THE ADULT FILM MINUTE: Once per month, Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals will be telling us a little bit about what’s going on in adult entertainment and why it should matter to you.
I know you all have been holding your collective breath since last month’s Part One, so without further ado and in no particular order (expect for the #1 Best Ever), here’s the second half of my Top 10 Favorite Pornos since 2010!
But wait, first let me pontificate for a moment…
According to Vince, I’m supposed to be more assertive/combative about my list – “Here’s my list, if you disagree with me you’re wrong. Wanna fight about it? BRING IT ON, YOU DICKLESS SH*T BALLOONS!,” etc. And to some degree, I agree. I’m willing to bet I’ve watched way, way (WAY) more porn than you, thus I know more. End of story.
But I’m also me – a 36-year-old lady sociology doctor, and myriad factors (including age, gender, etc) contribute to the bias inherent to all my assertions and opinions. So even though I can tell you that I’m basing my assessment of these films on smart-sounding things, like their social and/or cultural significance, the fact remains that even “significance” is subjective.
[In case you’re not picking up what I’m throwing down, there’s a little lesson happening here – all human creations (including lists) are biased because humans, who are all inherently biased, make all human creations.]
So like I said before, this is MY LIST. You probably have YOUR OWN LIST. And though your list is likely wrong, mine might be too. Enjoy!
(FYI – all these links are NSFW, except the ones to Marilyn and Johnnie)
A Wet Dream on Elm Street (2011) is high hilarity, complete with spectacular dialogue, clever cultural nods, and general silliness that will have you in tears. Even the basic premise is almost too much: In a little flashback sequence, we’re regaled with the horrifying tale of Freddy Fingers, some asshole who sold sex toys out of the trunk of his car. When his customers found out he was overcharging (!!) for knock-offs (!!!), Freddy was burnt from the waist up. How does this make sense? I have no idea, but the idea of vigilante justice for crimes against masturbation is fantastic. Obviously Freddy would eventually seek revenge, so two years later, he’s baaaack – fingering girls into unconsciousness with his four-dildo slangin’ love glove. It’s comedic genius.
Written and directed by Stormy Daniels, Wicked Pictures’ Divorcees (2013) is sexy, hilarious, and …empowering? Yes. In the film, three quirky single ladies – one freshly cheated upon, one generally over it, and one widowed – decide to go on a trip to L.A. to reclaim their mojo. Shenanigans ensue, which all amount to fairly well done porno rom-com. This, however, is not what makes Divorcees exceptional.
Divorcees explores progressive ways of dealing with life after. Because relationships often end, but what happens to “normal” people after their partner dies or their marriage breaks up? Divorcees explores this. Divorcees also shows women as friends – wft!? Maybe it’s just me, but over and over and OVER again it seems like all we see when we see stories about girlfriends is women in competition, women backstabbing, and women really hating each other But Divorcees doesn’t do that. And it was so refreshing to see ladies being friends without trying to kill each other. Finally, Divorcees shows grown women as desirable and desiring without being pigeonholed as cougars or MILFs. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with cougars and MILFs, but it was nice to see a sexy narrative starring women over thirty without all those extraneous underpinnings. Pure joyous gold!
Starring Marilyn “Ivory Snow” Chambers and Johnnie Keyes, Behind the Green Door (1972) has always made me a bit uneasy. Though many call it groundbreaking and amazing (and in many ways, it was), it always struck me as rapey and racist. The New Behind the Green Door (2013), however, expands on the original narrative, capturing some of its amazing elements, repairing some of the ‘70s-era damages, and giving us a contemporary story that’s truly gut wrenching and transcendent.
If you want to be a mega geek about it, watch the original, then watch The New Behind the Green Door, then watch the behind-the-scenes interview footage featuring Marilyn Chambers’ daughter McKenna Taylor and Johnnie Keyes – welcome to my world of thinkin’ about stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTcHQVMSByo
New Sensations has been bringing it so hard in recent years with amazing features. This spot on my list was a toss up between three of their titles: Torn, which will stretch the way you think about infidelity (seriously); The Sexual Liberation of Anna Lee, which hit way too close to home; and Emma Marx (2013), which ultimately wins because of its social and cultural significance. And hotness.
BDSM is so trendy right now thanks to that silly series of books. BDSM in real life, however, is anything but silly. It’s complex and rich, with history and community that can’t be captured easily. Consequently, depictions of BDSM start to lose their integrity when they’re targeting a mainstream audience. Emma Marx is exceptional because it’s both accessible (meaning, you don’t have to be a BDSM lifestyler to get it) and authentic, meaning it hits all the correct marks.
Elegant Angel’s Wasteland (2012) tells the tale of Anna and Jacky, two young women who were in an emotionally complex friendship growing up but eventually parted ways. After virtually no communication for five years, the film recounts their reunion over the course of one night. And holy goodness, will it destroy you (in a good way).
Wasteland is exquisite – part beautiful and joyous, part heartbreaking and painful, and thoroughly complex and intense. It’s a not-unfamiliar story about breaking away from unhealthy relationships. It’s also about the nasty competitive dynamic that can characterize some friendships (see above re what’s good about Divorcees) and the sad reality of pain that can come from not bending to social pressures. And the fact that it incorporates hardcore into the process of telling a difficult, intense story – a story that I don’t think could have been conveyed effectively otherwise – shows the wide and uplifting possibilities for film in general and for porn in particular. Wasteland is an incredible experience that will stay with you.
So there you have it – the best of the past four years! What do you think?
Chauntelle Tibbals is an embedded public sociologist. Her research has been published in numerous scholarly journals, and she has been quoted and cited extensively by cultural and news media outlets including CNN, VICE, and KPCC (NPR). Chauntelle has been studying the adult entertainment industry for more than ten years.
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