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None Better 
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Let’s Talk About Sex “Anora” – a movie about a sex worker and her client – won a bunch of Oscars this year. I haven’t seen it, so I can’t comment on the movie. But it struck me that both the lead actress and the writer/director made a point to express solidarity with sex workers. What might they have been trying to convey? And what did they convey without trying? As with almost all human endeavors, I suspect there were a bunch of motivations, some of which contradict each other.
First, they seem to have been holding up the truth that prostitutes are, indeed, real human beings, not types, and therefore are worthy of respect as humans. Excellent. Count me in.
They may also have been endorsing the idea that prostitution should be freed from old, outworn stigmas that a repressive society traditionally associates with the oldest profession. Maybe they think women and men should be free to provide sex (safely) in exchange for money, especially if the money translates to power that’s traditionally inaccessible to sex workers. This notion views sex as a good or service tradeable for money (aka power), the same as any other commodity.
Here, we part ways, because this misunderstands the right purpose of sex. My understanding that there even is a right purpose of sex necessarily arises from the notion that God, as the giver of the gift that is sex, attaches an intent to it. I hold that God’s intent for sex is to nurture intimacy between the lovers. Undoubtedly, God has additional intentions, such as the gift of children; but here I’m concerned with intimacy. Also, I quite understand that sex certainly can be used as a means to an end, and that’s a very old story (see, e.g., Lysistrata). But that’s not OK in my book. Also, it can be just plain fun. But, it’s meant to be fun that’s shared, ideally with someone you care about.
It’s no accident that at its best, sex is something we do naked. Nakedness is a stripping away of pretense as a way to truly see and be seen by the one you love. Opening our bodies to each other is emphatically not intended as a tool to wield power or extract payment. Using sex for those purposes instrumentalizes sex and commodifies one’s self and one’s partner. It’s the antithesis of nurtured intimacy. (For the same reasons, I don’t like “using” as a verb in this context.)
The “Sex-as-ATM” idea is a manifestation of what Alan Jacobs (@ayjay) calls “Metaphysical Capitalism,” which treats all creation and the entire human condition as elements of a vast market. (See, the discussion of Kant’s view of sex and marriage in this post.)
What’s particularly poignant about viewing sex in this way is that it subverts the humane and tender motivation to understand prostitutes as human beings deserving of respect. I don’t know that many in the “pro-sex-worker” cohort see it, but the idea that our bodies and our intimacies are tradeable commodities is truly, sadly, deeply inhuman.
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Yuck Ted Gioia:
Few things are more distressing than praise lavished on irredeemable ugliness.
At the risk of becoming a yeller-at-clouds, I fret about this in our current media environment: The Joker, American Horror Story, Saw (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, 3D), etc. This can’t be a sign of cultural health, right?
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Thomas Mitchell When my wife is out of town, I often watch old movies. Tonight it’s Only Angels Have Wings with Cary Grant and Jean Arthur (plus Sig Ruman, Rita Hayworth, and others). They’re excellent – as one would expect. But I want to praise Thomas Mitchell, who was great in several Capra films and this one too.🍿
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Quite excited about this
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Christmas Movietime: The Shop Around the Corner
Mr. Matuschek and Rudy are headed to Christmas Eve dinner. 🍿 -
Memorable Movies 🍿Not always good, but at least memorable. (#s are just for counting, not ranking)1. Red • 2. Blue • 3. Singin' in the Rain • 4. Wings of Desire • 5. Casablanca • 6. Local Hero • 7. Wonder Boys • 8. The Tao of Steve • 9. Rushmore / The Royal Tenenbaums / Moonrise Kingdom / The Grand Budapest Hotel / Asteroid City • 10. The Player • 11. Avalon • 12. Diner • 13. Clouds of Sils Maria • 14. Vanya on 42nd Street • 15. Cold Comfort Farm • 16. Chasing Amy • 17. Mulholland Drive • 18. The Tree of Life • 19. The Station Agent • 20. A Short Film About Killing • 21. The Double Life of Veronique • 22. Metropolitan / The Last Days of Disco • 23. The Shop Around the Corner / You've Got Mail • 24. To Be or Not to Be (Jack Benny) • 25. Ninotchka • 26. Sullivan's Travels • 27. The Lady Eve • 28. Holiday • 29. House of Games / The Spanish Prisoner / State and Main • 30. Run Lola Run • 31. Star Wars (A New Hope) / The Empire Strikes Back • 32. I Am Love • 33. La La Land • 34. Double Indemnity • 35. Lost in America / Defending Your Life • 36. Midnight Cowboy • 37. Monsoon Wedding / The Namesake • 38. The Philadelphia Story • 39. High Society • 40. The Third Man • 41. Airplane! • 42. Say Anything • 43. The Last Waltz • 44. About a Boy • 45. Love, Actually • 46. Notting Hill • 47. About Time • 48. Ghostbusters • 49. Animal House • 50. The Daytrippers • 51. Blazing Saddles • 52. Young Frankenstein • 53. Chariots of Fire • 54. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang • 55. Nine Queens • 56. The Bourne Identity • 57. 20th Century Women • 58. Wet Hot American Summer • 59. Eurotrip • 60. Maria Full of Grace • 61. Talk to Her / Volver / Parallel Mothers • 62. The Descendants • 63. The Spectacular Now • 64. Short Term 12 • 65. Frances Ha • 66. A Muppet Christmas Carol • 67. Snatch / Layer Cake / Crank • 68. Bandits • 69. The Bank Job • 70. Me and You and Everyone We Know • 71. The Sweet Hereafter • 72. High Fidelity • 73. Next Stop Wonderland • 74. Music & Lyrics • 75. My Best Friend's Wedding • 76. Clueless • 77. Babette's Feast • 78. Crossing Delancey • 79. Much Ado About Nothing (Amy Acker) • 80. What's Up, Doc? • 81. Obvious Child • 82. LA Story • 83. Enough Said • 84. The Intern • 85. Tootsie • 86. Walking and Talking • 87. Truly Madly Deeply • 88. I Capture the Castle • 89. Paris, je t'aime • 90. The Age of Innocence • 91. Good Will Hunting • 92. Manchester by the Sea • 93. You Can Count on Me • 94. The Lives of Others • 95. Cold War • 96. Cookie's Fortune • 97. The Right Stuff • 98. Days of Heaven • 99. Sense & Sensibility • 100. Tender Mercies • 101. Star Man • 102. Damsels in Distress • 103. Orlando • 104. L.A. Confidential • 105. Godfather I, II, *and* III • 106. The Nasty Girl • 107. My Mother's Glory / My Father's Castle • 108. Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring • 109. Breaker Morant • 110. Best in Show / A Mighty Wind / Waiting for Guffman • 111. Atlantic City • 112. The Sting • 113. Galaxy Quest • 114. Annie Hall / Bananas / Love & Death / Purple Rose of Cairo / Crimes & Misdemeanors / Midnight in Paris / Sleeper • 115. Ghostworld • 116. A Hidden Life • 117. A Walk in the Clouds • 118. The Old Man and the Gun • 119. Return to Me • 120. Far From the Madding Crowd (Carrie Mulligan) • 121. An Education • 122. Our Little Sister • 123. Departures • 124. Sweet Bean • 125. The Commitments • 126. The Edge of Seventeen • 127. The Last Wave • 128. Cutter's Way • 129. Tell No One • 130. Running on Empty • 131. Do the Right Thing • 132. His Girl Friday • 133. The Thin Man / After the TM / Another TM (aka Return of the TM) • 134. The Matrix • 135. Bullitt • 136. The Ipcress File • 137. The Fifth Element • 138. Starman • 139. Almost Famous • 140. Bossa Nova • 141. Umbrellas of Cherbourg / Les Demoiselles de Rochefort • 142. Ladybird • 143. Uncut Gems • 144. Fargo • 145. The Big Lebowski • 146. Kung Pow! Enter the Fist • 147. Pinocchio (Disney) • 148. I've Loved You So Long • 149. Persuasion • 150. The Whole Nine Yards • 151. Pulp Fiction • 152. Good Will Hunting • 153. Ulee's Gold • 154. Never Look Away • 155. My Man Godfrey • 156. The Banshees of Inisherin • 157. In the Heights • 158. Minari • 159. Pieces of April • 160. Rachel Getting Married • 161. The Return of the Secaucus Seven • 162. Lone Star • 163. Starstruck! • 164. Real Genius • 165. Bend It Like Beckham • 166. The Wizard of Oz • 167. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid • 168. Ferris Bueller's Day Off • 169. Body Heat • 170. Jaws • 171. Easy Living • 171. Happy-Go-Lucky • 172. Desperately Seeking Susan • 173. Au revoir les enfants • 174. The Awful Truth • 175. Diva • 176. Bull Durham • 177. La Cage au Folles/The Birdcage • 178. Desert Hearts • 179. Diabolique • 180. Dim Sum • 181. A Woman Under the Influence • 182. Fanny and Alexander • 183. Fast Times at Ridgemont High • 184. Mansfield Park • 185. Sliding Doors • 186. Good Morning Vietnam • 187. The Swimming Pool • 188. High Art • 189. Moscow on the Hudson • 190. Cherish • 191. Thumbsucker • 192. The Tall Guy • 193. Breaking Away • 194. Once • 195. Clerks / Mallrats / Dogma • 196. Meshes of the Afternoon • 197. Chinatown • 198. Beginners • 199. There Will Be Blood • 200. The Phantom Thread • 201. Memento • 201. Enchanted April • 202. A Room With a View • 202. A Passage to India • 203. Maurice • 204. Nashville • 205. Moneyball • 206. Ocean's 11 (Clooney) • 207. Cocoon • 208. The Grey Fox • 209. The Natural • 210. Amélie • 211. Down With Love • 212. Beautiful Girls • 213. Chilly Scenes of Winter • 214. Hester Street • 215. Bridget Jones's Diary / Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy • 216. American Fiction
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manic Saw 2023 Best Picture winner, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” today. It had its moments, but not enough of them. We often think if something is complicated or difficult to pull off, it’s praiseworthy. But difficult and complicated doesn’t necessarily mean enjoyable, moving, or insightful.
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