May 132008
 

>A sprawling, four-part documentary, Sex: The Revolution, takes on just that when it airs on VH1 this week.

We missed the first episode ourselves, but as with all things VH1, repeats are a-plenty and there’s still time to set your dvr! Or, if you’re feeling a little more highbrow, catch the encores when they’re broadcast on the Sundance Channel next week.

Starting with the sexual repression of the 1950s and moving into the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, the series promises to “… explore a time in American history that challenged centuries of traditional morality about sex. A time that eradicated people’s fear, loathing and ignorance about sex. A time that promoted unprecedented sexual honesty and expression. And in the end, a time when laws were changed and rulings made to end censorship and legal retribution for people’s private sexual behavior.”

How much of a back-sliding we’ve experienced since then we’ll try not to contemplate. And turn our attention instead to this clip from the series about Barbarella and the sexual trends that the movie exemplified:


video.vh1.com

Jan 182008
 

>Naturally, just as soon as we finally manage to convince the relevant men in our life that this whole “teeth in the vagina” phobia is merely primal fear turned urban legend, along comes, well, Teeth.

The movie, about a virginal, teen-age girl who discovers that she does in fact suffer from vagina dentata, was a cult hit at last year’s Sundance and is going out in limited release this weekend from Roadside Attractions. As is often the case, a comparison of the promotional posters created for its festival vs. theatrical release is pretty illuminating, an interesting glimpse into who the marketing-powers-that-be see is the film’s true potential audience – and what needs to be tapped to get them in the seats.

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No tagline, but t-shirt reads “Warning: sex changes everything.”

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“Every rose has its thorns,” plus pull-quote “The most alarming cautionary tale for men since Fatal Attraction.”

Ooooh, scary boys – look out! To be fair, probably a more accurate pitch, since this isn’t some wacky rom-com. But if fear’s not your only motivator and you’re looking to know more before you go, Lauren Wissot‘s got the review over at The House Next Door.