ReelViews for NC-17 movies

Ang Lee's follow-up to Brokeback Mountain is Lust, Caution. The film's receipt of an NC-17 by the MPAA was dutifully noted by the mainstream media, as was the distributor's (Focus Features) decision not to appeal the rating. NC-17 movies aren’t r...

If there's anything disgusting or grotesque that The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover doesn't dabble in, I'm at a loss to figure out what it is. This film, a wildly exuberant, bitingly satirical examination of excess, bad taste, and grea...

Spoiler warning: In discussing the movie, I have revealed more about the plot than I normally do, including a brief, oblique reference to the ending. Although Shame is not narrative-driven, those who want a "pure" experience may wish to read no fur...

It's difficult to overstate what director Abdellatif Kechiche has achieved with Blue is the Warmest Color, his powerful (if controversial) look into the life of a young girl as she experiences the highs and lows of first love. This may seem like a ...

Man Bites Dog is a pseudo-documentary that follows the killing sprees of the murderous Benoit (Benoit Poelvoorde). With cameras rolling, he calmly explains his theories about killing people and weighing down the bodies so they won't float to the s...

Long before Scream came along to simultaneously parody the horror genre while participating in it, there was Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy (the third entry into the series, Army of Darkness, was released in 1993). Equal parts suspense, camp, comed...

Killer Joe earns its NC-17 rating. A gleeful and unapologetic descent into delicious decadence, Killer Joe is proud of what it is and never tries to be something it isn't. A slick looking exploitation thriller from veteran director William Friedkin...

According to several of the roughly 100 talking heads in The Aristocrats, The Joke has been around for a long time, dating back to the days of vaudeville. In addition to being called "The Aristocrats," it has other names, like "The Sophisticates."...

Inside Deep Throat, a documentary from directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, is passably interesting, occasionally compelling, sporadically amusing, and badly lacking in focus. Although the film starts out with a clear thesis, by the time its...

Harvey Keitel plays an unnamed New York City lieutenant who's a lot worse than the criminals who infest his streets. A womanizer, drug abuser, alcoholic, and gambler, the bad (and unnamed) lieutenant epitomizes corruption and decadence. When his ...