American Gunk MOVIE TYPE: 94 Mins. Evolution Erotica DIRECTOR: Guy Capo THEMES: CONDOMS: None 2003 8/03 STARS: Felecia Fox, Demi Marks, Gen Padova, Olivia O’Lovely, Vandalia, Cherry Poppins, Liza Harper, Vicki Vogue, Summer Nite, Rick Masters, John West, Ted Hunter & Ron Jeremy.
REVIEW-
Tom Byron started Evolution knowing that the all-sex movies are covered. He’s one of the very best in the business at this kind of smut. Tom has expressed time and again that he really has no interest in features, so EE needed someone to fill that slot. Apparently Guy Capo is that guy. I haven’t ever heard of him before, but Tom sees something in him and I’ve heard a whole lot of buzz about this movie recently. Capo’s “American Gunk” is more than your typical porn feature, with a more than a slight nod towards political protest. Given the situation with Extreme, this is bound to be a very timely movie. The title sequence is very tightly edited and an assault on the eyes and ears. It’s interesting for certain, but is it a good sign when I already have a headache before the movie even begins? I love this kind of editing on one hand, but it’s a very fine line between impressive and pretentious.
After that high concept start, the first sex scene is rather straight forward. I group of friends are enjoying some beer and smoke when they start playing spin the bottle. Frank Towers and Rick Masters quickly turn the game into a three on two fuck as they take on Demi Marks, Summer Nite and Vandalia. With hard-pounding music, quick cut editing and plenty of black and white footage, this is exactly the kind of sex scene that I don’t like. It doesn’t matter if it’s Michael Ninn, Paul Thomas, Tom Zupko or Guy Capo, this stuff is great for editing geeks like me, but about as conducive to jerking off as a Code Pink rally. Demi is really the only girl in this scene that I would be interested in watching so I’m not about to cry over the lost erotic value. Instead I will enjoy the editing and wonder again if there is a group of porn consumers who prefer to stroke to smut like this.
The next scene has Ron Jeremy as a horny Elvis making moves on blonde vixen Vickie on the beach. Their eyes meet and it’s true love at first sight. He takes her back to his room and Vickie starts sucking dick. After a short blowjob, he bends her over the toilet and fucks her from behind. The editing is less intrusive in this scene, so if you like the idea of Elvis banging a thick blonde and busting a nut all over her stomach, then this is sheer brilliance. Ron doesn’t seem particularly up to the challenge and there isn’t much heat here.
Next up is Felecia Fox. She is a studded bikini with fur trim as she dances for our pleasure. The lighting is very interesting in this scene. Interesting from a technical aspect though not what you’re used to from a hot solo scene. She does a really good job of working her fingers into her pussy and getting everything nice and wet. There is some good action here, but the shadow and quick cuts kind of drain heat. (Felecia’s interview on the bonus disc is actually more interesting, which is sad.)
Now comes the real interesting stuff. Capo cuts a scene between Ashley Blue and Tony Tedeschi. He explains that it has been pulled due to an environment of censorship created by the Federal Government. Capo’s monologue about free speech is interesting. It’s typically overwrought and has one interesting contradiction. “Pacifism in this arena is what will invite trouble, not fend it off.” Well hell, why not throw the scene in there and take it on then? Frankly if the best scene in the film is a rape between Ashley and Tony then I would have exercised my right to skip it anyway.
His dissatisfaction continues with a reality-TV parody. Frank Towers and Gen Padova act out a little scenario straight out of the Bachelor/Joe Millionaire/Blind Date arena. Gen keeps saying that she trusts the American public to set her up with a caring person. As soon as they meet Gen seems happy and Frank is clearly ready to jump on her. He gets rough and she puts up a pretty good fight for a while. Since Gen is so cute, it might be nice to enjoy the sex, but it’s another black and white, hyper-cut industrial metal fest that reminds me why I like Tom Byron movies so much. The pop up text is funny, but this is only making the headache worse. It’s the first time in a long time that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed a Gen scene. Perhaps this is supposed to be more cutting-edge parody, but even the rather nasty ending just comes off as silly.
For some reason we get a facial montage here from other movies. I’m not sure what the point of this is, but at least there is some hot action as Friday, Jewel De’Nyle and some other babes get blasted with goo. Guy pops back up for a little free flow anti-Government poetry that leads into a little pukin. Cherry Poppins blasts from her belly and then gets violently face-fucked. This wouldn’t be erotic even without the thrash guitar, flea-on-meth editing and jackhammer to the cranium visuals. She ends up with make-up running down her face. I’m not sure what there is to enjoy here. It’s like someone took a scene from Gag Factor and ran it through the “Pretentious Porn Editing” suite and came out with this crap.
There is a bit of text about the hypocrisy of golden shower obscenity laws before a Liza Harper solo scene. It looks like Liza has had a baby since the last time I saw her. It’s a half way decent solo scene I guess, but if just having a girl piss before she wanks is the problem, then perhaps we are spared the boring shit anyway.
Olivia O’Lovely and John West hook up for the final scene. They go at it in front of a fake background that is kind of cool for about thirty seconds. After that, it’s just an annoying backdrop taking away from the usually bone-enticing oral skills that Olivia brings to the table. When this sort of stuff is done in a couples flick, I roll my eyes and try to imagine that somewhere there is a woman who is able to get into porn because there are flames in the background. When I look at this, I wonder if there is some raincoater in the audience who has spent his last five buck on beer so he can’t afford his ADD meds. I’m sure that Olivia and John really put together a nice scene and I’d love to see what it would have looked like without all the trimmings.
Well this was an interesting couple of hours. If this is indeed Guy Capo’s first movie (and I see no reason to doubt it) then he shows a technical proficiency and a vision that is well beyond that of many porn vets. If we could judge this movie on these aspects alone, American Gunk would be pretty damn high on my list of must-see movies. The problem is that it also has to be sexually appealing. There are a only a couple of really cute girls in the movie and all of the scenes are obscured by the same sort of visual interference that has made other technical sound movies nearly worthless as good smut. From Michael Ninn to Thomas Zupko’s early efforts, such editing tricks have made the sex secondary and that will always be a mistake in my book. It reminds me way too much of Extreme’s “Acid Sex” in that every time I found something I wanted to see sexually, it was impossible to enjoy it. I also think that AG may suffer a bit from over-hype. There are times when it looks like Capo took unrelated scenes from the cutting room floor and found some way to string them together. The blowjob montage, Elvis, reality-TV, rape and solo scenes just don’t blend well. American Gunk feels sort of like found-footage stew. It’s also billed as this bad-ass protest movie and there is that one rant that’s decent, but how exactly is this political protest? Are we raging against good porn? Rating this one was really hard because on the one hand it’s a trip to watch. On the other, it’s just not sexually appealing at all and isn’t that point?
BONUS DISC: Like all EE DVDs, this one has a second disc for the extras. It’s got a trailer which is pretty nice looking. The outtakes are very interesting and worth a laugh or two. For the photo gallery, you can choose an automatic slide show or control the shots yourself. There is some interesting interview stuff with Ron Jeremy and with Felecia Fox. The Felecia interview is actually more enlightening and thought provoking than most of the movie. Finally we get Guy’s own little treat. He shows up his first movie. It’s a scene he shot and sent out to porn companies. It’s an impressive little thing that makes for a very fine bonus.
OVERALL RATING: D FEMALE LOOKS: C- MALE LOOKS: D PICTURE QUALITY: B+ EXTRAS: A PLOT/ACTING: B SEX: F
For more Reviews see www.dvdpornreviews.com
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lsb4203 Deactivated User
92 Posts 10/03
Posted - Oct 6 2003 : 4:16PM
Rog, Thanks for the honesty! You have integrity in rating videos!
Whoa, are you saying Selena Silver doesn't have integrity?(sorry, just trying to stir up shit)
I remember when Guy was editing this movie, I was thinking,"man, Rog and Den and all the old-schoolers are going to HATE this movie! Different strokes - one's man's "assault" is another's thrill ride.
It's all good, though. I've got plenty of good, old-fashioned, unpretentious smut for ya - Black Up That White Ass, Sodomy Sandwiches, Just Ass For All, etc.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Guy comes up with next. For better or for worse, it'll be interesting to watch!
One of the things I hate the most is when I fee like someone treating me disrespectfully. One of the times when I hate having this happen to me the most is when I've got my dick in my hand trying to achieve an erection. Not surprisingly I don't watch a lot of porn
But I have to admit, I'm curious about American Gunk if only because (if you believe the hype) it sounds Mr. Capo really did try to do something. I'm always willing to make some allowances for an honest effort. (mile in my shoes, I suppose.)
If you had to give Mr. Capo an A-F grade for in the Honest Effort catagory, what would it be? In you opinion is American Gunk a noble failure, or an attempt to pull a fast one?
Now I'm "old-school" Damn. Come on now....I just raved about Zupko's "Opera" and that isn't old school.
The primary difference is that Zupko has started to shoot perfect features. Deep, arty and sometimes pretentious in the in-between, but down and dirty for the sex.
Saturday evening I was in the corner video rental store. Low and behold there is a brand spanking new copy of American Gunk. Either this was just a weird fluke or there is some very heavy promotion by the distributor. This store just recently started carrying adult DVD's and doesn't have many titles yet, with only a handful of new releases. So I rented it to see what all the commotion is about.
I pretty much knew what to expect after reading Selena's review. I will say this jaded old fossil doesn't share her youthful enthusiasm for every porn I review. Not that I intended on reviewing it. It is the political statement that Guy intended, set to hard rock and done like a music video (sort of). I didn't expect it to be hot jack off material or something to watch with my significant other to get us in the mood.
Some of it pissed me off and repulsed me. Some of it aroused me. Some of it reinforced the extremity in porn that the feminists/moralists are up in arms about. It did get me thinking. Federal obscenity laws are as screwed up as the type of pornography they are trying to prohibit. I don't have a morbid obsession with seeing rape, gagging skull fucking, or other types of forced sex when I watch porn. But what's the big deal with pissing, as long as you're not forcing someone to drink it? I got the message, but I'm not entirely sure what Guy Capo would do with porn if there were no federal obscenity laws.
For me it was worth a rental. I give it three out of five stars.
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lsb4203 Deactivated User
92 Posts 10/03
Posted - Oct 6 2003 : 10:19PM
what kind of budget did you give guy capo? i hope not alot because if it doesnt sell, ohno!
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lsb4203 Deactivated User
92 Posts 10/03
Posted - Oct 6 2003 : 10:26PM
Selena Silver always gives rave reviews on videos, studios, and performers she worked at, knows, and patronize. She always says good thing in hope of getting the next gig. I do appreciate her great positive attitude. She does great promotional work on videos she has appeared in.
First and foremost....I thank you all for your feedback on this film, my first effort for Evolution Erotica. I'd like to throw in a few words of my own, if nobody minds...
First, somebody asked about the budget for GUNK...Since it was indeed my first project, the budget was not exactly lavish. A lot of impromtu sets and the most affordable and available talent that I could utilize for a first timer...Totally fair on behalf of my boss...You don't give a newbie 20 grand to blow on his first major fuck up...You see what he can do with a minimalist approach and a shoestring budget first...so that's what I did.
I knew before I ever picked up the camera that this film would not be for everyone...In fact, I figured it would appeal to a relatively small number of the consumers out there. But that's kind of the point...There are countless shelves full of material that you can just pop in your VHS player and jerk off to no matter where you are on the tape. Tommy's stuff is great for that, and even I will admit that when I want to jerk off, I'd probably grab SODOMY SANDWICHES before I'd grab AMERICAN GUNK. But I didn't want to make a film that was solely for the guy who wants to sponge one out just because he has 10 spare minutes left on his lunch break (we've all done it). I wanted to make a film that was entertaining eye candy...an auditory delight...and obviously had some deliberate thought and a little soul put into it.
It's not for everyone's taste, that's for sure...Then again, nothing is. I, personally, cannot sit through several of the most critically acclaimed adult films in history...made by many of the directors mentioned in this thread. It's all just a matter of preference. As I was editing GUNK, I was driving Tommy crazy with all the color changes, quick edits, and texture differences. It's everything you're not supposed to do in porn. But even Tommy, as straight forward as he is about his porn, realized that at some point you have to look beyond the spooge factor, and do something that takes you out on a limb. That's how progress happens...No growth ever came from following the convention of those who went before you...Not in any industry.
As for the political implications that the film declares...Someone asked what was so daring about it, other than a few political statements. Brother, let me tell you...
I put this film out at a time when the biggest dogs in the business are running scared. Companies are re-writing their own rules in fear of what lies ahead. You won't find HUSTLER, VIVID, WICKED, EVIL, ELEGANT, ANABOLIC, RED LIGHT (should I go on?) waving upside down, burning American flags, and shouting "Hey Mr. President!" in any of their new releases. You won't see any of your favorite directors on screen directly stating their dissatisfaction with the current administration. I am doing this, mind you, in a porn film...not in a Michael Moore production of somekind, safely incubated from the harsh realities of the complete breech of the 1st Amendment which we face every day. So although I take everyone's constructive criticism in stride (and agree with all other valid points in this thread), I must say I believe my outspoken-ness about the state of the nation is unparalelled in adult films, and I believe I have gone further than most producers when it comes to speaking out against this injustice we are facing. I welcome anyone to advise me to watch something else on the market that makes more of a political statement than AMERICAN GUNK.
Finally, I thank you all again. I value your input very much and praise you all for your integrity and constuctive criticism.
As for the future, my next project nearly doubled the AMERICAN GUNK budget and it shows. It's more of a feature, much easier on the eyes, and much richer in terms of talent. I'm sure it's a step in the right direction for all you pronophiles who are more concerned about how quickly you can nut-off to a film than whether or not the project has any merit. It's called "Sex,Drugs,andRock-n-Roll" and is due out in a few weeks. It's a fabulous film that I'm sure you'll enjoy, whether you liked GUNK or not...It's just a totally different film, yet again.
Thank you, thank you, thank you...for allowing me to even be noteworthy in this most underrated and overlooked industry. I consider it a priveledge to even be recognized...for better or worse. I especially thank Tom Byron (like, every day when I wake up) for giving me this opportunity, and for recognizing that there can be more to adult film than just jerking off. You can actually crate something that is more entertainment than it is porn, and yet make it marketable to the most hardcore followers.
#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03
Posted - Oct 7 2003 : 2:18AM
I liked it a good deal more than Rog did, although not as much as Selena did.
It struck me as kind of a shoestring budget attempt at a Dark Bros. movie (or even, dare I say it, early Rob Black movie). The video effects and editing for the most part managed to be more compelling than distracting (usually I hate gratuitous black-and-white video), and I liked the soundtrack. I liked most of the scenes, although I didn't need the puke, the facials segment kind of seemed like one of those Leisure Time "1001 Cumshots" compilations was inexplicably inserted into the middle of the film, and the last scene went on a little too long. The most disappointing parts for me were that it was really just a series of unconnected scenes, and that the political commentary was rather strident and uninformative, and more of an interruption than an integral part of the production.
It seemed like a disproportionate amount of work may have gone into the two minute montage at the beginning. I thought it was was really good (and not at all headache-inducing), and I was a bit let down that the rest of the movie was not quite as high energy.
I take VERY strong offense at your comment and what it implies. I have been VERY careful to mantain total integrity during this review process that I was asked to do.
I didn't approach ADT and ask to do it; ADT approached me. I wasn't willing to do a straight review like Roger does where I have to write that I hate a film because that would jepoardize my current position in the industry. My counter to that first suggestion was to suggest that I would do a "Pick of the Week" where I highlighted porn that I did like.
I will never review a movie I don't like for the Inside View because that is the whole fucking point - "Pick of the Week"!!! How did you miss that?
The first shipment of DVD's I got from Steph to review (all from studios I have worked with) had over 30 DVD's in it and I was only able to pick 3 to review as a Pick of the Week. 3 out of 30. Because I won't get up and shill for a crap product.
If I say I like a movie, I like it. IF I DON'T LIKE IT, I WON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL. That is how I balance writing reviews on ADT and still working in the industry. Not by "lying to the fans to get jobs" as you seem to think.
Right now I have on my desk next to my computer over 100 DVDs that I have gotten from Steph or studios have given me. Yes, studios are actually sending me more stuff than you can imagine. Just because they send them, doesn't mean they get to be a Pick of the Week and they know that. Probably 10 of the 100 are good enough for Pick of the Week movies.
Ask the members of my Yahoo group who ask me about movies I have been in and I flat out tell them "don't buy it".
As far as writing about studios, directors, and stars I work with... again that is the fucking point!!! Steph specifically wanted an "Inside View" which is why she named that. There would be nothing other than that would make it important for me to write.
I don't have the years in porn that Roger has or Den from CAVR.com have. If you wanted an porn critics opinion - you should just read theirs. The only point of me writing is that Steph felt it might be interesting for you to hear from someone who is in the movie or has worked with the people making the movie or in the movie.
I have actually tried to deliver something worth people reading- which isn't very easy with my schedule I assure you. I actually email studios and go to visit them asking them what the next big thing they have coming out is. I have made a concious decision to try to know what is coming out next that might be hot and watching it.
I actually watch every second of every movie. I take between 15-20 pages of notes. It takes me between 10-15 hours a week to write these things and that is only time spent on the movie once I have picked it. I might scan 15 DVD's before I settle on one.
If this is just a big joke to everyone and you think I am just shilling, then I won't write them. I don't get paid to it, and no I don't think I am getting jobs because of it either.
I don't get anything from a studio when I come on here and write or post about a scene or what happened. I do that because I love porn and sex and I thought that I was adding value to this site and doing something interesting to fans of porn. I will say this again as strongly as I can - I can't think of one short term benefit I have gained by all the hours I have spent here.
Now you are telling me that I am just wasting my time?
You know what.. you are going to really hate the Inside View this month then... because this month for the first time I am supposed to be writing about movies I was actualy in. And, it wasn't going to be any other month - this is happening because I just happen to be in 4 really, really good movies which people are going to be interested in. But, I guess you will just think I am shilling...
So now I don't know - do I keep writing these reviews or do I stop...
#SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03
Posted - Oct 7 2003 : 3:09AM
lsb4203: are you LSB the reviewer, or someone else? And why are you talking out your ass about Selena?
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DenverDon Benevolent
Firmly Embedded in Depravity 5914 Posts 7/02
Posted - Oct 7 2003 : 3:13AM
Selena,
Keep writing them.
You make some very good and valid points that you only review the ones that you like - i.e. the "pick of the week".
There are other reviews that are written that I read and take with a grain of salt. Why? Because what turns the reviewers crank and what turns mine can be, and are different. Does it mean the reviewer is wrong? NO.
Whether I agree with your reviews is totally beside the point, but I do read them and they are well written, IMO. With any reviewer, you, Rog, Den, or anyone, it is a learning process. Read a review, get the movie, and then see if you agree with the review that is written. If not, you make adjustments accordingly.
As far as the time you have spent writing these up, I can certainly appreciate that. I've only done a few (damn few in fact) but I can appreciate the time, energy, and thought put into the effort.
My two cents anyway.
DenverDon
(edited to add: NO ONE gets paid to write these reviews.)
Edited by - DenverDon on 10/7/2003 3:16:47 AM
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lsb4203 Deactivated User
92 Posts 10/03
Posted - Oct 7 2003 : 3:32AM
Sorry Selena, It didn't mean it like that.But I noticed that you only give great reviews. I haven't seen you write a bad review about any movies. Balance is all I am looking for. I do appreciate the time and effort you put forth. Yet sometimes I am leary when you say it is one of the best films of all time because you are in it. I will give you one example. Michael Stefano's Fresh New Faces and you raved how great your scene was. In honesty it was ok, Naudia Nyce's scene was hotter, Gisselle and Faith was a scorcher. After watching that I do realize you are doing some self promotion which I find is great. I do apologize and it is not a personal attack on you.So can you honestly tell me a video you were in that was not a good video? There has to be one.
I think you are a very good reviewer and I really like the amount of effort you put into them. I like your format and I love all the details you go into. And, I especially like your attention to details in the DVD extras.
I encourage you to do more reviews. You do a very good job.
In regards to American Gunk. You loved it and that is fine. I think the younger people will like it and the older people will not like it as much. But, hey, that's life.
Please continue to do your very fine reviews (and do more of them)!
I don't know, either, but don't stop the rant. I was so close! Such passion, such intense self-righteous vitriol; I'm so turned on I can't stand it!
I don't think lsb4203 was attacking you outright, but I wouldn't let one voice distract you from the hundreds who clamor at your feet because you're not just shilling for crap product.
For what it's worth, I especially agree with your statement about adding value to the site. Your contributions are appreciated. Please believe that. You will always have detractors, anywhere you go. We all do!
There are people on ADT I don't agree with, but I enjoy debating them and I certainly don't *dislike* them. I won't stop posting just because someone nails me; that's part of the fun!
As for the effort you put into what you post here, it really does show. You're not exaggerating about the time involved. I know that from my measly four and five paragraphs I manage to squeeze in on coffee breaks and my lunch hour.
Ultimately, I would say that you should only stop if you no longer enjoy it, and screw everyone else (did I just say?...nah, too easy).
I love your contributions, and gushing fan-boy I am not. Usually. Now, that and 50 cents will get you a Coke outta the machine...
'Scuse me while I go make someone miserable to make up for all this sweetness.
As someone who is relatively new to ADT, and who has read through about 100 reviews over the last few months, I'd like to add my 2 cents to the value of hearing different voices in reviews. Certainly we all bring our various perspectives to what we like and dislike in our porn tastes, and in my case that would include memories of my first softcore movie (~20 years ago) and my first hardcore one (~12 years ago).
Reading the reviews has given me an 'education' in what to look for and appreciate in various kinds of porn films, and also what is needed for a film to be considered especially good when compared to similar ones in its genre. That is why it's important to me that the reviews be done as objectively as possible, and that both the good and the not-so-good be mentioned. I don't consider it mean-spirited of a reviewer if they say what could have been done better, or what turned them off, if they state clearly what it was exactly, not just something along the lines of "that scene sucked."
Conversely, I also want to know why a reviewer felt something was so outstanding. Reading "this is the greatest scene ever" doesn't do a whole lot for me - I want to know why that is so.
I don't doubt at all that reviewers spend a lot of time writing up their opinions - I've written one review myself, and it took about 8 hours total. I'm in the process of writing another one, and this one looks to be another 7-8 hr opus, mostly because I'm forcing myself to be specific about the good and bad points of the film, and also to keep it from sounding like a play-by-play synopsis of a plumbing exercise: Male body part was inserted into female orifice, etc .
I think lsb4203 has a point that Selena's perspective on the films she reviews is different than that of others here on ADT, in that she is giving her opinion based on being a porn actress who currently works in the industry. I believe it would be helpful to readers if there was a 1-2 sentence intro to her reviews that states this, so anyone reading her reviews knows where she is coming from. Actually, if she would give some info on what we porn fans normally wouldn't know - for example, that a particular position was hard to shoot, or that something required a lot of effort from the director/talent - that would add something worthwhile to the mix of reviews already available here on ADT and elsewhere.
I think this was more than just my 2 cents, sorry for the length, but I wanted to be specific .
Porno movies, sexy videos, xxx. Adult DVD Talk at your service. 6409 Posts 11/99
Posted - Oct 7 2003 : 1:10PM
I thought we made it pretty clear that Selena is a porn actress, and that her reviews are "picks" - that she's highlighting good stuff, and giving us an "inside" perspective. On every review there are links to the inside view page, to more info about selena, to her booking website. I don't know how to make it any clearer.lsb, but that's the whole point. she won't be writing reviews about movies she doesn't like. she's not a critic. she's a pornstar giving us her perspective on the movies she likes.
The internet is a beautiful thing. You can get the perspective of "old school" :) critics, porn newbies, jaded raincoaters, slavering fan boys (or whatever the term is), porn directors, pornstars, etc. And you can writeup your own opinion.
Rog, sometimes I think ratings defeat the review itself. People focus on the rating rather than the writing.
Come on, Guy. Everyone knows that putting a little soul into your work is mistake (whether you make porn or pizza.) The minute you had this thought you should have known you had lost your way
If anyone actual takes the time to READ Selena's reviews, which are remarkably thorough, they would register that her comments on individual scenes are not necessarily always positive, She tells you whether it works for her or not, she assigns a rating to each scene -- and they ain't all 5's! -- and she's painstakingly conscientious about "full disclosure" involving her connections to any of the cast or directors or upcoming or previous work with them.
I'm sure the reason she was invited to do this is that she is wonderfully articulate in a business where many performers are not taken very seriously as intellects. The point of ADT seems to me to offer a big circus tent for everyone from the "slavering fan boys" (not always raving intellects themselves, mind you) to "couples-only" fans to post-grad deconstructionst DAP afficianados to EuroBabe topographers to all sorts of industry types -- from whacked-out hustlers to cult heroes -- to self-styled porn historians, and so on and so forth.
Selena's a great addition to the cause, which would seem to be the thoughtful discussion of pornography (erotica, dirty movies, skinflicks, "sinema"), which has been around as long as human beings have (well, not the movies -- just the representation of sex in two-dimensions -- and sometimes three, if you include rubber blow up dolls and Jeff Koons). Faulkner said, "Write about what you know," and she does a terrific job of doing exactly that. So, where's the beef?
(Probably slapped into one of those "Sodomy Sandwiches," no doubt )
Thus was my tribute -- I gotta go read that post again. The polysyllabic vocabulary coupled with the mental image of this -- it's just too much. I'd like to get her angry with me just to get more rants out of her. But I'm not gonna do it...YOU do it...
(Does the caption "Fresh New Faces" on that JPG strike anyone else as funny?)
Great review, Rog, I appreciate the honesty and effort regardless of whether I agree. I don't have an opinion yet; haven't seen it. I also got distracted when you said Loni and Amee in the same sentence...
...(minutes pass)...
If I had a point, it's WA-A-A-A-A-Y far gone now (gee thanks, Rog, like I needed more distractions). I leave this discussion to the post-deconstructionist Eurobabe DAP topographers.
Barry, if you indeed decide to make AMERICAN GUNK your next porn purchase, I commend you for your choice, and thank you for your support. If for no other reason, you should have this film in your collection to add to the diversity of your stock. It may not be the film you watch the most...It may not be the one you stroke to the most...And it's probably not the prettiest film in your collection. But one thing is for sure, it will be the one that just seems different somehow...refreshingly different, I hope. Like Selena Silver said, "American Gunk" is not the BEST porn film she's ever seen...But it is her favorite, nonetheless. (Mission accomplished, as far as I'm concerned...hell, even I was not under the impression that GUNK was going to be the BEST porn film, but I think it does have wonderful entertainment value.)
Next...Rob Hammer wanted to know what I would do if there were no obscenity laws. Probably more real stories, Rob. You couldn't make up some of the shit I've actually witnessed and partaken in, and most if mixes elements the government would never tolerate. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Mortuary Science, and ran the busiet embalming lab in the midwest for 12 months solid to earn a scholarship for my education. In the 125 cases I worked on personally, and the 500 or so I saw go through the lab, I saw things that nobody could fathom...A lot of personal tragedies and sordid stories of murder, revenge, blood-lust, and betrayal. Much of what I witnessed incorporated all the most moving elements of human emotion...love and hate, sex and sodomy, life and death. If the law were not in my way, I'd depict life and all it's ironic twists as they actually occurr. But Ashcroft would never have it, because reality is way too graphic for him to deal with. It pains me that we are forced to "dummy" our projects down a bit, in order to make them defendable. If your movie is about murder and sex, you'd better make sure the murder part is not very convincing, and placed as far away from the sex scenes as possible. If you have a character who gets abducted (i.e.: Ashley Blue in the deleted scene from AMERICAN GUNK), you better make sure she is compliant by the time the sex starts...Now what kind of actual abduction scene takes place this way? What kind of abductor un-binds and complies with his abductee before engaging in sex? Why can Jodie Foster get raped on film, but Ashley Blue cannot? Because I show penetration? Please...It's insulting to the intellegence of the viewer. The government acts like nobody can tell that a porn film is a movie. It's rediculous. On the lighter side, I would like to do more porn comedy as well. "SEX, DRUGS, AND ROCK-n-ROLL" is a VERY comedic film, and I think it is very well written stuff. Life, and even death for that matter, is some funny fuckin' shit, and the more we can laugh about all of it, the better off we would all be. Funny, but John Ashcroft does not look like a guy who laughs very often, and when he does, I bet you couldn't hear it from more than two feet away.
Finally, Tony C said that when I decided to put some of my soul into GUNK that I had made my first mistake. You're probably right, Tony, I must say. But understand that I do not make films for the joy of filmmaking. I do not make them to feed the demand for America's finest pud-pullers. I make films because when I am not, I hear voices and hallucinate constantly...and I only wish I were joking when I say that. But ask anybody who knows me well, like my wife, and she'll tell you that I am like a zombie trapped in a world of phantoms when I am not engaged in a creative body of work. It's like a congenital illness I was born with. I've been this way all my life...writing stories, making music, painting, you name it. Hell, I wrote and sold poetry for two years to survive, because I needed an outlet for my creativity. Fate prepared me for this endeavor, because now I write, direct, film, edit, and score all my own material. I still produce music videos when I have the time, and I write almost constantly. So I have no choice but to put my soul into anything I do...I don't know any other way of doing things. I wish I were one of those guys who could be totally detached from his work, and just go along with the marketplace. I just can't do it. It's not in me. But I must fit into the greater picture somehow, because if Evolution just wanted somebody to crank out more mindless porn, they could have found someone a lot more easily than relocating me from back East to come to work for them. So I take solace in that thought when I wonder if what I am doing is worth it, because it's certainly not easy.
Jesus, every time I get on here I swear I'm gonna' keep it short...Sorry for the long winded responses, but I hope you all feel like you got an answer with some heart.
Just kidding; just trying to lighten things up a bit. ASCII is not the world's most forgiving medium.
What you've said and what I've read has convinced me that I owe it to myself to get an opinion of American Gunk. To be honest, something breezy and fun like you described your next project sounds more like what I personally need, though. I've been in a dark enough mood the last couple of months as it is.
Thanks, Guy. Good luck with "Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll"
After some "time away from ADT" I am back -in a better mood- and ready to respond. :)
I was even in a better mood when I realized that lsb4203 hasn't even really read anything I wrote. I seriously thought that you had diligently read what I wrote and were accusing me of having zero integrity. Then I read this post. Hmmm....
I think Steph already addressed this, but you won't see me give a bad review - not as long as I am a porn actress or director, etc. I am not a porn critic. I am a porn actress who is specifically picking movies that I really like as "Picks of the Week".
If I picked as a "Pick of the Week" a dog movie I had to slam, I wouldn't be a very smart picker, would I?
Hmmm....I am trying to remember saying that a film I am in is one of the best films of all time....Wait a minute... I haven't said that.
First, I haven't reviewed any film I have been in until today's post of Sodomy Sandwiches. The only movie I have talked about in such lofty terms was American Gunk - which I didn't say was the "best"; I said it was one of my "favorite" - which is totally different. And, I WASN'T IN IT. I would never EVER say a film was the best of all time "because I am in it". Wow.
Second, the only other "kind of" review I did was the write up about Fresh New Faces - which was spur of the moment because there was a thread asking about it and I had just watched it and loved it - no where did I ever say it was the best film ever.
My scene was my third or fourth favorite in the movie behind the Naudia Nyce scene, the Anika Fox scene, and the Giselle/Faith scene.
This is "Raving": Naudia Nice w/ Michael Steffano Naudia screams sex in this scene. I am going to look for other stuff by her - she has a little bit of Bella Donna in her I think. I can say this - I was totally turned on watching her on screen (and if she ever calls me and says she is up for some fun....hmmm....of course, I would be sure to report back on that to you). I love listening to her talk during her scene...Wait to you see her begging for Michaels' cumshot in the "Behind the Scenes" footage.
Ok, I was just rewatching her scene as I was writing this -can I up this scene to MUST SEE!!!! God, she turned out my ideal "slut performance". I don't know what scene to tell you to watch first now... Naudia....if you ever met me, please accept my apologies if I jump you the second I see you. :)
This is "Raving": ANIKA FOX w/ Michael Steffano & Dick Delaware First, let me say that Anika Fox is my HERO and new crush. :) Anyone who hooks me up with her gets whatever reward they want! That girl alone is worth buying this DVD. The scene were she is fucking Steffano WHILE DOING THE SPLITS is one of the most amazing things I have seen. She is one seriously flexible girl; there were a couple of times when she was fucking one of the guys and sucking the other that I just didn't know how she was able to perform in that position.
Her personality screams sexy! My favorite thing on this DVD was actually in the Behind the Scenes footage when she is sitting in a chair outside on break and Michael is just talking to her. She describes how she is going to school and none of her classmates know they are sitting next to a porn star and how freaked out they would be if they knew. I am like, "holy shit, we have a real life RollerGirl!!!"
My tastes may be different than yours, but I like girls that are enthusiastic about their scene, totally willing (just seems dirtier to me that way), and have a confident, sexy, outgoing personality. I want to LIKE the girl - that turns me on. Well, Anika is ALL THAT. She is confident, outgoing, sexy, and willing... I am only pissed off at Michael that he didn't let me be in a scene with her... LOL The only apology I will accept, Michael is hearing that you are booking a scene where I will get to fuck her. :)
This is ALMOST "Raving": GISELLE & FAITH GRANT w/Michael Steffano I was present for the filming of the Giselle and Faith Grant scene (it was right before mine). They have great fucking bodies! There is some real cool Behind the Scenes footage where Michael is picking out their outfits for the scene and just talking to the girls. VERY SEXY. It is a great two girl/1 guy scene. If you are into that (I know most guys are probably totally turned off by fucking 2 girls at the same time, right???) this will be a good scene for you. There is lots of great anal action, lots of A2M and A2OM. An unrelated side note... I love Giselle's accent. She is so sexy. :)
I got so turned on watching this scene being filmed that I considered jumping in it....of course, I would have gotten in trouble for messing up the scene planning. :) On the other hand...maybe I would have got spanked so it might have been worth it...
This is NOT "Raving":
SELENA SILVER w/ Brandon Iron Hmmmm...I guess I should mention that I am in this scene. Brandon totally surprised me in this scene. I had done one BJ scene with him before (for Axel Braun of Elegant Angel in The Squirting Adventures of Dr. G. 2 ) so I knew to expect him to take total control. But, boy did he...
I guess I did everything he ORDERED me to. And, loved it. In my scene there is a very rough BJ, great anal sex, great gapes, A2M, and me barking like a dog. That is right. He made me bark like a dog.
The owner of the house we were shooting in was present during the filming of this scene and told me after that it was the best BJ he had ever seen. Hmmm... He also told me he LOVED watching Brandon make me do whatever he wanted and that he thought it was an outstanding scene. His opinion should count...he sees porn every day after all.
Interestingly enough, if you read my "ravings" you would know that in this thread that while I am proud of the 4 movies AS A WHOLE from my early work and that my scenes are absolutely fine that they are clearly inferior scenes to the movies I have coming out now due to the fact that I am now experienced and comfortable doing what I am doing.
If that is the only movie you have seen me in...I would encourage you to check out Sodomy Sandwiches coming out today, or Mason's Sexual Disorder, Robby Fischer's Assault that Ass 3, Brandon Iron's Spit Shined 2, Guy Capo's Sex, Drugs, & Rock n Roll, Skeeter Kerkove's Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine or Sodomy Cream Pies, Kat Slater's Young Sluts, Inc. or Campus Confessions 9 - all coming out in the next 1-8 weeks.
Those are movies that I will say my scenes rocked. :) After I have seen those WHOLE MOVIES I will tell you if the whole movie rocked.
Yes, there are some movies I don't care for that I have been in. Out of the 13 movies currently available on ADT price search there are 8 I would buy. 5 I would not.
But, you aren't going to get me to in a forum this powerful slam the work of someone who paid me fair and good money to work for them. I just don't think that is loyal.
You can follow the movies I promote and the ones I don't and make your own conclusions.
You can also read the thread where talked about how disapointed I was with my scene in a highly anticipated release (where the rest of the movie was actually pretty good aside from my scene).
I won't even bother to address my reviews now because I think other people have.
I will say this last - I have NO problem with the educated people like Roger or Saki or Den who post a review that difers with mine. Are you kidding me? I don't get upset because Roger likes something different than I do! Roger has forgotten more about porn than I may ever know. My exchange with Roger was full of mutal respect. But, Roger didn't attack my integrity he stated respectfully that his taste was different from mine.
You attacked my integrity.
But, I guess your attack on my integrity wasn't as important as I thought - you haven't actually read anything I have written. LOL
I have no more use for this converstation. :)
BACK TO THE ISSUE OF AMERICAN GUNK
Guy and Roger - I apologize so much that a thread Roger started that is about Guy's movie got so side tracked.
I know I am not the only person who liked American Gunk - Gene Ross has been around a long, long time and he wrote more eloquently about American Gunk then I did.
I do like it - it is one of my favorite porn movies I have ever seen.
I do agree with some of Roger's points - the casting could have been stronger and the sex shooting could have been better. I bet it will be in Sex, Drugs, & Rock n Roll. Which is a sex comedy by the way instead of heavy political peice.
I also agree with Roger's right to have his own tastes. LOL
My advice to anyone reading this thread...
...you have heard many people's thoughts... there is something about the movie that is stirring up this large a debate (not many porn movies do that anymore LOL). Pick up the movie for yourself - rent it if you feel better doing that. Make up your own mind based on your taste.
Selena, I am very sorry and I realize the mistake I have made. I am sorry to attack your integrity without fully understanding the complexities of your occupation. I do now realize that you do a great job of reviewing works that you do like and respect enough not to write a bad review about anyone. I do take every single word that I said and I admit I was wrong. I am not in the biz so I do not fully understand the extent of the dynamics between consumers and performers. I am just a horny man from Florida.
Oh please oh please everyone recognize that I'm smiling as I write this.....Oh gee thanks..First Tommy called me an "old-schooler" and now you've got me up on some shelf collecting dust :-)
I'm staying out of the fray on this one, but clearly our exchange was just two people with different ideas about the same movie. No problem there at all. I respect everyone's opinion and yours was really well formed. (And pretty much dead on. I just don't like the same things you like. Nothing wrong with that.)
As for your integrity...if in fact it has been attacked, then congratulations. You are now an official reviewer. Until you have been called a shill by someone, you can't actually call yourself one. Welcome to the club. (And please come to my office for your official welcome spanking.)
I might offer this piece of advice....get used to it. If I had a dime for every time someone has said that I'm too positive about this, too negative about that, too kind to Girl X, too hard on Girl Y or just generally full of shit...well I could afford to bribe someone to write glowing reviews of my site.Yeah, cuz it's all about me....(Sorry inside joke.)I don't think our reviews are that far off. We are just basing the overall rating on different things. It would be like two music critics discussing the Beatles with one using songwriting as the key to "good" music and the other requiring kick-ass drumming to sign off on a piece. We're just looking at the same piece of (Don't shoot me) art from two different points of view.I'm cool with that as long as you realize that I'm right and you're wrong :-)And I you. Now, didn't you say in Fresh New Faces that you loved American guys....remember that when we do an interview.
I say keep up the reviews. Let people decide for themselves if they agree with you or not.
Now, what color tank top do you want to pose in for the Rog Rules gallery :- )
Are you really that old??? LOL I went to your website to look for your picture, but I couldn't find one. And, I always thought you were Kris Slater's younger brother...Now I know how Roger moves in on young, innocent porn girls. I almost feel helpless against his powers... :)I did say that right before I was supposed to fuck Brandon Iron (at the time I didn't know he was Canadian!!!). I saw my hubby and Brandon cracking up after that comment, but I didn't know why. LOL
I will take pink or blue, thanks. :) I would be happy to do an interview/picture. Just let me know when.
ADT, where everyone loves everyone and feelings never get hurt, where porn means never having to say your sorry and a DAP is always on the horizon. Makes my heart sing
I will be.....36 on the 17th of this month. As for a picture...there aren't many because I actually want to keep the readers I have, not scare them off. XRCO 2003What's the point of reviewing porn all day if I can't abuse what little power I do have?Drop me an email so we can figure out the interview and I can get the address for your shirt.
Ah Mason, are all sexually explicit adult movies supposed to be jack off material? Put another way, is it right for the federal censorship laws to determine what is obscene?
Personally, I am not interested in seeing rape in my porn or forced throat gagging blowjobs. But, material that has explicit content is prohibited from portraying certain acts in conjuction with sex. That is the message that American Gunk conveys.
Well thank you Rob for getting me into this thread. I feel that rape is 100% wrong, but for a female or male to be consensually tied up and fucked is way ok. So where does the rape factor come into play with this scenario. I don't see it. What I do see is consensual adults having fun. So why can't I see any films like this?
Director's Note: Rape is common fantasy shared by both men and women. Men like the dominance and control, and women like the spontaneity of being surprisingly taken by force by their lover. The Ashley Blue scene in Gunk was to cater to that fantasy for couples...not to glorify rape's brutal realities for jag-offs who would actually go do it. But in order to make the scene as powerful as possible, it had to be conveyed in the most realistic fashion.
For the soft hearted, if it is any consilation to you, the two characters reveal that they are actually husband and wife, and use this abduction tactic to spice up their sex life. But, as Rob Hammer illustrated, that's hardly the point. The point is it's a fucking movie...not a rape.
SIDE NOTE: How come HBO can make a movie about whatever the fuck they want, no matter how controversial the issue, but we can't? Because of the penetration shot? Is anyone else as offended as I am that a penetration shot is considered the intellectual line between a respectable film and a felony?! As soon as you show penetration, you're no longer a filmmaker...you're a felon, and that, my friends, is wrong on the most fundamental levels of free speech.
Ummm... this is a porn movie, right? I've seen less political discourse over Israel bombing Syria.
Maybe we can pick this thread up anew in a few months when American Gunk Volume 36 is released.
Quaze...have you seen GUNK? I don't think anyone could make 36 of these films. The editing process was so deliberate, it cut together at a rate of about 1 minute per hour and a half of work. That's better than two solid weeks of editing for 10 hours a day. No offense (and none taken), but I feel the film is deserving of this thread, especially right now. Check it out, it's worth a gander...
Capo: I am tripping m y ass off, on absinthe and I can barely even type but you rock bro---[-- absinthe and other p-arty favors prevent me from true speech, 7But //.. KICK ASS
Tropical Dick Down - review by bono-one
Posted - Oct 6 2003 : 3:44PM