Boogie Nights

This review may contain spoilers. **The creative process ** Scientists have the scientific method but in all things creative, people follow the creative process. But what does that process actually look like across various fields? Cinema, music, plastic arts, poetry... pornography? Every creative outing must have a voice behind it. Whether that's a sole auteur, a theatre company or a big corporate brand, someone must ideate, iterate and execute the vision. It sounds strange to label pornography a creative outing. But it is, just like a cave painting is or a drawing on a fridge is or a grafitti under a bridge is. This central concept opens up the huge can of beans which is this film. Mind you, the creative process doesn't automatically imbue something with artistic value. To say that these porn producers are creative, doesn't mean that they are artistic. This movie doesn't imply either way. PTA is more concerned with exploring what that creative process would actually look like. Who comes up with the ideas? Who drives them? Who lights the scenes? Who deals with the audio? Who edits? And most importantly, who performs? There is so much to unpack solely on this exploration which takes about the first full hour of the movie but PTA then also concerns himself with other equally interesting themes. First, what are the paralellisms between the pornographic creative process and a traditional film creative process? Second, what are the paralellisms between the porn industry and the film industry? Spoiler alert: many (see noncey producers, drugs and alcohol, child labour, mafia involvement, dramatic downward spirals). Third, how similarly do transitions affect the various creative processes, the industries, and the people participating in them? E.g. see silent-to-talkies vs film-to-tape Fourth, these people, these pornographers, are they people? Are they human? Do they bleed? Spoiler alert: yes. Fifth, art and morality? Does it have an effect on society? Probably yes, but not as much as people think. "If violence in movies makes the world more violent, I would stop making them!" Sixth, could porn actors get a bank loan in 1983? Probably not, although I wonder how good an onlyfans model's credit score is today. Seventh (related to the fourth), does porn cheapen sex? Maybe but these actors and pornographers are still shy when around their crushes and they feel disrespected when treated without sexiness; their version of artistic respect. PTA takes this one very seriously. These people, say whatever you want about them, do have lives. They have parents and sons that they miss, they have famiy who have hurt them, they have classmates who have bullied them, they have dreams they want to fulfill, magic tricks to learn, stereo kits to sell, kids to raise. Eighth, we all have one thing. But do we actually? PTA plays around with this one. Dirk Diggler is the man! But it's actually Eddie who deeply affects the people around him, and who leaves a very big hole when he leaves. It's not his cock that they miss. Still, PTA gives that final shot. Eddie does need Dirk, more than anyone. That's his thing.