LOS ANGELES—A family that fucks together (though not with each other) stays together. At least that’s the premise for the Bobby Manila-directed Filthy Family 3, streeting today from Mile High Media’s Reality Junkies studio.
For Manila, who’s flown under the radar during his decade-long career, his current work for Reality Junkies represents the apex of a do-everything career that’s come full circle. He directed his first movie for Mile High’s Doghouse Digital imprint and now has been with the company’s Reality Junkies imprint since Day One.
From his salad days at Mile High, sleeping on Vice President Jon Blitt’s couch when he was first starting out, to his subsequent work for Brazzers, Bang Bros, Twistys and others, Manila has quietly amassed an impressive résumé.
The shy, unassuming director was in many ways born for porn. He grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley and went straight from film school into the adult industry.
He got his start shooting for MeatCash and Khan Tusion, directing scenes for BlackAttackGangbang.com. From there he went to work for Platinum X Pictures when the studio was a powerhouse that boasted such directors as Mike John, Eric Everhard and Michael Stefano.
Along the way, Manila has directed for Legend, DVSX, Hustler Video and more recently for Brazzers, Bang Bros and Twistys, a company for which he still shoots high-end, glamour boy/girl scenes.
“From my first movie with my name on the box, Black Bros and White Hoes, with Phoenix Marie and Missy Monroe, I’ve been blessed to have steady gigs with great companies,” Manila told AVN. “I’ve been blessed that enough people respect me and like my work, so I truly appreciate those that hired me and allow me to create porn.”
So, what has Manila created with Filthy Family 3? A series of vignettes wrapped together by a common thread detailing the sexual escapades of, well, a sexually adventurous filthy family. Think of it as a carnal version of Desperate Housewives.
Starring Bree Olson, Julia Ann, Rachel Starr and Alexis Texas, Filthy Family 3 mines popular porn fodder like Dad fucking the neighbor and Mom lusting after he daughter’s boyfriend. Dad is played by veteran Herschel Savage and Mom by the ever-luminous Julia Ann.
The story starts off with one of the daughters, Rachel Starr, returning home from college. Manila describes her as the wild one in the group.
“All the different daughters see their sisters having fun and they want to one up each other,” he said. “Bree [Olson] winds up having sex with the neighbor [Tony] DeSergio. [Alexis] Texas bangs her school friend. Julia Ann winds up having sex with Rachel’s boyfriend. Herschel winds up having sex with Carolyn Reese, who plays the neighbor DeSergio’s wife. So everything in the story tied in together.”
Manila cited Olson’s scene as being a particular sexual highlight of the movie, calling the naturally busty blond “tanned, toned and just incredible. She looks amazing.” Manila also cites Starr’s scene with Kris Slater as particularly hot and passionate.
To take advantage of his A-list cast, Manila storyboarded Filthy Family 3.
“I wanted everything to be laid out in detail so my actors would be completely prepared, understood their character’s relationship to everyone else and so we all knew what to expect.”
The debut of the Filthy Family series has received critical acclaim. The first released received a AAA 1/2 rating from AVN reviewer Emma Edwards, who said “Family ties have never looked so good in this exciting offering by director Bobby Manila. With a varied mix of older/younger sex, this movie has all the bases covered.”
The challenge of filming an adult movie with a storyline, no matter how intricate, is to balance the dialogue with the sex. Manila relies on his film school background to pull this off.
“It has to be a good balance of acting and sex otherwise it feels uneven,” Manila said. “And honestly, it’s a challenge to find performers who can balance both in a skilled way. If you focus too much on the acting, sometimes the sex can be stale. Ideally the acting and the dialogue heighten the sexual tension and raise the viewer’s anticipation of what should be a dynamic sexual scene.”
This article originally ran in the February 2011 issue of AVN magazine.
