This review is dedicated to the woman in the dizzy-print dress whose personal excitement brought me to ease with the eroticism of it all and ultimately taught me to love The Hump! (I mean this in the least pervy way possible).
The Hump! Film Festival addressed one of my main concerns around watching pornographic films in theaters, and that is, the fear of being surprised with a splash of some stranger’s sex-goo, be it male or female ( I like to, at the least, know the names of the people who sling sex-goo towards me). One of the few rules at Hump!, after all, is no more than the usual diddling allowed in the theater.
I had never seen porn in a theater before, but I always imagined the experience to be like the average movie routine with stickier floors. What did surprise me, however, was the positive communal feeling that was present at the theater. I did not expect that mood as I rarely feel it outside of Horror & Comedy movie screenings. This was an amazing surprise for sure!
The Hump! Film Festival addressed one of my main concerns around watching pornographic films in theaters, and that is, the fear of being surprised with a splash of some stranger’s sex-goo, be it male or female ( I like to, at the least, know the names of the people who sling sex-goo towards me). One of the few rules at Hump!, after all, is no more than the usual diddling allowed in the theater.
I had never seen porn in a theater before, but I always imagined the experience to be like the average movie routine with stickier floors. What did surprise me, however, was the positive communal feeling that was present at the theater. I did not expect that mood as I rarely feel it outside of Horror & Comedy movie screenings. This was an amazing surprise for sure!
Let's start with what to expect: Who attends? Well, it was a hodgepodge of all types, so if you're thinking of going- Go! Someone you can relate to will be there. And what about the floors? Well, you can't expect miracles from a theater, can you? Plus, on the upside (or at least for me), no free-flying slime. But what about the features themselves?
The showcase at Hump! ranged from much of what you would expect to see and a bit that you would not. WILDFIRE was a reminder of the roots of this event with fire dancers getting down, props and all, somewhere in the forest of the Pacific Northwest. THE PIZZA TOPPING showed the audience that it will be a missed opportunity to never have Phil Tippet and Rob Bottin work their magic together on an erotic film or two. RUBBER WORLD, while sounding like the right place for the two people mentioned earlier, was instead a glimpse at the vacation you probably haven't had but maybe should consider. COCK TALES and BUTT BANGO left me wondering when Disney and Laika films would finally let their animation department loose. TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE easily drew in the crowd to the experience on screen. The theater reverberated with a flurry of different feelings throughout its screening. If the purpose of art is to incite emotion, then TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE was very successful.
The showcase at Hump! ranged from much of what you would expect to see and a bit that you would not. WILDFIRE was a reminder of the roots of this event with fire dancers getting down, props and all, somewhere in the forest of the Pacific Northwest. THE PIZZA TOPPING showed the audience that it will be a missed opportunity to never have Phil Tippet and Rob Bottin work their magic together on an erotic film or two. RUBBER WORLD, while sounding like the right place for the two people mentioned earlier, was instead a glimpse at the vacation you probably haven't had but maybe should consider. COCK TALES and BUTT BANGO left me wondering when Disney and Laika films would finally let their animation department loose. TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE easily drew in the crowd to the experience on screen. The theater reverberated with a flurry of different feelings throughout its screening. If the purpose of art is to incite emotion, then TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKE was very successful.
This brings me to two of the festival's best highlights, and its rust tinted lows. Regular old sex between a couple soaked in sepia tones is not that exciting. Was it well filmed? Yes-- but we've all gotten down on an afternoon-delight. Would sheer curtain lighting and sepia filter warrant a short film? On the other side of the spectrum, however, are LOST + FOUND & BRUNCH ON BIKES. These are two very different films that very much felt like a short-form cinema. Sure, holes were stuffed, and "love" was made, but the story was there. It was fun; it was emotional and most important of all, it was erotic. What should porn be if not a steamy and debaucherous fun that we can all get lost in for a second and rub one out at the same time?
If I leave you with any impression, I hope it is that if you're thinking of going next time the festival is near you-- go! But remember-- just because a film is not your type of smut, doesn't mean it's only for laughs. Now, enough with the preaching. I have writer's block and might just try to rub it out real quick…
If I leave you with any impression, I hope it is that if you're thinking of going next time the festival is near you-- go! But remember-- just because a film is not your type of smut, doesn't mean it's only for laughs. Now, enough with the preaching. I have writer's block and might just try to rub it out real quick…
