9to5: Days in Porn (2008)

You want to have a career in the porn industry? This documentary can show you how you could do that. Important is to be in the US, the country of all possibilities, specifically in California, in Los Angeles, there is the heart of the world's porn. The documentary introduces us in everyday lives of several porn stars, shows us their family life, they explain what motivated them to become actors, actresses, directors, producers, agents of the porn genre. The common denominator: money, fame and pleasure for real sex. But, is it really real? No, it isn't. It's just very profitable. What the film do not explain is why people need porn. Because it is a real crazy demand. Porn artists make billions of dollars, they have their own awards (Oscar equivalent), etc., just check their credits here on IMDb...

Some years back I watched the 'Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends'' crew visit The San Fernando Valley and The San Andreas Valley; CA., by appointment, to a behind-the-scenes of a gay-porn movie set. By the end of the segment Theroux asked one of the sex performers whether he was gay or bi sexual. The answer he gave was nothing short of a second or two on the 'Ol' Sparky'; 'I'm straight.' He said while getting on his 'Cannondale Mountain' and putting on a shiny blue headgear. Theroux did not say anything, but the guy saw his face and said, 'I make 3,500 an hour, that's probably more than you make in a week.' Then he rode off.The porn industry is worth a sweet twenty billion USD; annual, with an intricate and detailed distribution network for thousands of DVDs being made yearly; that, compared to how much material is being made and what is in it, brings up concerns when the filmmakers go to the office (made of mahogany lumber) of the AVN President, Paul Fishbein. He does not seem too happy about the independent 'porn pickets' being formed and sold with labels like Vivid, Elegant Angel, etc.The documentary introduces the main players to us in a Pop Culture manner, which is nice to watch and a relief from watching complex tales being unfolded. You see a performer getting ready (read: rectal examination) for a scene, speaking straight into the camera and wincing at times (we hear the gloved examiner apologize and say strange things in the back), and it cuts to the same performer in a glamour pose with her name and title on the top left. Names like; Sasha Grey, Mark Spiegler, Belladona, Otto Bauer accompanied with a title, like 'The Rookie' or 'The Professional, 'The Legend', The Pimp', et al.The movie shows you the money, the big houses previously owned by Hollywood stars, the parties in those houses. It only hints at drug abuse and tells us a tale of a 70's porn starlet who was raped by a fan and decided to leave the industry and become a doctor, Dr Sharon Mitchell. She runs AIM and offers all sort of treatment and advice to people in porn or those who want to join. It also shows us young women doing porn to pay off their college tuition or simply to have the time of their lives, if even only for a few years.It gives us a psychological yet an objective view of the inside (you get to hear some outlandish reasons for entering porn), where sex and money and glamour reign but those also happen to be the entrance to a tunnel whose other end opens to nothingness.It shows the girls being forced to 'do more'. In other instances, the girls are said to have not been informed of the nature of the scene (anal, bondage, interracial) but do not protest, being new to the sharks and the money and all that melodrama. As a matter of fact these beautiful yet mostly tormented people know that they are isolated from society because of what they do, yet they try and make their lives as close to normal as possible. The film shows some of the most gorgeous women who perform extreme sexual acts, filling gas, rocking their baby to sleep, buying grocery, getting penetrated by four well-hung African Americans as the husband or boyfriend watches with an empty and sometimes anxious look in the eyes. It's kind of like, 'bring spouse to work' day.The mood is changing throughout the film, with a rather desolate ending, or rather, endings as everyone goes their ways - they move on. The contrast is what brings surrealism to the screen. One minute you're watching a hardcore cream-pie scene (the works), where the lady is being treated like a dog and the next minute the same lady is on the phone with her mum, cooking dinner and taking advice. 'The real name of the film is "Extreme Violations", but don't let the ladies know that, yet.' Otto Bauer (adult performer/director) to his crew while they snicker away. Overwhelming and uncomfortable on many levels.

As an obsessive voyeur, I've often wondered about the people involved in making porn movies. This movie satisfies at least some aspects of my wonder. So, for that I appreciate this movie. However, I wish it were much longer so it could be more in depth as many questions are left unanswered. My biggest complaint is the numerous long useless shots of traffic with the radio on. WTF? Who cares? According to the special features there were many hours of footage not included. So sad and annoying that time is utterly wasted with scenes of traffic. If anyone knows the director personally, please smack him for this. Thank you. In short, this is worth watching as it is interesting- especially if you like the stars.

This film follows a group of adult industry types for about a year and most of them you ended up feeling sorry for. Even troopers such as Otto seem to be trying really hard to convince us that he is happy while his wife looks increasingly depressed throughout the film. While I was really looking forward to a documentary on the adult film industry, I felt this one did not measure up. In almost every case except for possibly Mark Spiegler, there were no happy endings. Everyone in the business did not truly seem happy with where they were and how their life ended up. Even Belladonna who seemed to love the industry and her role in it near the end of the film relents that she just wants to give it all up and find a beach somewhere. But then who does not no matter what their profession is? Sasha Grey wants us to believe she has herself together, but one has to figure her chances of becoming the next Jenna Jameson are slim to none. This film also pulls the fantasy rug out from under porn as well. Take for example the scene where Otto laments that he is covered in an abundance of lube and spunk. (He explains how the spunk gets in his hair). Talk about too much information. On the plus side, it was cool to see Nina Hartley and Sharon Mitchell again. Both seem to be very successful having moved on from porn.