Thematically, the attempts to be stylish were mixed but my least favorite aspect of the show was the again-repeated abundance of extreme close-up shots, the director forgoing medium and long shots while using filters and/or gels to compensate for the resolution versus the reality of the look the ladies had here. The video bitrate varied significantly but when I spot checked it, the numbers typically kept around the 18.9 Mbps mark. Of note to me was how the colors seemed muted, even on the high definition version of the movie, some soft focus moments and places where the camera seemed at a loss to capture what was most important was also evident. I also found the editing by Joey Pulgadas, a man that has really managed to polish up some weak efforts in the past using his skillful talents, to handle this one fairly well. The audio was presented in a post-production added 5.1 Dolby Digital English with a 48 kHz sampling rate and 384 Kbps bitrate, none of the vocals showing any separation though the score seemed to during the opening and closing. I did notice that some portions were substantially louder than others so be prepared with remote in hand (like most folks) to compensate, the balance off in other areas as well.

Kayden Kross

Body of Review: Digital Playground is a production company best known for a few high end pirate movies and a devotion to the contract performer system second to none. That said, they have maintained a solid fanbase over recent years of people that prefer less explicit porn with few attempts to delve into interracial, circus act sex, or truly hardcore sexual antics, preferring to nurture a couple of performers over the revolving door they have had with starlets. For years, their only director of note, at least in regard to cranking out the titles and not providing a dilettante status, has been the infamous Robby D.; a man gifted with technical know-how and a perverted love of the ladies few in the mainstream world could possibly understand. This makes him an ideal candidate to be a director for such a niche-targeted company in tough economic times, I have sung his praises enough to know. The latest title sent for me to look at by the director is a feature-lite fuck flick called The Smiths Blu-ray. Rather than deprive readers of the benefit of the limited plot, suffice it to say that the main draw here is lovely Kayden Kross. The popular blond is featured on the front cover looking ever so tasty, cute little Riley Steele also seen in a lesser role as evidenced by her own spot on the cover (a much smaller picture on the left half of the cover), both of them chased by slavering fanboys reviewing titles all over the internet. My personal take on the movie was largely positive, preferring the high definition version substantially over the usual DVD, my subsequent viewings admittedly quicker due to the prevalence of FFF (fast forward fodder that no sane person would ever want to watch a second time). The company described the movie like this: "Dick and Jane are a happy couple until Jane starts to neglect Dick. Jane's sister immediately steps in and the situation gets sticky. See how Dick blows off his steam and makes it a happy ending for everybody." Here's a brief look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that no condoms were used for those still interested:

Kayden Kross with Manuel Ferrara

Scene One: Kourtney Kane, a brunette with an appetite for cock, was up first in a bathroom stall sucking the life out of Scott Nails, the build up and tease nonexistent. While she came across as a stripper to me, there was no denying she had some oral skills, the glory hole approach starting the scene off in an anonymous manner before she opened the stall to show her implants and black thong riding her ass cheeks. They kissed and he went down on her, savoring the taste less enthusiastically than she had done but providing ample oral on her to merit discussion.. She was shaved clean and blew him once more, quickly this time before riding his pecker vaginally with all the usual outlandish porn moans. There was little eye contact and minimal chemistry though, their tryst strokable mostly for her oral but the limited nature of it lacked staying power. It ended when he rubbed out a wad of genetic juice to her face, some post coital head finishing him off.

Riley Steele's ass (yum)

Scene Two: Jennifer White, a curvy white gal with flowing black hair, was up next in an office setting as she bent over to allow studly Mick Blue to suck her ass clean. He ate her pussy as well but seemed enamored of her backside, her hand assisted knob slobbing decent enough to include some hand to gland action. This was the only scene to include anal and he banged her hard with only her moans encouraging him forward. She was largely passive in the scene once the preliminary oral was over, spreading her ass cheeks being as much as she could handle from the looks of it. With few positions to speak of, he unleashed his wealth of population pudding quickly to her tits and hands, the scene yet another leaving me wanting a whole lot more.

Scene Three: Kayden Kross, the attractive young blond featured on the right side of the front cover, was up next wearing a fishnet body stocking while muscular Tommy Gunn stood nearby. There was a slight attempt to add some tease here but it dropped off quickly to show her on her knees sucking him off. While not her best work to date, she did display some emotive qualities that made it seem as if she was into the action, closing her eyes to concentrate while she deployed both of her hands with a little eye contact to punctuate the act. Kayden did not go all the way down on him though, using her hand to limit exactly how deeply he could penetrate her mouth, some attention to his balls not hurting the scene one bit. For his part, Tommy ate her snatch fairly well but made little attempt to complete the act, preferring to start the vaginal penetration faster instead. Kayden looked hot in the fishnet body stocking, wiggling her hips and displaying that sweet ass of hers but relying on her aural skills rather than showing any desire to actively ride his cock. A few positions later, he rubbed out a load of semen on her ass and the scene closed up too quickly, the couple never engaging in anything to connect afterwards.

Scene Four: Kayden Kross, up a second time in a row (who the fuck paces these movies at DP, a spinning wheel?!?), was thankfully paired up with the studliest of men in the business next, the grand poobah of porn, Manuel Ferrara. They were in bed and after a brief kiss, he sank his mouth completely around her pussy, working his tongue inside of her as she pawed at him. The vocals were again a bit over the top but she looked even better on all fours, tearing off his pants to suck him off after tasting the pre-ejaculate it offered. She took a lot more of him inside of her mouth too, a blessing, but still used her hand and his semi erect dick to limit what she would take. In any case, the 69 they worked into was pretty fun and despite whatever limits they provided, Kayden continued to look great as he nailed her, her puffy pussy not active but looking tasty. One of my pet peeves is a passive woman in bed, especially in porn and Manuel seemed really ready to get off quickly here, the couple aspect of the scene not working for my toy tester either. It suited her due to the way the couple seemed almost clumsy in bed and their frantic mannerisms but that was all, Kayden diddling herself some icing that I admit to liking even if the performance was flat. By the last few minutes, Kayden did come to life to actively ride, Manuel choking her increasing the degree of heat but only slightly. It ended when he tossed off a round of spunk to her face too, Kayden opening wide to receive his seed.

Scene Five: Riley Steele, the cute little contract gal featured on the left side of the front cover, was up last on the couch with Manuel Ferrara. She wore a slinky black outfit and matching thong, the couple kissing at length before he half undressed her to ate her out front and back. Riley moaned in fake porn manner too but the worst of it was how the static camera kept panning from the same location, zoomed in but unable to provide a happy spot to view their oral on each other successfully well. He stuffed a finger up her ass and she blew him with a modest degree of enthusiasm too, the scene one of the worst edited I've ever seen from Joey Pulgadas, when it ultimately pulled back, it showed her just as passive as Kayden had been. She was cute and used her feet to jerk him off, soon followed by a blurry blowjob and facial.

Summary: The Smiths Blu-ray by director Robby D. for Digital Playground is the latest "must have" title for fans of Kayden Kross, and to a lesser degree, Riley Steele. The resolution was especially good with the high definition version but as is typically the case, the majority of sex is shot using close ups and extreme close ups, a technique that just doesn't cut it in the couples market or with me so I rated it as a Rent It unless you're one of the legion of slavering fanboys. On the plus side, there were a number of cute thematic tricks used here and just enough bits between the scenes to make me advise you to watch the whole thing through at least once, Kayden showering and rubbing one out or Riley masturbating not part of the scene descriptions above. If anything, their potential was again left untapped in large part, but their physical appeal was as strong as ever. In short then, The Smiths was best suited for people that are not heavily into smut but for couples just needing a little something extra to start their engines. It had a low budget look to it much of the time, skipping the dominant genres of parodies and gonzo but even a quick glance of the main ladies here will probably make some of you believers.