8. Boogie Nights
Set against the backdrop of the iconic San Fernando Valley porn industry in the late 1970's and early 80's, this exhilarating opus from a young Paul Thomas Anderson shows the more humanistic side to adult films. As the patron of a dysfunctional family of porn actors and film-makers, Burt Reynold's Jack Horner takes care of his family, all the while bringing the well hung Eddie Adams (Mark Whalberg) under his wing, transforming him into superstar Dirk Diggler. Anderson's 1997 film creates a realistic and often humorous approach to porn films, focusing on the mundane aspects of what it takes to get "the money shot".