When I was coming down the home stretch on ASHLEY AND KISHA it suddenly occurred to me that maybe we weren’t all that well positioned to reach the film’s natural audience. I was lucky to be able to call on my friends Shine Louise Houston and Jessica Holter and say, “Halp! I’m a straight white dude. How do I introduce this film to lesbians, especially women of color, without coming off like a jerk? And never mind the jerk part, where do I even start looking?”

I thought that experience left me well prepared for releasing BILL AND DESIREE, but in fact, the process of finding the film’s  natural audience has been much more difficult that with ASHLEY AND KISHA. 

The difficulty that we’ve had in finding communities devoted to older adult sexuality is echoed over on SexGenderBody.com in Arvan’s post Who am I, if I’m not me anymore?

I tried many more search terms, with largely the same result: a lot more research papers, books and committees, but not many bloggers or social sites to speak up and speak out.  So, maybe today’s seniors are on the other side of the digital divide.  Maybe they would be glad to speak up, but nobody younger than them want to hear about aging or dying.

That’s why I’m so glad we found our way to Joan Price, a writer and advocate for sex, health and fitness, and author of Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty. We sent her a copy of BILL AND DESIREE, and here’s what Joan had to say about the film on her blog:

Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless is a remarkably tender and realistic erotic documentary about senior sex from Comstock Films. Bill and Desiree are in love, and as erotic as their lovemaking are the heart-to-heart gazes they give each other, the intertwined fingers, the way Bill’s hand lightly grazes Desiree’s breast as they talk to the camera, the gentle corrections they make to each other’s stories.

She looks in her 50s, he in his 60s, and their love is fresh and tender after 3-1/2 years together. They are buoyantly, joyously, agelessly sexual together, laughing as they make love, reveling in their connection. Much of the documentary is interview — we hear how they met, where they first made love, why they love each other, and how important sex is to both of them. The commentary is interspersed with flashes of their sexual activity.

Then, done talking, they make love… for a long time. The lovemaking is clearly genuine, no “money shots” for the camera or fake screams or bouncing boobs. Instead, we see Bill give Desiree several orgasms with fingers, mouth, and toys before getting to the main course. Although we see every body part close up, we tend to focus on the love and joy in their faces (or at least I did) more than their delightfully frisky genitals.

I liked how unlike traditional porn this film is. This is an aging couple — sexy, playful, and in love. They have body hair. They use lubricant. They make eye contact. He is dashing with his salt-and-pepper hair and fit body, and the softness of his caresses matters much more than the age spots on his hands. (She looks great, too, but I confess I spent most of my time watching him.)

Of course I’m thrilled with Joan’s reaction, but I’m also a little wistful. I know how much time and effort it took for us to find Joan, Peggy and I have a more than 25 years of internet experience between the two of us, and even so we only came to Joan’s site through word of mouth. Arvan is no internet neophyte either, and he is similarly stymied. How many other people are out there, looking, but not finding there way to Joan, or us? How many of the know that Goggle demands longer search strings to return sites like Comstock Films? How many of them even know they can change their search settings on Google? How many of them get intimidated by pop-up warnings about “offensive content” that Google pops up on blogs that deal with sexuality? And how do we overcome these and other obstacles to reach people who might really enjoy seeing our film?

Which reminds me, we sent a copy of BILL AND DESIREE to a film reviewer at AARP. I’m past due on sending him a follow up note!

 From “ASHLEY AND KISHA: FINDING THE RIGHT FIT”

I’ve probably spent too much time worrying about, and too many posts writing about the ongoing “taming of the internet”, the transformation from a wild-west, all-comers good, bad and ugly frontier to a civilized and “safe” place, and whether or not we’ll be able to make a place for ourselves and our films in The New Searchable Era ™ .

Today a reminder that even if algorithms and meta data and academics and film festivals and censorship boards can’t understand what these films are about, the people who actually pay our bills do. From A. Hammonds’ Amazon review posted yesterday:

There are NO words…

“I’m a 23 year-old lesbian, just recently coming to terms with my sexuality. Months ago, I began browsing for DVDs related to the LGBT community. I was over fake, trashy porno a looong time ago, and for once just wanted something REAL. Well with Ashley & Kisha I got it…plus MORE!! I mean my God, I was brought to tears the first time I viewed it!! THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…IT’S ABOUT TIME!! Ashley & Kisha are what REAL Love is about. Their chemistry and vibe is amazing!! I gave my heterosexual friend a copy and she was blown away at the intimacy (not even sex wise) and just “how deep the rabbit hole goes”. I spent hours answering a whole bunch of questions and I’m glad that she can now look at same-sex relationships for what they really are…TRUE LOVE!!”

Of course because I’m a big mush, reading this review pretty much did me in – eyes brimming with tears, lower lip quivering, the whole nine yards. When I started making these films my hope was that I’d make something that might touch somebody the way that ASHLEY AND KISHA has touched Ms. Hammonds. But you know how it is, when you actually get what you want sometimes you just don’t know what to do with yourself except cry.

How and if we’ll  be able to keep reaching people like A. Hammonds I don’t know. Last month’s “AmazonFail” meta data fuck up is coincident with the worst month of sales we’ve ever had on Amazon – a 40% drop from the previous month; and this month is off to an equally slow start. My suspicion (fear!) is that whatever marketing suppression of sexually oriented titles and merchandise (not showing a Doc Johnson dildo to a person looking for Johnson & Johnson Baby shampoo etc.) that Amazon was trying to get with the Amazon Fail screw-up has been achieved, and that (once again) our films are collateral damage in the endless quest to keep the internet “safe”.

But it’s not over yet. Just like we’ve survived a 70% drop Google-search related revenue, we can take a drop in our Amazon sales, at least for a while; and we’ve still got a few tricks up our sleeve. I still think there are a lot of people like Ms. Hammonds out there, people who would really like to see our films, but don’t even know we exist. And I’ve still got a few more ideas on how we can reach them.

Another wonderful review of BILL AND DESIREE: LOVE IS TIMELESS, this time from Sabrina of SabrinaInStockings.com. As with the last review I posted, I don’t have much to say, except that I’m thrilled that this film touches people the way it does!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this DVD to be honest. It was my first time watching a Comstock Films erotic documentary, and while I have a great appreciation for the art of expressing subtlety and intimacy in erotic video I wasn’t sure that I was the right person to review a portrait of real sex and intimacy between an older couple.

Score one for discovering latent preconceptions and score two for blowing them out of the water.

It was the humor that drew me in, the humor and their personalities. (I laughed out loud at Bill’s retelling of his admiration for Desiree’s “perfect” pussy. And then, having seen it, had to agree.) They’re a naturally funny and charming couple - I found myself thinking how fun it would be to have them over for dinner, drinks and poker. Or go hiking. Bill and Desiree are very enthusiastic people - about their community, about nature, about art, about sexual exploration and about each other. It’s infectious and utterly endearing.

You can tell they’re in love. It’s the way she watches him when he talks, not the camera… the way he touches her shoulder casually, like she’s a part of him. There’s a sweet touch of worship in the way he speaks of her - and she radiates it back joyously. They had been dating only three weeks when strangers were asking them how long they’d been married.

At this point in the interview Bill pulled out his book - as in, one he’d written - and uttered a phrase I’d never heard in an erotic movie before: “This is actually a place where I’d like to read a poem.”

And it was a sexy poem.

The Comstocks’ filmmaking style never gets in the way of Bill and Desiree’s love story. The arousal builds slowly; cuts of love scenes are woven throughout the interview. This approach works well for relationship-oriented erotica; we get to know Bill and Desiree before we see them make love. We get to witness and understand their attraction to each other and we get to develop chemistry with them as well. A friend once told me the great weakness of erotic movies was that we’re never given the chance to find the stars sexy. We have time to see their bodies, but not to develop an attraction to their quirks and personality. Tony and Peggy Comstock give us that chance.

Comstock Films’ catchphrase is “real sex,” and this film shows the realities of sex in a relationship. Desiree and Bill talk about accepting that sometimes orgasms just aren’t going to happen but enjoying the sex anyway; they emphasise that “peak experiences are just that” but that even “boring” sleepy sex is worthwhile. It’s about sharing pleasure, staying connected.

And then it’s the quiet of the camera and their kissing, laughing and undressing… hands and smiles and the camera just glancing over their bodies, like a lover does, rendering faces and sensual movement just as visually important as genitals. The Comstocks know when to focus on Desiree’s face, on the energy of her pleasure, then back to Bill’s hand inside her natural pussy. Their sex flows back and forth, exchanges of pleasure, peaks and valleys… it’s not at all about a pop shot, it’s very unscripted. Their lovemaking flows naturally from their creative, exploratory sexual energy.

Bill going down on her dildo was a very cool scene: unexpected and sweetly kinky. It brought back happy memories of my own.

In “Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless” the Comstocks have successfully created three things: an erotic film, a relationship documentary and an explicit love story. It’s difficult to master even one. This is not a forgettable explicit movie to be deleted after viewing. You will be aroused. You will also be affected. The words and the images of Bill and Desiree’s love scene will stay with you. You’ll watch it again, and be moved again by that same playful passion…

This is what real sex looks like. Hands clenching, faces scrunched up, unexpected orgasms… tangled up in clothes and in laughing, playful sexual energy. We’re so afraid of sex fading away when we take off our band t-shirts and put on the real world. If this tender sexual exploration is what we’re all dreading then frankly I can’t wait.

My glib but true answer for why I make films is that there are things I want to express about sexuality, intimacy and cinematic eroticism that I cannot express with words. 

After reading Domina Doll’s review of BILL AND DESIREE: LOVE IS TIMELESS words fail me again, except to say thank you for taking a chance on this film, and for seeing it with the kindest of eyes.

I didn’t know quite what to expect when I received “Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless” by Comstock Films for review.  Would I enjoy watching “older lovers” in their “later years” making love on film?  Well, within the first few minutes my doubts were eased as I watched Bill passionately recount how he and Desiree first met and how he was “blown away” by her “beautiful genitals” in the pre-sex interview.  I was immediately drawn into the film through Bill’s joyful candor and enthusiasm, who is like a school-boy enamored by new love.  I thought: “This is not going to be your typical film.”  And, it definitely isn’t.  Bill and Desiree have much to share with the viewer through their celebration of sex, love and desire, with a few erotic revelations thrown in that might surprise you as well.

Bill and Desiree are an attractive 50-something couple who are recreational naturists and happened to meet at a “clothing optional” event.  Bill is charming, endearing and gregarious; a bohemian poet who is thrilled to be in the prime of his life.  Desiree is exquisite (Bill refers to her as a “Goddess”) with a lovely glowing face, expressive eyes and an animated smile.  You can immediately tell that they are each other’s “soul mates” as they reminisce about their “delirious” love making on their first real date in Sam Taylor Park under the Redwoods where they are stumbled upon by a spotted-owl researcher.

During the interview, they talk about the importance of human touch and how they stay connected through what Desiree calls “a daily nourishment”.  Bill also discusses how mainstream pornography and sexual “how-to” advice can be damaging as it sets unrealistic goals to perform and try to achieve magic every time.  “Peak experiences are just that,” says Bill, “Not every experience is Mount Everest”.  What I learned through watching Bill and Desiree is how accommodating and self-less they give themselves to each other, not always interested in orgasm for themselves, but delighted to give each other pleasure and enjoy what they receive with so much gratitude.  This is the way relationships should be and I have to thank Bill and Desiree for sharing their respect, love and passion with the world, for it is so inspiring and wonderful to see.

Another aspect of their relationship is that they approach their lovemaking as an adventure, constantly trying new things.  Bill laughs as he tells the viewer about Desiree making love to him with her strap-on, then later in the film gives her dildo a blow-job as they giggle blissfully.  They use a lot of variation during their lovemaking scene, switching sexual techniques and types of foreplay with penetration and back again.  This takes the pressure off Bill to constantly perform as their desire gains momentum through sensual valleys and rapturous peaks, building until their ultimate climax.

Everything they do, they do with exhilaration and wild abandon.  They explore their sexual love like children who are delighted and amazed by everything they see and touch.  I had a perma-smile welded on my face as I watched them make love with such tenderness: their smiles, laughter and joy radiating out of the screen to affect me as well.  It was so powerful and beautifully poignant to watch their sweet ecstatic moans and tearful orgasms as they convulsed with ecstasy.

This film could not have been made by anyone else.  Tony Comstock’s camera-style invites you in-close and intimate-focusing on the joy on their faces, the tenderness with which they hold each other’s hands, the gaze in their eyes as they immerse themselves in their shared moment of bliss.  Comstock uses what I call a “haptic” style of cinematography, in that the lighting is soft and muted with a somewhat diffused quality and close-up sensuality that evokes the sense of touch.  Unlike mainstream porn that is glaring, stark and in your face, Comstock’s films seductively roam the bodies of their participants like a lover’s touch, moving in and out of focus, in a way that highlights the physical beauty between two lovers and celebrates sexual intimacy as an art form in itself.  In this way, Bill and Desiree become more than just the components of their sexual moving parts, as their emotional, spiritual and amorous bond transcends the screen.

“Bill and Desiree: Love Is Timeless” is a magnificent film: a sexual tapestry of touch, unconditional love, and vivacious desire.  This film should be a part of the curriculum in Sex-Ed classes and is a must-see for all couples regardless of age.  It will inspire couples how to stay passionate, vibrant and innovative in their approach to love and sex, no matter at what stage they may find themselves on their journey through life.

Hard to think of a way to preface this, except to say “Wow! Thanks!”

From Wired Weird, a Top 100 Amazon reviewer:

According to Tony Comstock (the director), “At the time of production he was about 65 and she was just turned or about to turn 50.” Love, even sex, even really good sex, isn’t just for the twenty-somethings. This handsome couple proves that in their joyous lovemaking.

Comstock has developed a winning format. Like his other films, the first half presents the couple talking to an unseen, unheard interviewer. They talk about meeting, then meeting again, then how their relationship blossomed (or exploded) into being. Quick cuts during the interview show moments from their bedroom scene, then return to the couple talking. Throughout that interview, the radiant smiles on their faces suggest the heat of new love - but they had already been together for years when that was taken.

The second half of each Comstock film follows the two through their intimacy, from undressing (and her getting knotted up in her T-shirt), through their play and peak, to a limp, loving cuddle afterward. Even with their lines, spots, and other marks of age, they make a handsome, even beautiful and graceful pair. And a happy pair - they laugh and giggle throughout, unable (and unwilling) to keep that huge happiness bottled up.

Lots of us knew it already, but the message needs to be heard more: There is life, and love, and some howling good sex after 40, and 50, and 60, … Bill and Desiree make that statement beautifully.

From Gary J. Meyer:

In Love Is Timeless, Bill and Desiree blow away all preconceptions about what a sex video looks like, combining laughter, love poetry, and lube in a celebration of — make sure you’re sitting down for this — vanilla, middle-aged, long-term partner sex. Playful, joyous, generous, these two attractive, articulate lovers reclaim physical intimacy from tedious porn stereotypes. And make it okay to have a tummy!

The format of this 56-minute video is simple and elegant: the first half mostly interview with tantalizing glimpses of the love-making to come and the second half sex that’s magical and sweet and silly all at the same time. Desiree and Bill demonstrate that sex needn’t be goal-oriented and orgasm-fixated. It can have multiple uses and outcomes, from sharing rapport to spiritual redemption. It’s a process, not a payoff.

Desiree sums it up: “If some people aren’t willing to be seen, how do we learn? How do we get comfortable with who we are as sexual creatures?” The lessons here are powerful and vital in favor of a sex positive, pleasure positive world view. Love Is Timeless deserves the widest possible promotion. Spread the word!

From Richard Pasco:

Bill and Desiree are to be commended for an excellent video.

I bought my lover and myself a copy of “Love is Timeless” for Christmas. We watched it together and were delighted. Their sharing of their love was a wonderful inspiration to us.

We share and applaud Bill’s and Desiree’s belief that lovemaking is to be celebrated and shared, not hidden away. In a society where any such sharing is condemned as “porn” it’s hard to be clear about purpose, but indeed they were: Their video joyfully celebrates their sacred union and is a polar opposite of movies in which actors “perform” for pay and entertainment purposes. What a wonderful intimate sharing!

I don’t remember the dates, but my memory has it that I attended one or move of the workshops where their love began. It’s been a joy to be a part of their lives, even if in a small peripheral way. A year ago, I first read poetry from Bill’s book “May Touch Redeem Us” with my lover, who especially appreciated Bill’s “live” reading to Desiree on the video.

When I first learned that Desiree was a grandmother I asked “How come grandmothers weren’t so sexy when I was a kid?” Desiree’s grace and charm forever changed the way I thought about mature women.

We are joyful at Bill’s and Desiree’s intention to replace ignorance and fear with awareness and love. We were grateful to be included in their lives in this way, and eager to practice what they had so lovingly demonstrated.

And from long time friend of our efforts, Ellinoz:

It might be about my own age or a higher than usual level of real life empathy with the film’s subjects but I felt a strong connection to Tony Comstock’s sixth film in his Real Sex, Real Life, Real People erotic documentary series - Bill and Desiree: Love Is Timeless.

And connection, rather than age is what Bill and Desiree is about. Age isn’t how they define themselves. “Lovers” is how they define themselves - they are givers and receivers of pleasure, lovers with a deep connection. Other than a quip at the beginning about an indistinct memory or interpretation of a memory which in my experience happens with lovers of any vintage, there’s little talk of age. There’s a good deal of very charming talk about love and pleasure and connection and the whole film has a wonderful romantic comedy feel about it.

Bill and Desiree have a gorgeous calm and wise presence on camera. Viewers will empathise when they talk of the warmth and security of being loved by someone who truly knows you, being seen and heard and loved, when Desiree comments to Bill “You know me” we understand that she means deeply - “You know me.” - it’s a powerful moment. When she says, “I’ve never been loved like this, or felt this kind of love before,” I felt myself nodding in knowing agreement.

Comstock’s camera work capturing pleasure on the faces of Bill and Desiree is some of the best I think he’s done, here he has perfected his documentary technique - gently taking us to where we can read Desiree’s delight at Bill’s caresses, anticipating Bill’s responses and skilfully catching loving looks between them, - they appear radiant, often lost in each other and in the moment. It’s quite something to bear witness to - it’s joyous and moving and very erotic.

At a personal level it’s a hopeful or hope filled movie - as my sweetheart and I approach middle years I guess I’m relieved and excited that love and sex can flourish no matter what age. I’ve known that in my heart, but as we rarely if ever get to actually see what real sex and real love looks like between people of any age, Bill and Desiree serve as proof for me - beautiful, life affirming, sexy proof.

Of course I’d like this to continue! Nothing but five stars forever. But it won’t. For some people our films are “meh” and every now and then someone will really get upset by one of our films.

(I had one fellow call me on the phone and demand a refund for “Xana and Dax”. When I told him I was very dissappointed that he did not enjoy our film, but that there is no way a filmmaker can run a business if people get to decide whether or not they pay after they see a film, and pointed out that you don’t go up to the box office and demand a refund after you see a movie, he got even more upset and threatened to call his credit card company! He really didn’t like Xana and Dax!)

But that’s the way it is when you take your ideas and put them out for public consumption. If enough people say “Yes! This! More!” you count yourself lucky, and do your best to let the rest roll off your back!

And Peggy and I really are lucky. Of course it’s upsetting when someone hates what you do, but that’s the rare case. Overwhelmingly we get wonderful feedback on our films, and that support is what has given us the emotional and financial strength to tackle (for lack of a better word) “less obvious” subject matter. Our friend above aside, lots of people said lots of really wonderful things about “Xana and Dax”; and lots of people bought the DVD. That support gave us the chance to make films like “Ashley and Kisha” and “Bill and Desiree”; to follow my instincts as an artist, and make the films that I wanted to make.

Speaking of support, reviews like the above really do help our bottom line. Good reviews boost our Amazon sales (and poor reviews certainly don’t help.) If you’ve watched and enjoyed any of our films, please consider taking a moment to go over to Amazon and write a review for us. A couple of minutes time on your part will make it that much easier for me and Peggy to concentrate on making films. Just follow the link provided below!

Comstock Films Erotic Documentaries on Amazon.com

Reactions are coming in for our new film BILL AND DESIREE: LOVE IS TIMELESS, and I couldn’t be happier. BILL AND DESIREE is the sixth of our erotic documentaries, and from the beginning I’ve hoped that these films would be understood as something more than an erotic morsel. I’ve hoped that between the love and the loving, these films communicate something about how deeply essential and about deeply consequential sex is.

Maybe that’s asking too much from such small, simple movies. But reading how people are reacting to BILL AND DESIREE, I can’t help but feel hopeful!

AAG, still healing from a painful divorce, was especially touched by Bill’s love poem:

Near the end of the interview, Bill opened a book of poems he wrote for Desiree.  Oh no, I thought.  I cannot bear this.  Sentimentalism of any sort horrifies me.  But then Bill began to read:

A Small Poem about Tenderness

Tonight I would be the provider of solace, the caregiver,
in the face of all that had afflicted you this day.

But when you took me fully in your mouth, small,
yielding, your encompassing warmth and sweetness

without urgency or agenda, every door opened,
every hurt and hesitation was healed. I gave myself

up to you, and you gave me myself, whole and at peace.
Would you like to be inside? you asked, looking up

from your giving. And in a moment you were above me,
radiant, wordless, emptied of urgency and injury,

and this thoughtless joy rose in my bones, this joy
conceived in love, refracted in your eyes, easy as breath.

Each day, each enfolding night may we come to each other
healed, jubilant and patient, each day of all the days

we may be graced with. May no hurt ever be stronger
than the simplest act of love. May touch redeem us.

I watched with tears on my cheeks.  This is what I was missing.  This was why the divorce had to happen.  The children don’t understand now — and oh God I hope they never understand — but I know.

From Ell at Wilful Damage, a sense of seeing her own love affair with her husband of 20 years reflected in the film:

Bill and Desiree have a gorgeous calm and wise presence on camera. Viewers will empathise when they talk of the warmth and security of being loved by someone who truly knows you, being seen and heard and loved, when Desiree comments to Bill “You know me” we understand that she means deeply – “You know me.” - it’s a powerful moment. When she says, “I’ve never been loved like this, or felt this kind of love before,” I felt myself nodding in knowing agreement…

It’s a hopeful or hope filled movie – as my sweetheart and I approach middle years I guess I’m relieved and excited that love and sex can flourish no matter what age. I’ve known that in my heart, but as we rarely if ever get to actually see what real sex and real love looks like between people of any age, Bill and Desiree serves as proof for me – beautiful, life affirming, sexy proof.

From Ms.Naughty, reassurance for me why making these films matters:

In the epilogue to the sex scene, Bill and Desiree say they decided to do the film because so few people get a chance to see real intimacy. “If some people aren’t willing to be seen,” says Desiree, “how do we learn? How do we get comfortable with who we are as sexual beings?” 

Bill and Desiree: Love is Timeless is worth seeing because it’s a perfect portrayal of real sex. It’s the kind of sex I recognise, that I have and that I know other people have. The techniques may be different perhaps, but it has the same vibe, the same hotness and fun and love. The fact that this kind of movie is so rare makes it all the more valuable.

And if getting older means having sex like that, well, bring it on.

Despite living in what at times seems like a sex-saturated culture, there is still a strong undercurrent that tells us that prioritizing sex is silly and selfish. Yes, there is sex all around us, but mostly it is presented as some sort of baroque pantomime or garish burlesque. Sex is trivialized, infantilized, and mocked. As a filmmaker I feel this current pushing against me, and sometimes it feels as if it will pull me under and sweep me away. Sometime I feel foolish for devoting my life to making films about sex.

But not today.

Today I am reassured. Today I am hopeful. Today I am redeemed!

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.