2012 Sex in Cinema

HOLLYWOOD FINALLY DISCOVERS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. THIS YEAR MEN GIVE WOMEN SOME COMPETITION IN PUSHING THE SENSUALITY ENVELOPE-AND EVERYONE IS HAVING FUN

In 2012, on the big and small screens, sex and sexuality finally began to look like all-access sports. Cable boundary pushers such as True Blood and Game of Thrones continued to celebrate female nudity. Michelle Williams and Sarah Silver-man go blissfully full frontal in Take This Waltz without a whiff of sensationalism. But something else quietly revolutionary began to happen with increasing frequency: male nudity. For example, in Shame, a powerful

tale of sexual addiction, co-stars Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender both appear at length and up close exactly as nature intended.

This year, for every rags-to-riches show business saga like Sparkle, in which Carmen Ejogo sizzles, along came another rags-to-riches show business saga like Magic Mike, with its own beefcake brigade including Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer. Former kid star Shia LaBeouf not only goes the full monty in a Sigur R6s music video, but he also plans to do real sex scenes for director Lars von Trier's Nym-phomaniac. Even sexy Mila Kunis plays second fiddle to a prostitute-loving stuffed toy in Ted.

So here for your enjoyment, fun and pleasure is a wrap-up of the year in cinema, with equal time for good-looking private parts female and male.

"You could play golf with your hands tied behind your back," joked George Clooney to Michael Fassbender (above).

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Michelle Williams conjures some of eternal screen siren Marilyn Monroe's sweet, fragile sensuality.

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The producers have figured out how to keep us from drifting off whenever the medieval skulduggery gets too thick on HBO's hit fantasy: They throw in hefty doses of blouse ripping, wenching and shagging to make sure we don't get bored.

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Actress Jennifer Blanc does down-and-dirty cabin-in-the-woods lovemaking with this grindhouse-style thriller's star-writer-director, Michael Biehn. Of course they did research in real life as Mr. and Mrs. Biehn.

Camilla Luddington had Showtime viewers standing at attention during each of her eight episodes.

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Things get steamy in this portrait of a tortured relationship between a gay filmmaker and a closeted lawver.

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Canadian pop singer-songwriter Kevin Parent plays a rock star DJ who hopes the enticing actress-singer Evelyne Brochu will help wash away the pain of his devas­tating divorce. If she can't do the job, this poor guy may be beyond hope.

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Tom Cruise's pelvic thrusts and Axl Rose-style writhing inject some needed energy into a lame movie.

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After years of captivity in Iraq, Damian Lewis learns his sexy wife, Morena Bac-carin, is sleeping with his best friend.

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The fictional despot played by Sacha Baron Cohen is so filthy rich he keeps a phalanx of sexy Virgin Guards including Dominique DiCaprio not only to protect him from his enemies but also to serve as his personal milkmaids.

Mobsters, vice, bootleg booze and singing-and-dancing floozies such as Meg Chambers Steedle? No wonder corrupt Atlantic City power broker and crime boss Steve Buscemi keeps stopping by. But why is he always depressed? .

Eva Green's sorcery can't help but awaken the devil in her centuries-old flame, courtly vampire Johnny Depp.

The hero of this World War I BBC series resists the allure of the wealthy man-eater played by Rebecca Hall.

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We're not sure what Seth MacFarlane's rude plush movie hero does with this

group of escorts. We fear the worst.

Irina Voronina, playboy's Miss January 2001, emerges from the deep uneaten— by flesh-gobbling fish, anyway.

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No sexy back for sultry Mila Kunis, who insisted on a butt double in this no-strings-sex comedy. Justin Timberlake, however, showed no such modesty. Another reason friends with benefits seldom remain friends.

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In Pedro Almodovar's twisted com­edy, Antonio Banderas plays doctor with his captive, Elena Anaya.

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On Cinemax's British import about international spies running around the globe blowing stuff up, the secret agents always take time out from going deep under­cover to go deep diving. It's just like Downton Abbey, only different.

Only a starchy prude like M could disapprove when Daniel Craig steams up the shower with stunning French import Berenice Marlohe in James Bond's 23rd spy thriller. No wonder the franchise is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

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Keira Knightley responds ecstatically to the "medical" spanking doled out by Michael Fassbender, her shrink.

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Lindsay Lohan is all cleavage, smol­der and jewels while posing as Eliza­beth Taylor in a Lifetime TV movie.

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In the year's most brazen display of beefcake, the bumping and grinding of strip­pers Channing Tatum, Adam Rodriguez and Matt Bomer had women standing in line at the box office and the rest of us rushing to the gym.

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Alina Puscau sexes up the remake the old Arnold Schwarzenegger . ord-and-sorcery epic.

Playing a scheming, newly freed body slave, Bonnie Sveen uses her beauty to sleep her way up the ladder.

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Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield's chemistry spins a web of young love both on- and, as it turns out, offscreen.

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On Starz's political drama starring Kelsey Grammer, the tendency of mayoral aide Kathleen Robertson to sleep with the wrong guys results in a pregnancy by one of her boss's fiercest enemies. Time for a session with Dr. Frasier Crane?

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Above: Bow before

the majesty of

Jessica Clark making

her sexy debut as

a vampire goddess

who rises in naked

splendor from a pool

of blood.