SEX: The Annabel Chon reviewed by Alicia Fennel As | sat and waited for the film to begin | couldn't help but speculate about the audience. | tried to pick out the perverts in the theatre, soon realiz- ing that just by being there | had to be considered a pervert too! Story Pervert - amoral, a cause to turn away from what is good or morally right - to divert to a wrong end or purpose (wwwebster dictionary) Grace Quek, aka Annabel Chong, was born a Catholic Singaporian who moved to America to become a scholar in sexual studies in California, where she lived as a porn star and sexual expressionist. Her passion for sexual expression lead to the making of The Worlds Biggest Gangbang, giving her the title as a legend in the porn industry. This documentary records some of her experiences and emotions leading up to, and two years after, the event. Chong made an appearance at the theatre with Gough Lewis, the man who shot and directed the film. He documented her experiences as a porn star who had sex with, fucked, or was fucked by 251 men in ten hours. She spoke before her audience as Grace Quek, a feminist scholar, dressed in ‘appropriate’ clothing for the film festival culture (black) and speaking in academic lingo. It was hard to place her in that canon of porn stars that patriarchal Western cul- ture has prescribed. It was hard to imagine her as Annabel Chong, the sex- crazed sadomasochist. Gough Lewis followed Annabel Chong with a camera and crew for almost three years of her life. Over the course of the 86 minutes of footage, ultimately executing Sex: The Annabel Chong Story, we see the elements of fascination and horror that exist in relation to the female gender and sexuality. Ny x ah If this movie ever makes it to Canuck video shelves, don't rent it. The only thing that was horrifying about this horror film was everything. That is to say it was horrible. Dull, dreary, and derivative. Tripe. This wasn't one of those disappointing cine- matic experiences that can be_ tempered with, "Oh, well. At least the tickets were free." Oh, no. This was two hours of precious life that was bru- tally sucked out my colon. It was as though the Ridge had equipped the seats with cruel and clever little tubes. The viewer is subjected to a silly premise: a few kids get knocke off after watching a cursed vide order to investigate, our leads v the video. Now, race against ti “solve the p before they bi Qoooo. - Only t “not much Ff. nor is there mucl a puzzle, nor is tl much of a movie. opening scene was fé niscent of the beginning Wes Craven's. Scream. Scream wasn't all that great first place, and it was alluding 1 category of about a thousand o worse films. A category into w RING reviewed by Benjamin Asa Smith Her character , consistently passionate, weaves through various degrees of the notion of the feminine in a post-feminist context. To the viewer she is admirable, enviable, beautiful, and monstrous. Admirable because, from an academic, feminist perspective, she claims to be exploring the repres- sion of female sexual expression, desire, and control. Enviable because she claims pleasure from her actions. Beautiful because she exemplifies the porno- graphic ideal as defined by a patriar- chal controlling gaze, and monstrous because she presents a frightening image to a sexually suppressed society of the woman as controller of her own body. Pleasure or pain? Pleasure from pain? One can’t help but experi- ence anxiety when imagining a woman's body enduring intercourse with 251 men in ten hours. Could the ‘painful reality of such an infliction be pleasurable? Annabel claims to have enjoyed every moment. Her tears and facial expressions during sexual inter- Who's the pervert? ervert: Horror Mixed with Fascination Pleasure through viewing pain and vio- lence seems commonplace in American culture. We all participate in the expe- rience of fascination and pleasure in violence simply by being an audience of mass media and film. Annabel Chong is a spectacle for American soci- ety, a kind of sadomasochistic figure representing the violence of war, a war which includes the binary oppositions of race, sex and class in our society. In this film Lewis shows a woman mimic- king the tragedy of our social struc- tures. He does this by creating images which are horribly violent and dis- turbingly painful, yet fascinating enough to seduce and entice us as spectators. Ah yes, Sex: The Annabel Chong Story leaves us in the wonderful void of postmodern subjectivity; she is fascinating/perverse, she is slave/mas- ter. She encompasses elements of the feminine central to the questions raised by feminist theory. I'm sure Sex: The Annabel Chong Story will be coming to a theatre near you, so go and experi- ence this film which questions the truth suggested by Western social morality. Test your morality: enter the theatre but be prepared to leave with ques- tions answered with questions like, SEX: The Annabel SUBS reviewed by Alicia Fennel ervert: As | sat and waited for the film to begin | couldn't help but speculate about the audience. | tried to pick out the perverts in the theatre, soon realiz~ ing that just by being there | had to be considered a pervert too! Pervert - amoral, a cause to turn away from what is good or morally right - to divert to a wrong end or purpose (wwwebster dictionary) Grace Quek, aka Annabel Chong, was born a Catholic Singaporian who moved to America to become a scholar in sexual studies in California, where she lived as a porn star and sexual expressionist. Her passion for sexual expression lead to the making of The Worlds Biggest Gangbang, giving her the title as a legend in the porn industry. This documentary records some of her experiences and emotions leading up to, and two years after, the event. Chong made an appearance at the theatre with Gough Lewis, the man who shot and directed the film. He documented her experiences as a porn star who had sex with, fucked, or was fucked by 251 men in ten hours. She spoke before her audience as Grace Quek, a feminist scholar, dressed in ‘appropriate’ clothing for the film festival culture (black) and speaking in academic lingo. It was hard to place her in that canon of porn stars that patriarchal Western cul- ture has prescribed. It was hard to imagine her as Annabel Chong, the sex- crazed sadomasochist. Gough Lewis followed Annabel Chong with a camera and crew for almost three years of her life. Over the course of the 86 minutes of footage, ultimately executing Sex: The Annabel Chong Story, we see the elements of fascination and horror that exist in relation to the female gender and sexuality. cae, If this movie ever makes it to 2.18 Horror Mixed with Fascination Her character , consistently passionate, weaves through various degrees of the notion of the feminine in a post-feminist context. To the viewer she is admirable, enviable, beautiful, and monstrous. Admirable because, from an academic, feminist perspective, she claims to be exploring the repres- sion of female sexual expression, desire, and control. Enviable because she claims pleasure from her actions. Beautiful because she exemplifies the porno- graphic ideal as defined by a patriar- chal controlling gaze, and monstrous because she presents a frightening image to a sexually suppressed society of the woman as controller of her own body. Pleasure or pain? Pleasure from pain? One can't help but experi- ence anxiety when imagining a woman's body enduring intercourse with 251 men in ten hours. Could the painful reality of such an infliction be pleasurable? Annabel claims to have enjoyed every moment. Her tears and facial expressions during sexual inter- course with the 251st man seemed to expose both pain and pleasure. Pleasure through viewing pain and vi lence seems commonplace in American culture. We all participate in the expe- rience of fascination and pleasure in violence simply by being an audience of mass media and film. Annabel Chong is a spectacle for American soci- ety, a kind of sadomasochistic figure representing the violence of war, a war which includes the binary oppositions of race, sex and class in our society. In this film Lewis shows a woman mimic- king the tragedy of our social struc- tures. He does this by creating images which are horribly violent and dis- turbingly painful, yet fascinating enough to seduce and entice us as spectators. Ah yes, Sex: The Annabel Chong Story leaves us in the wonderful void of postmodern subjectivity; she is fascinating/perverse, she is slave/mas- ter. She encompasses elements of the feminine central to the questions raised by feminist theory. I'm sure Sex: The Annabel Chong Story will be coming to a theatre near you, so go and experi- ‘ence this film which questions the truth suggested by Western social morality. Test your morality: enter the theatre but be prepared to leave with ques- tions answered with questions like, Who's the pervert? Canuck video shelves, don't rent it. The only thing that was horrifying about this horror film was everything. That is to say it was horrible. Dull, dreary, and derivative. Tripe. The viewer is subjected to a_ Ring smoothly fits, sure enough. At silly premise: a few kids get knocked one point, during what | presume was off after watching a cursed video. In pting to be the climax, my order to investigate, our leads watch buddy, Paul, who had come with me, the video. Now, it's a actually predicted "the moment”, “ J race against time to timed to exactness by his indiglo This wasn't one of solve the puzzle watch. Most other cheesy @ oa those disappointing cine- before they bite it. horror/suspense movies usually. con= matic experiences that 0000 ‘tain something that makes, them: can be tempered RING Only there's semi-interesting for at least one go: with, "Oh, well. At~ reviewed by not much racing, some amusing shock effects, some F j least the’ tickets “Benfarnin’Asa Smith _n0r is there much of _ gore some over-thestop acting, some were free." Oh, a puzzle, nor is there ‘terrible props, some boobs, an no. This was two hours of precious life that was bru- tally sucked out my colon. It _was as though the Ridge had equipped the seats with cruel and clever little tubes. much of a movie. The Ring had nothing. It was j ing. opening scene was remi- There isn't much else to say. niscent of the beginning to Protect your ass. Never see this film. Wes Craven's Scream. Sadly, - Scream wasn't all that great in the first place, and it was alluding to a category of about'a thousand other worse films. A category into which