After Porn Ends 2 (2017)

the audience applauded

Simply A Masterpiece

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

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)

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 personal revelations. 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 seem to naively think that they can move on to mainstream careers without their porn careers 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.

I'm honestly confused on why this is even considered a documentary when in reality, it's simply random interviews with quite frankly has been adult film actors. The majority of these underwhelming interviews are just ex-adult film stars complaining how the industry is different than when the first started 20+ years ago. It's a no brainer that obviously the internet has changed the entire world. However each of these grudge holding actors seem to be incapable of understanding that simple aspect. Yes, pornography has changed to fit the more popular consumer however these stars are blinded by their unwarranted need for spotlight even after they have retired.

It's 2017, and they can't get someone more recently retired?? The first documentary was actually quite good and interesting,but this one just seem like it's made out of what was left on the cutting room floor. Ginger Lynn was an interesting interview too a certain degree.But it gets old really fast. The stars they have are too far in the past.I miss someone more relevant to the internet age, side of porn.After doing a little fast googling,you can see that it's more porn made for direct to internet, than the over the counter marked.But maybe those people didn't wanna do it,cause they managed to be forgotten by the world.And holds down normal life jobs.But still they should have found someone more relevant,to the current times. But mostly they dug up "old" pornostars,who seem very little relevant.To the internet age.They talk about box covers.(VHS/DVD.) for Christ sake. I mean c'mon, that marked is nearly goneThe one thing most of these girls have in common though,is that they quit the business.Than realize there is nothing for them out here,that pays that well as porn did.Or Nobody wants to hire someone from the porn business.And they sooner or later get recognized,and porn is the only thing that put food on the table.Go and watch the first one instead.Cause this was bad.