Collection of Erotic Film Reviews

EROTIC DVD FILM REVIEWS 2016 edition

Hi all you erotic film lovers.

This is NOT a review of hard core porn films and videos. It is review of a collection of full length feature films that concern sexual or erotic themes that have been on general release or made for TV, all of which are now available on DVD. These films are suitable for adults over the age of 18 and not minors.

All of these films have received general release certification (in some cases R or 18) and in accordance with international law none depict or feature any sexual activity involving minors (i.e. children under the age of 18). None of these films / movies transgress the US and UK censorship laws.

All of these films are available to rent and / or purchase in the US and the UK from the main global movie / film retailers. It is also possible to stream some of these films from the best known online global movie streaming services in the US and the UK although not the more extreme ones.

It occurred to me that a list of films of a sexual nature might be of special interest to readers in the Literotica community. Some of the films in this collection would be described as 'Soft Porn'. I do not claim this list to be in any way exhaustive. It takes many years to watch the vast numbers of films that are out there, but these are the ones I have watched in these genres in recent years and that I can tell you about.

It is my opinion that the problem with most porn videos is that usually you know nothing about the characters concerned, as there is no character development or plot. So they often become no more than meaningless and boring 'Insert tab A in Slot B' sexual gymnastics. For a film to be titillating, interesting and erotic there needs to be some element of character development, some story, perhaps some romance, some passion and some element of seduction.

Some of the films listed do indeed contain graphic and explicit sexual activities. However this is a collection of films that concern one or more of the following themes in no particular order:

Romance, Seduction, Lesbian relationships, Gay relationships, Affairs, Unfaithfulness, Love triangles, Prostitution, Erotic thrillers, Nudity, Loving relationships, Coming of age, Sexual awakening, Attraction, Sadism, Torture, Abuse, Erotic horror, Sex and incest.

Some of the films in this collection are there because they are just such great portrayals of the subtlety of romance and attraction rather than being erotic in the sense of explicit sexual activity. So please do not criticise the inclusion of films such as 'One Day' on the basis that they are not very erotic in the sense of containing much explicit sex. Films like that are in this collection because they offer such a credible window to view close up the subtleties and challenges of attraction and love between two people.

Many of the most explicit, or extreme full length general release sex movies are foreign with sub-titles and the most prolific of these are French so you will find a disproportionate number of these in this collection.

My interest in films has confirmed that when it comes to films 'One man's meat is another's poison'. There are no films where everyone agrees that it is brilliant or awful. Everyone has different tastes. And so it is with my ratings. You may find that usually you agree with my rating, or you may find that often you disagree. And therein is the fun and interest. I love to hear other's views and where you disagree that is just as interesting and welcome. It is fun to discuss and debate these things. You will see a table below which defines what my film ratings mean . I will warn you that I mark tough. Often when rating a film if someone likes a film they will automatically just give it a 10, in other words it's all or nothing, but I do not do this. Instead I make careful use of the full range of scores and generally I would consider any film with a score of 4 or above watchable and enjoyable to some extent. So where I have given a film a score between 4 and 7 for example then I liked it and thought it watchable but it is just not a particularly great film; it might just be reasonable, average, good or very good respectably. I would recommend that you briefly familiarise yourself with the definitions of the ratings which follow before referring to the reviews.

If you limit yourself to just great films or those with Oscar nominations or to those which are well known and widely popular then you can miss a lot of perfectly good watchable enjoyable movies. I believe you need to be open minded and sometimes you will discover a hidden gem, or one that just appeals to you personally and be surprised and this is particularly true for those who like films with a sexual content. It is always satisfying to discover an unknown and underrated film. In any case if you have a taste for films with erotic or sexual themes there are simply just not enough of them made to be too choosy. By retaining films with scores of 1 to 3, this will help you avoid some of the dogs and turkeys, or give you the chance to form your own opinion if you still want to give them a go,

My favourite genre is the erotic thrillers (especially from the 1990s) and so you will find a disproportionate number of these . You know the sort where usually a man is under the spell of an attractive seductive intelligent man eater and cannot help but put his life on the line and take ridiculous risks to comply with the wishes and demands of the woman who is controlling and using him. He is totally driven by lust and desire and cannot see that he is being manipulated and conned in some scam or caper that will usually destroy his career / marriage / life.

It is surprising how many films have the same name. The same names are used frequently even within a couple of years. Therefore to identify a film you have to also look at the year.

Good watching- Andy

Definitions of Ratings

Remember these ratings are for how good the film is, and NOT about how much explicit or graphic sex it contains.

Rating Quality of Film

1 A very poor , awful film with no merit that is probably unwatchable through to the end.

2 A poor just about watchable film that is disappointing and let down by some fundamental weaknesses in plot, and / or credibility, . You may not have made it through to the end.

3 A dull mediocre watchable film with some moments of interest or quality , good in parts, but overall only just so so. You may not have made it through to the end.

4 Watchable, reasonable, adequate, but slightly disappointing film probably let down by low budget feel, predictability, and not particularly memorable or enjoyable.

5 OK watchable average film , enjoyable but let down by some aspects of casting, script, or plot.

6 A good watchable film that is definitely OK but could have been better in places.

7 A very good watchable and enjoyable film.

8 A great film. May be very funny or very moving, or both , or a thriller which holds your interest and with a great plot.

9 A superb and excellent film of great merit and depth, with an excellent cast and script. A film that you would be keen and eager to watch again the following day.

10 A rare exceptional , brilliant and outstanding film of depth, meaning, superb casting, outstanding acting, and credible script. A film that touches your soul, and probably makes you laugh and cry. A film that stays with you in your immediate memory.

THE FILM REVIEWS

120 DAYS OF SODOM OR SALO

1975 Soft Porn WWII Sex Drama. A bizarre, highly controversial, and shocking film set in Italy in 1944 towards the end of the war about Italian fascist dignitaries who organised a private brothel of handpicked gorgeous young male and female sex slaves. Every kind of depravity and masochism and torture is depicted. Italian film with sub-titles. It is no wonder this film was banned and reviled around the world. The film is explicit and extreme and massively distasteful so you will need a strong stomach to tackle this one. But sadly it is just disgusting rather than erotic . It starts Ok but as it ploughs on it becomes boring and you will find yourself reaching for the fast forward. 4/10

ADORED (THE)

2012 Lesbian themed little known thriller. An innocent depressed married struggling model goes to stay with a famous photographer to try to rejuvenate her career, in a remote house in North Wales. The photographer is not all that she seems and forms a dangerous obsession for her house guest. She forces her lesbian desires onto her guest but this is the least of her worries as the photographer starts to show her true psychotic colours. A mediocre quality thriller that is just about watchable. Reasonably well acted by the two female leads. 4/10

AGE OF CONSENT

1968 Drama. A dated period piece from the 1960s which would have been daring, modern, and progressive in its day. Based on true events an artist seeks solitary refuge on a remote Australian island and starts painting a local girl, Cora played by a very young Helen Mirren. Cora is hoping to save enough money to escape the island and who can blame her so is happy to up her wages by posing and swimming naked for the artist. The film meanders in a 1960s sort of way wondering what it is trying to be between a touching romantic drama, a daring 1960s excursion into progressive nudity, and a Carry On Camping type excruciating comedy. Later remade as Sirens which is a much better film. Don't Bother. 3/10

ALL OVER ME

(1997) Drama. Coming of age teenage drama about two girls in a first lesbian relationship but discovering other partners. Sensitively handled with no gratuitous explicit sex. Has all the bleakness of a typical Mike Leigh film set in the USA. Has a low budget feel but overall it is a good film , and much better than the typical offering in this genre. It has a credible feel and I do not agree with other reviews that it is predictable. Has an awesome but esoteric score. 6/10

ARTIST AND THE MODEL (THE)

2012 Drama. French film with sub -titles and shot in black and white? Why-do they think it makes a pseudo arty film more high-brow? Set during the Nazi occupation towards the end of the second world war in a remote quiet rural location. A beautiful young girl escaping from Spain is sheltered by an elderly couple. The deal is that the girl works as a nude model for the ageing male artist who is inspired to start working again by the young girl in his home. An unlikely friendship ensues. It is a sensitive sweet film but is a typical French film being very slow with very little happening.6/10

ATOMISED

2006 Erotic tragic psycho drama German with sub titles . Bizarre story of 2 brothers exploring eroticism. One of the brothers is an introverted asexual and frustrates the love of his life, and the other is a totally selfish individual incapable of love but is a slave to his sexual fantasies. This gives the producer an excuse to indulge in his own sexual fantasies at frequent intervals! This is a very heavy highly alternative film that would not appeal to most people. The two brothers are both completely messed up by dysfunctional parents who abandoned them. Tragedy and disaster are never far away for both of them except that the introvert does invent genetic coding on the side! The female partner of the other selfish brother , with whom he participates in sex orgies, becomes crippled , goes mad , and commits suicide! 6/10

BASIC INSTINCT

1992 erotic thriller. I have watched this many times over the years and gave it another run out in 2012. In my opinion it sets the Gold standard for erotic thrillers and even after 20 years is not the slightest bit dated. The acting, script, and music are superb and yes I know the plot is implausible but I don't care and somehow they get away with it because of the mesmerizing relationship and sexual tension between Douglas, the detective and Sharon Stone, the suspect. It is a long film but you don't want it to end, and after all that, at the end you will still not be sure who the killer was! 9/10

BASIC INSTINCT 2

2006 Erotic thriller. Basic Instinct was a very good erotic thriller and a tough act to follow but this sequel unusually is worthy. It really is nearly as good as the original. Stone is even better in this and the lead who replaces Douglas playing opposite Stone does a good job I think and is credible as the psychiatrist who meets his match with the Stone character. It is a good erotic thriller that holds its own in its own right. They switch the sequel from Los Angeles to London to freshen it up which seems to work. 8/10

BEAT

2000 erotic drama. Definitely better than the average rating suggests. An intimate examination of homosexual and heterosexual relationships within a close group of 4 male and 1 female writers in 1944 New York. Irritation and boredom prevail within the group. The viewer gets drawn into the frustration of the unfulfilled relationships and shares the hopelessness as nobody seems to get what they want. Courteney Love is superb in this film and gives the film its quality and high rating as the hub of the group and the focus of the intrigue and desire. 7/10

BEDROOM (THE)

1992 Japanese soft porn with sub-titles. Bizarre story of a young wife who visits a fetish house where she takes drugs which send her to sleep, during which she receives the attention of clients who use and abuse her. There are other sub plots but most of the time the white sub titles are against a background of white bed sheets! Weird and very explicit. Rubbish. 2/10

BEL AMI

2011 Period drama. Kristin Scott Thomas. Period drama set in high society Paris in the 1890s. How can other reviewers say that this has no story? It is a much better film than many other reviews give it credit for. It is a modern attempt at the Dangerous Liasons theme. Young man breaks out of poverty and breaks into high society and political circles through his good looks and powers of seduction. At first he is found out to be out of his depth, empty and vacuous but increasingly he becomes ruthless and brutal and acquires great wealth through his women and in the end puts an advantageous and cynical marriage above the mistress who he really loves and loves him. This film has lots of story so do not let others put you off if this theme sounds like your cup of tea. The film is lavish and stylish in its recreation of the period. I liked it. 7/10

BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE

1999 RomCom. Pleasant enough innocuous light lesbian romantic comedy. Well acted and touching. Young teenage lovers struggle to conceal their sexuality when the newly divorced mother of one of them comes to stay. Other interweaved relationships involving various other characters combine to produce a watchable enjoyable average film with a happy ending. 5/10

BETWEEN YOUR LEGS

1999 Soft porn drama. Don't worry this is not the sexothon that it sounds like. Spanish film with sub titles. It is about two people who are attending a clinic for sex addicts but beyond that I cannot tell you much. I found it impossible to follow what was going on as it weaves a lot of fictional sub plots throughout so it is one of those films where you never know what is really happening and what is being imagined. I only lasted 30 minutes and found it boring and a waste of time. Don't bother with this one. 3/10

BIG EASY (THE)

1987 Erotic thriller. Dennis Quaid is excellent in this as a very sure of himself womanising funny sexy maverick homicide inspector character. A good erotic thriller. The Quaid character himself becomes the subject of an investigation into police corruption by an attractive woman from the DA's office, with whom he has a steamy affair. Done in typical 1980s style and set in New Orleans. Watchable and enjoyable. 7/10

BITTER MOON

1992 erotic drama. A good watchable film about a couple who are united by physical attraction but after this fades their relationship becomes destructive and damages another couple. This film is an acquired taste and improves on second watching. Sexually charged and dark and sad at the same time. There is a big surprise awaiting you at the ending and is worth watching for this. Hugh Grant is very young in this and a bit feeble to be honest and a bit of a weak link in the cast. 7/10

BLACK BOOK (THE)

2006 Beautiful Jewish girl who worked for the Dutch resistance at the end of WW2 and has a sexual relationship with Captain in the SS in order to infiltrate the Nazis. Dutch film with sub-titles. The depressing thing is that in transpires that at least 3 of the other resistance fighters turn out to be Nazi collaborators who are also betraying the Jews for their own profit. However a great film with a great performance by the female lead. The plot can be a little hard to follow in the final scenes due to confusion between the resistance characters. 8/10

BLACK SWAN

2010 Psychological thriller based on New York ballet. Young woman finding her sexuality, and confidence and confronting competition and shaking off her controlling mother. Explicit sex and violence. Would not be everybody's' cup of tea. A bold and unusual film -in the Carrie mould and class. I liked it. 7/10

BLOOD SIMPLE

19831983 Coen brothers first film-erotic thriller, gritty. Dark and bloody but with some humour. 6/10

BLOOMINGTON

2011 Drama. Routine coming of age lesbian drama about a former child star actress who goes to college to try to forge an alternative path to acting. She forms a relationship with her women-eating female college professor but this latter character seriously lacks credibility and further the film completely ignores all the obvious issues of the taboos of student teacher relationships. Things go lovey- dovey until the younger girl is lured back into acting by her agent and this puts a strain on the relationship. Low budget made for TV movie feel with a weak story and an even weaker ending. An unremarkable superficial highly sanitized mediocre film.3/10

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR

2013Lesbian Romantic Drama. French film with sub-titles and winner of Cannes Festival 2013. A coming of age story about a young girl who is unhappy with her relationship with a boy at school and meets an older girl with whom she falls in love and lives with. The film covers a long period and attempts to show how the relationship develops between the girls and analyses the stresses and strains of such a relationship. It is a serious, sensitive and sensuous movie and you can see why it won an award. The long and graphic physical encounters may be too much for some peoples taste, and also the film as a whole is unnecessarily long at three hours. Nevertheless if you have the time and the interest then it is a good, watchable touching film. 6/10

BLUE LAGOON

1980 Two children are ship wrecked on a desert Island and as they grow up and become young adults they become sexually awakened and have a child. Brooke Shields. Considered soft porn at the time. 1980 . Terrible. 3/10

BODY HEAT

1981 Erotic thriller. Kathleen Turner. Personally I like it. It has aged well and remains a tense steamy erotic thriller full of suspense. It is uncomfortable to watch but you cannot look away and you do not know who to believe or trust. I think this film sets the standard for the genre. 8/10

BODY OF EVIDENCE

1992 erotic thriller. Madonna. You get what it says on the tin with this movie. It is a bread and butter formulaic early 1990s erotic thriller. But if you like this genre you should not exclude this one. It is completely watchable, and Madonna does her best to act but looks amazing whilst she is doing it-acting that is! Has a good twist at the end. It seems from the other reviews that you either love it or hate it. But I don't see it that way. Not the best or worst film ever made but just a watchable OK movie. 6/10