8 Mile (2002)

Stand-up Sexual Kissing

Director Curtis Hanson's gritty semi-autobiographical biopic told about a struggling rapper in the Detroit area in the mid 1990s named Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr. (white song artist Eminem).

In the film's extremely graphic sex scene, Rabbit and aspiring model Alex (Brittany Murphy) found themselves at lunchtime in his deserted auto factory plant.

Although clothed, she opened up her blouse to show her black bra and panties - and they engaged in sex standing up, with plenty of hot kissing and other action.

Femme Fatale (2002)

Jewelry Heist Lesbian Kiss

Brian DePalma's erotic thriller opened with a spectacularly sexy heist scene during the screening of the film Est-Ouest at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.

One of the film festival's guests was Veronica (Rie Rasmussen), wearing a see-through gold-plated "amazing top in the shape of a serpent" encrusted with 500 diamonds worth over 10 million dollars.

Statuesque Laure (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) posed as a photographer at the event and whispered in Veronica's ear to meet her in the ladies room before the show began.

There during a hot, bisexual tryst of kissing and stripping, the heist of nearly-nude Veronica's serpentine gold-plated breastplate took place.

The theft wasn't everything that it appeared to be as the plot twisted and became more complex.

40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)

Temptress Lesbian French Kiss Smooch

This mostly unfunny teenage romantic sex comedy had a one-joke plot premise about abstinence for 40 days and 40 nights.

Virile but guilty dot-com web designer named Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett) vowed to be chaste from sexual contact and fulfillment ("no sexual intimacy of any kind, no nibbling, no biting, no scratching, no self-gratification") for Lent - but found himself increasingly tempted, frustrated and obsessed by sex as time progressed. His roommate friend Ryan (Paulo Costanzo) considered it unnatural and against nature: "The male was biologically designed to spread his seed, Matt. You're gonna piss off the seeds, man! You're gonna... It goes against science! You wanna be the guy who goes against science?"

In one brief instance, two of his office mates in the tech equipment room French-kissed each other, prefaced by one of them offering: "Would you care to join us, hmm?":

• Mandy (Keegan Connor Tracy)
• Andie (Christine Chatelain)

He hurriedly ran from the room ("I gotta go").

He became involved with dream girl Erica Sutton (Shannyn Sossamon) who he met at a laundromat, but his lack of sexual prowess became an issue. At one point, Ryan also advised him to tell Erica about his abstinence vow and sexual inactivity: "Dude, you got to tell her. Seriously. You can pass off two dates without a kiss as old fashioned - you go three and you're a homo."

A notable erotic scene was the one in which Matt, to not break his vow, blew white flower petals across Erica's naked body (down her stomach and then across her panties) as she was lying on her back - it caused her to writhe with pleasure and experience an "immaculate" orgasm without being touched. By the end of the film, Matt found love and kisses.

Frida (2002)

Sexy Dance Floor Tango Lesbian Kiss

This dramatic biopic from director Julie Taymor was about iconoclastic, Mexican surrealist portrait painter Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) and her unconventional life, including her catastrophic crippling injury, her unhappy marriage to philandering husband Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), and her bisexuality.

In the film's most notable scene, photographer and political agitator Tina Modotti (Ashley Judd) challenged everyone with a wager, as she set down a bottle of alcohol: "Whoever takes the biggest swig can dance with me." Frida was the winner of the contest.

Frida led her on-off lover to the dance floor ("Shall we?") where they sensually performed the tango to the Lila Downs' performed song Alcoba Azul.

They kissed passionately in front of a spellbound and appreciative audience as their dance ended.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

"I'll See You In Hell" Kiss

In this eighth film in the long-running franchise, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) thought she had killed her stepbrother, masked killer Michael Myers (Brad Loree), once and for all.

However, he had miraculously resurrected himself (again) and pursued her in a California psychiatric institution on Halloween night, 2001.

In the climactic scene on a rooftop where she was stabbed in the back as she dangled from the side, she kissed his mask lips with her final words:

"I'll see you in Hell."

Then, she fell to her death (filmed in slow-motion).

Killing Me Softly (2002)

Voracious Kisses with a Stranger

This steamy, erotic thriller of sordid, obsessive, and dangerous attraction told of an instant, love-at-first-sight encounter between:

• blue-eyed blonde and Indiana-bred website designer Alice Loudon (Heather Graham)
• a handsome, brooding stranger that Alice spotted on a London street corner - famed risk-taking mountain climber Adam Tallis (Joseph Fiennes)

She trailed him to a bookstore, accompanied him in a car, and went to his apartment. From behind, he grabbed her through her clothing and they engaged in heated and fiercely passionate love-making and kissing.

He ripped open the front of her dress, pulled down her bra, and hungrily kissed and grabbed her naked breasts. Their clothes dropped to the floor, and he carried her naked into the living room, where they had intercourse on a red rug.

Their kisses were explosive, voracious, needy and over-the-top.

Afterwards, he invited her to return for more - "Whenever you want, Alice. You decide and I'll be here." In voice-over, she recalled the passion: "I couldn't believe what had happened that day. I knew it shouldn't happen again. I wanted everything back the way it was."

She then found out his name and identity from a bookstore display.

Mr. Deeds (2002)

"To Fall in Lub" Kiss

This Adam Sandler film was a remake of the 1936 Frank Capra classic, set in small town Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire, featuring a romance between:

• pizzeria owner and poet Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler)
• school nurse "Pam Dawson"/Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder), revealed as an Inside Access TV tabloid reporter

In the film's conclusion, Deeds approached Babe and told her that his sentimental poetry on one greeting card, which he had written for her, had been bought by Hallmark - his ultimate ambition in life.

She began to recite the first line: "Hard to Breathe, Feels like Floating" and then the film displayed a vignette of card-reading from various couples:

• "So full of love, my Heart's Exploding"
• "Mouth is Dry, Hands are Shaking"
• "My Heart is Yours, For the Takin'"
• "Acting weird, and Not Myself"
• "Dancin' around, like the Keebler elf"
• "Finally time, for this poor Shlub"

The film then returned to Deeds, who recited the final poetry line of the verse to Pam: "To know how it feels, to Fall in Lub."

She replied: "I'm so proud of you," and they kissed in front of the pizza parlor's front window.

Spider-Man (2002)

Upside Down Kiss in the Rain

After being attacked by a gang in an alley and threatened with rape, wet-T-shirt wearing Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) was rescued by costumed super-hero Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) for the second time in the film - in the film's most-remembered scene.

He dropped down and hung upside down in front of her, telling her:

Spider-Man: "You have a knack for getting in trouble."
Mary Jane: "You have a knack for saving my life. I think I have a superhero stalker."
Spider-Man: (tellingly) "I was in the neighborhood." (something that alias Peter Parker had also just told her)

She also complimented him and asked about rewarding him:

"You are amazing!...But you are...Do I get to say thank you this time?"

To get ready to kiss him, she peeled back the lower part of his mask from his chin and mouth to expose his unmasked warm lips - and then erotically kissed him with a lingering, deep and sincere smooch. She was tempted to peel his entire mask away, but he whisked himself out of reach before she could reveal his naked face.

Spider-Man (2002)

Duty Before Romance Kiss

In the film's conclusion after Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) had defeated his arch-nemesis the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and rescued long-time friend Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) for the third time, she told Peter how much she loved him:

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you. When I was up there and I thought I was gonna die, there was only one person who I was thinking of. And it wasn't who I'd thought it'd be. It was you, Pete. I kept thinking: 'I hope I make it through this so I can see Peter Parker's face one more time.' ...There's only one man who's always been there for me, who makes me feel like I'm more than I ever thought I could be. That I'm just me. And that's okay. The truth is, I love you. I love you so much, Peter." (She kissed him.)

Peter thought to himself: "All I wanted was to tell her how much I loved her." but then he responded that he could only be friends - without divulging his civic responsibilities as a protective Spider-Man:

"I can't...tell you everything. I mean, there's so much to tell...I want you to know that I will always be there for you. I will always be there to take care of you. I promise you that. I will always be your friend...That's all I have to give."

As a tear streamed down her cheek, he walked away as he pondered to himself the final words (in voice-over) that he was given by his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson):

"Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift. My curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-Man."