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Shortbus (Unrated Edition)
by Velocity / Thinkfilm
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$27.98 |
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$24.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$2.99 (10%) |
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DVD
DAWSON,PAUL
Publisher: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Anamorphic
Actors: Sook-Yin Lee, Paul Dawson, Lindsay Beamish, PJ DeBoy, Raphael Barker
From the director of ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ comes SHORTBUS, an exploration into the lives of several characters living in present-day New York as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex. Male and female, straight and gay, the characters find one another – and eventually find themselves – when they all converge at a weekly underground salon called "Shortbus," a mad world of art, music, politics, and polysexual carnality. One of the true sensations of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, presents sex and sexuality as never before seen in mainstream entertainment, and promises to be one of the most talked-about films for months – and years – to come.
In his aim to make an honest film about sex, John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) has taken a somewhat documentary approach to Shortbus, a film describing various New Yorkers' sexual pathos. Framed by shots roving a homemade diorama of the city, Shortbus is comprised of vignettes featuring actors who helped craft this story of people's disconnect in sexual endeavors. Jamie (PJ DeBoy) and James (Paul Dawson), a gay couple experiencing a lull in their relationship, visit Sophia (Sook-Yin Lee), a sex therapist whose inability to orgasm results in her clients inviting her to a sex club after which the film is titled. Sophia's husband, Rob (Raphael Barker), is also willing to experiment, so the two independently embark on adventures in self-pleasure. Dominatrix Severin (Lindsay Beamish) plays a crucial role in Sophia and Rob's lives, as her search for real humanity overlaps with their desire for passion. As each character's plot complicates, the viewer sees a similar melancholy bulldozing its way into these seemingly disparate lives. The depression is repeatedly used in comedic scenes, such as when James is asked on a date while still hospitalized for his attempted suicide. Yo La Tengo's score, which includes Animal Collective among others, lends this film a graceful ambience. Unlike porn, Shortbus has a resonance that encourages the viewer to consider one's own sex life as an important aspect of happiness. --Trinie Dalton
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| A bit too gay |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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I'm not squeamish, I'm not anti-anything, and I accept the human condition to be a bizarre mix of insecurities covered by facades and a yearning for normality. I went into this film expecting a better rounded mix of sexualities from NYC, and all I got from it was twisted gay love triangles coupled with psychological issues and female orgasmic dysfunction. I could be wrong, but my opinion is that reviews and descriptions of this film should emphasize that much, if not most, of the film deals with gay issues and sex. Still interesting from an open minded voyeuristic perspective, but that disclaimer should be there for folks who are expecting otherwise.
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| Shortbus |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Unrated for a reason: This movie is NOT for minors. Graphic sexual situations.
That being said: Shortbus is a MUST see. The characters wind their way through difficult situations in their lives using very unique personal relationships to emerge renewed, if not unscathed, on the other side. Both funny and thought provoking.
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| I'm waiting for my climax, Mr. Mitchell. |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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John Cameron Mitchell's 'Shortbus' is an interesting treatise on sex and-I guess-love, but that's all it seems to be-interesting. Though it's intentions are quite admirable and worth a glance, the film fails to be anything but a graphically oversexed diddy with a heart.
Mitchell's choice to gather as many unknown names to star in his film was probably a smart move as there would have been no one in Hollywood with the balls-pun intended-to take such risks as these actors have done. However, before I dropped trou, there have better be a good reason for it, and the reason for 'Shortbus' just isn't good enough. There's a fine line between pornographic and melodramatic being tested here in 'Shortbus.' The way the film presents its more sexually graphic scenes are done very naturally and even a bit humorous, but to what advantage? What kind of impression is the audience going to get with all these graphic images being displayed? In the end, it just boils down to two people actually screwing on film. Now,I for one am not about censoring-especially when it comes to nudity and sexuality, but I have to be honest that even I was shocked and somewhat appalled as what I saw. I think I probably wouldn't have felt that way if 'Shortbus' just got over its artsy self and call itself porn with a story (which, I'm sorry, isn't anything novel). Do I really need to see a man pleasure himself with his own mouth? If that question there bothered the hell out of you, then you haven't seen anything yet!
Those of you who loved 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch', as I did, beware. This is new territory for Mitchell to experiment with and your tolerance to sex and nudity will be tested. I applaud the actors for being so fearless and Mitchell for coming up with a good concept, but perhaps like Todd Haynes's equally interesting experiment, 'I'm Not There', 'Shortbus' only amounts to an interesting concept. I feel that it's defintely worth your time watching at least once. It's no piece of garbage, I assure you. It's just sex afterall.
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| Great Movie - Full of truth |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Being a fan of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I had some idea of what to expect from the genius mind of John Cameron Mitchell, but this film blew me away - so thought provoking, touching and at times laugh-out-loud funny. The cast is great, and it was good to see Miriam Shor (Hedwig and teh Angry Inch) making a cameo. All the perfomances were wonderful, but the thing that made this movie for me was the absolutely beautiful soundtrack which opened up a whole new world of music for me - as well as bringing in a few golden oldies like Anita O'Day in to round it out. Don't be put off by the sex - it's not gratuitous in its nature and really invites the viewer to examine and challenge their own views and ideas - and it is handled so truthfully that even the most uptight prude could not help but see something of themself in each of the characters and laugh. You'll definitely want to buy the soundtrack!
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| Porn with mainstream production values |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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I'd never heard of this movie until a straight buddy of mine asked me to review his DVD and share my thoughts on whether if it's "borderline gay". Uh, yeah. OK, so the credits were the first indication that this was not going to be your garden variety flick. The Q TV moniker for those of us "in-the-know" told me right off the bat that the demographic was aimed at a gay audience. And then wham! An opening scene that made me drop my Yoplait all over the carpet...the dude's auto-fellatio complete with orgasm. My first reaction was WTF?! So I brushed it off, watched the flick, more sex...singing the national anthem during a three-way...blah, blah. These characters are all messed up in the head. I think the reasons why I didn't have nearly as much angst as it concluded was merely due to the diversion of its gratuitous sex. Great production values, but these people have some serious issues. Stupid ending with that lovefest parade and warm and fuzzy song by some washed up tranny!
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