This review of “Benedetta” first published on July 9, following its screening at Cannes 2021. Some see the whole world in a grain of sand; Paul Verhoeven, with typical abundance, expands that old ...

The long-delayed Benedetta, the newest cinematic event from acclaimed director Paul Verhoeven, is a period film that reaches new heights for the filmmaker. It is a story of religion, sex, and the ...

Paul Verhoeven, director of Robocop, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, etc. has always been a horny little altar boy at heart and never has that been more clear than in his new film, Benedetta, a tale of ...

Beneath the explicit sex and violence of the latest film from Dutch provocateur Paul Verhoeven are thoughtful challenges about gender roles and institutional religion. As a child, Benedetta is praised ...

The flesh is weak but the third act is even weaker in Paul Verhoeven's transgressive but frustratingly self-conflicted period piece. You probably won’t be shocked to hear that Paul Verhoeven’s erotic ...

Paul Verhoeven, you horny motherfucker, you’ve done it again. Few filmmakers have made a name for themselves violently confronting the nigh-puritanical state of modern cinema the way Verhoeven has.

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In a frank interview, the "Showgirls," "Basic Instinct," and "Elle" director explains why that Virgin Mary dildo was a dramatic necessity. Cannes debut “Benedetta” is his latest provocation, a true ...

From the first few moments, when a traveling performer lights his farts on fire while being chased by skeleton-clad agents of death, Benedetta signals its devotion to corporeal impulses. “Your worst ...

Paul Verhoeven is out to challenge our cultural Puritanism. A man fascinated by the taboo and the off-limits, his films are full of graphic, shocking, controversial depictions of sexuality. “Benedetta ...

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