Ms Naughty Porn for Women Blog
Ms Naughty looks at porn for women, the adult industry and sex in general.
Cabaret Desire Is Like Visual Erotic Fiction
Monday, December 19th, 2011
As a writer and editor of erotic fiction, I’m a big fan of sexy stories. Written erotica is at its best when it has the freedom to build characters, emotions and motivation before the inevitable sex scene, allowing the reader’s imagination to colour the scenario with fabulous detail.
Alas, the same can rarely be said for porn films. If the creators bother with any kind of plot, it’s often arbitrary and shallow. The “story” usually exists only to throw together flimsy reasons as to why people should fuck. There might be 3 minutes of “plot” before the inevitable 20 minutes of sex.
Cabaret Desire, the latest film from Erika Lust, is different. Here, the story is the main attraction. The film features stories about sex, to be sure, but the sex is part of the journey, not necessarily the ultimate goal. In switching the focus to the more traditional filmic aim of telling a story, Erika Lust shows us just how good – and how arousing – porn movies can be.
Cabaret Desire is set in an uber-trendy Bohemian salon called the Poetry Brothel. Patrons pay the poetry “whores” to tell them erotic stories. As the cocktails are served and the cool jazz continues, we settle in to hear four different sexy adventures, each told via means of a voiceover and luscious cinematography. We meet a queer woman having simultaneous affairs, a woman with a full-body gimp outfit and a passion for theft, a young woman given a tantalizing birthday gift and an estranged couple meeting for a fresh date. Each story quickly introduces its characters but doesn’t stint on building atmosphere and tension. When the protagonists have sex, you know exactly why they are doing it and how they feel about it. Naturally this makes it a more compelling experience.
The sex itself is hardcore but doesn’t linger on gonzo style shots. Indeed, the editing is just right. You never get bored with endless pumping.
The sets are sumptuous, the lighting and cinematography high-class, the music stylish and well suited. The actors are natural, good looking in their own way and never stilted or self-conscious.
In short, I really enjoyed Cabaret Desire. It’s like collection of women’s erotic fiction with an added visual element, beautifully told and executed with an artistic flourish. I am a fan of Erika Lust’s work and I think this movie is her best yet. Certainly it raises the bar in terms of what can be accomplished with erotic film. I watched it and wondered how I can ever make porn this good. I guess the best I can do is try.
You can download or buy Cabaret Desire at Erika’s site Lust Cinema.
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New Porn For Women Movies
Monday, November 21st, 2011I finally got around to updating my Porn Movies For Women Site and ended up adding more than 20 new titles. I thought I’d share a few of the new female-friendly films that are now available.
The Female Voyeur
Petra Joy’s latest film is an incredible journey into sensuality and female fantasy. This erotic and sumptuous film breaks porn taboos by including a threesome where the two guys are bi (mainstream porn won’t allow this unless the title is officially “bi” or “gay”). There’s also a cheeky male beauty pageant where three guys compete to impress the panel of horny female judges. The main attraction, though, is the intense, 40 minute orgy scene where a Queen is pleasured by her multiple slaves. Think all the debauchery of Caligula but from a female perspective. It’s a feast for the senses and is accompanied by an amazing soundtrack. I’ve never seen anything like it in porn before and I love it. Petra works hard to create erotic films that women will enjoy and I think this is her best movie so far.
Available From
Good Vibrations: Download
Gamelink: Download
Cabaret Desire
Erika Lust’s latest film isn’t quite live yet (it will be online in the next few days). Cabaret Desire tells the story of a magic and behomian place where people go at night to be told erotic stories. Each guest is assigned a lady or gentleman by a Madame and prepare themselves for the poetic trip they’re about to take. Words flow and desire smoothly invades every corner. This film seeks to intertwine erotic poetry with sexual images and made use of the Poetry Brothel, a Spanish group of performers and writers. This film is Erika Lust’s biggest project so far. Her films feature very high quality cinematography and a distinctly artistic flavour, though they are also very sexy.
Available From
Lust Cinema: DVD or Download
A Touch Of Seduction
Major porn studio Wicked have tried their hand at romantic couples porn with the Wicked Passion series. A Touch Of Seduction is the first film that features only people of colour and it’s actually a little bit groundbreaking because it – gasp – doesn’t portray them in a racist way. This film simply features sexy black couples getting it on in a realistic way. They’re all big-name porn stars and the sex can sometimes stray into porny territory but there’s also lots of foreplay, kissing and real chemistry involved.
Available From
Gamelink: DVD or download
Ms Naughty Store: DVD
Good Vibrations: DVD
Tristan Taormino’s Rough Sex 3: Adrianna’s Dirty Mind
I met Adrianna Nicole in Berlin and she’s a wonderful, smart woman who really enjoys sex. This film is a thorough exploration of her dirty fantasies and delves into the darker parts of sexuality. She creates the scenes. She chooses her partners. She controls what happens. In this film she tests her own boundaries, and rides the seductive line between pleasure and pain. Rough sex is not everybody’s cup of tea but here it’s done properly, with context and care. Award winning director Tristan Taormino also includes interviews with the performers so you get a good idea of the fantasies, emotions and motives behind each scene.
Available From
Ms Naughty store: DVD
Gamelink: DVD or Download
Good Vibrations: DVD
Lust Cinema: DVD or Download
Expert Guide To Advanced Anal Sex
Another Tristan Taomino film, this one takes anal instruction a step further. Like previous “Expert Guide” films, this movie features comprehensive explanations about the best ways to have anal sex and includes instruction in sex toys, advanced positions, g-spot stimulation and male anal pleasure. Then we get to see the techniques in action. Like all of Tristan’s films, the sex scenes are realistic, include vibrator and lube use and focus on female pleasure. If you’re a fan of anal you’ll love this film. I would also recommend the Expert Guide to Female Orgasms as a great female-friendly porn film.
Available From
Ms Naughty: DVD
Gamelink: DVD or Download
Good Vibrations: DVD or Download
Some older titles:
Crash Pad Series 6: Wide Open
Award winning director Shine Louise Houston continues her queer porn adventures with the latest installment in the Crash Pad Series of videos. The idea is simple: People come to the Crash Pad apartment to fuck without inhibition or complications. This movie features a broad range of queer identities, including queer women, femmes and butches, transmen, and real lesbian sex plus genderqueer expression and hot action of every kind – it’s passionate, intense, tender and edgy, but more than anything, it’s real.
Available From
Gamelink: DVD or download
Good Vibrations: DVD or Download
Or you may just want to check out the Crash Pad Series website
Dirty Diaries
Mia Engberg’s collection of short films made headlines a while ago because the Swedish government subsidised the production. I’m pleased to say the film can now be seen online via Lust Cinema. The 12 short films include hardcore action and vanilla sex, queer and straight, flashing and fucking, provocation, penetration, even poetry. Art and orgasms abound in these unique short films for open adult minds. This isn’t standard porn but it is feminist and it is from a female perspective.
Available From:
Lust Cinema: DVD or Download
Back In Time
Playgirl have now created so many titles that they’ve taken up making compilation DVDs. This one features lots of erotic scenarios set in the past. It’s heavy on the romance and courtship and naturally rife with costumes so it will come in handy for firing up those old fashioned fantasies. Be warned that Playgirl has nice setups but the sex tends to be formulaic and very similar to what you’ll find in most mainstream porn films. Features a bonus sex scene and a bonus solo scene plus behind the scenes footage and photos.
Available From
Gamelink: DVD
Ms Naughty store: DVD
The Porn Movies For Women site is desperately in need of a revamp. I created it in 2004 when there weren’t many films to choose from. Now I have over 300 titles listed and I update it all by hand. It’s hard going but it’s worth it. Please check it out for a complete listing of female-friendly movies. Beyond boy-girl vanilla stuff that is often associated with porn for women, I’ve listed queer, lesbian, instruction and kinky titles as well. I hope to expand the categories further in the future.
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Berlin Porn Film Festival Documentary
Sunday, November 20th, 2011OK, it’s done. This is my mini documentary about this year’s Berlin Porn Film Festival.
Most of it was shot on a Sony Cybershot HX9V – a pocket camera that takes rather good HD video but not so good sound. I actually bought it at the airport on my way to Germany.
And thank goodness I did. Our large video camera ended up being damaged, possibly dropped when in luggage storage before we got to Berlin. A lot of the footage I shot at the festival using the big camera was half out of focus and consequently useless. You’ll probably notice that the interviews with Adrianna, Aiden and Jen look rather fuzzy. They were shot with the big camera and I did my best to salvage the footage.
We noticed that something wasn’t quite right with the camera while in Germany but it didn’t seem too bad. It’s only when I got home and uploaded the files that I saw how dodgy it was. The left side of the frame is very fuzzy but the bottom right corner is in focus. It’s incredibly frustrating to have that kind of equipment failure.
I also shot a solo male scene in Berlin and some of that footage is also no good. But the Cybershot has saved the day. Lesson learned: don’t discount the new generation of little cameras. They’re actually quite good and are worth using for B roll or as a backup.
In any case, I think I managed to capture some of the vibe of the festival in this little doco. I downloaded the film excerpts from Youtube and Vimeo so some of them aren’t the best quality. I wanted to just give a small idea of the kind of amazing films we saw in Berlin.
The films:
Smoke by Claudia Romero
Black Rose Tango by Richard Kimmel
Curuk: The Pink Report by Ulrike Bohnisch
Skallamann (Bald Guy) by Maria Bock
Orchids: My Intersex Adventure by Phoebe Hart
The Female Voyeur by Petra Joy
Gang Bang Barbie by Joanna Rytel
Festival trailer by anton Z risan
A longer version of this doco will appear at For The Girls on 29th November. It features the X-rated footage I couldn’t put on Youtube plus more interviews. And images from the amazing Chatroulette session that turned into something of a live sex show.
By the way, there’s some great photos of the festival now available at the official site.
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Films From The Berlin Porn Film Festival
Monday, November 7th, 2011I did a bit of surfing and found a number of short films online that were featured at the Berlin Porn Film Festival.
Rosamour
This amazing little film features only the bellies of two male dancers. It’s not digitally enhanced, though it looks like it in places. It’s bursting with erotic sensibility without showing any “rude bits”. I met the two guys who made it and they were gorgeous. This film was in competition but unfortunately it didn’t win.
Room 33
Erica Lust once again proves how talented she is when creating erotic films. This short isn’t explicit but it’s still throbbing with desire. The perfect cinematography enhances the whole thing. A couple book into the “Love Hotel” and are joined by a third man. More info on the film here.
Room 33 - Director's cut by lustfilms
A Mona Do Lotacao
This was part of the Fun Porn program and I like it’s simplicity and sense of humour. A woman gets on the bus and her inherent sexiness infects everyone on board.
Smoke
A short and sweet animation that is bursting with sassiness.
King Of Fools
Another piece of animation with a wry sense of humour.
Trailers/Previews
Skallaman (Bald Guy)
My favourite short film, this is a musical about acceptance. The song is infectious and the full movie inspired cheers and much applause from the audience.
Man With A Bolex Movie Camera
Another fun film that sends up the eager pretensions of some film lovers. And makes me want to get a Bolex camera just for fun.
And just in case you’re curious, here’s the trailer for my film The Thought of Her which screened in the Female Porn session.
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The Amazing, Inspiring Berlin Porn Film Festival 2011
Sunday, November 6th, 2011
I’m home again, jetlagged but also bursting with inspiration and motivation after my visit to this year’s Berlin Porn Film Festival. All up I may have spent about six days travelling to and from Berlin but it was totally worth the time, effort and money just to be there and be surrounded by so many fascinating ideas and creativity. And, of course, I got to meet some wonderful people and reconnect with old friends like Petra Joy and Jennifer Lyon Bell.
The festival was a huge success this year with over 5000 visitors attending, more than in previous years. Many of the sessions were sold out well in advance and the cinema always seemed to be packed. It feels like the Berlin Porn Film Festival is set to become something of an institution in that city, which is fabulous.
Pic: Opening night party in the cafe at the back of the Kino
I was thrilled to meet Jiz Lee and honoured to get a hug from one of the best-known queer porn stars. Jiz was there to judge the short films and I got to chat with Jiz a few times, although my hopeful attempts to snag an interview were lost due to Jiz’s busy schedule.
Pic: Jiz and Adrianna discussing Tristan’s films.
I also got to meet adult stars Adrianna Nicole and Aiden Starr, two incredibly talented and smart women who are really switched on to the possibilities of porn. Both of them are “typical” looking porn stars – blonde, beautiful, sexy. They were actually rather an unusual sight at the BPFF (look! mainstream porn stars!) and I could well imagine that they are perhaps dismissed as being lightweight because of their looks. Not so. I had some wonderful conversations about the politics and problems of porn and they had plenty of interesting points to make during the discussion panel about the future of lesbian porn and at the screening of Tristan Taormino’s films.
Unfortunately, I missed out on seeing a few other porn directors. Tristan couldn’t make it – she had to cancel at the last minute due to ill health. Nica Noelle had also pulled out the week before and Anna Span also changed her plans. It was disappointing to miss out after coming all that way but I guess I’ll meet them another time.
I saw some amazing films although I would have loved to have attended more sessions. Perhaps my favourite short film was the mini musical Skallamann (Bald Guy) which is about a young man who makes out with a bald guy. His parents are horrified, mainly because said guy is bald. The song is an earworm and I found myself singing it for the entire week I was there.
I also adored the documentary Orchids: My Intersex Adventure. It’s by Phoebe Hart, an Australian woman who was born with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome which meant she had testes inside her abdomen (since removed) and female genitals. The doco was so moving and intensely personal, depicting first-time conversations about the issue with Phoebe’s family. She was there to answer questions about the film and I found out that her parents live very close to me. Small world. The doco received an extended ovation and has received multiple awards at festivals around the world. Phoebe found out that the film had won an award in Copenhagen so she flew out to the screening of it the next day. Here’s an article on the film.
There’s always a few “over the top” films at the festival. The winning short film Gang Bang Barbie (video here) packed a punch. It involves Barbie dolls “raping” a man’s penis with mini dildoes. It was funny but also disturbing and I’m not sure I liked it due to the issues of consent involved.
Meanwhile, in Stuffed we were treated to the rather strange (and amusing) sight of a man inserting a fake vagina masturbator into a stuffed fox and then fucking it. I sat there wondering what the good moral arbiters at the Australian Classification Board would make of it; no doubt I was being forever corrupted and harmed just for watching it. Afterwards the film’s creator and star, Rudy West Junior smiled and said that the film was not about bestiality at all. “The fox is dead, so it’s necrophilia,” he said.
I’m going to do a separate post featuring some of the films on offer (update: post is here) so you can get an idea of the diversity of content on show at the BPFF. Sure, there was plenty of on-screen fucking but there were also films that dealt with relationships, sexuality, religion, fertility, death and even incest. The entire festival shows just how differently and creatively filmmakers can approach the topic of sex.
There were also workshops and panel discussions. I attended Jennifer Lyon Bell’s discussion of DIY Feminist Porn which was really interesting and informative. I couldn’t get into the fisting workshop as it was booked out (indeed, many of the workshops and films had waiting lists, thanks to the popularity of the festival this year). The panel discussion about the changing depiction of lesbian sex in mainstream porn was fascinating, with contributions from Jiz, Judy Minx, Adrianna, Aidan and Emilie Jouvet.
Pic: Aiden Starr, Jiz Lee, Judy Minx, Adrianna Nicole and Emilie Jouvet discussing lesbian porn
One of the more fascinating sessions involved playing around with Chatroulette – the random webcam site that many people use to anonymously masturbate with strangers. A purely experimental idea, the session turned out to be hilariously successful. The organisers rigged up a laptop and webcam so that it could be seen on the big screen. They then turned the cam towards the packed audience. Most of us were clothed but a few brave souls got naked, including Maria Llopis, who was one of the organisers and whose film Chatroulette screened in the Female Porn session a few movies after mine.
Pic: Meat/ing on the internet session with Maria Llopis
To begin with we weren’t sure what was going to happen. I’d heard of Chatroulette but pretty much dismissed it as an exercise in developing low self esteem. Random strangers can look at you and dismiss you in a second… it sounded rather depressing to me. But the introductory video by Ariel Efraim Ashbel showed that Chatroulette is actually a cunning way to play practical jokes and mess with people’s heads via presenting a weird performance to said random strangers. I like that.
In this case, we were presenting a cinema audience and nude women to whoever was lucky enough to click “next”. Suddenly, we were all feeling rather thrilled and giggly. It was an excellent jape and we all started waving and yelling at anyone who appeared on screen.
Early on we encountered a woman who was masturbating and eager to have fun. She didn’t baulk at the idea that she was exposed to a big audience and happily showed us her boobs and pussy. Cue the applause. She then started asking guys at the front to get naked. Things got really interesting when Maria asked if anyone wanted to help her put on the show. A guy stepped up, started kissing her, got nude and suddenly he was giving her cunnilingus, right there in the middle of the cinema. Everyone became deadly quiet until Maria had an orgasm and then we all clapped. Meanwhile, the girl on the screen was typing orders demanding certain types of sex which ended up being ignored. She was rather unappreciative and pushy, to be honest!
After that we cruised through Manroulette, the gay site and saw various nude men and erect cocks but very few of them stayed to play. A lot of them hurriedly reached for the NEXT button when they saw what was going on.
All up, the session was a fun experiment with this new area of online sexuality and I’m glad I was there.
I also ended up chatting to the guy who got it on with Maria. Turns out he also appears in Petra Joy’s film The Female Voyeur. I asked him if he’d perform for me and so we shot a solo scene with him on the Monday, winging it by buying a cheap halogen lamp from the hardware shop and filming in our hotel room. I’ll be editing it in the next few weeks.
I didn’t get to many of the after parties this time around, partly because we were too tired and partly because smoking is still permitted in clubs in Germany I just can’t handle breathing in cigarette smoke anymore, it makes me physically ill. So I missed the various performances. Still, I loved the simple process of sitting in the back bar of the Moviemento Kino, drinking wine and chatting with fellow filmmakers, performers and porn lovers.
A few other things that happened:
* I went up to director Bruce La Bruce and apologised on behalf of all Australians for the stupid banning of his film LA Zombie.
* I introduced myself to cute queer porn actor Pau by giving her a Freudian compliment. She was wearing black angel wings affixed with black gaffer tape, applied in a “cross your heart” pattern over her lovely bare boobs. I said “I like your things… I mean, your wings! Your wings!” Laughing helplessly, I told her I liked her boobs as well. They were just asking to be tweaked. Pau later gave me a great interview about her experiences in porn.
* Some of the cinema staff got into the spirit of the porn festival by wearing very little clothing. Gorgeous Valkyrie Francesca made waves by announcing the waiting list for films wearing only Gerbera flowers on her breasts and a feather fanny covering, held on by I don’t know what. And the guy selling beers in the cinema (I have forgotten his name, dammit) had me drooling with his various shirtless sexy outfits.
* I had more great conversations with veteran Dutch porn director Willem Van Batenburg who was there with his original star Diana de Koening. I also saw his film ‘N Schott In De Roos (Bullseye) which is a delightful 70s classic full of discussions about “free love” and hilarious retro situations. Interestingly, I found it turned me on more than most porn.
* I caught up with Liesbet from Dusk, the cable erotic TV channel for women and found that the station is growing and in need of more good content. I also met Ellie from Dutch adult store for women Mail and Female.
* I met Ena, the editor of Bend Over Magazine, a sexy journal of “feminism, sexuality and queer art” that features great photography.
* I met and chatted to Katharina Szmidt who made Cum Different, a documentary about the growth of feminist porn, made mostly at the 2009 BPFF. There was also a feature length doco about feminist porn called Mutantes (Punk Porn Feminism) but the session was sold out and it only screened the once so I couldn’t review it.
* I spoke to BPFF curator Manuela Kay about her contribution to Fucking Different XXX, which debuted at the festival. Manuela’s film shows the romantic side of anal fisting and – I must admit – had me feeling a little clenched thanks to its two-handed extravagance. She told me that she’s fascinated by fisting because it’s a universal sex act. Everyone has hands and everyone has an ass. I think it’s a very good point.
* I also chatted briefly with queer director Courtney Trouble about her great short film What Makes Us Queer. She also had a short in Fucking Different XXX that finished the film and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen an audience applaud an orgasm. It made me laugh.
There’s plenty more I could write about but I’ll leave it for now. I’m going to be editing another little doco about this year’s festival so keep an eye out for it, I’ll put it on Youtube.
All up, I loved it. The festival has given me so much confidence about my filmmaking and the possibilities. I can’t wait to go back next year, especially now that I’m determined to make my feature film, come hell or high water.
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Off To The Berlin Porn Film Festival 2011
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011It’s a bit much really. Just weeks after coming home from a holiday in France I’m about to fly back to Europe to attend the Berlin Porn Film Festival. It’s costing me way too much money and I’m not looking forward to another 23 hours on a plane but I felt like I’d be missing an important opportunity if I didn’t go.
My short film The Thought Of Her is screening in the Female Porn session (Thu 27/10 at 13:45 and again on Sat 29/10 at 19:45) and my essay on feminist porn was recently published in the German film magazine Schnitt to co-incide with the festival.
On top of that, I’m keen to meet feminist porn legends Tristan Taormino, Jiz Lee and Nico Noelle, among others. I’ll also be catching up with filmmaker friends Jennifer Lyon Bell, Anna Span and Petra Joy. I’m also really hoping to shoot some erotic content when I’m in Berlin. Nothing has been planned but given the cheerful and easygoing vibe of the festival, it’s a real possibility. If nothing else, I’ll shoot some interviews and other footage for small documentaries.
I’ve been to the Berlin Porn Film Festival twice before, in 2008 and 2009. The latter was especially fabulous, as you can see in the little doco I made about it:
The festival is one of the few opportunities to meet with and discuss emerging ideas about porn, film and sexuality. It’s not a commercial expo like the Venus exhibition which was on a couple of weeks ago in the same city. Instead, it’s a more intellectual and artistic endeavour and one that is becoming increasingly popular. There’s something very liberating about sitting in a packed theatre and watching dirty movies with other people. It’s such a shame we can’t do anything like it here in Australia due to our ridiculous censorship laws (although change may be on the horizon, fingers crossed).
In any case, I’ll be scarce for a couple of weeks. When I come back, I plan to finally kickstart my filmmaking plans and hopefully have a real feature finished in 2012.
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“A Real, As Opposed To A Fanciful, Risk Of Harm”
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Evelyn Beatrice Hall (attributed to Voltaire)
I thought I’d preface this post about censorship with that (overused) quote because the film I’m about to write about is exceptionally distasteful, disturbing and, most likely, trash. The Human Centipede 2, which has just been banned by the British censor, could well be the most horrific movie to be made in many years.
Someone made a comment on a Guardian article about it saying “You should pick your battles and this is not a good battle to pick.” And this piece points out that the film is made expressly to shock and, by writing about it, I’m helping to sell it. Still, I wanted to blog about the issue because it raises some important questions about censorship and the assumptions behind governments making decisions about things adults can and can’t see.
The official press release from the British Board of Film Classification is here. The article describes some of the horrific acts depicting in Human Centipede 2 (including masturbating with sandpaper and rape using barbed wire). It says the film must be banned because it focuses too much on explicit sexual violence.
This Guardian piece questions the double standards of the board: why is the torture violence of “normal” horror (e.g. Saw) OK but sexual violence not OK? Why does the presence of sex tip this film over the edge into “obscenity” when common or garden variety flayings, disembowellings and murder easily get the nod?
I’m no fan of horror and the thought of watching either Centipede films is stomach-churning to me. And there’s a little voice in my head that almost agrees that something so disgusting should be banned. Why would anyone want to watch that? I mean, really?
But what’s prompted me to write this post is a single line in the BBFC press release that stuck out like dog’s balls:
It is the Board’s conclusion that the [film] poses a real, as opposed to a fanciful, risk that harm is likely to be caused to potential viewers.
Got that? The BBFC thinks that watching Human Centipede 2 will harm you. Really harm you. Not just some “fanciful” made up harm which has apparently motivated the banning of other films in the past. Nope, this time, this sucker is going to fuck you up big time.
Let’s think about this, shall we? Watching a movie is going to cause harm. What kind of harm? Vomiting? Nightmares? A pathological fear of sandpaper?
Is it more serious than that? Are they saying it’s going to cause people to want to replicate the disgusting scenarios in the film? Copycat crimes?
Or are we talking “psychological harm”? That mysterious, difficult-to-prove concept that insists that watching a film will irrevocably alter a person’s mental health and way of thinking? According to that theory, seeing this kind of film degrades the viewer, encourages negative or pathological thoughts and makes them less empathetic or emotionally insecure. This is the kind of harm that Gail Dines talks about when seeking to ban porn. No doubt it’s the kind of harm that motivated the banning of Lady Chatterley’s Lover
I don’t know what kind of “harm” the BBFC is talking about because they don’t elaborate on that point. Nor do they provide any actual proof for their assertion.
And what’s interesting is that they all managed to view this film without suffering harm themselves. No doubt this proves they have very mild superpowers which the rest of us don’t possess.
This point illustrates the underlying assumptions about class and intelligence that underpin censorship regimes. The censors themselves can watch films without “psychological harm” because they’re better people than the riff-raff plebians who’ll watch it. They’ll have all the proper reactions like disgust and horror and they’re completely immune to sexual arousal because they have special states of mind.
But the rest of the film-going public? Well, you can’t trust them, can you? They’re not smart enough to think critically about what they’re seeing. They might not understand that it’s just a story or a fantasy. You’ve got to make their decisions for them, protect them. It’s for their own good.
Is “psychological harm” real? I don’t know. I haven’t researched the topic so I don’t know if there are any peer-reviewed studies looking at whether viewing media causes *actual* harm to adults.
What I do know is that more people need to be asking that question. If the government can ban something based on the concept of “real, not fanciful, harm” it would be really useful to see proof of their assertions.
* You might also want to read this piece about how the British censors classify films.
* I’ll be interested to see what the Australian censors do with this film.
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Fairy Tale Porn
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011Fairy tales, while seemingly innocent, are often rife with sexual imagery and metaphors. The big bad wolf could easily be seen as the corrupter of Little Red Riding Hood’s virginity, for example. For many of us, the fairy tales of our youth may be entangled with our first glimpses of the erotic. For girls, the promise of Prince Charming often lead to speculation about the details of the wedding night.
Thus, we get to fairy tale porn. In theory it should be an exercise in peeking into those dark corners and teasing out the dirty bits hidden within these well-known stories. Unfortunately that’s not often the case; fairytale porn often is the usual porny sex with wigs and corsets added. The whole genre is light-on for titles which is a shame. My guess is that fairy tale porn requires expensive sets and costumes so it’s not made very often.
I had an email asking if there is any female-friendly fairy tale themed porn available. Alas, it seems the pickings are relatively few. I thought I’d list a few here for anyone who’s interested.
Sinderella and Me – The is from Nica Noelle’s Sweet Sinner productions and is the only female-friendly title I could find. Nica’s sex scenes don’t follow the usual porn cliches and she always makes sure the women have an orgasm.
The blurb says: “Take one of the most romantic fables of all time, add raw sex, passion, and explosive orgasms to the classic fairy tale. She can’t live happily ever after without hot sex!”
The Craving – This is a Wicked extravaganza that plays with fairy tales. The sex will be your standard porn variety but it will look amazing.
The blurb: “This big-budget film from acclaimed director Brad Armstrong sets a new standard in adult cinema. With breathtaking visuals, stunning costumes and ground breaking sexual performances, Armstrong skillfully guides us on a journey through the pages of fairy tales, but with a special and perverse twist. The stories may sound familiar, but these tales of what goes bump in the night are a darker, more sinister version. They tell the other side of the story, of what man, woman and beast truly crave as darkness falls. So prepare yourself for The Craving, because something Wicked this way comes. Showcasing the exceptional talent of multiple award winning Wicked contract star jessica drake in one of her most compelling sexual journeys to date, don’t miss what you’ve been Craving.”
Fairy Tale – The giant boobs on the cover are a little distracting and give a hint as to what kind of porn to expect. This is a contemporary story with a mischevous fairy added. Might be fun.
The blurb: “Fairy Tale newlyweds Jack (Eric Masterson) and Jill (Stormy Daniels) move to the suburbs to escape their hectic city life. Unfortunately for them, their new garden is inhabited by a mischievous fairy (Kaylani Lei) who becomes obsessed with the man of the house, threatening to tear the newlyweds apart. As Jill becomes suspicious that something is going on with the house, she turns to her neighbors to get the scoop on the former tenants. It seems that everyone who lives in the house starts behaving strangely. When Jack finally tells Jill the truth, Jill decides to confront the tiny fairy with hilarious results. Will Jack and Jill’s marriage survive? Can they live happily ever after in this Fairy Tale?”
Red Riding Hood – A XXX Parody – Not sure why this qualifies as a parody beyond that it’s fashionable to sell parodies at present. The scene details also reveal that this isn’t a costume-based film, it’s more interested in the story.
The blurb: “We all know her story, or so we thought… What if Red Riding Hood had a naughty side? What if the Wolf was a sleazy, manipulating pervert that preyed upon innocent young girls? Get ready for the XXX version of one of the most epic fairy tales of all time. Red Riding Hood XXX which stars Lexi Belle and was written and directed by Ashlynn Brooke. Young Red is off to visit grandma but Wolf has his eyes set on corrupting the little teen. Once Wolf gets grandma out of the picture, through the help of his sultry assistant, he’s finally able to have Red all to himself. The only catch is that Red is not quite as innocent as she looks.”
Rapunzel – An older costume flick from major studio Vivid.
The blurb: “Dayton lets her hair down! Paul Thomas retells the classic story of a girl, a castle, a prince, and a very happy ending. Go ahead — make a wish upon a star.”
Naughty Fairy Tales – A 2002 film starring Marily Chambers. An IMDB reviewer says the film features lots of slow motion in its sex scenes.
The blurb: “If you liked fairy tales as a child, you’re going to love them even more now because four classic stories have been given a modern re-telling that is strictly for adults. See Pinnochio, Snow White, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood as you’ve never seen or heard them before – with plenty of kinky encounters and erotic action that would make the Brothers Grimm blush. They may be pure and innocent young women in print, but in Naughty Fairy Tales, Cinderella, Snow White and Little Red are brought to life as luscious, hot-blooded beauties craving endless pleasure and sensual satisfaction. And just wait till you see what Pinnochio has up his sleeve. There’s no “moral” to these sexy, uncensored and unbelievable tales – just “immoral!” ”
Aurora Snow’s Perverted Tales – This is an older film, released in 2004 and it’s pretty hardcore.
The blurb: “Sin City exclusive Aurora Snow presents her own unique collection of the nastiest tales ever told…or as only Aurora could tell them. Lie back, relax as Ms. Snow takes you deep inside Never say Never land and introduces you to the wildest bunny in the forest (Flick Shagwell) who just loves to play with Mr. Hunter’s big carrot and stuff it inside the tightest little places Ms. Honey Bunny can find. Next, Lil’ Red Riding Hood (Aurora) gets her little ass devoured and d.p.’d by The Big Bad Wolf and his ever ready nephew. Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, its off to Mr. Clause’s secret apartment for Daphne’s lesson in anal gift giving…from the man himself. Then, deep inside the jungle, we encounter a Cock Wild Tigress (Charlie) whose need for fresh meat is well satisfied by the great White Ass hunter…the bitch is still howlin’. Next, we venture into the nasty realm of the Spider boys who trap a juicy little fly girl (Jasmine Lynn) and proceed to penetrate her nether regions like ass crazed eight legged jackhammers on speed.”
Malice in LaLaland – An alt porn version of both Alice in Wonderland books, rather dark and unusual.
The blurb: “An innovative Miss Lucifer Productions film shot on 35mm. Based on the two books by Lewis Carroll: Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, we stay true to a strange world and its even stranger characters. Malice (Sasha Grey) manages to escape from an asylum with the help of Rabbit (Stephen Powers). During her escape from Queenie (Andy San Dimas) and Jabbowski (Dirty Fred), she has the most sexy adventures ever.”
Alice: A Fairy Love Tale – A hardcore look at Alice in Wonderland.
The blurb: “Director Paul Chaplin invites you to look through the looking glass to find Alice (Stacy Saran) a tormented and housebound girl that dreams of escaping her surroundings. Lucky for her, she is transported to a strange land where she meets a set of none-too-bright twins (Kit and Kate Lee), talking cards, a white rabbit and an angry queen. Each encounter provides her with a new sexual understanding, and many new experiences.”
There’s quite a few other Alice in Wonderland-style porn films out there. Check out the list here for alternatives.
Throbbin Hood – I have no idea if this is any good but damn, it’s a good title.
The blurb: “That legendary bandit of adventure is now back in a modern-day setting, San Francisco, and his “fairy” tales are as straight as his arrow, dirtier and bawdier than the most filthy fables. In this city so gay by the bay, he has a job fencing off all the hard-up horny women looking for his kind of lance – a throbbin’, quivering piece of all male-magnetism. So, in between fighting and robbing from the villainous rich, he plunders and pleases the panting pretty poor.”
X Dreams – Another fairy tale compilation. As you can see from the cover, it’s an older movie, released in 1989.
The blurb: “Crystal knows she’s far-gone when she starts having X Dreams…sizzling sexual versions of these fairy tales. There’s a horny edition of “The Princess and the Pea”. Then “Little Red Riding Hood” teams up with a very naughty “Big Bad Wolf”. “Alice” goes to “Wonderland” and gets a lesson in lesbian lust from the “Red Queen”. And if that weren’t enough, “Hansel” and “Gretel” decide to eat each other instead of the gingerbread house! But don’t worry, like any fairy tale, everyone lives happily….er….hotly ever after!”
There’s also a gonzo series called Fetish Fairy Tales which features the giant-boobed Summer Cummings.
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I Recommend: The Expert Guide To Female Orgasms
Friday, February 25th, 2011
Last month I reviewed Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide To Female Orgasms for For The Girls and I’m overdue to talk about it here.
Put simply, I loved it.
It’s the latest in Tristan’s Expert Guide series in which she presents sex education accompanied by scenes of hot sex. The important thing is, the sex isn’t your usual porny stuff. Instead, the lovely porn stars demonstrate how to have good sex, the kind of stuff that results in female orgasms.
And by damn, if there’s isn’t a plethora of good sex female orgasms in this film.
Tristan gives a no-nonsense yet entertaining run down of female anatomy and psychology before discussing techniques. In between we’re treated to five different couples getting it on. The female stars were invited to choose their partners and are given the freedom to have sex however they like. On hand are a variety of sex aids including the ubiquitous Hitachi Magic Wand.
This film proves one thing: if you want to guarantee a female orgasm, make sure you have a mains-powered vibrator handy.
The sex ranges from very soft and quiet (Evanni Solei and Evan Stone) to playful and slightly rough – with anal (Adrianna Nicole and James Deen). There’s also a lovely scene starring Madison Young and Jiz Lee mixing it up with vibrators, dildos and lots of fisting. It’s good to see Vivid expand its boundaries and include a queer scene in there.
The other great thing about this film are the interviews with the stars. They talk honestly about what turns them on, how they masturbate, what it feels like to have an orgasm.
In short, The Expert Guide To Female Orgasms is fabulous. If you want to see porn that gives priority to female pleasure, respects its performers and delivers some seriously slide-off-your-seat sex, this film delivers in spades.
Please visit Porn Movies for Women for a selection of over 300 female-friendly films
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Fucking Is The Only Prayer – Trailer
Thursday, February 24th, 2011Fucking Is The Only Prayer - Trailer from Louise Lush on Vimeo.
I finally got around to making a short trailer for Fucking Is The Only Prayer which screens at Cinekink in New York on March 4 and is available in the member’s area of For The Girls.
The thing is, when your short film is only 3 minutes long, a trailer for it is kind of tricky. You don’t want to give the whole thing away; you only want to give a brief idea of what’s happening without spoiling it.
What’s interesting is that I’ve made my erotic film look a little bit like a sexy horror film in this clip. That’s not the intention but I found that I quite liked the result so I’ve left it as-is.
Rest assured, Fucking Is The Only Prayer is not a horror movie. It’s a sensual look at the spiritual side of sex – without reference to deities. An atheist porn film.
You’ll find more detail at my film site Indigo Lush.
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Liselle Bailey – Great New Female Porn Director
Monday, November 22nd, 2010A few days ago I reviewed Match Mates, a new gonzo erotic film from British company Joybear Films. I had met Joybear’s owner Justin last year in Berlin but this was the first of his films I’d managed to find time to watch.
I really enjoyed it. It’s a full-on gonzo film where the director and camera are part of the action. What makes it different is that the director is female. Liselle Bailey used to be a teacher (as the Sun breathlessly reports) and Match Mates is her first film. She brings a fresh approach to the whole gonzo deal and I found it much less sleazy than most other porn films of the same genre. Also, the porn stars all have lovely English accents and they laugh a lot. This is a fun porn film that’s also very hot.
It’s great to see another female director bringing her unique vision to adult movies.
You’ll find my full review of Match Mates at For The Girls.
You can find Match Mates at Joybear or at Ms Naughty Store or Gamelink
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Mainstream Movies Ignore Women: The Bechdel Test
Thursday, July 29th, 2010This great video details The Bechdel Test, which is a way of measuring how mainstream movies treat women. To pass the test, a movie has to:
(1) have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man.
The test first appeared in 1985 in Alison Bechdel’s comic Dykes to Watch Out For.
This site has a growing list of films that do pass the test. Films from 2010 include: Toy Story 3, Sex and the City 2 and, perhaps surprisingly, The Karate Kid. What’s more interesting is applying the test to your favourite movies. It makes you realise that the male point of view has become so normalised that we’re often blind to the marginalisation of women in films. Worse still, this whole attitude seems to be entrenched in Hollywood and is actually taught in film schools.
The idea of applying the Bechdel Test to porn films seems almost ludicrous; porn films are usually about one or more women “discussing” a man, nice and hard. Still, it’s another useful way of revealing just how male-oriented most porn can be.
via Erika Lust.
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Life Love Lust Preview
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010This is the trailer for Erika Lust’s new film Life Love Lust. As you can see it looks amazing – really high production values and interesting imagery galore. I think Erika’s films are the real future of porn: good quality, interesting stories, hot sex. And I also applaud Erika’s unapologetic determination to cater to straight women.
The official blurb is:
LIFE: After finishing the day in the restaurant they both work in, a chef and a waitress have an incredible encounter to celebrate his birthday. LOVE: A fourty-something executive seduces a young man she sporadically meets in a city hotel. LUST: Lola uses all her sensual body to give an intense skin on skin massage to a shy and lonely woman, driving her to the most pure extasis. LIFE LOVE LUST are three erotic audiovisual jewels by the acclaimed director Erika Lust. This DVD also features two awarded short movies about fetishism: LOVE ME LIKE YOU HATE ME and HANDCUFFS.
The movie is officially released on May 1 but you can pre-order it from the official site here and score extra goodies. You can also watch another trailer and view pics from the movie. Erika’s blog also makes for great reading.
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Sexy Short Films
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Since returning from the Berlin Porn Film Festival last October I’ve been working on a new site called Sexy Short Films. I’ve only updated it in dribs and drabs because finding, researching and posting the videos takes up a lot of time but I think it’s been worth the effort.
I’ve been holding off on launching it because I wanted to have a decent selection of films to start. There’s now 37 in the database. Not huge but a decent enough beginning.
The idea behind Sexy Short Films is to offer a form of online erotic film festival; an internet version of the fun I had in Berlin, essentially. These movies explore eroticism, sexuality and relationships in diverse ways. There’s a lot of humour but I’ve also included some darker and experimental pieces that can be a little unsettling. There’s not a lot of explicit sex to be had – almost all the short films on offer were available on Youtube or other free video sites so they tend to abide by the rather tame guidelines. Still, there’s plenty of sensuality to be had and more importantly, numerous arousing scenarios that stimulate the mind.
I’ve done my best to credit the creators and provide a link to their official sites. Also added Paypal donation buttons when the directors had them. I want to encourage directors who are daring to make smart films about sex.
I’ve also done my best to list all of the erotic film festivals that currently exist around the world. Hopefully I’ll be able to add more to the list.
The video above is called “Vibra Call”. It’s from Brazil and was directed by Esmir Filho. It’s a cute short film that features one female orgasm and no dialogue. Good times.
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My Films Showing At Cinekink New York
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Erotic film festival Cinekink New York is now into its seventh year and I’m very pleased to say that I have two films screening at the festival. That’s What I Like is showing at 11pm on Friday Feb 19th and my comedy short Paddling The Pink Canoe screens 1pm Saturday February 20th. It will be the US premiere of both films. TWIL will be screening with the premiere of Jennifer Lyon Bell’s new film Des Jours Plus Belles Que la Nuit.
The program includes a number of films I’d love to see just based on their titles. Whorrey Potter and the Sorcerer’s Balls, Great Humpkin, Flaming of the Shrew…
The other news is that For The Girls is a bronze sponsor of this year’s event. I’m pleased to get behind it and help get artistic and erotic films out to the public. Cinekink also did a cool thing by asking for sponsorship after the lineup of films had been announced. It meant that there was no conflict of interest involved which is why we’re not able to sponsor the Feminist Porn Awards this year.
Unfortunately I can’t make it to New York to be at the festival. I met festival co-ordinator Lisa Vandever in Berlin last year and she’s just fabulous. The cost of airfares combined with prior engagements mean I’m going to miss the fun. It’s really frustrating because I know it will be great.
So I can only suggest that my New York readers consider checking out the Cinekink site and going along to catch some great erotic movies.
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Ms Naughty On Twitter- msnaughty: RT @Mistress_Fiona: #feministhopes2012 Politicians & media stop assuming all women are interested in childcare - plenty of us do not hav ...
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