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Alison Maclean recommended Belle de Jour (1968) in Movies (curated)

 
Belle de Jour (1968)
Belle de Jour (1968)
1968 | Drama
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Buñuel films have had a huge influence on me, this one perhaps most of all. There was a time when I carried the book of the script around, opening it at random to absorb its perverse, funny tone and stare at the old black-and-white stills. Catherine Deneuve acts like she’s sleepwalking, but her character, Séverine, is wonderfully cool and disdainful as she gives free rein to her erotic fantasies, in dreams and in life."

Source
  
TD
The Duke & the Pirate Queen
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had such high hopes for this novel. It had a beautiful cover and what I thought would be a fascinating storyline.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The storyline was boring and the characters were annoying. What I thought would be an engaging storyline actually almost bored me to tears. I was so disinterested that I found myself skipping large passages without even realizing it. The characters also left me wanting. They were so set in their ways that their personalities became obnoxious.

Not to mention the lack of heat. After reading the beginning, which was very steamy, I thought the rest would be just as erotic. I was wrong. When they leads finally did have sex, it was so bland, I had to reread it to make sure I didn’t miss anything. After that, any erotic scenes also fell flat with.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty covering and interesting sounding plot. Oh, and she isn’t really a pirate queen, by the way.
  
The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) (2011)
The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) (2011)
2011 | Drama, Horror, International, Mystery
Operatically twisted (and twisty) erotic psycho-horror-thriller-drama from Almodovar. Brilliant scientist and surgeon (Banderas) seems to be keeping a young woman (Anaya) prisoner in his house, and performing various experiments on her (even his mum thinks he is insane). But the truth turns out to be a little more complicated than it at first seems...

Initially seems like much more of a plot-driven genre movie than is typical for this director, but the familiar themes (sex, desire, obsession, family ties) soon resurface albeit in somewhat modulated form. The plot grips like a vice, the performances are superb, it looks fabulous, and the (warped) sensuality of the film makes most so-called erotic thrillers look very bland and tame. This would qualify as a masterpiece, as good as anything Almodovar has ever done, except for the ending, which feels like a significant misstep, stumbling for conventional closure in a way that just doesn't ring true or feel satisfying. Nevertheless, a brilliant piece of film-making. (Do NOT read or hear a plot synopsis before watching if you can possibly avoid it.)