The X List (National Society of Film Critics)

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This is the definitive list from the book "The X List: The National Society of Film Critics’ Guide to the Movies That Turn Us On" edited by Jami Bernard (Da Capo Press, 2005, ISBN 0-306-81445-5 "amazon":http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-7162265-4876430?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+X+list&x=17&y=30 ).

This is a companion volume of sorts to the NSFC’s well known book "The A List: 100 Essential Films" which came out in 2002.

The list is presented in alphabetical order as in the book. There are 80 entries on the list.

Notes: 1) The entry on Hercules also includes Reeve’s follow up film, Hercules Unchained, as a pair. 2) I don’t believe Ichikawa’s The Makioka Sisters is in print anymore, though there was a VHS version and a Laserdisc version put out by Critierion, who will hopefully put out the DVD version. 3) The film Talk Dirty to Me (1980) is the pornographic movie directed by Anthony Spinelli "IMDb":http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081596/ starring John Leslie and Jessie St. James.


Pages: 1

  1. 1.
    The Age of Innocence
    by Martin Scorsese
  2. 2.
    Anatomy Of Hell

  3. 3.
    A Nos Amours (The Criterion Collection)
    by Maurice Pialat
  4. 4.
    Ayn Rand - A Sense of Life

  5. 5.
    Baby Doll
    by Elia Kazan
  6. 6.
    Baby Face [VHS]

  7. 7.
    Bad Education (Original Uncut NC-17 Edition)
    by Pedro Almodóvar
  8. 8.
    Baise-Moi

  9. 9.
    Basic Instinct
    by Paul Verhoeven
  10. 10.
    Behind the Green Door
    by Art Mitchell
  11. 11.
    Belle de Jour

  12. 12.
    Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
    by Russ Meyer
  13. 13.
    Black Sunday (aka The Mask of Satan)
    by Mario Bava
  14. 14.
    Blue Velvet

  15. 15.
    Body Heat
    by Lawrence Kasdan
  16. 16.
    Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Special Edition)
    by George Roy Hill
  17. 17.
    Bye Bye Birdie
    by George Sidney
  18. 18.
    Carmen Jones
    by Otto Preminger
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
    Crash
    by David Cronenberg
  21. 21.
    Crimes of Passion
    by Ken Russell
  22. 22.
    Days of Heaven (The Criterion Collection)
    by Terrence Malick
  23. 23.
    ?
    Deep Throat
    by Gerard Damiano
  24. 24.
    Don't Look Now
    by Nicolas Roeg
  25. 25.
    Ecstasy (Extase)
    by Gustav Machatý
  26. 26.
    Eyes Wide Shut
    by Stanley Kubrick
  27. 27.
    Eyes Without a Face (The Criterion Collection)
    by Georges Franju
  28. 28.
    The Fabulous Baker Boys
    by Steve Kloves
  29. 29.
    Femme Fatale
    by Brian De Palma
  30. 30.
    La Femme Nikita
    by Luc Besson
  31. 31.
    Forever Mine

  32. 32.
    Frankenstein Created Woman
    by Terence Fisher
  33. 33.
    The Garden Of The Finzi Continis
    by Vittorio De Sica
  34. 34.
    Gilda

  35. 35.
    Great Expectations (1998)

  36. 36.
    Hercules
    by Pietro Francisci
  37. 37.
    Horror of Dracula
    by Terence Fisher
  38. 38.
    In the Cut (Unrated Director's Cut)
    by Jane Campion
  39. 39.
    In the Mood for Love (The Criterion Collection)
    by Kar Wai Wong
  40. 40.
    In the Realm of the Senses
    by Nagisa Ôshima
  41. 41.
    Intimacy (Unrated, Widescreen Edition)
    by Patrice Chéreau
  42. 42.
    Irma Vep
    by Olivier Assayas
  43. 43.
    Irréversible Dvd Unrated Uncut [Region 2]
    by Gaspar Noe
  44. 44.
    It Happened One Night
    by Frank Capra
  45. 45.
    Kinsey
    by Bill Condon
  46. 46.
    Klute
    by Alan J. Pakula
  47. 47.
    Last of the Mohicans (Director's Expanded Edition)
    by Michael Mann
  48. 48.
    Last Tango in Paris

  49. 49.
    Laura (Fox Film Noir)
    by Otto Preminger
  50. 50.
    Laurel Canyon
    by Lisa Cholodenko

Pages: 1

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Created by wmrandth on Dec 22, 2007.
 

Comments

laurie

wow and thx — 3 years ago

would love to read that book.

anyway, thx for giving me a new guide for “what to watch”. i’ve seen many of these and have even more in my collection.

Jan 04, 03:21AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

FitFortDanga

Wrong Crash on there — 4 years ago

I’m pretty sure it should be the Cronenberg film

May 08, 08:10AM | 0 comments | Reply to this

wmrandth

Supplements — 4 years ago

In addition to the articles on the list of 80 films, the book also has numerous side articles on other topics, with frequently interesting references to other films not on the list.

Here are the topics, with the main films mentioned in them:

Annabel Chong: Casting the First Pebble, p. 36: Sex: The Annabel Chong Story (1999) dir Gough Lewis

Possession: What You Missed, p.94: Possession (1981) dir Zulawski

Why Vertigo? p. 102: Vertigo (1958)

Connie Nielsen: Empress Mine, p. 120: Gladiator (2000), Brødre (2004), Mission to Mars (2000)

The Female Gaze, p. 136: Entre Nous, The Piano, Laurel Canyon; Bend It Like Beckham, A League of Their Own, Love and Basketball; Lost In Translation, Look at Me

In My Skin, p. 160: In My Skin (2002) dir Marina de Van

The Eroticism of Words, p. 160: Ulysses (1967) dir Joseph Strick

Last Tango with Grandma, p. 176: Last Tango in Paris (1972)

Swoon, Britannia, p. 195: re: Haley Mills in Tiger Bay (1959); Julie Christie in Billy Liar(1963); Imogen Stubbs in A Summer Story (1988)

Habit-forming, p. 206: The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945); Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957); The Devils (1971)

My Own Private Barrymore, p. 233: The Wedding Singer (1998), Firestarter (1984), Poison Ivy (1992)

Annette Haven: What’s a Classy Girl Like You Doing In a Film Like This? p. 264: V: The Hot One (1977); High School Memories (1980); A Thousand and One Erotic Nights (1982); Memphis Cathouse Blues (1982); Body Double (1984)

Radley Metzger, Soft-core Auteur, p. 280: Score (1973), Therese and Isabell (1968), The Lickerish Quartet (1970), Camille 2000 (1969); The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann (1975); The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1977)

The Last X-Rated Picture Show, p. 293: Inserts (1975) ; also mentioned Midnight Cowboy, If…, Greetings, Last Tango in Paris, A Clockwork Orange, Medium Cool, The Killing of Sister George

Dec 23, 02:59PM | 0 comments | Reply to this

wmrandth

Happy Holidays — 4 years ago

I picked up this book over the weekend at a Half Price bookstore near me and have not been able to put it down, except to watch some of the films of course ;)

Like Comedy, Eros can be pretty personal, and some of the entries make no sense till you read the article about it. Bye Bye Birdie? The Mummy? (yes, the one with Karloff) Butch Cassidy? Well, the critics sometimes come up with some compelling explanations, usually having to do with crucial moments in their adolescence… But not always: Ayn Rand? My God, what was Jonathan Rosenbaum thinking? er rather, feeling?

I think there are what I consider a few glaring omissions: The Blue Angel, The Graduate, The Last Picture Show, Emmanuelle, Caligula, or even Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex*…

Anyway, that’s their list. Enjoy.

Dec 22, 11:24PM | 0 comments | Reply to this



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