Thinking XXX (Extended Cut) Review
A companion to photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders book on porn stars, THINKING XXX is an entertaining glimpse into the world of porn from the actual porn stars who make it happen. The documentary itself, not surprisingly, is about the photographs, how they came about, why Greenfield-Sanders (a very noted photographer who has photographed presidents) was interested in porn stars, and what he is trying to show with his photos. This alone is worth watching. But it is not the best part of this dvd.
The best part comes in the extras, especially the porn stars themselves simply talking about their lives in the industry. Some of it is poignant, some sad, some hilarious, some pompous (with the award on that one going to Sunrise Adams, who we tells us, her voice full of self-importance, that she's "a
Also worthwhile are some of the commentaries. Gore Vidal making a buffoon of himself by blathering on about political theory a la some lefty professor who thinks he is more clever than he really is because of his ability to weave together disparate strings of social/cultural phenomena into some vaguely coherent whole, not recognizing just how loose his associations really are. Whitley Strieber comparing his ostracism as a UFO abductee to that of porn stars. Karen Finley talking on without realizing just how irrelevant her feminist viewpoint is to people outside her ideological bubble. Really, it's good stuff.
And then, also in the extras, some clips from the opening shows in New York and LA, where porn stars get to feel all mainstream by mingling with Ben Stiller and his girlfriend. I loved the part where Stiller's girl states to some porn star, "Oh, that's so great." Yeah, sure, if it's so great, break up with Ben and do porn yourself! Entertaining in that certain way in which we see the humor in completely different people trying to act like they're really all in it together, THINKING XXX, in addition to being fun viewing, reminds us why porn is more fun the less respectable it is. Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 06/13/2006 Rating: R
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Customer Reviews
Intellectualizing Porn - Bryan A. Pfleeger - Metairie, Louisiana United States
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders has photographed artists, rock stars, actors and presidents. In 2004 he turned his large format camara on another group of celebrities, porn stars. Choosing to shoot his models twice: once fully clothed once naked Greenfield-Sanders creates images that are both erotic and thought provoking.
This HBO documentary is essentially a making of feature for his book XXX:Thirty Porn Star Portraits. The stars are interviewed as they prepare for the shoot, at home and even in traffic. What the film does is make the stars real people. Some have great things to say about porn in our culture. They address race, AIDS, money making and the business aspects of porn. These are all stars of the industry and very few have anything negative to say about their chosen profession.
The actual film runs an hour in its extended version but the true worth of this package is the extended interviews with all thirty models. The interview segment run about two additional hours and features a lot of insights into the businesss of sex and those who are engaged in it. Also featured is about an hour of interview material with writers and cultural figures who try to explain the porn phenomenon. There is a photo gallery of Greenfield-Sanders work and some clips from the New York and LA gallery openings.
While this offering may not be for all tastes there is a wealth of cultural information here that is worth checking out.
Oct 06, 2010 06:01:04
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