1/9/2009 5:37 PM
posted awhile ago
HUMPDAY and amateur porn
Is the amateurs-making-porn genre here to stay? Perhaps as long as porn is around? Humpday reminds me of a few films I've seen over the last few years. The description makes me think I'll either sort of like it or really, really hate it. Either way, I'd like to see it.
Nutshell pitch: two old college buddies who are prone to one-upsmanship dare one another to enter an amateur porn competition. They eventually decide their best chance to win is to have sex with one another. This isn't about being gay, they say; this is art.
I'm interested in Humpday for a lot of reasons. For one thing, the writer/director (Lynn Shelton) is a woman, so I'm excited to see how she handles this story that seems to be primarily about men. The Sundance description ends, "her craft shines brightest when our two gentlemen finally get down to the task at hand: creating a classic 'wriggle in your seat' moment of truth."
That reminds me of another film about amateur pornographers called Dear Pillow (2004), which was overflowing with such 'wriggle in your seat' moments. I liked Dear Pillow more than The Amateurs (2005), but The Amateurs had some merit too. Both films are interested in how creating pornography can affect the relationships of those involved. (I haven't seen Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but I've heard that theme's in there, too.) Dear Pillow went further than The Amateurs by looking at how merely consuming pornography can affect one's relationships.
I'd love to hear from anyone who sees this movie at Sundance--is it just a re-tread of these older films? I doubt it. Another thing I don't know is whether all of these recent films are just retreading older amateurs-making-porn films. Have you guys seen older movies about pornographers?
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