Friday, January 27, 2012

CineKink Announces Kinky Line-Up for Ninth Annual Festival

CineKink NYC returns for its ninth annual appearance on Tuesday, February 7th, bringing with it a specially-curated program of films and videos that celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, plans for the festival also include a short film competition, presentations, audience choice awards, a fund-raising kick-off gala and a concluding afterglow party.

Billing itself as "the kinky film festival," the event will run February 7-12, 2012. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works presented at CineKink NYC will range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between.

The kink-filled festivities begin Tuesday, February 7th, at 8 PM, with a fundraising kick-off extravaganza to be held at Katwalk (2 W. 35th Street), a pansexual celebration that, in addition to music and sexy performances, offers several cinematic gems up on the screen.

The festival then moves to Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Avenue, NYC), Wednesday, February 8 through Saturday, February 11, with several different film and video programs scheduled for each day. An awards celebration and an AfterGlow party complete the festivities on Sunday, February 12.

WEDNESDAY
Among the headliners, first up on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:00 PM, the festival's CineKink Season Opener screening of CABARET DESIRE, inspired by New York’s real-life Poetry Brothel, weaves together several erotic vignettes. Then, at 9:00 PM, AFTER FALL, WINTER is a sexy, funny and darkly poignant story about two people who desperately crave intimacy, yet resist revealing their true selves.

THURSDAY
On Thursday, February 9 at 7:00 PM, it's (A)SEXUAL, a documentary look at what it’s like to be without sexual desire in a society that is otherwise obsessed. Then, at 9:10 PM, KINK & KINSHIP is a program of short works that celebrate the special sense of community a shared kink tends to engender.

FRIDAY
On Friday, February 10 at 6:30 PM, the lives of several people are turned upside down when they meet Cecile, a character who symbolizes DESIRE. At 9:00 PM, COUPLINGS is a sexy collection of shorts about two-somes, three-some and more-somes. And in SEXUALLY FRANK, at 10:40 PM, a group of long-time friends finds that sex is no less befuddling now than it was during puberty.

SATURDAY
Kicking off Saturday, February 11 at 12:30 PM, many hijinks ensue in SWEET PRUDENCE & THE EROTIC ADVENTURE OF BIGFOOT, when the mythical beast is spotted at a remote nudist resort. At 2:45 PM, a special industry showcase, BRING IT!, features a dazzling array of talent from today's adult cinema, all stepping up with a hot sampling of their recent creative endeavors. At 5:00 PM, STAGE BROTHER follows the quest of a young woman who dreams of making it in the world of adult entertainment. At 7:15 PM, in SIRWIÑAKUY, two Bolivian strangers participate in their own kinky version of a sirwiñakuy, an indigenous tradition where a man brings home a trial “wife.” And, closing out the festival's regular screening schedule at 9:45 PM, the romantic drama “3” tells the story of Hanna and Simon who, on the brink of their 20th anniversary, separately become enamored with the same younger man.

SUNDAY
CineKink NYC concludes the evening of Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 PM, with an Awards Celebration, including encore screenings of jury-selected best shorts from the week and presentation of the annual festival awards, to be followed at 9:0O PM by the CineKink Afterglow Party, one last chance to mingle with like-minded festival-goers and enjoy a few additional screenings, this time in a relaxed play party setting. The locations for both events will be announced at a later date.

For more information and advance tickets, visit www.cinekink.com.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cashiers du Cinemart 17 - Call for Entries

I've gotten some questions if there's ever going to be a Cashiers du Cinemart 17. Why not? The last issue worked out well in terms of print-on-demand (not so much on the hand-printed issues as I have yet to get those all stapled, folded, and mailed).

Do you want to be a part of CdC #17? Here's the breakdown of what I'd need when:

  • Idea/pitch of what you want to write about by 2/29/12
  • Rough draft by 5/31/12
  • Final version by 7/4/12

Don't forget that I'm a fairly harsh editor. I take a lot of pride in what goes into each issue of CdC -- except when it comes to my own shameless stuff.

Send your ideas/pitches to mwhite at impossiblefunky dot com. Just beware of my spam filter.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Orgasm Inc. (Elizabeth Canner, 2009, USA)

It’s no secret that the pharmaceutical companies are cash-laden, corrupt entities but it’s still sobering to see them in action in Elizabeth Canner’s documentary Orgasm Inc.. After the phenomenal success of Viagra, it was a cinch that what was good for the goose should be good for the gander. And, suddenly, a new disorder was discovered. Women who had unrealistic expectations about orgasming via vaginal intercourse or who maybe weren’t even always in the mood weren’t just “normal,” they were suffering from FSD – Female Sexual Dysfunction, a disease defined by the drug companies.

Canner was given a gift. She was brought in by the company Vivus to document their quest for a “Viagra for women.” Their product, Alista, was one of several being developed. Canner demonstrates the “race for the cure” via a clever visual metaphor of several anthropomorphic products running across an expansive bed, trying to reach the goal of FDA approval.

Along the way, Canner demonstrates the fallacy of FSD by looking into the way questionnaires are manipulated to provide the answers that make 43% of women seem abnormal while ignoring the hard facts that women exposed either product or placebo both responded favorably to pornography! Canner also features a brief history of female sexual stimulation (a la Passion & Power: The Technology of Orgasm) and interviews with several sex therapists including shyster Laura Berman who’s been on Pfizer’s payroll doling out Viagra to women despite the FDA’s discouragement. There’s also discussion of female sexual plastic surgery which could be a documentary unto itself.

In all, Canner brings to light a shameful scenario in which a cadre of drug companies works hard and spends untold millions of dollars, banking of a huge payday for a disorder that doesn’t exist. Imagine if this same time, effort, and funds were spent on a real disease! Alas, that just isn’t as lucrative or as sexy.

Buy the DVD.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Downsized!

I don't like saying that I was "fired." That implies that I did something wrong. Maybe I did but it wasn't just my head on the block last Thursday. It was a number of people. How many? I'm not quite sure yet since I wasn't there.

I don't like saying that I was "laid off" as that implies that I'll be called back. There's no other word for it that "downsized," I suppose.

You see, it was my first day of vacation. Well, "staycation," really. Andrea and my Mom headed off to Hawaii that morning while I stayed at home with our three dogs and my Mom's two. I had plans of hanging out, watching movies, doing some writing, and taking the occasional phone call from work to keep my project there on track. I had brought home my work laptop in anticipation of some documentation updates.

When the phone rang and my boss's name came up I knew something bad was about to happen. Ever since I came back to work after my layoff in 2010, I'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I thought that I was going to be able to make it through the current round of cuts, especially as my supervisor kept saying, "Oh, there's nothing to worry about. We've proven just how valuable we are and have so much work coming down that we're safe."

Despite these assurances, I still put two and two together when the phone rang. I'm not sure just how many other people got let go that day but maybe I'll find out Tuesday when I bring my laptop back to work and sign my separation paperwork.

Oddly, things haven't sunk in yet. Maybe because I was in vacation mode. Maybe when next Monday, the day I was supposed to return, rolls around it'll hit me.

I'm trying to take it all in stride and look at the positive things like being able to dedicated more time to a few book projects, my podcast, and some other things. And then the job hunting begins...

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Indy Fix

Mr. Plinkett has given us a new review of Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I always appreciate these dissections.

Part 1

Part 2

Also, be sure to check out Raiding the Lost Ark: A Filmumentary -- full-length documentary about Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Get more parts as they're available at Vimeo.

More fun stuff:
When George Lucas Had Talent
Jonesing for the New Indy Film (Revised in Impossibly Funky).