Archive for September, 2008

I was very sad to hear of Paul Newman’s death. He had a full, long life and gave to so many people through his films and his incredible charity work. But still, it is like a light has gone out. I was struck by how many women seemed touched by him and his death–from a teenage clerk at a store (who had been to the video store but all the Newman movies were out), to my mother-in-law in her seventies–age was not a factor.

 And he was truly a sensual man. When friends were moved to think about their favorite Newman movies, “The Sting” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” where the first to come up. But for me, the first film that comes to mind as my favorite is “Hud.” Newman creates a memorable electric magnetism in every scene he is in and the chemistry between him and Patricia Neal is palpable. I can think of more but that film has always stuck with me. We have so many film memories of Paul Newman but his joy for life and the ability to give that to others will be missed!

Sensual Film ClubMovie Feature : Y Tu Mama Tambien

Start your own sensual film club! Here’s a suggestion for your first meeting. Rent “Y Tu Mama Tambien”—a Barefoot Aphrodite reviewers’ favorite. Invite a few friends, enough to be seated comfortably in front of your TV but not so many that the movie party isn’t cozy.
·       PREPARATION
        The right sensual setting will get your club off to a great start. The table could be decorated with red, white, and green napkins. Borrowing cactus plants from your friends if you don’t have any cacti of your own would also add to the fun. Mexican flags (paper from the internet) could be hung over the table. There are more fun ideas–create the atmosphere that suits your style.
·       MUSIC
    Mana Unplugged
·       APPETIZERS
    Margaritas and chipotle black bean dip and taco chips.
·       ICEBREAKER
        Mexicans seem to love to play dominoes, so it might be fun to have people bring whatever dominoes they have around and make a domino “train.” It could be knocked over just before the movie starts.
 
·       THE MOVIE
    Get everyone comfortable with margarita in hand, dim the
    lights or set the mood with candlelight and fire up the movie.

·       POST-MOVIE DINNER
    A possible post movie dinner menu could be Adobado Pork Tenderloin with salsa and corn tortillas followed by either a flan or churros.  Both recipes follow.  Discuss the film and enjoy Mexican food while you talk!
·       THE GRAND FINALE
    The Mexican version of hot chocolate with the final movie discussion would send everyone home feeling sensual and probably completely mellow.
 

            HAVE A GREAT SENSUAL MEXICAN MOVIE PARTY!!!!
                           

We are so used to viewing films that we sometimes forget what a magical experience it can be. A truly sensual film transports you into its world and lets you sense it as if you were there taking part. When you sit down to a movie from our Barefoot Aphrodite list of sensual films for women, keep that in mind. Don’t just sit down to be entertained; stay in touch with yourself and truly experience the film.

The authors of “Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Sex” note the following which may help you get the most out of your movie viewing:

“Many women are able to easily access many senses. If you are interested, you can learn to notice the senses you may have been ignoring. If you tend to ignore tastes, you can focus on the way a piece of toast sweetens in your mouth as it becomes moist, or the crispness of a fresh apple, or the taste of a kiss. If you have no difficulty noticing the smell of pine needles, you can focus on the texture of the tree bark to broaden your sensory repertoire. When you are with your partner, notice the senses that you enjoy and experiment with others. Remember that your sensory preferences are your own unique composite and will vary from time to time.”

In this vein, notice what you normally pay attention to in a movie and experiment with tuning into a different aspect of the film. If you are always drawn into the storyline, listen to the soundtrack (Under the Sun, Out of Sight, for example) instead or pay attention to the colors the director uses (Talk to Her). Or focus on the clothes the characters wear (Harold and Maude or Belle du Jour) and how they change throughout the movie. Imagine sitting down to the table in scenes with meals (Under the Tuscan Sun or Japanese Story) and how the food might taste. Or imagine what it feels like to roll gnocchi with the help of a man’s strong hand on yours (a beautiful sensual scene in Godfather III regardless of what you think of the rest of the film)…

While Barefoot Aphrodite is basically a film review site, the intention is to get women in touch with their senses and encourage them to develope their sensory awareness–first through film and then areas that films may suggest. On this site, I mention a book which supports the philosophy behind this site–that sensory awareness promotes sexual awareness and enjoyment: Ordinary Women Extraordinary Sex. Here is a small excerpt on how watching a film encourages sensual development:

“You may notice while watching an especially compelling movie that you enter the storyline and may even become a character, replete with emotion. If you have been moved to tears or laughter by a movie, no doubt you have experienced absorptioin….Absorption is the key which allows you to enjoy the sensory richness and imagery all around and within you. By absorbing yourself in your images with the vividness and clarity you are capable of, you will awaken your potential to enjoy a surprising palette of intensity and passion which may have gone unnoticed.”

So if you sit down to a sensual film selected from Barefoot Aphrodite, don’t just sit on the couch with the remote–try to make it an interactive experience. Create the setting with a comfortable place to sit, soft lighting, pleasant scents and some enjoyable drink or food. Invite someone you want to share the film with to watch it with you. As you watch, really try and sense the setting of the film–the location, the smells, sounds and colors. Think about being involved with the characters or being one of them. Film has so much potential! Really enjoy it! If you find your own ways to extend the sensuals, let us know–we would love to hear from you!

Barbara’s Equation:

chemistry (!) + rich in detail = sensual film for women

 Nancy’s Equation:

light-hearted romance + escape from reality + inspiration = sensual film for women

Please send us your own equation (and movie selection) for what makes a movie sensual for you!

 Reviewer Teresa’s Equation for Sensual Films For Women:

mystery + urgency + multifacted and emphatic characters + great cinematography & sound + innocence = a sensual film for women

I love rainy days, especially in the summer (tail end of it, of course). I love being able to watch movies without sunshine wishing you outside. I love my job–tracking down sensual films for women, encouraging them to seek the sensual on their own. I heard this poem on the radio–it has nothing to do with film but it feels quite sensual and there must be a sensual film out there with Seattle as the location…because rain is sensual:

“Black Umbrellas,”
by Rick Agran

Black Umbrellas
On a rainy day in Seattle stumble into any coffee shop
and look wounded by the rain.
Say Last time I was in I left my black umbrella here.
A waitress in a blue beret will pull a black umbrella
from behind the counter and surrender it to you
like a sword at your knighting.
Unlike New Englanders, she’ll never ask you
to describe it, never ask what day you came in,
she’s intimate with rain and its appointments.
Look positively reunited with this black umbrella
and proceed to Belltown and Pike Place.
Sip cappuccino at the Cowgirl Luncheonette on First Ave.
Visit Buster selling tin salmon silhouettes
undulant in the wind, nosing ever into the oncoming,
meandering watery worlds, like you and the black umbrella,
the one you will lose on purpose at the day’s end
so you can go the way you came
into the world, wet looking.

Alexandra’s Equation:

strong herione + rich and lavish details + daydreaming potential + off-beat + passion = sensual film for women

What makes a movie sensual for our movie reviewers? For me, the equation is:

a strong female character + sexual tension + attention to details of time and place + a touch of escapism or fantasy=a sensual movie for women

But every woman is different. Tomorrow another Barefoot Aphrodite reviewer’s equation…

“The strip [’Dykes to Watch Out For’ by Alison Bechdel] popularized what is now known as the Bechdel test, also known as the Bechdel/Wallace test, the Bechdel rule, Bechdel’s law, and the Mo Movie Measure. Bechdel credits her friend Liz Wallace for the test, which appears in a 1985 strip entitled “The Rule,” in which a character says that she only watches a movie if it satisfies the following requirements:

1. It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.” (Wikipedia)

Next blog installment: The Barefoot Aphrodite Sensual Films for Women Test…