After Porn Ends 2

I just read, that someone was not satisfied (no pun intended) with the selection of the retired porn stars chosen for this sequel documentary (I don't think there are many sequels to documentaries, although there is Inconvinient Truth part 2 too, so ...). But this is about getting to know what people go through, and there is actually one interesting part that has to do with protection being used and why porn stars may have a point in not using them.

There's also one particular star that you may not agree with, but the stories are interesting enough. And as with the first one, we do get an ending bit with more "recent" information on their lives and what they've been up to since the interviews had been conducted. But in the movie itself, this time around, you also get people who are in the business right now and their outlook on what they see in their future. Let's see if they add anything to the third one (nudity and more obviously included in this, but no explicit stuff)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Every porn documentary has something to say about this business, the people within, but the hard part is finding a nugget of truth you haven't already seen or heard before. Fun moments, a fair bit of tragedy, damaged people before & after. 'After Porn Ends 2' continues giving both sides of the table but a lot is old hat.

I've listened to Lisa Ann interviews the most of any pornstar and she always comes off bright, positive, well spoken. You're just never sure what's an image and she's versed in self promotion. That's what her appearance here captures as she was retired from the industry once again, doing satellite radio and releasing a book circa 2017.

I don't think it's necessary to run out the rest of the stories here, but needless to say it charts the usual courses. There were two standouts for me. One they give Darren James a podium to talk about his HIV diagnosis and moving on with life after. They allow him to tell the tale without any challenge. Second the new business model of ladies using porn to build a name with the ultimate goal of high priced escorting.

'After Porn Ends 2' doesn't have a strong narrative and maybe it's not supposed to. It's a bunch of soundbites, people's up & down struggles thru life and this industry about making a buck. This piece from director Bryce Waggoner is well edited and flows nicely, but I can't see anyone getting multiple views from it.

Ok, I think this is my first review of a movie here. This isnt going to be a professional review, maybe not even that well written, but I felt compelled after watching this and seeing other reviews.

Ok, I watched the first one, After Porn Ends, a while back and watched it again a few weeks ago. I was fascinated by their stories of things we would normally never see nor hear about. I mean after they leave the business, most people just forget about them and move on to others. Well I found it really intriguing to hear what they are now doing and how they left the business.

I dont want to make this really drawn out so on with After Porn Ends 2. Most if not all the criticism I see for this is their age. Oh they are showing old people who are retired and made their careers eons ago... Maybe this is where my age or consumption comes in. Im not old, 39, but im not young either. I grew up watching stars in this film, especially Chasey Lain. I recall just turning 18 and watching interview with a vibrator, which wasnt the best thing I'd ever seen, but it was ok and she was stellar. So shortly after I watched this, she actually had an appearance in a local strip mall and a friend and I went to it. She was so nice, funny and so down to earth. She signed a poster for me, took pictures...etc

That being said, she isnt new, she isnt a webcam girl or on one of the new internet sites. However for me, this is someone I knew, someone I watched, someone im interested to know where has she been, what has become of her after porn ended.

The devil is miss jones I had known about and was able to view many moons ago. I found it really neat to see her today and tell some of her story. This goes for all of them, even if I had never heard of them or their films, I personally felt really interested in everything they shared.

So, I found this film MUCH different then others did. I dont know what they were expecting really, its exactly what the title is and it showcases very very popular actors and actresses in the industry. Maybe the lack of nudity in some where people wanted to see more? If you want good stories, hear about some older (and not so much older) stars, this is a great follow up.

The follow-up to "After Porn Ends" might be better titled "Retired Porn Stars Briefly Reminisce." It's not quite as catchy as "After Porn Ends 2," but it's more accurate.

As with the first one, director Bryce Wagoner points his camera at a sampling of retired and semi-retired porn stars from the '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s and lets them tell their stories, most of which are brief and not terribly illuminating. A majority of the subjects fall into two camps: Thanks to porn, my life is GREAT! (Lisa Ann, Brittany Adams, Tabitha Stevens); and: So I made f--- films. What's it to you? (Georgina Spelvin, Ginger Lynn, Johnnie Keyes). Darren James, whose HIV diagnosis shut down (straight) porn production in 2004, has a story that's at once cautionary and inspirational. Chasey Lain, sounding and looking spent, does little more than gripe about the pay split at the Bunny Ranch. The saddest of the bunch is Janine Lindemulder, now living with her mother (or so it's implied), battling depression after a stint in prison for income tax evasion and losing custody of her daughter, and sporting more tattoos than a member of the Yakuza.

If Wagoner's first documentary didn't fully penetrate its subjects, "After Porn Ends 2" doesn't even get skin deep, with much of the documentary playing like a series of "Where Are They Now?" segments on "Entertainment Tonight." Spelvin has offered more insight to the porn business in the interviews she gave for 2005's "Inside Deep Throat," and Lynn (a.k.a. Ginger Lynn Allen), now an abstract painter, would've been better served by an update of her E! "True Hollywood Story" episode. Lisa Ann--who should really consider switching to decaf-- and Adams seem more more into self-promotion than self-reflection. Keyes, now a jazz musician, actually breaks down when recalling his abusive father, but diminishes the poignancy of that moment by making it clear he doesn't have a high opinion of women. Most frustrating is the segment on Lain, who talks about having interests outside of porn, but never revealing what those interests are. Her demeanor also suggests she's gone through some rough patches, but like her other interests, those are kept close to Lain's chest.

A few stray observations are made about racism and misogyny in the industry. Lisa Ann says she was told to avoid interracial scenes because they would hurt her career, advice that she ignored once she was no longer under contract. "All the company owners are secretly racist," she says. The only person to bring up sexism in the industry is a man, Herschel Savage, who says that with the exception of the performers, men in the porn business don't really like women. The women interviewed don't weigh in, preferring to talk about anal sex than sexist a- holes.

Peppered throughout this documentary are brief interviews with current porn stars. Though some appear to understand that performing sex on camera means that later they'll either have to go into business for themselves or, at the very least, move to behind the scene roles in the industry, there are a couple who naively think that they can move on to mainstream careers without their porn pasts following them. Someone should check back with them in a few years to see how that goes. That someone, however, should not be Bryce Wagoner.

This series exposed porn for what it is, a soul sucking industry. When you have talent blaming the world for living in a van, when they made millions of dollars, it's clear the issue is low intelligence combined with zero money managing skills. Any contract star or super talent in the industry should be able to make money, save money and retire.

A friend of mine danced for 4 summers and in each summer, she earned enough to pay tuition, rent on her apartment and have all the cash she needed to entertain herself. This was the 90's and I remember her telling me, I make almost $1,000 per night, and I'm a clean dancer, the girls that are dirty make 2-3 times as much.

What I find most funny about this series is 90% of the talent profiled end up back in the business. I am going to assume that is based on maintaining a lifestyle, but for some it could also be to maintain ego. Either way at the end of the day it reveals the "Problem with Pretty". Just because someone cleans up and looks sexy with porn hair and porn makeup, doesn't make them smart. Listening to some of these women speak, you are left with the impression they are high school dropouts.

Porn is the biggest collection of idiots, the industry generates billions, but production companies fold, and no one has anything to show for it. Leads me to believe the entire business is fueled by drugs.