Take writer/historian John Minson, who has MA in English Literature from the University of London, but prefers studying fucking films to romantic poetry. (And why not?) We've been enjoying the latest installment in his in-depth look at erotic cinema—its origins, its leaders and its many, many firsts. If your idea of ancient history is an old VHS copy of "Deep Throat" then you've got a lot to learn about sex in the movies and John is the man to teach you. He even has footnotes! Who says academia is just for nerds who can't get dates? (Nerds, maybe ... but they can have fun too!)

· Before the Green Door + The Wages of Skin (brightlightsfilm.com)

Culled from the work of several lesser-known experimental and documentary filmmakers by curator Noel Lawrence (and fresh from well-received screenings at the Cinekink and LA Erotic Film festivals), "Xperimental Eros" is a grab bag of shorts that use found porn footage and sex culture as jumping-off points for all sorts of interesting (and occasionally trippy) cinematic expression.

We were especially taken by "Sneakin' and Peekin'", Tom Palazzolo's 1976 filmic raid on an Indiana nudist camp (which reminded us that women did indeed used to have pubic hair in the days before Brazilians became endemic in the porn world) and by the more agressively experimental works by Mark Street ("Blue Movie"), Naomi Ulman ("Removed"), and Peggy Ahwesh ("The Color Of Love") in which vintage stag reels and grainy Euro smut loops are cut up, reworked, and thrown back together again with various effects that recall the work of avant guard filmmakers like Stan Brakhage and Maya Deren. And it's all presented with a short but informative essay by UC Berkeley film studies professor Linda WIlliams and a bonus score by San Francisco's own PornOrchestra. (The emphatic Bay Area-centricity of the project shouldn't come as too much of a surprise; somehow we don't think that most Porn Valley directors are likely to produce a hand-manipulated film stock feature starring two women having sex on top of a dead guy while a string quartet plays in the background. At least not yet.)

So while it might not be the first thing you reach for when you're planning a quiet evening at home with Rosie Palm and her five sisters, "Xperimental Eros" is well worth picking up if you have even a passing interest in the ways that porn can indeed be transformed into Serious Art with the right sort of editing. And at the very least, it's worth having on hand for your next party in case you need to distract your guests from the fact that you ended up burning the rumaki after all.

· "Xperimental Eros" (DVD info @ othercinemadvd.com)

But don't think that all the explicit content that made Actiongirls such a porn cult favorite is going to be sacrificed once "Soldiers Of The Dead" hits the big screen:

"We however have decided to tread new water and take a step further than most dare by breaking the boundaries of nudity in a mainstream movie. Most not dare take this step afraid they lose their mainstream audience and their wide theatrical and video store distribution ... Sacrificing a wider release to give some viewers what they have been dying for half century to see. Nudity isn't just for pornos and we are here to proof it. We aren't worried about pleasing the masses. We create simply what a niche of viewers want to see.

· Actiongirls: "Soldiers Of The Dead" Gallery (Fleshbot)
· "Soldiers Of The Dead" (official film site @ soldiersofthedead.com)
· "ActionGirls Gunning for Theatrical Run" (AVN)
· Actiongirls (actiongirls.com)

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Previously: Actiongirls Return To Kick Your Ass

If your time is as valuable as ours is, you probably hate having to sit through an entire R-rated B-movie at your local metaplex or wait for that copy of the unrated version of "Epic Movie" to arrive from your Netflix queue just to see a couple of moments of naked totty. In the generous spirit of efficiency, the folks at Upcoming Nude Scenes have done all the dirty work of researching which new (and new-to-DVD) movies will give you the best boobage for your buck ... and even manage to save you a few (bucks we mean, not boobs) by pointing you to resources for screencap and video downloads. While we appreciate the freebies, we like that delicious feeling of anticipation we get from perusing their list of (yes) upcoming nude scenes in future releases even more: just knowing that "Hostel 2" is going to feature Heather Matarazzo's naked ass is enough to make our summer a lot brighter. June 8 can't come quickly enough.

· Upcoming Nude Scenes (upcomingnudescenes.net - thanks KM)
· Thumbnail via "Epic Movie (Unrated Edition)" (Amazon, in case you're really desperate and/or don't want to wait for Netflix)

"A date that begins with 'Exterminating Angels,' Jean-Claude Brisseau's suave and salacious new movie, is likely to end up either in bed or in court." So begins A.O. Scott's review of the controversial film which opens today in Manhattan after stirring up its due share of brouhaha during its premiere in Cannes last year and which is shaping up to be this year's "9 Songs" or "Shortbus" in terms of depicting explicit sex in the context of an arthouse film release—though you'd never know it from the trailer, which is all subtitles and shadowy glimpses of whispery, heaving flesh. Stll, as Scott points out in his review, it's the rare instance of mainstream cinema that was presented with a 2257 compliance certificate at the critics' screening. Just don't expect anything along the lines of, say, "Dirt Pipe Milkshakes". This is a French arthouse film, after all.

· "A Cerebral Skin Flick, Subtitles Included" (NY Times)
· "Exterminating Angels" Trailer (YouTube)
· More "Exterminating Angels" reviews @ CHUD, Film Fest Journal, Slant Magazine, and Variety
· IFC Films (ifcfilms.com)

Previously: IMDb Gets Childish With "Adult" Movies, Francesco Vezzoli's "Caligula" on YouTube, "Shortbus" Review & Premiere, "9 Songs" in NYC