It’s the last day of Courtney Trouble week! You can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Roulette Berlin. Today: Bordello.

Courtney Trouble and I didn’t mean to have a drunken online chat; it just happened. I’d been meaning to email her my traditional interview questions and receive tidy paragraphs in response, but fuck that — this was a lot more fun. And informative.

You can read part one here, part two here, and part three here. In this part, Courtney and I discuss Bordello, working with Eon McKai, and movie-like pornos.

Courtney: i have to tell you… it doesn’t do me any good financially to say this because i get paid a flat amount each movie i make, but bordello… is the beginning.
Courtney: it’s really different from anything that i’ve made, or anything in queer porn, or any porn really. there’s a suspenseful twist, it’s only an hour long so you can actually sit through it, and also, there’s a montage, 3 sex scenes in one, which is very different.
Epiphora: i’ve definitely noticed progress watching these chronologically
Courtney: the rest is fun sex work, but bordello is precious to me in a very, very intense way. that set blew me away.
Epiphora: yeah it’s really fabulous
Courtney: there’s definitely a progression. i’ll tell you this, i didn’t know how to shoot or edit film when i made the first roulette. it’s amazing to see not only queer people being documented but also, i’m documenting my own education in film making
Epiphora: i noticed the bad bathroom lighting in seven minutes was rectified in seven minutes 2
Courtney: basically what i’m trying to say is that they gave a novice a ton of money to make her dreams come true, and this is what happens. it’s like project runway haha
Courtney: hahahah yeah i learned how to light a bathroom!!! i happen to think that the first bathroom scene sex-wise with carson and tina was hotter than #2
Epiphora: i think you’re right about that. but i’m a sucker for good lighting
Courtney: hahaha! i’m a sucker for good sex. i guess that’s my weakness.
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It’s the last day of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Roulette Berlin.

This shall excite you: Bordello is basically Clue porn. There is a murder, a selection of murder weapons, and a dramatic reveal at the end. It’s only 58 minutes long, but its composition and scope make it feel much more epic than any other Courtney Trouble film of the past. And everything — from the costumes to the set to the lighting — is done with a more exacting eye than ever before.

Bordello is hot as hell, really and truly, but it’s also deliciously subversive: its performers play with the theme of sexualized violence, using that violence and its objects (a gun, a knife) to embody queer experience. I was surprised at first, to see these objects used so overtly — then I was turned on. Very turned on.

Unlike Speakeasy, which had so little of a plot that I didn’t even mention it in my review, Bordello has a comprehensible plot that does not overshadow the action. And the breaks between the sex are not drawn out or boring. Some of them are even amusing!

The scenes are laid out quite smartly, in a way that separates them just enough — but not enough that they are disparate. The sections are as follows: “Intro: Madame and Servant,” “Part One: The Tricks and the Whores,” “Part Two: The Clues” (featuring four scenes: “The Gun,” “The Dagger,” “The Candlestick,” and “The Rope”), and “Part Three: The Mystery Revealed.”

From this you may assume that there are seven or eight scenes, but you would be mistaken — there are actually around ten. “The Tricks and the Whores” section is a montage, a conglomeration of three scenes, which works surprisingly well — especially since all the scenes are meant to be happening at the same time in the bordello. So Sophia St. James finger-fucks Carson on a dresser, Jolene Parton and Akira mess around on a chair near some windows, and Tina Horn bosses Vid Tuesday and James Darling around under some entrancing golden light.

But rewind, because it would be blasphemy to overlook the stunning first scene (“Madame and Servant”), which features April Flores and Billy Castro. They fuck on a green vintage couch that I need to own, all the while talking dirty to each other. Everything in this scene is perfect: April’s red hair splayed against the couch, Billy’s amazing cock, the intensity between them.

The scenes under “Part Two: The Clues” are all pretty great, too. My favorites were “The Gun” (Carson/James) and “The Candlestick” (Vid/Sophia). I never knew that I would think fellatio on a gun was hot, but holy crap, it is. I also never knew I wanted to see a candlestick up someone’s ass (yep, with the other end lit!), but apparently, I did. And I loved it.

“The Dagger” is a solo scene featuring Akira; she actually inserts the blunt knife into her pussy a little. “The Rope” features Tina and Jolene on some stairs, engaging in some rope play. The last scene, in “Part Three: The Mystery Revealed,” is short, but passionate. Billy and Sarah Lee Sinful fuck on a bed. Squirting ensues. I am happy.

On the DVD, there’s a Behind the Scenes featurette, which is fabulous content-wise, not so fabulous production-wise (very, very quiet at parts, with very loud swear-word beeps). And for the first time in Courtney Trouble’s porn history, there is a full scene included as an extra feature (Billy and Sarah Lee’s scene). THANK YOU, UNIVERSE! You read my mind!

I loved Bordello. It’s ambitious, original, hot, and subversive — the handiwork of a director who is really beginning to refine and perfect her craft. Courtney has come a long way since Roulette, and I’m excited to see what she does next. If Bordello is any indication, queer porn has a very bright future. Maybe even as bright as April Flores’ hair.

It’s day seven of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Seven Minutes in Heaven 2.
Tomorrow: Bordello and a chat with Courtney Trouble, pt. 4.

Roulette Berlin follows in the footsteps of Roulette Dirty South and the original Roulette; it is a film composed of vignettes, meant to celebrate the diversity of queer sexuality. But it differs from its predecessors, too — it is more expertly made. The music in Roulette Berlin generally stays out of the way — and when it doesn’t, it usually fits the action. There is also some beautiful lighting to be seen, although a few scenes are still not up to my lighting par.

The scenes in Roulette Berlin are solid, and I dare say, the most diverse of any Roulette film thus far. You have a female/male scene (Judy Minx and Killer), a solo scene (Anja), a female/female scene (Ena and G.G.), a genderqueer/male scene (Blond Stud and Ju), and a male/male scene (Walter Crasshole and Nikolaj). All the couples are real couples, so chemistry is everywhere. And within that, you have a very wide spectrum of sexual expression — from Ena and G.G.’s sweet and loving scene to Blond Stud and Ju’s intense D/s-style scene.

Yes, D/s! It begins with Blond Stud pressing hir boot into Ju’s chest, then ze lights a cigarette and taunts Ju with it. Ze flicks some ashes onto his skin, and even burns him with the tip of the cigarette a few times. There’s some hitting, then Ju jacks off while Blond Stud fingers him into oblivion. While I’m not incredibly turned on by D/s stuff, I thoroughly enjoyed this scene; the couple’s comfort level with one another is unmistakable.

My favorite scene was the first one, between Judy Minx and Killer. It doesn’t hurt that I find both of them cute as hell, or that the lighting is absolutely beautiful. I still don’t get the fingers-in-mouths fetish, but hey — they make up for it with some intense fingering.

These two scenes do have one downfall (although it may be an upside for other watchers): the performers speak to each other only in French. For me, this is sad, because I love dirty talk and hearing people speak another language while sexing it up is like torture. But if you love the sound of French or know French, you will most likely have the opposite reaction.

Ena and G.G.’s scene and Anja’s scene are both decent, but nothing to write home about. I was excited by Ena’s baldness and Anja’s tattoos, but that’s about it.

And then there’s poor Walter and Nikolaj’s scene. You may remember my frustration with their scene in the first Roulette; I was pissed because the scene was overwhelmed by an ill-fitting soundtrack. Well, now their scene is overwhelmed by bad lighting and grain. And see, this scene is intense and hot — filled with amazing cocksucking and cocks smacking on faces and tongues. But I get really distracted when the skin of sexy boys becomes a mess of black and reddish grain.

Roulette Berlin is entertaining and hot, although it is yet to be as hot as the Seven Minutes in Heaven series, for me. If you’re into D/s play, though, Blond Stud and Ju’s scene is a slice of delicious queer D/s, and Judy Minx and Killer’s scene is also sexy as hell. As always with Courtney’s films, there is an authenticity in these scenes that is above and beyond the norm, so if chemistry gets you off… Roulette Berlin has it.

It’s day six of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Roulette Dirty South. Today: Seven Minutes in Heaven 2. Tomorrow: Roulette Berlin.

Courtney Trouble and I didn’t mean to have a drunken online chat; it just happened. I’d been meaning to email her my traditional interview questions and receive tidy paragraphs in response, but fuck that — this was a lot more fun. And informative.

You can read part one here and part two here. In this part, Courtney and I discuss boy/boy films, Kimberly Kane, fisting, and Seven Minutes in Heaven 3.

Epiphora: i saw on twitter that you are hoping to make a boy/boy film in 2010… is that planned yet?
Courtney: it’s in the works… i’ve shot plenty of gay boys for nofauxxx, and walter and nikolaj for the roulette series, but i would really love to make a film (or 2, or 3, or 4, etc…) with just boys.
Epiphora: i would seriously love to see it. a lot.
Courtney: i don’t really think that people’s sexual orientations match what they watch in porn… and i would love to address it. a queer girl making gay porn seems… i don’t know… obvious. to me.
Epiphora: but it’s not! who has done it? nobody!
Courtney: nobody’s done it. i’m about to. it’s my biggest goal right now. main problem is the gay porn world is even more obsessive about body/style politics than straight porn. gay porn is ALL built, heavily hung, mostly white men. that’s not my style. my style is to get those guys as well as the bears, the chubby boys, the tattooed misfits of the underground, to join the cause.
Epiphora: oh man, that reminds me… i watched this horrible porno called bareback emo boys
Epiphora: i was so desperate to find cute boys rather than hunky dudes
Courtney: oooohhh dear lord
Epiphora: it was really bad though. really bad.
Courtney: hahah i can only image what emo porn looks like.
Epiphora: it’s guys with black hair and cute haircuts who never get hard. and kiss awkwardly.
Courtney: ugh. see this is why i need to move this project to the forefront
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It’s day six of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Roulette Dirty South. Tomorrow: Roulette Berlin.

I was really impressed by Seven Minutes in Heaven, so I was practically foaming at the mouth to watch Seven Minutes in Heaven 2. Two of my favorite performers from the first Seven Minutes are in this one — Puck Goodfellow and Sophia (err, her name is Chocolate Chip now) — and everyone else gave me a hard-on during the opening sequence. Especially James Darling.

And I was not disappointed! Seven Minutes 2 is just as hot and exciting as the first, with the same playful atmosphere. To top things off, the lighting issues I noticed in Seven Minutes have been rectified, and many of the scenes are beautifully lit. The music is also even less invasive; it only plays at the beginnings and ends of scenes. Hell yes.

My favorite scenes were Red/Cyd/James (their general playfulness is adorable, and Cyd’s orgasms are fantastic), Chocolate Chip/Red (great chemistry, and finally, some oral sex on a lady! With a dental dam, of course), and the gangbang at the end where everyone pitches in to please Red.

I don’t really have a least favorite scene, but I was disappointed by Akira and Puck’s. It starts well, with Puck going down on Akira, but I quickly tired of Akira’s moaning. As you know, my tolerance for repetitive moaning is not very high; and by the end of her scene with Puck, I was cringing and turning the volume way down. Which really made me sad, because she’s freaking cute, and Puck is amazing at fucking (example: in his scene with Soma, he rubs her clit as he enters her. Oh yes).

There are several flaws in Seven Minutes in Heaven 2. Mainly, it’s only an hour long. This isn’t abnormal for most of Courtney’s films, but the first Seven Minutes clocked in at two hours. And that last hour definitely made the film feel more comprehensive. Seven Minutes 2 feels rushed, and I’m left dreaming up pairings that didn’t get to happen (James Darling and Puck, SERIOUSLY).

Second flaw: Jiz Lee stops by to drop off some latex gloves. AND THAT’S ALL SHE DOES. You don’t just do that. Like, have her come in and squirt on someone and leave. SOMETHING, ANYTHING. </rant>

Third flaw: there are some desaturated parts, some jarring cuts in the middle of moans, and the editing in general is a bit sloppy and disjointed. It seems like some of the more awkward, in-between moments were cut out. Not cool.

But it’s a testament to the hotness of the scenes that I can overlook all that stuff. I really can; it’s actually quite easy, because the people are incredibly sexy, and the sex is chemistry-laden and passionate. Everyone is into it, and better yet — they’re joyful about it. Seven Minutes in Heaven is easily Courtney’s best series, and I’m yet again foaming at the mouth to see what’s next.

It’s day five of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Seven Minutes in Heaven and a chat with Courtney Trouble, pt 2.
Tomorrow: Seven Minutes in Heaven 2 and a chat with Courtney Trouble, pt. 3.

Roulette Dirty South is the second installment in Courtney Trouble’s Roulette series, which consists of vignette-style films. Per its name, Roulette Dirty South seeks to evoke a southern atmosphere, where the sun is hot and the queer sex is hotter.

There are two outstanding scenes in Roulette Dirty South — mainly, the scene between Dylan Ryan and Trucker Cash. Holy mother of god! Set in the semi-outdoors, in someone’s garage or something, it is bright, sexy, and perfectly captures the sweltering southern heat. Tattered jean shorts and transparent white t-shirts are involved. Dylan and Trucker even pour water on each other. There are some beautiful genital shots in this scene too, which sounds weird, but it’s true.

My other favorite scene is the one featuring Trouble and Pepper. Shot by April Flores and Carlos Batts, the scene has a random-hotel-in-the-middle-of-the-night feel. It’s red-tinted and passionate, and a little voyeuristic too.

There are two solo scenes, one featuring a cute chick named Cola, one featuring a dude named Basil McNubb (seriously, dude, did you really want to evoke McDonald’s and… nubs… with your name? If that’s your real last name, I’m really sorry). I was pleased by Basil’s sex toy of choice — the Wahl — but I really just don’t like solo scenes in general. They give me the yawns.

Then there are two more scenes that are decent, but not quite my cup of tea. Jeff Leppard (har har) and Charlie’s scene starts out promisingly, with some cock-sucking and sex in a bedroom, but then Charlie… well, she morphs. Suddenly she’s wearing a blonde wig and hipster/mom glasses. She proceeds to go down on Jeff, steaming up the glasses. Eh? Not attractive. Just awkward.

Then there’s Triqui and Johnny’s scene in front of a brick wall. There’s nothing bad about it, but nothing interesting either. Except Triqui’s Nintendo underwear.

I think my main disappointment with Roulette Dirty South is that the atmosphere of the film isn’t more consistent. After the Dylan/Trucker scene, I was ready for some awesome, heat-infused scenarios… but none of them feel as hot as that one, and most of them are set indoors. Roulette Dirty South also suffers from inconsistent lighting in some of the scenes (as in Speakeasy, a well-balanced shot will be followed by a seemingly untouched shot).

Still, Courtney’s filmmaking eye continues to improve, and other viewers will probably not have the same qualms about Roulette Dirty South that I do. Besides, Dylan and Trucker’s scene is one I’ll be whipping out whenever I want to immerse myself in a summery cocoon, and that scene plus the hotel scene are worth the DVD price.

It’s day four of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Speakeasy. Today: Seven Minutes in Heaven. Tomorrow: Roulette Dirty South.

Courtney Trouble and I didn’t mean to have a drunken online chat; it just happened. I’d been meaning to email her my traditional interview questions and receive tidy paragraphs in response, but fuck that — this was a lot more fun. And informative.

You can read part one here. In this part, Courtney and I discuss the future for indie queer porn, Belladonna, and the conundrum of putting music in porn.

Epiphora: how do things change when you go from behind the camera to in front of it? do you keep thinking about camera angles?
Courtney: when i get in front of the camera, filmmaking doesn’t exist. as a performer, i am completely devoted to creating more space for fat girls, and queer femmes. that visibility, and the sexual gratification of myself and my partner, are all i ever think about.
Courtney: performing also re-vitalizes the whole “why i’m making porn” factor for me — it’s so fucking exhilarating, i can’t help but hope that the people i direct get the same satisfaction from fucking on screen as i do.
Epiphora: do you think we will start seeing more indie queer porn soon?
Courtney: i just don’t know honestly. i do know that good releasing is looking for more indie directors. they are really so awesome, producing films from people like eon mckai, kimberly kane, and dave naz, but also giving funding to people like me who have never been able to afford to make my ideas become realities. and they are hosting this contest, “emerging feminst pornographer award,” for indie artists with porn ideas and no funding. it’s kind of the most brilliant and community focused idea ever
Epiphora: i saw that. i hope they get some amazing entries
Courtney: i wish there were more queer directors, i wish this was part of the porn industry, i wish people understood us — and the only way that queer sex could be recognized in the mainstream world is if there were more people. before shine came along, there was just me, and i felt so alone, and i think me and shine both wish that there were just MORE PEOPLE MAKING QUEER PORN.
Epiphora: i agree. i think more people would be able to get into porn, and it wouldn’t be the big hullabaloo it still is
Courtney: totally. and there are people completely obsessed with me and shine — both of us have changed lives from the bottom up… but what that says to me is that it’s time for more. if queer porn is ever going to get anywhere, we need more people making it, and adding to the definition of queer with their own work.

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It’s day four of Courtney Trouble week! And you can win a DVD by commenting or tweeting!
Yesterday: Speakeasy. Tomorrow: Roulette Dirty South.

Billed as the “first ever gonzo queer film,” Seven Minutes in Heaven is a reality porn film that gathers a group of performers together and unleashes them on each other. Sound familiar? Yeah, my favorite porn series of all time has the same premise. Is it because I have a soft spot for Real World style porn that I liked Seven Minutes in Heaven? It helps, but I think it has more to do with how hot the scenes are.

So far in my trek, this is the first Courtney Trouble film I’ve really, really liked. It’s a wonderful, playful romp through authentic queer sexuality. The scenes (of which there are many; the film is two hours long) are book-ended by confessionals. There is music in Seven Minutes in Heaven, but miraculously, I tended not to notice it. If you know me, you know this is a feat of epic proportions.

The experience levels of the performers range from “never done a porno” to “never had a queer experience.” Some are far, far more comfortable with the camera than others, and those tend to be the people I loved watching the most — Puck Goodfellow (serious crush object, he is such a gentleman), Tina Horn (the least attractive to me, but her attitude quickly won me over), and Carson (the front-and-center chick on the front cover). I also loved Sophia, though, and she admits to being “terrified of cameras.”

There’s so much stuff I loved about Seven Minutes in Heaven. I think it’s time for a list.

• The first scene, where Tina fingers Sarah Lee Sinful while wearing a black glove. Lube, gloves, and clitorises just do it for me.
• Puck asking Carson, “how do you want me to address you?” while Carson teaches him how to give a blowjob. Ugh, and her telling him how to suck while touching a crop to his cheek. So good.
• Sophia and Puck’s dual confession, which leads to making out in front of the white background.
• Sophia’s gangbang! She confesses to wanting to get fucked with a strap-on, and a hot-ass gangbang ensues. Involving the Hitachi, of course.
• Carson and Tina in the bathroom. Leather jackets. Black gloves. Tub. G-spot.
• Puck fucking Jolene on the floor. Jolene’s hot orgasm(s); Puck’s hot communication skills.

There are definitely some awkward moments in this porno; they’re jarring at first (mainstream porn is specifically edited to eliminate awkwardness), but somewhat endearing too. That’s not to say that all the scenes yanked my chain — there are several that I would cut from the film if it were my choice, just because they don’t have the level of chemistry that the others do — but I’ll live.

There were also a few technical blunders that irked me: first, the loud and distracting moaning in the background of Puck and Carson’s scene (there was more fun happening in the other room); second, some really icky grain in the bathroom scenes. Oh, and there’s the smoke break. I know this film is supposed to be real and everything, but please, I’d like to cling to the illusion that porn performers smell and taste like pansies, thank you.

Technical issues aside, Seven Minutes in Heaven is genuine, entertaining, sexy, and makes me really happy to live in the year 2010, when queer sexuality is being expressed on camera more and more… when a film like this can impress even a mainstream porn junkie like myself. This film makes me want to go tell my friends about the queer uprising in porn. It’s happening, and this is hot hot proof.