Oh yeah, and I think they should release them right away too.
Gumption- nerve, balls, nutsack.

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I think that Fashionistas suggested a whole new business model for porn to consider--an original big budget feature that didn't (to my knowledge--Trish can confirm or deny this) rely on cable dollars and the resulting restrictions they impose on the work. It showed that porn features can reach a wide variety of adult consumers: this is a feature that gonzo fans mostly liked, and a hard-sex disc that feature fans also enjoyed. Even better, men and women both liked it, and I do think a lot of today's porn has given up on attracting the female viewer. Plus, it proved that a quality feature can have a much longer and more lucrative shelf life than the average gonzo. Which means that producers could free themselves from the 2 a month grind that Trish describes if they wanted to try another path--and it would not necessarily require an investment of half a million dollars either. But it would require some investment up front, which in the fast-buck mentality of the industry today seems unlikely. Still, I think more gonzo companies are thinking about it, and I really think that the next "big thing" in porn is going to come from either the gonzo side of the market, or by a well-heeled outsider--someone who didn't learn how to operate a camera on an old Anabolic or Extreme shoot.

Trish--I think Bare Elegance was one of the first porn videos I ever watched--I had seen Crystal Breeze in something else and picked it up for that reason. But I made a mental note to look for stuff by that director in the future; this was way before anyone ever heard of "Buttman." I still have a copy of it on VHS, and the last time I watched it, it occurred to me how consistent John's point of view has remained over the years, and how he tends to dwell on the same stories and images over and over--from that film to Very Dirty Dancing to Shadow Dancers to Face Dance to Buda and so on. In many ways, like the Buttman films, the features are a kind of variation on the same theme(s). It's all very interesting, and gives his work a personal perspective that sets it apart from a lot of the usual blase in-out formulas that we see repeated in the industry.

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To answer Flash's original question I think this is a double edged sword.

All discussion about eroticism aside most people watch porn for one reason and that is the women. Box Covers are nice but most hard core fans I know go straight for the cast list. They want to see so&so who they heard so much about or looks really hot. If the feature takes a year to get out then odds are the girl has already left the industry or been so over exposed that you have already seen her in about 300 movies so why watch one more. There are always exceptions of course but that is a general rule you can apply to most fans.

Pirates is a movie that actually lends itself well to this thread. I attended the party for it in January at the Vegas show and it was released in October I think. I had not forgotten about it but I did not have the interest I did shortly after the show. Probably why I still have not watched my copy.

But are these features "worth" it?

I would say yes.

Even leaving the cast and forgetting about Fashionistas I tend to like features more then gonzo movies. Sure if all I am interested in is getting off then I can throw in a copy of Euro Domination 4, watch a couple of scenes and have a go but if I want to be entertained as well then Space Nuts or Hercules works for me. Though that is not to say this applies to all gonzo movies. John's original Buttman movies actually had kind of a central theme going and I always watched till the end to see if he was finally going to get laid or not.

But I digress.

One year from completion of filming to release is really pushing it in porn. Beyond that unless your film is the best one ever made you may want to cut your losses IMHO.

What makes a film like that worth it?

Acting and believability.

Fashionistas worked because I bought most of the characters. Bella, Taylor and Rocco's performances were spot on. Space Nuts was just plain funny with and with out the commentary.

Falling From Grace did not work for me because I didn't buy it. The plot was not allowed to progress enough that I actually believed that Brad Armstrong's character would be tempted by Sydnee's. It was well done and well acted but got lost in trying to fit in the requisite number of sex scenes in an abbreviated time frame. This is where two parts would probably been preferable though as a general rule I hate anything with the words "to be continued" in it.

What doesn't make it worth it?

A lot of flashy special effects that you really can't afford to do right.

Forbidden Tales is a good example here. Joone is an outstanding director and has made some of my favorite movies but this was not one of them. The effects here detracted from what I believe he was trying to achieve.

Angel X on the other hand kept it a little more simple and Loaded even more so. The effects were good and the films worked because of it.

Rule of thumb here if you can't afford to do it right or at least not make people laugh (unless you are trying to) when they see it then don't bother. Put your excess money to better use.

I will leave the discussion about whether or not the industry can ever make truly "erotic" features on a regular basis for another time.

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