Gordon-11 This film is about a young man being captivated by a gay porn star. He seeks employment in the studio of this star to be close to him. Things get out of control when their feelings get increasingly enmeshed."The Fluffer" is story based, with a engaging plot. Though it can be seen it has a somewhat (but not very) low budget, it is still visually attractive and presented. I like the way how Johnny Rebel becomes unsure of himself, and the tension between him and Sean. The relationship between the two changes throughout the film, and it is well presented. The ending is satisfying yet empty at the same time. I would have loved it to end happier.

ptb-8 Now here is a film that if made in Australia would have easily been a comedy. Sadly and annoyingly, here it is, flaccid and cheesy and overbaked from Lala land. How did the di-erector get it so wrong? Well, mainly by being serious about a job so hilariously startling that nobody in their right mind could take seriously. Unless of course they were a nerdy lonely gay cliché (but somehow cute)...or is that cliché piled upon cliché. No value in the story that almost seems like a prequel to Gus Van Sant's GERRY..... and with a title like THE FLUFFER how is it all such a lead weight? Well this auteur must have soooooo mad that he didn't get to Burt and BOOGIE first that he had to make his own. Convoluted and undeveloped apart from the 'unrequited love's a bore' theme left over from a faded Streisand lyric, we have only moody beefcake and TV serial level storyline left. The un necessary fourth act of this overlong turgid drama is truly terrible as the film wanders off like the Gerries into to desert and gets stuck there. In Oz in the late 90s some 20 somethings made a similar but actually hilarious film called MONEYSHOT. Originally filmed as THE VENUS FACTORY it too suffered from an auteur more awful than Orson so they re-filmed half of it, got a ruthless TV editor to chop it up and down down to 72 minutes and hey-presto..comedy, tonight! A lesson there in when bad films turn good by lightening up. I guess THE FLUFFER stiffed on release and after seeing it not perform, I can understand why.

bellhollow OK, so I get to see some big time actors in a movie about low budget gay porn and I learn what the word fluffer means. I am so glad I found out about that. Okay, so now we have a straight man doing gay porn and doing his girl friend and I think the new word is called bisexual. Then we have this burned out has been porn actor kill a guy for some more take on stolen property and he walks away into the wonderful ocean scenery to enjoy a life of having lovely senoritas for snacks. I really wasn't ticked off with this film until the end which just absolutely stunk. The one character is ditched and stuck in Mexico to do what, find his worthless gay porn actor again? The worthless gay porn actor is free to the life of robbing Mexican grocery stores? Why even develop the characters for such a loser ending?

Poseidon-3 This film delves into the world of gay pornography in a similar (if inferior) way that "Boogie Nights" dissected straight porn. Cunio is a classic film lover, new to L.A., who inadvertently views a gay porno movie featuring Gurney. Soon, his obsession with Gurney reaches the point where he is willing to get a job in the industry merely to catch a glimpse of him. Eventually, he finds himself closer to him than he ever dreamed possible (hence the title.) Unfortunately, Gurney is ostensibly straight and does these films merely for the money. The film touches on, but doesn't explore fully, the fascinating aspect of this. Why, if Gurney is straight, is he able to (and willing to) be 'fluffed' by a male? Wouldn't a female do this job more efficiently? Why does Gurney allow Cunio to perform fellatio on him, but won't allow him to kiss on the lips? These questions are the ones that could provide more drama, insight and discussion than the rather obvious and tired explorations of drugs, crime and losing grip on popularity. The film might have had more impact if it had focused on the relationship between the two male leads and downplayed the more familiar aspects of the setting. The film has elements that are both clichéd and clever. The thing is that clichés are clichés because they have actually happened so many times that people begin to expect them. The clichés in this film are actualities in nearly every case. It just may not be necessary to dwell on them again (even thought they are ably presented here.) One particularly clever moment occurs when Cunio finally sets a date to go out with Gurney and when the day arrives, 'FRIDAY' flashes on the screen to the sound of an alarm. This was surprising and charming. The performances are excellent all around. Cunio is wonderful. He's gorgeous and affecting and is bound to go places if he can avoid type-casting after this. Gurney is excellent as well and totally 'gets' his character. His girlfriend is played by the striking Day who is a revelation in her portrayal. She excels at nearly every aspect of her character and is able to make the stale 'dancer with a heart of gold' role interesting and sympathetic. A palette of familiar faces rounds out the cast and all performers do well. "Lou Grant" fans should be stunned to see former cast member Walden practically begging to give oral sex to various men, but he does it convincingly. The faux video titles and covers are amusing and accurate (and the DVD presents a gallery of them.) One added note: a dash of frontal nudity may have given this film a bit more ring of truth. It's avoidance of it gives the movie a sometimes coy feel which is completely at odds with the gritty subject matter.