Alternative Worldz: Atlanta

Adam & Eve

Genre: Documentary

Director: Ron Royster

Cast: Alice N. Chainz, Tabitha Stern, Jon Stern, Kandy Kane, Sebastien, Memory, Rubberella, She Devil Vixen, Syn Seraphim, Tabby, Oni, Bonnie, Marisa, Glampira, Meechi Peachi, Scarlet Star, Greg, Noxela, Lacy Rainbow, Obsession, Ego, Bill Zen; Amanda Silk, Kelly Sanford, Mark Womack, Paul Bennin, Lady D., Dolores French, Kat, Tiana, The Vortex, Joe Christ, Doll Squad, Gregory Blash, many others uncredited

Music: Asphalt Blaster, Captain Space Dog vs Freaky Frank, DJ Jon Stern, Hognutt, Jimmy Cypher, Kodac Harrison, Lunar Eclectic, Organ, Purefunk, Quantum String Orchestra, The Rantings of Eva, Redneck Greece, Super X 13, Synchro Nine Reactor

Length: 122 minutes

Date of Production: 11/2/2004

Extra's: On disc two, there was a 93 minute long set of interviews with various players in the Atlanta Georgia sex scene, including club people, performance artists, and a host of strangely interesting people. The last 25 minutes of it was actually a Behind the Scenes feature and interviews (partly during a wrap up party) where you could see that much of what took place was not staged. Lastly, there was a paper booklet that provided some cool pictures and background information of the cast.

Condoms: None

Audio/Video Quality: Alternative Worldz was presented in the same 1.33:1 ratio full frame color it was shot in by director Ron Royster. There was a lot of grain in some scenes but overall it looked pretty good, comparable to some of the Real Sex shows on HBO. The fleshtones were accurate, the lighting fairly decent, and the interview format made it easy to capture the performers although once in motion, the camera crew seemed to miss some hot moments by virtue of the movement involved. The stereo audio was pretty interesting in terms of the variety of alternative music, with some well known performers (at least they used to be well known) contributing tracks from their recent bands. The vocals were sort of plain with the majority coming dead center from my home theatre set up but that's to be expected.

Review: Something I see very little of is porn documentaries. Part of the reasoning is that there simply aren't many made; most porn doesn't sell all that well and documentaries sell even less except for the rare occasion (typically something that amounts to yellow journalism in my opinion) and even then, most documentaries seem made for public television or cable. The latest documentary to combine porn and heavily sexual themes and a documentary format is Adam & Eve's Alternative Worldz: Atlanta. The show documents the sexual scene in Atlanta Georgia, admittedly not the first place that comes to mind in this regard. Like most major metropolitan areas, there seems to thrive a large number of sex shops, modeling studios, and fetish clubs so those who'd say these things are uncommon need only read their local free newspaper or scan the internet. Even in the so-called Bible Belt, these places make a lot of money because people want to have sex or watch sex in a variety of forms. What gets us off varies from person to person although most porn movies seem to be directed with a particular (and well documented) audience.

The show had little male on female sex, with the major exception being former porn performers Tabitha Stern and her husband Jon giving a decent scene and the Sex Magick performance with the first looking similar to hundreds of others made in Chatsworth California and the second seeming much weirder. The emphasis on the DVD was fetish sex with rubber, BDSM, hot wax, masturbation scenes, lesbian action, and piercings but there was a lot more than that too. In all, it may trip your trigger and I think it should be noted that a lot of the performers were definitely not going to compete with the porn industry; many being fat, ugly, or just unattractive in general. Keep in mind that most adults in this world don't look all that great so the fact that the documentary reflected "regular" looking people (well, within the constraints of the material at least) instead of the glossy looking plastic Barbie types we're all familiar with actually should earn it points. I review a lot of porn and found it interesting to watch, much like some segments of the HBO Real Sex series or other premium cable late night material but except for a handful of full frontal nudity and penetration, this wasn't all that explicit.

Summary: Alternative Worldz: Atlanta was worth a rating of Rent It for most people although aficionados of alternative sexual practices will likely want to run out and buy a copy (to prove they have lots of company in their weirdness if nothing else). I'm glad I have a copy as it was interesting to watch each time I popped it in the DVD player so if you're a big porn buff, you might feel it's worth a lot higher rating. I watched this wondering if it would become a series where director Ron Royster travels the country's larger cities in search of kinky sex. I know New York and Los Angels could become series in their own right but even Houston, Dallas, Boston, Portland and all those bedroom communities in Middle America would be great subjects for the series. I would have liked this one more if it included Atlanta's biggest adult name to date (that'd be director/social commentator Mike South) but maybe a little more research on future outings will improve the series if it does become one. In any case, check this one out since Alternative Worldz: Atlanta does manage to provide a lot of entertainment for those willing to embrace the diversity that our culture has in the adult arena.