Here’s the film appreciation book that proves a flick can make more than just your thumbs go up.
THE X LIST is, as the subtitle hints, a criticism compilation about sex-themed films that got the reviewers’ motors runnin’. The National Society of Film Critics have tread this sticky floor before in 1995′s FLESH AND BLOOD, but that collection also hit upon violence and censorship, whereas THE X LIST is all sex, all the time.
Comprised largely of previously released material, the book is not each critic picking his or her favorite sexy movie, but rather selected reviews and essays on one of 40 titles, including such expected cinematic sizzlers as BLUE VELVET, BODY HEAT and BASIC INSTINCT, and more recent offerings like KINSEY and SECRETARY; not all of them are favorable. But the joy of THE X LIST is in the unpredictable, as the films cover a surprising range of tastes and genres, from horror (FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN) and adventure (TARZAN AND HIS MATE) to outright B-grade schlock (HERCULES UNCHAINED).
And, yes, there is porn. Carrie Rickey memorably deconstructs BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR, while Emanuel Levy encapsulates the DEEP THROAT experience in a mere five pages. In the softcore realm, Roger Ebert pays tribute to his late friend Russ Meyer, Desson Thomson hilariously recalls catching a screening of LAST TANGO IN PARIS with his grandmother when he was 15 years young and Ty Burr talks about his former employment screening dirty movies for Cinemax, where his programming of YOUNG LADY CHATTERLEY sent the numbers through the proverbial roof.
As you’d expect with so many cooks, not every chapter is great; some are dull and pretentious. But since even bad sex is good sex, I can overlook the few dry spots. Because any book that can expound upon the allure of such varied femme fatales as Rita Hayworth, Michelle Pfeiffer and Annabel Chong deserves your attention, standing or otherwise.
Related posts:
- Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film
- Mr. Skin’s Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide for Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked
- Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong
- Scary Movies
- The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry
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MY FAVORITE TURN-ON MOVIE OF ALL TIME IS DEFINITELY “THE THORNBIRDS.” I BELIEVE THE ATTRACTION IS OBVIOUS!!
MY FAVORITE TURN-ON MOVIE OF ALL TIME IS DEFINITELY “THE THORNBIRDS.” RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN, EVEN THOUGH HE’S GAY, STILL HAS IT!
My all-time sensual film favorite is “Swept Away” (the original, Italian version). Made in the 70s, it never feels dated to me. There is something real and raw about the passion of two people cast away on a deserted island together.