Taboo IV: The Younger Generation (1985)

Some Pornonomy reviews have an obvious and natural jumping off point. Others require two or three false starts to find the way in. Sometimes, if I take the time to recap the plot, some aspect of the movie - story or otherwise - will jump out.

And then there's Taboo IV: The Younger Generation. For some reason, none of my normal approaches bore fruit. So instead, I'm going to cop out and use the copy Vinegar Syndrome wrote for their release and take it from there:

In the fourth installment of Kirdy Stevens’ popular TABOO series, the focus shifts to Dr. Jeremy Lodge (Jamie Gillis), a prominent psychologist who deals with clients who have been traumatized by incest. Unknown to him, his wife Alice (Cyndee Summers) has been having an affair with his brother (John Leslie). After their teenage daughters Robin and Naomi (Ginger Lynn and Karen Summer respectively) are expelled from boarding school, things come to a head when Jeremy discovers the affair and he and Alice split up, each taking one girl. Soon erotic tensions build as Naomi begins to lust after her uncle and Robin becomes more and more fascinated by the concept of incest…



The last TABOO film to receive a theatrical release, TABOO 4 features writer/producer Helene Terrie’s most accomplished and daring script along side exceptional performances from Karen Summer, Lynn, Leslie, and Gillis, as well as Honey Wilder reprising her role of Joyce McBride. Easily among the greatest erotic features of the 1980s.

The only statement I'd question is when it says Dr. Lodge's clients are "traumatized by incest." While the therapy sessions look like they're of the support group ilk, in practice they're basically salons for the patients to share their taboo stories to the seeming titillation of everyone else. When Joanne (Robin Cannes) tells how she and her brother peeping on each other masturbating progressed to them having sex, it felt like it was leading to fellow patients Betty (Ami Rogers), Jeffrey (Klaus Multia), and Joyce (Wilder) having a threesome on the office couch. Frankly, I'm shocked that wasn't worked into the story somewhere. Rogers and Multia both had non-sex roles, so maybe it was planned, but at 106 minutes, their pairing may have been a casualty of time. (Worth noting that Rogers and Multia never did perform together.)



(Taboo 4 was the second longest of Kirdy Stevens's Taboos - 1-5 and 7, although apparently, Taboo 7 is a repackaged version of a movie called Woman's Dream from 1980. Taboo 6 was directed by Robert McCallum, for what it's worth.)

Expose Me, Lovely (1976)

The entry for Expose Me, Lovely at the Internet Adult Film Database claims that the "[f]ilm's title and plot capitalizes on the mainstream movie Farewell, My Lovely released a year earlier." I haven't seen Farewell, My Lovely, but reading the plot summary, while it's not a one-to-one, I could see where there would be certain elements and story beats drawn from the Hollywood adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel.

Here, Karen (Catherine Burgess) hires Frosty Knight (Ras Kean, excellent names, both character and actor) to find her brother Keith who'd been in New York for five years and had lost touch. Apparently, their father's health is failing and the old man, Frank, wanted to repair his relationship with his son before moving on to the Pacific Northwest estate in the sky.



Frosty's investigation leads him into a world of artists and hustlers, cryptic phone calls and unseen assailants. There are twists, turns, and revelations that Frank Spencer's interest in finding his son may not be as heartfelt as it seems.

Easy Alice (1976)

You'd be forgiven for assuming, as I did, that Linda Wong's character was named Alice. Despite the poster heavily implying that's the case (Easy Alice starring "Hustler" cover girl Linda Wong) and the opening credits outright saying so (Linda Wong as "Easy Alice"), the only time she's addressed by name - twice by her boyfriend Joey (Joey Silvera) and once by friend Bob (Turk Lyon) - she's called "Carol."

The name "Easy Alice" is used once and may refer to Carol, but it's not explicitly evident. More on that in a bit.

First, a brief overview of the plot (such as it is) of the film.

Joey is an easygoing, happy-go-lucky guy who makes his living as a adult film actor. He refers to himself multiple times as a "model," but when asked to elaborate, says he's a "porno model." He may shoot stills, I guess, but the insight into his profession the viewer is offered is in regard to performing on film. His career doesn't sit well with his girlfriend, Carol, but despite assuring her that he's leaving the industry behind, he isn't making any strides to bring those promises to fruition.