The Lists

Top 10 Best Sex Scenes: 90s to Now

Written by Jim Patterson

When it comes to sex and cinema, the relationship has not always been a passionate affair. From the early days of Hollywood, where censorship boards were set up to control the amount of nudity, sexuality, and violence portrayed in films to greater permissiveness and tolerance and the infamous naughty flicks of the 70's and 80's to the development of the ratings systems and the MPAA replacing X with NC-17 in 1990, sex and cinema has been a contentious evolution.

With that said, as I began to compile a list of Ten “Best” Sex Scenes, I quickly came to discover this evolution and how “sex” was defined differently throughout the generations. And not only has the “sex” perception of what is acceptable to portray on film changed, so are there differences between a sex scene that is deemed as “hot” or “carnal” versus “violent” or “abusive” versus “tender” or “sensual”, etc.  Who ever said a great sex scene has to be fodder for the imagination late at night?  Sometimes a great sex scene can be just as insightful, moving, or even hilarious as any other kind of scene -- and oh, yeah, sometimes you even see nudity.

But… there are so many to choose from over a century of filmmaking, and therefore, the compromise: I focused on modern cinema. So these are ten of the best I've seen from the 90's to now. There's a lack of foreign films on the list as well, but to be honest -- it was hard whittling it all down to just ten.  Apparently, I've seen more sex on screen than I ever should've admitted to....

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Top 10 'Back To School' Movie Classics

Written by Cassiah Joski-Jethi

For me, it was not very long ago I was sitting in an exam hall taking my A Levels in a British Secondary School. Just like anyone else, I sat at my desk, staring blankly at my exam, and instead of writing down the answers, my mind wandered. In the exam hall is where I would reminisce about my time as a school student. Luckily for me, I never fit any of the ‘cliques’ of high school. I wasn’t popular, but I wasn’t an outsider, I loved Lord of the Rings, but I wasn’t a ‘nerd’; it seemed that the archetypes so forced upon in ‘Back to School’ films just didn’t exist for me. But I loved watching films about school.

For me, the films were escape and entertainment, a bridge from my relatively boring social status into a world where every emotion, every event, and every personality was heightened. Why do I enjoy this so much? I find other people’s behaviour fascinating, and these ten ‘Back to School’ films listed focus on a range of different people, different humour, and different social issues that make these movies stand out to me as great Back to School movie classics.

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Top 10 Most Controversial Films

Written by Bethan Power

Controversial films. What a lovely first feature for a young reserved British writer to take on. I lapped up the opportunity with gusto, the ideas for the list already forming in my head. Da Vinci Code will certainly be in there, I thought. And followed by 2012 of course; the scientific flaws in that film are hugely controversial.

Needless to say, after a day or two of research, my eyes were opened. Part of me wishes they had stayed shut.

Being honest, I like a bit of controversy surrounding a film. I know when I go to see it there will be no skirting around subjects or trying to placate me as a viewer. I know I'm going to be hit hard with the message the director wants to get across, and I appreciate the courage and the tenacity required to do that in the knowledge bad press may be received.

And it has to be said that film and controversy go hand in hand. Film has the power to cook up a storm like no other medium, and over the years there have been many films that have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

However, there are controversial films, and then there are CONTROVERSIAL films. These are the films that cross lines and keep walking until that line is a speck in the distance. These are the films that have (allegedly) incited court cases, studio collapses, fainting, vomiting, miscarriages and murders. They are not for the faint hearted, weak stomached, or apparently the pregnant. Why are they made? To shock? To make a self-serving statement about society? Because artistic freedom dictates they can? Or a combination of all these things? Either way, these films have cooked up a storm in their time and still do today. Some have even shaped the future of film. And given the US movie rating system (and the BBFC in the UK), a right old headache in the meantime.

This is my list of the ten most controversial films in history. I am aware that some popular entries are not included, but my aim is to provide the most diverse list, so even if they are not entries, there many be mentions of other common contenders within here. I should also point out that this list is not for the faint hearted. And just to be safe, avoid if you are pregnant. Or read it with your eyes half closed. That may work.

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Top 10 Best Gangster Films

Written by Riley Webster

I dunno what it is, exactly, about gangster films being so enjoyable… but they are.  Maybe they help us release our inner violent demons, maybe it's because we all secretly enjoy seeing two people in nice suits yell profanities at each other, or maybe it's just that great gangster films can bring out the best in writers, directors, and actors....I don't know.

What I do know is that these 10 films belong not only on a list of great gangster flicks, but a list of great films, period.  Despite their sometimes numbing violence and narcissism, these are inherently very entertaining movies, every last one of them, and I hope you agree.

Of course, there are the admissions.  Many flicks that several other people consider "gangster" films, I would put in another category -- films like Heat, French Connection, and L.A. Confidential would be more "cop" movies, for me, and I wasn't quite sure what to classify Bonnie & Clyde. 

And here are the ones I do consider gangster films, but sadly, these came up just a little bit short: Reservoir Dogs, Miller's Crossing, Road to Perdition, The Untouchables, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Carlito's Way, Public Enemies, Mean Streets, Scarface (1932), and Little Caesar. I know, some of you will hate me for snubbing the above mentioned, but there is only room for the Top 10, and so it goes….

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Top 10 Family Friendly Not-So-Scary Movies

Written by Cassiah Joski-Jethi

As everyone knows, Halloween is a time to get your freak on, quite literally. After all, it is the one night you can scare the socks off of other people and even yourself. For this reason, every Halloween, I stay inside and lock my doors, afraid of the crazy teens on the streets and the monsters from my dreams. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait for Halloween as it was a time where I could imagine and create - and eat as much candy as I wanted!  So how do I celebrate Halloween now, inside and all alone? I watch, what I could call, ‘not-so-scary’ scary movies.

But what are ‘not-so-scary’ movies you might ask? Although vague in its title, it merely means a film that is scary, but not really scary. A movie you are able to take in jest, a movie that can be cute, and a movie that doesn’t leave you with nightmares. Want to watch The Orphanage (2007) on your own at night? Now, that is a prime example of what is NOT a ‘not-so-scary’ movie.

However, Halloween only happens once a year! There may be some nights aside from the 31^st of October that you may feel like a bit of a scare. Perhaps you want to watch a horror film, but you don’t think you could quite stomach horror classics such as The Exorcist (1973) or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). If you find yourself in that situation, these are the top ten best family friendly 'not-so-scary' movies that you can enjoy in the privacy (and protection!) of your own home, any night of the year.

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