Critics Consensus: Jumbled and shallow yet easy to watch, Kaboom is a one-night stand that isn't meant to lead anywhere -- but is fun enough while it lasts.
Synopsis: Tripping on hallucinogens and believing he witnessed a murder, a sexually ambivalent college student (Thomas Dekker) makes a terrifying discovery.... [More]
Synopsis: An alcoholic writer (Peter Coyote) in a wheelchair recalls his sexy wife (Emmanuelle Seigner) for an English aristocrat (Hugh Grant)... [More]
Critics Consensus:The Night Porter's salaciousness gives its exploration of historical trauma a bitter aftertaste, but audiences seeking provocation are unlikely to forget the sting of this erotic drama.
Synopsis: A Nazi death-camp sadomasochist (Dirk Bogarde) and a woman (Charlotte Rampling) he abused meet again in 1957 Vienna.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Grimly stylish, Ken Russell's baroque opus is both provocative and persuasive in its contention that the greatest blasphemy is the leveraging of faith for power.
Synopsis: A priest (Oliver Reed), a nun (Vanessa Redgrave) and an exorcist mix politics and sexual hysteria in 17th-century France.... [More]
Critics Consensus: While Paul Schrader's clinical direction and Richard Gere's muted performance don't stir much passion, American Gigolo succeeds as a stylish character study.
Synopsis: A professional Beverly Hills escort (Richard Gere) falls in love with a big shot's wife (Lauren Hutton) and winds up... [More]
Critics Consensus: The sex may be explicit, but Mitchell integrates it into the characters' lives and serves the whole story up with a generous dose of sweetness and wit.
Synopsis: Sexual tensions collide in a collection of intertwined stories involving residents (Sook-Yin Lee, Paul Dawson, Lindsay Beamish) of New York.... [More]
Critics Consensus: If it can't quite live up to Nabokov's words, Adrian Lyne's Lolita manages to find new emotional notes in this complicated story, thanks in large part to its solid performances.
Synopsis: Urbane professor Humbert Humbert (Jeremy Irons) marries a New England widow (Melanie Griffith) to be near her nymphet daughter.... [More]
Critics Consensus:Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! undermines its own effectiveness with an excess of camp, but writer-director Pedro Almodóvar and an attractive cast make it all worth watching.
Synopsis: A former mental patient (Antonio Banderas) in Spain finds his porno-star dream girl (Victoria Abril) and ties her to her... [More]
Critics Consensus:Double Lover offers kinky pleasures that should thrill fans of classic erotic cinema while adding some uniquely transgressive European twists.
Critics Consensus: A surprisingly sultry performance from Ally Sheedy elevates High Art from pretentious melodrama to compelling -- if still a little pretentious -- romance.
Synopsis: A young woman (Radha Mitchell) falls in love with her neighbor (Ally Sheedy), a lesbian with a heroin-addicted girlfriend (Patricia... [More]
Critics Consensus: Ozon may not explore his themes as fully as he should, but Young & Beautiful poses enough intriguing questions -- and features a strong enough performance from Marine Vacth -- to compensate for its frustrations.
Synopsis: Isabelle (Marine Vacth), a 17-year-old student, loses her virginity during a quick holiday romance. When she returns home, she begins... [More]
Synopsis: Tragedy follows when a spurned woman (Ludivine Sagnier) seduces her former fiance's (Bernard Giraudeau) new male lover (Malik Zidi).... [More]
Critics Consensus:Obsession suffers in comparison to the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece that it mirrors, but director Brian De Palma's unique preoccupations give this thriller its own compulsive, twisted fingerprint.
Synopsis: A New Orleans businessman (Cliff Robertson) meets his dead wife's double (Geneviève Bujold) in Italy.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Confidently campy and played with groovy conviction, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is an exuberant expression of both the hilarity and terror that comes with free love.
Synopsis: Three college singers (Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom) join a Hollywood scene of debauchery, drugs and rock 'n' roll.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Boldly transgressive, ambitious, and undeniably flawed, Pola X overcomes its stumbles with palpable passion.
Synopsis: A writer (Guillaume Depardieu) leaves his upper-class life and journeys with a woman (Yekaterina Golubeva) claiming to be his sister,... [More]
Critics Consensus: More complicated than your average bodice ripper, Catherine Breillat's Last Mistress features beautiful costumes, wrought romances, and a feral performance from Argento.
Synopsis: A notorious libertine (Fu'ad Ait Aatou) continues his longtime affair with a Spanish woman (Asia Argento) even after marrying a... [More]
Critics Consensus: Darkly funny, fearlessly bold, and thoroughly indulgent, Nymphomaniac finds Lars von Trier provoking viewers with customary abandon.
Critics Consensus: Tasteful, poetic, yet sexually forthright, Lady Chatterley skillfully translates its source novel's high-art erotica onto the big screen.
Synopsis: Married to a crippled nobleman, a woman (Marina Hands) finds passion and comfort in the arms of her husband's gamekeeper.... [More]
Critics Consensus:The Wayward Cloud may baffle more literally minded viewers, but its surreal pleasures will resonate with fans of thoroughly unique cinema.
Synopsis: Hsiao-Kang reunites with Shiang-chyi during a water shortage.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Moody and steadily alluring, Sea of Love benefits immeasurably from the window-fogging chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino.
Synopsis: Two New York detectives (Al Pacino, John Goodman) bait a lonely hearts killer; one of them falls for a suspect... [More]
Critics Consensus: Boasting stellar performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, Shame is a powerful plunge into the mania of addiction affliction.
Synopsis: The arrival of his needy sister (Carey Mulligan) forces a man (Michael Fassbender) to confront his sex addiction out in... [More]
Critics Consensus: Smartly constructed by writer-director Gina Kim and brought to life by a strong cast led by Vera Farmiga, Never Forever is an unexpectedly engaging melodrama.
Synopsis: An affair with an immigrant worker allows a woman to find her true self.... [More]
Critics Consensus:Live Flesh surveys the fallout from an act of violence with a mature melodrama that sees Pedro Almodóvar working in surprisingly restrained form.
Synopsis: A single gunshot shapes the fate of several Spaniards (Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal) over the course of years... [More]
Critics Consensus: A quartet of nuanced performances and Ken Russell's off-kilter direction brings D.H. Lawrence's battle of the sexes to tactile life.
Synopsis: An adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's controversial novel of two sisters in 1920s England and their complex relationships.... [More]
Critics Consensus: It stumbles into melodrama, but I Am Love backs up its flamboyance with tremendous visual style and a marvelous central performance from Tilda Swinton.
Synopsis: After discovering a secret about her daughter, a woman (Tilda Swinton) has a liberating affair with her son's business partner... [More]
Critics Consensus: A poignant coming-of-age tale marked by a breakout lead performance from Abbie Cornish and a successful directorial debut from Cate Shortland.
Synopsis: Starved of affection, a teenager uses short-lived sexual encounters for the physical and emotional contact she craves.... [More]
Critics Consensus: A sensual thriller with two engaging performers demanding our undivided attention.
Synopsis: A British novelist (Charlotte Rampling) clashes with her publisher's (Charles Dance) wild daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) while they stay at his... [More]
Critics Consensus: With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma's signature strengths.
Synopsis: A psychiatrist (Michael Caine), a prostitute (Nancy Allen) and the son of a slain woman (Angie Dickinson) seek a Manhattan... [More]
Critics Consensus: David Lynch's dreamlike and mysterious Mulholland Drive is a twisty neo-noir with an unconventional structure that features a mesmirizing performance from Naomi Watts as a woman on the dark fringes of Hollywood.
Synopsis: An actress (Naomi Watts) goes to Los Angeles to audition for a director (Justin Theroux) and falls into a conspiracy... [More]
Critics Consensus: Exploring sexual mores against the backdrop of real-life social upheaval, The Unbearable Lightness of Being artfully blends the political and the erotic.
Synopsis: A Czech surgeon (Daniel Day-Lewis), his wife (Juliette Binoche) and his mistress (Lena Olin) form a triangle during the 1968... [More]
Critics Consensus: Naturalistic but evocative, Last Tango in Paris is a vivid exploration of pain, love, and sex featuring a typically towering Marlon Brando performance.
Synopsis: An American expatriate (Marlon Brando) looks for an apartment in Paris and finds a sex partner (Maria Schneider).... [More]
Critics Consensus: Its message may prove elusive for some, but with absorbing imagery and a mesmerizing performance from Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin is a haunting viewing experience.
Synopsis: Disguising herself as a human female, an extraterrestrial (Scarlett Johansson) drives around Scotland and tries to lure unsuspecting men into... [More]
Critics Consensus:The Untamed attempts some ambitious tonal juggling between fantastical and disturbing -- and draws viewers in with its slippery, inexorable pull.
Synopsis: A couple in a troubled marriage locate a meteorite, initiating an encounter with a mysterious creature. Their lives are turned... [More]
Critics Consensus:Professor Marston & The Wonder Women winds a lasso of cinematic truth around a fascinating fact-based tale with strong performances from its three stars.
Synopsis: Inspired by his wife and lover, Harvard psychologist and inventor Dr. William Moulton Marston creates one of the greatest female... [More]
Critics Consensus: This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn't always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power.
Synopsis: A couple (Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams) find that they are powerless to stop the downward spiral of their marriage.... [More]
Critics Consensus:Bound's more titillating elements attracted attention, but it's the stylish direction, solid performances, and entertaining neo-noir caper plot that make it worth a watch.
Synopsis: A mobster's (Joe Pantoliano) disgruntled girlfriend (Jennifer Tilly) steals $2 million from him with the help of her lesbian lover... [More]
Critics Consensus: This romantic crime drama may not be to everyone's taste, but The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover is an audacious, powerful film.
Synopsis: The wife (Helen Mirren) of a gangster (Michael Gambon) meets her lover in a chef's (Richard Bohringer) French restaurant, but... [More]
Critics Consensus: Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, Blue Is the Warmest Color offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama.
Critics Consensus:The Blue Room proves a sobering study of the dark side of human nature, as well as a coolly assured directorial effort from star and co-writer Mathieu Amalric.
Synopsis: Following an adulterous tryst, a man (Mathieu Amalric) finds himself under investigation for an unknown crime.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Absorbing, visually arresting, and powerfully acted by an immensely talented cast, A Bigger Splash offers sumptuously soapy delights for fans of psychological adult drama.
Synopsis: While vacationing on a Sicilian island with her boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts), a rock star (Tilda Swinton) receives an unexpected visit... [More]
Critics Consensus: Tender, funny, and touching, The Sessions provides an acting showcase for its talented stars and proves it's possible for Hollywood to produce a grown-up movie about sex.
Synopsis: Confined to an iron lung, writer Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes) consults a sex therapist (Helen Hunt) to lose his virginity.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Kubrick's Lolita adapts its seemingly unadaptable source material with a sly comedic touch and a sterling performance by James Mason that transforms the controversial novel into something refreshingly new without sacrificing its essential edge.
Synopsis: Professor Humbert Humbert (James Mason) marries a widow (Shelley Winters) to be near her nymphet daughter (Sue Lyon).... [More]
Critics Consensus: If audiences walk away from this subversive, surreal shocker not fully understanding the story, they might also walk away with a deeper perception of the potential of film storytelling.
Synopsis: A young man (Kyle MacLachlan) ties the mystery of a severed ear to a roadhouse floozy (Isabella Rossellini) and her... [More]
Critics Consensus: Sexy, smart, and darkly humorous, Stranger by the Lake offers rewarding viewing for adult filmgoers in search of thought-provoking drama.
Synopsis: Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man.... [More]
Critics Consensus:The Handmaiden uses a Victorian crime novel as the loose inspiration for another visually sumptuous and absorbingly idiosyncratic outing from director Park Chan-wook.
Synopsis: With help from an orphaned pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri), a Korean con man (Ha Jung-woo) devises an elaborate plot to seduce... [More]
Critics Consensus: In his feature directorial debut, Steven Soderbergh demonstrates a mastery of his craft well beyond his years, pulling together an outstanding cast and an intelligent script for a nuanced, mature film about neurosis and human sexuality.
Synopsis: An impotent man (James Spader) with a video camera visits a yuppie lawyer (Peter Gallagher) who has both a wife... [More]
Critics Consensus:Nina Forever tests the limits of the rom-com with a decidedly unorthodox triangle that's as diabolically original as it is daringly dark.
Synopsis: After his girlfriend Nina dies, Rob falls in love with Holly. The new relationship faces a huge challenge when Nina... [More]
Critics Consensus: Made from classic noir ingredients and flavored with a heaping helping of steamy modern spice, Body Heat more than lives up to its evocative title.
Synopsis: A socialite (Kathleen Turner) lures a chump Florida lawyer (William Hurt) to plot the perfect murder of her husband (Richard... [More]
Critics Consensus: Smart and utterly original, The Draughtsman's Contract is a period piece that marks the further maturation of a writer-director with a thrillingly unique vision.
Synopsis: An artist (Anthony Higgins) trades 12 drawings for sex with the mistress (Janet Suzman) of a 17th-century English estate.... [More]
