Many times in our lives we spend it eating our meals, but never really knowing how the meal is prepared. We never know how the sausage is stuffed, we never see the cow butchered, and “Pleasure” is, in a way, a look at how the cow is butchered for our entertainment. “Pleasure” isn’t so much an indictment of the porn industry, it’s more so a look at the rough and shoddy experience that is the porn industry and how much it can destroy someone that isn’t quite prepared for it. Our main protagonist Bella Cherry is a woman who will do anything to be a famous porn star, but the question lingers is how far is she willing to go to achieve that stardom?
Category Archives: Festivals & Events
Belle de Jour (1967) [LA&M Film Fetish Forum]
Luis Buñuel’s film is not just a celebration of protagonist Severine’s penchant for sadomasochism, but it’s also an examination of her desire for it. When we first meet Severine, she’s riding in a carriage with her husband. After some words are exchanged, he violently tears her off and drags her in to the woods. There she’s tied up, whipped, and savaged by his two coachmen, both of whom delight in taking advantage of her. We then see it’s nothing more than a depraved fantasy from a woman who is absolutely bored. As someone who is a part of the elite, who finds herself in the mountains at a ski lodge every weekend, she desires something so much more that money can buy.
Leather Archives & Museum Announces New Film Series “Fetish Film Forum” March-December 2023
The Leather Archives & Museum is thrilled to announce Fetish Film Forum, a new monthly screening series about non-normative sex, relationships, and art. These ten erotic films spanning nine countries and six decades are visceral explorations of fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM, kicking off in March with the whimsical Sundance winner Secretary (2002) and concluding with nunsploitation stunner Cristiana: Devil Nun (1972) in December.
Screenings are March-December, 2023, held the 3rd Saturday of the month at 7pm at the Leather Archives & Museum (6418 N Greenview Ave, Chicago, IL), and post-screening discussions are included with all screenings. Tickets can be purchased in advance through the LA&M’s website and cost $10 per screening, or $8 for LA&M Members with an active membership. A Season Pass to see all ten films costs $80 for General Public, or $70 for LA&M Members. General Admission tickets include a 30-day membership to the LA&M.
The Chromakey Man (2022) [CINEJOY 2023]
Success or the potential for success can be a harrowing prospect for any artist, especially when they’re faced with the specter of impostor syndrome. Told through a unique avenue, “Chromakey Man” is a pretty insightful look in to a man facing inevitable success in a field he’s been struggling in for years. The problem is he has to face whether or not he’s ready for that success, and that becomes an inner conflict for him.
Wayback (2020) [CINEJOY 2023]
Director and Animator Carlos Salgado’s “Wayback” is most appreciated as an experience more than a narrative feature and that’s fine. “Wayback” is a stellar and beautiful animated science fiction short that implements computer animation to unfold a tale about exploration and trying to save an alien world.
The Good, The Bad, and the Buggy (2023) [CINEJOY 2023]
I can’t say that “The Good, The Bad, and the Buggy” works as a short film, so much as a potential sketch for a web comedy. It’s a funny and cute sort of short film about parents being about as petty as humanly possible. One thing that hinders “The Good, The Bad and the Buggy” is that there isn’t any actual extrapolation as to why these parents are feuding with each other.
Space Race (2022) [CINEJOY 2023]
There’s nothing better than an inventive animated film that makes the most out of simple elements. Director and Writer Shane Dioneda’s animated short “Space Race” isn’t just a great, inspired space adventure, but it really feels like something that would have come out of the age when ATOM Films was a presence on the web (with a dash of Aardman for good measure). I mean that as the utmost compliment.