Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
Movie Review: I LOVE this film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Some have branded John Cameron Mitchell's "Shortbus" as pornographic. I'm not sure what they (or any of us, for that matter) mean by "pornography," but I suspect that people who apply the word to "Shortbus" intend it as a synonym for "sex." There's lots of sex in "Shortbus," but it's sex that's celebratory, fun, funny, poignant, self-revealing, and loving.
Humans are sexual creatures, and our sexuality is irreducibly connected to our personal identities, our ability to love (as well as our ability to hate), and our need for companionship as social animals. In "Shortbus," the complexity of sexuality is explored through several interrelated story lines: Sophia's (masterfully played by Sook-Yin Lee) search for satisfaction, Jamie's (P.J. DeBoy) and James' (Paul Dawson) almost tragic but ultimately fruitful love for one another, Severin's (Lindsay Beamish) fear of intimacy, and drag performance artist Justin Bond's wonderfully exuberant celebration of human love in all its manifestations. One particularly touching scene is an encounter between an "ex-mayor of NYC," a gay, thinly disguised Koch, who reflects on loneliness, aging, and AIDS.
The film's dialogue is witty at times, poignant at others. The actors are all, without exception, quite good. The cinematography is superb. The presentation is uninhibited, honest, funny, and thought-provoking. If this is pornography, hurrah for porn.
Movie Review: What an amazing little film
Summary: 5 Stars
Was lucky enough to catch this in a tiny screening the week it opened and instantly knew I had to own this film as soon as it was available. There has never been an opening sequence shot with such frankness in main-stream film. Once you adjust to the explicit nature of this movie and realize that the film's unapologetic presentation of real people having real sex is actually a wonderful vehicle to instantly, intimately connect with these characters on all levels that are open and human, you start to settle into a beautiful movie about people just trying to integrate - to connect with something outside of their self, their work, their ideas - to find that elusive moment of equanimity. The ride has great ups and downs - plenty of moments for laughs, tears and titillation. The end of the film is also shot in incredibly beautiful simplicity (this scene thematically reminded me of the end of Hedwig - James Cameron Mitchell is so good at taking the viewer right to the precipice of change/acceptance along side the main character - impossible to see his films without taking away some personal insight). This movie reminds us all that it takes darkness to see stars and silence to hear music.
The bonus materials on the DVD are great too - the "making of scenes" are a must view. I just wish they had included a segment on the animation in the film like they did on the Hedwig DVD.
Movie Review: I got it, in the end.
Summary: 5 Stars
If it wasn't for his work in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" I would never have known the name John Cameron Mitchell. So, I was surprised when I heard that he had written and directed, "The most sexually explicit American movie ever made outside the porn industry." I didn't really want to see it... and avoided it for the past three years. You must understand that, "Hedwig" had touched me on such a deep and profound level, that I didn't want to see, what I supposed would be, a misstep by one of the creators.
I've read enough reviews to see I am not spoiling anything by writing that most of the sex takes place in the first 10 minutes... that's not to say there is not enough sexual content in the remainder of the movie to warrant an "X" rating, but, once you are 10 minutes in, there is no slippery slope any longer!
The movie is definitely not a porn flick. Once the characters are established the sex is no longer the novelty you might expect it will be. You are living these peoples lives with them-only uncensored.
I believe this was the next, most logical direction for Mitchell to go in, as an artist. I consider it of the best movies I have ever seen. It was very real.
I can't give enough praise about this movie. Like, "Hedwig" It touched me deeply and profoundly. I wish it was around when I first came out of the closet.
Movie Review: Amazing, Illuminating, Entertaining
Summary: 5 Stars
Having seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I was apprehensive about this movie. After all, Hedwig is a classic and John Cameron Mitchell had a lot to live up to. In all honesty, He really didn't live up to the brilliance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, in fact, you can't even compare the two films as each is an independent, unique foray.
Shortbus attempts (and succeeds) at focusing in on the importance of sexual identity and happiness in one's life. In a world where people are, more often than not, taught that self-sacrifice is the key to a happy life we are confronted with several characters who, somehow, manage to mirror our own lives in a way that exposes that hippocracy.
For certain the film is graphic. It depicts sexual acts (both homo and hetero) in unabashed reality as a device to help lure the audience into believing that what they are seeing is real. By "docu"-filming in this manner, J.M.C., is able to connect with people on a level that a well-planned and thereby censored film could never achieve.
While this movie certainly reflected my life and feelings regarding relationships, honesty, sex, and "morality", I suspect that anyone who has struggled with these issues who watches this movie with an open mind will benefit from it. This is the first and ONLY film, to date, that I have ever taken the time to praise.
Movie Review: what an unbelievable film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, with the opening scene of Shortbus, you know you're in store for a very different kind of film. The explicit sex seen in the first few minutes is perhaps the most graphic, most real sex scenes I've ever seen in a "mainstream" movie. Director John Cameron Mitchell most certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start.
If you're not too shocked and stick around for the rest, you'll find this movie has much more to offer than cheap thrills. This movie treats sex more honestly than any other I've ever seen. The gritty, graphic nature of the sex throughout the film shows a side of relationships rarely captured on the big screen.
There are multiples stories going on here - one deals with a sex therapist on mission to finally achieve her first orgasm. Another centers around a gay couple trying to make their longterm relationship work, even though one of them has his own demons of severe depression to work through. All the characters and stories come together in a free-loving type club known as "Shortbus."