Um. Wow.

On our way out of the multiplex the other day, we noticed the rather demure posters for This Film is Not Yet Rated and a banner instructing us to visit IFC.com to see the posters "they wouldn't let us show you!" Later, in one of our regular moments of online procrastination, we actually remembered to do so.





We're not sure, but we assume that the "they" preventing you from seeing these posters in a theater lobby is the MPAA, the motion picture industry's trade association. And, using this instance as just an example, that might not be an entirely bad thing. While we're as down on censorship as anyone, we're not so keen on floating out of some dreamy rom-com to be smacked in the eye with a blazing image of seared flesh. (We should probably come clean with the revelation that branding is one of our own personal squick points.) (Come to think of it, both in the physical and in the marketing sense.)

But once we've left the town square and plopped down our $10.50 to see a particular film of our own adult-minded choosing, the determination of which images confront us should be left to the creativity of the filmmaker. And the process of classifying what is considered "adult" needs to be made transparent, so that filmmakers and audiences alike know where the line falls, as well as the how and the who behind that determination.

And that's where This Film is Not Yet Rated comes in. Directed by Kirby Dick--who holds a permanent place in our heart for the sensitive and engaging Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist--the documentary delves into the whimsically arbitrary MPAA rating system and the power it wields over what we're ultimately allowed to see on the big screen. Featuring the candid anecdotes of such directors as John Waters, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone, Kimberly Pierce and Mary Harron, the film is particularly compelling in its look at the discrepancies in the MPAA's treatment of sex vs. violence and in an apparent aversion to homosexuality and the depiction of female sexual pleasure.

Opening in NYC and Los Angeles tomorrow, This Film is Not Yet Rated rolls out in several cities in the next weeks. Definitely make the effort to see it.

What's afoot with Mr. Polanski?

Join us in welcoming back The Reeler from whatever respite he may have enjoyed in his time away and, while he gets reacclimated, there's still time to catch up on the havoc that was wrought by a week of guest bloggers filling in for the duration. (Scroll way, way down. Remember, that's us, down towards the bottom.)

If that's just too great a wealth of information and insights from the NYC world of cinema and you're wishing someone would come by and pick out the kinky bits - well, that's what we're here for. Speculating on director Roman Polanski's likely foot fetish, filmmaker Lauren Wissot writes:

Some of the greatest ankles and arches ever to grace the screen appear in loving close up or wary long shot in every film in this master’s oevure. It became a game with us: spot the foot shot. We could hardly wait for The Pianist to be released just for a possible glimpse of Adrien Brody’s bunions.



She and a co-cinephile have put out the call for an editor to help compile the entire range of images into an "experimental meditation" on the topic.

We're calling first dibs on the final product.

But will it play in Sydney?

From director Tony Comstock comes news that his latest documentary, Damon & Hunter, which mixes a couple's engaging and intimate interview with scenes of them having sex, has met with the ire of the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification and is not to be played in its original form during queerDOC 06, the Sydney-based documentary festival.

After playing to a sell-out crowd and sharing a prize for best documentary at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, Damon & Hunter was booked into two screening slots at queerDOC.

Subsequently, though, queerDOC was notified that because Damon & Hunter carries an X classification in Australia, exhibition of the documentary would violate Section 8 of the OFLC's Film Festival Guidelines and cannot be screened publicly. queerDOC has since applied for an exemption to the ruling and Tony has scrambled to provide them with a heavily edited version of his documentary.

Since we've been fortunate enough to have Damon & Hunter among the many fine works under consideration for this year's CineKink NYC, we were a little curious to see how much of the wonderfully sumptuous piece might remain after the explicit sex - "...no erect penises, no touching of each other’s flacid penises, and no butt cracks" - had been excised.

Fortunately, Tony has posted the abridged version for online viewing.

It's a pretty quick download.

Catching up on old news... October dates

Scheduled for October 17-22, 2006, the fourth annual CineKink NYC will feature a carefully-curated program of films and videos that explore and celebrate a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, plans for the festival also include a short film competition, audience choice awards, presentations, parties and a gala kick-off fundraiser, to be followed by a national showcase tour.

Billing itself as "the really alternative film festival," the event is presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of kink-positive depictions in film and television. With offerings drawn from both Hollywood and abroad, works presented at CineKink NYC will range from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn and everything in between.

"Our call for entries is running strong and we're looking forward to another banner round of selections to present at the festival," said Lisa Vandever, Co-Founder and Director of CineKink. "It's always invigorating to see the commitment and talent that our filmmakers bring to their works and we're delighted at the quality and range we're able to pass along to our audiences."

Last year's festival saw Audience Choice Award honors given to 'Going Under' (Eric Werthman) for Best Narrative Feature and to 'Pornology New York' (Michele Capozzi) for Best Documentary Feature. An Honorable Mention also went to the documentary 'Original Pride: The Satyrs Motorcycle Club' (Scott Bloom).

In the shorts competition, juried festival awards went to 'Moustache' (Vicki Sugars) for Best Narrative Short, 'Pup' (Antonia Kao) for Best Documentary Short, and, tied for the Best Experimental Short award, 'Harigata: The Alien Dildo That Turned Women Into Sex-Hungry Lesbos' (Szu Burgess) and 'Meat' (Joe Gallant). Honorable Best Mention awards went to 'Open' (Teale Failla) and to 'Sullivan's Last Call' (Francesca Rizzo).

The CineKink Tribute, recognizing extraordinary depiction of kink in mainstream film and television, was given to the film 'Kinsey' (Fox Searchlight Pictures/Bill Condon, 2004, USA) for "its intimate and moving portrayal of the pioneering sexologist Dr. Alfred Kinsey and the profound impact his research has had on the ways we think about sex."

Honorable mentions for the CineKink Tribute went to the television series 'Desperate Housewives' (ABC) and 'Dr. 90210' (E!), and to the movie 'Wedding Crashers' (New Line Cinema).

The CineKink program line-up for 2006 will be announced in September.

Further information is available at www.cinekink.com.

Welcome Reeler Readers!!

We've been mulling over this whole blogging thing for a long, long time. It seemed like a good idea, but once it get's going, can you ever step off of the merry-go-round?

Watching our friend The Reeler jumping frenzily from post to post, we wondered. But when he invited us to step in as a pinch-hitting guest blogger while he went on a, er, vacation, we saw that there could be respite. And, even more compelling, we were bitten by the bug of semi-demi-celebrity that springs from seeing one's thoughts suddenly appear on the Internet! (Sure it's fleeting, but there's always Google.)

For the rest of you, wondering what all this blather is about, here is our recent requested post on our steamy summer vacation, spent in the hot pursuit of CineKinky goodness. (Or something like that.)

And, apparently, the start of a whole new blog.