Federico Fellini’s landmark masterpiece was about middle-class depravity and decadence. The episodic tale of a journey of seven days was a search to discover “the sweet life” by a frustrated, shallow, gossip and publicity-seeking, celebrity writer. The main protagonist was playboyish gossip writer Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) who regularly attended parties, seduced socialites, and sought celebrity scandal for his tabloid stories. He had a decadent and hedonistic lifestyle of night life at clubs, orgies, and paparrazi-fueled events.

The original 1962 Kubrick version of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel, Lolita (1962) was a dramatic story with black humor of juvenile temptation and perverse, late-flowering lust. It told the basic plot line of the obsessive love of a mature literature professor for a pubescent nymphet (12 years old in the original novel) in an aura of incest. During the film’s production, however, it was marked by the threat of censorship and denial of a Seal of Approval from the film industry’s Production Code.

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just finished college and, back at his parents’ house, he’s trying to avoid the one question everyone keeps asking: What does he want to do with his life? An unexpected diversion crops up when he is seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a bored housewife and friend of his parents. But what begins as a fun tryst turns complicated when Benjamin falls for the one woman Mrs. Robinson demanded he stay away from, her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross).

The Franco Zeffirelli-directed Shakespearean adaptation Romeo and Juliet (1968) appealed to the youthful, counter-cultural generation of the late 60s with its realism, the passion of the lovers, the brief nudity of the couple on their wedding night (morning), and its contemporary feel. Filmed on location in Italy, it was the most commercially successful Shakespeare film and its most entertaining, refreshing and natural rendition – a passionate celebration of young love.

This Mike Nichols film with striking adult subject matter (regarding the fragile male ego and bravado, dysfunctionality, and misogyny), sexual encounters, and profanity further pushed the boundaries of sex in cinema although the film had little in the way of explicit sex. It challenged the ratings system and the general morals of the time. It was the subject of a major US Supreme Court rule in 1974 ruling that a local Georgia law prohibiting the distribution of the “obscene” material had gone too far.

Director Stanley Kubrick’s disturbing and controversial futuristic satire A Clockwork Orange (1971) was forced to be withdrawn from UK cinemas in 1973 after allegations that it was inspiring young people to copy its scenes of violence, including two controversial rape scenes. The film is also known for a gruesome murder with a giant phallic art sculpture that was conducted in a gallery filled with erotic paintings, when lead droog Alex (Malcolm McDowell) attacked Catlady (Miriam Karlin) with a over-sized porcelain dildo.

This R-rated, sexually-frank romantic teen drama and coming-of-age story was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It told about an idealistic (natural and healthy?), superficial, fanciful and romantic ‘Romeo & Juliet’ relationship between a teenaged couple. It served as the precedent for other tween romances, after the success of Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968) and Love Story (1970).

Distraught following his wife’s suicide, American hotelier Paul (Marlon Brando) becomes transfixed by the beautiful younger Frenchwoman Jeanne (Maria Schneider) when he meets her by chance at an apartment both are attempting to rent. The couple begin an extended but purely anonymous sexual relationship in which they do not even tell each other their names, but it soon becomes clear that the couple’s deliberate level of disassociation cannot continue.

The wife of a French diplomat becomes involved in a series of sexual liaisons after joining her husband in Thailand.

Soft-core erotic film director Just Jaeckin’s (“Emmanuelle”) classic but disturbing sex-art tale of erotica was based on the 1954 novel by pen-named Pauline Reage, actually French author Anne Desclos. This film was the first of a three-part series of S&M epics about the title character. The first film, a notorious NC-17 soft-focus film about female submission, was banned for many years for its stylistic depiction of depersonalizing female sexual humiliation, defiling abuse and objectification.

Writer/director Nagisa Oshima’s shocking and intense foreign film was about extreme, all-consuming sexual obsession, deadly madness, destruction of the servant/master dichotomy, and complete immersion. It bordered on pornography in its uncut version, and was seized and banned by US Customs and postponed in its censored release. It included an orgy scene, sexual violence, sexual games, and frequent shots of an erect penis and fellatio. This film broke the taboo in Japanese cinema against showing female pubic hair and sex organs. It caused a sensation – and lively discussion – at the Melbourne Film Festival in 1976 when first released.

This lavish Roman-Empire epic was the last major attempt of its era to include graphic sexual content in a mainstream film. It was written by Gore Vidal and co-financed by adult-oriented Penthouse magazine’s producer Bob Guccione, though the script underwent several re-writes after the director and cast found Gore Vidal’s interpretation unsatisfactory (Vidal later disowned it and removed his name). It advertised itself as “the most controversial film of the 20th century” – and was the most expensive pornographic film ever made.

Seven-year-old cousins Emmeline (Elva Josephson) and Richard (Glenn Kohan) survive a shipwreck and find themselves marooned on a beautiful island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Under the tutelage of a fellow castaway, Paddy Button (Leo McKern), the two learn the basics of survival. When Paddy dies, however, the now adolescent Emmeline (Brooke Shields) and Richard (Christopher Atkins) are on their own to discover sex, love and loneliness in a tropical paradise.

Writer/director Paul Schrader’s stylish and hip early 80s romantic crime drama with attitude was very loosely based on French director Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket (1959). This ground-breaking film contained full-frontal male nudity – one of the first instances in a mainstream film for a major Hollywood actor. Julian Kaye (Richard Gere), a high-priced, vain, and cocky-arrogant Beverly Hills gigolo who enjoys the luxurious fruits of his hedonistic lifestyle.

William Friedkin’s notorious, grisly slasher-thriller film about a police investigation examined the seedy and dangerous underworld of gay S&M in NY’s heavy leather bars. NY Times reporter Gerald Walker’s 1970 novel of the same name was the basis for the dramatic film, about an NYPD police investigation to find a self-loathing homosexual serial killer who was targeting gays. The movie displayed actual leather-clad gay-bar patrons as extras in the meat-packing district rather than actors.

Shyster lawyer Ned Racine (William Hurt) begins a passionate affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), wife of a wealthy Florida businessman (Richard Crenna). With the help of one of his criminal clients, bomb maker Teddy Lewis (Mickey Rourke), Ned hatches a scheme to kill Matty’s husband so that they can run away together with his money. But complications build upon double-crosses, launching the hapless lawyer into a situation far more treacherous than he imagined.

Writer/director Michael Crichton’s prescient, PG-rated high-tech science-fiction medical thriller was a mediocre film with very impressive visual effects. The way-ahead-of-its-time film was about plastic surgery, surgically-perfect models, and the replacement of models with CGI simulations. It told about the murder of models, clients of Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Larry Roberts (Albert Finney), who were then replaced with virtual-reality imitations. It also included a political subplot regarding hypnotic suggestion to control TV viewers.

Director Paul Schrader’s updated version of this horror classic was a kinky, moody remake of the Val Lewton classic Cat People (1942). It was advertised as “an erotic fantasy for the animal in us all.” Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) – a waifish, pouty-lipped female who possessed a feline heritage and animalistic tendencies – she was also virginal and sexually-frustrated The film remade the eerie 1942 swimming pool scene – now modernized with topless swimmer Alice Perrin (Annette O’Toole) in an indoor pool being terrorized by the cat-like Irena.

Director Arthur Hiller’s breakthrough R-rated film with mainstream stars in a pre-AIDS era was significant. It was the first non-exploitative, gay-themed Hollywood film produced and marketed for a general audience to address openly and directly the bi-sexual male character. It was a courageous and honest attempt to make a same-sex love story (or love triangle) commercially viable. The trailer warned it might be “too strong” – and indeed it caused some audiences extreme upset and discomfort. The love story involved three major characters:

Director Taylor Hackford’s R-rated romantic blockbuster (chick-flick) told about a rough but appealing love affair between Zack Mayo (Richard Gere), a cocky Navy cadet trainee during his 13-week training at Naval Officer Candidate School Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger), and a local factory working girl. Aspiring naval officer Zack’s and Paula’s relationship had its ups and down, especially when Zack believed she was husband-hunting and became frustrated and angered – and closed up about his past, and she desired some kind of loving commitment.

Michael Pappas (Peter Gallagher) and his girlfriend, Cathy (Daryl Hannah), are enjoying the white sand beaches of a Greek island as well as the freewheeling nature of the locals. When Michael meets Lina (Valerie Quennessen), who is in Greece from Paris doing archaeological work, he is enamored with the beautiful foreigner. Cathy, unhappy about Lina getting close to Michael, confronts the woman — only to be unexpectedly wooed by her charms as well. Click here for preview trailer.

Adrian Lyne’s MTV-style, feel-good hit with rock music by Giorgio Moroder and other hit tunes showcased an independent-minded 18 year-old woman who had dreams of being a legitimate dancer. The musical film popularized ripped off-the-shoulder baggy sweatshirts, aerobic dancing, street break dancing, and other fashion trends (ankle warmers, etc.) of the era. It also had some raunchy dialogue, such as: “Did you know that the smallest penis ever measured was 1.1 inches?”

Writer/director Bob Fosse’s despairing pseudo-documentary final film was a realistic and unsettling biography (told with flashbacks and a portrayal of Hugh Hefner by Cliff Robertson) of Miss August 1979 centerfold and Playboy’s Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten. The title role was played by look-alike Mariel Hemingway enhanced with breast implants just before filming.

Two strangers, Wall Street trader John (Mickey Rourke) and art gallery assistant Elizabeth (Kim Basinger), become involved in a new relationship. What begins as a courtship, though, becomes extremely sexual, as John begins to push for more daring and kinky scenarios, including striptease and bondage. Although their passion is strong, Elizabeth starts to realize that John is not sharing any part of his life besides sex. She must make a decision about what she wants from their relationship.

The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) display the petty jealousies and jaded insouciance of life in France’s royal court in the 18th century, casually ruining the lives of de Merteuil’s young romantic rival (Uma Thurman), the music teacher (Keanu Reeves) for whom she secretly pines and the upstanding Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer). But when actual romantic feelings begin to surface, their games take on a more treacherous air.

Ann (Andie MacDowell) is trapped in a sexually and emotionally unfulfilled relationship with her husband, John (Peter Gallagher), a successful but unpleasant lawyer who is sleeping with her sister, Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo). The underlying tensions in the couple’s marriage rise to the surface when Graham (James Spader), a friend of John’s from college who’s been drifting for nine years, returns to town and videotapes Cynthia and Ann as they talk about their sexual desires. Click here for preview trailer.

The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. Investigated by homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense relationship. Meanwhile, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur and Nick’s psychologist and lover, Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), appears to be another suspect.

“Crash” is about the strange lure of the auto collision, provoking as it does the human fascination with death and the tendency to eroticize danger. Most motorists will slow down to stare at the scene of a collision; they may feel their pulses quickening and become aware of the fragility of their own bodies. The characters of “Crash” carry this awareness a step further, cherishing and nurturing it. For them, a car collision is a sexual turn-on, and a jolting life force they come to crave.

Aspiring Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) accepts a high-powered position at a New York law firm headed by legal shark John Milton (Al Pacino). As Kevin moves up in the firm’s ranks, his wife, Mary Ann (Charlize Theron), has several frightening, mystical experiences that begin to warp her sense of reality. With the stakes getting higher with each case, Kevin quickly learns that his mentor is planning a far greater evil than simply winning without scruples.

James Cameron’s “Titanic” is an epic, action-packed romance set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic; the pride and joy of the White Star Line and, at the time, the largest moving object ever built. She was the most luxurious liner of her era — the “ship of dreams” — which ultimately carried over 1,500 people to their death in the ice cold waters of the North Atlantic in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

In the San Fernando Valley in 1977, teenage busboy Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) gets discovered by porn director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), who transforms him into adult-film sensation Dirk Diggler. Brought into a supportive circle of friends, including fellow actors Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Rollergirl (Heather Graham) and Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), Dirk fulfills all his ambitions, but a toxic combination of drugs and egotism threatens to take him back down.

When teen debutante Kelly (Denise Richards) fails to attract the attention of her hunky guidance counselor, Sam (Matt Dillon), she cries rape, igniting a scandal that results in his arrest. Sam appeals to Ken (Bill Murray), a hack personal-injury lawyer who has never handled a case that couldn’t be helped by a prop neck brace. Soon, a second victim, Suzie (Neve Campbell), comes forward, and Detective Duquette (Kevin Bacon) discovers that the unfolding case is far from what it seems.

Annette (Reese Witherspoon) unwittingly becomes a pawn in Sebastian’s (Ryan Phillippe) and Kathryn’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) deliciously diabolical wager of sexual conquest when she writes an article in Seventeen Magazine about how she intends to stay pure until she marries her boyfriend. However, Sebastian gets more than he bargained for as he attempts to woo Annette into his bed.

After Dr. Bill Hartford’s (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings — and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

In 1962, journalist Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his wife move into a Hong Kong apartment, but Chow’s spouse is often away on business. Before long, the lonely Chow makes the acquaintance of the alluring Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk), whose own significant other also seems preoccupied with work. As the two friends realize their respective partners are cheating on them, they begin to fall for one another; however, neither wants to stoop to the level of the unfaithful spouses.

The lives of Julio and Tenoch, like those of 17-year old boys everywhere, are ruled by raging hormones, intense friendships, and a headlong rush into adulthood. Over the course of a summer, the two best friends, while living out a carefree cross-country escapade with a gorgeous older woman, also find connection with each other, themselves and the world around them.

After learning that her boyfriend, Lorenzo (Tristán Ulloa), a talented but troubled writer, may have committed suicide, the beautiful Lucía (Paz Vega) decides to escape to a remote Spanish island. When she arrives, she meets Carlos (Daniel Freire), a scuba diver, and Elena (Najwa Nimri), Lorenzo’s former lover. As the twisted story unfolds, Lucía learns more about Lorenzo’s tragic past, which may have been the inspiration for his latest novel — and the root of his depression.

A man (Mark Rylance) wants to know more about the nameless woman (Kerry Fox) with whom he has weekly trysts.

Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a young woman with a history of severe emotional problems, is released into the care of her overbearing parents following a stay at a mental institution. She finds work as a secretary for a rigid and demanding attorney, E. Edward Grey (James Spader), and starts dating the kind but dull Peter (Jeremy Davies). However, Lee soon realizes she’s turned on by Grey’s stern demeanor, and begins a sadomasochistic relationship with him.

Described by director Adrian Lyne (“Fatal Attraction”) as “an erotic thriller about the body language of guilt.” When Edward (Richard Gere) innocently learns that his wife Connie (Diane Lane) has lied to him about an affair, suspicion propels him to uncover the devastating details of her infidelity. Tormented by the knowledge, he confronts her lover, only to discover a level of rage within himself that he could never have imagined.

In May 1968, the student riots in Paris only exacerbate the isolation felt by three youths: an American exchange student named Matthew (Michael Pitt) and twins Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). Having bonded over their mutual love of cinema, Matthew is fascinated by the sense of intimacy shared by Isabelle and Theo, who were born conjoined. When the twins’ bohemian parents go away for a month, they ask Matthew to stay at their place, and the three lose themselves in fantasy.

In this sequel to the first film Before Sunrise (1995), two lovers Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met again nine years later, with only a short time before Jesse’s flight left. At the end of their time together, they went to her apartment to have tea and listen to a CD recording of Nina Simone singing Just in Time. Celine then warned Jesse: “Baby, you are gonna miss that plane.” Jesse only ambiguously answered: “I know.” He held his left hand up and briefly twirled his wedding ring with his left thumb.

John (Brad Pitt) and Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie), a couple in a stagnating marriage, live a deceptively mundane existence. However, each has been hiding a secret from the other: they are assassins working for adversarial agencies. When they are both assigned to kill the same target, Benjamin Danz (Adam Brody), the truth comes to the surface. Finally free from their cover stories, they discover that they have been assigned to kill each other, sparking a series of explosive attacks.

During World War II a secret agent (Tang Wei) must seduce, then assassinate an official (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.

This sweeping English drama, based on the book by Ian McEwan, follows the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). When the couple are torn apart by a lie constructed by Cecilia’s jealous younger sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), all three of them must deal with the consequences. Robbie is the hardest hit, since Briony’s deception results in his imprisonment, but hope for Cecilia and her beau increases when their paths cross during World War II.

Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), a respected priest, volunteers for an experimental procedure that may lead to a cure for a deadly virus. He gets infected and dies, but a blood transfusion of unknown origin brings him back to life as a vampire. Now, Sang-hyun is torn between faith and bloodlust, and has a newfound desire for Tae-ju (Kim Ok-bin), the wife of his childhood friend.

Michael Berg (David Kross), a teen in postwar Germany, begins a passionate but clandestine affair with Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), an older woman who enjoys having classic novels read to her. Then Hanna mysteriously disappears, leaving Michael heartbroken and confused. Years later, Michael, now a law student, gets the shock of his life when he sees Hanna on trial for Nazi war crimes.

A college student (Emily Browning) becomes a niche sex worker for a high-end brothel where customers pay to fondle her while she sleeps.

Ali (Christina Aguilera), a small-town gal with a great voice, leaves a troubled life behind and follows her dreams to Los Angeles. She lands a job as a cocktail waitress at the Burlesque Lounge, a once-majestic theater that houses an inspired musical revue led by Tess (Cher), the proprietor. Ali vows to perform there and, with the help of a savvy stage manager and a gender-bending host, she makes the leap from bar to stage, helping restore the club’s former glory.

A gay man’s (Tom Cullen) weekend-long encounter with an artist (Chris New) changes his life in unexpected ways.

By day, Mike (Channing Tatum) makes ends meet any way he can — handyman jobs, detailing cars or designing furniture. But nighttime is when Mike really gets to display his many talents: He’s the hot headliner in an all-male revue. Mike sees potential in a 19-year-old he dubs the Kid (Alex Pettyfer), takes the teen under his wing and instructs him in the tricks of the trade. However, Mike learns there’s a downside to the stripper lifestyle when it threatens his romance with the Kid’s sister.

Two lifelong best friends (Robin Wright, Naomi Watts) each begin a steamy affair with the other’s son, but trouble begins to brew when one of the two young men desires a lover his own age.

Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) a programmer at a huge Internet company, wins a contest that enables him to spend a week at the private estate of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), his firm’s brilliant CEO. When he arrives, Caleb learns that he has been chosen to be the human component in a Turing test to determine the capabilities and consciousness of Ava (Alicia Vikander), a beautiful robot.

When college senior Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) steps in for her sick roommate to interview prominent businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) for their campus paper, Christian, as enigmatic as he is rich and powerful, finds himself strangely drawn to Ana, and she to him. Though sexually inexperienced, Ana plunges headlong into an affair — and learns the boundaries of pain and pleasure. Click for preview trailer.

Murphy, an American living in Paris, enters an emotionally charged relationship with Electra, who happens to be unstable. To spice up their relationship, they invite a third partner, their neighbour.

A look at three defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. His epic journey to manhood is guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him.

The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.

New York photographer Ronit Krushka flies to London after learning about the death of her estranged father. Ronit is returning to the same Orthodox Jewish community that shunned her decades earlier for her childhood attraction to Esti, a female friend. Their fortuitous and happy reunion soon reignites their burning passion as the two women explore boundaries of faith and sexuality.

It’s the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who’s working as an intern for Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

When Cole stays up past his bedtime, he discovers that his hot baby sitter belongs to a satanic cult that will stop at nothing to keep him quiet.

Lisa is the general manager of Double Whammies, a sports bar that features skimpily dressed waitresses. Always nurturing and protective of her staff, she soon faces one trying day that tests her optimism at every turn.

When members of a dance troupe are lured to an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night — and find out who’s responsible — before it’s too late.

After paintings by an unknown artist are discovered, a supernatural force enacts revenge on those who have allowed their greed to get in the way of art.

In 1770 the young daughter of a French countess develops a mutual attraction to the female artist commissioned to paint her wedding portrait.

Slim and Queen’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a policeman pulls them over for a minor traffic violation. When the situation escalates, Slim takes the officer’s gun and shoots him in self-defense. Now labeled cop killers in the media, Slim and Queen feel that they have no choice but to go on the run and evade the law. When a video of the incident goes viral, the unwitting outlaws soon become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people all across the country.

Summer of 1957; Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha), a saxophonist, spends nights playing behind a less-talented but well-known bandleader. Sylvie (Tessa Thompson), dreams of a career in television, spends her summer days helping around her father’s record store, as she waits for her fiancé to return from war. The two begin a friendship that sparks a deep passion in each of them unlike anything they have felt before.

After moving into a beautiful loft apartment in Downtown Montreal, a young couple (Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith), find themselves becoming increasingly interested in the sex life of their eccentric neighbors across the street (Ben Hardy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo). What starts out as an innocent curiosity slowly turns into an unhealthy obsession, after they discover that one of these neighbors is cheating on the other.

Writer/Director Sam Levinson teams up with Zendaya and John David Washington for an achingly romantic drama in which a filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) return home following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success. The evening suddenly takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the strength of their love.