Thinking XXX

This documentary offers you an interesting look at porn actors and actresses. Instead of the superficial moving flesh they normally appear to be they now had a chance to show who's the person behind the personality. Both men and women from the industry prove to be more than just sex-obsessed people. Some admit looking at sex as strictly business, others claim to enjoy it but also perform differently on camera than in private. The movie itself is centered around a photographer who became famous for his pictures of movie stars and later on even presidents. His project which is shown in this documentary is to make a book with a nude and a dressed photograph of 32 porn actors and actresses. Some poses are directly derived from famous paintings and works of art, and the photographs are works of art by themselves as well. He uses a very special camera which is quite hard to use and rather big. It's interesting to see how calmly and professionally he "manages" his subjects, especially when he tells how at first he was quite uncomfortable with nude models.

bought the book first titled thinking xxx thirty porn portraits that features the industry's top performers and stars clothed and un-clothed by photographer and author timothy greenfield sanders. i bought the DVD a while later and thought it would interesting to see the book being borough to film. viewers looking for x-rated clips of their favorite adult stars will be disappointed as there is none but more a journey of sorts as the performers sit down for a frank and thought provoking interview where they discuss their trade. they talk about growing up and their childhood, how they got started in the business and how it as affected their personal and professional lives. i was more fascinated with the veteran performers from the 70s and 80s who had so many wild tales to tell. back than, sex on camera seemed more enjoyable, worry free and fun where there wasn't the scare of sexually transmitted diseases or the aids epidemic that hit the eighties and devastated the industry. recommended to those wanted to take a further peek behind the curtains of the adult entertainment industry.

Thinking XXX (2004)

** (out of 4)

Photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders directed this documentary taking a look at various porn stars who show up to be photographed with and without their clothes. Doing the shooting they discuss how they got into the business, their expectations for the future and countless other things. I must say that by the time this documentary was over I was extremely disappointed for a number of reasons but the biggest is that there should and could have been so much more done with it. Greenfield-Sanders released a book with these photos and this "documentary" really just seemed like a promotional piece for people to go out and buy the book. We start off hearing various stories about how these people got into the business and I think even those with the slightest bit of knowledge on porn will already know these stories. We learn that women get paid more than men and if a man really wants to make any cash it has to be in the gay porn industry. We learn about some abuse that goes on and we learn that ladies are often advised to take the show on the road as that's where the cash is. All of these stories have been dealt with in other documentaries so there's nothing new being told here. I'm guessing if you haven't seen other documentaries on the subject then perhaps you'll find this stuff interesting but by the thirty-minute mark I was growing more and more bored with the talk. Also, I do wonder how many actual porn fans are going to care about this book or the stories being told.

This film, though not life altering, is fantastic. I mean, it's just an interesting, surprising look at the industry. If you give it a chance, I believe that there is a lot that some of these stars have to say about themselves, the world and the industry. It's not like every last one of these girls and guys are Ivy-League material, but the relative handful in this film as articulate and intelligent.

If you're interested in the sex industry, from a sincere point of view, watch this. Totally worth a viewing, search it, find a way to see it, definitely an eye-opener.

3 1/2 stars

It is amazing to watch this show and see all of these very popular porn stars being interviewed and photographed out-of-character, as actors rather than characters in a porn video. Any Tera Patrick fan will be amazed to see how wholesome looking she is when she is not in porn makeup and a porn wig. After seeing this you will believe it when you hear that she was a pre-med college student before she started in the biz (it's true).

After seeing the show I bought the book that it is about, "XXX 30 Porn-Star Portraits", and it is as amazing as you'd think. The Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is a great photographer, and these are all great photographs. Also fun area all the essays throughout and the auto-biographical entries in the back.

Porn stars may be odd people, but they are real people, as you will find when if you watch this show and read (and look at) the book.