Fade to Blue Review

Reviewed by Peeping Tom  on  7/25/2001

Cast: Juli Ashton, Nikita, Asia Carrera, Vicca, Houston, Amber Lynn, Mr. Marcus, Mark Davis, Colt Steele, Alec Metro, Billy Glide, James Bonn, Earl Slate. Directed by Michael Ninn. Date of Production: 1997 (DVD released 2000). Running time: ~ 1 hour, 32 minutes.

Sitting through "Fade to Blue" is like watching a collision between an extended "VH1"-style music video and a porno flick while zonked on Quaaludes. Imagine gorgeous photography, high production values, a good-looking cast, and dull, slow motion sex set to a bland, ever-present music soundtrack, and you have a good idea of what's in store. "Fade to Blue" tries very hard to be a slick, glossy stab at "art", but does this at the expense of any real excitement in the sex scenes. It's a very pretty flick, really, but its looks can't make up for the fact that I was sorely disappointed with the action.

Juli narrates between the scenes, telling memories of her upbringing with her father at a small diner/gas station in the desert, and this is where all the action is set. The set-ups are striking, but I found the cumulative effect of the too-pretty photography, the slow motion action and camera effects, and the soundtrack to absolutely kill any chance of heat that the sex might have had. Add that any sounds from the performers are heard only after well into the scene (i.e., the initial few minutes of the sex is silent except for the music), and you have a movie with precious little excitement. As is usual for VCA, condoms are used in most of the male/female sex scenes.

The movie begins with Juli narrating while she strips and masturbates for a bit. Mr. Marcus shows up in a water truck, and the two of them get in on in the cab. There's anal sex and oral cumshot.

A little more narration follows, and then Nikita and Mark have sex outside a small chrome trailer and atop a beautiful old Chevy. The sex ends with an oral cumshot.

Asia, dressed in a white wedding dress, silently plays a black baby grand piano out in the middle of nowhere while Colt looks on. Of course, the two of them have sex on top of it. Colt ends the scene by cumming on her ass.

Vicca and Alec have sex in the diner as Juli looks on. Alec anals Vicca, and she takes an oral cumshot to finish out the scene.

Houston and Billy fuck outside the garage (no condom), while clips of Juli masturbating atop an old truck alternate with the action. The scene ends with Houston taking an oral cumshot.

Juli is reading a letter in a bedroom when Amber shows up, and the two do what comes naturally. Not to damn this with faint praise, but I paid a little more attention to this scene than most of the others, because Juli always seems (to my eyes, at least) very much into girl-on-girl scenes. There were also some audible vocalizations between the two, which helped the scene considerably.

The final scene begins with Juli playing with herself in a garage; James and Earl then join her, and the three of them have sex as Amber looks on. There's some anal sex in the scene, as well as a DP (in my opinion, Juli always seems to enjoy these, too), and the scene closes with Juli taking a slow motion, double oral cumshot.

The audio/visual quality is very good, with some beautiful photography. The music was a repetitious blend of faux-country licks and "adult contemporary" stylings, and plays continuously throughout the entire movie. (If I never hear synthesizer approximations of a pedal steel guitar again, I'll be eternally grateful.) It's obvious that a lot of effort was put into the music, but it was much too prominently featured, and shouldn't have been favored at the expense of the sound of the action.

Extras include brief bios for Juli, Asia, Nikita, and Vicca, three trailers, a photo gallery, and a couple of promos for VCA.

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