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Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts


7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 10 2010 : 2:18PM
I figure the Feature Side is an appropriate place for this...
This happens to me a lot: conversation with someone online or in real life turns to porn, the person thinks the concept of plot/character-driven porn is funny, asks in disbelief about whether there are good films/what they should check out etc.
So, this person is completely ignorant of what's out there, has certain stereotypes in mind, and probably assumes some level of degradation is involved (this has been my experience with people at least). Knowing they're only going to check out one film, perhaps, which one film do you tell them to pick up? And what's your rationale?
For me, I always rule out anything with rape, no matter how good the film is or contextualized the rape is. I also rule out frivolous, fun stuff that's low on plot, no matter how great I think the flick is. At the same time, I rule out stuff that's super dark or depressing. Like it or not, I always feel a great weight of responsibility.
For me, I usually suggest Talk Dirty to Me. I'd be interested in whether this happens to any of you, and how you think through your suggestion.
mcewan All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1294 Posts
8/08
Posted - Dec 10 2010 : 10:15PM
Talk Dirty To Me or Nothing To Hide you definitely can't go wrong with either of those and since those are mentioned I would recommend Take Off a very fun film to watch with great acting it's a Portrait of Dorian Gray type of film about a man who never ages the late Wade Nichols (R.I.P.)plays lead here Darrin Blue.He's a wealthy man and a throws a big party.He ends up meeting Leslie Bovee who takes great interest him he goes on to tell her his life story which is told through flashback.Great cast along with great acting.Definitely a top 25 favorite of mine.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 10 2010 : 10:21PM
^ That is a great film. After that and Punk Rock, Wade Nichols is in my "like a lot" male performer list. ;)
Nameless1
Member

165 Posts
10/10
Posted - Dec 10 2010 : 11:18PM
This kind of jumped out at me. It's funny, because the same thing happens to me sometimes. I get into conversations and people always laugh when I mention plot/story driven porn, or when I talk about production values or whatever.. I usually get a few different responses (besides the laughter) like: Pffft, porn has plots? Who cares about the plots? All porn is the same, and so on and so on.
mcewan All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1294 Posts
8/08
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 2:54AM
I absolutely loved Wade Nichols in Jailbait the 1977 Carter Stevens film and in my personal opinion the most underrated X - Rated Film ever.Great acting performances from Wade Nichols,Sharon Mitchell and cute little one shot wonder Tina Lynn.
The thing about Wade Nichols he had three different careers pornstar,soap star and singer.
He played that part of Detective Derrick Mallory on the Soap Opera Edge Of Night.
Under the name of Dennis Parker he released a disco album from Casablanca which back in that era was like the main label I mean Donna Summer was one of the recording artist releasing records for them,his record was titled Like An Eagle.There some pretty cool youtube videos of him signing.
For guy that was labeled taught for pay he sure looked at ease performing with the ladies just check out his scene with CJ Laing in Barbara Broadcast.
My Favorite Male Performers:
1. John Leslie - Simply the best.
2. Richard Pacheco - Always an excellent supporting actor especially when working with John Leslie and could carry a film as a lead actor when called upon Irresistible is a great example of that.
3. Eric Edwards - An actor in four different decades an actor that could that could take over a film and keep your interest as well.Great sexual performer,he's a former male model so yeah he has it in the looks department as well,great actor and just came across as a very nice guy someone you would definitely want to meet and strike up a conversation with.
4. Jamie Gillis - One of the all around best he did theater so he could definitely act I loved the creepy seedy side of him,great sexual performer was known to get rough.
5. Joey Silvera - As good as he was it took him a while to get his just dessert and get the credit he was truly deserved,mostly because actors listed above.He was always a lot of fun to watch and one the hardest working guys in the industry working on both coast.Also I will always be extremely grateful to him for making Transgender videos acceptable I no longer had to look over my shoulder to see who was looking at me and I could make my way to the counter and make my purchase with ease I mean after all it's Joey Silvera and Evil Angel so it has to be cool.
6. Wade Nichols - Whenever he's in a film you know it means great acting,I need to get Maraschino Cherry.
7. Jerry Butler - What a great actor just see his amazing performance Snake Eyes,Star Angel,In Love,Great Sexpectations etc... Very out spoken and his book Raw Talent coast him some roles as well as his popularity at the time.
8. Peter North - When he came on to the scene the 80's he was an extremely rare commodity you just didn't see someone with his look,body and could shoot a load like he could.John Leslie when he first started directing he made the comment that he must have a hallow leg.He always kept himself in great shape.
9.Randy Spears - Great actor and performer and like a majority of the names listed above he can carry an entire film The Masseuse immediately comes to mind.He turned in an excellent performance in Bad Wives 2.He first came to my attention in the late 80's in the Bruce Seven video Loose Ends 5 & A.S.S. .
10.Rocco Siffredi - Legendary performer great actor as well John Stagliano's Fashionistas and in the mainstream movie Romance.
11.John Doe - Great actor,sad life
12.George Payne - The absolute best at being creepy.
 
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 9:55AM
Yeah, exactly. The whole "who cares about a plot?" thing is typically men, in my experience -- I think to suggest you might enjoy a narrative hardcore film is some threat to a bro-culture masculinity or some shit. The thing is, a lot of those people will maintain the mocking attitude at the same time as wanting to know more. I always want to tell them to just calm down, admit they're interested, and have a normal conversation. This is easier online often, because they're less embarrassed. I also ask what subgenre they're looking for -- just by asking if they want horror, family saga, comedy, etc, makes them stop and think there must be more to it.
john lyons
Senior Member

Co-founder of Vinegar Syndrome
1188 Posts
1/08
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 2:02PM
Thanks for this thread. It doesn't get said often enough how many people not only have no idea that XXX movies can be great MOVIES, but how few people can believe that plenty of filmmakers making sex films actually care about creating quality cinema.
The suggestions which have already been made are pretty good, though I'd disagree with the "no rape" thing. In fact, I'd readily recommend films like THE TAKING OF CHRISTINA to any skeptic of the artistic or narrative merits of "porn." If anything bothers me more than the whole "XXX movies can never have/only have shitty plots" mentality, it's the "all XXX movies depict women as enjoying subjugation/rape/torture/etc." Films like CHRISTINA do just the opposite, by making their rape scenes disturbing and uncomfortable. That said, I'm not gonna recommend JOY to a novice, but plenty of XXX films treat rape seriously and without the assumed "inherent turn-on" aspect of sex scenes in XXX films.
So, with that said, some great introductory films are:
3 A.M. - One of the best XXX character driven melodramas ever made. Outstanding acting, excellent writing, beautiful cinematography and rich, Bergman-esque atmosphere.
BACCHANALE - The best experimental sex film ever made; a low budget Fellini mixed with the camp of Kenneth Anger.
BLONDE AMBITION - Lavish production design and delightful screwball comedy.
CAFE FLESH - Best XXX sci-fi ever; excellebt direction and writing plus amazing set design.
THE DANCERS - Maybe the finest screenplay ever written for XXX.
DRACULA EXOTICA - On par with any mainstream Drac film.
EXPOSE ME LOVELY - A genuinely suspenseful XXX Philip Marlowe type film.
IN LOVE - All the style of a Hollywood epic.
MEMORIES WITHIN MISS AGGIE - A carefully constructed story of loneliness and morality, brilliantly played by all and masterfully directed.
NOTHING TO HIDE - Another incredible script performed by an exceptional cast.
RAW TALENT - Edgy, new wave drama with amazing cinematography and editing plus great performances.
ROOMMATES - The ultimate X rated "woman's picture"
TAKE OFF - Already mentioned
WANDA WHIPS WALL ST - Brilliant, witty comedy. One of the best, period.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 3:12PM
^ Roommates and Cafe Flesh -- great choices that totally slipped my mind. I don't know why, but I always forget Roommates exists. Weird.
Re: the rape thing. I usually recommend the films that treat rape seriously after they've dipped their toe in, and then it would be films that treat the matter thoughtfully, like you point out (Roommates is a special exception -- I would recommend this to a first timer). Not only do people I talk to assume porn shows women enjoying rape, but they often think porn depicts women in pain and suffering for male spectatorial pleasure. I think the "rape" movies are best to watch after you've realised that porn isn't just about jacking off. Also, I wouldn't blame a woman if she never watched a porn movie again if her first exposure to it was something like Forced Entry or Water Power, even though I think both films are great. There's too much simplistic/reactionary cultural discourse surrounding porn to expect even an intelligent and analytical viewer to deal with those films as their first XXX experience.
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 8:35PM
I'd probably say NOTHING TO HIDE, SEX WORLD or REFLECTIONS. Those are the three xxx features I first saw that really impressed me.
Nameless1
Member

165 Posts
10/10
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 11:27PM
[/quote]
Gore Gore Girl wrote:
Yeah, exactly. The whole "who cares about a plot?" thing is typically men, in my experience -- I think to suggest you might enjoy a narrative hardcore film is some threat to a bro-culture masculinity or some shit. The thing is, a lot of those people will maintain the mocking attitude at the same time as wanting to know more. I always want to tell them to just calm down, admit they're interested, and have a normal conversation. This is easier online often, because they're less embarrassed. I also ask what subgenre they're looking for -- just by asking if they want horror, family saga, comedy, etc, makes them stop and think there must be more to it.
[/quote]
It is so true about the mocking but wanting to know more statement. That's kind of the vibe I get when trying to discuss things. Another thing I get is: Who watches porn for the plot? Uh, I do. But when you try to share or give some advice, reviews, whatever, it's just kind of disregarded.
It's funny, because it's not like these people don't ever watch porn or anything, but it's almost like they have tunnel vision and they don't want to expand their viewing. There is a lot of cool stuff out there if people would just have an open mind and look into it.
Edited by - nameless1 on 12/11/2010 11:28:32 PM
saratoga120
Senior Member

1404 Posts
5/05
Posted - Dec 12 2010 : 3:53PM
Roommates stepped over the line that no other porn film ever did. And for once it was a socially-sanctioned line.
Well-known film critic of the time Judith Crist recommended the movie in a mainstream publication. Wasn't around for it at the time, so don't know which one it was, but Kelly and Samantha have both confirmed to me that such recognition did come its way.
picman
Senior Member

Nothing says I love you so much as a tongue in the ass.
2884 Posts
1/03
Posted - Dec 12 2010 : 7:49PM
Has nothing been made in the last 20 yrs. or so good enough to make the cut here? I'm not generally a feature watcher, but I'll throw in a few. The Masseuse remake with Jenna Jameson was excellent and offbeat. I thought Cry Wolf also combined coherent narrative with good sex. An elusive combination, I know, especially for Paul Thomas at times. More recent was The Deviant by Nica Noelle. I'm not certain she's directed anything as good since, but she keeps the narrative tight and the performers used their sexual freedom to great effect. Most especially Manuel Ferrara and Elexis Malone. I'm sure Wicked has put out some good things but I draw the line at mandatory condom usage, so I can't comment on them.
john lyons
Senior Member

Co-founder of Vinegar Syndrome
1188 Posts
1/08
Posted - Dec 13 2010 : 10:38AM
For recent stuff, I'd recommend:
MASSEUSE (1990 version)
MASSEUSE II
BLUE MOVIE (Michael Zen)
THE AWAKENING
DARK ANGELS
LOADED
DARK ANGELS 2
CRY WOLF
So yeah...Pretty much all Paul Thomas and Nic Andrews movies (with a weird Michael Zen flick thrown in there).
BustdownGal
Member

539 Posts
7/06
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 7:56AM
Here is an article I just wrote on this topic
I've moved from recommending individual films to engaging people in a conversation. First notion I disavow them of is the idea of porn as storytelling medium. If they want a story, don't go to porn. Watching porn is like watching sports. Yes, a sports match *can* "tell a story", but it's secondary to the awesomeness of viewing physical movement. The grace of physical action is not something that I view as "lesser than." So I do not see porn or sports as something to look down your nose at compared to movies or theater. Because there's an undercurrent of classism when people engage in surface-level conversations about pornography. I want to dig deeper and expose this and the other issues hidden in shallow, workplace-friendly conversations about porn.
Here on ADT, though, we get deep into it =)
BustdownGal
Member

539 Posts
7/06
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 8:01AM
You want narrative and sexuality, leave it to the experts:
9 1/2 Weeks
Body Heat
Breaking the Waves
Crash (the Holly Hunter one)
Damage
The Dreamers
Eyes Wide Shut
Frankie and Johnny
Last Tango in Paris
Legends of the Fall
Mulholland Drive
Romance
Secretary
Sex and Lucia
Shortbus
Splendor
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Threesome
Wild Orchid
Y Tu Mama Tambien
If someone were to ask me for some good theater, I wouldn't send them to an elementary school nativity play. I would send them to Broadway. Same for movies. Any pornographer who is a superior filmmaker is not a pornographer, he is a filmmaker.
 
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 9:40AM
I'd disagree, the 70s classics aren't perfect but the best of them, like the one's already mentioned here, do a good job and have a unique feel to them that you don't get in most of the mainstream films you listed. 9 1/2 Weeks is just a bad film all around.
PS. Broadway sucks.
Edited by - BlackSix on 12/16/2010 10:03:58 AM
BustdownGal
Member

539 Posts
7/06
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 10:04AM
yikes! I just read my posts and I sound like a robot! Excuse my sargeant-like tone.
To soften my edges let me state that I love pornography and some of my favorites are pornos you guys have listed above. But having battled on the front line (working with porn consumers) I had to become efficient and effective with this very question.
The factor that we porn-lovers have to remember is that the porn newbie is coming from a world in which she conceptualizes "movie" as "a filmed story that took 5 years, 50 million dollars and a staff of 250 people to make." Even some indie movies (which take "only" 2 years, $500,000, and 50 people to make) get looked down at sometimes because there's no celebrities and it's not made by Pixar.
I realize that you don't need all the above to tell a good story. Theatre proves that every day. But to do it on film adds a set of needed skills, and performing sex adds yet another set of needed skills. Creating art in the form of team storytelling just takes a lot of skills, and one can't underestimate the resources needed to pull that off. It's tempting to believe it's easy to make a good movie because we have access to so many. But it's not easy. So people actually have a valid point when they scoff at comparing a Wicked movie to a Darren Aronofsky movie.
Pornographers concentrate on what we're good at: being sexual exhibitionists and exhibitors. This is a skill too that shouldn't be underestimated. So when I say it's tough to compare mainstream movies and porn, it's coming from a place of loving both, and appreciating the artisans in both. I also appreciate the skills of everyone involved in broadcasting a football game to my living room. But that is yet another form of entertainment that is separate from porn or mainstream movies. So comparing is like...oh...what do you call it when you compare 2 things that are in the same greater category but different subcategories?
Ah yes! apples to oranges.
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 10:11AM
I agree that a lot of viewers won't get 70s classics because they think a film is something that requires a ridiculous budget, recognizable actors, slick look and explosions every five minutes.
I think those with a love for 70s American features and low-budget exploitation from the same era and earlier can usually 'get' xxx features. That is certainly a minority these days.
mcewan All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1294 Posts
8/08
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 10:14AM
Exposed- Is a great one if you can find a VHS copy starring John Leslie (R.I.P.)Sharon Kane and Kitty Shane.
Expose Me Now- Is a good one for laughs Starring Danielle Martin,Ron Jeremy,Herschel Savage and Richard Pacheco.
Irresistible - Starring Richard Pacheco and Samantha Fox.
Never So Deep - Starring Richard Pacheco,Paul Thomas and Loni Sanders in a film directed by Gerard Damiano on the West Coast (San Francisco).
T0MBOne
Senior Member

1200 Posts
5/08
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 12:22PM
In this business, you're a pornographer first, director second. Making something with XXX content is a choice and the end-product automatically gets lumped out of the mainstream. It's even worse today as filmmakers work to keep their films out of the NC-17 realm and in the R-rated arena a la Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut.
In this forum, we often celebrate those directors whose bodies of work are mostly pornography. They are unique (we all have our favorites) and that's just the nature of the classics period that began in the early 70s and ended with the advent of video circa the mid 1980s. I recommend the better films in some social situations with De Rezny's BABYFACE tending to be the film most often mentioned. TABOO 2, next.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 3:35PM
Well, that's great, but you're right -- it doesn't come across that way in your posts. Suggesting consumers expect very little kinda assumes that the sex act is not a meaningful signifier.
And I like storytelling combined with hardcore sex (as well as nontraditional narrative porn, like gonzo etc), and there are hundreds of films that include both that I have enjoyed. Don't seem to be running out, either. I like low budget, trashy genres in general, feature porn included. I'll take any of my many, many favourite hardcore films over the next Aronofsky film.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 6:01PM
Back on topic, I was reminded by the recent news about VXP getting those Henry Paris/Metzger rights, two movies I would totally recommend to people: The Opening of Misty Beethoven and The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann. I completely forgot about them. Both great fun, well shot/acted, and they're narratively/sexually engaging.
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 10:06PM
Cult Epics also recently released Metzger's SCORE on DVD and Blu-Ray, and this is the uncut version with explicit straight and gay scenes intact. His THE IMAGE is also an amazing S&M film that has explicit scenes in it and I think is the greatest hardcore film I've ever seen. That will be coming out on Blu-ray soonish from Synapse.

Edited by - BlackSix on 12/16/2010 10:07:22 PM

mcewan All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1294 Posts
8/08
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 10:52PM
Yeah I was reading about this the other day over at AV Maniacs.
I definitely want to see an uncut remastered version of Barbara Broadcast.
john lyons
Senior Member

Co-founder of Vinegar Syndrome
1188 Posts
1/08
Posted - Dec 17 2010 : 11:05AM
Well, first of all, a number of these movies are very overrated and, with only a handful of exceptions, none of them include hardcore sex. That was the OP's point for this thread: hardcore movies which disprove the assumption that XXX=crap.
While you list a number of good softcore and "hard R" films, your primary XXX selection, SHORTBUS, is an overrated and pedestrian piece of designer "this is too good to be porn" style porn.
If you're trying to argue quality "mainstream" films with XXX scenes, you'd be better off recommending movies like KEN PARK or IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES.
Not sure what you're trying to prove/illustrate with this statement, but I'd agree with it, literally. I don't care about "pornography" or "pornographers," but rather serious filmmakers who make hardcore films. Sure, some people might consider the content of these films to be pornography, but as long as the filmmaker is serious about their art, I respect the integrity of their work.
And, as other posters have already written, people like Damiano, Spinelli, Vincent and others are serious filmmakers.
 
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 18 2010 : 12:24AM
I'm sure Bustdowngal didn't mean to denigrate other's viewpoints, I appreciate her/his thoughtful contributions.

Edited by - BlackSix on 12/18/2010 12:25:12 AM

Michael Saint
Photographer

Alexis Texas is always lovely
1062 Posts
2/01
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 7:29AM
Interesting.
Not sure I would send anyone to an older porn movie. They don't tend to past muster for the younger viewers.
A lot of what I would tell them would depend on who and why they are asking. While the "serious" ones are usually people's recommendations depending on who they are for some of the more comical ones may be more appropriate. It would also depend on what they call a good movie. Is it the videography or the acting or the story line. Remember this is a generation who thought things like the Blair Witch Project was great cinema.
For me here goes:
The Chameleon 1 and 2
Every Woman Has A Fantasy 2
Nothing To Hide
1001 Erotic Nights 1
The Massuese 2
The Secret Garden 1 & 2 (a two part story)

Possibly:
Pirates 1 and 2 (if they can handle the CGI that is not up to people's standards - for most people this would be a killer)
Fashionistas (the first one) but only if it was for people who I thought could handle it. Not your typical ease into porn type of movie.
The last two are probably the ones for the younger generation who have no attention span and want things to get going right away.
As far as "going to the experts" to see a real movie with sex I find that kind of funny since a good deal of porn's videographers, directors, lighting people, etc work in mainstream as well. Some on some very big projects so they are the "experts". There is just a big difference in what you get when you have a 20 Million dollar budget and a 5,000 dollar budget.
john lyons
Senior Member

Co-founder of Vinegar Syndrome
1188 Posts
1/08
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 10:07AM
Sadly, you're probably right. I constantly recommend young folk quality (i.e. older) XXX and even if they (usually begrudgingly) admit that it was much better than they expected, they can rarely get over how "campy" or "dated" they perceive it to be, which, IMO, is a total bullshit/copout excuse for not being able to appreciate anything older than they are (young folk often exhibit similar reactions to any older Hollywood films as well).
But the irrational attitudes of the young shouldn't dissuade people from recommending great films that happen to be 25+ years old.
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 12:21PM
Some young people find The Terminator to be 'too slow.' There's no hope for that type regardless.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 1:03PM
Some old people find The Terminator "stupid." There will always be naysayers regardless of age.
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 1:10PM
I agree to a degree, but to find The Terminator 'stupid' seems like a more reasonable supposition than 'too slow.'
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 1:20PM
^ Haha. True! To find T2 "too slow" would be even more absurd. After that though...throw the slander where you will.
I'm just trying to stick up for the youngsters -- I meet many vibrant and interrogative members of this denigrated population. Just trying to give props. (None of these individuals pointed at the Terminator poster in my office and said "that's a slow movie" -- I did have lots of "awesome!" remarks).
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 1:24PM
Ah, I getch'a, I didn't intend to paint with too broad a brush, I actually encountered the 'too slow' argument in a film class, but admittedly these youth were not probably the creme de la creme of their generation.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 1:30PM
Considering my students asked me if I texted in high school, and then asked if I was going home for Thanksgiving...well, let's just say I remember the dazzlers. I just try to remember the rolling eyes of adults when I was a kid watching horror flicks. It's easy to forget that every generation sees the youngsters as lacking in something or other.
picman
Senior Member

Nothing says I love you so much as a tongue in the ass.
2884 Posts
1/03
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 2:22PM
I have a close friend, not a youngster, who won't watch anything on tv that's not in color.
I think that the "classic era" in porn is vastly overrated as far as its filmic values, but the directors did strive to make actual films with sex in them, as opposed to the more formulaic stories and sex action that took hold in the video era when the industry was relieved of the pressure to make things appear "socially redeemable" for presentation in theaters. There's definitely something lost there, and I don't see it coming back.
 
Flash All-Star Supporter
Golden Age Classic

11017 Posts
5/01
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 2:26PM
I think this would entirely depend on the viewer and their tastes. To completely write off younger viewers doesn't seem right. I'm one of those who was born during the golden age, and obviously wasn't into viewing adult films until that period was very much over. Luckily for me, one of the local video rental stores in my city was owned by a person with an appreciation for the classics and there were still video tapes of the classics available, many that have been out of print since before that time even today. He steered me to the better ones. Unfortunately his store became a casualty of Blockbuster when they rolled through. He knew of my love for mainstream B-movies and that probably is what prompted him to steer me towards some of the better ones. Several years later in another city I found a video rental store that prided themselves in attempting to have at least one copy of everything ever released on VHS, both adult and mainstream. The staff wasn't that knowledgeable so you were on your own selecting, but the titles were there and I was able to see titles that the previous person had recommended but no longer had copies of. Unfortunately there was a dwindling market for a place with every title, but few of the current ones so that place is also long gone.
Now to the point that I'm attempting to get to, without people around to steer me to the better titles and the availability to see them, I'm not sure that I ever would have grown the appreciation that I have for titles from this period. That may more be the reason these days that it appears that younger viewers don't get into these films. Yes, there are now forums like ADT and AV Maniacs where the films are discussed at great length, which didn't exist at all back then. However, I can see where asking for a film type and getting 30 different suggestions can be overpowering. Especially when some aren't available on DVD anymore and others have horrible picture and audio quality. Plus from what I've seen recently older titles have to almost be exclusively rented off the internet. I think it was easier when just one person was pointing going, try those then when 40 people say try all of these. Also, part of the enjoyment back then for me was actually looking through the titles he recommended. Poor box scans and small pictures hinder that ability, even though more boxes these days appear to actually represent the title inside, which wasn't always the case back then.
He was more into the hokey fun titles than the more serious ones and you can see my first experimentation with them through my reviews on this site. Titles that off put me at first and in some cases shocked me I've now grown to have a greater appreciation for. If they had been my first adult film experiences with the classics though I could easily have seen myself never growing the appreciation that I now have for them.
So to sum up my long rambling, I'm not so sure that it is really the younger viewers that is the problem but more the newer delivery systems for the material that causes the problem.
Michael Saint
Photographer

Alexis Texas is always lovely
1062 Posts
2/01
Posted - Dec 19 2010 : 7:25PM
I like how everyone seemed to latch onto this sentence and ignored the rest.
What I was trying to say was that I really don't have a set recommendation list for someone who asks me "what is a good porn movie to watch". The list I generated were some of my examples of great ones but my taste and theirs are not necessarily compatible.
I usually respond by asking why are they looking for one. Personal, with wife, with girlfriend (that actually makes a difference), age, etc. Also are there any limits (someone once told me they wanted one with no G-G in it - that is very limiting). Once that is out of the way I would ask them to give me some of their favorite movies and the names of the last few movies they saw and if they liked them.
Recommending a movie like Talk Dirty To Me or Nothing to Hide to someone whose cinematic library does not go back farther then this decade will probably not get the results you desire, which is not necessarily to turn them into a porn nut but to at least show them there is some talent to be seen here.
Recommending Operation Desert Stormy or Not (insert name here) to someone who dislikes things like Scary Movie or Dumb and Dumber probably won't work either.
On the other had if their version of tense drama is Twilight or the latest Star Trek then 1001 Erotic Nights probably not doing it either.
But if they have not missed a Halloween showing of Rocky Horror in the last 10 years then Cafe Flesh just might work.
Sadly your average person doesn't seem to have much appreciation for older cinema, so it stands to reason they won't have much appreciation for older adult cinema either.
I dictate my answer based on the input I get from them.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 11:29AM
^ Agreed, and didn't intend to latch on to one detail, dismissing the rest. I think your suggestions are good, and your thought process reflects mine from the OP. First thing I ask is "what genre?" which not only narrows it down, but indicates to the person that there are actually subgenres in porn, thereby already demonstrating more complexity than they probably assumed.
mcewan All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

1294 Posts
8/08
Posted - Dec 21 2010 : 7:29PM
With all of this talk of Henri Pachard (R.I.P.)his films are definitely worth being mentioned in this thread.
Great Sexpectations
Sexcapedes
October Silk
Devil In Miss Jones PT 2
She's So Fine
saratoga120
Senior Member

1404 Posts
5/05
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 7:27PM
"Public Affairs" is also a good one, though strangely unheralded in the annals.
Has great performances by R. Bolla, Kelly Nichols, Chelsea Blake, and Paul Thomas, with a fast-moving script and a nasty look at dirty politics.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 7:51PM
^ My eyes skimming the post read that as R. Kelly. Please space Mr. Bolla and Ms. Nichols further apart in future. ;)
Edited by - Gore Gore Girl on 12/22/2010 7:52:32 PM
Aplus
Senior Member

1431 Posts
5/05
Posted - Dec 22 2010 : 8:24PM
I think not being to really measure against the mainstream has always been porn's curse when judged by those who seek to ridicule it. As if mainstream doesn't have any bad actors or directors in them. It's not all porn's fault just because it can do in 3-7 days, what generally takes mainstream months or years. I mean it's hardly a level playing field, nor could it ever be. Still I'd love to see what mainstream could generally produce if it had the same shoestring budget. The average mainstream cable movie-of-the-week is rarely War & Peace. Just saying.
DuxRyu
Member

USA
44 Posts
11/06
Posted - Dec 28 2010 : 4:40PM
Let's face it. If you are watching a porn, you KNOW it's going to have sex scene after sex scene. My belief is that why most porn features don't turn anyone on that much (meaning, oh my god, if I don't stick my hand down my pants now I'm going to scream), is that unlike mainstream movies such as Wild Things where Denise Richards gets it on in a threesome, is that sense of surprise. What makes the scene/s work is that you don't expect it.
If you can find a feature porn film that gives you the same type of reaction as a mainstream movie that slides in a few intense erotic scenes, I'd love to hear about it.
I believe it is this surprise element that makes my brain cells dance and loins, heh heh heh, vibrate, with pleasure.
Make a porn that can incorporate an element of surprise and eroticism as Wild Things or even that dumb Eyes Wide Shut movie that isn't quite the same since about sex, and you'd have an AVN Winner for sure.
Just my two cents why porn movies never conjur up a feeling of 'You must get this one, it's great.'
NicaNoelle
Member

117 Posts
12/07
Posted - Dec 28 2010 : 9:18PM
Picman, I think I may have done a few good movies since The Deviant, as that was one of my first. Another movie starring Manuel Ferrara, entitled Gigolos, is currently up for Best Feature at AVN, and Manuel got a Best Actor nomination for it, too. Misty Stone is up for Best Actress for A Love Triangle, another Sweet Sinner film with amazing sex scenes starring Manuel. I hope you can check out some of my more recent work!
Edited by - NicaNoelle on 12/28/2010 9:21:10 PM
BlackSix All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
Posted - Dec 28 2010 : 10:51PM
I disagree, I think one of the great things about 70s features for me is actresses like Veronica Hart, Samantha Fox, Leslie Bovee and Jessie St James who would be dressed in conservative blouses and skirts but then they would bend over and slip up their skirts over their underwear with a smile. Of course it's a porn but there's still something about the contrast that works wonderfully.
Eyes Wide Shut also didn't strike me as hot, most of the sex is intentionally cold and clinical, only the opening clever 'blink and you miss it' shot of Nicole Kidman's bum worked erotically for me. Similarly, the sex scenes in Wild Things are intentionally ridiculous, not hot, unless you mean that full frontal from Kevin Bacon out of the shower.
saratoga120
Senior Member

1404 Posts
5/05
Posted - Dec 29 2010 : 1:49PM
I don't know about that, but I surely will aim to place Kelly and R. Pacheco as far apart as I can in the future.
She's still hot for him and saw him at John Leslie's service.
Gore Gore Girl All-Star Supporter
Doctor of the Erotic Arts

7238 Posts
1/09
Posted - Dec 30 2010 : 1:08PM
I'm thinking this has to be a joke, seeing as the entire thread is devoted to responding to such a perspective...
saratoga120
Senior Member

1404 Posts
5/05
Posted - Dec 31 2010 : 6:27PM
My favorite words to internally mumble when watching a great porn classic are, "Oh God, she's gonna . . . "
Smoke?
Take it up the ass?
Give herself over to more than one guy?
Fuck Ron Jeremy?
Lick the cum off the hed after it's exploded on her face?
Get naked in front of a room full of people?
Alright, mainstream, you can get your stars to smoke for us, but I frankly don't go into any of your movies with a great sense of anticipation that your lovely female characters are going to indulge a hundred other things I'd like to see them do.
The best suspense films are all pornos.
ObiBong
Senior Member

1162 Posts
12/02
Posted - Jan 2 2011 : 1:20AM
When I try to give people the "this is a good porn movie" pitch, I always try to go for something modern, just so I'm not implicitly making the statement that there hasn't been anything good since 1982.
Also, I'm not looking to convince anyone that these are masterpieces, just that if they think an episode of Bones is a good use of an hour, they're not doing any worse by watching any of a half-dozen of Stormy's movies. If the person in question watched Sex and the City, she can surely appreciate Second Thoughts.
Then there's the ulterior motive of name-dropping, because I can show them pictures of me and Stormy or tell them about my dinner with Devinn Lane. Also, one person I did this with played the cello, so I gave her Improper Conduct.
Another way I might consider going someday is Porn Valley, which kind of takes on a pro-porn argument as its plot. That's kind of a different issue though. And of course, all of my examples are for women, which is also possibly a slightly different subject from the OP.
CummingLinguist All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

5908 Posts
11/11
Posted - Sep 5 2015 : 10:45PM
Punk Rock is a favorite of mine, largely because of the female lead, Susaye London.
SusayeLondon.jpeg
Kink Williams All-Star Supporter
All-Star Member

Yeah Jeets!
809 Posts
8/13
Posted - Jan 7 2016 : 12:22PM

"Amanda by Night" - was one of the standards, so to speak, of the golden age.
Moving ahead in time, one could suggest "Someone Else" (1992 - ish), which starred Ashlyn Gere (who had acting chops) and Mike Horner (who dates back to the golden age). Enough of a story line that many can relate to. Not Bad. Plenty of sex scenes in there for the porn fan.
Goin back in time again, a lot of Jennifer Welles's films from the 70's were pretty good. I can remember a sex and sleuthing flick from 1976 that I caught one time on pay TV in the mid '80's. I can't find it in her filmography, though. Looked in a bunch of places. It's gone.
Jennifer had a bit of crossover in the 70's, including a part in The Groove Tube with Chevy Chase.
think he banged her???
sorry...
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