Stanley Kubrick is my idol. He is one of, if not the greatest, filmmaker of all time. My first Kubrick experience occurred when I was in high school. The film was The Shining. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Not only was it scary as hell – it was – but […]
David Cronenberg’s Crash is a study of incredibly sick people who share a mutual fetish involving sex and car crashes, which means that it’s also one of the most disturbing films ever made. Even after seventeen years, the film has lost none of its potency. I’ve been writing on the subject of film for a […]
The good folks at Shout Factory are releasing a pristine Blu-ray/DVD combo of Peter Strickland’s brilliant erotic fantasy, The Duke of Burgundy, in September. It is a must-own for any serious film buff. The Duke of Burgundy’s opening moments set the tone for the rest of the piece, as a woman cycles through a neighborhood […]
On the Theatrical Cut Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac is a film of extraordinary power. This is quite possibly the director’s best film since Dogville, and like that film, this is an experience that requires patience and an open mind. With that being said, Nymphomaniac is not the sex-fest that the clever marketing campaign would have […]
Francois Ozon’s latest film, Young and Beautiful (or Jeune & Jolie), tells the tale of a teenager named Isabelle – a headstrong young lady with a strong curiosity for all things sexual. One night, she loses her virginity to her German boyfriend. From there on, she decides that she cannot get enough. She becomes a […]
This review may contain spoilers. Last Tango in Paris was released in 1972, and is considered a landmark film, as it was intended to usher in a cinematic movement of adult-themed films, the goal of which was not to titillate the audience with sexual imagery, but to deal with sexuality in a mature and reverent […]
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers is one of the best films of 2003. To call it a masterpiece would not be an exaggeration. Sadly, it seems that many critical circles have forgotten the film, with many labeling it as a “lesser” entry in Bertolucci’s filmography. As for me, it ranks alongside Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris […]
The Beast is one of the most controversial foreign films to come out of the seventies, and now the people at Arrow have given us a chance to view it in all of its shocking glory. Walerian Borowczyk made a name for himself in the seventies by making artistically and technically accomplished erotic films, beginning […]
Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher delves into the nature of obsession, of forbidden desires, and refuses to provide any easy answers. A controversial feature if there ever was one, The Piano Teacher is also a fascinating character study that will leave you speechless by the time that it has ended. The Piano Teacher is based […]
The disarmingly quiet opening of Stranger by the Lake sets the tone for everything that comes afterwards. A young man named Franck arrives at the lake to sunbathe, swim, and take part in the gay cruising scene in the nearby forest. Some men lie on towels as they work on their tan and look for […]
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