Category Archives: Nudity

2012, Could be boring, Could Be Sad, Drugs, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Love Story, Nudity, Quiet

Keep the LIghts On (2012)

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From NetFlix:

The physical romance between a gay filmmaker and an attorney soon evolves into a more complex relationship, laced with conflicting desires. Over several turbulent years, both men struggle to build a true acceptance of the other’s strengths and flaws.

That the two protagonists happen to be two gay males is almost beside the point. Suppose they were a straight couple. Suppose they “hook-up” casually. Suppose they develop a friendship. Suppose A falls in love with B (and suppose B also loves A, but in this film that is questionable). Suppose B has a serious drug problem. Suppose the friends of B stage an intervention and B agrees to accept treatment. Suppose for awhile A and B are happy together. Suppose B falls off the wagon and disappears for awhile. If you were A, what would you do?

Forgive my hard heart, but if I were A I would run as fast as I could from the relationship. Now you have to watch the film to see what happens.

Perhaps this warning is unnecessary, but there is a lot of explicit male with male sexual activity. It might just as well have been male with female activity. And the sex is somewhat besides the point. Tough decisions is what this film is really about.

Some parts are boring or overly long. Some parts ring incredibly true to life. There is a lot of quiet conversation. Think of the plot as an ordinary story that is enacted over and over in much of the world and we are invisible spectators. Sometimes I yawned but for much of the time I was drawn to real people going through some really rough times.

1980, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, Crude Talk, Dark, Detective, Gay theme, Grim, Mostly About Sex, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Plot Twist, Psychological Drama, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Transvestite theme, Violent, Vulgar

Cruising (1980)

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From NetFlix:

After a serial killer brutally murders several gay men in New York’s S&M and leather districts, cop Steve Burns (Al Pacino) goes undercover on the streets, where he must learn the complex rules of the underground gay subculture if he’s to catch the psycho. Karen Allen co-stars as Burns’s girlfriend in this gritty 1980 thriller, which sparked protests from gay rights groups at the time of its release but has since developed a minor cult status.

“Lurid” is the first adjective that comes to mind. The Stonewall riots occurred in 1959. By 1980 the gay movement was strong enough to protest this film which depicts an aberrant side of gay culture. Indeed the strong gay protests are described in the Wikipedia article about the film.

Expect “grungy” scenes in this cult classic with a wonderfully ambiguous ending.

2006, Arab Culture, Crude Talk, Dancing, Explicit sex, Flirting, Gay theme, Hebrew and Arabic, Jewish Culture, Love Story, Military, Nudity, Political statement, Race Relations, Suicide, Suspense, Violent, War, Wonderful acting

The Bubble (2006)

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From NetFlix:

When a young Israeli named Noam (Ohad Knoller) falls for a handsome Palestinian (Yousef “Joe” Sweid) he meets while working at a checkpoint in Tel Aviv, he recruits his roommates Yelli (Alon Friedman) and Lulu (Daniela Virtzer) to help find a way for the two to stay together. Director Eytan Fox’s poignant film offers a glimpse at life inside the tumultuous borders of Israel, where everyday people are constantly surrounded by conflict.

Two themes run concurrently throughout this film: The difficulty of being gay in the Arab world (Israel is very accepting) and the constant wearying and dangerous conflict between Jews And Arabs.

Previously I reviewed Yossi and Jagger which was written and directed by Etan Fox. Ohad Knoller who was the lead actor in that film is also the lead Jewish character in “The Bubble”. He again plays a Gay Jew who this time falls in love with a Gay Arab named Ashraf. Arab culture is strongly homophobic so that Ashraf’s life becomes not only difficult but dangerous. Much film footage is devoted to the perilous border crossing where several sad scenes are enacted.

Realize that the cast of characters are young adults and as such spend their time talking about romances and popular music. But the entire film rings true as it portrays the lives of young single (and mostly Gay) Jews most of whom are tired of and against the unending war.

WARNING: In the film Gays exchange much same-sex kissing. Additionally there is one explicit scene in which the two male leads engage in anal intercourse.

For Ashraf the situation seems hopeless (for further reasons as the film develops) and this hopelessness leads to a surprising but possible fitting conclusion. Comments welcome.

Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles.

2010, Cowboy, Crime, Crude Talk, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Frenetic, Grim, Motorcycles, Nudity, Plot Twist, Revenge, Suspense, Trailer Life, Violent, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

Killer Joe (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Dimwitted drug dealer Chris hires Killer Joe to ice his mother for her insurance. But Chris is broke, so Joe demands his sister Dottie as collateral. Dottie’s not about to be treated as chattel, and Killer Joe soon wishes he’d never taken the job.

Is it my imagination or are films getting more violent and more sexually explicit as the years go by? If sex and violence offend or disturb you, do NOT see this film.

Having warned you about the pitfalls, nonetheless this is a very well-made film that held my attention. Beginning with an introduction to a trailer trash environment, morality continues to take a downward spin. Even the premise that Chris sees nothing wrong in hiring Matthew McConaughey to kill Chris’ hated real mother (and his step-mother is no prize either) shocked me.

Every character looks a bit worse for wear except Matthew McConaughey as Killer Joe and Juno Temple as Chris’ 12-year-old sister Dottie. Chris’ father is played by Thomas Haden Church who has been appearing in films since his parts in the TV series “Wings” and “Cheers”.

Acting is excellent with special mention for Killer Joe and Dottie.

McConaughey is a well-dressed (when he isn’t stark naked), smooth talking hired assassin cleverly disguised as a sheriff. WARNING: There are several scenes in which McConaughey vividly acts out sexual arousal (lusting for Dottie or humiliating Gina Gershon who is Chris’ wicked stepmother) and at one point reaches orgasm. His acting in these scenes is perfection itself but could be very disturbing.

Juno Temple as the 12-year-old Dottie also plays her part to perfection. She is a naive girl who hates the trailer life and desperately wants to escape. Her opportunity arrives in the person of Killer Joe who takes her as his sex partner as payment for killing Chris’ mother. Yes, this is a grim plot.

Be prepared for plot twists and a surprising end. You might send me a comment about that ending.

There must be something wrong with me because I could not stop watching.

2011, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Explicit sex, FBI, Made For TV, Mental Illness, Military, Nudity, Plot Twist, PTSD, Sex Scenes, Spy Theme, Suspense, Torture, Wonderful acting

Homeland (2011)

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From NetFlix:

When Sgt. Nicholas Brody, an American prisoner of war, returns home after eight years of captivity, frantic CIA agent Carrie Anderson suspects the Marine of having been turned into an Al Qaeda terrorist in this espionage drama from Showtime.

At the urging of a neighbor, I have started watching season 1 of “Homeland”. For months the title sat at the top of my NetFlix queue before it finally arrived. This TV series deserves to be so popular.

Part terrorist film, part treatment of family problems of a Marine returning from Afghanistan, this film is hard to stop watching. Acting is excellent. Expect a lot of surprise twists.

If Claire Danes (who plays Carrie Mathison) was not well known before this TV series, she will certainly make her mark with this work. She plays an FBI agent looking for a terrorist while taking medicine to combat her manic depression.

Damian Lewis (who plays Nicholas Brody) is actually British. His American accent is flawless. You might remember him as Soames Forsyte in the British TV series “The Forsyte Saga”.

Morena Baccarin (who plays the wife Jessica Brody) first came to my attention as the alien queen of the remake of the TV series “V”.

Currently only season 1 is available on DVD because season 2 is now playing. Because the story is so intriguing you won’t forget season 1 while you wait for season 2.

DON’T MISS THIS TV SERIES!

1997, Abduction, British Mystery Series, Car Chase, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Detective, Disturbing Image, Eccentric Detective, Grim, Gritty, Kidnapping, Lawyers, Made For TV, Mental Illness, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Occasional gore, Prison, Psychological Thriller, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, TV Series, Violent

Touching Evil (1997)

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From NetFlix:

After suffering head trauma from a shooting, moody, job-obsessed Detective Inspector Dave Creegan of the organized and serial crime unit heads off some of England’s most deviant and deadly offenders by creeping inside the criminal psyche.

Robson Green plays the DI Dave Creegan in this British detective TV series. His character is single-minded, isolated, and socially awkward. As is often the case in British detective shows, the crimes are usually violent and involve some ugly scenes. Indeed each episode develops side by side both Creegan’s personality difficulties as well as the crime du jour. You will not relax watching these plots but you will probably not be able to stop watching despite the suspense.

After he made this series, Robson Green then starred in Wire In The Blood in which he portrays the exact same personality, the only difference being that in this later series he ia cast as a free-lance psychologist specializing in the criminal mind.

Both “Touching Evil” and “Wire in the Blood” provide tense, suspenseful viewing that (providing your nerves hold up) you don’t want to miss.

2009, Could be boring, Explicit sex, Gloomy, Not Feel Good, Not Recommended, Nudity, Quiet, Slow

Young Adam (2009)

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From NetFlix:

A young drifter named Joe (Ewan McGregor) finds work on a barge that travels between Glasgow and Edinburgh. But when the corpse of a young woman is found floating in the river, is Joe really telling everything he knows? Making things even messier is the unspoken attraction that develops between Joe and Ella (Tilda Swinton), one of the barge’s owners, in the barge’s claustrophobic confines. Emily Mortimer and Peter Mullan co-star.

If you ever wondered what some film stars look like when they are completely naked, now’s your chance. If you take away the nudity and all the sex scenes you are left with Ewan McGregor as a hollow shell of irresponsibility and self gratification. Supposedly he is so sexually attractive that each woman he gets close to (i.e. one or two feet away) is eager for a sexual encounter whether it be in a boat, on some public foot path, in some alley, on lying on the ground in some train yard.

Composed of a mixture of events from the present and from the past, little by little you put together the whole story. For most of the film the question is: Will our non-hero actually let an innocent man be hanged? Stay tuned.

Is Scotland really that gloomy? We spend a lot of time looking at either dreary weather or Ewan McGregor staring off into space. Do you notice that I am trying to steer you away from this downer?

It would be fair to summarize this film as “What’s the point ?”.

1985, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, British, Mayhem, Not Recommended, Nudity, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Vampire, Zombies

Lifeforce (1985)

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From NetFlix:

American and British astronauts on a joint mission exploring an alien spacecraft discover that the vessel contains several seemingly human bodies. But after they’re brought back to Earth, they come alive and start turning Londoners into zombies.

Here is a true example of a film that is so bad that it is “good”. This bomb will certainly become, if it is not already, a cult film. Blame my son Mike for suggesting the film to me.

And who would risk their careers appearing in such a B-film ? Patrick Stewart was 45 when he made this stinker. Two years later he started as Captain Picard in the Star Trek series and the rest is history. Peter Firth was a slender 32 year old during the filming. He started to play Harry Pearce in the MI-5 British TV series in 2002.

With its tongue firmly in cheek, this adventure offers us among other rewards: well-endowed Matilda May appears totally naked for most of the film; you get to see humans get their life force sucked out by space vampires after which the human bodies are desiccated; Patrick Stewart lies on a slab in his best suit and speaks with a woman’s voice because he has been inhabited by Matilda May. Fortunately Patrick Steward does not appear naked.

To be fair, sometimes the dialog or events are so stupid or far-fetched that you might actually laugh out loud.

By now you should have appreciated that only if you have the time to waste should you consider watching this screen gem.

2012, Based on a Book, Bootlegging, Crude Talk, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, FBI, Gangs, Gay theme, Grim, Love Story, Nudity, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Suspense, Violent, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

Lawless (2012)

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From NetFlix:

This true-to-life action saga profiles Virginia’s bootlegging Bondurant gang, whose exploits during the Prohibition era made them outlaw heroes. The three Bondurant brothers tussle with the law and each other as they try to survive changing times.

Despite the unrelenting violence from start to finish, every other aspect is so well done that this film about bootlegging is strongly compelling. Much attention was paid to reproducing rural Virginia during the Prohibition era.

As far as acting is concerned Tom Hardy (age 35), Jason Clarke (age 43), and Shia LaBeouf (age 26) create a fascinating trio of Bondurant brothers, each with his own unique personality. “Chameleon” is a word I like to apply to an actor who loses himself in a part to such an extent that you almost do not recognize him. Here we have at least two “chameleons”: Tom Hardy took an light and fun part playing against Chris Pine in the film “This Means War” whereas in “Lawless” he has transformed himself into an almost silent, soft-spoken but menacing Forest Bondurant. Make no mistake: you WILL take Forest seriously or else. Guy Pearce (age 45) is the other “chameleon”. Because of his scary portray of Charlie Rakes as a violent psychopath, I am willing to finally give Guy Pearce his due. Many of his earlier films were often mediocre fluff. However, who could forget (or stop conjecturing about the plot of) “Momento”. Both Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce are British so we have to add accent skills to their credits.

For more background on the Bondurant family see the Wikipedia article about Matt Bondurant and his book “The Wettest County in the World”. Matt was the grandson of one of the three brothers.

Despite the violence, I would have to say DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

2011, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, Crime, Frenetic, Love Story, Norwegian, Nudity, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent

Headhunters (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Living way beyond his means, corporate recruiter Roger Brown steals rare artwork to maintain his lavish lifestyle. But when he plans to boost an especially valuable painting, he targets a man who has headhunting skills of a different variety.

Hold onto your seats because this plot twists and turns like an angry alligator. From one minute to the next you will be surprised by all the unexpected, and usually violent, events.

In Norwegian with subtitles, even though the actors are Norwegian, still there is a surprise in store. Just how the names of the actors are pronounced is beyond me. Aksel Hennie as Roger Brown and Synnøve Macody Lund as his drop-dead beautiful wife Diana were excellent actors that I have never seen before. However, I kept staring at Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays the villain Clas Greve and wondering where had I ever seen this Norwegian actor. Surprise … he played Jaime Lannister in the TV series “Game of Thrones” (which you should NOT miss!) where he seemed to speak perfect English.

Much of the plot has Roger Brown running for his life from one horrible experience to another. But his ingenuity is remarkable.

Expect an incredibly satisfying ending. But you have to also expect unending suspense.