Naked Ambition

Los Angeles Times – Movie Review

Marlene — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:26:06 +0000

Michael Grecco’s “Naked Ambition: An R-Rated Look at an X-rated Industry” is an entertaining, adeptly crafted documentary that treats its provocative subject matter with refreshing respect. Top celebrity portrait photographer Grecco turned his cameras on the 2006 and 2007 Adult Video News Awards — “The Oscars of Porn” — and their accompanying conventions, during which he held a dizzying number of photo shoots with the events’ anything-goes participants.

Washington Post – Movie Review

Marlene — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:22:18 +0000

Powerful Peep Show: ‘Naked Amibition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry’ on DVD
At one point in Michael Grecco’s documentary on the world of porn, actress and director Joanna Angel says, “Nobody feels lukewarm about pornography. They either love it or they hate it.” And though Grecco’s film, “Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry,” certainly sympathizes with the members of that world, it’s not just fluff. Instead, Grecco tries to get to the bottom of a subculture churning out $12 billion a year, and in doing so, he creates a relatable narrative and exposes personal stories that make the industry, its participants and supporters seem far less superficial than you would expect. Grecco, a photojournalist who worked for The Boston Herald and the Associated Press before transitioning into celebrity portrait work, started with the idea of creating a coffee-table book about the porn industry that “people would actually put on their coffee table.”

Click here to read the full article.

Duluth News Tribune – Movie Review

Marlene — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:59:29 +0000

WHAT IT IS: As its subtitle so keenly spells out, “Naked Ambition” is “an R-rated look at an X-rated industry.” Watch as celebrated celebrity photographer Michael Grecco seeks out the adult industry’s biggest stars at the annual AVN Awards in Las Vegas (aka “the Oscars of the porn industry”) during the Adult Entertainment Expo as he attempts to capture the XXX world in a collection of classy-for-the-most-part portraits. The film is a companion piece to the finished product: a coffee table book of the same name.

WHAT ONE JERK THINKS ABOUT IT: I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was Grecco able to keep his “R-rated” promise — about exploring the adult entertainment industry in a manner most who aren’t religious fundamentalists can enjoy — but he was also able to really dive into the subject matter at hand in an intimate* and informative manner. By allowing the tale of small-town charmer Sunny Lane (who was up for AVN’s prestigious Best New Starlet award the year “Naked Ambition” was produced) to drive the narrative, Grecco effectively proved that even one of the most-despised industries is capable of having a heart. Also impressive is how Grecco manages to capture out-there sex toys introduced at the expo in a manner that’s not at all blush-inducing. Despite the overarching lighthearted nature of “Naked Ambition,” however, not a lot of screen time is dedicated to Ron Jeremy, perhaps the all-time king of stag-to-mainstream crossover success — a curious omission in an otherwise superbly executed documentary.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ABOUT IT: Rent it. Unless your religion frowns upon you learning about subcultures via fascinating documentaries, that is.

*Pun sort of intended….

The Film Yap – Movie Review

Marlene — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:05:09 +0000

When a DVD shows up on your doorstep and you rip open the package to see Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy and Jesse Jane gracing the cover, it’s hard to know what to expect. Then when the tagline states “An R rated look at an X rated industry”, it’s a little difficult to believe, but that’s precisely what Michael Grecco’s “Naked Ambition” turned out to be.

First and foremost, Grecco isn’t some hack. He’s shot covers for Time, Wired, Entertainment Weekly and other top magazines as well as being an AP photojournalist. He has the resume to pull off such an ambitious project and does it easily. It would have been easy to have bare breasts and other parts of the anatomy displayed throughout this documentary, and while there are moments of possibly objectionable material, it’s not over the top. Grecco presents a documentary that is as tasteful as it can be and is more eye opening than one would imagine.

Click here to read the full article.

Blackbook Magazine – Interview

Marlene — Sat, 01 May 2010 18:43:25 +0000

Dubbed “An R-rated look at an X-rated industry,” celebrity photographer Michael Grecco has released Naked Ambition, an, um, ambitious snapshot of the porn industry. Grecco’s project is part coffee table book, part making-of documentary of said coffee table book . . . Grecco, who’s shot some heavyweights in his time, ventured to the AVN awards (or the Oscars of porn, as they’re referred to in the film) in the mid-aughts, and shot some of the industry’s biggest names: Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick, Jesse Jane, they’re all there. The film focuses on then-newcomers Joanna Angel and Sunny Lane as they vie for the Best New Starlet award, and introduces us to all sorts of freaks, exhibitionists, and, well, pornstars. Here he is, on, among other things, the difference between shooting Sunny Lane and Steven Spielberg.

Click here to read the full interview.

Washington Post DVD Review

Marlene — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:29:25 +0000

I had a very cool review today on the Washington Post website called Express Night Out. I posted it below.

Express Night Out | DVD Reviews | Powerful Peep Show: ‘Naked Amibition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry’ on DVD

Naked Ambition: An R rated look at an X rated industry.

paul — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:13:48 +0000

Naked Ambition: An R rated look at an X rated industry. By Michael Grecco

This beautifully printed hard cover book offers an unabashed peek under the silken covers of one of the few remaining concealed idiosyncrasies of pop culture, the multi-billion dollar porn industry. The book features full color portraits of your favorite adult stars with forewords by Larry Flynt and Dave Navarro. All books are signed by Michael Grecco. HARDCOVER: 224 pages, 13 ¾ x 10 inches, $14.99

Buy Now

Apple’s iTunes adds NA to New & Noteworthy

Michael — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:14:30 +0000

I just had some amazing news, Apple’s iTunes added the Naked Ambition movie to the “New and Noteworthy” section at the top of the documentary movies page. We are very excited because this drove the movie to be rated #5 in doc rentals and last night it was #88 in all movies rented. Please invite a friend to download it from iTunes, we are trying to see if as a community, we can get the rating higher. Thanks!!!

Naked_Ambition_on_iTunes

Show at MOSEX

Michael — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:19:22 +0000

The Show Entrance

Our Wild Night

Just recovering from a great bash I had in New York last night. I had the first one person show at the Museum of Sex (MOSEX) with the gallery prints from Naked Ambition. They filled the new upstairs gallery with 50 pieces that are beautifully displayed with text from the book and video clips from the film. I was really, really impressed with the display. It’s nice to see the work in a museum context and not just in a gallery. Here is the invite and some images from the party. Alexandra Silk, her husband Luc Wylder and Candida Royale were there, so we took pictures. I was very proud last night and a little buzzed by the end. Someone put ice in the sake though, that’s was a no no!

http://www.museumofsex.com/

Welcome to the Naked Ambition Blog

Michael — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:06:07 +0000

Wow, well I have entered the blog era. We are setting up blogs on MichaelGrecco.com and we have one here at NakedAmbition.com. Figuring out my blogging voice comes in the middle of trying to get all the new features and technologies of the Enhanced book to work. I decided I wanted to break new ground by making the Naked Ambition book an interactive book and give people access to all the movie assets and the extra pictures. If you have the Naked Ambition book, Enhanced books is setting up a live comments page online. I would love to actually hear how you feel about the book and what you are thinking.

http://www.shoothip.com/nkdAMB.html