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I’m not saying it would ever really happen but say you got tired of watching sensual films for women and thought maybe it would be much more sensual to turn off the tv and curl up with a really good book. How would you decide what to read? Well, I would suggest you first curl up with “Between the Sheets: The Book Babes’ Guide to a Woman’s Reading Pleasures” and skip right to the chapter on “Love, Sex and Second Chances.” These women are amazing and will set you right up. And then when you’re done, maybe you can create a “from fiction to film” book club and combine the arts for a truly sensual experience!

For a sensual snippet and a lesson in how to make life sensual, check out Mollly Wizenberg’s description of her trip to wine country in France. It’s so simple but so pleasurable. Her fantasy cocktail party is fun too but picnics in the French countryside will have you in sensual dreamland!

Picnics! Another fun way to enjoy a sensual film–have an indoor picnic while you watch!

It doesn’t take much to create a sensual setting for a movie. It might be as little as dimming the lights. Or it might be as much as creating a whole meal around the theme of the movie, inviting friends and making a Movie Night of it. One simple solution I suggest is sitting down to a movie with a glass of wine or a cocktail. Sometimes you can match it up with the movie such as Chilean wine for an Il Postino viewing or Italian wine from Tuscany for Under the Tuscan Sun. Or just get creative and make your own match. For example, for the Sizzling Chemistry of Out of Sight, try concocting a White Lady. It’s elegant and sexy all at the same time just like the movie. Try it! Make it sensual!

I’ve mentioned this site before but it’s worth pointing out again. A lot of our sensual selections are foreign films (hmmm, go figure) and yoiu can join your own foreign film club by going to www.filmmovement.com. A subscription buys you one award-winning foreign film per month plus discounts on additional DVDs. Let someone else select the movies for you and widen your horizons. Or just visit their site for lots of current foreign flm info!

Sometimes I like to put a movie on and just veg but other times just a little effort can make a sensual pick all that more sensual or romantic (see Alex’s review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona for one example). Try renting Il Postino (although it’s a good one to have in your DVD library) and getting a copy of 100 Love Sonnets (Cien sonetos de amor) by Pablo Neruda. Open a bottle of Chilean wine and light some candles (I love candles!) and experience a beautiful movie just that much more!

Valentine’s Day–so much potential for the sensual! Need a sensual movie that both You and He will enjoy? Try History of Violence, Y Tu Mama Tambien or Out of Sight. Or, think outside the box and try something a little kinkier like “Secretary” (warning–not everybody’s cup of tea). A movie that is not reviewed on our site but that is sensual in my mind because a tough woman is very sexy is “Long Kiss Goodnight.” Trust me, women and men both seem to enjoy this one! It’s intelligent, funny and sexy with a high body count–how can you go wrong?

 Looking for an unusual gift for a Valentine treat for yourself, a gift for a friend or a special something for your Man? Try one of my favorite sites, Etsy http://www.etsy.com/ – a very hip site where you can buy “all things handmade!” For your Man, check the “Knock His Socks Off” category on the upper left of the homepage.

 Think outside the box–there is nothing more sensual than a new way of looking at things!

It’s Oscar season and movies that focus on quality rather than box office revenue potential are out in the theaters. There’s an interesting array of films–”Doubt,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Revolutionary Road“–out there but do any of them qualify as a sensual movie, especially a movie that women in particular would find sensual? I have to admit, I haven’t kept up with new releases but just judging from the story lines, I doubt it. Even if you turn to foreign films–”Revanche,” “Gomorrah” or “Waltzing with Bashir,” for example–the sensual field looks almost barren with perhaps only Japan’s “Departures” fitting the bill (again, going from the story line–discovering life through death–as I have not caught up with this one yet). Has anyone seen something out there that breaks the mold? Pass it on…

Not surprisingly, many of the films in our archive of sensual films for women are foreign. Looking for a special gift for that sensual someone in your life or even your own sensual self? Try a foreign-film subscription–it buys you one award-winning foreign film per month plus discounts on additional DVDs. Check it out on http://www.filmmovement.com/ ! Have a sensual New Year!

Looking for a reason to be grateful for what you have in these hard times? Try tapping into your senses and looking for pleasure in the smaller things in life. A series of studies by psychology professor at UC Davis, Robert Emmons, has found that keeping a written record of what you are grateful for can help a person to sleep longer, exercise more frequently, have fewer health complaints and generally feel better about their lives. (Yoga Journal, Dec 2008)

The article on these studies made me think of how being in touch with your senses helps you to appreciate the simple pleasures in life from the smell of baking bread to the touch of someone’s hand on your skin–that you can choose to be grateful for even the simplest things that surround you day to day or you can ignore them. A perfect sensual movie example of this can be found in the super-sensual character of Maude in “Harold and Maude“ who teaches the the lost and cynical character of Harold that life is about enjoying and being grateful for the sensual. As reviewer Teresa notes: “Harold and Maude addresses the reason we even care about sensuality - that it makes life worth living…required viewing to understand the importance of sensuality.” If you haven’t seen Harold and Maude in a while or at all, sit down and enjoy it. Then take a lesson from Maude and be grateful for what is simple and beautiful in life!

Yes, I’m back. I think I took a creative hiatus from life in general but I’m back and rarin’ to go!

Doing some sensual Christmas shopping? Well, to me, there is nothing more sensual than a sense of humor. If a man makes me smile and (even better) laugh, well, it rates right up there with good looks and solid abs! Here are two great companies to take a look at:

Mountain Ash Design by Sarah O. Green

Happy Fantastic Designs by Joanne Kalisz

Their items are beautifully handmade and high quality at reasonable prices. And they are sensual in their fun-ness and Attitude. Check them out!!!