The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)- R

Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a well deserved Oscar nomination as a sexy, street wise jazz singer in this excellent romantic drama. The Baker brothers, who in real life are the Bridges’ brothers of Jeff and Beau, revive their nightclub act with the addition of a gorgeous lady singer. Her charm and seductive voice steal the show both in the screenplay and the real movie.

The film has a great music score. It also portrays the often contradictory obligations of romantic and family relationships. 12/4/10

Remember Me (2010) PG-13

There are few things more painful than the death of a young person. We invest aspirations for improving life in our youth. We see purity in the romance of young people’s love. We are inspired by the idealism of youth. Young people are the future both symbolically and in reality. When a young person dies there is a death of the future and the pain seems nearly unbearable.

In the romantic drama “Remember Me” three young people die. The movie is a story about how two families respond to these deaths. Their responses change from nearly unbearable pain to anger to hope and finally to reconciliation.. Robert Pattinson plays the role of a young man filled with rage because of his brother’s death and because he blames that death on his father. Emilie de Ravin plays the role of a daughter who witnessed the murder of her young mother. These characters fall in love and partly from their sexual passion find healing.

My 28 year old daughter died 9 months ago. The story in “Remember Me” accurately reflects much of my family’s journey through grief. I recommend this film. 11/9/10

Henry & June (1990)- NC 17

“Age does not protect you from love. But love to some extent, protects you from age.” Anail Nin

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anail Nin

The movie Henry & June is really not about the famous author Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer, etc.) and his wife June Miller, but about the love affairs Anail Nin had with both Henry & June. Set in Paris in the 1930, this film is beautifully filmed. Maria de Mediros is perfect as Anail. She captures the childlike curiosity Anail had for eroticism and open relationships. This film is a must for understanding the left-bank Paris culture of the 30’s, as art and literature tore away from Victorian romanticism. The sexuality in this film is well done and enjoyable. This is a beautiful, sensual and thought provoking film.
10/17/10

Damage (1992)- R

People usually think of passion as an emotion. Sex researchers however are finding that certain kinds of passion are driven by a biochemical cocktail similar to opium. When this cocktail floods the system it produces both pleasure and uncharacteristic irrational obsessive behavior. A person under this spell often cannot sleep, eat or get the other person out of his minds. We call this falling in love, but actually it is falling out of reason and into passion. It’s wonderful! However, thank god it does not last because this condition can cause damage.

The characters played by Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche in the movie Damage are intoxicated by passion. They can barely speak to each other and cannot take their eyes off each other. Their passion cannot be quenched until their cloths are pulled off and their bodies joined in scenes of steamy eroticism. They then try to talk and try to make logic of their dangerous passion that could destroy their families. However, the passion returns. Their bodies are again flooded with endorphins that provide great pleasure but in the end do great damage.

How can very smart people throw their careers and families away by passion? What exactly were Bill Clinton and Eliot Spitzer thinking? See the movie Damage to understand the answer to this question. This is a film with very good acting and a strong, erotic story. The story is both sexually arousing and frightening. We are all a biochemical cocktail away from high passion and possible damage.

Films Recommended for Viewing and Reviewed on this Site- By Subject

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Inside Deep Throat (2005) NC-17

Reprinted from Netflix review

I have to say this was the funniest film I've seen in a long time. I found myself laughing out loud in the theater, something I rarely do, and I was not alone. Maybe it's just funny to see aging porn stars with tight jeans, belly hanging over the jeans, and a button down shirt that should be buttoned up. Linda Lovelace was dealt a bad deck of cards. But how she dealt with it was even worse. You feel sorry for her, but it almost seems like either she was manipulated or the manipulator. You be the judge. For those of you who dont' know the basic plot to "Deep Throat", here you go: Linda Lovelace could perform an act so extraordinary that they made a film out of it. Yes, they show it in "Inside Deep Throat", hence the NC-17 rating. I have to say, er, um, it's impressive, to say the least. The basic jist of "Deep Throat" is that she could not experience pleasure any normal way because her sexual organs lay in her throat. Ha ha, problem solved, every man's dream. What this documentary goes into is how it was the best grossing film of all time. DT was made for $25,000 and has grossed over $600 million. It caused quite the scandal when it was released, even the government tried to shut it down. It opened in Times Square before Times Square became the neon tourist trap it is now. DT, while riding on the heels of a sexual revolution, pushed back America's boundaries of tolerance. Far back. This is definitely a documentary at it's finest, but not for the faint of heart or those that can't stand the NC-17 rating.

The Duchess (2008, PG-13)

Submitted by David

This is a story of sexual and emotional collisions amidst English politics of the late 18th century. The experiences could fit in the 20th century, or even the 21st, current gender politics and sexuality notwithstanding. While sexual desire and intimation is evident everywhere (the clothes are titillating enough), sex is not generously given or gratefully accepted. What a shame.

Georgiana, soon to be Duchess of Devonshire (Keira knightly) is but 17 when betrothed to the older Duke (Ralph Fiennes – fittingly Voldemort in Harry Potter films.) Other than arranging marriage, he hardly woos her, nor makes love, in any of their couplings. She is the vessel to produce a son. He is inclined toward other sexual exploits.

Lady Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell) is one such object. Bess and Georgiana become friends after Bess rebuffs the Duke’s advances at a social gathering. In time, and with grace and affection, Bess brings Georgiana to orgasm. Bess also reawakens Georgiana’s affection toward a male friend of her youth (Charles Grey, played by Dominic Cooper) who is emerging as a politician. But the Duke eventually has his way with Bess.

Georgiana finally produces a son, after a string of daughters and still-born boys.
She then obtains an interlude away from the household and becomes a lover, at last, with Charles, but much else worsens and overtakes. Years go by and Duke and Duchess find and reinforce a trace of affection, probably based on difficulties shared, material necessity, and political expedience.

The film invites reflection on the life of Diana of Wales, ended by a 1997 auto crash. Leaving that there, the sets, clothes, musical scores, supporting cast, and a host of extras, make The Duchess well worth viewing for 110 minutes.

It's Complicated (2009)- R

Is it cheating to have sex with your ex-husband, who is married to a woman that sleep with your ex when he wasn’t your ex? This is one of the many complicated questions raised by Meryl Streep playing Jane and Alec Baldwin playing Jake in this funny romantic comedy. This is a very entertaining, at times hilarious, film about the complexities of divorce, re-marriage, blended families and sex. A more complicated question is how can healing of a fractured marriage happen without doing more damage to current relationships? Regardless, we are all happy that Jane’s sexual fire is again ignited and with it comes all the energy to again enjoy life. For over 30 years Meryl Streep has delivered and delivered. We almost think of her as part of our family. 6/25/10

Notebook (2004)- PG13

Reprinted in part from Netflex review

There are things in "The Notebook" that you'll figure out within 5 minutes of the movie actually starting, but that doesn't ruin the movie. You'll also be able to figure out to some degree why he's reading the notebook but you won't know until near the end of the movie how the notebook came about and the motivation behind reading it out loud. There are only about 10 minutes dealing with the "war story" part of the movie and it's necessary to explain some things. The last half hour brings everything together and it's highly emotional. The actual ending is just what it should be and altogether fitting. All in all, the movie runs you through every emotion in the human spectrum and, in my opinion, it's the best "love story" I've ever seen or read. The storyline of this movie is exceptional, and James Garner, Gena Rowlands & the supporting cast brought this saga to life in a most extraordinary manner. The movie is terrific, and one I won’t forget for a long, long time – maybe never.

The Man in the Moon (1991)- PG13

reprinted in-part from Netflix review

This is an excellent coming-of-age/first romance movie, masterfully directed by Robert Mulligan who brought us "To Kill A Mockingbird", "Fear Strikes Out" and "Summer of 42", among others. This was his last directorial effort and he picked a fine film in which to close out his career. The stars of this movie are the kids, Dani, played by Reese Witherspoon in her film debut, Maureen, played by Emily Warfield and Court, played by Jason London. Warfield and London have since had moderate theatrical success, but Witherspoon has been the one to achieve box office stardom...and the reason for that disparity is pretty evident in this movie as Witherspoon (who was only 15 in 1991) already comes across as an accomplished actor. The story of the two sisters (Witherspoon and Warfield) falling in love with the same boy (London) is a familiar one, but never portrayed better than here. Combine that with a near-tragedy that strikes the pregnant mother (Tess Harper) and a real tragedy that strikes as the heart of the teen romance and you've got the makings of a real tear jerker. Mulligan's intelligent direction though keeps this from becoming too cliched and maudlin and the lessons learned after tragedy (and near tragedy) strikes helps to reunite the sisters and the family.

This excellent film should be seen because of the brilliant performance of Reese Witherspoon. However, it should also be seen because of the outstanding examples of parenting, played by Sam Waterston and Tess Harper. The film demonstrates how parents can affirm the first sexual and love feelings of a 14 year old. The parents don’t panic despite pain and tragedy. They model strength and acceptance without melodrama. I highly recommend this film.

The Lover (1992) – NR

The photography in this film is outstanding. From the opening close-up of a young 15 year-old French girl in Saigon to the panoramic street and country scenes of Colonial Vietnam in 1929, the film’s cinematography is beautiful. The details in the shots are refined to a degree that the audience can nearly smell and taste the food cooking from street vendors. The director Jean-Jacques Annaud takes this highly refined gift of cinematography into the bedroom to capture the beauty and the sweat of lovemaking. The NR version of The Lover has highly erotic and explicit sexual scenes of the young French girl, played by Jane March and the lover, played by Tony Leung Ka Fai. Though steamy, the film is a romance centered on forbidden love. The film was nominated for the 1993 Oscar for Best Cinematography.

The film opens as a young French girl from a dysfunctional family that has fallen on hard times is returning to boarding school. An older wealthy Chinese gentleman offers her a ride into town. She accepts. Their hands touch and his passion grows. That she notices his passion is obvious. We follow the couple as they secretly meet for their lovemaking. She gives her innocence then her passion and her body. The erotic scenes are filmed from a small first floor hotel room, with the clatter and smells of the city right outside their door.

The Lover is about so much more than forbidden love. It is about race, class, wealth, privilege, family violence, traditions and religion. The story of this affair as seen in the context of these two families is as complex a tapestry as the crowded streets of Saigon. This is a powerful drama not to be missed.

Sea of Love (1989) – R

Ellen Barkin is very hot in the movie, Sea of Love. Her body and the love scenes are hot but her character is steaming with hot energy. She plays a strong woman who knows what she wants and is going to get it, both in and out of bed. The movie brings Al Pacino together with Ellen Barkin in a story of multiple murders. The story is a “who done it” plot that keeps you watching.