Pornographic films (also referred to as 18+ films or „blue movies”) present sexually explicit subject matter with the intent of stimulating, thrilling or delighting their audiences.
These films capture all aspects of sexuality imaginable, from comedies about high-school romances to realistic depictions that take the experience beyond belief.
1. Wild Orchid (1981)
Zalman King packs Wild Orchid with many of his usual sexual content and body count is too numerous to count; yet this movie doesn’t prove itself any more sexual. Instead, it’s more or less dull.
There is some sexiness in this film, though most of it focuses on Mickey Rourke and Carre Otis as their encounters grew more intimate over time and they soon formed an actual romantic partnership; theirs lasted until 1998 before parting ways due to substance abuse and mental health concerns.
Wild Orchid was met with mostly negative reviews upon its release and currently holds an overall 10% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from 30 reviews. Mickey Rourke received two nominations at the Razzies including Worst Actor (for his portrayal) and Worst New Star (Carre Otis).
Ophrys’ pollination system relies on producing alkenes as pheromone-mimics to attract male pollinators using similar receptor mechanisms as those employed by female bees in sensing female flowers. We propose this is evidence of synapomorphy or plesiomorphy within their evolution where an existing intraspecific communication system was utilized for developing an alternative pollination technique.
Orchids not only produce compounds that mimic pheromones, but they can also serve as effective sexual deception agents. Such substances include flavonoids which serve as antioxidants and anticancer agents as well as being cell division inhibiters and cancer cell apoptotic. Therefore, orchid extracts could potentially be useful in creating new drugs to treat cancer more effectively, offering another potential way out from costly chemical production processes.
2. The Blue Valentine (1973)
The Blue Valentine is a film about relationships in their early stages. We witness love and passion at first, like in fairytales; but what happens when something begins to go awry in an otherwise vibrant romance?
This movie emphasizes how important it is for married couples to remain romantically attracted even as circumstances become more challenging, while keeping a positive outlook on life.
Blue Valentine is the story of Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling’s romance years after meeting, yet their marriage still struggles to stay together. The movie centers around Dean Pereira (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy Heller (Michelle Williams).
Director Derek Cianfrance guides viewers through Dean and Cindy’s story without following the traditional romantic formula. Instead, Cianfrance employs an innovative temporal structure to show both their past and present relationships.
At its heart, this film provides one of the most realistic depictions of marriage disintegration I’ve seen recently, prompting viewers to pause and consider how their words can hurt others.
Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling stand out among their generation as some of the finest actors available today.
Though this movie won’t save a marriage, it’s worth watching to gain insight into what can happen when two people fall in love. Your personal experience may alter its impact upon viewing; nevertheless, this great film deserves your consideration and has an outstanding score that should appeal to a wide variety of audiences.
3. Nymphomaniac (1993)
Lars von Trier’s art film Nymphomaniac is an intriguing exploration of physical pain and pleasure. Charlotte Gainsbourg stars as Joe, an individual beaten unconscious who is later discovered by Seligman (an empathetic bachelor).
Seligman hears Joe recount her memories of her sex life from childhood through adulthood. We meet Joe’s family – including Uncle Jerome (Shia LaBeouf), who is jealous of Joe for engaging in nymphomania; and Aunt Liz (Felicity Gilbert), who believes Joe harbors romantic feelings for her.
Nymphomaniac, like all Trier’s films, is divided into eight chapters with each introducing non-diegetic text that emphasizes its story-like qualities. Like Brechtian films, it uses split screen techniques and an abstracted graphic style which defies realism.
But the most captivating element of this film lies within its examination of „nymphomania.” According to this concept, someone with „nymphomania” has an overwhelming desire to have sexual relations with multiple partners at the same time; such behavior may become addictive and lead to detrimental relationships.
Trier’s film is an outstanding example of how the concept of nymphomania can be employed as an instrument of social commentary and critique, prompting us to evaluate our own attitudes about sexuality and sex, and providing insight into how power exploits this condition. I highly recommend watching it for any who want a deeper understanding of nymphomania.
4. The Milf (1999)
The Milf was created by two creative executives with an ambition of producing an entertaining teen movie, and boasts a talented cast, clever pacing, and some truly hilarious moments. Though directed towards adults who enjoy entertainment rather than children, this film should still provide enough thrills and laughs to get people up out of bed in the morning!
Although this film can be tedious to watch, it did manage to come up with some inventive solutions for how to entertain teenaged males on an empty stomach. While the film was commercially unsuccessful and its studio eventually folded, it may still be worth viewing as you have some free time on your hands – especially since there’s actually an optimistic ending!
5. The Scream (1980)
The Scream revolutionized slasher filmmaking and helped revitalize an otherwise stagnating subgenre, yet its success also resulted in several unnecessary sequels that stuck too closely to its premise and iconography without offering anything unique or different in terms of creativity or relevance.
Wes Craven’s groundbreaking debut installment of Scream series was groundbreaking, breaking from convention by featuring complex characters. This allowed for dialogue between viewer and protagonist Sidney Tanner (Melissa Leo). She must confront her past in order to survive.
But more than this, the film also reinvented both the final girl trope and deus ex machina role in slasher movies. Unlike previous protagonists of this type of film, Sidney does not pay the consequences of her mistakes and instead steps in as Final Girl to survive through the night.
Scream also pioneered an innovative narrative in which the main character’s sexual interest not only defined their character, but was used to understand why they should or shouldn’t remain alive – breaking down barriers between audience and characters, something not allowed before in slasher movies.
Unfortunately, following Craven’s passing in 2015 and Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct accusations which forced The Weinstein Company to close, its future became unclear and this was an enormous tragedy given it was one of Craven’s final films and most celebrated works.