Question: What do the following films have in common? Tales of Manhattan (1942) with Rita Hayworth and Ginger Rogers; New York Stories (1989) with Rosanna Arquette; Four Rooms (1995) with Jennifer Beals, Marisa Tomei and Valeria Golino; Tales from the Hood (1995) with Rosalind Cash; and Paris, je t’aime (2006) with Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, and Natalie Portman. Answer: They’re all anthology movies made up of short films which take place in one specific location. Of course, Mr. Skin would be remiss not to add Toronto Stories (2008) to this list. The Canadian flick features the vignettes “Shoelaces” by Aaron Woodley, “The Brazilian” by Sook-Yin Lee, “Windows” by David “Sudz” Sutherland, and “Lost Boys” by David Weaver. These overlapping stories touch on everything from a Black child seemingly abandoned at an airport; two youths looking for a monster in a cabbage patch; a window washer who is taken hostage; and a homeless man saving kids from a sicko. What? No tales of Justin Trudeau? The movie includes Cameron Kennedy, Carly Pope, Ellora Patnaik, Elva Mai Hoover, Gil Bellows, Judy Sinclair, K. C. Collins, Lisa Ray, Ricardo Hoyos, Samantha Weinstein, Shauna MacDonald, and the fab flesh on Sook-Yin Lee. While playing Willa, the director/actress will thrill you when she removes her top to expose her bare breasts. If that’s not erotic enough, the exotic hottie also reveals her bush. Since Ms. Lee doesn’t use a maple leaf to cover up her fluffy muff, we now know why Canada’s official emblem is the beaver!
