a film by Jochen Hick 2005 | 103 mins | Germany ›› Sex Life in L.A. 2: Cycles of Porn a sexually explicit sequel to the raw reality of the sex trade Having kept in touch with many of the names featured in his initial look behind the publicity styled imagery of the gay Los Angeles sex trade, German writer and director Jochen Hick returned to his subjects to see what has happened to them and indeed to the very industry itself, during the intervening seven years in this revealing and if you catch the uncut print, hardcore documentary. Not surprisingly, he discovered that many of the stars back then have since left the business; either as part of their career plan or due to a lack of work, with former porn star Matt Bradshaw having moved to Louisiana to live with his sister in a regular nine to five job. Unlike Kevin Kramer who seen here paying his proud mother a home visit, knows that sex seems forever destined to play an integral part in his career. Cole Tucker, on the other hand, in having reached the pinnacle of pornographic fame, quit the business whilst ahead and returned to his previous occupation as a successful real estate broker. Yet in the most cutting segment of the show, the question of whether an addiction to drink and drugs kills more sex workers in Los Angeles than AIDS, is all the more poignant given one time Pride 'Rehab' Posterboy John Garwood died of a drugs overdose in 1998 months after his part in the original feature was filmed, inspite of a hardened effort to free himself of his addiction. That said and just as people move on, so too does the industry; always evolving, forever charging. For today's market has seen the emergence of Big Brother style sex shows in a house, call it a 'hotel' equipped with webcams in every room, so as to let the Live & Raw boys entertain you. For a price, that is. Only in true Big Brother fashion, one by one these sexmates are voted off, as their clientele switch loyalties from old favourites to fresh meat. In the process, these dispirited youths come face to face with the reality of Kramer's earlier words of a city that 'chews people up and spits them out.' And yet what is equally on clear view is the alarming rise of bareback porn, with motorhomes shown travelling across the US eager to film those who are willing to throw condoms to the wind. That such participants are generally HIV positive themselves, is documented. What is not detailed are the deadly ramifications of the act itself. Then again, the bareback industry gets off shockingly scot-free here, although the question of how many of those in the business 'officially opposed' to unsafe sex, are in actual fact making a highly commercialised profit from bareback productions under a different name, is raised. More X-rated than the first time around, Hick has once again crafted an entertaining and informative work, one that succeeds in getting behind the so-called glamour of the sex trade by contrasting the insightful views of seasoned veterans, with the thoughts of the latest batch of young men eager for sexual fame and fortune. In doing so, he offers a rare opportunity to see the inner workings of a profession that clearly is not a career. Rather it is a job. Only one in which fresh faces replenish old stock, as the cycle of porn endlessly repeats itself. For this is an industry in which the producers lie victorious, whilst the hopes and dreams of all too many novice pretty boys can be found face down in the gutter of disappointment. And yes, it is not a pleasant sight. But it is one in which this sexually explicit film is document to. available on DVD as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue SEVEN YEARS LATER: Kevin Kramer and Claire, Matt Bradshaw and Julie, Cole Tucker, Damian Ford, Jay Wheeler Donnie Mauldin, Henning von Berg / John Garwood - archive footage THE HOTEL: Johnny Law, Holden Grey, Vin Nolan, Sergio Anthony, Rocky, Bastian, Corbin Michaels THE PRIVATE PARTY: Randy, Dan, Don, Johnny Axtell, Logan Balboa, Vin Nolan THE PRODUCTION: Will West, Bill Gardner, Ray Butler cameo appearances by Ron Athey, Dan Byers, Chi Chi LaRue, Blake Thompson Copyright 2008 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #187 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹