Excellent but underrated film

Absolutely brilliant

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Ok, I think this is my first review of a movie here. This isnt going to be a professional review, maybe not even that well written, but I felt compelled after watching this and seeing other reviews.Ok, I watched the first one, After Porn Ends, a while back and watched it again a few weeks ago. I was fascinated by their stories of things we would normally never see nor hear about. I mean after they leave the business, most people just forget about them and move on to others. Well I found it really intriguing to hear what they are now doing and how they left the business.I dont want to make this really drawn out so on with After Porn Ends 2. Most if not all the criticism I see for this is their age. Oh they are showing old people who are retired and made their careers eons ago... Maybe this is where my age or consumption comes in. Im not old, 39, but im not young either. I grew up watching stars in this film, especially Chasey Lain. I recall just turning 18 and watching interview with a vibrator, which wasnt the best thing I'd ever seen, but it was ok and she was stellar. So shortly after I watched this, she actually had an appearance in a local strip mall and a friend and I went to it. She was so nice, funny and so down to earth. She signed a poster for me, took pictures...etc That being said, she isnt new, she isnt a webcam girl or on one of the new internet sites. However for me, this is someone I knew, someone I watched, someone im interested to know where has she been, what has become of her after porn ended. The devil is miss jones I had known about and was able to view many moons ago. I found it really neat to see her today and tell some of her story. This goes for all of them, even if I had never heard of them or their films, I personally felt really interested in everything they shared.So, I found this film MUCH different then others did. I dont know what they were expecting really, its exactly what the title is and it showcases very very popular actors and actresses in the industry. Maybe the lack of nudity in some where people wanted to see more? If you want good stories, hear about some older (and not so much older) stars, this is a great follow up.

The follow-up to "After Porn Ends" might be better titled "Retired Porn Stars Briefly Reminisce." It's not quite as catchy as "After Porn Ends 2," but it's more accurate. As with the first one, director Bryce Wagoner points his camera at a sampling of retired and semi-retired porn stars from the '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s and lets them tell their stories, most of which are brief and not terribly illuminating. A majority of the subjects fall into two camps: Thanks to porn, my life is GREAT! (Lisa Ann, Brittany Adams, Tabitha Stevens); and: So I made f--- films. What's it to you? (Georgina Spelvin, Ginger Lynn, Johnnie Keyes). Darren James, whose HIV diagnosis shut down (straight) porn production in 2004, has a story that's at once cautionary and inspirational. Chasey Lain, sounding and looking spent, does little more than gripe about the pay split at the Bunny Ranch. The saddest of the bunch is Janine Lindemulder, now living with her mother (or so it's implied), battling depression after a stint in prison for income tax evasion and losing custody of her daughter, and sporting more tattoos than a member of the Yakuza. If Wagoner's first documentary didn't fully penetrate its subjects, "After Porn Ends 2" doesn't even get skin deep, with much of the documentary playing like a series of "Where Are They Now?" segments on "Entertainment Tonight." Spelvin has offered more insight to the porn business in the interviews she gave for 2005's "Inside Deep Throat," and Lynn (a.k.a. Ginger Lynn Allen), now an abstract painter, would've been better served by an update of her E! "True Hollywood Story" episode. Lisa Ann--who should really consider switching to decaf-- and Adams seem more more into self-promotion than personal revelations. Keyes, now a jazz musician, actually breaks down when recalling his abusive father, but diminishes the poignancy of that moment by making it clear he doesn't have a high opinion of women. Most frustrating is the segment on Lain, who talks about having interests outside of porn, but never revealing what those interests are. Her demeanor also suggests she's gone through some rough patches, but like her other interests, those are kept close to Lain's chest.A few stray observations are made about racism and misogyny in the industry. Lisa Ann says she was told to avoid interracial scenes because they would hurt her career, advice that she ignored once she was no longer under contract. "All the company owners are secretly racist," she says. The only person to bring up sexism in the industry is a man, Herschel Savage, who says that with the exception of the performers, men in the porn business don't really like women. The women interviewed don't weigh in, preferring to talk about anal sex than sexist a- holes.Peppered throughout this documentary are brief interviews with current porn stars. Though some appear to understand that performing sex on camera means that later they'll either have to go into business for themselves or, at the very least, move to behind the scene roles in the industry, there are a couple who seem to naively think that they can move on to mainstream careers without their porn careers following them. Someone should check back with them in a few years to see how that goes. That someone, however, should not be Bryce Wagoner.

I'm honestly confused on why this is even considered a documentary when in reality, it's simply random interviews with quite frankly has been adult film actors. The majority of these underwhelming interviews are just ex-adult film stars complaining how the industry is different than when the first started 20+ years ago. It's a no brainer that obviously the internet has changed the entire world. However each of these grudge holding actors seem to be incapable of understanding that simple aspect. Yes, pornography has changed to fit the more popular consumer however these stars are blinded by their unwarranted need for spotlight even after they have retired.

Nothing new to explore in this supposed documentary on former and current pornographic film, video and digital sex performers. All of this subject matter has been covered already in far superior projects. There are many sad reminders in After Porn Ends 2 that those who entered the porn business suffer wrecked lives after their short-lived careers as sex stars. Few depicted here have any viable or meaningful way to live life in the present. Most of those interviewed who think they've somehow transitioned to whole, respectful and purposeful lives after having prostituted themselves in front of a film, video or digital camera are living illusory lives. A Porsche in front of a lovely suburban home does not equal success and meaningfulness. If After Porn Ends 2 possesses any value, it probably exists as a warning to young and unimaginative women to stay clear of the porn business. Former male pornographic actor Herschel Savage sums up porn in his very brief interview as being essentially misogynistic. Too bad more of this theme could not have been explored.