Fifty Shades of Grey
When a chance encounter brings the bookish Literature Major Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) into the world of a young, handsome, and tormented billionaire named Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), their respective universe’s are both in danger of colliding– a cataclysmic sexual awakening the result, oh the ties that bind. 
Based on the widely popular and controversial novel by E.L. James and Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the year’s most talked about film is already poised to be a monster hit at the box office regardless of critical review or not, but let’s not let that stand in the way of a discussion eh? With more lip biting and phallic pencil chewing (ooh I get it “symbolism”), let the record stand, what may come across as taboo and steamy to some actually reads as described in Smithsonian Magazine (Feb. 2015) as a “nursery book” in comparison to the writings of the Marquis de Sade some 200 years ago. So, sexual under and overtones being milked again for the sake of entertainment, okay, why not, just realize, this is soft-core porn at best and any 13 year old with a computer has already witnessed more graphic material. That aside, the acting, how’s that? A believable performance from Johnson actually does manage to breathe some life into the skin of Anastasia Steele; however, Dornan’s performance as Grey comes across wooden (pardon the pun), robotic, and frankly, boring. Meanwhile, you’d think that the billionaire who has apparently mastered Japanese Kinbaku (rope bondage) and its appropriate knots would be able to tie his own necktie squarely, after all, proper care of one’s neckwear ensures years of wear and provides for years of enjoyment, ho hum. So, despite the salacious nature and all the build up, a solid shoulder shrug seems to be the result. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, yeah, there are two more books, so yep you guessed it, looks like we’re in store for at least a sequel if not a trilogy– again, how original. Not a total train wreck, but headed in that direction, I’m thinking rental later. Fifty Shades of Grey is rated R (of course).