"the futures uncertain and the end is always near" 689 Posts 2/10
Posted - Jun 10 2015 : 2:55AM
I did not watch the Movie.....The saddest thing of it all is that Lucy Tyler announced her retirement. I guess no one from the doc will be a star from it. Misty Stone tweeted that they should do a doc from the other side of the industry showing 4 starlets that have made it big. Great Idea...since its was Misty's idea I say Her, Jayden James, Phoenix Marie, and Jenna Haze would be 4 interesting lives too loo at. Edited by - doug e on 6/10/2015 2:57:26 AM
I don't know about you guys but I just watched it last night I have to say, I don't know what all the fuss is about? It was just the run of the mill "porn is m'kay" documentary, nothing new or special about it. Totally generic. Edited by - bobmarblee on 6/10/2015 9:44:29 AM
Re: Draxxx, I found it dull yet am not looking for sensationalized approaches nor nudity and other titillation. I was looking for a complex treatment of the industry and did not find one. Interesting we had such different experiences watching it. Edited by - Gore Gore Girl on 6/10/2015 10:20:54 AM
^I think we had the same experience but for different reasons. You seem like you wanted it to be more balanced and she the industry from both sides. For me, I just wanted something new or different in any form. Everything thing in that doc has already been done ir said else where before, that made it boring to me. Edited by - bobmarblee on 6/10/2015 10:04:28 AM
^ My post was in response to Draxxx. My bad. Didn't see the next page. I think we had similar reactions except I sensed I was meant to be outraged or disturbed. Edited by - Gore Gore Girl on 6/10/2015 10:23:19 AM
You watch more of these than I do so your standards may be higher. I don't think it needed to be "complex". It was about those particular girls in that particular situation and quite frankly there's wasn't that much to it otherwise. The complex, deeper, and more detailed stories have been done time and time again and most of the time those takes have a stronger p.o.v. the film-maker has a angle they're trying get across. I guess I liked it because I found it a bit different and refreshing. Probably not the sort of take other docs should take but this worked for me mostly because it wasn't like the others.
Wow. I'm kinda surprised that pornstars are up in arms about this film. I don't think it was going out of it's way to show the girls as victims. The girls didn't go on to become big pornstars but I don't think their experience ended up in a horrible place. I see it as some girls who decided they wanted to try porn and they all eventually ended up not staying in and having the career they thought they would. They all just went through an arc where at first they were so happy to be doing it then over time found out it isn't all what it's cracked up to be. No lives seemed ruin or scarred in any major way.
^^ True, and possibly true. But, I think documentaries on this topic have a responsibility to be complex. Porn stars and sex workers in general are a marginalized group who suffer horrible stigma. Many people have assumptions about them (particularly the women) that this documentary reinforces (or attempts to). In terms of format and approach, you don't need to have an agenda or strong POV in order to create a complex picture of an industry or group of people. A good example of this is 9 to 5 Days in Porn which is similar in format, also quite boring in places (an intentional move I think, considering the title), and yet is not preachy or condescending. It also does not use false or misleading statistics. Another good example, though not a porn doc, is Whore's Glory - again, complex, not preachy, and similar in format. If you enjoyed the style of Hot Girls Wanted then I recommend these two films. Having said all of this, if you removed the patronizing "statistics," schmaltzy acoustic guitar/foreboding music, and eliminated the conversation surrounding the film, then I think you would have a much more balanced piece of work. I posted an article on the previous page (Doc Tries and Fails to Turn Its Porn-Star Subjects Into Victims) that gets at this. We actually agree on many points that this article discusses. I watched the film and sort of thought, is that it? This would only be effective in horrifying and disturbing people if they inherently find performing sex on camera to be degrading to women.
Okay, I understand your point better now. The flashes of text and mood music that played did play a big part in shaping the film. I watched and read those statistics but really didn't give them much weight and pretty much dissmissed them. The thing about statics and "facts" is if you look hard enough you can almost always find some to support whatever point you want to make. So I watched the film from a mindset of it being a slice of life about these particular girls and without those statistics it paints a somewhat different story. Overall I guess I just liked seeing a more down to earth story discussing a genre of porn I was unfamiliar with and these particular girls and their real and porn families dealing with being in porn. If I watch it again perhaps the more technical aspects (structure, writing editing, etc...) will become more obvious. I actually own 9 TO 5 DAYS IN PORN (or whatever it's called) on DVD and haven't watched in awhile and I really don't remember much about it. Perhaps because it wsn't complex and boring in spots is the reason why I don't remember it.
I sometimes wonder who the target audience are for these (almost exclusively negative) porn documentaries. Without wanting to appear shallow, I find that knowing too much about what goes on "behind the scenes" kind of encroaches on the fantasy. Of course I understand that these are real girls with real lives, families, relationships etc but I don't need to be having morality plays going on in my head when I'm whacking it to FA (of which I am a fan, though not a continuous member). Sorry.
I ♥ the male gaze (and Palestine). 8737 Posts 11/13
Posted - Jun 14 2015 : 4:06PM
^I think the choice of the directors and Rashida Jones to have Gail Dines appear on a panel with them answered the question of who their intended audience is. Edited by - misspornUSA on 6/14/2015 4:12:51 PM
I don't think more hardcore (knowledgable) porn fan is their intended target for some of these docs because the hardcore fans tend to know some of what's sometimes portrayed isn't accurate or the norm. There's a part of the porn fan audience that doesn't want to know the background/behind the scenes stuff but usually curiosity wins over and they watch anyway. But clearly some are made to cater to the people who've decided porn is a horrible thing destroying lives. Hey GORE GORE GIRL, what documentary out of all you've seen do you think is mostly aimed to a porn fan audience? Or would a fan of porn most enjoy watching? Edited by - draxxx on 6/15/2015 1:50:25 PM
^ Hmm. That's really a tough one because porn fans are such a diverse bunch. Some porn fans apparently don't like finding out realities or human aspects to their porn. If that's the case, I say don't bother with the documentaries. Just watch porn and the BTS and be done with it. Could you explain a bit more what you mean? I'm not trying to be obtuse, honest. I'm just stumped because myself and other porn fans I know like rather different kinds of docs. The first one that came to mind, though, was After Porn Ends, because of the non-judgmental approach and the "where are they now" angle. It's varied in its subjects/experiences and is fun in places. In terms of aimed at porn fans, I don't think I've found one where I thought "ah, this is aimed at us porn nerds!" I think that's because producers try to cast a wide net. Maybe the Showtime series made by Vivid would qualify (the ones about the Debbie Does Dallas and Deep Throat remakes. I can't imagine an audience outside of porn fans who would have found that interesting). Edited by - Gore Gore Girl on 6/15/2015 5:37:41 PM
^ I just meant a do that has a lot of pro level pornstars in it, shows some on the set scenes, does some interviewing of porn people and not trying to force too much of a porn is awful agenda on the viewers. Oh yeah, have you ever watched the Seymore Butts show that appeared on SHOWTIME? If so what did you think of it? It wasn't a documentary but did you find it entertaining?
Housekeeper, The (Belessa Films) - review by Danielmayu33216
Posted - Jun 10 2015 : 2:55AM
