The act of classification, however old school and taxidermistic, facilitates understanding, and we’ve got a new species of sex film to investigate. The vast majority of “pornography†arguably entails a derogatory and demeaning depiction of women, is tailored to the solitary male gaze and represents sex as a perverse and purely physical act. Sex-positive pioneers have worked for years to combat these dangerous attitudes toward sex and reclaim this natural and beautiful gift that keeps on giving. Comstock Films has managed to break into new filmic territory by refocusing on the intense emotional bonds that fuel physical intimacy. The films empower couples to reclaim the right to engaging, enjoy and watch hot, raunchy sex. Xana, of Xana and Dax: Opposites Attract, confesses while sweetly grinning to her lover, “It’s very romantic just to fuck.†Tony Comstock seeks to infiltrate the minds of even the most conservative couple who are one step above doing “it†through a hole in the bedsheet. Consequently, he features couples that have traditional, often nuptial, home and sex lives. Although Comstock works with demographically diverse couples, all relationships are rooted in good-old monogamy and fairytale notions of true love. The stylistic quality of Comstock’s four docurotic films has progressed from the first, Marie & Jack: A Hard Core Love Story. Investigating the backstage lives of two established porn stars, Jack spends a great deal of screen time insisting he’s OK with men having sex with his wife. Really, he’s OK with it. The narrative construction of all of Comstock’s films are as predictable as, well, sex. OK, a date and then sex. The films begin with warming and giddy stories of the how-wefirst- met variety. Puppy-dog eyes and tales of “breasts are so comforting, they’re like my natural pillows,†and cocks that “hang just right,†are syncopated with bursts of footage of the couple nibbling nipples or engrossed in doggy-style variation three. Splicing sex and foreplay within their close-up interviews leads the viewer into an emotional and erotic intimacy unparalleled in porn. At some point, as with most good dates, the talking stops. The filming of the sex scene utilizes two cameras, one for a straight ball ‘n’ pocket shot and one for a full shot framing the tantric architecture of the couple’s bodies. The sex scenes are shot minimally with the thwacking bodies, groans and genuine orgasms providing the only soundtrack. The lighting and location are reminiscent of an Ikea showroom, stripped of detail to emphasize the universality of the act. Sex doesn’t have to be bad, and neither do sex films. In the early 70s, porno movies were part of a larger social struggle against shame. The proliferation of porn stemmed from a Supreme Court ruling that clarified nudity as not obscene. Tony Comstock cannot fix or undo porno, but he will continue making movies until everyone, even your great aunt on oxygen and your fourth-grade teacher, are having copious amounts of good sex – and not feeling ashamed. http://nyc.indymedia.org