Week Ending 19th August, 2001	Page 2 1
Gone In 48 Hours : Here Come The 'Instant Blockbusters'	posted 15 Aug 2001
With the number and size of cinema multiplexes increasing, so too are audiences for the opening weekends of movie blockbusters. In an effort to capture this crowd, Rick Lyman argues that more emphasis will be placed on disposable, big-budget films that rake it in in their first weekend then 'vanish'... Which throws an interesting light on Paramount's recent attempt to stop reviews being published before movies open... The next step, I suppose, is to delay the reviews till after the opening weekend. Then it doesn't matter what's said - the money's made, the stinker's closed, and the next one's on its way... Your thoughts?
Whores, Damned Whores And Film Critics	posted 15 Aug 2001
In the wake of controversies over cash-for-reviews, Sony has admitted that they went even further and actually used reviews from an imaginary film critic to promote films like A Knight's Tale and The Animal... The gall of these people! If you're like me and news like this makes your blood boil, then what you need is a good stiff swig of The Filthy Critic! Here's a sample - it begins with an aimless ramble about butch-dyke night at Mr Filthy's local pub, and eventually turns into a bile-smeared bludgeoning of Planet of The Apes... Let's see those studios buy this guy out! (And for the final word on this matter... here's Dilbert. Thanks to Anthony for this.)
Web Cam Girls : Who's Exploiting Whom ?	posted 14 Aug 2001
Salon.com reports that girls as young as 14 and 15 are setting up web cams on their web sites, and promising to 'show a little skin' if their viewers agree to buy them presents that appear on their amazon.com wish lists... This so-called 'whoring for hits' trend has even spawned its own web-based reality-TV show, Survivorcam, which proudly boasts the slogan: 'Outpose. Outshine. Outwhore'... Is this a case of teenage girls taking control of the 'bargaining power' of their sexuality, or just 'the newest form of prostitution'?... Your thoughts?
Not Suitable For TV : Censored Cartoon Moments	posted 14 Aug 2001
Here's a fascinating guide to scenes that were cut from classic Warner Bros, MGM and Paramount cartoons because they were deemed 'inappropriate' for television. The scenes generally depict racist stereotypes, extreme violence or self-destructive behaviours, like suicide or drinking gasoline...
ScreenWorks 2001 : Call For Entries	featured on Celluloid Dreams
ScreenWorks Film Festival, an annual event that showcases new Australian and international short films, is calling for entries. This year's theme is PROTEST! The theme can be interpreted in any way you wish, and the films can be in any genre - so long as they are less than 16 minutes in length. Entries close 21 Sept 2001, and the festival runs from 22 - 28 Oct 2001, in Manly. Check out the website for more information. (thanks to James for this)
Anthony's Movie Of The Week	featured on Celluloid Dreams
The spiel on the recently released DVD (US only, I think) sums it all up nicely : An Italian nunsploitation epic in which a demented Mother Superior and a rabid collection of mentally disturbed and sex-crazed sisters who lose their habits and morals with equal gusto... Originally produced in 1973, it's called The Sinful Nuns Of St Valentine and it's screening on SBS on Saturday night at 10pm.
Celluloid Wet Dreams	next week on Celluloid Dreams
OK folks, get ready to awaken the bacon and go for a row with the little man in the boat... Because next week, Celluloid Dreams will be devoted to all things XXX... There'll be interviews with porn movie directors, and James will give you a history of the X-rated film. BYO grubby raincoat... To get you in the mood, I'm reposting a couple of the more salacious pieces that I've come across in the last fortnight...
Do You Remember Your First Time... ?	first posted 3 Aug 2001
We were preppy girls. Protected girls. We still burst into hysterical laughter at the word "penis".... So on her friend Maggie's birthday, Emily decides to learn about the 'ways of the world' by watching her first porno... An amusing little piece from Salon.com... In a similar vein and also on Salon.com - Denise Bostrum talks about her experiences as a script girl working on 'Big' John Holmes films in the 70's.
Midsummer Night's Cream: Shakespeare Goes XXX	first posted 8 Aug 2001
I found this article in - of all the places - Lingua Franca, a self-proclaimed on-line 'review of academic life'... It deals with an emerging trend in porn filmmaking - adaptations of Shakepeare's plays. In it, the writer speaks with Prof. Richard Burt, the leading scholar in this field. (Prof. Burt is also a bit screenwriter on the side, and claims to have penned the first ever lesbian adaptation of Taming of The Shrew. He's got a website too, and guess what that's called?... www.naughtyprofessor.com !)
Child Porn : Would Harm Minimisation Work ?	featured on Celluloid Dreams
On a much more serious note, Daz asks whether some type of harm minimisation approach - like that which is advocated to deal with the dangers of drug abuse - might work in relation to child pornography. Basically, she argues that the market for child porn will always be with us, so rather than prosecute audience and producers - and so drive them 'underground' - why not decriminalise and regulate? Where would the harm minimisation come in? By replacing live under-age actors with computer-generated ones... You can read the full text of this proposition in the 'Censorship' posting on the message board. Just click on HAVE YOUR SAY.
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