BY: Amanda Jane Stern

We are all familiar with the 50 Shades of Grey film series, right? The movies follow the BDSM relationship between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Based on that short description alone, it sure sounds sexy, but how erotic do you actually find those films? Many critics and viewers alike have criticised the franchises’ sex scenes, even going as far to say that the main actors themselves have no chemistry. And frankly, it is true. Both actors, who are wonderfully talented on their own, seem awkward and stifled in their roles, and the stilted dialogue does nothing to help them. Idris Elba reading the dictionary would be a sexier time, just wait till he gets to “asyndeton”, what a sexy word. Below, we have rounded up 12 truly sexy movies. Be warned, you may need to take a cold shower after watching any of these flicks.

 

Atonement

Sometimes a movie, or even a sex scene, does not need to be graphic to be an incredible turn on. Just look at the library scene from this period drama. While there is no nudity in this scene, the visual image of Keira Knightley, in that green dress, and James McAvoy sprawled against the bookcase as the make love is incredibly erotic, and will stick with you well after the film has ended.

 

Blue Valentine

Yes, this 2010 drama follows the dissolution of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy’s (Michelle Williams) relationship, but that doesn’t stop it from being a wildly erotic movie. It’s so sexy, that the MPAA wanted to give it an NC-17 rating at first for its depiction of female sexual pleasure. Thankfully, the MPAA relented after massive pushback due to their sexist reasoning, and gave the film a regular old R rating. R for raunchy that is.

 

Bound

This 1996 lesbian crime thriller from the Wachowski sisters managed to do something no film ever has before, and likely never will again, it made plumbing sexy. And no, that’s not a coy euphemism, there is actually a sexy plumbing scene, where Corky (Gina Gershon) loosens Violet’s (Jennifer Tilly) pipes, to fish out a piece of jewelry of course, and if it doesn’t get you hot and bothered then nothing will.  

 

Call Me by Your Name

What’s the sexiest part of this film? The lush Italian countryside? The romance between Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) Both? This beautiful depiction of first love, and awakening sexuality will captivate you with its gorgeous cinematography and its leading lovers. Penned by Maurice scriptwriter James Ivory, you just know that this movie will deliver.

 

The Handmaiden

This Korean movie has it all: crime, cons, drama, double-crosses, triple-crosses, and an incredibly sexy story. The movie follows a pickpocket (Kim Tae‑ri) who is hired by a conman (Ha Jung‑woo) to pose as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress (Kim Min‑hee) in order to defraud her. But, even the best laid plans go awry, and when the two women fall for each other, they devise their own scheme.

 

Love

This almost-pornographic Gaspar Noé movie follows the erotic and volatile relationship between Murphy (Karl Glusman), an American living in Paris, and his girlfriend Electra (Aomi Muyock). To spice things up, they invite their neighbor Omi (Klara Kristin) to join them in their relationship, unaware of the consequences it will hold. Love is notable for its multiple unsimulated sex scenes. 

 

Moonlight

When you think of undeniably sexy movies, this Oscar Best Picture winner might not be the first to come to mind. Yes, it is filled with beautiful cinematography and actors, but ultimately it is a drama that pulls your heartstrings. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t also a seductive movie, and watching the film build to its grand finale is an undeniably sensory experience.

 

Mulholland Drive

Yes, this is a movie by David Lynch, and like most of Lynch’s work there’s a good chance you will never fully understand what is actually going on. That doesn’t negate how alluring this film is though. A seductive woman with amnesia (Laura Harring) takes shelter with aspiring actress Betty (Naomi Watts). As they try to piece together her past, the two women find themselves drawn to one another.

 

My Beautiful Laundrette

This 1985 British film is both sexy and revolutionary. Why is it so sexy? The relationship between young Pakistani-British man Omar (Gordon Warnecke) and reformed skinhead Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis) which manages to be both erotic and incredibly sweet at the same time. Why is it revolutionary? For it’s straightforward and positive depiction of a romantic relationship between two men, that is never played for laughs or titillation, a rare thing in the 1980s.

 

Secretary

If you ask people what’s a great kinky movie, there’s a good chance they’ll tell you Secretary. This kinky film follows the BDSM relationship between secretary Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her boss, Mr. Grey (James Spader). Yes, this is the original, and dare we say it, better Mr. Grey.

 

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Yes, this is another movie that stars James Spader. What is it about him? In this Steven Soderbergh classic, Spader stars as Graham Dalton, a man who enjoys videotaping women while they talk about sex. When he goes to visit his old college friend, John (Peter Gallagher), his presence acts as a catalyst for the destruction of the philandering John and his wife, Ann’s (Andie MacDowell) tenuous relationship.

 

9 1/2 Weeks

And we’re ending this list with another ultra-kinky movie. This Adrian Lyne drama follows the relationship between Wall Street trader John (Mickey Rourke) and art gallery assistant Elizabeth (Kim Basinger). While things start off tame, the relationship soon starts to become more and more kinky, with John constantly suggesting new sex games and scenarios for them to try.