Our Staff Picks column is a new addition that takes you back to a time when video stores reigned supreme and the "Staff Picks" section was the place to find out what films were worthy of one's time. Of course, our version has a decidedly nude angle, as we suss out which films from a certain genre with great nudity. This week: Neo-Noir
Film Noir is an exciting film genre that was most popular in the late 1930s through the early 50s and it was literally called "noir" because the films tended to be pretty dark to look at. With heavy use of shadows, noirs were stylized films that tended to surround "dark" subject matter and lend themselves to mysteries. Dubbed "film noir" in 1946, these are the movies that made names of Humphrey Bogart, Lana Turner, Lauren Bacall, and Robert Mitchum. And then it sort of disappeared. But when it returned? It always gave a nod to the original tenants of noir.
Neo-noir refers to films that have the beats and feel of a classic noir but are updated for the modern era. The genre began as a true-to-form callback to film noir, but now it is a super broad subgenre that simply refers to a stylized noir feel with a modern twist.
Here are some sexy neo-noir films that have great nude scenes!
Hackers
Hackers might be more of a techno noir which is a neo-noir with technological elements (Matrix also falls into this category). If that sounds like a lot of hair-splitting, you are not wrong. I'm right there with you which is why I'm including Hackers. It is a fun, 90s look at online hacking with twists, turns, and cool fashion. No one was cooler than Matthew Lillard and his cheek flash.
Memento
Christopher Nolan confirmed that he is That Bitch when it comes to directing mind-melting material with the release of 2000's Memento. Its backward narrative is pieced together to unveil a gun-wielding mystery surrounding a man who has amnesia and struggles to form new memories. He takes Polaroids to help aid his short-term memory and to aid in tracking down his wife's murderer. It's like a high-octane noir with a memorable twist.
Guy Pearce is trying to take a sexy shower when a dude with a gun enters and ruins the moment. That moment is also when we see his ass, so I can't be too mad.
Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley was a lot better than people gave it credit. Guillermo Del Toro's fantastical attempt at a noir starred Bradley Cooper as a conman who joins a traveling circus. He becomes chummy with the circus performers and is roped into shaking down a wealthy tycoon for cash, but that's when things become more dangerous than the fast-talking conman could have anticipated. His dick looks dangerous, too, as he relaxes in a bathtub and speaks to femme fatale Cate Blanchett. This is the stuff of dreams - wet dreams!
Chinatown
The finest neo-noir ever made, Chinatown stars prime Jack Nicholson as Jake. That's Jake of the infamous line, "Forget about it, Jake. It's Chinatown." We can't forget about Jake and his booty. Jack Nicholson showed his rear after getting out of bed. He and Faye Dunaway were dynamite together on the big screen.
