Three new reviews for MATT AND KHYM last Thursday. From the couple sexuality website Freddy and Eddy:

“Love stories and Porn don’t usually go together, in fact they never seem to cross over or even intertwine. Comstock Films doesn’t produce porn, they in fact produce true love stories. Hence, Matt and Khym was created. The story of Matt and Khym is truly a love story, where the audience are introduced to two people who fell in love in their teens and yet show such a strong bond with intense erotic wantonness years later. We then follow along and become voyeurs to watch how their relationship blossomed into the wonderful art of lovemaking.”

From S&SM on Amazon:

“Matt and Khym is a wonderful introduction into the joys of married sex. When you look at this movie, you can see the genuine love Matt and Khym have for each other. Matt and Khym are so candid in talking about their life in and out of the bedroom that you come away feeling like they could be your next door neighbors or close friends. The scene at the end of their lovemaking when Matt looks lovingly at Khym is the way any girl would want her guy to look at her. I replayed the promo at Tony Comstock’s web site over and over again, just to see that look.”

And from L. Fox, also on Amazon:

“I first read about this DVD in the O magazine and thought that it might make a fun gift for my husband and I as we are trying to have a second baby and it can become less about us and more about the having to get the job done. We have never watched porn together and I thought something with a little class might do the trick. Within ten minutes of watching this movie we were both so turned off that we had to distract ourselves and try again later.

“We now have a DVD that besides the fiscal cost, nearly cost us our own passion for eachother and sex. We have hidden this dreadful DVD in the closet and are trying to find fun ways of getting rid of this waste of time and money. I would not advise spending a penny on this product, I wish I hadnt.”

Woah! Wow! Ouch!!! My mantra when making films is “Whatever you do, don’t ruin someone’s evening!” and it looks like I failed (bigtime!) over at the Fox household! Two things about this review are especially distressing:

Mrs. Fox really (really!) reacted badly to the way I portrayed Matt, and that makes me feel bad for both of them. I spent a lot of time talking with Matt and Khym before we did the on camera interview, Matt is a devoted, loving and sensuous husband, and when people agree to appear in one of my films they put a huge amount of trust in me and how I portray them. If Mrs. Fox found Matt “slimy and repulsive”, I’ve failed both of them.

The second thing is that it sounds like there was a lot riding on this DVD at the Fox household. Peggy and I have two children, and know that baby-making can be stressful enough, even when everything is going right. It would have been thrilling to hear our DVD helped make the baby-making seem “less like work,” but instead we just made things worse. Hearing that makes me feel just awful!

Of course this all a part of the package put yourself or your ideas in the public eye. Not everyone is going to like what you do; some people are going to hate it; and when you tackle love and sex, you’re wading into territory that is heavily laden with whatever each individual viewer brings to the show. When a film makes a connection it can be powerfully positive, or profoundly negative.

Anyway, you take the bad with the good, that’s life, and I’d guess Mrs. Fox’s feelings are hurt more than mine or Matt’s. You can’t please everyone.

“Tired of watching “erotic” movies where cheesy gay for pay chicks bore each other? Well, Ashley & Kisha: Finding The Right Fit is the movie for you.”

That’s the opening line from a
very nice review of ASHLEY AND KISHA on the black lesbian erotica site Kuma. The review closes with this:

“Ashley and Kisha seem to be a little nervous at first, after all there are other people in the room. Once they get into the zone, it’s like the outside world doesn’t exist. They aren’t performing/putting on a show, they are focused on loving each other. It’s a very beautiful film.”

It’s a point of pride with me that our set run in a way that it is a place were people can lose themselves in one another, even while we slide around them, cameras purring, even with the magazine changes, and the other things that usually aren’t there when people make love. So it’s nice when the people we film tell us they were able to let go and enjoy themselves, and it’s nice when people who watch our films can see that the couple is actually there for each other’s pleasure, the camera a privileged witness, rather than the sole reason they are having sex.

That’s the headline for the very nice write up of ASHLEY AND KISHA: FINDING THE RIGHT FIT in the latest issue of Bnews, and Australian Gay and Lesbian magazine.

It’s especially nice to see a write-up in Bnews, because the last time they were writing something about one of our movies, it was about the unfortunate run-in we had with the OFLC over the (ultimately cancelled) screening of DAMON AND HUNTER at queerDOC, Australia’s premiere gay and lesbian film festival.

Hopefully we’ll have better luck with ASHLEY AND KISHA on the Aussie festival circuit!

The first review of ASHLEY AND KISHA is in, from AdultDVDTalk’s ever prolific Astroknight, and it is very positive! Says Astro:

Comstock films takes a different route at adult entertainment. Rather than focusing on just the sex, like traditional adult films, it focuses on the relationship so you can appreciate all there is behind the sex. This time the focus is on Ashley and Kisha, two black lesbians (with Kisha being the slightly darker of the two). Ashley and Kisha talk about how they met including Kisha turning Ashley down, as well as their first ‘date’ and the morning after. Although Ashley had been with many women before, Kisha was new to women and they talk about how their relationship developed as well as the sex. As the girls talk about their relationship, you get glimpses of sex between them.

If you’re sick of watching adult films wondering if the people you’re watching are really into each other or not and like all girl action, Ashley and Kisha: Finding the Right Fit just might be the best movie you’ll watch for a very, very long time.

I’m always interest in what Astro has to say about our films because Astro is a dedicated porn enthusiast of the first order with over 2000 reviews to his credit, covering a wide variety of genres. Some of the things that I find off-putting about pornography, Astro accepts; and there’s this idea that someone like Astro won’t find anything to like in a film like ASHLEY AND KISHA or our other films. That’s simply not the case. As Sir Lawrence Olivier put it: Some people like mussels, some people like snails. Some people like mussels and snails.

I was also interested in Astro’s reaction to ASHLEY AND KISHA because like me, Astro is not young, black or lesbian. Just recently we’ve had a retailer, one who’s had success with our other films, tell us, “No thanks. We’ll pass on ASHLEY AND KISHA. There just not much of a market for that sort of thing.”

Of course by “that sort of thing,” he means black lesbians, and I know from a marketing niche point of view he’s wrong. There’s a dearth of quality erotic films featuring lesbian women of color, and ASHLEY AND KISHA already selling briskly. But it’s the narrowness of this retailer’s point of view that wrinkles my nose.

Throughout my (so-called) career, I’ve been interested in making films that cross (perceived) boundaries, and in reading Astro’s review, I’m delighted that Astro was so seduced by Ashley and Kisha’s testimony (”It’s hard not to be a little afraid that the sex won’t live up to the talking heads,”) and then be so utterly charmed by their lovemaking (”It never gets nasty or overly hard, but also never let the smile leave my face as I watched it.”)

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of someone worrying that the sex might not live up to non-sex parts of an erotic film, and that makes me feel like there’s a real connection to be found in this movie, a connection that is there for anyone willing to open their heart to it. I know I felt that connection on the day I interviewed Ashley and Kisha, and that feeling only grew as I working on the film. It’s nice to think I won’t be the only person who feels this way.

One of AdultDVDTalk.com’s most prolific and respected reviewers, Astroknight, has just posted the first review for MATT AND KHYM: BETTER THAN EVER. Here’s my favorite part of his very nice review:

“It takes a wonderful look at not just the sexuality between a couple, but how it got to be there. That thought of sex as a journey doesn’t seem to come up for too many directors, but at the same time is something that almost any couple who’s been together for any length of time realizes. It’s a movie about passion and romance not only existing together, but also feeding off each other to draw two people even closer. It’s a beautiful thought, and one that had a smile on my face within the first few minutes of the movie.”

The thing I love about reading Astroknight’s reviews of our films is that they come from someone who is truly passionate porn. Astro’s written about 2000 (yes, 2000) reviews for ADT, covering nearly the entire porn spectrum. He’s both a porn conesuer and a porn omniover. He’s as likely to pass out praise (or scorn) to a gonzo anal raunch fest as to a couples feature.

When Astro gives us praise, it gives me a feeling of extra satisfaction. A lot of the people who enjoy our films don’t really like porn, but I also like knowing that Astro thinks what we do is pretty nifty too. I like the idea that there are straight people like our gay film, gay people like our straight films, and people like Astro who can dig the Comstock vibe too.

It’s taken for granted that people watch porn with one hand on the remote, and the idea that you’d watch an erotic film straight through from the opening title to the closing credits without fast-forwarding is pretty much unheard of.

In fact, if you read Violet Blue’s or Freddy and Eddy’s advice for newcomers, both both suggest watch with your thumb hovering over the fast-foward button so that when (not if) the video becomes boring and/or off-putting, you can zip past the offending material before it kills mood.

With that in mind, you can imagine how delighted I was to read Alex Thatcher’s lovely review of DAMON AND HUNTER: DOING IT TOGETHER in the December edition of Australia’s Eros Association Magazine:

In an age when it’s easier than ever to see sexually explicit imagery, I slipped the Damon and Hunter DVD into my player with the usual emotional void and jumped into bed with my boyfriend, ready to watch another empty “fuck he’s hot – let’s just get off” porn flick.I’ve never actually watched a porn movie from start to finish without jumping my partner within the first five minutes, so you can imagine my surprise when I actually saw the end credits of this film.

I’ve got nothing against a good quickie. But it’s not the only way to have sex, and it’s not the only way to make a film about sex– a collection of little thinly connected scenes that are designed to turn you on, get you off, and let you get cleaned up, all inside of fifteen minutes.

When Peggy and I see a mainstream film we really like, we’ll sit through the closing credits just to make the experience last a little longer, and I think it’s sad that we’ve gotten to the point where peoples expectations of porn have become so narrow that they’re suprised when they find a film they enjoy watching straight through to the end.

What’s the hurry?

I like sitting there in the dark as the credits roll, letting the last vapors of the director’s vision wash over me. I like taking my time in bed too. And I like that people watch my films with their hands on something other than the remote control.

And speaking of being in a hurry, if you’re in Australia and in a hurry to get a hold of DAMON AND HUNTER, or any of our other titles, try one of these retailer:

BeDaring Stores
Shop 11, 727 Gympie Road
Chermside 4032, Brisbane
Queensland, Australia

Shop 7, 75 Morayfield Rd.
Caboolture 4510
Queensland, Australia

Corner Nicklin Way & Thunderbird Drive
Bokarina ( Kawana Waters ) 4575, Sunshine Coast
Queensland, Australia

Bliss4Women
1/245 Lonsdale Street - Melbourne
Victoria, Australia

My Secret Place
126 Leichhardt Street - Spring Hill
Queensland, Australia

Out DVD
108 St Kilda Road
St Kilda VIC 3182

Polyester Books
330 Brunswick Street - Fitzroy
Victoria, Australia

Toolshed
81 Oxford Street
Darlinghurst
NSW 2010
ph:02 9332 2792
fax:02 9360 1737

Freddy and Eddy have given warm reviews to our previous efforts (apparently their screening ofXANA AND DAX got Eddie so wound up it led to their first adventure with fisting!)

But when I sent a copy of DAMON AND HUNTER: DOING IT TOGETHER over to them I already knew that hot man on man action really isn’t Freddy’s thing. The question was, “What will Eddie think?”

Well the verdit is in and the apparently Eddy liked it a lot! Says Eddy:

Damon and Hunter is Comstock Films’ third release. Damon Demarco and Hunter James are a young gay couple who are definitely smitten with each other as they re-tell their story about how they first met and how their relationship developed into such a passionate love. Throughout the film, as Damon and Hunter discuss how they became lovers there are vignettes of them making love. As you continue to watch how they explain their roles within their relationship, you learn how a gay relationship differs from the average hetero relationship. I found that other than pleasuring each other, they took the time to really communicate what they each individually wanted the other partner to do. The openness really impressed me and they truly made love with such tenderness.

And what does Freddy have to say?

Eddy was turned on more by this than 99% of straight porn. I’m not really into gay adult anything, so it’s hard for me to render a judgment on something in which I couldn’t watch the actual sex. The interviews were great, and the couple shows genuine passion and love for one another. And I can’t argue that the film made my wife EXTREMELY horny, so what’s not to like. I am puzzled by the gaining popularity of females watching gay adult (some girlfriends of my wife actually sit around and watch it together drinking wine and chatting).

Freddy might be puzzled, but I’m not. I still remember the first time I saw one of those “lesbian” layouts in Penthouse Magazine, and I remember it really turned my crank! So is it any surprise that women might get hot and bothered seeing a couple of gorgeous men go at it? I don’t think so.

(Actually my wife Peggy is one of those women who sits around with her friends and watches gay porn; only it’s not wine, it’s cheesecake and scotch.)

DAMON AND HUNTER: DOING IT TOGETHER just got its first review on the consumer review site AdultDVDTalk.com, and what makes this review especially interesting is it’s from straight man.

Last year, when we had our one day Katrina fund-raiser there was a fellow who wanted to make a donation, but had already either bought or pre-ordered everything we offer, everything except DAMON AND HUNTER. He’s a customer I know by name, and I saw his name come through with a pre-order for D&H about 12 hours into fund-raiser, followed shortly by an e-mail that said, “What the heck, it’s for a good cause!” The below is from the end of his review:

Gay or straight, Tony has created a film that has something to offer everyone, even if the sex isn’t going to be up your alley, he has still painted an enlightening look into the lives of Damon and Hunter that can entertain, and possibly educate, viewers of all sexual orientations. And he does it all with class and a beautiful visual styling that should please all viewers. After the film is over, don’t forget to check out the extras, The Making of a Love Scene feature is worth the purchase itself if you are interested in the techniques that go into making a film. Even if you keep it to yourself that you viewed it, I’d give this film a chance, I’m glad that I did.”

A lot of people seem to think that it’s the erotic charge, the “intent to arouse”, that separates art from porn. When SHORTBUS was still in pre-production, John Cameron Mitchell was quoted as saying:

“The purpose of pornography is to arouse, whereas here the priority is the emotional life of the characters. Sex has been cheapened by porn. Why can’t we not focus on sex, as porn does, but make sex part of the film?”

Since SHORTBUS’s release he’s offered that the sex in SHORTBUS was intentionally de-erotisized to make cinematic space for other emotions.

When explaining granting DESTRICTED’s and R-rating, dispite its graphic sexual content, Sir Quentin of the British Board of Film Classification said that Destricted was so explicit that it would normally attract an R18 rating but he judged that it was a work of art not intended to arouse:

“In purpose and effect, this work is plainly a serious consideration of sex and pornography as aspects of the human experience. We think that there are no grounds for depriving adults of the ability to decide themselves whether they want to see it.”

I admire John Cameron Mitchell tremendously, and I’m sure Sir Quentin is a perfectly nice fellow as well. But on this “intent to arouse” thing, I think they’re wrong, wrong, wrong. (I really think they’re wrong.)

In fact, the central concern of my films is to try to find a way to create sympathetic and engaging characters, use their relationship to create an engaging story-line, without undercutting the eroticism of the sex, which is to say, the power of the sexual image to make cocks hard and pussies wet. In fact, if anything I’m trying to find a way to use character and relationship to make the sex more erotic and arousing in my films.

With that as the central artistic concern of DAMON AND HUNTER , Flash’s very kind review is especially gratifying. It’s exciting to think that I’ve made a film where the characters and their relationship are sufficiently compelling to not only get a straight man from the beginning to the end of a gay sex film, but to earn a five-star review in the process!

A few months ago Jamye Waxman asked if I could send over some screeners for an article she was working on for WOMAN’S HEALTH MAGAZINE, the premise being that a couple was going going to explore using erotic videos to give their sex life a boost and report back.

Stacy and Bryce, 32 and 34, of Brooklyn NY were assigned the “homework” of checking out a few titles and reported back in the December 2006 issue. On Saturday Jamye brought me a copy of the just off the presses issue at the CineKink filmmakers panel, and Peggy and I read it the next morning over a proper Hells Kitchen diner breakfast. I’m pleased to say the report is good. In fact, the report is very good!

Following the recommendations of a female friend who enjoys porn, Stacey brought home three movies. At 10 P.M. she popped [DVD #1] into the DVD player, and before long she and Bryce were both laughing and rolling their eyes. “We weren’t into the beefcake/Barbie-doll sex,” Bryce says. “It was weird to see so many fake boobs and unnatural bodies.” The next night, a second title, [DVD #2], got an equally bad review. “We fast-forwarded right through it,” Stacey admits. “The sexual acrobatics were awkward.” The third flick, Xana and Dax by Comstock Films ($25, Comstock Films), was different. “This was our favorite,” Bryce says. “There was no plot; it’s a real couple having sex. They looked like people we would know and be attracted to.” Stacey agrees. “I loved Xana and Dax because they’re a real couple, with genuine orgasms and a sincere admiration for each other,” she says. “We watched it straight through, and even though we were as tired as usual, we had sex right after.” And they changed their usual routine by trying a new position from the video. “Now we’re starting to incorporate more porn in our sex life,” Stacey says. “We even brought some on vacation right after doing this assignment.”

The rest of the article is online at the Women’s Health Magazine Website

Thank you Jamye, for inviting us to lend a disc to this important work (helping couples have more hot sex!) and thank you Stacy and Bryce ever so much for liking what we do! We’re working hard to make more films that I hope you’ll enjoy too!

I had an interview yesterday with Lisa Vandever and Darklady on Darklady’s Ynot radio show (link forthcoming), and the very first question Darklady asked me was, “Your name isn’t really Tony Comstock, is it?”

It is not, and the question puts Darklady in a (to me surprizingly small) group of people who even think to ask.

“Tony Comstock” was part of the same moment of inpiration that gave me “Real Life, Real People, Real Sex”. In that instant I saw what I was doing as a crusade to reclaim images sex from extremist of all stripe; from those who seek to use the awesome power of sex to advance their own selfish and hateful agendas. As I said to Caitlin Corrigan in Clamor Magazine:

“By taking his name, by calling ourselves Comstock Films, that’s my way of saying this company is going to be devoted to bringing that same fervor that a Comstock-like person would use on being agitated, incensed, and hateful; but we’re going to put it into professionalism and energy and enthusiasm for the work that we do.”

In that moment, I had thought I was being clever, I had thought I was making an obvious, winking joke that most people, or at least most people who spent any time thinking about sex and censorship would get. But most people don’t. Richard Corliss, film critic for Time Magazine, quoted me twice, and never seemed to notice. Nor did the writers, researchers or editor at Jane, Men’s Fitness, Esquire, Tango, or Time Out New York. Or maybe they did, and they just didn’t think it was clever or funny.

But Giacomo Tramontagna of Guide Magazine noticed, and in his September review of DAMON AND HUNTER he wrote about it:

“It’s worth noting that the director’s pseudonym, Tony Comstock, pays subversive tribute to Anthony Comstock, the militant prude who in 1866 founded the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and set the tone for American censorship into the 20th century.

Turning the tables on his namesake, this 21st-century Comstock has made it his mission to acknowledge the role of sex in human relationships, depict it graphically, and celebrate its power.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself!