click for trailer

The Substitute (Raven Alexis)

Digital Playground

Genre: Feature-Lite

click for BTS

Director: Robby D.

Cast: Raven Alexis, Mick Blue, Diamond Foxxx, Christian Clay, Jessica Moore, Tommy Gunn, Manuel Ferrara, Madison Parker, Cindy Hope, Ben English
Non-sex role: Brah Bones

Length: 97:32 minutes

Raven Alexis with Mick Blue

Date of Production: 12/1/2009

Extras: There were some trailers, a photogallery, a slide show (on the SD version only), and an 11:10 minute long Behind the Scenes feature by Jamal Johnson that was edited by Evul Atheng. The BTS (linked above) was pretty fun to watch since the cast & crew all had a good time.

Condoms: None

Diamond Foxxx with Christian Clay

Audio/Video Quality: The Substitute was presented in 1.78:1 widescreen using a 1080p resolution with AVC encoding (in Blu-ray) versus the 480 resolution with MPEG-2 encoded standard definition version as shot by director Robby D. for Digital Playground. The composition of the camera angles was generally flattering to the ladies. 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 19.3 Mbps mark in high definition while the SD version came in at around 5.9 Mbps. Of note to me was how the colors seemed muted again, 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 Nick P. (the credits calling him "Not Nick P xxx"), a man that has really managed to polish up some weak efforts in the past using his skillful talents, was able to provide a decent experience (except for the sheer amount of zoomed in camera work). The audio was presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital English with a 48 kHz sampling rate and 640 Kbps bitrate (in the Blu-ray version but 448 Kbps in standard definition), 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.

Jessica Moore with Tommy Gunn

Body of Review: Robby D. has long been acknowledged as one of the most talented directors in porn when it comes to technical matters, his body of work at Digital Playground proving that much more than what he shot for Vivid years ago. His latest release making it to my review pile is called The Substitute, another light feature starring hotty Raven Alexis. This time, she portrays a sexually ambitious substitute teacher, the movie a sort of spin off to the popular "Teachers" with Ben English reprising his role in a slighter manner. The idea this time was that if she liked you, she might fuck you, just ignore the age variation of the cast compared to students and teachers in real life. I suppose if porn is about fantasy, some people stuck in the belief that teenagers are better sexually than their more experienced peers might appreciate this one thematically better than those who know better but it is always fun watching Raven in action and the rest of the cast appeared to be worth a look too. The back cover described the feature-lite movie like this: "Irresistible substitute teacher, Ms. Carlson (Raven Alexis) has a special way of helping her students excel. With her intense hands-on techniques, she does things most teachers wouldn't dare. Her special no-holes barred pop exams keep her students wanting more. Pencil pushing and all-niters have never been this hot. When the teacher is away, her class will play." Here's a brief look at the scenes by cast and action, noting that no condoms were used for those still interested:

Raven Alexis with Manuel Ferrara

Scene One: Raven Alexis, the attractive brunette featured on the front cover, was up first as she gave Mick Blue some counseling after class. He was embarrassed to share his secret, Raven turned on by the thought that he was a virgin. She encouraged him to show her his cock, asking him to be his first as she knelt before him to slob his knob. The light music in the background was not exactly fitting for the degree of energy she put into the blowjob, the silence even more out of place at that. She focused almost all of her efforts on the head while her hand stroked him, some ball play leading to Mick reciprocating on her pussy (where she over acted at how good it felt). Mick took over during the penetrative sex, stuffing her pussy in a few positions until she finally became active during the cowgirl variations. Raven did some taste testing and there was a few edits that felt slightly "off" but it was an okay scene that ended with her receiving his wad of genetic juice to her mouth.

Madison Parker and Cindy Hope with Ben English

Scene Two: Diamond Foxxx, the busty blond featured on the lower left hand corner of the front cover, was up next with moper Christian Clay, the man admitting that her sexy figure distracted him from passing in math. She was in the process of turning him down when he forced her down on her knees and shoved his pecker in her mouth. Naturally, this being a porno meant that she was obligated to continue blowing him so the squeamish upset at what amounts to rape can disregard this one if they can't handle it. Her oral was fair and she used her tits to provide some additional friction, Christian going down on her after some vaginal penetration began. She went back to blowing him some more and showed she was also most active when on top of a guy, the other positions leaving much to be desired. It ended with him tossing off a load of population pudding to her mouth, Diamond giving him some post coital head.

Scene Three: Jessica Moore, a busty blond student, was up next in the locker room with muscular Tommy Gunn, the gal sniffing his jock strap and wearing it as she masturbated on the wooden bench. He walked in on her and she continued, stopping after he made a big deal about it though not making any moves to let her leave once she stripped naked. Jessica gave him an aggressive hummer but fell back on loud, fake moans when he serviced her pussy orally, the vaginal penetration as passive as ever until she was on top of him. She showed some potential and given how swollen & red her pussy became almost instantaneously, I suspect a lot of footage was someone tainted or edited out for another reason. The picture locked up a couple of times when I was taking screen captures too, the mastering of the disc coming into question. It ended with Jessica rubbing his nut of semen all over her chest, stroking him a bit with some head before they parted ways.

Scene Four: Raven Alexis, wearing her cover outfit, was up next as she seduced studly Manuel Ferrara, shoving her tits in his face as he took in all he could from her. They kissed and some sparks of chemistry were present, Raven mounting him on top of the crappy student desk as he tore off her clothing for better access to it. He went down on her and briefly returned the favor, the gal rapidly diddling herself as he boned her pussy hard. Raven seemed more in charge of her vocals this time and the editing was more fluid, her best penetrative moves again when she was on top of his lap pounding away. She gave plenty of extra head this time too and his spew landed all over her face, Raven looking up at him as she cleaned him off one last time.

Scene Five: Madison Parker, a sexy brunette wearing all black, and sexy Cindy Hope, wearing an animal print top with blue jean skirt, were up last with principal Ben English in his office. The gals had been repeatedly getting into trouble and paid him one last visit on their time having passed finals, kissing him and tearing off his clothing to gain access to his pecker for lots of oral fun. The gals kissed each other as they had in class but mixed it in with some face sitting and vaginal boning, the ladies helping each other out most of the time that they shared the guy. There was again some modest chemistry at times, the ladies enthusiasm helping to make the scene stand out. Madison was the more active rider of the two, pumping away until milking him dry as he launched his sperm all over both of their faces.

Summary: The Substitute by director Robby D. for Digital Playground was one of the few company efforts that I enjoyed more in the high definition Blu-ray over the standard definition version, just not enough of an upgrade to merit the increased costs for me to surpass the rating of Rent It. Raven looked as good as ever and the extremely light premise was handled well enough for a quickly made show, I just thought it would have worked better with a third scene starring the lead, perhaps even a lesbian tryst to show her love of pussy as much as cock. In short then, The Substitute did not rise to the point of becoming a substitute for a bigger budget effort but fans of Raven Alexis will certainly appreciate her role enough to give this one a more extensive look, perhaps even to the point of picking up a copy for their collection. The cover did not do her justice in the slightest but the movie should appeal to couples not wanting a lot of hardcore action or circus act sex tricks, just enough material to warm them up for some personal bedroom hijinks.