Thinking XXX (Extended Cut) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Thinking XXX (Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, 2004)
I've been stepping up my watching of documentaries these past few years. Sort of a combination of feeling like too much of the time I spend in front of a screen is wasted and wanting to find out more about subjects that I know nothing, or little, about. It's not that much of a sacrifice when you've got stuff like this out there waiting to be seen. Celebrated photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, while taking the photos for his book XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits, decided to film the process as well. The result is a fascinating look at the people behind the porn, as it were.
One (or, at least, I) always expects porn stars to be nice, bubbly, somewhat vacuous. I know, prejudice is a horrible thing, but there it is. And to be fair, a few of the folks who get camera time here come off exactly that way. But the majority are quite another thing entirely. Everyone, by now, knows the Jenna Jameson story, how she went from being "just another porn star" to being one of the biggest movers and shakers in the adult entertainment industry. (One of the interviewees notes that the E! True Hollywood Story episode on Jenna Jameson was the series' most watched episode of all time.) that sort of drive, intelligence, and ambition is very well represented here, and by many more stars than Jameson. Yeah, there are a lot of naked bodies to look at, and they're aesthetically pleasing, but the flesh on display is not the only attraction here; these people, and the other commentators Greenfield-Sanders ropes in to give their opinions (among them Gore Vidal, Nancy Friday, Karen Finley, and John Waters), really have interesting stuff to say about the business, about their lives, about the cultural mystique that allows such an industry to become the billion-dollar juggernaut it is. These is good people, these is! (And I had no idea Nina Hartley was still making movies-- I remember her from almost a quarter-century ago. More power to her!)
As well as all that, there's what (I assume) Greenfield-Sanders originally set out to document, the art of composing the pictures themselves. He works on antique equipment, so this isn't just a documentary about point-and-shoot camera technology. Even if it were, his idea here-- portraits of the stars clothed, then nude, in the same positions-- required a lot of forethought, a lot of retakes, and, no doubt, a lot of patience from everyone involved. Ever wonder what goes into one of those big coffee-table books of photography? I have little doubt that what Greenfield-Sanders shows us is no more than the tip of the iceberg, but it's enough to get a person wondering.
Rent this, send the kids to bed, and watch it. Prurient interests aside, I think you'll learn something. This one was definitely not filed in the "wasted time" folder in my head. ****


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Studio: Hbo Home VideoRelease Date: 06/13/2006Rating: R

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Hairspray (Two-Disc Shake & Shimmy Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)`Hairspray' is a non-stop, exhilarating song and dance extravaganza. This exuberant remake of the John Waters' musical is funny, fast, and fabulous. Adam Shankman's direction is appropriately lilting in the right measure, but balanced with social commentary highlights. Unlike 'Dreamgirls,' there are no Oscar worthy performances, but the production is so fun there doesn't have to be. The entertainment is winning on every level, and, as for the songs, it never goes limp.
Once again we are transported to the early sixties in Baltimore, where flannel is uniform, Blacks and Whites are segregated, and beehives are in fashion. The plot is fairly simple: Overweight teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) wants to break the mold on her favorite TV program "The Corny Collins Show" (an "American Bandstand"-like feature) while discovering a more urgent need to end segregation on a show that only sometimes features "Negro Night". She gets her big break when teen singing sensation, Link Larkin (Zac Efron) makes advances that bring her to the stage floor. In the meantime, her success is challenged by the show's program manager, (played with overbearing skill by Michelle Pfeiffer) and her daughter, Amber, the show's reigning "Miss Teenage Hairspray," a nasty nemesis . Joining forces with her Afro-American friends, especially Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah) and dancer Seaweed (Elijah Kelly), she works for equal time on the dance floor.
`Hairspray' is set as perfect entertainment. John Travolta provides likable loopiness as Nikki's mother while he dances and cross-dresses his way into our hearts. The villains are nasty enough, and the sweetness pervades even amongst important demonstrations on key social issues. When it all comes down to balance, 'Hairspray' fills the bill.


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It's 1962, and change is in the air in Baltimore. Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion--to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show" and is transformed overnight from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can the trendsetting Tracy win the heart of teen-dream Link Larkin and stand up for what she believes in, despite the program's scheming stage manager? All she needs is her best friend Penny, a toe- tappin' beat - and a little HAIRSPRAY!

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A Dirty Shame (NC-17 Rated Theatrical Version) (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Many have accused John Waters of kissing up to the mainstream for the past decade or so, starting with "Cry Baby" and "Hairspray," with their less than shocking view of the world. Where, they cried, is the delightfully perverse brain that gave us "Pink Flamingos?"
Be careful what you wish for, because "A Dirty Shame" will bring it all back home. Perfectly cast, brilliantly acted and a total grossfest, this is the best and most outragous movie Waters has done since, well, "Female Trouble." Tracy Ullman and Chris Isaak play the Sticklers, a pair of "neuters" who are completely against all things sexual. A chance accident makes Ullman a sex-addict to the church of Johnny Knoxville (who finally proves himself a movie star here) and his merry band of perverts. If there's a fetish that can be exploited or made disgusting, you'll see it here.
There are so many laugh out loud sexploits here, that I can't even begin to describe them. You'll be wincing as you laugh, as the moments accelerate in the movie from funny -- to weirder and funny -- to beyond the bizarre. You'll hear Tracy Ullman describe oral behavior in so many ways that you'll lose track. You'll discover what a "bear" is. You'll see Chris Isaak leer so salaciously that you'll wonder what directions were being given behind the camera. And you'll hear so many hysterical 50's and 60's sexually oriented novelty songs that you'll be looking for the soundtrack by the end of the week.
A word of warning though. If you are in the least bit prudish, then "A Dirty Shame" will have you fleeing the movie in mortal terror. Now if THAT sounds like the kind of NC-17 rated 90 minutes of comedy that would delight you, then you need a little "Shame" in your life.

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Are you ready for a movie that puts filth right where it belongs? Then get ready to laugh with A Dirty Shame--the latest raunchy riot from director John Waters (Hairspray). When a concussion awakens the carnal urges of Sylvia (Tracey Ullman), the people of Pinewood become pitted against each other in a battle of decency versus depravity. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Feature commentary with John WatersDVD ROM Features:Documentary:"All the Dirt on A Dirty Shame" documentaryTheatrical Trailer:

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