The Notorious Bettie Page

This is has been on my list for a long time and I finally procured a copy. I was reluctant to see it, since I heard it was not very good, but being that Bettie Page is such an iconic cult object to a fetish/BDSM crowd, any movie would likely be sub par to such elitists.

I do not know much about her life, but rather enjoyed the movie. Gretchen Mol looks so damn good as Bettie Page, I'm not sure why she bothers with Gretchen. Disturbing to me was the gang rape sequence since I cannot find anything regarding if this actually happened.

It is striking to me that as a fetish model, so many of her photos are of her smiling. Even though much of her style has been endlessly copied, I still cannot think of many modern fetish models who smile in their photographs. I'm always smiling in photo shoots--I have a lovely smile and no one ever sees it. Photographers are always telling me to look stern and serious, but I'm having too much fun, especially if there is another Lady involved.

As for the movie, I love the way it was shot--mostly in black and white, then sometimes in color, but still keeping the same tones and saturation as if it was 50s color.

It's sad that she and other photographers were persecuted for harmless photography and even today, we kinksters are seen as deviants, surely I've met assholes, vanilla and kinky alike. Whatever her reasons, I'm glad she was able to take the photographs that made her such a legend.

Secretary

The last time I saw this movie was years ago, before I became a pro-Domme. It blew my mind what a totally different perspective I have of these movie now.

I still like it, but not as much as I did. Much like the movie Blow had more to do with being working class and making a living than it had to do with coke, I feel like Secretary has more to do with a personal journey of recovery than it has to do with BDSM.

But what I really like about the movie always, is that it showed the difference between bad hurt and good hurt. Lee cuts herself to relieve the pain she feels of living with her alcoholic, abusive father and co-dependent mother. However, when she gets spanked by her boss, she goes to a different place to experience and process that pain, and ultimately the humiliation from her boss. And I like that it shows both characters struggling with how to deal with their love of a D/s relationship, deviating from "the norm."

To me, it's more funny than sexy, like when she tries to spank herself or when she tries to find another play partner--haven't we all been there? It's just not the same as being with someone who rocks.

Enjoy this mainstream movie that touches on D/s. I'm interested in reading the story by Mary Gaitskill that this is based on, I have recently discovered her writing and I find it dark and intelligent.

Barb Wire

If I'm going to see Casablanca one more damn time, it might as well be this cyberpunk version with Pamela Anderson traipsing about a shitty America in fishnets and black leather corsets.

I recently caught this movie on late one night. Okay, we've all seen it and it's totally cheese, but I still get a kick out of it. Like when Barb is out bounty hunting and seduces a gentleman for her services. He comes out in a full hooded suit and she asks if he washed his hands. He says, No, I've been bad, and Barb knocks him out with a wooden paddle, shrugs and says, Oops! There's also some CBT of a belligerant drunk demanding more drink and her dog Camille. And CBT always brings a smile to my face.

Book of Revelation movie review

Three masked women drug a lead male dancer and have their way with him for a few weeks. When they finally dump his sorry ass, he whimpers like a little bitch.

Needless to say, I loved this mainstream Femdomme flick.

But what kills me about it, is that when this bloke goes back to his life, he can't explain what happened to him. His live-in dancer girlfriend thinks he went on some fling. He tries to tell the cops what happened: "A friend of mine was abducted by three women." They all start laughing, "Poor bastard."

The women wear these sexy custom black masks with optional mouth pieces with robes to disguise their identities. They keep him chained up. One woman deeply scratches him down his back, leaving four bloody trails. They make him piss himself. They make him masturbate; when he refuses, they put his ankle in his vise and threaten to break it. When he pisses them off, the leader comes to him in the middle of the night: "Sorry to wake you" and out comes the olive oil and a large purple dildo. They make him dance for them.

When asked why, one masked woman simply says, "Because you're beautiful."

I laugh hysterically.

Frozen River movie review

Although Frozen River is about human trafficking, the movie's title carries a powerful metaphor throughout the film. Two single mothers must make difficult and ultimately illegal decisions to provide for their children. Because of economic peril and desperation, they have become frozen to the moral or legal realities of their respective worlds. Ray Eddy, a single white mother to two boys, loses her husband and subsequent deposit on a new double wide trailer to his gambling addiction. Lila Littlewolf, loses her husband to trafficking on the river; unable to maintain a job because she needs glasses but chooses to forgo them to provide for her son thus continues her dangerous money making venture. Both women fall victim to circumstances inflicted by men in their lives which are further compacted by racial tensions. Throughout the movie, Lila maintains Cacausin Ray does not have to worry about being stopped by the police or even have to worry about the loss of her car, overlooking that this white woman takes the same mortal and legal risk becuase she of her similiar desparation. Furthermore, Rays needs Lila to make contact with the other Mohawk traffickers.

Gradually, the movie points to poignant scenes that have led these women to such acts of crime. Poor Ray lives in a beat-up trailer with two sons and works part-time at a dollar store; even though she has been an exemplary worker for two years, her young male boss refuses to move her to a full-time position because he sees her as "short-time." We see how things really are, when a cute young employee comes in for her shift late, again. Mohawks try to help Lila stay on the straight and narrow by helping her find a job which she quits because of her poor vision, but allow her in-laws to take her newborn son right out of the hospital. When Ray questions this, Lila replies "tribal police don't get involved in things like that."

While there is one scene that teeters on cheesy, but still poignant, with an obvious metaphor to the rebirth of Christ, the film as a whole is brilliant and masterfully done. The plot is more about the struggle and relationship of these two women, brought together by the seemy undertones of human trafficking. Usually human traficking yields a high profit, yet none of the people in this movie are depicted as wealthy, on the contrary all seem to turn to trafficking because of economic hardship, the same reason creating conditions for people to become trafficked.

While the first runs of cargo are men, only at the end do we see a couple of women who are obviously being trafficked into sex slavery. The pick-up location is a strip club/bordello in the backwoods of Montreal. When the hand-off man, Jacque brings the human cargo out--two young, terrified women who appear to have already been brutalized--Ray and Lila appear conflicted because this is not the typical shipment they have accepted in the past. Against their better judgment, they decide to take them which leads to their so-called demise. But the movie ends proving these unlikely women develop a bond beyond friendship or crime partners. Their fierceness and tenacity to provide and care for their children and compassion for each other make way for an ultimately more sustainable, trafficking-free life together. And the two young Asian women safe in police custody hopefully do not get retrafficked into sexual slavery.

Four Minutes movie review

Pianos are just sexier. The Piano Teacher, The Piano--people who play the piano are just kinkier.

I picked this up, obviously, because of the stunning cover: a beautiful woman in a black backless dress wearing handcuffs.

Jenny appears to be a sociopath in a German woman's prison, but she has the amazing talent of a prodigy piano player. As part of a social program for prisoners, an 80 year old piano teacher comes with a beautiful grand piano--four prisoners sign up for her class. The only person genuinely interested in playing the piano, is a fat, ridiculous guard who Traude Krüger belittles the entire movie. Almost immediately, Jenny beats the ever living shit out of him, partially using the piano which I found . . . hysterical. She is not a very big woman, but she single handedly puts the prison guard in the hospital.

Throughout the movie, Jenny and Herr Krüger disagree and argue, but as you see flashbacks to World War II, you see how much the piano teacher has already been through and dealing with an unruly prisoner, even one who beats up prison guards, is barely a blip in her radar. She has more problems with the warden who she likens to her old SS captain and tells him she's not surprised his wife left him.

As the movie progresses, you learn more about the tragedies in each Jenny and Herr Kruger's lives and how they managed to end up in the woman's prison together. They form a deep friendship through their passions, and ferocity that they demonstrate in very different ways. Although mostly dramatic and somewhat dark, there are some funny scenes interspersed in the film such as on their way to an audition, Jenny does not have proper recital clothing so her teacher makes her switch with her clothing. The sight of this 80 year old woman in high lace up boots and motorcycle jacket was hilarious.

The last scene, with Jenny at the recital, is the most brutal and artistic performances I have ever seen.

Kinky Boots movie review

I always think the video store clerk is judging me based on my sexy, kinky movie rentals. I'm not self-conscious, I'm narcissistic. He's pretty cute and I have fantasies of tying him up and shooting hot pink rubber bands at him for hours while playing Lina Wertmüller movies in the background, but I digress.

Wandering about in the comedy section, I could not help but notice this movie, entitled, "Kinky Boots." Loosely based on a real story, meaning not actually at all, this takes place in England at an almost bankrupt family shoe factory. In order to save the factory, Charlie Price must change his product from stuffy mens oxfords, to outrageous stiletto boots. Of course, vanilla Charlie can't do this on his own. He goes to a classic source of inspiration and intrigue . . . the black drag queen!

Enter Lola (Simon) who comes into the factory, designs kinky boots that are sexy and most importantly support a man's weight on a stiletto heel, while opening the minds of the working class in a small town.

This movie is just done really well. It's not sappy or outlandish although it could have very easily gone that route. It's not overly sentimental nor does it champion for trans rights. It just tells a really great story. It's funny, it's got spunk, it's got heart.

Kinky Boots does a lovely job illustrating the lengths some might go to in order to save a family business. There is a tender love strain too budding between Charlie and his pixie-cute employee, intersected with his shrewish, evil fiancee. There are some poignant scenes for Lola as well, what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman--but she is real, not overly made up ever.

But what I really liked most of all is a boot design that has a slim pocket on the side to hold a matching crop! Lola whips it out through the movie and brandishes it at the factory workers.

I want these boots!

Headspace movie review

It's been awhile since I wandered over into the "sex" section of my local video store, so I decided to pick something up and decided on Headspace, a documentary about a group of friends both lifestyle and professional in the BDSM scene.

I warn you now, this doc is not for the faint of heart, vanilla or not. It very quickly goes into intense CBT, blade play, needle play and a torture scene on deck with documented war time interrogation techniques. There is a lot of blood letting.

Beyond that, it centered around Los Angeles clubs and playspaces, that to my knowledge no longer exist as this was shot in the early 90s. It interspersed interviews with scenes in private play spaces or clubs. Overall, it was somewhat disappointing.

There was almost no continuity and no cohesiveness to the whole thing. It was just a couple of scenesters and scenes. I think it would have been better if each person had more of an introduction about who they were and what scene they were into--it was a little hard hitting for the first scenes to be almost all about blood letting with religious and vampiric undertones. If the point was about how people get into headspace, get the people watching the film to finish it! I very nearly turned it off and I, hardly a weathered, middle-of-the-road Woman, am still a pro-Domme that has seen or done some pretty intense kinky work.

The actual interviews with people were pretty great, talking about reservations people have about BDSM, and how there is longevity in the scene (although where are they now? I wonder). I loved that someone made the point to say people in this scene are intelligent and educated. I loved that someone said yes, this is extreme, but I'm doing it with someone I trust.

The scene that was absolutely disturbing to me was a public performance between a Dom and sub where he wrapped her head in wire, pulled her fingernails with pliers, used clamps to restrain her hands, violently stuck a pole in her vagina, thrashed in around and hammered it in, cut her head, and all around violently and indiscriminately beat her about. After the scene, their friends tell them outside the club that it was inappropriate for public play. The sub defends herself and says, He didn't cross my limits. Not at all. I asked him to cut me again. Cut to a scene of her bound up wire head maniacally asking for more blade play--duly noted. Someone said that was a dangerous scene and someone could have been seriously hurt and we have a responsibility to people that see it. She said that someone can get hurt with a flogger. I see really fucked up stuff in movies all the time.

Does anyone think she's talking too much for a sub? First of all, regardless if you asked for it or not, you were in subspace, ahem, headspace, and the Dom should be controlling the scene because he should be aware of what you can and can't take. Of course a Dom should be listening to his sub for check-ins, but her asking to be cut more is not an argument for the safety and responsibility of this violent scene. Second, yes, it is true, you can hurt someone with a flogger. But you know what you weren't using? A flogger. You were using the contents of a carpenter's tool box for your scene; your Dom was sticking a pole into your vagina and violently thrashing it around--someone could have lost an ovary! Third, I've seen really fucked up stuff in movies too. Do you know what the difference is between a movie and your scene? The movie is a carefully rehearsed, often digitally aided acted scene, whereas your blades were real because you were really bleeding.

However, I think it did well to illustrate the arguments that arise in the BDSM scene. We are intelligent and educated, we are also overdramatic and (consensually) violent. On a side note, if this is what they did in public, what the hell do they do in private? But I think that they did this scene to override the limits of not just the audience but their kinky peers. They were asking to get spanked for it. And they got it.

A better, intense scene was one unfortunately left out but included on the deleted scenes section. A woman is restrained on a cross, a horse bit in her mouth while her Domme slowly and artfully puts intense clips on her nipples, arms and stomach. When its time to take them off, the sub is laying on the floor. The Domme rips the string of clips off her arm and caressed the red skin, she moves this way until all the clips are gone, the horse bit is taken out and the scene ends in a hug.

Maybe worth a quick view for some good, but intense scenes or if you were involved in the club scene then and would like to reminisce. But I'm not sure who the audience is supposed to be. The interviews seem geared more toward vanilla people to explain the lifestyle; the scenes were of an intensity that made this Domme a little queasy.

Hard Candy movie review

Ever since Juno, I have had a crush on Ellen Page. I have had Hard Candy on my must-see list for awhile and I finally watched it this week.

In short, "Hayley" is my fourteen year old spirit-teenager. I love strong, intelligent, diabolical female characters. Hayley thinks that photographer Jeff is a pedophile and seeks to expose him and make him confess his crimes over a day of interrogation, verbal humiliation and my favorite, CBT, or more specifically castration.

As the movie progresses Hayley continually mind-fucks Jeff, lying to him, getting him to confess his sins, in a vicious and tantalizing game.

This movie was a wonderful psychological thriller. What a relief that teenage girls are more capable then just picking out lip gloss and flirting with boys--they do just fine putting the pedal the medal torturing handsome young photographers too.

Yet another mainstream movie that has inspired me for an interrogation scene and let's not forget castration . . .

Irréversible Movie Review

"Time destroys everything."

Like Memento and Pulp Fiction, this movie is not chronological, starting at the end and making it's way back to the beginning. The first part of the film is shot in a gay S&M club, Rectum, where you catch glimpses of various fun and debauchery. Be warned that the first part of this film is shot with a frequency of 28Hz (low frequency, almost inaudible), similar to the noise produced by an earthquake. In humans, it causes nausea, sickness and vertigo (compliments of imdb.com). The camera work is also very warped, moving around the club in a smooth, but nontraditional manner. However, the whole film is not like this and worth seeing once you get past this point.

The opening is one of the most brutal scenes I've seen on film. It's an interesting juxtaposition of consensual violence, S&M, and non-consensual violence, vengeance. You see the lives of Alex, her current boyfriend, Marcus, and her previous boyfriend Pierre before what happens in Rectum. The most noted is a ruthless rape scene that lasts for about ten minutes. Reading other reviews, many were horrified and disgusted by the length and brutality of the scene. Yet for some reason I was desensitized to it. I didn't care about the character being raped, she was barely on screen until you see scenes after of events that happened before the rape. But as the scenes scroll back from fucked-up and violent, you see tender scenes between Alex and Marcus in their apartment. Alex theorizes about the meaning of time and your eventually brought back to a place, wondering if she dreamed it all.

The first part of this movie is difficult to watch both for the content and manner in which its shot, but stick with it.


(I'm actually very interested to discuss this movie with someone. If you see it, drop me a line.)

Unconscious

I can't tell you much about this Spanish film without totally giving it away as it is a detective story but, trust me, it's got all your favorites, BDSM, kink, taboo and Freud. I highly recommend it; it was hilarious, tender and intelligent.