A horror movie set in the world of modern sex work, Cam stars Madeline Brewer in a fearless and forceful performance as Alice, a femme who becomes “Lola” when camming for fans.

Playing with themes of identity and fame, Brewer’s performance blurs the lines of fantasy and reality as Alice begins seeing a Lola doppelgänger that jeopardizes her quest to become the No. 1 most popular cam girl.

Cam
Theatrical release poster

A trippy ride, writer Isa Mazzei fills the story with authentic details that she had picked up while working as a cam model herself.

This raunchy rom-com brought Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks together as two friends falling in love as they hustle to pay the bills through shooting porn. Directed by Kevin Smith, the lighthearted, featherweight comedy merged the raunchy sensibilities of his own View Askewniverse with in-vogue Apatow Productions, bringing actors from both camps into one movie. Although it was a box office flop, it seems destined to be cult classic date night fare for couples willing to walk on the wild side.

Paul Schrader wrote and directed this spiritual companion piece to “Taxi Driver,” another dive into a dark world of sex and violence. But this film follows a father, played by George C. Scott, who sets out to find his missing daughter after coming across a porno in which she appears. Like many Schrader joints, there isn’t subtlety in this world — as illustrated by the tagline on the film’s poster: “Oh my God, that’s my daughter.” Despite the campier moments, Scott’s performance is strong as a man grappling with faith as he gets too deep in the world of pornography.

Lynn Shelton’s funny, shambling look at male friendship stars Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard as two straight bros who lose touch and, through a series of escalating ideas at a party, decide to film an x-rated film together as a piece of art to submit to the HUMP! film festival, a real-life Seattle amateur porn competition. This low-budget gem was cobbled together over 10 days for $20,000, and the improvised dialogue gives an ease to some of the uncomfortable conversations and sexual dynamics within.

Shane Black’s hardboiled comedy brings a tough guy enforcer (Russell Crowe) and a hapless private eye (Ryan Gosling, in total goofball mode) together to solve a knotty, noir-ish crime involving a porn star named Misty Mountains and a mysterious adult film named “How Do You Like My Car, Big Boy?” After an explosive opening scene leaves Misty dead, her tragic end keeps the duo focused on the crime, even as hijinks and bad luck surrounds them. Featuring one of the funniest adults-only parties committed to film, “The Nice Guys” is a blissed-out ride through the underbelly of ’70s Los Angeles.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterful look at the adult film scene in the San Fernando Valley is a meticulously made look at ’70s culture, decadence and the entertainment industry, as a career-best Mark Wahlberg takes the city by storm as the massively endowed porn star Dirk Diggler. Wahlberg is surrounded by a stable of brilliant actors, able to find the humanity within the larger-than-life personalities and hangers-on swirling around Dirk, from a splashy late career performance by Burt Reynolds to a heartbreaking turn from Julianne Moore. Add a perfect soundtrack, beautiful camerawork from frequent PTA collaborator Robert Elswit and a late ’90s audience that was game to embrace a sprawling porn epic, and a big, bright, shining star of a movie was born.