Even though this isn't about sex, it's about sexiness, so some content might not be suitable for work, or for young/impressionable/anti-sexual readers.



There's a vast sea of in-your-face sex on film -- close-up penile shots from the likes of Brown Bunny, real sex in Shortbus, porn penis in Romance -- and those are just the moments that capture the real deal. There's also all the simulated sex from the infamous prosthetic in Boogie Nights to the sexual addiction of A Dirty Shame.

Yet in this barrage of real and almost-real sex, there's tons of sexy scenes that do just as well without the actual act of copulation. And I'm not talking about a scene like Mulholland Drive, where the camera fades out before the heat begins to sear. This sexiness could be orchid tickling by a young man who gave up sex for Lent, Mark Hunter dancing with a fan to "Why Can't I Fall in Love?, " or even two people working on some clay. And that's just the beginning. In honor of Valentine's Day (which is tomorrow!), what follows are some of sexiest moments cinema has captured without the sex. Read on, and then weigh in with your favorites.

Career Opportunities | View It!

This is one of those scenes that went well beyond the movie, which is impressive since this flick is pretty damn low on the John Hughes totem pole. Jennifer Connelly's Josie McClellan is a rich, dissatisfied young woman stuck in Target. When some lame criminals interfere with her evening locked in with Jim (Frank Whaley), she gets creative. While the boys sit down for a bite to eat, she throws a long leg over a stationary horse, and calmly, seductively rides it while taunting the thieves with every mechanical bounce, and her statement: "I think I might need more than just a quarter."

The trick to creating a successful adaptation is not so much in being a stickler about the plot, but in recreating the verve behind the words. It goes beyond simple interest in the characters. Adaptation is just like translation -- translated word for word, it will seem flat and lack the life it does in its original setting. The translator must understand the context of the words within the language, and then find the best fit to recreate that same sentiment. Yet it must also stay true to the original words. If it diverges too much, the life will be lost, even if the meaning is the same. The right adaptation will flow so well that it will not only feed a fan's penchant for details, but also recreate the element of surprise within them.

It, of course, helps when the original screenwriter is the woman who wrote the novel -- Anne Rice. But even director Neil Jordan's inclusions, which took some liberties, Interview with the Vampire maintained most of the spice that made it a book worthy of a cinematic adaptation. He brought the world to the screen, impressing audiences as well as Rice herself -- who was, at first, quite vocal in her distaste over casting. But even she was stunned with what Jordan and his cast accomplished, and ultimately gave the film much praise.