Jason KingShortbus - Review
May 1st 2008 00:12
SHORTBUS (2006) $14-
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This film is awesome. I would not recommend it if you are offended by full on sexual viewing, including full on penetration and masturbation scenes for males on females, males on males, females on females and a combo of the lot.
John Cameron Mitchell’s SHORTBUS explores the lives of several emotionally challenged characters as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex in and around a modern-day underground salon. A sex therapist who has never had an orgasm, a dominatrix who is unable to connect, a gay couple who are deciding whether to open up their relationship, and the people who weave in and out of their lives, all converge on a weekly gathering called Shortbus: a mad nexus of art, music, politics and polysexual carnality. Set in a post-9/11, Bush-exhausted New York City, SHORTBUS tells its story with sexual frankness, suggesting new ways to reconcile questions of the mind, pleasures of the flesh and imperatives of the heart.
This film has been described as pornographic with most of the sex scenes being real - yes, as in not simulated. You actually see members enter members, LOL. This is what the fabulous director John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and numerous TV shows) had to say about that:
The film's characters and story were created collaboratively over 2 1/2 years through improvisation workshops with the cast. The audition website elicited half a million hits and 500 audition tape submissions. 40 people were called in for improvisation auditions and nine actors were cast, all before there was any story in mind. Mitchell wrote the screenplay from the raw material generated by the workshops and rehearsals.
I just found this film ideal, being a gay man myself it is inspirational to see gay actors being gay people and feeling comfortable in the role. It is also fabulous to see sex issues with all kinds of people dealt with in a no holds barred way. To me this film is all about sex, love and emotion and how all these individuals while dealing with their individual issues are all similar in their own way.
Trivia: 1) To make the actors more comfortable, the director and the cameramen were stripped naked while filming the orgy scene. 2) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was going to fire Sook-Yin Lee when they learned that she was going to be participating in a film with explicit sexual content. Several prominent individuals came to her rescue, including Gus Van Sant, Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Julianne Moore, in successfully urging CBC to retain Lee as a member of their staff. 3) In Sofia's office, the large framed characters on the wall behind her spell 'Help Me' in Chinese.
I thoroughly recommend this to anyone that wants a great "arty" film and is comfortable with sex. The film also has an amazing website: Shortbus Homepage
I think this film is worth $14-
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This film is awesome. I would not recommend it if you are offended by full on sexual viewing, including full on penetration and masturbation scenes for males on females, males on males, females on females and a combo of the lot.
John Cameron Mitchell’s SHORTBUS explores the lives of several emotionally challenged characters as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex in and around a modern-day underground salon. A sex therapist who has never had an orgasm, a dominatrix who is unable to connect, a gay couple who are deciding whether to open up their relationship, and the people who weave in and out of their lives, all converge on a weekly gathering called Shortbus: a mad nexus of art, music, politics and polysexual carnality. Set in a post-9/11, Bush-exhausted New York City, SHORTBUS tells its story with sexual frankness, suggesting new ways to reconcile questions of the mind, pleasures of the flesh and imperatives of the heart.
This film has been described as pornographic with most of the sex scenes being real - yes, as in not simulated. You actually see members enter members, LOL. This is what the fabulous director John Cameron Mitchell ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and numerous TV shows) had to say about that:
In the old days, when you couldn't show sex on film, directors like Hitchcock had metaphors for sex (trains going into tunnels, etc). When you can show more realistic sex, the sex itself can be a metaphor for other parts of the character's lives. The way people express themselves sexually can tell you a lot about who they are. Some people ask me, 'Couldn't you have told the same story without the explicitness?'. They don't ask whether I could've done Hedwig without the songs. Why not be allowed to use every paint in the paintbox?
As indicated in the DVD special features, Lee and Shanti Carson each suggested they be filmed having real orgasms rather than fake them, specifically for the final scene involving Lee and the orgy sequence involving Carson. Mitchell also participated in the latter scene, performing oral sex on a woman for the first time "as a gesture of solidarity".
The film's characters and story were created collaboratively over 2 1/2 years through improvisation workshops with the cast. The audition website elicited half a million hits and 500 audition tape submissions. 40 people were called in for improvisation auditions and nine actors were cast, all before there was any story in mind. Mitchell wrote the screenplay from the raw material generated by the workshops and rehearsals.
I just found this film ideal, being a gay man myself it is inspirational to see gay actors being gay people and feeling comfortable in the role. It is also fabulous to see sex issues with all kinds of people dealt with in a no holds barred way. To me this film is all about sex, love and emotion and how all these individuals while dealing with their individual issues are all similar in their own way.
Trivia: 1) To make the actors more comfortable, the director and the cameramen were stripped naked while filming the orgy scene. 2) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was going to fire Sook-Yin Lee when they learned that she was going to be participating in a film with explicit sexual content. Several prominent individuals came to her rescue, including Gus Van Sant, Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Julianne Moore, in successfully urging CBC to retain Lee as a member of their staff. 3) In Sofia's office, the large framed characters on the wall behind her spell 'Help Me' in Chinese.
I thoroughly recommend this to anyone that wants a great "arty" film and is comfortable with sex. The film also has an amazing website: Shortbus Homepage
I think this film is worth $14-
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Comment by Natalie 2
Beta Girl Blog
I'll watch it some time soon, and let you know what I think. The subject matter sounds very liberating!
Comment by Cibbuano
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I would never call it pornographic... pornography is generally described as something that tries to titillate without any other redeeming qualities. I think this movie is softly thoughtful, with great cinematography and touches of humour..
Comment by Jill Browne
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Sook-Yin is on the radio here every Saturday, and CBC listeners will all be familiar with her. Though not as familiar as the viewers of this film, I suppose.
It seems like the Shortbus passed mainstream Canada by with very little notice. The CBC bashers on the left didn't get too upset by the CBC's threats (other than S-Y's supporters - but they were celebs, I didn't hear of any sort of popular or public show of support) - and the CBC bashers on the right have deviated from their script - seems they haven't been using this movie as evidence of the decadence of the CBC and saying it should be cut off from funding.
Where are the usual suspects? Was everyone really busy and forgot to get outraged?
Hmmmmmm.
I'm not sure I would see the humour (is it really a romantic comedy?) in such an overtly sexual film myself, but to each their own. Thanks for an interesting review.
Comment by Natalie 2
Beta Girl Blog
During the same visit to the video store, I also purchased the documentary "This Film is not yet Rated" which I highly recommend. It's about the American film rating system. I always knew it was on the conservative side, but I never realized until I saw that film just how shady it really is. Also for $2.99!
I get sort of euphoric when I find bargains
Comment by CinemaVoir
Comment by Bryn
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Comment by Jason King
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Natalie2 - I am jealous, wish I could find it in a bargain bin!! It's a keeper as far as I am concerned. Suss out Hedwig and the Angry Inch too. It's his first film. I watched it this morning after Shortbus and it blew my mind!! I also did a review for this one if you want to read. I have seen the film "This is not yet rated" on the shelves and will have to rent it out now. And as for getting euphoric at finding a bargain I am exactly the same. Hence my EBay addiction. LOL. Stay away - it will hurt you!!!
Cibbuano - Softly thoughtful - not quite how I would describe it but I definitely wouldn't call it pornography but damn close. LOL. I do like your description.
Jill - Sook-Yin is on the radio here every Saturday, and CBC listeners will all be familiar with her. Though not as familiar as the viewers of this film, I suppose. LOL - that's for sure!! Haha. She also has a small more conservative non speaking role in Hedwig and is a GREAT actress. I think it slipped under the radar in many countries. I am quite disappointed it got no release in Sydney Australia although it may have had a release at the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras - although I am not sure. It is a romantic comedy - the sexual nature and sights are not the story of the film. They are part of the people from the film. The story is about love and real life and it doesn't hide in showing that, it gets down and shows you the sole of each individual, in most of our lives these are the things we keep to ourselves but this film embraces them.
CinemaVoir - I completely understand how this will offend or disgust many people but it does remind me of that old saying someone said to me when I was about 10. Why do dogs lick their privates..............because they can! LOL My original thoughts on the film were if the first 5min's didn't turn people off then they would LOVE the film.
Bryn - I'm with you on pushing the boundaries and I hope John Cameron Mitchell does it again. And all I will say about your last comment is that, if I could...... LOL
Thanks for the comments guys!!
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Natalie 2
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Love it!
Comment by Jason King
Salty Popcorn
How did some slip of a girly boy from communist East Berlin become the internationally ignored song stylist barely standing before you?