The Duchess (2008, UK/US/It./Fr.)

Forbidden Kisses

The happiness of witty and attractive aristocrat Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley) was thwarted when she was set up and trapped in an emotionally-distant arranged marriage with callous but regal and powerful Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish (Ralph Fiennes). She became the Duchess of Devonshire.

Although Georgiana was a faithful spouse, she was unable to produce a male heir (at first) for her philandering husband and found love instead with rising politician and childhood sweetheart Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper).

During a secret meeting with him when he noticed that she was upset, he asked:

Charles: "Would it help to unburden yourself?...Please tell me what is wrong."
Duchess: "I fear I've done some things in life too late and others too early."

They kissed, and then when he apologized for overstepping his bounds, she kissed him a second time more passionately.

Later, after bearing a son for her husband, she engaged in an extra-marital affair with Charles on several occasions, notably during a vacation (without her husband) at Bath. She rebelled against the double-standard imposed by her loathsome husband who had his own live-in mistress - her own friend, divorcee Lady Elizabeth 'Bess' Foster (Hayley Atwell).

Georgiana's affair produced a love-child, which she had to give up in the film's most tear-jerking scene.

Hancock (2008)

An AllHeart Kiss

In the epilogue of this fantasy/comedy super-hero film set in present-day Los Angeles, super-hero Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron) kissed her struggling public relations agent husband Ray (Jason Bateman).

Although she was an immortal super-hero, she had chosen to be mortal and vulnerable, wishing to: "Love, connect, grow old, die." She had separated from her superhero husband 'John Hancock' (Will Smith) for the last time so that he could continue to save people and lives. She knew that if they were together as superheroes, they would weaken and die:

"You're built to save people more than the rest of us. That's who you are. You're a hero. The insurance policy of the gods. Keep one alive. You. To protect this world."

With a phone call, Hancock revealed that he had been on the moon, painting it with Ray's logo to advertise it to the entire world - the "AllHeart Symbol" representing world-changing charitable giving.

He called Ray (and family) and told him as the loving couple kissed in front of the symbol that everyone could see:

"You're gonna change the world. Good job, Ray."

Ray asked himself about the defacement: "Will I get in trouble for that?"

Milk (2008)

Gay Kiss

Gay activist and San Francisco's City Supervisor and community organizer Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) expressed a brazen love of life and a quest to bring gay rights and support the disenfranchised over a six year period.

In one of the earliest scenes in the film, the closeted corporate NY insurance salesman met up in a subway corridor with one of the future loves of his life -- Scott Smith (James Franco). In the pick-up scene, he proposed to kiss him before he turned 40 (at midnight). He asked:

"You're not gonna let me spend my birthday all by myself, are you?"

They experienced an almost spontaneous kiss-on-the-lips. They then proceeded to Harvey's apartment where they listened to 33 rpm records, drank wine, and ended up in bed together where they shared birthday cake.

The Reader (2008)

Underage Kiss

This highly acclaimed dramatic Stephen Daldry-directed film told of an erotic, passionate and secret summer-time affair in post-WWII Berlin (of 1958) between:

• Hanna Schmitz (Best Actress Oscar-winning Kate Winslet), an uneducated, repressed 36 year-old tram conductor
• Michael Berg (David Kross), a 15 year-old virginal German schoolboy (later portrayed by Ralph Fiennes as a German lawyer in adulthood)

They first met after a chance meeting when she helped him as he was suffering from the onset of scarlet fever.

A few months later, she bathed him and dried him off, while nude herself, after he had dirtied himself with coal dust in her apartment's basement.

Their first physical encounter was initiated by her as she stood behind him and realized his sexual excitement. She bluntly stated: "So that's why you came back." She turned him around as he told her: "You're so beautiful." She asked: "What are you talking about?" and kissed him gently on the lips. She then said: "Look at me, kid" - forever after calling him 'kid.' He eagerly reciprocated the kiss and she instructed: "Slowly, slowly, shh..." as she tenderly kissed him again.

In the next scene at his family's dinner table, he was preoccupied in his erotic thoughts, remembering their first sexual intercourse together that afternoon.

They would continue having sex on a regular basis, after which he would read literature outloud to her (The Odyssey, Huckleberry Finn, and The Lady with the Little Dog, among others).

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

"This Is Our Destiny" Kiss

In this rags to riches Bollywood-like film, Mumbai "slumdog" Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) (now a millionaire after appearing on a game show) expressed a life-long devotion to the female 'third musketeer' in a trio of orphaned children.

He eventually rescued the beautiful yet unattainable (until the end) fellow slum orphan Latika (Freida Pinto as teen) - a semi-willing underworld concubine of an underworld gangster.

They experienced a fairy-tale ending of a kiss at the train station. When he spotted her across the way, he crossed the tracks to meet her on the platform (with quick flash-backed images of his long journey), and they spoke:

Jamal: "I knew you'd be watching."
Latika: "I thought we'd meet again only in death."

He removed her head covering and noticed the long thin scar (on the left side of her face) that she had received from one of her abductors during an earlier aborted rescue. He lovingly kissed her scar (the film reversed itself and he saw her from above on the train platform before the kidnapping), and then told her:

"This is our destiny."

She replied: "Kiss me" before he kissed her on the lips.

The image froze and slowly dissolved to black, with choice "D: It is written" superimposed on the screen.

Twilight (2008)

Resisting the Deadly Consequences of a Kiss

This popular romantic vampire film (directed by Catherine Hardwicke), based on Stephenie Meyer's novel of the same name (and the first in the film series), featured a strained, teenaged love relationship - one that was unconsummated and involved dangerous attraction - between:

• Isabella ("Bella") Swan (Kristen Stewart), a pale, intrigued and mesmerized 17 year-old new-girl-in-school
• Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a handsome, icy-to-touch, immortal vampire

Their first dramatic kissing scene was in her bedroom, where he often watched her sleep because it was "fascinating" to him. He told her:

"I always want to try one thing. Just stay very still. Don't move."

As he slightly gasped, he moved closer and pecked her on the lips. Then she hungrily reciprocated and grabbed his head. They both panted as she fell back on her bed with him on top of her, still kissing. But then he suddenly jumped back and commanded: "Stop it." She apologized: "I'm sorry." He replied: "I'm stronger than I thought," but she felt otherwise: "Yeah. I wish I could say the same."

He revealed his major fear: "I can't ever lose control with you." Without sexually consummating their love, he remained with her for the night.

In the final tearjerking romantic scene between the young couple, they were dancing at their high school prom under an outdoor lighted gazebo (to the tune of "Flightless Bird, American Mouth," performed by Iron & Wine: "Have I found you? Flightless bird, jealous, weeping, Or lost you? American mouth Big pill looming").

Bella professed her dying love for him. She suggested becoming a vampire to be with him forever, but he refused to make her into a "monster":

Bella: "...Why did you save me? You should've just let the venom spread. I could be like you by now."
Edward: "You don't know what you're saying. You don't want this."
Bella: "I want you. Always."
Edward: "I'm not gonna end your life for you."
Bella: "I'm dying, already. Every second, I get closer, older."
Edward: "That's the way it's supposed to be."
Bella: "Alice said that she saw me like you. I heard her."
Edward: "Her visions change."
Bella: "Yeah, based on what people decide. I've decided."
Edward: "So that's what you dream about? Becoming a monster."
Bella: "I dream about being with you, forever."
Edward: "Forever?" (She nodded) "And you're ready right now?"
Bella: "Yes." (She surrendered her neck to him)
Edward: "Is it not enough just to have a long and happy life with me?"
Bella: "Yeah. For now." (They kissed)
(voice-over) "No one will surrender tonight, but I won't give in. I know what I want."

WALL-E (2008)

Sparking Robot 'Kisses'

There were two kissing scenes between the two odd-couple characters:

• WALL·E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class) (voice of Ben Burtt) - the last lone garbage-compacting robot on Earth
• EVE (short for Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) (voice of Elissa Knight), a sleek, white-shelled probe droid-robot from the spaceship AXIOM

Their first kiss was in outer space when EVE touched her helmet to WALL·E's binoculars and caused a spark, making him float backwards in ecstasy - the prelude to a spectacular space dance sequence.

And then in the film's conclusion, a crushed and 'dead' WALL·E had to be rebuilt by EVE. She used his own spare parts collection to reconstruct him. WALL·E appeared to have lost his acquired sentience, personality and memories. But then he remembered who she was after they touched 'hands' together and she caused a small spark to occur when she touched or 'kissed' his forehead; EVE realized that WALL-E wasn't letting go when he continued to tightly hold onto her hand - a sign that he had come to life; he focused his eyes on her, and they enjoyed a second 'kiss' together