24 Jan The Convergence of Sex and Violence

Gun violence in movies and media is a hot topic. Just ask Robert Redford, who devoted part of his opening address at the current Sundance Festival to this issue. In his address, Redford frames the question in terms of social responsibility. Questions concerning sex, specifically sex...

24 Aug Film Fund-amentals: The Post-Porn Industry

When Fred Willard recently got busted doing his fly-fishing impersonation, the news story contained an amazing tidbit. There is actually a porno theater still in operation somewhere in the United States. Goodness! This half-dilapidated joint is virtually a museum piece. Heck, the whole concept of a porn theater is such a relic, I'm half surprised that Willard doesn't tell the court that he was simply working as a re-enactor. Just like those folks in Colonial Williamsburg. The porn industry has long been a bellwether of trends in the commercial film industry. A major example of this was the lead porn took in jumping into the video home rental market back in the 1980s. The format war between VHS and Betamax was not determined by porn. The industry went both ways and was primarily focused on moving big time into the home market, period. The reason was simple.