Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Kinky Film Festival...

My memory could be better.

On the plane to New York I attempted to make a list of the times I've been to the Big Apple and realized that this was my sixth time visiting NYC. Movies really helped secure the past trips in my head. I could recall trips to the Angelica to Safe, the Film Forum to see Foxy Brown, the Sony Lincoln Center to see The Wild Bunch, the Pioneer to see Night Mother, the Lincoln Center to see The Woman Chaser... it was only the last trip, a whirlwind tour of the city with Andrea, where I didn't go to a movie.

My first trip to New York will always remain the one I remember most; going there in 1995 for the New York Underground Film Festival where Who Do You Think You're Fooling? screened at the Anthology Film Archives. Coincidentally, the CineKink Film Festival also screened its selections at the AFA.

Recalling the bluster of NYUFF '95, I was surprised that CineKink screenings weren't standing room only. Here is a festival showcasing films that are could be considered subversive and potentially controversial. I suppose the differences between the films and CineKink and those at most "Underground" festivals was the lack of a sophomoric attitude towards sex and a dearth of violence. Too many "Underground" films that I've suffered through enjoy a bevy of boobies often drenched in fake blood. There were boobs galore at CineKink but no blood and no schoolboy attitude of "aren't I dirty?"

That's not to say that the CineKink films were without humor. From the toe-tapping The Pinky Song to the wonderfully quirky Hungry for Love, several films mixed comedy and sexual themes. I also had a lot of laughs during Yoni Marten's Flaming of the Shrew--a film where it didn't take much for one of the actors to take one another over their knees for a good old-fashioned spanking.

When I got into town for the second full night of CineKink, starting with the "Kinda Kinky?" program, I immediately thought I was in trouble. The program opened with Nathan Strausse's "Tied"--a self-indulgent, slow-moving series of shots of a comely woman tied up on a bed. If this defined what CineKink, I knew I was in trouble. Luckily, Strausse's work proved the exception to a strong program and intriguing slate of films.

As part of the jury for CineKink 2010, my biggest challenge had to be trying to figure out my criteria for rating one film higher than another. Was I looking for quality of production? The merits of the film's narrative? Or did films that gave me an erection automatically get extra points?

Different strokes for different folks, of course. The subject matter of CineKink ran the gamut from informative documentaries (Wes Hurley's Waxie Moon) to goofy gay porn (Dominic Ford's Whorrey Potter and the Sorcerer's Balls). Most of the fare ranged from fun to downright "bonerific" with only a scant few duds in the mix. I wasn't a big fan of Carlos Batts's Behind the Red Door -- the use of two music tracks that repeated throughout made this long-winded lesbian scene even more interminable. Nor did I care for Tinto Brass's Kick the Cock.

It follows that I enjoyed the films that won awards at the festival since I helped vote for them. The one entry that didn't win an award that I thoroughly enjoyed, Madison Young's Perversions of Lesbian Lust 2, is one I'll be looking for on DVD soon.

I'll definitely remember the fun I had at CineKink.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

CineKink Announces Award Winners at Annual Kinky Film Festival

NEW YORK, NY; February 23, 2010 - Rounding out multiple days of screenings and parties in its sixth annual appearance, organizers for CineKink NYC/2010 announced the recipients of awards in a range of categories during the film festival's closing celebrations held on Sunday, February 21, 2010.

"The audience and jury response was particularly enthusiastic this year," noted Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director, as she presented the awards. "We had a record set in the Audience Choice award ratings for 'S&M Judge' and the rankings on our selections were generally high across the board. My thanks to all of the filmmakers for allowing us to share their amazing works."

Audience Choice Awards were given to "S&M Judge" (Erik Lamens) for Best Narrative Feature and to "My Sexuality: A Sensory Experience" (Felicia Giouzelis) for Best Documentary Feature, with an Honorable Mention award going to the documentary "Waxie Moon" (Wes Hurley). The choice awards were determined by audience ballot just following each eligible film's screening during the festival.

In the shorts competition, juried festival awards went to "Walking the Dog" (Luigi Campi), "Balloons" (Charles Nuckolls) for Best Documentary Short, "Handcuffs" (Erika Lust) for Best Experimental Short, and to "The Pinky Song" (Rick Ferguson) for Best Music Video. Honorable Best Mention awards were presented to "Coverage" (Jef Taylor), "Hungry for Love" (Ruckus Skye) and "The Sheep and the Ranchhand" (Loretta Hintz).

Determining the shorts awards, CineKink jurors this year included Viviane, ring-leader of the sex blog "Viviane's Sex Carnival," Mike White, editor and publisher of the independent film-focused "Cashiers du Cinemart," Lolita Wolf, a BDSM educator and activist who also blogs as "Leather Yenta," and Bill Woods, a film festival programmer and curator of the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives.

The CineKink Select, an occasional festival award recognizing artistic innovation, was presented to three films this year, going to "Modern Love is Automatic" (Zach Clark) and "Anti-Samaritan Hotline" (A. Tad Chamberlain) for Creative Vision, and to "Libidoland" (Julie Keck and Jessica King) for Outstanding Viral Achievement.

The first-ever CineKink "Bring It!" award, determined by audience ballot during a presentation of excerpts showcasing current adult cinema, went to "Tristan Taormino's Rough Sex" (Tristan Taormino).

The CineKink Tribute, recognizing extraordinary depictions of kink and sex-positivity in mainstream film and television, was presented to "American Swing" (Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart/Magnolia Pictures, 2009), a documentary about the infamous Plato's Retreat, for its "humorous yet respectful look back at a particularly free-wheeling time and place in America's sexual history." Honorable mentions for the CineKink Tribute went to the television series' "Dollhouse" (Fox), "Gossip Girl" (CW) and, for the second year running, "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS). Works eligible for consideration this year were those released or aired in the United States from January 1 until December 31, 2009.

Making its seventh annual run February 16-21, 2010, CineKink NYC featured a specially selected program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event is dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television. With offerings drawn from both Hollywood and beyond, works presented at CineKink NYC ranged from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between. Sponsors of CineKink NYC/2010 included B-Side Entertainment, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, Njoy and Soho Journal, along with Tied-Up Events, For The Girls, Hot Movies For Her, OMG!, Pink/White Productions, Scarleteen, Shelly’s Toy Box and Wet International.

Selections from CineKink NYC will be featured in a traveling version of the festival, slated to appear in various cities throughout the coming year.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Just About There...

I've managed to list online just about everything I have to sell, with the exception of a few hundred Asian movies which I have yet to dig into!

I've put nearly everything up on eBay - http://bit.ly/66IgP8 and Amazon - http://bit.ly/5Lf0pM. It's amazing to see what some of these things are going for on Amazon. I'm selling some things for $10 that other people want $100 for. Nuts! Just get it out of my house!

Monday, February 08, 2010

CNR

"Weird Al" Yankovic's tribute to the great Charles Nelson Reilly - from the "Internet Leaks" EP. Video directed by JibJab.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

March is Mike White Month

It's official... March is Mike White Month.

March 5 brings the premiere of Larry Withers's David Goodis: To A Pulp to Philadelphia. I've not seen the final cut yet but I've been assured that I'm in it, pontificating about the film adaptations of Goodis's work. For details on the premiere screening check out DavidGoodis.com. And, if you can't make the premiere, the documentary is (available on DVD).

The People Vs. George LucasThe SXSW Film Festival of March 12-21 brings the premiere of The People Vs. George Lucas by Alexandre O. Philippe. The documentary plays as part of the Spotlight Premieres and I've been told that I'm also in this film, ranting about the criminal treatment of Star Wars by its creator. For more information about the film visit PeopleVsGeorge.com.

Please be sure to support these projects!