The Gore-Gore Girl

"A Secret From Herself": The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1974) - Platinum Elite

2011-12-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all. Is this my longest break ever? Probably. I'm back though, and with a treat of a film: the most recent installment of the Platinum Elite Collection from Video-X-Pix, Radley Metzger (nee Henry Paris)'s The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann, right in time for Christmas. When I say "right in time for Christmas," I really mean it. This is a great Christmas gift for a significant other, or a friend who appreciates great x-rated films, or even great genre flicks -- this feature is fun, frivolous, fast, and smart as a whip. It's also beautifully filmed and scored.

Thanks to the fine people at VXP, I was able to see this, one of my very favourite adult films, restored to its original beauty, and with awesome extras to boot. Oh, and the Jamie Gillis rape scene is restored -- like any good nerd, I have the DVD sans rape, as well as a shoddy bootleg copy that has the rape scene intact, looking as if someone shoved damaged VHS pieces into an already-grainy transfer. Whenever there is any reference to the rape sequence, the picture quality is reduced to this:

Which has been restored to this in the Platinum Elite version:

Ok, the remaining review will include massive amounts of spoilers *from the beginning.* Normally I wouldn't bother with this explanation, but the real joy of Pamela Mann is the twisty turny nature of the narrative, playfully tricking the viewer from the outset with delightful and (gasp) thought-provoking results. Nothing is what it seems, even in the seemingly-slightest of ways. So, if you haven't seen the film, do yourself a favour and watch it, and then if you want to come back and read this review, by all means do so. If you have seen the film, buy it restored. It's worth it. And please to enjoy...

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As part of my research, I have been trying to track down the infamous Canadian anti-porn documentary, Not a Love Story (1981), which so far seems to be impossible to find. I have read a lot about it, however, and I understand that it involves a series of porn clips that portray pornography as violent, misogynistic, and riddled with rape. As I was looking at its imdb page, I noticed in the "references" that a clip from Pamela Mann is included in this documentary, and as this was prior to having seen Pamela Mann, I must admit it made me a little wary. Now, I have not seen this documentary, but I am assuming the clip in question is that of the rape scene that was edited from the previous DVD release, and is now restored intact. I have to say, of all the crimes of taking things out of context, that might be the worst committed. And if the clip they used is not the rape scene...well then I have no fucking idea what they could have used. The running gag involving the secretary? My point is this: Pamela Mann is a film narratively framed from the perspective of the eponymous character, but told from the perspectives of various masculine, paternal male characters, all of whom (except Mr. Mann) end up as suckers in the role-playing shenanigans of Pamela and her husband. Patriarchal discourses, such as private investigative voyeurism and medical/psychoanalytical babble, are taken to task and spearheaded as the gynophobic, regulating discourses they are. For this reason, then, the triumphant nature of this film in terms of female subjectivity, is entirely undermined by a feminist documentary that takes a scene out of context -- regardless of which scene it actually was -- presumably with the intention of showing how women are violently degraded in service of masculine sexual fantasy. How ironic.

The film opens with GGG-favourite Eric Edwards (oh how I adore thee) as Frank, surreptitiously filming a woman blowing a man who is not her husband. Frank is a private detective (3rd generation compulsive voyeur, as he puts it) hired by suspicious husbands to film their wives in the act of adultery, after which he shows them the film evidence. The film's trickery begins immediately as the client angrily asserts, "How could he?" He? Frank (and us) figured he was peeping on the woman, as is the wont of heteroporn. Nothing in this film, however, is quite what it initially seems, and as soon as you think you've got the upper hand, Metzger pulls the rug out once again.

Frank's next client is Mr. Mann (Alan Marlow, or "Gary Cole" as I like to refer to him), who believes his wife Pamela (Barbara Bourbon) is up to something and requires Frank's services. Pamela does many things in a day: "she combines ritual and spontaneity in the most perfect and exciting way. She does social work in the slums and ghettos. She enjoys solitude, like a walk in the park, and she's at home in a crowd. She can go off by herself and read, but she gets along with people. She's political, yet a strong individual." A dynamic and independent woman, then, and one whose "morning exercises" consist of a little masturbation while gazing at herself in the mirror.

Mr. Mann believes Pamela will seek out somebody to fulfill her fantasy of deep throating, so Eric follows her to the park where she picks up Marc "10 1/2" Stevens, presumably chosen for his middle name. The filming style during these scenes is professional, but done in a way that suggests voyeurism, such as the long shots by the bridge, and the scene framed by abundant plants that fill the room while she deep throats Stevens. Yet, while you might not realize at this point in the film, Pamela drives this sexual narrative and, unbeknownst to the voyeur-cum-private investigator, he is merely a tool in capturing her escapades for the mutual pleasure of Pamela and her husband.

The subsequent scenes of philandering are exhibited for Mr. Mann after the scene has played out for us, the audience, accompanied by Frank's "expert" analysis of her behaviour, presuming Mr. Mann to be disappointed by this confirmation of her faithlessness. Pamela's lived-out deep throating fantasy, for example, demonstrates a "deep oral need which has its roots in her development being arrested about the age of..." "Consent," Mr. Mann suggests. "Oh no, much earlier," Frank asserts. Meanwhile, Pamela's sumptuous love-making with Spelvin is read as indicating "an insecurity with members of the opposite sex. A sense of inadequacy." Mr. Mann consistently suggests that perhaps Frank has it wrong, that perhaps he is missing something about the depth (or perhaps simplicity) of Pamela, but the analyses persist.

Georgina Spelvin, in a minor role as Pamela's hooker friend, threatens to steal the film with her usual magnetism. Her brief dialogue with Pamela about "the loneliness" is one of my very favourites. She also has one of the most compelling scenes, with a gay man seeking her services, services which do not include full sex. However, on discovering his inability to cum with a woman, she takes it as a challenge and joyfully provides a full service. She's been duped, though, as he isn't really gay but rather an actor preparing for a role as a gay man, as he excitedly tells his friend afterwards. Not so fast folks -- in the very next scene, Georgina laughingly relates to Pamela the fun she had fucking a guy trying to convince her that he's gay: "It seemed important to him, so I let him pull it off. I always wanted to ball him anyway." If this is what it feels like being duped by a film, then dupe me every time.

The following scene is the notorious rape, entirely orchestrated by Pamela and performed by her servants, though we do not discover this until the end. Bourbon's acting and Jamie Gillis' usual intensity (ably assisted by Darby Lloyd Rains) render this scene quite disturbing, but the film's twist ending means that repeat viewings contribute new and dynamic meanings to the scenes, most especially this one. What appears to be a typical scenario in which a woman seems to begin enjoying rape, is in fact an act of role playing controlled entirely by the female subject, Pamela. The class distinctions between the players -- a socialite woman employing her servants in living out a rape fantasy -- emphasize these inverted power dynamics even more so.

Having traced Pamela through her various sexual escapades, indulged during various social, political, and charitable events, and dutifully presenting them to Mr. Mann, Frank is growing profoundly attached to the enigmatic Pamela Mann. He just can't quite put his analytical finger on who exactly she is, and neither can we. Of course, Frank's final analysis that Pamela is "a secret from herself" and has become too attached to Frank is hilariously off base. The final sequence, where all is revealed, is a doozy, as well as beautifully depicted through careful edits. It prompts a reassessment of several moments and characters in a way that I certainly did not anticipate. It fleshes out the narrative and characters in a way that I think is particularly unexpected in a film that feels so light and refreshing. While perhaps not quite on a par with masterpieces such as The Opening of Misty Beethoven, or even my personal favourite The Ecstasy Girls, which have a darker edge and characters who you become more emotionally invested in, I believe Pamela Mann is one the greats, and is perhaps not remembered quite as vividly because the film purposefully distances you as a viewer. It requires multiple viewings, and even then you are merely the duped voyeur of some fascinating and wonderful characters. But, for me, that's the magic of it all.

Cheers!

Extras include interesting and lengthy interviews with both Georgina Spelvin and Eric Edwards, commentary by Radley Metzger, a softcore cut of the movie, a couple of mini-docs about the locations and "Metzgers's Manhattan," an excellent booklet of historical and production notes written by historian Benson Hurst, including a brief analysis of the film, and other treats. A hearty thank you to VXP for this labour of love, and here's to further labours of love in 2012.

Meet the Neighbours: christine makepeace of Paracinema

2011-08-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hello all! This summer was a wild one for me, and blogging took a backseat unfortunately. But I’m back with a bang! Here for your reading pleasure is an interview with the delightful christine makepeace, editor of Paracinema magazine, and overlord of their various dominions. I have been a fan of christine’s magazine and blog for some time, but when she started taking an interest in pornography, well, I had to get her here for an interview. Enjoy!

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Tell us about yourself! Who are you, and what has led you to this point in life/work?

This is always my least favorite part! I am co-editor of the genre film magazine, Paracinema. I dabble in podcasting and various forms of social media marketing. Mostly though, I’m a writer. Whether it be blogs or scripts, as long as I’m writing, I don’t really care about the format or subject matter. That being said, my heart belongs to film analysis.

You run the magazine, Paracinema, as well as its blog paracinema.net. What were your initial goals when you started the magazine? How has it taken shape? Where do you want to take it in the future?

Paracinema was born from a grudge. As petty as that sounds, it’s totally true! I had been doing some freelance work for a magazine and suddenly found myself getting screwed over left and right. In what has become my typical response, I thought, “I can do this better!” And just like that, organically and rather naively, Paracinema began to take shape. The format of the magazine came more from necessity than anything else. There was no way we could compete with larger niche magazines and in time we decided we didn’t want to. Our goal was to create something that transcended genres and didn’t make assumptions about “cinephiles.” I think we’ve accomplished that! Now the challenge is to get it into as many hands as possible.
I’ll do it as long as people are interested.

An exciting development with the blog is your new feature "Porn as Paracinema." Considering the majority of "mainstream" film sites/magazines/media in general act as though pornography doesn't exist or matter as a genre, what prompted you to start this series of reviews?

For exactly that reason! My knowledge of pornography remains limited. That being said, I know enough to know that there is an unnecessary stigma surrounding the genre as a whole.

The magazine’s name, Paracinema, is an academic term coined by Jeffery Sconce. His defines “paracinema” by listing off the red-headed stepchildren of film (horror, sci-fi, etc.) and goes on to add “just about every other historical manifestation of exploitation cinema from juvenile delinquency documentaries to ... pornography.”

That has always stuck with me. Pornography is vilified and treated as something that should be hidden away in the shadows. Why not treat it as just another film genre? Why not write about it as one would write about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Perhaps my initial interest came from rebellion!

You started out your reviews by covering 21st century porn parodies -- why did you decide to start out with this sub-genre, and in what direction do you plan to take the series next?

I think there are a few answers to this question. Partially, I am fascinated with the films that get parodied. Some of the first I was exposed to were XXXorcist and Re-Penetrator, 2 Burning Angel releases. It seems so many releases are based on genre films! That excites me. It’s like this link between the 2 exists organically. It’s still something I have to wrap my head around. I feel like there is so much subtext and history surrounding pornography; I’ve barely scraped the surface.

Another reason I chose the parodies was because they were more palatable for our already established readership. Surprisingly, not all genre film fans are accepting of pornography. Introducing it slowly, with goofy and relatable titles, seemed to be a way to test the water.
Yet another reason was because I’m still so green! It was an easy way to get my feet wet. I quickly became discouraged by these modern parodies and that was my cue to start digging into the “classic” stuff. That’s really where I had been heading all along.

Since you've started exploring pornography, which of your preconceived notions (if any) have been challenged? Have any been reinforced?

Preconceived notions regarding the genre itself? Well, I expected the modern stuff to fall flat, and it did. I’m surprised by how genuinely disappointing I’ve been finding it all. So many of the modern titles aren’t just boring, but they’re not sexy. Isn’t that the point? I’m confounded by the present output and it makes me wonder about the consumer. If said consumer is happy with the product, or simply consuming because it’s the only game in town? I know there are exceptions to the apparent modern rule, but I’m not running across them.

I will say that I had no idea how filmic older, “classic” pornography could be. It’s more than I could have ever hoped for and that is what keeps me excited about further exploring the genre.

I know you're a relative newbie, but I have to ask my usual last question: what are your top 3 favourite XXX flicks and why?

I don’t know if I have 3! I spent so much time acquainting myself with films I didn’t enjoy! I did recently watch Behind the Green Door and I loved it. That’s a film that really demolished any preconceived notions I’d been holding on to. I have The Devil in Miss Jones in the queue and I’m very much looking forward to that one. And because I am morbidly obsessed with parody films, I’ll soon be watching a Halloween spoof that’s being released by Smash Pictures. I keep holding out hope that one of these parodies will be exactly what I’m looking for; a seamless integration of sex into a pre-established universe.

So far, christine has reviewed The Official Psycho Parody, The Breakfast Club: A XXX Parody, and Behind the Green Door. Go check em out!

Porn Star Blogs

2011-06-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Howdy! New developments in technology and media have always been given a hefty push forward by their employment and exploitation at the hands of pornography, and social media is no exception. It seems like every porn star has a twitter, and every twitterer out there follows porn stars. Heck, they even join twitter for the sole purpose of following their favourite porn stars. This is a pretty interesting development, as prior to blogs, twitter, facebook and the like, porn stars and other sex workers had very little space to voice their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and interests. The many scholars of sex work, whether libertarian, sex radical, pro, anti, or otherwise, have been recognized (and have recognized themselves, in some cases) as speaking for a diverse population of workers when they themselves have no direct experience with the trade. "Sandy," a former sex worker interviewed for Wendy Chapkis' 1997 book Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor, comments, "You know, when I read some of the stuff written by so-called 'feminist allies,' it feels like they are fighting over our bodies....It's like prostitutes are just these bodies who are somehow connected to something bad and evil or something good and on the cutting edge of revolution. They just turn us into symbols" (127).

The same kind of binary wishful thinking can be said of attitudes toward porn stars, and all the various occupations that make up the sphere of sex work. It's an attitude that Anne McClintock argues, in her 1993 article "Maid to Order," turns the sex worker into a "ventriloquist's dummy through which (generally white, middle-class) women voice their interests, at the expense of the sex workers' needs" (8-9). Since then, the global accessibility of the internet, with its variety of spaces for self-expression has profoundly altered this picture. Sex workers of all types can now have their voices heard on any subject -- not just sexual politics, but simply who they are, what they're into, and anything else they care to share. Obviously, I think scholarly work and research on sex work is vitally important, but I feel that sex worker voices are equally vital, and these voices are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I think they are crucial to each other in the effort to, among other things, destigmatize sex work/ers, improve working conditions, and move toward an end to sexist oppression.

I don't have a twitter account, but I do read blogs, so I'm thrilled that there seems to be a growing amount of porn performers who have blogs. I should note here that there are also many very important and interesting blogs written by sex workers and their allies from other spheres of the industry, but that's for another time. For now I'd like to focus specifically on porn performers. I find it interesting that when a porn star does voice themselves, people react quite predictably to what they have to say. Usually, the performer is either lying (if she talks about something negative) or she's a hero (if she talks about how much she loves cum), or vice versa if the recipient of said information is anti-sex work, or some other equally simplistic and dismissive reaction based on the reactor's personal feelings about pornography and/or sex work.

What complicates these reactions, and complicates the sex worker's voice, is that as with every line of work (and perhaps life in general) there isn't any simple track to "speaking the truth." In the case of entertainment, and arguably especially with pornography, there's your stage persona and then there's your "real life" persona -- which one is speaking? Then, there's the fact that you don't want to piss off your employer or co-workers (any public personality can attest to this risk). A third unique complication exists for sex workers, however: the inability to allude to an even slightly negative work experience without contributing to anti-sex work discourse. Sex worker and Red Thread staff worker Jo Doezema says it best: "With most jobs, if you have a shitty day or a bad client or something, people don't immediately say that's because of the kind of work you do and that you must stop right away. But with prostitution, I've always felt that if I didn't convince everybody that this work was fantastic for me and that I really loved it that they would all be on my back to quit" (120). Porn industry icon Nina Hartley reflects, "Work is work: you have good days and bad days, but my worst day at work is still better than the best day selling shoes at Kinney's" (Chapkis 34). In fact, Hartley is one of the few porn stars who have consistently spoken out about the positives, negatives, and areas that could use some improvement, yet still works in the industry.

With all that said, below are just some of the porn star blogs that I keep in my feed and check out on a regular basis. In terms of focus and tone, they run the gamut from random photos and shenanigans to journalistic efforts to updates from retirement, and frankly this is encouraging. The diversity of these blogs suggest not only a sense of off-the-clock candidness, but also an indication that these performers do not feel they have to talk about one specific thing -- it's their blog, they can do what they want with it.

This list is by no means exhaustive -- I've listed a handful of the ones I find interesting, and I know there are tons of other ones out there I haven't read. Please, if you know of a rad blog written by a porn performer that is not listed here, post a link in the comments!

Ashlynn Brooke: Ashley's Blog

Brooke started this blog a little while after she retired from the industry, so it's a fairly new, and so far has been focused on biography and various interesting anecdotes. It's clear she's not pulling any punches, and, give or take a few grammar errors, it makes for fascinating and insightful reading. I just hope she keeps it up.

Janet Mason: Diary of a Hot Wife

I first came across pro-am performer, and "shared wife," Janet Mason's blog when someone linked to a revealing post of hers that detailed why she decided to quit her brief foray into mainstream professional porn. The rest of the blog is worth reading too, predominantly photos and updates, but these updates regularly provide commentary that is honest and interesting. I enjoy her intelligent perspective as a successful self-employed performer in a sub-genre you don't tend to hear much about.

Danny Wylde: Trve West Coast Fiction

Wylde runs his blog like a regular blogger -- with articles, reviews, links, promotions, and all that jazz. He's a jack of all trades, and he's notable for being a young performer who seems to actually give a shit about pornography and sexual politics. Hurrah!

Georgina Spelvin: Georgina's World

One of my all time favourite actresses has a blog! Here you will find regular updates on Miss Puss, Spelvin's various activities, and most wonderful for a nerd like me, reports on various interactions with other XXX stars of yesteryear. Spelvin clearly loves life, and it comes through in the blog. A lovely read with lovely photos.

Kristina Rose: Life via The Real Kristina Rose

Ah, I love Kristina Rose. And I love the format of this blog -- it's effectively photo-journalism depicting a day or a few days in the life of Kristina (and of course Bootz the cat). But do not be fooled -- this isn't a tumblr of random outfits, ass shots, pot smoke, stuffed toys, and gnomes. Well, it does feature all of those things, but the wonder of the blog is in the construction and the captions. Entertaining and thoughtful stuff -- the gal's an artist.

Misti Dawn: Meow Misti Dawn

I came across this blog after someone alerted me to some bullshit Star Wars parody shenanigans. It was an interesting read, and then I found that a lot of the blog contained interesting reads. And interesting photos. And an all around interesting person.

Phoenix Marie: The Official Blog of Phoenix Marie

I've long suspected that, if I really tried, I would easily become a fan of Phoenix Marie. As is, I've only seen a couple of scenes, and listened to her episode of the Elegant Angel podcast in which she stole my heart. Seriously, she comes across as a really cool person, and her answers to the "fan sex questions" were handled with sincerity -- I learned a lot that day. Her blog is more of the same, though she doesn't post nearly as much as I would like her to. The long and thoughtful posts include a 101 on anal sex, a detailed meditation on her various romantic relationships, and a variety of porn-related stuff besides.

Jennie Ketcham (formerly Penny Flame): Becoming Jennie

This is likely the most famous porn star blog thanks to Celebrity Rehab, on which Ketchum was a guest. Following that show, she publicly reverted to her real name, started a blog, and chronicled her journey post-porn. It's interesting stuff, honest and well written, and in spite of haters asserting that she turned on the industry, I've yet to see her going around blaming porn for anything, nor slandering her former employers/co-workers. Oh, and while you're at it, check out her art site, a work in progress where she displays her paintings.

Quickies: Summer's Dawn Edition

2011-06-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Howdy. I've been enjoying my time off (two whole days, totally off, totally lazy, before summer work started today). In betwixt substantial features, I figure some quickies will serve as a palate cleanser.

Enjoy!

Society Affairs (Robert McCallum aka. Gary Graver, 1984)

This flick is just so-so. It's worth seeing for a late Harry Reems performance (post-legal troubles). He's in great shape, and even does some nifty wall scaling! The plot centres on Reems: he is an ex-con who is identical to some rich guy about to get married, so he partners up with Veronica Hart to steal the wedding gifts. The plot doesn't factor into the movie too much, and what's left is adequate. I was kinda waiting around for what I thought was an anticipated sex scene between Hart and Reems, but right when I thought it would happen, the film ended. According to Robert Rimmer's Guide the scene happens...so, I guess the DVD is cut. Either way, I felt cheated. Those who like their sex scenes sprinkled with R. Bolla doing an exercise routine in the background, however, should pick this up immediately.

Navy Blue (The Amero Bros., 1979)

I was pretty excited to see this one, and was bitterly disappointed once I dug in. Even actual remastered DVDs don't tend to open with some grand proclamation about their noble efforts to restore the film for your viewing pleasure. So, for a DVD that contains one of the shoddiest VHS transfers I ever laid my eyes on, the aforementioned opening brag really smarts. Shitty sound and picture quality aside, Wrangler is delightful, Payne is delightful in a wooden sort of way (as usual), and the light plot (two Navy boys are in love with each other but don't feel they can tell the other; while on leave, they get into shenanigans and eventually each other) is just fine by me. What isn't fine by me is the low "completion" rate that so often seems to happen in older gay porn movies. Maybe these expectations of proof of desire are rooted in my own heteronormative conditioning, but the expectation is there nonetheless.

A Night at the Adonis (Jack Deveau, 1978)

Another Wrangler Fest, with lots of completion this time around. So much, in fact, it was a little too much! Someone described this film to me as half-cool and half-disgusting, and I'm inclined to agree. I mean, this shit gets debauched. The plot, regarding a night in the life of the infamous Adonis Theater and its customers, eroticizes slumming, grime, and public sex in general, and I guess they succeeded in their mission. The quota of engaging young men in this is high, but as usual Jack Wrangler (and his kick ass jacket) steals the show. Still, he's given a run for his money by Jayson MacBride, who really impressed me. I have a suspicion that their scene together is trimmed though, which pissed me off.

A Taste of Money (Richard Mailer, 1988)

This is a bonafide curiosity. Most performers play themselves, as Jamie Gillis and PT attempt to get Constance Money out of retirement to make one more film. Constance Money, of course, is Misty Beethoven, and one of the most engaging and beautiful adult film stars -- all the more notable for how few films she made. Alas, this is not for fans of Money. I don't know what her deal was filming this, but she seems to have trouble with pretty much every aspect, slurring her lines and whatnot. On the other hand, the film has some should-see aspects, especially fans of Gillis. It's worth watching just for the meta quality.

Bobby Sox (Paul Thomas, 1996)

I have heard all sorts of wonderful things about this film, so I'm disappointed to have to say it didn't nearly live up to its reputation. I don't think I can fully explain the plot -- in short, Jamie Gillis plays a washed up B-movie actor in town to promote a cheesy new film. Cue Steven St. Croix getting jealous, staged kidnappings, Gillis playing drunk and depressed, and a couple other twists and turns. First of all, the film is too long. Second, I dunno, it's not very good. Still, I can't completely write it off -- Gillis wakes the film up whenever he's on screen, and there are a couple of interesting elements (the Matinee-esque promotional stunt where Gillis dressed as an alien "kidnaps" a woman; the modern-50s), but overall I found the pacing was off, and perhaps most significantly the sound recording was terrible.

A Exercise in the Grotesque: Girlvert: A Porno Memoir by Oriana Small aka. Ashley Blue

2011-06-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while, but I'm back! And, thanks to FanGirlTastic, I was able to not only do my very first book review, but also my very first phone interview with the author, Oriana Small, otherwise known as Ashley Blue, gonzo porn star pervert extraordinaire. I must admit, I was a little apprehensive at first -- all I knew of Small before reading the book was her infamous "choke out" scene for Khan Tusion, her trademark of shoving her hand down her throat, and some dubious racial remarks on a Howard Stern show. That and some terrifyingly rough porn. I was reassured on watching the Stern show that the dubious racial remarks turned out to be out-of-context banter where she gave as good as she got on the sarcastic joke department, and...well, I didn't watch the Khan Tusion scene. Reading about it was distressing enough, and as I told Small, I felt like watching it would be contributing to something bad. She concurred with a simple, "Yeah, it was very creepy." I must admit, I also had my doubts about the book -- eve the best of us fall victim to stereotyping. Having thumbed through a few porn memoirs before, with their familiar tales of childhood problems, glitz and glamour, some degree of downfall, and a speedy retreat to legitimacy, I was expecting more of the same but with extra saliva. Well, this is not like other porn memoirs. The glamour of Jenna Jameson and Traci Lords only fleetingly appears within the pages of Girlvert, and then only to be followed by absurd tragedy, tears and tantrums, and a whole host of drug- and sex-fueled grotesqueries. In fact, Girlvert is grotesque, in the truest literary sense.

When I describe Girlvert as an exercise in "the grotesque," I am referring to the more traditional artistic grotesque features of caricature, the bizarre, and characters who elicit both empathy and disgust. When I articulated this reading of her book, Small enthusiastically embraced such a perception. In particular, the word "grimy" which continually came up for me when explaining the tone to my partner, seemed to strike Small as especially apt, who laughingly declared, "If you can feel the grime, then mission accomplished!" The "glamour" that Small found within the pages of Lords and Jameson's books, she tells me, did not appeal to her because "glamour" does not characterize her life. Rather, the seedy and gritty aspects of Jameson and Lords' books are what Small found appealing about them, and is what she centered in on while writing her memoir. She tells me she wants to "set a new standard, that you don't have to pretend it's all like fuckin' red carpets and stuff in porn. I want there to be a new standard of honesty, and be able to laugh at it too." The purpose of her book, she explains in a determined tone, is to be "a cult classic. I really hope that my book can be like a John Waters movie. Like, something really important, but in a different category -- it's weird, it's cool, and it's different. This is my cult classic."

Courtesy of Dave Naz Photography

Small demonstrates an interesting awareness of gender throughout her experiences, offering fascinating logic behind her porn career. Expecting to simply do a couple of scenes to get tickets for Coachella, Small checks every box on the "yes" list when applying to the modeling agency, reasoning that she may as well get all the money possible in a short space of time, but also because she "wanted to be as hardcore as I could be for personal reasons....I had to keep going the distance sexually for myself, too. I had to soar" (27). Small approaches sex and porn as a way of pushing her own boundaries, but the way Small explains it sounds way less cliche. Indeed, Small seems to fetishize transgressing boundaries. "Porn was attractive because I knew it was bad" (33), Small notes, "I wanted to try it simply because it would be a personal barrier I could tear down. Porno gave me plenty of opportunities to deconstruct myself and society with no emotional strings attached" (46). Of course, the amount of cocaine Small ingests on a regular basis, often not sleeping the night before a shoot, goes some way to dulling the subversive edge of it all, but not entirely. I think part of this has to do with Small's unrelenting honesty and a seeming desire to disgust. This isn't one of those memoirs that occasionally mentions drugs, and leaves you with the feeling that a lot is going unspoken. Quite the opposite, in fact -- barely a page goes by where Small isn't explaining what drugs she was taking, how much, and what she did on them. For this reason, there's little to no self-pity, and when bad things happen, you feel empathy and understanding for her situation.

Particularly memorable, and unsettling, is an early shoot with "Victor," where Small is effectively tricked into anal sex unrelated to filming -- rape with a camera. As Small puts it, "The camera made it safe, so I thought....I submitted completely to whatever Victor wanted. I was afraid not to" (48). The experience leaves Small asking herself, "I hadn't slept all night and I was high, but did I ask for this? I didn't know what normal behavior was anymore" (49). Following the incident, Small assumes that she "signed over my rights as a human being deserving respect as soon as I decided to be a porno girl" (50), and is aware that even if she did tell people what happened, they wouldn't take her seriously. Noting her awareness that she was simply part of a cycle of naive girls being abused by this "very evil sexual predator" (50) with no realistic legal recourse, I posed the idea of some sort of resource for girls new to the business so they could avoid such situations and know what is appropriate and inappropriate on a shoot. Small disagreed that there was such a need, explaining, "I chose to take risks, and that's ok too. I think there's a safe route -- I chose to not do that, like day one. So, I don't think it would be entirely helpful if there was some group trying to guide people, because I don't think it's necessary. It's ok for people to make their own mistakes." This kind of gender analysis, followed by a laissez-faire attitude, is characteristic of the book as a whole. When explaining the Khan Tusion scene, Small appears to offer some reflection on the gendered dynamics of this notorious and disturbing moment in her life, but again she never pursues this line of thinking to the point of social and institutional critique.

While Small expresses some well-deserved hostility toward specific creeps and misogynists, ultimately the only person she blames for her choices -- if she in fact regrets these choices enough to blame anyone -- is herself. Every time the narrative appears to be moving toward locating a source of her woes, whether it be the string of paternal and abusive lovers, or the complex relationship with her mother, Small is sure to shift the focus back on to herself and the fact that she is aware of her own agency and responsibilities as an adult. Following a prolonged background history of Small's relationship with her mother, Small expresses her awareness that she has become like her mother in many respects and that while "my mom definitely contributed to my drug addiction," "only her good characteristics influenced me -- gave me the balls, so to speak -- to get into porn. She showed me D. H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, and Anais Nin when I was a kid, and my sexual life, for pleasure and for work, has been my own poetry....Her FUCK YOU, DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO attitude built me to be bold enough to start doing porn, and I thank her for that" (222). In fact, this positive attitude toward her life and career is what lingers in the mind after reading the book, in spite of what seems like an unrelenting stream of horrors. Small never lets the bad get in the way of asserting that she values her experiences and is proud of her life.

Courtesy of Dave Naz Photography

As the book progresses further into Small's gradual but consistent downward spiral, thanks predominantly to cocaine, alcohol, and manipulative male influence (as well as Small's craving for validation from these same sources), but also the unrelentingly graphic and repulsive imagery, it becomes harder to read in spite of a strong vein of dark humor. My need to take breaks from the book, mostly instigated by scenarios where Small is no longer pursuing the sexual mission she started out with but is merely trying to pay the rent, is frankly high praise, and Small took it as such, exclaiming, "That makes me so happy! That's a huge compliment!" The various scenes that prompt Small to consider herself "just a piece of warm flesh for them to pummel with their cocks. I knew the role. I was good at this" (264) are distressing, certainly, but as with most of Small's reflections, the acid with which such statements are shot through render them more (or less, depending on your perspective) than simply a porn star being degraded on set. Indeed, following one such scenario Small states, "The sex wasn't what dehumanized me. It actually made me more of a human being while simultaneously connecting me deeply to an animal world. The dehumanizing happened outside of the scene, at home by the ones I loved" (265). Such an analysis would comfortably find a home in any sex radical feminist textbook.

That said, there is much here for feminist men and women to disconcertedly meditate over, and Small's attitude toward life can loosely be described as libertarian. When queried about this, Small sounded like she had never really thought about her political position too much in terms of labels, but quickly embraced my suggestion that she has libertarian leanings. And yet, the dismissive and compassionless, not to mention anti-feminist, attitude I associate with libertarianism is subverted in Small's asides that demonstrate an awareness of gender. She explains in response to my misgivings about libertarianism, she never really felt exploited as a woman in porn. "The girls get treated differently," Small admits, "but we get to work it in a way that is unique and I definitely took advantage of that when I could." In the book, she briefly threatens to fall victim to the allure of masculine sexual power. When discussing her starring role in the JM series Girlvert, Small explains that she had concerns about playing the titular character who forces girls to have anal sex, noting, "I was afraid to be in charge and get rough on the talent. The power was more intimidating than playing the victim" (291). And yet, soon enough, Small is fully investing herself in the series and gaining personal empowerment at the same time: "I was no longer breaking down and crying during my scenes. Instead, I made other girls break down....The series brought me the praise and power I craved from everyone" (294). Such an inversion of power relations is unsettling in its perpetuation of gendered abuse, and this is one of the few moments in the book where I felt uncomfortable with the lack of reflection. Significantly, these are also the films that Small is most proud of, for their creativity, her own artistic input, and the way they subverted the porn formula and inserted something new, weird, and exciting into the industry. As Small states proudly, "I will never be able to show them to my sister, but I still see them as some of my greatest achievements. I feel lucky to have been part of such a unique project. Yes, these are triple-X-rated videos, but they are more than that. Those who are open-minded will get it. They are performance art" (296). It was an experience that, Small tells me, was "total freedom -- completely reckless and disgusting, and making a complete mockery." For me, Small's attitude toward porn as art is the most invigorating and exciting aspect of the book and the area where she most brightly shines as a thinker.

Courtesy of Dave Naz Photography

Also in the hard-to-read area is the constant passive acceptance of boyfriend Tyler's abusive and manipulative behavior, which will likely have some readers wanting to grab Small and tell her to wake up, or at least critique her experiences. But in a subtle way, she does critique herself. It becomes increasingly clear as the book progresses that, with hindsight, Small understands these relationships as damaging, and recognizes the power imbalances involved with both intimate partners and industry producers. When boyfriend Tyler is attempting to push Small's boundaries to get something he wants, even something as petty as working with one of his porn idols, or further his own career, there is the constant refrain of Small's resistance, and Tyler's manipulative chorus of "'Ori, do you love me? Well, then...?'" (92). Even more unsettling is Tyler's method later in the book where it is becoming more of a struggle to persuade Small to participate in extracurricular fucking, and he resorts to accusations of Small only wanting to fuck on camera for money, never for enjoyment like they used to -- the "hooker mentality" as he puts it. Small reflects, "It always hurt my feelings when he said things like this. I wasn't really sure what I liked more, sex at home or sex in the movies. Tyler always knew where to hit me when I was feeling vulnerable. Only hookers like it more in pornos, I thought. If I like getting paid for sex more, it means I am just a prostitute" (115). Such careful meditations on the nature of sex work, even within such an abusive context, are intelligent and insightful, demonstrating Small's thoughtful consideration of what could easily have been written out as repetitive arguments and verbal abuse.

I do have a couple of nitpicky criticisms, particularly regarding the dialogue. Non-colloquial dialogue in "realistic" texts is a pet peeve of mine. It can be distracting to read dialogue that simply does not reflect how real people talk -- I'm referring to the awkward separating out of contractions and lack of inflections that render "fuckin'" "fucking." Small's prose has a certain raw style and flow to it that is interrupted by the occasionally jarring, somewhat robotic dialogue, which is a shame, but an incredibly small criticism of what is a very impressive book. Similarly, the fact that Small concludes the book in a little too tidy a fashion can be forgiven, as these minor complaints inherent to so many autobiographies are soon forgotten under the grimy hue of the book's overall impact. It's a grotesquely humorous, tragic, and disturbing book written in a blunt yet poetic style, seemingly urging you to turn away, and yet you can't. While I had to take breaks, as if periodically waking from a nightmare, I returned to the book in prolonged, intense bouts, gripped by the narrative, a curled grimace on my face throughout. This piece of literary performance art is something Small should be proud of.

As for the future, Small tells me she is unsure of her long-term plans other than she and her husband Dave's lifetime project -- a coffee table book called Old Whore. She does know that her performing career is coming to an end (though not until she's eligible for the Hall of Fame), and she plans to start work on a podcast very soon. She also asserts that "inside of my person, my soul, I'm a sculptor," adding with a laugh, "I just don't know how to sculpt yet." She is currently busy recording an audiobook of Girlvert, and the paperback is available now.

Quickies! Spring 2011 Edition

2011-04-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! Another round of quickies for y'all as I finish up some reading, writing, and reviewing. I haven't had much time for anything recently, even for movies, so these flicks are really all I've been able to see for the last few weeks. Sad, I know. Roll on Summer.

800 Fantasy Lane (Svetlana, 1980)

Yikes. Well, I didn't think I could go wrong with a Svetlana movie starring Jamie Gillis, but this is one of the most nauseating viewing experiences in recent memory. The editing is so off kilter that I assumed these Wildside people had chopped the film up and put it back together. Alas, I am told by a friend that this is essentially the same cut as the one available on U.S. dvd (the fisting scene is cut). The plot is thin, involving Jamie Gillis and his buddy posing as rich oil men wanting to purchase real estate from a new company run by hot actresses. Naturally, these women offer extra services to seal the deal, and these shysters are ready to take advantage. Many surreal and trippy scenes occur, including one I had seen before in Forbidden Worlds (a collection of scenes from other movies), wherein Jamie is a lion tamer and the gals are done up in impressive animal body paint. I found this scene bizarre and engaging when in isolation of the rest of the movie, but back in its context (showing up at the end) I found it as irritating as the rest of the film. Irritating in its real sense -- as in, this film was an irritant. To my eyes, my ears, and my stomach.

Odyssey: The Ultimate Trip (Gerard Damiano, 1977)

This is a film of three parts, sort of a vignette flick but more like three individual segments -- short films -- each focused on sexual dysfunction and the trippy solutions to said problems. I enjoyed this film, but ironically it's the quality of the different segments (especially the first one, featuring R. Bolla and some clever dialogue ably assisted by convincing delivery) that threaten to undo the film. I found myself wanting the first segment to continue, which is a compliment really. Nevertheless, it was ultimately unsatisfying as a result. Still, recommended.

Co-Ed Fever (Robert McCallum, 1980)

This one is just ok. It's not terrible, but it's pretty light. Annette Haven leads a sorority who are promised a magazine layout if they exclusively date men from a neighbouring fraternity and end their relationships with their current ragtag group of guys, including Jamie Gillis, John Leslie, and Jon Martin (who stands out as an ubernerd). The guys (and one gal, Samantha Fox) decide to plot a sabotage. Everyone does a fine job in their roles, and it seems as though this particular storyline would have been made many times over by Hollywood. However, ultimately the film isn't particularly engaging and it's not wholly satisfying. There are many more McCallum flicks that wowed me in ways that this title didn't nearly approach. I did enjoy watching John Leslie throw a potted plant in a swimming pool though. And the film looks pretty. I'd like to know what the source is for Wildside's releases -- everything I've seen so far looks and sounds great.

The Budding of Brie (Henri Pachard, 1980)

This film impressed me. It's essentially identical in plot and characterization to All About Eve, but references several classic Hollywood films which makes it a joyous viewing experience for film buffs. In addition, the way it adapts All About Eve into a modern porn industry setting is complex and clever. The dialogue is engaging, and the actors pull off their lines well. Hillary Summers as Brie is notably excellent -- perfectly cast. Almost too perfectly cast, in fact, as her performance as parasitic and innocent/creepy Brie threatens to overwhelm any frivolous enjoyment of the film. This is of course a wonderful thing for those who, like me, enjoy adult films that take risks.

The Bombshells 2 (William H., 2011)

I'll admit I watched this selectively, and skipped scenes that involved performers I'm not keen on. I won't bother naming names, other than those I have something positive to say about. Basically, this flick gets a thumbs up from me due to one scene. The first scene, in fact, featuring Sophia Santi and Manuel Ferrara. I found this scene so engaging, I watched it twice over in one go, and then after perusing the other scenes watched it again. The other scenes were pretty good, but I suspect you would have to be a fan of the particular performers, and there are some men and women in this release who I just can't roll with due to what I perceive to be overacting. I'll leave it at that.

Support Masturbation Documentary "Sticky"

2011-04-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

I just found the website and trailer for this upcoming documentary, Sticky. Judging by the trailer, this needs to be made and seen. The filmmakers apparently know the go-to people to talk to about this topic (or at least who GGG would want to see in a documentary on this topic -- Nina Hartley, the authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves, and former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders to name just a few).

The documentary still needs financial support to get marketed and distributed, and you can help by donating here.

Staying Optimistic: Superman XXX: A Porn Parody

2011-03-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

"[A]s in the movie musical, the episodic structure of the hard-core narrative is something more than a flimsy excuse for sexual numbers: it is part and parcel of the way the genre goes about resolving the often contradictory desires of its characters" (134). Linda Williams, Hard Core: Power, Pleasure, and the "Frenzy of the Visible." 1989.

Thanks to FanGirlTastic, who flatteringly asked me to start reviewing XXX new releases for them, I received a glitzy DVD of Vivid's second superhero "parody" (this term is becoming meaningless), Superman XXX: A Porn Parody. Over the last couple of years (since 2008's Cry Wolf, I guess), I have witnessed feature porn deteriorate at an alarming pace, seemingly in a panic to emulate the high octane sex of gonzo, as well as separate out the plot from the sex scenes presumably in an effort to adapt to the internet. This results in feature films that do not feel like complete, integrated narratives with sex woven into the plot. In addition, performers fuck out of character, exhibiting sex tricks and demonstrating a level of experience that contradicts what we have learned about the persona thus far in the script. There are exceptions of course, but frankly I have been almost exclusively watching features from the 70s and 80s, while my modern viewing habits center around gonzo and the like, which have their own genre-specific appeal.

Then came the "parody plague," as naysayers like to call it, offering nerds such as myself the cruel glimmer of hope that perhaps some of these flicks might return to form and construct sex as part of the narrative. Alas, it was not to be. The closest I have found to an integrated porn parody, complete with decent lighting, acting, and scripting, is Batman XXX. It's not perfect by any means, but most of the time the performers attempt some level of characterization, and the film as a whole felt complete. With the success of Batman, Vivid announced a whole line of Superhero parodies. Great! I thought. With the bigger budget, the proven interest on the part of the audience (many of whom we might presume are not regular porn consumers), and Axel "Son of Lasse" Braun at the helm, things can only get better. The sex, which was semi-integrated in Batman, will become even more characterized and integral to the plot; the script and plotting will take more risks; etc etc.

So, it was with the bitterest of disappointments that, after dabbling with the FF button only 20mins into Superman, I hit STOP at about the 30min mark. Naturally, I went back and watched the rest for this review, but only because I had to. Watching Superman makes me wonder what the goal was. Save your "It's just porn!" babble. Everything's "just" something, but why not be as good as so many of us *know* it can be? I doubt the gonzo-exclusive crowd are going to be too interested in buying features, and those who are sitting down to watch a feature are clearly not looking to watch gonzo. They bought a feature. They're two different sub-genres, both valuable in their own right, both genres I am a fan of, but they are fundamentally different. I just don't get it. And it makes me sad.

Ok, enough boo-hooing. Here's the scoop, as Jimmy might say: the film opens with General Zod (Ben English) and his peeps being banished for attempting to start a "New Order" on planet Krypton that would make its citizens turn on its rulers and create general tyrrany. Subsequent to said banishment, an airliner, piloted by boozing Evan Stone and Alec Knight, is in bad weather and about to take a nosedive thanks to the sexual distractions offered by flight attendant Lexi Belle. The first scene actually involves some verbal play, as is wont with Evan Stone, and I swear I even heard some homoerotic exchanges between pilot and copilot which frankly got me all hopeful for a rollicking good time. In spite of Evan's shenanigans, the sex is just what you might expect, as if someone is checking the boxes on a list of acts that must be included for fear of the raincoater's wrath. Still, not bad, and I enjoyed the effects, what with the room teeter-tottering throughout thanks to no one being at the helm (insert "at the helm" innuendo here).

Thankfully, Clark Kent, aka. Superman (aka. crossover performer Ryan Driller), is on board and not being serviced, so he has time to go change, fly outside, pick the plane up by its wing, and escort everyone to safety. Oh, and the effects aren't terrible! I've seen many more aggravating things on the Syfy Channel.

Next up, we're introduced to the familiar newsroom where Perry (Will Ryder) is yelling at Jimmy (James Deen) about getting the "flying man" scoop, and Lois Lane (Andy San Dimas) is being a general star. GGG favourite Kristina Rose pops up as the receptionist, directing new-hire Clark Kent into the office, and the interactions work pretty well in these newsroom scenes. That is until everything comes to a screeching halt for the overlong and out-of-character sex scene between Jimmy and the receptionist. Lex Luthor (Eric Masterson) has just announced on television that he has launched a missile, bwahahaha, much to everyone's consternation, but never fear because Superman has dispelled the threat in about 8 seconds...just in time to cut to Kristina Rose sucking off James Deen in the storage room. The scene actually begins in an admirably fractured way, with Clark interrupting them while trying to find a place to change into his supersuit, and then Jimmy taking photographs out of the window of Superman saving the day. However, after these initially hopeful signs of some integration, the scene becomes just another scene from any other movie. This is not Jimmy fucking, but James Deen, and the receptionist is simply Kristina Rose. So, it's James Deen and Kristina Rose fucking, which has nothing to do with their characters. Result: boring. I skipped the second part of this scene. The interesting thing is, it's all about context (I am an uberfan of Ms. Rose, after all). This might be a hot or interesting scene if it were in the context of a different genre -- indeed, it may have played out rather differently within a different genre -- but within a feature I'm just left there scratching my head and watching the DVD timer.

The remaining plot (there is very little of it) follows the familiar 1980s route, with Lex damning his futile efforts at destroying Metropolis, Zod exacting his vengeance on Earth, and Superman booting up while simultaneously courting a frankly ravishing Lois Lane on the side (Andy San Dimas really stands out when she's given the chance -- I'm a fan). The remaining sex scenes threaten to do interesting things, especially Lois Lane's sexual assault at the hands of Zod and Co., in which Andy does a good job of staying in character at least part of the time, inflecting the scene with a certain edge. In fact, the scenes featuring San Dimas and Driller are easily the most compelling (though, again, the sex reverts back to prototype) -- during these brief moments, I thought I was about to start liking the film.

"...not to mention an extra baby wipe."

Yet, in spite of San Dimas and Driller, some interesting framing, notably good videography, and the occasional interesting or witty moment, the narrative is entirely overwhelmed by the sex. It's not even necessarily about having less sex and more plot -- sex and plot are not mutually exclusive, in my opinion. Sex is just as valuable and meaningful a signifier as any other physical act, and I've seen it used as such in hundreds of excellent films. But when you isolate the plot from the sex, that's when things start to become fractured to the point of feeling like two genres competing for dollars, and that's when things start to become boring.

Furthermore, and maybe I'm just plain wrong about this, but the sexual allure of a superhero porn flick strikes me as being rooted in seeing Lois Lane and Superman/Clark Kent uncensored, not a porn starlet/star doing what they usually do, but dressed in a costume (which usually comes off anyway). I detect an effort in this direction with Batman, and glimmers of it in Superman -- certainly, the talent is there -- but I eagerly and perhaps overly optimistically await the full package at some point in the near future. Maybe in the sequel?

Back on the Horse!

2011-03-24T18:59:00.001-07:00

Hey folks! Wow. What a week or so. Don't worry, I ain't gonna go into it. (Spoiler Alert! It sucked). Part of it was getting sick, and the sickness just not going away. I'm still coughing up suspect debris, but I'm totally able to get out of the house, fulfill my responsibilities, and generally get back on the horse. A new review will be up tomorrow! Yay! It's written and everything!

In the meantime, chase those blues away with this frankly inspiring photograph of the lovely Marilyn Chambers and the captivating Johnnie Keyes. And some lady off to the side. ID anyone?

"The Male Body: Repulsive or Beautiful?"

2011-03-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

I found this article by Hugo Schwyzer, "The Male Body: Repulsive or Beautiful?" via Critical Masculinities, and it moved me. I especially enjoyed (and was saddened by) the many thoughtful comments left by readers.

I found the comment by switchintoglide particularly interesting and touching in some way: "There is the flip-side to this too; I really try to express to my partner how much I love his body. I love that he is strong and muscular, but also kind of doughy (kind of like Darrel on the Office), but he is extremely uncomfortable with me expressing desire and physical attraction to him—he acts like it is degrading. For me, obviously, I want him to feel wanted, but for him, I think it makes him self-conscious to be admired that way—”like a woman.” I have had both male and female partners, and so far three out of the five men I have dated have felt obviously uncomfortable with this sort of expression."

Anyway, I'm posting it because I think several really important points are raised, and many questions asked that I don't have clear-cut answers to but are important to ask regardless. I often muse over representations of masculinity and the male body in terms of sexuality, and Schwyzer's article (and subsequent conversation between commenters) gave me pause. Enjoy.

The Passions of Carol: Platinum Elite Collection

2011-02-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

You can read my thoughts on this film, and screenshots from the last Video-X-Pix release, here. I have seen Passions a number of times, and still regard it as something of a life-changing flick, so I'm thrilled VXP decided to release it restored and as part of their Platinum Elite Collection. The packaging and presentation are not as fancy as previous PE releases, and I must admit I was disappointed by the giant typo ("An Adult Adaption...") on the cover, but not every PE DVD can come with a finger puppet and glossy card sleeve. And besides, I'm just happy that the folks involved went to all the effort to restore the film itself, and get Shaun Costello's commentary recorded. I'll put the typo down to rushing to get this released for the holiday season.

Anyway, the restored film itself is beautiful -- there are colours in this copy that I really didn't know existed in the film. Seriously, look at the screenshots from the last version and compare them to the ones here. It's astounding. The greens in particular shine, and I appreciate all the work that went into trying to eradicate that buzzing sound that was so prominent in the old version. In addition, this release comes with a neat little essay written by Costello which has all sorts of behind-the-scenes memories and entertaining tales that provide some insight into the making of the film and the finished product.

The commentary, conducted by Joe Rubin, is pretty wild and scatterbrained, with a lot of the intriguing stories getting started but never getting finished (what was the sad story? Inquiring nerds want to know!). This is really due to a certain giddy enthusiasm and a rapid pace though, and it's definitely worth a listen. I wish there had been more wiggle room, but such is the nature of commentaries, and besides, we have the essay to fill in some of the gaps.

Obviously, this is a must-buy for anyone who has only seen the dingy, grimy copy previously in existence, as well those who simply love the film as I do. Those of you who haven't seen the film, now is the perfect time -- obviously, I recommend it. Oh, and if you get it now, I think you can still take advantage of the VXP sale. Sweet.

Meet the Neighbours: Megan Hussey

2011-02-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

More interview goodness in the spirit of (week-long) Lady Porn Day, this time with journalist, erotica writer, and all around fascinator, Megan Hussey. Read on to find out more! Thank you Megan for these wonderful and thought-provoking answers.

******

Tell us about yourself! Who are you, what do you do, and what has led you to this point in life/work?

Thank you so much for this opportunity, Gore Gore Girl; you and this blog rock and I'm glad to be here. I'm Megan Hussey, a journalist and erotica author who writes paranormal, historical and contemporary erotic romance for Class Act, Melange, Noble and Phaze books. I also have written blog, erotic fiction and website material for companies like Playgirl, the Good Vibrations e-zine, Chick Media and Trejix Toys, and some DVD cover copy for Playgirl. My work has been published in Playgirl and Scarlet adult women's magazines. And if all that wasn't naughty enough, I run the Playgirl Posse, Playgirl's fan club, and co-coordinate the FemPower women's erotica project. I'm collaborating on a book project coordinated through FLR.Com that addresses the issue of FLR (female lead relationships), and am also working on a book about women who worked behind the scenes in the silent film industry. And I'm a proud staff writer for Fangirltastic, where GGG also writes! My website is http://goldenmuse.tripod.com/.

Tell us about your writing - what themes interest you? Do you have a particular perspective that you want to express through your writing?

I definitely write from the feminist perspective; I like, not only to capture women's fantasies on paper but to turn stereotypical male fantasies on their ear for female readers; I write about male incubus vampires who open bordellos for women, male alien sex servants, sensual mermen, etc. I once wrote a feminist erotic take on Beauty and the Beast. The beauty, of course, was male and the 'beast,' female.:)

You identify as feminist - how do you define feminism? What do you find are the most common misconceptions of feminism?

I define feminism as the support of equality and women's empowerment. Feminists do so many great things; they open domestic violence centers, raise money for breast cancer research, and work to stop rape and rape myths. And for their trouble, they are attacked as 'Nazis,' 'manhaters,' and women who just want to be men. That one I REALLY don't get--we hate men but we want to be them? (Shakes head, crosses eyes).

I personally have gone through several "evolutions" of feminism due to various experiences, books, classes, and a multitude of other influences. What has been your own "evolution" or "journey" through feminism? What or who have been the biggest influence on your perspective?

I like to joke that I was a feminist since birth; that I came out of the womb with the singular goal of overturning the patriarchy by preschool.:) By my teens I was writing feminist poetry and humor; some of my role models range from Gloria Steinem to Naomi Wolff to Barbara Ehrenrich, Hillary Clinton to Queen Elizabeth I, Candida Royalle to Petra Joy and Kelly Holland. I joined a feminist group in college and always have supported the National Organization for Women and Feminists for Free Expression.

Many women, especially writers and filmmakers, are careful to distinguish between "porn" and "erotica." Do you make a distinction? If so, why and how do you define each term? If not, why not, and how do you feel about these distinctions when they're made?

Personally no; and this is going to get me into heapsa' trouble with some of my sister erotica authors.:) The fact is, though, that if you read an erotic book, you won't find anything more or less explicit than you will in a high class couple's porn movie; the problem is that, through the years, the word porn has been associated with sexist, sleazy, sometimes even violent productions--this casts a stigma over the whole industry. In its purest form, though, both porn and erotica center around sex and sensual activities; both fields have their share of quality, beautiful works. I'm an erotica writer and a women's porn writer, and am equally proud of both.

The experience of and public attitude toward pornographic literature and pornographic film are, in my experience, very different. In addition, literature tends to be referred to as "erotica" and seen as "feminine," while film tends to be referred to as "porn" and seen as "masculine." Have you noticed these genderings of visual/literal media? What are your thoughts on such cultural distinctions?

Yes, I have definitely noticed those distinctions. If a woman goes into a porn shop, she may be pointed or laughed at, just as I have. If a man goes into the erotica/romance section at a bookstore, he gets the same reaction. Yet I know a lot of women who love porn, and have been surprised by the number of men who respond to my erotic stories. In the end it's all about sex and romance; concepts that play a role in the lives of most people.

Some feminists see women's consumption of pornography as an important and progressive act. What are your thoughts on this?

Important, progressive and vital. Listen Ladies, if we ever want to see women's porn succeed, it's important that we go to the adult stores--and, for that matter, to mainstream DVD stores that sell adult titles--and ask for the movies, magazines and books we want. It's equally important for store owners to train their personnel to be sensitive to the needs of female customers; I've known more than one lady who was practically laughed out of a store for requesting a copy of Playgirl or an adult film title--this has to stop.

How would you describe your personal relationship with porn?

Porn and I have been happily married for a number of years tee hee; actually, I wasn't always a porn fan. I started out watching beefcake and male stripper tapes from companies like Playgirl, Chippendales, LaBare, The Hollywood Men, Manpower Australia and Sharpshooter, but had always heard that porn was--well-icky. Then I watched a few Candida Royalle/Femme and Adam and Eve titles (I believe the first ones I ever saw were Candida's "Femme," Adam and Eve's "Hardbound" with Dale DaBone and Nina Hartley and Cameron Grant's "The Dinner Party,") and found nothing icky about them; in fact they were extremely hawt!

Now I have a sizable porn collection but it consists entirely of femme style titles; films that emphasize the male body and the female pleasure, with an equal balance of romance and hot action. It doesn't have to be a real-life husband and wife scenario; in fact I avoid those because I'm not a monogamous person and I don't relate to them. It could be a beautiful, ultra sensual title from Playgirl, a funky, artsy flick from Strawberry Seductress, a hip, sexy film from Chick Media or London Gunn, or just an all-out girls' night out fest from Inpulse.

What are your Top 3 favourite XXX movies, and why?

Wow, just three?! Well, among my top picks would be Playgirl's Body Worship; Playgirl vignettes feature popular adult actors in fantasy scenarios geared toward the female eyes. This particular disc features Jean Val Jean as a male escort, Niko as a priest, and so many other hotties--and for once, the camera focuses on the males as they pleasure the women!

Another would be Immortal Desire, an absolutely beautiful production from the early '90s that features Gerry Pike and Sarah Jane Hamilton as immortal lovers who meet in the renaissance era and keep finding each other through time. It's a beautiful, romantic and artistic film; a love story in an industry of sex stories.

I also love Inpulse's Erection Services, which starred Julian, Alex Sanders and other porn hunks as enterprising males who open a bordello for women.

And though it's not XXX, I also have to list the Love Scenes softcore series from B-fore Productions. It's sumptious, romantic, and features a number of Playgirl models and male dancers in scenes with some lucky (and lovely) women; and, again, the focus is on the men.

Lady Porn Day: Porn Secrets

2011-02-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

Check out these awesome Porn Secrets, anonymous thoughts about porn pasted onto "retro man candy," and anonymously send in your own!

GGG Loves...Abigail Clayton

2011-02-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

More goodies for Lady Porn Day...

Seven into Snowy (1978)

Naked Afternoon (1976)

Desires Within Young Girls (1977)

A Coming of Angels (1977)

Meet the Neighbours: Debi Diamond

2011-02-22T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! A very special Meet the Neighbours today, perfect timing for Lady Porn Day: an interview with industry legend, Debi Diamond. Thank you Debi for graciously agreeing to do this!

Enjoy!

******

Tell us about yourself! Who are you, and what do you do?

~Well Hi....humm what do I do?
I'm a busy mom 1st.(list to long to include). Producer, Spice Radio Host, writer, and animal rescuer...

You started out as a performer, working in a huge number of titles during the 1980s/90s, before retiring and then making a recent comeback. Why did you originally retire, and why did you decide to return? How are things different for you as a performer? What are some of the biggest changes in the industry you have noticed?

~Yes, I actually made my first movies in 1983, as a outlaw....It was not, legal to shoot porn, so I really loved the idea, of being sneaky and bad....perfect for me...I left the business in 95, I just felt i needed a break, I did so much in the early 90's, my life was FAST> , not complaining, just wanted to try something new...so I started dancing....which led to another state, which then led to another life.....outside of SEX...it was amazing, and perfect...BUT, felt i was ready to implode....lost my mind, and came back to Cali..Never really having a plan....I just kinda settled into my level of comfort....which i have now....complete comfort...I love producing, making fem dom is edgy enough to satisfy my inner kink...and Radio is a total blast...I write for a few sites, and I am a busy bee working on my BOOK... The business is a complete change from when i left in 95...thanks to the INTERNET....In many ways, a very nice thing , but sadly, many cant survive..sad situation

You have also started your own company, Debi Diamond Films, specializing in femdom titles. What made you want to produce titles in this genre? How have people (industry and/or audience) reacted to you deciding to work in this particular genre?

~Upon my return to California and the industry that raised me, I was taken back by the loss of many of the stable companies I had known, why? FREE PORN SITES.... This is a travesty and it just isn't right.I watched it and just felt the chances of survival would be much greater if I found a subject matter, so saturated within the free sites....fem dom was it...plus i love to boss guys around....stupid fuckers....TO SEE HOT WOMEN IN TOTAL CONTROL......TURNS ME ON!

Femdom is an interesting genre in terms of gender -- I have seen people laud it as empowering for women, while others see it as simply a "turning of the tables" and not progressive at all. Still others see it as offensive and no different from porn in which women are abused by men. What are your thoughts on these varying perspectives, and what is your personal view on the genre?

~I love it when everyone is happy....#1 priority for me.....I was usually happy fucking anyone anywhere....but, sex scenes can get complicated.....MY FEM DOM....has like this magic potion....we have had no unhappy situations, everyone is thrilled to be involved, the women love to work these guys over, the guys love it too!...win/win

Do you identify as feminist? How do you personally define feminism?

~ I do feel women are goddesses and can have what ever they want, they are wonderful,gifted and able to accomplish things men could only dream of ... but bottom line...we need our men.....i love men, i love cock, i love sex,

Pornography and sex work have been divisive issues in feminism for many years, an ongoing heated debate known as the "sex wars." While these divisions were strongest in the 1980s, there remains the assumption for many that porn is damaging to women. What is your perspective on these "sex wars"? Is pornography at odds with feminism? Do you think one has something to offer the other?

~I think as with any occupation....when done with intent...it's all good.....Look, in this life, are we not very lucky to make our living and be happy? I have always enjoyed what i do, felt very lucky, been in control of my destiny... I am sure there are people that get damaged by our business, sad but true, but come on....any line of work can be dangerous to the fragile, xxx is just a magnet for the low self esteem crowd...but lately...I'm impressed with the number of IN control business women within our industry.....really impressed

You're a Hall-of-Famer, a multi-award winner, have a vast catalogue of films under your belt, and are considered a pioneer in adult film. How do you feel about such accomplishments in an industry so often maligned by mainstream media/culture? How has such success affected your life outside of porn?

~I feel very lucky to be me...and Frankly, my humble opinion of myself? no big deal...never felt like I would even be remembered after my break, shocking how many people feel i was part of their lives, very touching to know,and to read, and be praised almost on a daily basis.....I'm just a jean&tee wearing mom....who happens to have her sexual life on film...

If you could change anything about the porn industry, what would it be?

~Damage is done...so many of my friends are gone/out of business, it's a free for all...for example....my domain..debidiamond.com..is owned by some fuckhead running a fake fan club, stealing my stuff,and thousands of dollars and several years..i am still fighting to get it back....free sites and the people and companies behind them need to be exposed and really if we all got together and stood as 1, we could do some amazing things, make some amazing changes..but seems everyone is out for themselves...back in the day, the early 80's...we were a family, all as 1...today....its a dog eat dog business ...sad

What are your goals for the immediate and/or long term future?

~my goals are just to have that balance....I need balance and positive outlook...i will accept nothing less...if i can make my movies, keep my family and myself happy, live well and healthy, stay busy, keep smiling and spreading good energy...all is good in my world!

If you were to make a scene today with any director and performer/s from any era, who would you pick to work with, and why?

~Goodness....the old timers were some of my favs....John Leslie, joey silvera, paul thomas, Vanessa Del Rio, kay parker,Marilyn Chambers.Desiree Cousteau...these were the ones i watched and looked up to....mix them with the dirty girls of this time , belladonna, amber rayne....and wow....im in!

What are your three favourite XXX films that you have made/performed in, and why?

~again the older ones stand out
all american girls in heat...83
bad girls 2...83
san fernando valley girls...83

but i do love
PERFORMER OF THE YEAR...84.my movie!
GANG BANG GIRL...
AND REALLY....shit...so many...

i have a theater at hot movies, with most of my movies debidiamondvod.com very cool thing the Internet has ...VIDEO ON DEMAND!

What are your three favourite XXX films that you have watched, and why?

SAME AS ABOVE...im a perv, and really love to watch myself

Lady Porn Day: Feb. 22nd

2011-02-19T13:37:00.001-08:00

Finally, someone has created what I'm too lazy/technologically incompetent to have done myself (but complained about enough): a porn equivalent of sorts to Women in Horror Month. Here is Lady Porn Day, courtesy of Rabbit Write, a day that in reality goes on for a whole week. Join in the fun Feb 21st-26th on Twitter, or join in the festivities in your own way through writing, sharing, and talking.

I'll figure out a way to do my bit also. Probably through the writing and sharing avenue.

Bush is back? The discourse continues...

2011-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

The various debates over women, pubic hair, and shaving are of great interest to me. On the one hand, there are those who think to shave your pubes is to fulfill masculine desires for a childlike female body (see Andrea Dworkin), and then there are those who think there is a possibility of subversion to shaving pubes because it fully exposes the oft-mystified and misunderstood female genitalia (see Germaine Greer). Then there are the more recent "porn is making women shave their pubes" argument, which can safely go into the "porn is making women (insert bodily/behavioural alteration here)" category.

I came across a couple of interesting articles today. One is from The Guardian, which is a newspaper I used to read, but has apparently had a strong of anti-porn articles as part of its "women" section, which I find a little disconcerting. The other is a critique of this article by Petra Joy, who first alerted me to the Guardian article, and makes some very important points.

All of this reminds me of something that happened a little while back: Sasha Grey appeared on Entourage, and at some point (I don't watch it) she was naked, and of course her famous bush was visible. Sasha Grey is a very successful porn star, for those of you who do not know, and the reaction from Entourage viewers (or, a vocal portion of them at least) was disgust, horror, and general shock at seeing bush. I even heard someone refer to it as "Bushgate" or something to that effect. The whole situation was so incredibly ironic -- porn stars are supposedly shaved bare, and porn supposedly normalizes a very specific body type that women feel pressured to model themselves on. And yet, porn fans have been idolizing Sasha Grey and many other be-bushed starlets for quite some time now, while in the case of the Entourage outrage, the mainstream viewers were the ones who recoiled in disgust. Meanwhile, many porn fans are merrily watching (and asking producers for) unshaved performers (and, I might add, defending Grey's bush). I found this all rather amusing, but also pretty frustrating, and this frustration came back to me while reading the article from The Guardian. What a funny world we live in.

Enjoy.

Masculinity and the Flaccid Penis in Porn: Part II

2011-02-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Back when I wrote this post on premeditated depictions of flaccid cocks in porn, I had no idea that it would become the second most read post I ever wrote. (The first is this piece of lameness, thanks to searches for "sexy porn star" and the like). First off, I really wasn't sure the post would be well-received (not that I cared), but I certainly was not prepared to discover an entire underworld of people who are seeking out flaccid penises in various contexts on a daily basis. My analysis of the evasion of non-erect penises in media (with much-appreciated assistance from Peter Lehman's excellent book Running Scared: Masculinity and the Representation of the Male Body), and the ways in which, when they appear in porn, they are mediated and embedded in narrative or symbolism is likely not what these avid flaccid-fans are after, but I like to think I have made a much-needed vocalisation of something that is so cruelly marginalized. Furthermore, these searches have shown me (and now you) that there are hundreds of thousands of people out there who, for whatever reason -- curiosity, arousal, education, or a combination of all these things and more -- are seeking out representations of penises in their most common, everyday (but silent and unseen) state.

While the mundane search terms pop up each and every day multiple times, such as...

flaccid men porn

soft penis porn

large flaccid penis

flaccid cock porn

flaccid cock

flaccid penis

flaccid dicks

flaccid men porn

small dick flaccid

soft penis porn

...it was when the search for "how does a non-hard penis look like" popped up that, thanks to it's wonderfully awkward grammar, I decided to start recording these terms day by day. This led to such fabulous search terms as...

penis, black, flaccid

husbands flaccid penis

flaccid cocks erect cocks

softcore flaccid male nudity

plaing [sic] with a flaccid dick

flaccid dick underwear porn

girl playing with flaccid cock

randy spears flaccid
manuel ferrara flaccid

flaccid to erect cock movies

full frontal flaccid penis

hot sexy flaccid soft penis

...and, the delightfully straightforward, "i like seeing flaccid penis in porn." Well, anonymous searcher, so do I, and on that note here is Part II of my dutifully recorded adventures.

Deep Throat (Gerard Damiano, 1972)

It's important not to forget the time-worn classics, so here is this nugget from Deep Throat wherein, after having diligently worked to assist his female clients-cum-nurses, poor Dr. Harry Reems has a poorly cock. Lying in bed, tossing and turning, applying a cool compress to his crotch, Linda Lovelace persuades him to remove his clothes ad reveal the sickly member, tied up in a bandage. Of course, Linda isn't dissuaded, and soon has the good Doctor back in action. This scene is one of a few "sick penis" flaccid scenes, suggesting that a non-erect penis is permissible on film if it is the result of strenuous bouts of sex, during which the penis was very much erect.

Midnight Desires (Shaun Costello, 1976)

I wrote about this excellent vignette film a little while back, and remember my gasps of awe when Jamie Gillis emerged from the locker room, flaccid penis casually slung out of his red sweatsuit. It's an inspiring sight, and easily one of my favourite flaccid moments in porn. It's also a particularly interesting one, as it occurs smack bang in the middle of a highly homoerotic rape sequence.

Private Moments (Gary Graver aka. Robert McCallum, 1983)

This little vignette flick doesn't seem to get much attention, but it's good fun and involves some very witty dialogue, especially between the husband lawyers as they self-indulgently chit-chat around the dinner table while their wives are busy fantasizing. At some point, the fantasies involve a "Guess Whose [sic] Wanger" competition, complete with soft dicks waggling around through holes. Ladies have to explore said "wangers" in order to detect which one is their husband's. It's interesting that in this scene, the unengorged members are dismembered and the subject/object of a joke.

Teenage Twins (Carter Stevens, 1976)

Hope and Prudence are twins with divergent approaches to sexuality in this grimy curiosity. It's become a classic of sorts, thanks perhaps to the casting of real twins, Brooke and Taylor Young, but amply assisted by a plot that involves the Necronomicon. It's also pretty good, especially if, like me, you love flicks centered around shit-talking, sassy women. In this scene, Hope (the sexual and sassy one) is chatting with Jew-fro'd Jason (Todd Davis) in what is perhaps the most prolonged prostrate flaccid shot in adult film history. Quite an accomplishment. No mediation, no bondage, no nuthin. And, trivia fans, Todd's iafd.com photo is from this very scene!

Desires Within Young Girls (Richard Kanter, 1977)

A much-loved but lesser-known classic, featuring a cast of lovelies including Annette Haven, John Leslie, Georgina Spelvin, Paul Thomas, and the man we will be discussing here, Jon Martin. Spelvin is the mother of two gals whom she hopes to marry off to millionaires. Shenanigans ensue (as does an unexpected and applause-worthy ending), including this captivating deflowering scene. It's the two ladies doing the deflowering, while the virgin is Martin, and the whole enticing affair begins with one of he gals tying his soft penis in a delicate, frilly white ribbon. Very cute, and notable as an entry in the rapidly growing "flaccid cocks tied up with stuff" category.

Desires Within Young Girls (Richard Kanter, 1977)

Immediately following the previous scene, things turn all dominatrixy, as The Baroness (Joan Devlon) shows up and promptly wrangles that post-coitus, sleepy prick by pressing her stiletto heel in precariously close quarters (not that Martin seems to mind). This is a more traditional mediated softy than the preceding one, as the domination element justifies the brief initial representation.

New Year Quickies!

2011-01-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hola! Boy, what a week! Started back at school (so far, so good -- I'm actually feeling motivated...gasp!) and haven't seen a single, solitary film since last Sunday. I plan on making up for lost time this weekend though. Until then, here is a quick rundown of the last batch of flicks I saw, for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

Raw Talent (Larry Revene, 1984)

I knew going into this that the film was cut to pieces, and that several key scenes (Jerry Butler fucking a cooked turkey, Jerry Butler raping Lisa deLeeuw over a toilet, Jerry Butler kicking ass karate style) were missing. Nevertheless, I figured watching a butchered version was better than watching no version, and happily I was right. That's not to say the edits don't ruin the film, it's just that instead of being left feeling angry, I was left feeling even more anxious to watch the complete version. This is easily one of the strangest, nastiest adult films I've (sort of) seen, and Butler's character is surprisingly unhinged.

Butler plays Eddie, a wannabe actor working as a waiter, who accompanies his buddy (Joey Silvera) to a porn shoot and winds up performing in it when Joey can't get the job done. Eddie embarks on a porn career, after being told by director Carolyn (deLeeuw) that porn won't harm his acting career, but of course his past rears its ugly head during his later mainstream success in a soap opera. I don't think there's a single likeable character in this film -- at least, no one you feel entirely sure about or comfortable with. Eddie (played brilliantly by Butler), while sympathetic, is dangerous and bitter from the get-go, and Carolyn is simply something else. If you ever get the chance to see his uncut, I implore you to do so.

Sweet Alice (Joseph F. Robertson, 1983)

I was excited to see this, seeing as it stars Kevin James (as a cowboy, no less!) and lovely Seka. Not only that, the cast boasts such GGG favourites as Jamie Gillis, Paul Thomas, and Desiree Cousteau. Turns out, it's a loop carrier, so it's low on narrative, and most of the performers don't have speaking roles. I enjoy a good loop carrier, and Kevin James was goofy enough to keep me watching, but this was ultimately a bit of a snoozefest.

Any Time, Any Place (Kirdy Stevens, 1981)

From Helene Terrie and Kirdy Stevens, the team that brought you the Taboo series, comes this neat little film. Seka is vibrant as usual as Lynn, a criminal who along with her two male partners in crime (Mike Ranger and Jesse Adams) go about burglarizing, bantering, and fucking. It's not terribly memorable, but it's fun, and while not as good as, say, Taboo II, it still offers the same light-hearted quality you would expect from a Terrie/Stevens film.

Sexcapades (Henri Pachard, 1983)

Holy shit, does it get any better than this? No matter how many times I feel like I must have reached some kind of apex of adult film, another outstanding flick seems to be just around the corner to prove me delightfully wrong. Eric Edwards cements his position in my Top 5 male performers with his role as Harry, a filmmaker gone broke who returns to his adult film roots much to the displeasure of his wife, Sharon Mitchell. What ensues is a sort of fantastical and witty, but also grittily real, descent/ascent into the world of porn and all its shenanigans, with a focus on Harry's directorial struggles, his psyche, and his sexuality. The intertextual, meta nature of the narrative is so skillfully and playfully executed, I spent the majority of the film in baffled, captivated awe. So much so, I had to watch it twice. Awesome stuff.

Great Sexpectations (Henri Pachard, 1984)

So, remember two minutes ago that whole "apex of adult film...another film proving me wrong" thing? Turns out, the very next film I watched after Sexcapades totally blew my mind. It's the sequel, and I had read that some folks think it's better than Sexcapades, but y'know, I thought it couldn't get much better. At best, it would repeat the formula and just be almost as good, but be remembered as better because it's new. Kinda like Waynes World 2. In reality, much like the Talk Dirty to Me sequel Nothing to Hide, Great Sexpectations is both entirely fresh and entirely as good, or better, than the first installment. Trying to decide which is the superior film is impossible, and unnecessary -- they belong together, and it would be a shame to have to pick just one.

Eric Edwards is back as Harry, nailing his performance in a way that rocked my world. I knew Edwards was a good actor, but this flick takes the cake. Some might say something like Firestorm is where he's at his best, but for me it's the subtly humorous and playful, but simultaneously complex and serious, performances that really test an actor, and in this film Edwards is pitch perfect. Harry is now divorced from his wife, and still making adult films. His newest endeavour stars John Leslie (playing himself) and adult star Marilyn Camp (Kelly Nichols, who also really impressed me). Marilyn is notoriously difficult to work with, but it soon becomes clear that she's a complex personality, and their multi-faceted working/personal relationship becomes the focus of the film.

For once, the DVD tagline is factual.

AEE/AVN 2011: Reflections and Pictures

2011-01-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

Hey folks. So, as I noted in my last post, I attended the Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) and the AVN Awards last week in Las Vegas. It was my second time, my first time being in 2008, and many of the same thoughts popped into my head while I was there this time around, predominantly to do with being a young woman at a porn fan convention. First, let me say that I was able to meet some folks I really admire that I had not anticipated meeting -- people I saw wandering the expo floor and I plucked up the courage (thank you Mr. GGG for the multiple prods) to go up to and introduce myself. But of course, even while I was nerding out, my feminist analysis hat was not far off my head, and I encountered several pretty interesting (and sometimes simply aggravating) situations, all to do with the fans.

The most noticeable thing in terms of gender and performers is that none of the male performers are signing (other than Ron Jeremy), and even though you can tell the male fans know who these performers are, they simply do not approach. Rather, they line up for the women who are signing, and then constantly eyeball the male performers who are casually hanging out all over the place. Being a woman, I can easily go and talk to these male performers without the fear of some kind of homophobic stigma. I could tell a lot of fans really wanted to go and tell these guys how much they loved their work, but I didn't see a single guy go and shake the hand of a male porn star. Of course, because I was the initiator, Mr. GGG was able to chat with the male stars along with me without fear of reproach. It's that old homosociality thing again -- with a woman as a buffer, men are able to interact in these kinds of settings. Without a woman present, the situation alters profoundly.

While Mr. GGG and myself were standing in line for Jenna Haze, a dude came and asked us if we would have her sign something for him -- the line was being cut off because Jenna had been signing for five hours straight (!) and understandably she needed to clock out. This guy was a superfan of Jenna, so he told us, and because Mr. GGG was only in line -- only in the expo, in fact -- because of me, we told him, sure. In fact, when the dude asked if he could just jump in line in place of Mr. GGG, we said that was no problem as long as Jenna and her people didn't mind. As a result, this guy kinda hung around by us and made chit-chat, and it wasn't long before he was informed that it was me, not Mr. GGG, who was the porn enthusiast. What followed was pretty aggravating, but interesting from a feminist perspective. First, the guy high-fived me (I reluctantly held out my hand -- I admit it...), and then he told Mr. GGG that he had "won the lottery." This is problematic to me in a couple of ways. First, of course, there's the idea that our relationship is rooted in some kind of draw, and that Mr. GGG as the man is the one plucking out numbered balls. I just happened to get plucked, apparently, and oh my goodness, he lucked out because I watch porn. Second, I find it really irritating that because someone is biologically male, and lives as a man, he must obviously watch and be interested in porn. The assumption made by this guy (and I can't really blame him -- he seemed nice enough, but was simply regurgitating what mainstream culture spits at us every day) was that Mr. GGG, as a dude, was already totally into porn and then met me and it was simply, "Oh sweet! She watches porn!"

Aside from the fact that I don't simply watch porn (I'm in that weird fan/scholar no-woman's-land), Mr. GGG is really just along for the ride because he loves me and takes an interest in the things I enjoy, research, and write about. Y'know, like, my career and stuff. He really only had a fleeting interest in x-rated material when I met him, and once my research took off he took an interest in that research. He made futile attempts at explaining this to our new friend, saying, "It's really not like that," and, "Well, she's also a great person," to which he assured, "Oh sure, sure." But really, I think both of us were reluctant to justify ourselves and our relationship simply because of assumptions made about our gendered viewing habits. I certainly wasn't about to explain the complexities of my interest in adult film, and Mr. GGG wasn't interested in explaining the complexities of our relationship or himself as a man. Again, I don't think this dude was a bad person, and I wasn't mad at him, per se -- it simply made me think.

Anyway, that was all pretty interesting for me and Mr. GGG, and we had a really rich discussion over some beers afterward. There were several examples during my time in Vegas of how people view gendered porn viewing, but that particular instance stood out. I had a lot of fun at the expo, and the awards were...an experience. Thanks to all the porn folks I met for being good sports -- this really is a unique industry in terms of fan contact, and it's refreshing that so many performers, producers, and directors take an interest in feminist approaches. I think many people would be surprised at the level of engagement with feminist/queer ideas that is present within much of the "mainstream" adult industry. It's not marketed as a site for progressive ideas, like the Feminist Porn Awards for example, and yet I had about the same level of disconcertion and refreshing hope at both events.

"Don't Be a Schmuck!": Angel Buns (1981)

2011-01-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks! I just returned from the AEE/AVN Awards 2011 in Las Vegas. It was my second time, and certainly things have changed even in the brief three intervening years. I got to meet a bunch of people I was hoping to meet, and experienced the usual Vegas shenanigans/annoyances. Now I'm back, Christmas is over, and a new semester is about to start, I figure I should kick off the new year with my thoughts on a fun and frivolous little film, Angel Buns (Dir. Jim Clark). I requested this screener because I thought it would be a bit of fun, and I liked the picture on the front (yeah, it's that simplistic sometimes). Of course, any film starring Veronica Hart and R. Bolla should be on a porn nerd's radar anyway, and I'm happy to report that this flick was fun but also gave me something to think about in terms of gender and genre.

Angel Buns is the familiar tale of a loser, Sydney (Bolla), who is so unhappy with his lot in life as a shoe clerk who is terrible with women that he decides to commit suicide. Luckily, the folks up in heaven are on the case and determine that Angel Buns (Hart), as his guardian angel, must go to Earth and help him out. Helping him out consists of working through a list of sex acts that he has not completed, while Angel Buns guides him in the rights and wrongs of sexual conduct with women. If she completes the assignment, she earns her wings; comingle with humans, however, and she loses them.

The very first act that Sydney is treated to is a BJ from an anonymous woman who appears at Angel Buns' calling. At this point in the film, I considered that the narrative centers around the re-education of masculine desire, and assumed that the film would simply reassert a sexuality that privileges male desire, and all but ignores female desire. Sydney is a douchebag -- he hits on women in a way that creeps them out, and as a result he doesn't get any "pussy." Here, in the first scene, nothing seems to be shifting him away from this approach as he is merely supplied with the fellatio that he desires. He doesn't even need to try, and furthermore Angel Buns goes about sprinkling angel dust on women so that they desire Sydney. Because of this coercive element, and the seemingly phallocentric focus of Sydney's re-education, I was pretty much rolling my eyes and preparing myself for a flick that promised much but failed to deliver.

However, happily, things started to shift after the first scene. An undercurrent of Sydney's (and by extension, men's) insecurities and shortcomings regarding women and sex started to emerge. "You've never had a really good blowjob, have you?" Angel Buns asserts. When Sydney protests, Angel laughs and retorts, "Once? With a prostitute, and it was over before she could say, 'Don't cum in my mouth.'" Such chastisement highlights the way Sydney focuses on his own sexual desire, and demonstrates his inability to satisfy a woman as a result. In addition, throughout the film Sydney's fatal flaw is his hesitation after getting what he ostensibly wants. Women are rarely, if ever, shown to lack sexual desire; it is men who back off and shrink from women's sexual advances. Whenever Sydney hesitates, Angel appears and snaps, "Sydney, don't be a schmuck!" thereby gradually encouraging him into an assertive but still caring masculine sexuality.

When Lisa Beth and Brenda Brooks enter Sydney's shoe store chattering about their sexual demands and conquests, it becomes clear that Sydney's challenge is not to overcome women's resistance, but to overcome his own sexual fears. Admittedly, Brooks (above right, and below) is pretty terrifying in a grotesquely awesome way, and when Sydney delivers her shoes later in the day, she greets him with, "Hey there, how'd you like to sit on my face?" Sydney stutters around a bit, and she asks, "You do eat pussy don't you?" He seems taken aback, perhaps even repulsed, and Angel appears to help him out in finding the woman's clit. "I know it's here somewhere..." he muses, before diving into his first lesson in cunnilingus. This scene is notable not just for talking the talk of female sexual pleasure, but for also walking the walk with its "meat shots" of the clit, framed in much the same way as Sydney's cock during the accompanying fellatio (cortesy of Lisa Beth, before she gets distracted by George Payne). Cutting back and forth between such close-ups emphasizes that, in spite of what most porn might suggest, male and female desire can indeed be sensationally and representationally equal.

The last thing on the list for Sydney to do is anal sex, and he knows just the gal -- an old girlfriend (Tiffany Clark) who, in spite of her desire for anal sex, he dumped after classifying her as a "GU" (Geographically Undesirable -- she lived in Brooklyn, he lived in Manhattan). He calls her, she isn't sure, and Angel sprinkles her magic dust on the receiver. No sooner has the GU agreed to dinner, Sydney is panicking: "I've never fucked anyone in the ass before!" Once again, female sexual desire is not the issue, but rather male anxiety. Granted, the magic dust swayed her, but in the beginning it was she who was desirous and he who backed off. A similar situation is emulated here, and when Sydney and Angel visit Angel Dick (a typically cheeky Jerry Butler) to show Sydney how its done, the focus of the success or failure of anal sex is squarely on the man's shoulders: his penis must be "rock hard."

After dinner with his GU, Sydney starts to resist her request to break her anal virginity. Luckily for him (and her), Angel is there to tell him, "Don't be a schmuck," and soon enough they're reaching for the butter in a nod to Last Tango in Paris. "Sydney, I can't believe it," the GU asserts, "I've finally got a cock up my ass!" By announcing this, the focus on who is achieving what shifts to the GU -- she has been wanting to do this for ages, and is now finally striking it from her list much like Sydney. Her pleasure is privileged more so than usual too, as Sydney's cries of "I'm gonna pull out!" are met with her warning, "Wait for me, wait for me!" Whether he waits or not remains ambiguous, as her orgasm is not really shown (as is typical), but you have to hand it to the flick for including her demands. In ambiguous cases like this, you can always tell yourself that she climaxed. Furthermore, while Sydney is reaching climax, Angel is too -- she gets so aroused by the scene, that she sits back and masturbates herself to an orgasm that visually and aurally coincides with his.

The film concludes with the compulsory scene between the two stars, who have gradually fallen in love over the course of Sydney's exploits. Angel is reprimanded by God for getting too close to her subject, but she throws caution to the wind and fucks Sydney knowing full well she will lose her wings. I was worried for a second that the film would end with the female character sacrificing her successes and accomplishments simply for the love of a man, but instead she is given the chance to start over as a human and returns to an evidently thrilled and in love Sydney, who himself is a new man: confident, self-assured, and showered with feminine attentions. Nevertheless, he clearly couldn't give a crap about the constant flow of calls from ladies once he sees Angel walk through the door. A sweet ending to an unexpectedly thought-provoking film that sparkles, both literally and figuratively thanks to some inspired cinematography, a cheeky tone, and two inspired performers.

Available here.

Quickies For Christmas!

2010-12-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks! I'm winding down for the Christmas break, so figured I'd throw out some quickies before I dig into the stack of movies I've been meaning to write up. Just four flicks, but it'll tidy y'all over. Enjoy!

Raw: The Rise and Fall of a Porn Star (Antonio Passolini, 2000)

I like porn flicks about porn, so I picked this up after it was listed in a thread about the subject. It's not a bad video -- Joel Lawrence is a wannabe actor, engaged to Kylie Ireland, who ends up performing in a porn movie after a failed audition and a misunderstanding/case of naivete. Some minor hilarity ensues (more like gentle chuckles), and I stuck with it for a pretty long time. However, the sex scenes are too frequent, and in spite of the batshit crazy soundtrack, the sex was ultimately too gross to keep me watching to the end. The sex itself -- performers, positions, camera angles -- wasn't the problem. The grotesque bolt-ons, semi-soft DPs (leading to wrinkled condoms), and other little things of that nature were. If this had more narrative, or perhaps a better balance of narrative and sex, the grotesqueries of the sex wouldn't have bothered me.

Extra Terrestrian: Die Ausserirdische (Lidko and Siggi Entinger, 1995)

More commonly known as E.T. The Porno, this flick is far more horrifying you might expect, thanks mostly to the realistic E.T. mask. E.T. is sent to Victorian era Earth in order to study their "customs" which basically means creepily standing in a foggy doorway watching people fuck. Eventually, she gets in on the action. This movie has to be seen to be believed. The mask is really unsettling, and during E.T.'s sex scenes the eyes stare vacantly out, creating an unnerving sense of a creature placidly accepting its fate. This video review captures the essence of the flick very effectively, and somewhat reduces the need to seek it out. Or it might make you seek it out with even more fervour. Enjoy.

Danish Pastries aka. I Jomfruens tegn (Finn Karlsson, 1973)

For some reason, I thought this was hardcore, but no matter -- it was fun enough to watch the whole thing even with no actual fucking. Two men visit a village where a convent of beautiful, sex-crazed women reside. A planet (I forget which) is about to pass over it, repeating the village-wide-nymphomania that occurred decades earlier when the planet last passed. One man is trying to put a stop to the sex mania with his sex suppressant, while the other man has an aphrodisiac which he too plans to use. The potions get mixed up, and the party pooper puts the aphrodisiac into the water supply, turning the already-sex-crazed women even crazier. Naked shenanigans ensue, including a frankly disturbing "rape" sequence in which the gals press food and drink into a newbie's face and body (it's really pretty violent), and a neat underwater sequence where they all jump into the aphrodisiac-fueled reservoir. Strangely, one of the coolest things about this film is the excellence of the dubbing -- I don't know who the party-pooper fella's dubber was, but he nailed it. I'm told the original with subtitles is the one I should have watched, but I'm happy to have experienced such voice-art.

Heavy Equipment (Tom DeSimone, 1977)

I saved the best for last. Holy smokes, I loved this film. A nerdy shoe clerk dreams of becoming a hunk magnet, and concocts a potion given him by a mysterious stranger. It's kinda like Weird Science in that he cuts up pieces of beefcake from magazines, burns them, mixes them with liquid, and drinks them. Then, like sweet, sweet magic, he turns into Jack Wrangler! Do my eyes deceive me? No. Jack will disappear from the film after a jerk-off sequence though, surely... No. Jack Wrangler is in it for the long haul, ladies and gents., as he takes advantage of his newfound beauty and fucks a string of different men in different places in different ways. I couldn't believe my eyes, seeing as I had been attempting to find what I had started to think didn't exist: a 70s gay flick, with Wrangler in most scenes (every scene...), that is of a high quality to where you can see what's going on, and has a cool soundtrack. Well, I found it. Not only that, this film has some really bizarre sequences (most notably, a giant penis floating above a masturbating Jack Wrangler), and was originally filmed with 3D segments (you can still see the double edges a little -- it's fun). This has restored my faith that there are nicely restored old gay flicks out there -- now I won't feel so cagey about putting down the big bucks it takes to dig through them. Highly recommended!!

"Your Deepest, Most Hidden Sexual Fantasies": Midnight Desires (1976)

2010-12-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite things in life is queer media. When I refer to things as "queer" in everyday life, I often forget that many people associate this term exclusively with "gay," but since the 1980s initiation of "queer theory," the term has come to mean something more complex. When something is "queer" it means that gender/sexual norms are being subverted or undermined in some way; similarly, when used as a verb -- "to queer" -- it means taking what is ostensibly "straight" and exposing the instabilities of heterosexuality, masculinity, femininity, and other norms taken for granted as natural. In a way, queer theory took off where feminism was stumbling, and now they enjoy a healthy, complementary relationship.

With this in mind, it's no wonder that I enjoy queer moments so much, as I am a firm believer that gender and sexuality cannot be confined to categories. As a great thinker once said, "Gender is such a drag." The proliferation of sexual categories is testament to that -- no wonder many people now simply identify as queer, rather than having to figure out which of the potentially limiting identities they belong to. Furthermore, even if they do choose to align with a particular identity, society will often put them in either the gay or straight camp regardless of the individual's proclaimed sexuality. Society loves simplistic binaries. That's when "queer" becomes useful.

I remember a while back, a friend told me that Blonde Ambition is the gayest straight porn film ever made. Well, I hereby declare Shaun Costello's Midnight Desires to be the queerest. Not only that, it's striking in its framing and cinematography, and the format (fantasies that play out like vignettes) is a simple yet exciting way of exploring the sexual unconscious. And to top it all off, it's fantastic fun.

The premise is delightfully simple: two rich socialites, Wall Street stock analyst John (Eric Edwards) and his wife Amy (Jenny Baxter) have been invited to the Van Nostrands (Jamie Gillis as Martin; CJ Laing as Elaine). Amy believes Martin might be checking John out for Vice Presidency, but on the face of it they have simply been invited for "an evening of games." Martin appears to be insane, believing WWII is still going on, and to alleviate his depression at receiving news of Hitler's invasion of Poland, they decide to play a game of confessions. They will each share their "deepest, most hidden sexual fantasies," Elaine explains, and then vote on which is the best. The remainder of the film is each person's sexual fantasy explained, then depicted, and finally analyzed by the group before they move on to the next one.

After some initial nerves, they get into it, and Elaine elects to go first. Her fantasy involves being punished by hooded men for some form of guilt -- nothing specific, as she points out, but rather a general sense of guilt. "I feel I'm the alter," she explains, "I'm to be sacrificed." What ensues is a dark and eerily-shot ritual of humiliation and degradation at the hands of the anonymous, hooded men. She is whipped, then fucked in the stocks, verbally degrading herself throughout. What is interesting about the way the scene is shot is that Elaine is framed as the subject throughout the scene, both visually and aurally.

Lo and behold, my reading of the scene matches the rest of the group's analysis. Much like some feminist analyses of rape fantasies, Martin explains that while his wife's fantasy seems to be about being punished, in actuality this is not the case: "The men in your fantasy had no voices. You kept saying you were sacrificing yourself to their will. And, in fact, they had no will at all. They were doing exactly what you told them to do, following your orders. They were in fact your slaves." While it is left unstated, the further implication of the fantasy is that women experience guilt in connection to their sexuality because of the ways in which society heaps shame upon the sexually assertive woman. For this reason, rape fantasies serve as a guilt-free, controlled sexual encounter.

Next up is John, in one of my favourite sequences on film. "Make it a good one!" exclaims his wife, and he does! Initially, John's fantasy seems to be a run-of-the-mill transaction with a prostitute, but as John immediately makes clear, there is much more to it. After the transaction, John leaves the room and returns with a girlfriend, whereupon "a man in a tuxedo" appears, only it's "not really a man, but the prostitute." Throughout the remaining set-up, John refers to the woman as "he" and "him," as he describes the prostitute pulling a "giant dildo" from "his" pants. The fantasy scene that ensues is disorientating in its framing, almost dreamlike, as John fucks his girlfriend while sucking the prostitutes strap-on, and finally is anally penetrated at the same time as he is vaginally penetrating his girlfriend. This is one of those scenes I thought would never go the places I wanted it to, and did.

John's wife is very taken with her husband's fantasy (as I was), exclaiming, "I think that's incredibly sexy!" Meanwhile, Elaine and Martin are busy psychoanalyzing him, concluding that he has homosexual tendencies. "There's nothing wrong with being curious about having a thing with your own sex," Elaine contends. She's sure he's "quite heterosexual." Martin is impressed, noting that John "managed to have a homosexual experience without having any men present." In queer theory, this is called "homosociality," which I've mentioned a couple of times in the past. It refers to the male bonding that occurs in society through the bodies of women as a way of strengthening patriarchal systems, but also to engage in male-male intimacy while deflecting the homosexual threat. A woman's body typically functions as a tool in this process, but violence can also function in a similar way.

It's no coincidence, with this homosociality in mind, that Martin's fantasy begins with his embodiment of a boxer, Kid Kelly, and swiftly moves on to gang rape as a way of taking out his frustrations. Kid Kelly is asked by the mob to throw the fight he is preparing for. Angered, he grabs the mob boss's "bitch," Lola (Vanessa Del Rio), drags her into the locker room, and rapes her with a bunch of his buddies. The sequence where Martin/Kid Kelly is starting to lose it is intense: while the mob boss continues to talk at the Kid, his voice is silenced by a heady mixture of distorted sounds of punching while Kelly's face becomes increasingly hopeless, and shots of a bare-chested man punching a punch bag are edited in. It's an effective representation of a man's building frustration, and ends with him grabbing Lola and forcing her into the locker room, indicative of the relationship between masculine frustrations and the use of women's bodies as an outlet.

The gang rape that ensues is heavy on verbal communication and laughter between the men, who effectively communicate over and through Lola's body. There is also more literal male-male contact, as the scene involves cocks rubbing against each other, bodies in intimate proximity, and Kid Kelly rubbing another man's semen into Lola's face. What might have been figuratively homoerotic, is rendered literal, and the scene as a whole is suggestive of the connections between constructions of masculinity, homoeroticism, and sexual violence.

While I detected the homoerotics of Martin's fantasy, John theorizes that Lola represents Martin's mother in a classic Oedipal scenario: "Martin, you're a motherfucker!" John's wife, Amy, is the final player, and her fantasy is located in 18th century England. Amy is a "peasant girl" collecting water at the stream, when three men on horseback approach looking for lodgings. After telling them where the inn is, she runs away, but they all find themselves at the inn later that night where they get drunk and bawdy before all going for a romp in one of the upper rooms. It's a messy orgy, depicting the eroticized, fantasy class transgressions of elite Amy. The group realise that Amy's fantasy is different from the others: "it doesn't mean anything." Amy is so honest with herself, that her fantasy is just about having a good time, which according to the group means it must be the best fantasy of all. Personally, I think the way Amy is clearly "slumming" in her fantasy is more significant than the group allow, but it's certainly the least complex of the four -- a neat final chapter, and a fitting statement to close out the film.

The film closes with John and Amy departing, leaving Martin and Elaine laughing to themselves -- evidently, this evening of games they just executed is a regular occurrence for the Van Norstrands. Midnight Desires is mighty queer, but aside from the sexual dynamics it is also incredibly creative in its framing, angles, and colour palate, and I had great difficulty selecting just a few stills for this post. There are literally dozens of frames that so impressed me, I wanted to post them here. You'll just have to watch the film for yourselves. In terms of the sex scenes, this film does what I wish current porn would do: take risks. The vignettes are framed in a way that is haunting, while the film as a whole manages to maintain a mischievous, adventurous sense of humour that renders the experience simultaneously fun and intellectually provocative.

John Leslie 1945-2010

2010-12-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

I came home today to discover that the wonderful John Leslie has died. I can't overstate how terribly sad this is -- I'm sure it's no news to regular readers how much I adore this man. This article goes some way in expressing the depth and diversity of this great talent. Join me in celebrating his life and career this evening.

Quickies...Fall Semester Round Three!

2010-11-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

Holy smokes. What a rough few weeks! Everyone I speak to is rushed off their feet, stressed, and otherwise overwhelmed, and yours truly is no exception. Nevertheless, I make sure to utilize my downtime efficiently by watching and thinking about copious amounts of hardcore movies. With that in mind, here is my latest installment of this quickies!

The Devil in Miss Jones 3: A New Beginning (Gregory Dark, 1986)

I discovered that this was actually worth watching by reading Yum-Yum's awesome review over at House of Self Indulgence. Thanks to her, I discovered one of the most interesting and "epically bizarre" (as Yum-Yum puts it) mid/late-80s porn flicks I've ever seen. In this "new beginning" Justine Jones is played by wild-peroxide-blonde Lois Ayres, and the tone is radically different from either Damiano's original film, or Henri Pachard's kooky and almost-brilliant sequel. After fucking Paul Thomas, who would appear to be the devil, Justine is propelled into her headboard and knocks her head, resulting in a surreal and delirious trip through hell in an effort to escape. Her guide is Jack Baker, who I remember behaving in a similar fashion as a pimp in Pretty Peaches 3. Not only is this an exercise in the grotesque, it's curiously erotic throughout. A must-see, in my book.

The Devil in Miss Jones 4: The Final Outrage (Gregory Dark, 1986)

Naturally, after witnessing TDIMJ 3 with awe, I panted my way eagerly to installment 4, in expectation of continued awesomeness. I could not have been more wrong. While the previous installment is similarly deranged, it is also cohesive and moves along at a swift pace. This fourth flick feels like an afterthought -- perhaps even thrown away scraps from #3 cobbled together and shunted out onto the shelves. Not only that, it was pretty disgusting. Normally, I regard this as a quality, but Jack Baker incessantly rambling on about venereal disease, maniacally shrieking, "Drip drip! Drip drip!" starts to turn your stomach after a while. Worst of all, this film is boring -- effectively a 45 minute group sex scene followed by some random bits and pieces -- which is just about the opposite of #3. Boy, what a disappointment. On the other hand, this double-disc set has one of my favourite XXX typos, as both covers depicted on the box proclaim themselves to be Part 3. So, not a total waste.

Easy (Anthony Spinelli, 1978)

I regard Anthony Spinelli as one of the finest hardcore directors, so I was excited to discover that I hadn't seen what is considered to be among is best films. After receiving my copy, however, I put off watching it for a long time after reading a review that made it seem like rape after rape after rape. Now, those of you familiar with my viewing habits will know I don't shy away from such fare, but it's not exactly something I kick back and watch after a busy day at the office. Finally, after a trusted fellow nerd described it as "fun," I decided this must be one of those flicks where the rape doesn't make you sick to your stomach, and I was right. In fact, this film isn't really a "rape" movie at all -- sure, there are a couple of rape scenes, but they're dynamic, thoughtful, and interesting, rather than exploitative and nauseating. Jesie St. James is a teacher who, after giving a student a BJ and then immediately masturbating to the memory of it, quits, goes through some heartache, and sets off on a sort of sexual journey. St. James is amazing, as is pretty much everyone else involved, and the film really took me by surprise with its intelligence and eroticism. This is easily one of my favourite XXX flicks.

Punk Rock (Carter Stevens, 1977)

After seeing two of Stevens more talked-about films, Teenage Twins and Rollerbabies, I finally sat down to this without terribly high expectations. I didn't expect it to be my favourite Stevens film (so far). I've developed a real soft spot for Wade Nichols over the years, but not really seen him in much, and Punk Rock sealed the deal for me. The title is misleading -- this is really a NYC 70s film noir, with little if any punk rock shenanigans, but I don't care. Drugs, kidnapping, murder, and other sleazy themes comprise this compelling narrative, which is well-told, well-acted, and well-shot. Stevens' films strike me as very low budget, yet with a high level of talent and creativity that elevate the films above their low-dollar origins, and for me Punk Rock is the cream of that crop.

Dr. Lust (Joe Verdi, 1987)

I just happened to see this movie on the shelves of my local store and thought, why not? It was cheap, and thankfully it wasn't bad. It's basically a vignette film, but done in the way I like vignettes to be -- cohesive and compelling. Vanessa Del Rio is a TV show doctor who takes calls from viewers/listeners (this is a bit confusing, as sometimes it seems like a radio show, and at other times it's as if she is looking at a camera...), and gives predictably sexy advice. Then there's a subplot about Jerry Butler (looking a bit worse for wear, it must be said) repeatedly calling, apparently enamored. That's it in a nutshell. Nothing special, but not boring, and I watched the whole thing. I guess that's a recommendation if you happen to see this for sale for $9 and like Vanessa Del Rio.

Dynamic Vices (Joe Verdi, 1987)

Also on the shelf that day was this flick -- same director, same year, and basically the same cast. I suspected it would pretty much be the same film, and it kinda was in terms of style, except that this one was great! Del Rio plays the owner of a sex club, where she hypnotizes men and women with her pussy so they become her sex slaves/workers. Nina Hartley and a dykish woman I'm unfamiliar with play a kinda Cagney and Lacey cop duo who are tracking Del Rio and using their sexuality to interrogate folks along the way. It's all super fun and engaging, but the thing most noticeable was the ample amount of attention to female sexual pleasure and perspective. This is one of those films where you sense something is different, and wonder, "Who is this for?" In this sense, I heartily recommend this seemingly-unknown diamond in the rough.

The Red and the White: Hardcore Horror

2010-11-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

I know it’s late, but for Halloween I painstakingly put together my Top 5 XXX horror flicks, and here they are. Horror and porn often find themselves in bed together; their fans, films, and theorists frequently overlapping and intersecting, while the films themselves destabilize gender, call sexual identity into question, and unsettle the status quo, if only temporarily. Feminist texts on horror, not to mention mainstream media and idle prattle on the topic, at some point invoke pornography as a genre that horror seems to brush up against. Horror theorist Isabel Pinedo puts it bluntly when she asserts that horror trades in the “wet death” while pornography trades in the “wet dream” and goes on to characterize both types of film as genres that “dare[] not only to violate taboos but to expose the secrets of the flesh, to spill the contents of the body”; genres that “are obsessed with the transgression of bodily boundaries.” Linda Williams also makes such connections in her influential 1991 essay, “Film Bodies,” in which she collectively refers to horror, pornography, and melodrama as “body genres,” looked down on as “low” due to “the perception that the body of the spectator is caught up in an almost involuntary mimicry of the emotion or sensation of the body on screen along with the fact that the body displayed is female.” The extent to which the genre is considered trash tends to correspond to the level of physical effect on the spectator – what Williams calls the “jerk.” Horror makes you cringe, jump, scream, or cower, while pornography provides the most visceral, messy, and blatantly sexual “jerk” of all. In other words, one genre appears to be about violence and one about sex, but in reality these lines of distinction are never so clear cut.

Yet in spite of such generic cross-pollination, or perhaps because of it, there aren’t as many horror-porn flicks as you might expect; certainly not in the latter part of the 20^th century to the present. My suspicion is that an increasingly politically aware society simply isn’t that comfortable with unconscious fears and desires, capably displaced and suppressed in each respective genre, being exposed for all to see. Yet, for me, this nightmarish exposure of the more troubling contents of our collective unconscious is the exact reason why these particular hybrids are so compelling.

5. Hardgore aka. Horror Whore (Michael Hugo, 1974)

A young woman is sent to a sanatorium to cure her nymphomania, only to discover (by way of scalding vibrator-death, walls of blood, and levitating ejaculating rocket penises) that it’s a front for a Satanic cult. This is by no means a great film by traditional standards, but it’s a must-see for so many reasons, not the least of which is the blood-and-feathered massacre finale.

4. Waterpower (Shaun Costello, 1977)

Jamie Gillis turns in an ingeniously disturbing, and darkly amusing, performance as The Enema Bandit: a peeping tom who discovers the fetish he’s been waiting for after a lucky trip to a brothel catering to special preferences. Obsessed with feminine filth, asserting that women “must be cleansed,” the Enema Bandit goes on a rape/enema rampage around New York City while two cops are hot on his trail, building to a horrifying and truly bizarre finale. Not for the feint-of-heart.

3. Dark Angels/ Dark Angels 2: Bloodline (Nic Andrews, 2000/2005)

The only relatively recent selection in this list, these two flicks definitely do not skimp on the gore like so many other PC 21^st century XXX horror flicks. While a blood-lusting pair of women (Sydnee Steele and Jewel deNyle), and their complex relationship dominate Part 1, Part 2 is really where it’s at for splashing red and white, brutal decapitations, and monstrous transformations, as Barrett Blade and Evan Stone attempt to populate the world with zombie-vampires, and Sunny Lane attempts to stop them. Watch both though – they’re a double feature treat for any trash aficionado.

2. Dracula Exotica (Shaun Costello, 1980)

Jamie Gillis was born to play Count Dracula, and indeed he did in this film and one other (Dracula Sucks). It’s this dark and funny film, though, that rises to the top of the myriad Dracula porn crop, with Gore Gore Girl favourites Samantha Fox and Vanessa Del Rio rounding out a heavyweight cast. Still undead in the 20^th century, Dracula is living under a self-imposed curse for raping his 19^th century virgin lover, which renders him unable to climax from sex. Bored by his Transylvianian home (now a tourist attraction), sick of his vampire-twin-concubines, and drawn to a mysterious American who resembles his dead bride-to-be, he leaves his castle for the States, leading to a complex network of subplots involving FIB agents, cocaine smugglers, Romanian cultural arts, and of course love.

1. Through the Looking Glass (Jonas Middleton, 1976)

Catherine Burgess stars as Catherine: a wealthy and sexually disturbed housewife, obsessed with her dead father, played with usual creepy, sophisticated eroticism by Jamie Gillis. Catherine spends ample time naked and fondling herself in front of the large mirror upstairs, when a demon in the shape of her father appears, crossing into her world in a memorably horrifying and powerful scene, and gradually luring her into a sexual hell that is unsettling, beautiful, and terrifying all at once. In my book, this is the greatest hardcore horror film ever made, and perhaps the greatest hardcore film period. Through the Looking Glass is a bona fide masterpiece.

Bloggers Who Make You Think 2010

2010-11-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Over at Essin' Em: Sexuality Happens, Em is taking nominations for an exciting new award she has initiated: the Bloggers Who Make You Think award. Nominations are due by Nov. 30th, so get to work and post your submissions in Essin' Em's comments section. Here is the explanation and criteria for the award in Essin' Em's own words:

I’m creating a list. A list of sex/relationship/LGBTQ/kink/social justice/feminist/humanist bloggers who have put up at least one post that has made you stop for a moment and think. Perhaps it was about sex and gender, or about your views of relationships, or some privilege you have that you hadn’t realized that you had yet. It can be anything that made you think, analyse, re-examine, say “oh!” — whatever it is that made you stop for a moment and step outside of your own view of the world.

Often, sex bloggers get boxed into a, well, a box. We’re suppoed to write reviews, erotica, and post pictures. Lots of people who are called “sex bloggers” don’t even identify as such. However, just because someone isn’t writing about the sex they are having, but rather about navigating relationships, combating sexual violence or struggling with gender, this doesn’t mean they they aren’t an amazing blogger that can really make you think.

This list is for all bloggers who write in the field of sexuality and social justice. When posted, it will not have a numberical order — rather, it will just be in alphabetical order, because I don’t know how you can really judge the quality of someone’s writing, as everyone has such a different style.

The few rules:

*Please don’t nominate yourself.

*Blog must have at least 15 posts on it, preferrably at least 6 months old (younger blogs often disappear, and then many of the list links are dead).

*Please comment with: The blog URL, the blogger’s online name, and at least ONE link to a post that made you think. You don’t need to explain why, but please include at least one think-worthy post.

*You can nominate up to 10 bloggers. Please do one comment per blogger, for ease of actually creating the list.

*Bloggers must be somehow related to the fields of sex, sexuality, relationships, parenting, kink, poly, monogamy, social justice, equality, etc.

You have until November 30th at 11:59pm to nominate. Feel free to post about this on your blog, tweet/facebook about it, ask to be nominated, just remember that you cannot nominate yourself. Please grab the button above (made by the AMAZING Dangerous Lilly) — just please host it yourself (thanks!).

And so it begins…

-Essin’ Em

Meet the Neighbours: Cuntlove

2010-10-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! This time around for my “Meet the Neighbours” segment, I asked Olga from the blog Cuntlove a few questions. Personally, I found Olga’s answers rather beautiful, and certainly compelling – much like her thoughtful blog. Enjoy!

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Tell us about yourself! Who are you, and what has led you to this point in life/work?

I didn't have a proper first name until I was six months old, or so the story goes. I was born in 1981, five years after my brother who was born during the Montreal Olympics in 1976. My mom watched the Russian gymnast Olga take the screen from her maternity ward hospital bed. She fell in love with the name. She kept it in her back pocket for five years until she had a baby girl. My Dad did not like the name and thus began the battle of wills between my mother and father. In the interim I would be known as baby girl.

Legend says, that my grandmother heard me say my name. Olga is the sound that escaped my lips when she asked me what name I liked. My father still being opposed to it on the basis that Olga was a porn star name would not give in (check it: Olga's House of Shame, Olga's White Slaves of Chinatown, Olga's Girls).

Neither would my mother. She won that particular battle.

As for what led me here, that's one hell of a long story, let me just say that it started before I was even born.

Tell us about your blog - what is the focus? what are your goals?

To simplify things, I usually describe Cuntlove as a feminist, sex-positive and civil rights blog. The initial focus was very vaginocentric. I soon found that to be too restrictive. Mostly, I try to stand up for what I believe in.

I'd like to think that I create a space wherein people are free to question, a space where it's okay to own up to our own misgivings and somewhere along the line move on and try to do better.

Also, I just like to write and tell stories. I use my own life experiences as a primer to question...

Sometimes the answer isn't as important as the questions.

Example. I changed minors rather frequently in university, so that I almost have minors in a billion things. One of those things being philosophy. The question of proving the existence of God comes up rather frequently in philosophy. I don't believe in God, so in terms of belief you could call me an atheist. But if we're talking proof, I'm an agnostic. Because although I don't believe in God, I concede that it's impossible to prove one way or the other. As in, within the context of philosophical discussion and its arguments it's actually impossible to prove the existence of God. You'd think that if I thought it was impossible, I would also think it was pointless and a useless endeavour, but it's not. The question itself is important.

Tangent over. The gist of it being: questions are important.

So my goal in all of this? To incite change and reflection, if not on a large scale at least at a personal level.

Your blog has what I would call a feminist sensibility. Do you identify as feminist? How do you define feminism? What do you find are the most common misconceptions of feminism?

Yes, I identify as a feminist.

My definition of feminism is pretty basic thought: standing up for what's right.

I don't really understand how you can be a feminist and not also advocate or work for and in a space that supports the voice of whoever is oppressed and denied basic human rights.

So feminism for me is very much mixed in with issues regarding discrimination against race, sex, gender, sexuality, and class.

As for the most common misconceptions of feminism? Mad, screeching, hysterical, bra burning chicks who hate men. Feminism is a pretty eye roll inducing label or self-assignation at the moment, which sucks.

Let me just add...

Labels should never serve to define, to form. A label, a name is something you assign after the fact. I don't act or behave or think a certain way because I'm a feminist. I'm a feminist because I act, or behave or think a certain way. The label doesn't create me. Call me whatever you want, it doesn't really change anything. It's just a way to present yourself to others to simplify their superficial understanding of who you are.

Your blog title invokes a word -- "cunt" -- that many people find offensive, problematic, or empowering (or perhaps a little of all of these). What are your feelings about this word? Why use it in the title of your blog?

I chose the title of my blog after reading Inga Muscio's book Cunt. I read it in a day or two a little over a year ago and it blew my mind. I got the idea to start a blog after talking to one of my (then) coworkers (and now friend) about our vaginas at work one day. I stumbled upon Cunt when doing a little research about the kind of sex-positive material that already existed out there.

I fucking LOVED that book. I wanted to buy a copy of it for everyone I knew. I thought if only everyone knew or understood what Muscio had to say we would live in an entirely different and, I think, better world. It's been a while since I've read it, but I think she coins the term Cuntlove in that book. In any case, that's where I got it.

As for what it means to me...

I like strong language. I like the violence or strength that is inherent in certain words. Also, I swear a lot. Fuck, cunt and motherfucker are some of my favourites. If you like Jazz, read Miles Davis' autobiography and you'll fall in love with the word motherfucker. The thing with strong language or these words in particular is that they can be used to intone a variety of meanings. Cunt for me is a word that goes beyond its definition, it's a noun, sure, but it's also a metaphor, and a feeling.

I think your question hit it on the head, it is all of those things: offensive, problematic and empowering. The word cunt is ALL those things and so many more. The things that offend, that are empowering and problematic need to be examined more closely. We need to always question our own assumptions when it comes to words, and when it comes to our reactions.

Don't forget, it's not just Cunt, it's also love. Cuntlove, one word, two syllables. The first strong and in your face, the second soothing and comforting.

Also, it's hot.

Issues to do with sex work and pornography have often been dividing points in feminism and feminist activism, commonly referred to as the "sex wars." What is your perspective on these "sex wars"? What are your thoughts about pornography and sex work?

I support people, whether they be pornographers or prostitutes. Not institutions, and certainly not witch hunts.

What are your Top 3 favourite XXX movies, and why?

I don't have a favourite XXX movie. I couldn't come up with three titles to give you if I tried. I can, however, tell you that I like anime porn. You know the kind, ... bondage, demon monsters with tentacle dicks, and magical cunt powers a La Blue Girl (hey look at that, there's one title for ya).

You can dig anything with anime. It's OK to get off at all the taboo fantasies, because they're not real. It's down and dirty, really dirty sometimes, and reality never pops its head in to make you feel guilty. There's no actual people to take into account. I like the fantasy of it all. The tinge of violence, you can blur the lines. Something that can be harder in reality.

When I was younger (think high school) I had access to my brother's Penthouse magazines and whatever random VHS tape someone managed to sneak from their parents. I was really into woman on woman spreads or stories at the time. I would seek out the Penthouse forum letters when I needed a masturbatory primer. There's a Penthouse story that did the job particularly well. It was about a woman and her first oral sex experience with another woman. I was 10 or 11 when I read that and I couldn't think of a sensation that sounded as intriguing or pleasurable as someone going down on me.