Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
|
Our Price: $139.98 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $44.95 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
Movie Review: Not for children, but a must for thinking adults
Summary: 5 Stars
John Cameron Mitchell, who gave audiences the striking gender-bending musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," pushes boundaries again in "Shortbus." The hype is true--there's hardcore sex, and lots of it, in this loose, improvisatory chronicle of several New Yorkers and their uncertain journeys through life. The bulk of what narrative there is centers around Sofia (Sook-Yin Lee), a sex therapist who's never had an orgasm despite an ostensibly happy marriage, and Jamie and James (P J Deboy and Paul Dawson), a gay couple considering opening their relationship, who are secretly being stalked by their neighbor (Peter Stickles). They and several of their friends end up at Shortbus, which seems to be part nightclub, part sex club and part political discussion group. At first it's hard not to be caught up in the prurient thrill of seeing these people actually perform THOSE acts on film, but unlike hardcore pornography, where sex quickly palls due to its pointlessness, the sex in "Shortbus" enthralls because there is always an emotional purpose to it--these characters are doing it for a reason. Hence they earn the viewer's empathy and sympathy. As subversive in their way are scenes where a group of women talk about their best orgasms, or where a young gay man (the unbelievably beautiful Jay Brannan) has a conversation with the aged, wrinkled former Mayor of New York, totally as equals. The film does falter somewhat toward the end and the conflicts are resolved a mite hurriedly, but the overall impression remains. In an age where mainstream community standards do their best to suppress the sight of adults having consensual, joyful, and even funny sex, while condoning the ever more explicit depiction of all kinds of violence against the human body, "Shortbus" is a vivid protest against such topsy-turvy hypocrisy. The DVD includes a fascinating half-hour documentary narrated by Mitchell about the unusual creation process of "Shortbus," a must-see. The rest can be dispensed with, although watching deleted scenes involving Stickles' character in an overtly political subplot confirms the filmmakers' ultimate decision to omit them.Movie Review: A Triumph of the Human Spirit
Summary: 5 Stars
Spoiler Alert!!
Not as musical as Hedwig and the Angry Inch (New Line Platinum Series) (even though there are more songs on the Shortbus), not Porn, and definately not what everybody was expecting from the talented John Cameron Mitchell as a follow up to his tour-de-force.
It didn't make back its initial budget in its U.S. run. But this Little Movie that Could did something much more amazing, it reached right out there and touched folks. Some it touched in the gut. Some ran from the theatre, demanding their money back. Some laughed at the silly parts. Some laughed at the sad parts.
But for those of us who it was designed for, it did something really amazing, it helped remind us that 9/11 didn't destroy us. It helped us recall the '60's (but as one character so wisely points out, without as much hope).
Though there is hope, and joy, and laughter, and more actual sex (gay and straight) than any other movie you've seen without a second of porn in it. All this, and a triumph of the human spirit.
My best friend went with me to see this film primarily because he'd really loved HaTAI. He is a straight guy, he saw way more mano-a-mano love-makin' than he'd ever seen in his life, yet he was the one saying at the end how we needed to see it again, and soon. So we went again.
Sure, the whole thing revolves around a woman who is unable to find her Big 'O'. But it is essentially about how all the folks in this film are unable to connect. It is like their lives are happening around them, but they can't really feel them, can't really let anyone know what they really need.
And in the end, they all get it.
So will you if you take a chance on this great little film.
Great music. Silly singing sequences. Non-simulated sex. And best of all, a story about folks you'll come to love and care about.
Movie Review: Absolutely incredible!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know if any of you heard the hoopla that was going around about this film, or even if you heard of it at all, but here it is in a nutshell: John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) wanted to make a movie that doesn't turn sex into a dirty thing but at the same time doesn't hide sex either. The big controversy over Shortbus is the fact that it definitely does NOT hide the sex. It's all there in it's full glory with full penetration and everything...even an orgy or two.
Now that that's out of the way...Shortbus is not a porn movie. It's not even one of those high class Michael Lucas porn movies that have stories in between all the sex.
What it is is a story about a handful of people who meet each other and who are all broken in some way. The sex therapist who has never had an orgasm. The former hustler who thinks he's only worth what people paid for him. The dominatrix who longs to be an artist and live in a house.
They all meet and revolve around each other in a search for themselves. And it's a fun movie and frank and open and it celebrates life and sex and living...
I'm torn about the actual sex in the movie, however. I think the movie would've been just as effective--and much more palatable to the wide audience that it deserves--without the full on sex but at the same time the sex was part of the story and woven into it so well that you really don't think about it. You're certainly not going to be getting off to it even with the full on penetration and fellatio and rimming--including one hilarious scene where three characters are having sex and they all start singing the Star Spangled Banner...one of them singing the song into the posterior of one of the others!--and S&M, etc.
Regardless of that I honestly think this was an incredible film. When it was over I felt good and I can't say that about many movies.
If you're open minded and not put off by people having actual sex in a non pornographic film definitely check Shortbus out. It was an amazing film and definitely worth watching.
Movie Review: Loads of, ummmm, fun......
Summary: 5 Stars
I borrowed this film from a friend and had no idea what to expect. By the end of the first few minutes, I had placed the popcorn back on the end table and cleaned my hands so as to not butter up the rewind button on the remote. I was totally taken off guard, but in a pleasant way. I liked this movie for several different reasons.
First, Shortbus pushed the edge in terms of sexual content. The movie contains both straight and gay sex scenes, so there is something of interest for just about everyone. And many of the scenes occur in group setting, with all types of people of varying orientations taking part. I appreciated the inclusive nature of the film, which is one reason why I liked the movie so much. The scenes in the movie are not gratuitous, but are done in artistic tone.
The movie also touches on other issues besides sex, such as depression, suicide, the intricate nature and philosophy of romantic love, promiscuity, the machinations of the female anatomy/orgasm, the importance of being oneself despite whatever societal pressures might abound, friendship, compassion, and most of all, solidarity in a world of unknowns.
Shortbus is a very special place. It is a place where most people can go and feel welcomed. Whether you are straight or gay, thin or large, beautiful or not-so-beautiful, introvert or extrovert, young or old, liberal or conservative, and whatever other designations one could think of, it does not matter. Shortbus is a place to commune with others and share whatever it is you would like to share.
For me, Shortbus is a metaphor for what the world could be if we all would be a little less judgemental and a little more accepting, compassionate, and empathetic. It is a place we all could identify with if we would only let go of those things that bind us to our misconceptions and anachronisms.....
Movie Review: This Is About the Art of Living
Summary: 5 Stars
I initially saw ShortBus in the theaters, wanting to scope what all the buzz was about. What started out as subversive curiosity turned into a truly transformative experience. Two friends of mine and I entered the theater cackling, but we all left feeling better about this experiment we call living.
John Cameron Mitchell and his cast have created the most intimately profound exploration of the human experience I have ever seen. ShortBus became all the more brilliant when I watched the documentary (on the DVD) about how the film was made. I have watched ShortBus several times since purchasing the DVD, and every time it leaves me feeling better just because I'm still breathing...not to mention it's got Justin Bond in it. He has some of the best one-liners ever uttered in a movie.
There is plenty of explicit sex, to be sure... But by the end of the film, the sex is just the canvas on which the story is painted. Here the sex is the stage (as it is in real life) for comedy, tradgedy, jealousy, love, irony, honesty...name it. I am so relieved to see an American filmmaker celebrating human sexuality. Too often in American culture sex is shameful, hidden, or only hinted. Sex is part of who we are and how we relate to ourselves and others. Finally, a movie with penetration that isn't pornographic... It is possible to separate sex and erotica from pornography (not that I disappreove of porn, either).
ShortBus is an honest look at people being people. I know each character in the movie. I can find some of each of them in almost everyone I know. And the title is all too appropriate, because I've always felt like I've ridden the shortbus through life. ShortBus is imperfectly perfect.
If you really pay attention to the stories between the characters, it just might change the way you look at life.