Studio: Vivid
Director: Dave Naz
Cast: Ashley Blue, Sasha Grey, Madison Young, Maya Hills, Lexi Belle, Jim Powers, De’Bella
“Can you even wait til I’m gone before making your plans tonight?” asks Ashley Blue of her insensitive boyfriend in Circa ’82, “the come isn’t even dried yet.”
We like to fool ourselves that that this sort of narcissistic behavior is the product of the shoegazing MySpace generation, but according to director Dave Naz, this shit was happening 26 years ago to a Circle Jerks soundtrack.
Circa ’82 is a fun movie that pretty effectively weaves in the references that justify the title without letting them become a distraction from the sex at hand.
People who weren’t alive at the time of the original Circle Jerks (or who were too old even at that time to appreciate the band – who knows how old porn consumers really are?) will still relate to the timeless business of kids getting kicked out of their hangout spots by The Man (in this case played by the Circle Jerks’ Keith Morris and the Germs’ Don Bolles – not to be confused with the murdered journalist of that name).
Naz’ movie might employ Blue’s “Eight Is Enough”-era wardrobe (I checked: “Eight Is Enough” was on until the summer of 1981) and even goes so far as to get a rotary phone for the brief setups, but the sex is all (thankfully) circa ’08.
Maya Hills’ scene involves dialogue about hating the cops – an evergreen lament but also particular to San Fernando Valley punks in the eighties – that evolves into sex, which it should.
Then, like the previous scene, we watch the partners getting dressed following their tryst. This is a welcome element not usually included in the standard porn formula; a load on the face might be excellent closure for some, but Me, I’m into complete exit strategies.
Another pattern that emerges is the shirted nature of each of the women. I don’t know if this is because Blue’s, Hills’, and Scene Three’s Lexi Belle’s shirts are all period pieces or if that’s how L.A. kids did the deed back then.
In any case, after a brief conversation about the shows “That’s Incredible!” vs. “Real People,” neither of which was on when these performers was alive, Daniel and Lexi get down to it.
They finish before Belle’s parents, in a nice bit of stunt casting played by porn director Jim Powers and former performer De’Bella, walk in.
Powers, who himself was in the L.A. punk band Killroy, sees Daniel’s Black Flag and Killroy LPs on the bed and decries the state of young people today.
“This is all about violence!” he says to his daughter.
“Don’t be so hard on them,” De’Bella says.
“You’ll be hard when she’s pregnant,” Powers replies.
In another example of the easy, not-getting-in-its-own-way nature of the movie, Sasha Grey improvises a nice bit of dialogue with Julius Ceazher.
“Your pee has a forest-like smell to it,” she declares.
“Can I pee in your mouth?” he asks.
It is only at the very end when one of the 80’s references goes south. Madison Young tries to extol the virtues of Def Leppard to her boyfriend. “‘Bring Back the Heartbreak’!” she misquotes (It’s “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”) but that really doesn’t matter; she gets fucked with her shirt on. Unlike the occasional Vivid-steve misfire, Circa ’82 has its priorities straight, porn-wise.
You don’t have to be an L.A. punk fan to like this movie, but if you are you will be a little wistful watching people who weren’t alive when punk was in full swing talking about it.
In an entertaining Behind the Scenes featurette edited by Winkytiki and featuring the charming interview style of Ashley Blue, the latter defines punk in context as being opposite from today’s emo, characterized by “sucking all the masculinity out of a person.”
See also: Dave Naz Loves L.A.
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