Tag Archives: films

Tom Cruise: Do we think he’s sexy?

3 Aug

Mission Impossible: Fallout, I saw it too. I know many of you did, because those box office figures don’t lie. Apparently, we all loved it too. Lots of action (believable and not) some bombs, bad guys who want to end the world–the usual action stuff. The plot was so straightforward, I had plenty of time to wonder about Tom Cruise…is he sexy?

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It didn’t seem to me he was trying to be sexy. Ridiculous with his over the top action, sort of romantic with his lost love, kind of smart with the way he figures things out, and very determined–especially when he was hanging from the cliff, everything looking really, really bad, but he kept trying until he saved everyone. But sexy? I didn’t think so.

It didn’t seem to me ‘they’ were trying to make him appear sexy in Fallout. I liked that. There weren’t any shirtless scenes, no long tough-guy stares. It was only later that I had second thoughts. Maybe he was supposed to be sexy and I just didn’t notice.

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I spent about an hour looking through many, many Tom picks. You know what I realized? He always looks the same. Same hair, same smile, same clothes. Even his expressions are pretty much the same.

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Even though he looks the same all the time, his career really has been all over the place. He danced in Risky Business, flew planes in Top Gun, disturbed people out in Interview with a Vampire, surprised us in Tropic Thunder, saved the world in the Mission Impossible franchise. Maybe that’s his secret, how he’s gotten to be one of the highest paid male actors. Think of him as a Where’s Waldo for the movie biz.

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His personal life, same thing. Married and divorced to very different women, jumped on Oprah’s couch,  is said to be one of the nicest people ever.

But wait! There’s more to show his life is very varied:

  • At age 14 he enrolled in the seminary, only to drop out at age 15 to become an actor.
  • In 1990, when he married Nicole Kidman, we wore no shoes.
  • 1996, he sued German Magazine Bunte for stating he had a zero his sperm count.
  • Ongoing, is huge fan of professional wrestling.

Now you’re intrigued. Right? You need to know,  what’s next for Tom?

Top Gun 2: Maverick! With Val Kilmer and Jennifer Connelly!

OMG! How excited are you!

What about you? Hot for Tom? Or not? Prefer a different action hero? Give us your thoughts in the comments.

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Isabelle Drake’s erotic contemporary romance beach read, Make Me Blush, is currently available for free with Kindle Unlimited. Find her on Facebook or Amazon and follow her snapchat @isadrake for the most personal snaps.

 

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Femdom back in the day: thanks Ingrid Pitt for starting something awesome

10 Nov

Thanksgiving is awesome, family is great, shopping–online or actually in a store–it’s all wonderful stuff, but if you’re like me…sometimes you just need some sexy, over-the-top drama. If you’re fan of classic vampire movies, campy horror, or sexy girls, you have to watch Hammer Film’s, The Karnstein Trilogy.

ingrid-pitt-madeline-smith-the-vampire-lovers.jpgThis first one, The Vampire Lovers (1970), centers features a lesbian vampire who uses her awesomeness to lure young women to her. Not just any gorgeous vampire, but the courageous Ingrid Pitt, a woman who spent her childhood in a Nazi concentration camp.  It’s based on the 1872 novella Carmilla by J. Sheridan LeFanu. Coolness from back in the day.

If you aren’t a vampire classics fan, there’s another reason to watch this: to see if you think the girl on girl action is hot. Or, in this case, how hot. Maybe ask yourself why. What is it about two woman being sexual together–without a man–that’s so intriguing to mainstream audiences? In the past this scenario was a ‘naughty pleasure,’ something to be enjoyed but not taken seriously. However, in recent years, female-driven erotica and erotic romance has taken off. The popularity of cuckolding and femdom stories is also on the rise.

My thinking is that there are two reasons for this. Social media, the obvious one. Privacy and easy access afford the opportunity to enjoy, or experiment with, whatever intrigues. The second reason is the increase in younger readers. In the past, the typical age of the romance reader was about 30-60. Thanks to the popularity of YA books, and the creation of the new adult genre, younger women are reading romance–and women this age don’t want ‘the usual.’ Young women aren’t looking to reinforce their traditional values, they want to test boundaries. They want adventure. They seek vicarious thrills.

76575832-256-k38300Readers of Pink Bow, my cuckolding story on Wattpad, are over 70% female and mostly under thirty. A story about a husband who arranges a ménage for his new wife is untraditional, to say the least, but with 31,000 reads, its definitely popular.

Have I gone off topic? No. Not at all. There’s a history for everything and this sexy, forward thinking, if campy, film is part of the history of female driven entertainment. Curious? Want to check these evil-but-gorgeous vampires? Start with the trailer. It isn’t as awesome as it could be, but it gives you an idea of the treat you’ll be in for if you hunt down this 70’s classic

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No matter how you watch it, plan ahead: red wine and dark chocolate will be a must.

In the meantime, shout out in the comments, let us know what you think about femdom, cuckolding, and other female driven erotica or erotic romance. And, follow us at Lady Smut! But wait, there’s more: Subscribe to our saucy monthly newsletter!

Isabelle Drake writes erotica, erotic romance, urban fantasy, and young adult thrillers. Her latest story, BAIT, features a woman who hunts and sells zombies, can be found in the horror anthology Gone With The Dead.

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Why don’t you? The appeal of Fifty Shades of Grey

10 Mar

“Why don’t you write something like Fifty Shades of Grey?”

We romance writers get asked this question by friends and family. I have to admit this question puzzles me. Each time I’m asked I wonder:

  • Do you mean, why don’t I write something about two people seeking love and connection?
  • Do you mean, why don’t I write something erotic?
  • Do you mean, why don’t I write something that pushes the boundaries of relationships?

I only wonder these things because me asking them aloud would draw attention to the fact that the person asking the question hasn’t read any of my books. Of course, I don’t care whether or not the person has read my stuff but …well, I don’t want to make things awkward by pointing that out. Besides, as a writer, here’s the question that makes the most sense to me:

  • Do you mean why don’t I write something that sells millions of copies and creates just as many devoted readers and fans?

That one I don’t have an answer for. Nobody does. Many–many–of us writers have tried to figure out why that series in particular took off like that.

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In my other life, I teach freshman composition at a college. We write essays, the standard sort that college freshman have been writing for years. Thesis statements, MLA formatting, research. All the usual stuff. One place where I get to mix things up is in the prompts. So, wondering what my students think of the 50 phenomenon, I include a prompt about the widespread popularity of the series. The prompt encourages the students to question the contrast between the book’s content, the relationship between the two characters, and the current wave of new feminism. Bottom line–why do women connect this book?

As you might imagine, the prompt generates interest. After reading seve50 3ral essays I’ve found a distinct difference between the younger, 18-20, and older, 25-30 women in regard to Mr. Grey’s relationship appeal.

The younger women find him super romantic. They are drawn to the idea of having a man so dedicated to you that he is “interested” in every aspect of your life. They don’t find him stalky or boundary-crossing, they find him devoted. These younger women write very little about the sex; they write almost exclusively about the attentive relationship. It seems that while young women view career and societal contribution as essential and validating, they still long for a dedicated partner.

The older women write about the sex. They are drawn to the idea of an extremely intense almost completely sexual relationship that has no emotional commitments. These women reflect that while they hope to have an emotionally intimate relationship in the future, they are, at present, busy with school and work and don’t have time to develop “that sort of thing” right now. This staying-single-longer, waiting-for-real-commitment life plan is on the rise,  but as noted above with the younger set, this older set seeks devotion. They simply define devotion in a different way.

If you’re one of the thousands, maybe millions, of people who’ve had this conversation–why is 50 so compelling–we’d love to hear what you think. Give us a shout in the comments.

And – follow us here at Lady Smut. We’re always here to inform, entertain, and keep you up to date.

Isabelle Drake writes erotica, erotic romance, urban fantasy, and young adult thrillers.

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