Playthings (Studio A) Review

Studio
Studio A

Genre
All-Girl Artistic Vignette

Director
Andrew Blake

Starring
Dahlia Grey, Karin, Ashley, Victoria Knight, and Regina Hall

Running Time
1:59

DVD Format
Single Sided, Single Layer (DVD-5)

Aspect Ratio
Mostly 1.85:1 (letterboxed) with some 1.33:1 (full frame)

Special Features
Dolby 5.1 soundtrack

Typical Watchers
Dahlia Grey and Andrew Blake fans

Typical Haters
Those who don't like Dahlia Grey or don't want to watch two hours of stuff they can't masturbate to

Replay Value
Low

Themes
Elegant pornography, solo masturbation, lingerie, girl-girl, wet & messy, toe/foot play, toys, gun play, smoking

Condoms
No penises

If You Liked This DVD, You Should Enjoy
Anything released under Studio A (circa 1996-present)

I've been on a mini-Andrew Blake kick lately, probably due to burnout from watching too much gonzo.  My last review was of Blake's Secret Paris, and now I turn to an earlier film, Playthings, starring Dahlia Grey.

Playthings represents what I consider Blake's "narrative phase," since he made a number of vignette films with a narrated storyline instead of dialogue.  We learn that the narrator is an adult model (played by Dahlia Grey) who is the favorite subject of high class pornographer Corinne's movie camera.  There's a definite parallel to Blake's own work as the protagonist explains that "porno chic" seeks to worship the female form.

I must admit that the particulars of the tale are hard to follow as the movie flows around Corinne's circle of "playthings."  It's kind of like going to a party and meeting a bunch of new people.  You're lucky if you can remember one person's name, let alone how they are related to one another.  The same thing holds true in Playthings as Dahlia's character tries to introduce the other three girls, all of whom are natural beauties clad in either lingerie or their birthday suits.

In a nutshell, all of the girls have sex with themselves and each other in Blake's trademarked glamorous style.   It's clearly form over substance as all of the lesbian encounters are strictly lipstick in nature.  On the other hand, there's a good amount of explicit sex toy play, including a great withdrawal of beads in one scene.  It's also a bit more kinky than usual, with a bit of wet & messy, candle wax, and gun play to spice things up.  Another notable:  Penthouse Pet Victoria Knight (aka Joanne) and her large labia make a rare girl-girl video appearance, one of her few non-private label performances.

However, Playthings sits lower on my personal rankings of Andrew Blake titles.  A lot of that has to do with the overexposure of Dahlia Grey, who is in just about every scene.  That's great if you are into her, but for someone like me who doesn't care for her looks, it puts a damper on things.  I also don't care for the narrative style, nor the dissonant flute and horn musical soundtrack.  And while I can't really complain about the abundance of naked flesh along the way or the vibrant way that flesh is captured on film, at two hours long, the film drags on a good half an hour longer than it should have. 

This would probably be a good DVD to play in the background to establish a classy yet erotic mood.  I can see how an upscale adult store or a swinger's party could keep it running for some artsy eye candy.  However, unless you're a fan of Dahlia Grey, I'm not sure you'll think Playthings is worth the premium price, especially for a completely no-frills disc without so much as a photo gallery. 

- Saki (saki@sakivision.com)