To critique an X-rated movie is similar to critiquing anything else. Of course, there are the same values of taste and aesthetic evaluation called forth from the reviewer, but since the reviewing of X-rated films has not been so widely and publicly exposed or even done, (as a R or PG movie) and since an X-rated movie deals with aspects of life that only appear in the light of public scrutiny when there has been some kind of scandal or crime, or one is dealing with the issue of 'Pornography', one is driven to reach primarily into one's feeling for the discriminative voice. There is not much tradition here. I am reminded of the saying; Culture is what remains when you have forgotten everything you have learned. So, forgetting everything, here goes:
 
I was asked to review two movies, Desire, by Andrew Blake, and Face Dance, part-I, with Rocco Siffredi and John Stagliano as Buttman. It was a particularly fortuitous combination of movies, as you shall see, for the tone and feel of each of these movies is so different and displays such a distinct picture of sexuality that to tell about either one encourages the telling of the other.

 

In Desire, Andrew Blake has created a visual-musical and emotional fantasy world of stages and characters. Based loosely around the idea of an art dealer, played by Zara Whites, who visits and witnesses or gets subsequently engaged with various artists whose work she is interested in. There are a series of sexual encounters involving both men and women and women and women in various combinations. There are the usual come shots where the men pull out of the women and then ejaculate on them. But the whole movie lacks any real passion or feeling. It is not that this is bad; it is just the style of the movie. The actors and actresses are all attractive, the costumes are exquisite, there are beautiful stagings and sets, the music is tasteful, and there is a sexy-sounding woman's voice providing narrative and story with a dubbed in heavy breathing accompaniment. It is a combination of Las Vegas and Opera. One never gets the feeling that any of the actors are really turned on, which is part of the style of the presentation. (Whether they are turned on or not is beyond the scope of this review.) But here lies the value of reviewing this particular movie along with Face Dance.

 

In Face Dance, directed by John Stagliano,  you have a sort of teenage enjoyment of sexuality. A sort of 'in your face, let's try this' type of scenario staged without a whole lot of deep thinking. It is loosely arranged around the story of Dario (Rocco Siffredi), the Italian porno-movie star coming to America to see his friends and act in a flesh film. It has the teenage fascination with sexuality, coupled with a story and presentation without any of the high romance of Desire.  There is a gang bang and a group orgy that both hold a great fascination, particularly because of the lack of direction of the actors. People are acting but there is a whole lot of realism going on as well for most of the actors. Rocco Siffredi brings a genuine sincerity to his simple, handsome Italian guy who loves sex and worships women. He is a genuine jewel in the realm of porno flicks. Many of the women seem that they are trying porno acting for the first time. I found this to only add to the 'fresh' quality of the movie. The orgy scene, which has the well-known director Bruce Seven as part of its audience, has a real high school party feel to it as well as some of the awkwardness associated with that stage of life. In the movie, even though everybody is uninhibited relative to sexuality, there is that silly feeling of embarrassment akin to when you are called to put on a skit in front of an audience with only five minutes of preparation. All of this, however, worked to the advantage of the film. 

 

If Desire is Las Vegas opera, this is a teenage docudrama, what Buttman, John Stagliano excels at. You believe and feel the sensations in Face Dance; the soundtrack is real, and the actors engage with each other and the audience. By the way, Face Dance received the best director, best cinematography, and best sex scene award from Adult Video News.
 
As for which is better? That's like asking whether you want to go to an opera or an orgy? They each have their season.