Category Archives: Nudity

2009, Bullying, Could Be Hard To Watch, Danish, Drama, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Nudity, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Brotherhood (2009)

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From NetFlix:

After joining a neo-Nazi organization, former Danish army officer Lars (Thure Lindhardt) falls for Jimmy (David Dencik), a fellow skinhead who can’t ignore the sexual sparks flying between them — or forget the importance of keeping their relationship under wraps. Nicolo Donato makes his directorial debut with this affecting tale of violence and illicit passion that took the top prize at the Rome Film Festival.

To appreciate one theme in this film you should be aware that Danish Neo-Nazis are alive and well as we speak. In fact Steig Larsson in his Millenium trilogy refers to the Danish Neo-Nazi movement.

As opposing theme, gay male sex is supposedly “verboten” in the Nazi culture. In one amusing scene Lars explains to the Nazi group leader how pervasive the gay culture was among the German Nazis. Of course the group leader cannot accept such a notion.

Much violence occurs in the film. Suspense exists throughout because at any moment Lars and Jimmy might be discovered. Do not expect a happy ending.

As gay films go, this is one of the best I have seen because it avoids all of the usual gay cliches (for example, not a word about AIDS). There are explicit nude scenes of (unsafe) gay sex.

One interesting sub-theme is one of self-doubt: Jimmy initially is reluctant to engage in gay sex. Lars is never really certain he wants to join the Nazi group.

Hollywood looks need not apply here. In fact, Jimmy’s drug-addicted brother could easily pass for a very skinny vampire.

Danish with English subtitles.

2010, Drama, Explicit sex, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Nudity, Vulgar

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson), the children of same-sex parents Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), become curious about the identity of their sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo) and set out to make him part of their family unit, often with hilarious results. But his arrival complicates the household dynamics, and nobody is sure where or how he fits in — if at all — in this Golden Globe-nominated comedy.

Because of a few details such as Annette Bening using the F-word in the majority of her lines and several male gay sex video segments used by the lesbian couple to become aroused, this film is probably not for children (unless, of course, they come from Los Angeles).

If there is a message in this film, it is that gay marriage is not that much different from straight marriage as regards the passage of years, the difficulty of communication, infidelity and all the usual problems.

Would it really happen that Julianne Moore has a fling with Mark Ruffalo ?

Both kids were great and as the film ends my only regret was how things ended for Mark Ruffalo. Comments ?

2009, Could Be Sad, Drama, Gay theme, Hebrew, Nudity, Religious Theme, Sex Scenes

Eyes Wide Open (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Married Jerusalem butcher Aaron (Zohar Strauss) takes pity on homeless student Ezri (Ran Danker) and hires him to work in his shop. But when romantic sparks fly between the unlikely pair, Aaron’s wife, Rivkeh (Tinkerbell), becomes increasingly suspicious. The stern Orthodox community disapproves, and a menacing group of “modesty guards” monitors Aaron’s every move in this tragic drama, an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Who knew that Israel had “Thought Police” ? Let us assume that this quiet, sad, well-acted Israeli film truthfully portrays life among the conservative Jews. What we see, besides an obsessive religious observance, is neighbor spying on neighbor with often violent results. There are two parallel developments. On the one hand a young woman, betrothed by arrangement, is having an affair with a different young man. Eventually the neighbor Vigilantes of Righteousness confront and threaten the young man. The butcher ironically is part of this gang at the same time as in the second parallel stream he is having a homosexual affair with his assistant in his butcher shop, which affair has come under the Thought Police radar. Eventually the affair catches up with the pair. I will spoil no further.

In Hebrew with subtitles.

Sad revelation about conservative Israeli life.

2009, Car Chase, Conspiracy, Dark, Detective, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Grim, Nudity, Rape, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Tech expert Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) becomes the prime suspect when two journalists, including Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), die after Millennium magazine publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) launches an exposé of the Swedish sex trade. In Part 2 of the trilogy based on the action novels of Stieg Larsson, the vampiric Salander vanishes as Blomkvist digs deep into a possible conspiracy.

Here we discuss the Swedish version.

You should first (read and) see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009) which is the first book of the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Actors from the first film continue into the second film which follows faithfully the book such that its ending will flow into the third book.

Fortunately the DVD from Netflix allowed me to have both English dubbing as well as SDH subtitles for the hard-of-hearing. The dubbing does not match exactly the subtitles, but that does not matter. Moreover, the dubbing is spoken with very clear diction. If your hearing ever suffers you may discover that American actors often mumble because diction lessons are not part of the American acting tradition.

This time around I appreciated the actor Michael Nyqvist better and found that he fit the part. He is somewhat inert, but perhaps that is the intent. In general it is revealing to first read the novel and then compare your mental pictures of the characters with the actors chosen.

There is an explicit Lesbian sex scene. There is a rape scene.

2009, Cooking and food, Drama, Fashion, Gay theme, Italian, Love Story, Nudity, Sex Scenes

I Am Love (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Oscar winner Tilda Swinton shows off her multilingual skills in this Italian melodrama, in which family dissension, unbidden desire and other tensions bubble to the surface during the patriarch’s birthday party. When the seemingly picture-perfect Recchi family gathers at the family manse to celebrate the great old man, the veneer of civility falls quickly away in director Luca Guadagnino’s lush, atmospheric film.

To really enjoy this Italian eye candy set in Milan, you should see this film on a big screen. Admittedly I have a prejudice, I am an Italophile. Except for 5 minutes in English and brief shouting in Russian, the film is spoken in an easy Italian accompanied by subtitles just for the Italian. You may also choose subtitles for the hard-of-hearing.

Cooking and food are central to the film, especially since Swinton falls in love with a young cook who is her son’s friend. Some of the film’s plot might strike you as unlikely. Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the parade of beautiful scenery, beautiful homes and furnishings, beautiful food, beautiful clothing, and many beautiful (but always very “skinny”) women. And yes, there are some prolonged nude sex scenes set in the lush Italian countryside.

Viva l’Italia !

2008, Acceptable Trash, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Love Story, Made For TV, Nudity, Occasional gore, Psychic Phenomena, Serial Killer, Suspense, Vampire, Violent

True Blood (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Mind-reading waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, in a Golden Globe-winning role) dives into a complicated relationship when she falls for vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) in a world where the undead live openly and drink synthetic blood. Trying to improve their image and legitimize their finances, the out-of-the-coffin bloodsuckers hire PR firms and contribute to influential Republican politicians, among other tactics.

Get ready for two seasons of sex, violence, vampires in a well-made TV series of pure unadulterated fun and trash. From episode to episode the writers just get it right. A very young cast does a superb acting job. After watching for awhile I find myself thinking in a southern drawl. This is not gorn (gory porn). For a series on vampires, the writing is thoughtful and metaphorical. By metaphorical I mean that the premise of the series is that the United States is now in an epoch in which vampires are asserting their constitutional rights as is also the gay population. People now get addicted to the new drug of choice: vampire blood (known as “V”). Eventually characters get unwittingly involved with far-right groups out to attack vampires (and gays). Other oddities appear such as shape shifters. The sex is quite explicit and plentiful.

I LOVE TRASH !

2009, Child Molestation, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark, Detective, Explicit sex, Nudity, Occasional gore, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Swedish, Violent

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and rebellious computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) team up to investigate the unsolved disappearance of wealthy Henrik Vanger’s (Sven-Bertil Taube) teen niece (Ewa Fröling), only to uncover dark secrets about Vanger’s powerful family. Niels Arden Oplev directs this Swedish thriller based on the first novel from Stieg Larsson’s best-selling trilogy.

Note: This 2009 version is the Swedish version.

Currently (2010) Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy is very popular. After having read the first of the trilogy, namely The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2005), I preferred the book to the film. Although there were many moments of good acting, in general there was also an awful lot of thoughtful staring (which in today’s films seems often like a substitute for more active acting). To control length the film omits many details from the novel. While not necessary, these details connect the books of the trilogy to one another.

Lisbeth Salander is striking. What was a surprise for me that the actor playing Mikael Blomkvist is a somewhat paunchy, not at all handsome, and often hesitant man. To his credit he shows fear when he should. To say it another way, he is NOT a macho character.

Needless to say, the film does preserve in explicit detail the famous scene in which Lisbeth’s lawyer guardian rapes her, together with her ingenious revenge.

2004, Could Be Sad, Gay theme, Love Story, Nudity, Sex Scenes, Unusual

A Home At The End Of The World (2004)

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From NetFlix:

Boyhood pals Bobby (Colin Farrell) and Jonathan (Dallas Roberts) both love the same woman (Robin Wright Penn), but in different ways. (For one thing, Jonathan is gay). Yet, undaunted, they all try to make a life together — and even have a baby — in 1980s New York. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham’s novel gets deft treatment in this story about a troika of close friends who enter into an unconventional living arrangement.

Am I so conventional that I wonder if the sweet but decidedly unconventional situations portrayed in the film are even possible ?

All around the acting is excellent. Colin Farrell was 28 when he made this film. He comes off as just a sweet, loving, accepting, and somewhat naive young man whose worst fear is being alone. Is this character too good to be true ?

I can hardly believe that Sissy Spacek (who plays the mother-stepmother to the two men) was 55 when she made this film. She has a beauty that seems too young for 55 (or am I age prejudiced ?). The scene in which the boys teach her to smoke pot is priceless.

Dallas Roberts is convincing as a not especially happy gay man who loves Robin Wright Penn AND Colin Farrell. It is novel to see Farrell’s character remain completely straight yet allow himself to show real physical affection toward Roberts (dancing, hugging, kissing, but that’s it!). In our society would that even be possible ?

2005, Drama, Explicit sex, Historical Fiction, Made For TV, Military, Nudity, Revenge, Violent, War

Rome HBO BBC (2005)

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From NetFlix:

Follow the saga of two ordinary Roman soldiers — Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo (Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson) — and their families amid the rise and fall of the Roman republic and the creation of an empire. The fates of Pullo and Vorenus become entwined with those of Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra and the young Octavian, a strange and awkward child who, by political guile and force, is destined to become the first emperor of Rome

There is a pay-TV series “Spartacus: Sand and Blood” which is mostly sex and violence pornography. However, the HBO and BBC production of “Rome”, in addition to sex and violence pornography, offers an engrossing history lesson. You will find in the Wikipedia article a good summary (at the very end of the article) of the historical inaccuracies and omissions in the series. It did not take long before I was hooked. The writing is good and the “conceit” that we can view a sweep of history through the eyes of Pullo and Vorenus actually works.

2005, Detective, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, German, Nudity, Religious Theme, Serial Killer

Antibodies (2005)

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From NetFlix:

After confessed killer Gabriel Engel (André Hennicke) is captured, small-town cop Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) interrogates him, hoping a journey into the madman’s twisted mind will give clues to an unsolved murder committed in the same heinous manner as Gabriel’s crimes. Gabriel claims to know the killer’s identity but turns the investigation into a psychological game, leaving Michael questioning his own sanity in this German thriller.

This German film is easily one of the best serial killer films I have seen. There are two themes intimately related: On the one hand there is the usual tug of war between a jailed serial killer (think “Hannibal Lector”) and a rural policeman with whom the killer is willing to converse. On the other hand the policeman is a decent, religious man at odds with his father-in-law. In jousting with the killer the policeman struggles to remain non-cynical and to believe is the possibility of good and innocence.

Finally the plot drives toward an unexpected twist at which I will not even hint. However, I was disappointed in a part of that very ending which seemed a bit contrived. Opinions ?

Please ignore the very opening of the film. It is sensationalistic and gory and need not even be watched to enjoy the rest of the film.