Movies with screenplay written by Joe Eszterhas

In my original, unpublished review of Basic Instinct (dated March 21, 1992), I wrote the following: "There's a fine line between eroticism and exploitation, and Basic Instinct treads it, using nudity, sex, and violence to cover up the limitations o...

Who would have imagined that the most appropriate word to describe Basic Instinct 2 would be "boring?" This plodding, pretentious follow-up to 1992's hit replaces Paul Verhoeven's lurid, over-the-top style with the leaden rhythms of Michael Caton-...

Flashdance might be considered one of the first signs of Hollywood's Apocalypse. This represented the coming-out party for no fewer than four major big-budget exploitation figures, and its unexpected box office success catapulted all of them into ...

Jade is for cinematic anglers. There are a lot of fish inhabiting the murky, muddy waters of Joe Eszterhas' latest script, and, except for the occasional shark or two, most of them are herrings -- red herrings, to be precise. However, unlik...

In 1990, the MPAA introduced the NC-17 rating to provide an outlet for legitimate adult fare -- non-pornographic motion pictures with content deemed too strong for the under-17 crowd. The first movie released with an NC-17 was Henry and June...

On the rebound from a lifeless seven-year marriage and trying to get her personal life back on track, Carly Norris (Sharon Stone) decides on a change in venue and opts to move into an upscale Manhattan high-rise. There she meets a trio of unusual ...