I think i have already written to beware of Paul Thomas as his movies aren't not really exciting. This one sticks to my opinion in spite of having won a lot of awards ! First, i have always thought that making movies about movies is the emptiness of imagination ! Then, all the sex scenes are disappointing : they are badly framed and above all, they happen in unfit locations for sex : mostly sofa or a dinner ! Sure, Taylor is stunning and really appears to be one of the most beautiful woman ever with her original and distinctive traits ! In addition, she is really into this and doesn't act like a wood panel ! But she is not used with talent here even she is in total spotlight ! And to nail it, i thank very much the late digital technology as the image quality of the movie is just awful like all Vivid movies of that time : strange colors, dark cinematography !
2 Reviews
Phony and pretentious porno "cleverness"
lor_16 October 2018
Paul Thomas's scriptwriter Dean Nash stretches self-indulgence into new realms in this ridiculous combination of a pornographer's navel gazing and attempts at ridiculous plot twists. Along with its sequel, it's designed to please fans of false endings and pseudo-cleverness.
Of course the porn industry awards for the year made it out to be "Lawrence of Arabia" or "West Side Story", a reflection on how dubious these accolades are. In reality it should have won Adult Cinema's version of the Razzies.
PT is the central character, cast as a great porn director who is seeking truth, spontaneity in his films and above all players "living in the moment". That and a score of other cliches form the backbone of Nash's script, which PT manages to make worse with lousy direction. (Get those award trophies ready!)
It's something of a vehicle to then-current top Vivid contract player Taylor Hayes, whose beautiful face and body are on display but whose acting is quite poor here. She's a hayseed actress traveling to L.A. with her boyfriend/manager/director Dale DaBone and their trusty (up to a point) cameraman Voodoo, on the invitation of PT based on submission of an X-rated audition tape.
The corny tale of being exploited and manipulated in the Entertainment Capital is as old as those 1930s exploitation films Hollywood used to crank out, and Nash merely uses it to provide PT with a soap box concerning his views on how the Adult industry has deteriorated. Of course gonzo and all-sex content has made PT's vaunted feature films passe, but "Fade to Black" merely underscores this fact.
Dale DaBone is a talented actor, but PT has him so shrill and one-note in the paper-thin character Nash has created (selfish and always looking out for Number One at the expense of Hayes) that his performance is tiring and horrible. The sex scenes are poor, and poor Julie Meadows is stuck playing her usual anal-sex specialist, given a mind-numbing ton of verbal exposition late in the show to explain exactly what us simple-minded viewers may have missed in the heavy-handed previous scenes.
Staging of the various false-endings is extremely poor, with zero credibilty created. I was able to guess Nash's key plot twist a mile away, and sure enough, the sequel made four years later by the team is even worse.
Of course the porn industry awards for the year made it out to be "Lawrence of Arabia" or "West Side Story", a reflection on how dubious these accolades are. In reality it should have won Adult Cinema's version of the Razzies.
PT is the central character, cast as a great porn director who is seeking truth, spontaneity in his films and above all players "living in the moment". That and a score of other cliches form the backbone of Nash's script, which PT manages to make worse with lousy direction. (Get those award trophies ready!)
It's something of a vehicle to then-current top Vivid contract player Taylor Hayes, whose beautiful face and body are on display but whose acting is quite poor here. She's a hayseed actress traveling to L.A. with her boyfriend/manager/director Dale DaBone and their trusty (up to a point) cameraman Voodoo, on the invitation of PT based on submission of an X-rated audition tape.
The corny tale of being exploited and manipulated in the Entertainment Capital is as old as those 1930s exploitation films Hollywood used to crank out, and Nash merely uses it to provide PT with a soap box concerning his views on how the Adult industry has deteriorated. Of course gonzo and all-sex content has made PT's vaunted feature films passe, but "Fade to Black" merely underscores this fact.
Dale DaBone is a talented actor, but PT has him so shrill and one-note in the paper-thin character Nash has created (selfish and always looking out for Number One at the expense of Hayes) that his performance is tiring and horrible. The sex scenes are poor, and poor Julie Meadows is stuck playing her usual anal-sex specialist, given a mind-numbing ton of verbal exposition late in the show to explain exactly what us simple-minded viewers may have missed in the heavy-handed previous scenes.
Staging of the various false-endings is extremely poor, with zero credibilty created. I was able to guess Nash's key plot twist a mile away, and sure enough, the sequel made four years later by the team is even worse.
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