BONK BUSTERS
Hollywood’s steamiest movie moments revealed after prudish studios cut sex scenes from flicks to avoid offending China
Hollywood needs to remember that sex is like money — only too much is enough
IN the past few weeks, I’ve seen throats slashed in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, hostages held by ghostly ghouls in The Watched and a man having his nipples torn off in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
But have I seen one single second of a loved-up couple rolling around in bed together, or even a passionate kiss? Nope.
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It seems Hollywood has now decided sex simply does not exist — or rather, China has.
Chinese ticket sales now exceed those in the US, making the Communist state the No1 box office market in the world — and it has turned film studios into prudes in a bid to avoid offending them.
Figures show that half of the 250 highest-grossing films in the past year feature absolutely no sexual contact at all — and the number has flopped by 70 per cent since 2000.
Gone are the days where we could enjoy watching the most natural — and fun — human acts recreated on the big screen.
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And I feel a certain sadness knowing a teenage sexual awakening won’t happen by seeing the modern equivalent of a hand slapping a steamed-up window in Titanic or a buff Patrick Swayze performing some exquisite moves on Baby in his staff quarters in Dirty Dancing (a scene I rewound so many times in my formative years that the VHS tape snapped).
So what is shaping today’s young minds when it comes to their idea of a love life? Asexual Marvel characters or CGI monsters stamping on most of Earth?
Apparently, they’re fine with that.
A recent study of 1,500 under-24s found they prefer watching stories about platonic friendships over romance, and 47.5 per cent felt sex was unnecessary in film or TV. Good lord.
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These kids clearly didn’t have to read a dog-eared copy of Judy Blume’s Forever (for the sadly uninitiated, a story of teenage sexuality) under their duvet to get their kicks.
If they’re getting any at all, that is. As studies have found, Gen Z is having far less sex, with social media and online porn to blame.
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And it might be a good job they’re not, as China’s censorship guidelines read like the rules of a party even a nun wouldn’t want to be at. They include banning obscene and vulgar content, scenes of promiscuity, sexual acts, perversion, private body parts, dirty and vulgar dialogues, songs, background music and sound effects.
Now that’s a film I really don’t want to watch. There has been some pushback in La La Land, with actor Richard Gere appearing before the US Senate four years ago to warn about the danger of letting China control the content of movies.
He said: “The combination of Chinese censorship, coupled with American film studios’ desire to access China’s market, can lead to self-censorship and overlooking social issues that great American films once addressed.”
It’s as if Hollywood has gone back to the strict 1930s Hays Code, which even banned dances featuring “movement of the breasts (or) excessive body movements while the feet are stationary”.
Film studios finally chucked the uptight guide in 1968 then had great fun showing romps on the big screen. But now they’re turning the lights off and pulling the duvet up to their chins again in a bid to not flash any flesh or even show a kiss.
Meanwhile, levels of on-screen drinking, drugs, violence and swearing have not shifted at all over the decades.
Actors are queuing up to secure their chastity belts — even though they are happy to play a character that fires off an AK47 or calls everyone the c-word.
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Last year, actor Penn Badgley made the breathtakingly ironic move of demanding fewer sex scenes out of “respect for his marriage” — while playing a psychopath who kidnaps and murders women he stalks in Netflix psychological thriller You. Sounds like immediate grounds for divorce to me.
Even creepier was last year’s loveless and unfunny rom-com You People, which used CGI to fake a pivotal kiss between Jonah Hill and Lauren London.
The #MeToo era, of course, changed plenty of the vile casting couch culture and meant there was more security for those appearing in sex scenes, especially women.
There are few controversial recent rebels who have stripped off and gone for it.
In the Oscar-winning Poor Things, Emma Stone’s character, Bella Baxter, romped relentlessly to achieve multiple orgasms.
While the scenes were bold in the current climate, they were also meant to portray a woman who was a science project and had the brain of a baby.
And there was much furore over the brilliant Saltburn, which showed Barry Keoghan’s flaccid penis, a man humping a grave and gulping on some dirty bath water.
All filthy fun stuff. But how about seeing a couple on screen in a consensual relationship having a delightful dalliance?
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Even in The Bikeriders, which premiered last night, handsome leading man Austin Butler plays a motorbike gang leader so savagely sexy that both women and men can’t help but follow him.
Yet his relationship with the beautiful Jodie Comer, who he persuades to marry within a matter of days, consists of no more than a peck on the lips.
Hollywood needs to down some blue pills, kick start its libido again and remember that sex is like money — only too much is enough.
Below, Sun Sexpert Georgette Culley looks back at some of the raciest movie moments which could inspire current filmmakers to shoot sensual scenes again.
Don't Look Now (1973)
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GRIEVING couple Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie work to restore church buildings in Venice while mourning their daughter’s tragic drowning.
Sutherland’s character, John, experiences visions of a childlike figure in his daughter’s red coat, while Laura, played by Christie, befriends a blind medium.
The film’s sex scene starts with a small touch from Julie and then unfolds, intercut with shots of the couple dressing for dinner.
The lingering question: Did Sutherland and Christie actually have sex in that infamous scene for real?
Producer Peter Bart reignited rumours in 2011, claiming the pair genuinely did.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
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THE French romantic drama features a six-minute, no-holds-barred sex scene between Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Emma (Léa Seydoux) which set pulses racing.
Depicting the couple’s love affair over the years, the film was acclaimed for its portrayal of lesbian sexuality.
The raw performance of the two actresses stirred controversy yet captured the complexity of their characters’ relationship.
Basic Instinct (1992)
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Sharon Stone’s seductive performance as prime suspect Catherine Tramell certainly made an impression on movie audiences – particularly when she uncrossed her legs during a police interrogation to reveal no undies.
But it’s not the only steamy scene in the movie. When detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) finally succumbs to Catherine, their passionate and risky encounter is well worth the wait.
The sex is animalistic and their chemistry palpable.
Afterwards, Nick says: “It was the f*** of the century.”
Titanic (1997)
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THE steamy handprint scene between Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) is unforgettable. Set against the backdrop of the ill-fated ship, their risqué encounter in a car captures the intensity of first love and desire.
The fact that they could get caught at any moment only adds to the excitement.
Quite simply, it is one of the most sizzling sex scenes in movie history.
Cruel Intentions (1999)
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THE sex scene between Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), and Annette (Reese Witherspoon) is tender and intimate.
It is Annette’s first time and the dynamic between the pair is a blend of nervousness and desire. The scene showcases their emotional connection and vulnerability as they explore one another.
Despite there being no explicit nudity shown – only their faces and Sebastian’s thrusting – it is an iconic cinematic moment which transports us back to our first time.
9½ Weeks (1986)
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THIS erotic drama about the extremely sexual relationship between Wall Street trader John Gray (Mickey Rourke) and art gallery assistant Elizabeth McGraw (Kim Basinger) features several unforgettable moments.
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In the most memorable scene the couple engage in a sensual encounter which involves various food items, creating a visually stunning and highly sensual atmosphere.
There is also an element of dominance and submission, adding to the erotic tension of the scene.