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Not rated. () |
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(9548) |
6845 |
27682 |
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(4724) |
3386 |
13695 |
Male |
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3459 |
13987 |
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Plot: The film follows a varied group of seven people, among them a dominatrix and a sex therapist, as they navigate between the paths of sex and love in modern-day New York City.
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 7, 2008Between the edge of porn and the edge of romantic relationship drama, Shortbus explore the space that sex takes in the minds and hearts of its characters. Interesting but that's it. Nothing special about the story, it's just the graphic sex scenes that makes it different than others. I liked the end though...
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MCT:August 1, 2008Este filme que se centra en la vida y relaciones amorosas de varios personas en New York despues del 9/11 es totalmente diferente, es fuerte pues el contenido sexual es totalmente real pero en el fondo de eso hay algo que se demuestra claramente y es el como la vida y las relaciones cmbiaron totalmente en ese país y como muchas cosas despertaron, cambiaron o se paralizaron en la vida de muchos neoyorkinos.
Es un filme respetable que demuestra que al final lo que importa es estar contento con uno mismo y con lo que uno prefiera no importa como y que en una selva alla afuera pero que todo tiene una solución y que la vida tiene que continuar.
La idea creativa del video es totalmente increible. -
MCT:July 27, 2008Life on...the [relational] shortbus. Heart-throbbing, funny, and emotionally dragging/uplifting with groovy transitional visuals. Most def a must-see! <3
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MCT:July 16, 2008
A film about Love, Sex, Happiness and Suffering. In other words: a film about the spirals inside the human mind. Not as perfect as the sublime Headwig and the angry inch, but still a great movie with great music!
x (practicing a little English)
via Atari Burroughs http://www.atari-b.blogspot.com -
MCT:July 16, 2008Suprising, is the best word to describe "Shortbus", part romantic comedy, part sex and relationship drama, and part porn. All the sex is real (not simulated), but each scene (they don't all contain sex), no matter how graphic (explicit gay & straight...(read more) ), they all have "suprising" emotional variety and content, and do push forth both our understandings of the characters and the story itself, and for a film about being "comfortable' with your own sexuality, it might be considred almost a cheat to fake or go timid, when it came to portraying the subject itself.
James Cameron Mithcell has improved as a writer here as well, the kitsch of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" has been replaced with a greater eye and care for human relationships and development.
"New York is the place people come to be forgiven", says an 80 year old man, in the fantastical downtown New York sex club "The Short Bus". It is here we are intoduced to an ensemble of characters from a miserable hipster dominatrix, to a sex therapist whose never orgasmed, to an emotionally distant gay couple considering bringing a third party into the relationship.
Short from John Cameron Mitchell sugesting we all start going to mysterious improbably eccentric sex clubs and re-start the free love revolution one used condom at a time, I think "Shortbus" is a film about negotiating your own sexual politics, there contradictions and insistences. "New York is where people come to be fogiven" and if this is to be taken as anything other a greeting card platitude, perhaps it suggests that kind of "reconstruction", in sexual terms, for the post 9/11 generation, "9/11 was the only real thing that's ever happened to most of [them]"(young people and those who came to the city after the attacks), is another line, from the same 80 year old man in the club.
So were all confused freightened, paranoid, tense, and alone in the dark (a literal city wide power outage in the films finale), and Mitchell's solution, and it's as elegant one as Ive ever heard, which is to do what humans have always done under cover of darkness...and to use the anonymity to explore new possibilites in honesy, intimacy, and pysicality, of course.
Very, very graphic, but emotionally complex, funny, smart, great music, one of the most uncomfortable opening scenes I have ever sat through, and one of the most "feel-good" endings I can remeber, great musical performances as well.
"Hedwig And The Angry Inch" kinda revitalized "Queer Cinema", as Ive heard the atrocious term thrown about, and maybe pushed it a little closer to acceptability with it's campiness, fun musical numbers, and wit, this because of it's genre not just "gay" but "pornographic", which almost cost lead actress "Sook Yin-Lee" her job at Canadian Public Television. But like I said before the sex doesn't really evoke arousal, as often as it does comedy, sadness, release, and despair.
Obviosuly not for everyone, but if you give it a shot, and maybe step outside your comfort zone, you might be suprised. -
MCT:July 14, 2008
Alrighty then!!! eh Hem.Next time I will do a lil more research before I just pop down and watch the next friendly Flix recomendation.Ok so no this isn't porn,but its right up there,and a lot of people I know would have not made it past the first 5 minutes.But because I am open minded I wanted to give it a chance.Not all scenes were for me,saying that there actually is a great story that goes along with this film.About real people,with real problems,and real sexual issues that are just trying to get their lives sorted out.If you can be open minded and know there will be guy on guy scenes you will be fine.If not don't bother,You will just get mad at me for not warning you.Have fun =)
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MCT:July 6, 2008
I think the main problem, at least for me, was the graphic nudity became a distraction after awhile. The characters were alright and it was interesting to see a mini-major movie be this graphic with the sex & nudity, but in general it falls a little short of being great.
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MCT:July 6, 2008Mitchell's movie is dissapointing comparing to his first one. This movie is nothing but smart, good-made porn.
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MCT:June 21, 2008
Filminho difiiiiiiicil!!!
Não é pra qualquer um, nao dá pra convidar qualquer um pra assistir junto e nem dá pra assistir na sala com a familia! rs
Explico: Shortbus eh um filme que usa o sexo explicito como pano de fundo para as relações humanas pós-11/09. Ou seja, tem muita "putaria" ao longo do filme!
Não que ele seja um pornô, longe disso! Eh um drama MARAVILHOSO que de inicio causa um certo desconforto mesmo, normal, mas nos minutos finais te da vontade de aplaudir de pé, tamanha genialidade e pureza com o qual o filme é conduzido. Ja no meio do filme voce nem repara mais no sexo, ele se mescla com a historia de uma forma tao natural que voce nao imagina o filme sem ele.
Dificil para assistir mas tambem muito dificil não gostar. Dispa-se de preconceitos e dê uma chance ;) -
MCT:June 15, 2008
This Unrated (sexually explicit, but not sex for entertainment), film begins with a depressed man unable to feel emotion, engaging in a type of male sexual self gratification that would make most men envious and would bring a smile to all men's faces. Instead of a smile he cries. His very patient, understanding, yet emotionally starved (and very hot looking) male lover finds it necessary to consult a "couple's counselor." It turns out the couple's counselor (aka sex therapist) and her husband are struggling with her inability to obtain orgasm. Seems she had trouble relaxing with him. He, like PJ, is also very much in love and will do almost anything to help his wife. Finally, we meet a female dominatrix who discovers, through her clients ability to add "extra texture" to the painting behind her bed, that although she satisfies the needs of her clients, hers are left unmet.
All of these people meet in NYC's underground musical, carnal, and well, anything goes, meeting place called "Shortbus."
This is a film, not so much about showing us sex acts but about how the different ways that people interact intimately and the boundaries we set for ourselves.
From the director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell, this is an extremely emotional, highly sexually charged insight to the persuit of happiness as most people think they can attain through their sexuality. Also prepare to see some fantastic graphical representations of NYC before, during, and after the major electrical blackout.
I highly recommend Shortbus with 4 stars. -
MCT:June 12, 2008
Well, this certainly was a unique film.
A minute or so in the movie, we're met with a still static shot of a penis. This is director John Cameron Mitchell's way of telling us "This is a penis. There's not much to it, but you'll be seeing a lot of them in this film. If you're uncomfortable, turn this movie off now." This is crucial to one's enjoyment of the film because it's HIGHLY pornographic... there's straight sex, gay sex, gay threesomes, etc. Sex is never glamorized or shot in a way to be stylish or sexy, it's just there. So, you can see how this film may not be for everyone.
The sex had nothing to do with the movie's downfalls, however. In fact, I thought it was almost refreshing. In a culture obsessed with censorship, this was the biggest "fuck you" to censorship you could possibly put out there. I'm a straight male, and I didn't find anything gross about it. It observes sex without trying to showcase it as erotic and kinky. I can't fault someone for being made uncomfortable because of how untypical it is of a film to show so much, but dismissing the film completely because of it is nonsense. There's bigger issues to gripe about!
The problem with the movie is that the characters are completely underdeveloped and unlikable. You have a group of people who are meant to be completely dysfunctional and in search of love... I mean, we've seen in a million times before and it's not exactly a hard topic to conquer. However, these characters are so wooden and resemble nothing even remotely compelling. Most of the film I was left having to look for something else to enjoy... whether it be the music, the sets, or whatever I can find that interested me in the slightest. I was REALLY let down in that regard. I thought Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" was a wonderful little movie, and it certainly said a lot more about dysfunctional people and love then this one did... and that didn't even have one tenth of the explicit imagery.
The acting is average at best, and the writing is fairly juvenile. The main point of the film seems to be that a relationship is not defined by sex, and one can still be lonely without having a constant "mate", if you will. This is good and all, but by the end of the film everything is so convoluted and just a complete mess that it's hard to take a whole lot out of the film. There's a lot of really great scenes here - but for a film that is so relentlessly unique, it's surprisingly forgettable.
That being said, I didn't hate this completely. When the credits rolled, I did have a big smile on my face. After witnessing countless sex scenes with all different kinds of people, the movie wraps up with a completely welcoming and heartwarming tone. You get the sense that John Cameron Mitchell loves you, whoever you may be. It embraces what some may call it's "vulgarity", and is perhaps the most open and good hearted movie i've seen in quite some time.
There's bits and pieces of brilliance here and there, but overall this is a mess. I still can't give up hope on Mitchell because I love "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" so much, but this definitely was a major disappointment. -
MCT:June 8, 2008
A well crafted film of humour, sex, and sexuality. I think this film is a must see for art film lovers everywhere.
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MCT:May 29, 2008
a simple story packed into an extravagant box. it totally depends on how you react to the bunch of sexual / homosexual explicit content. despite the plot made me identify myself with the sentimental / sexual problems of the characters, its heavy gay content turned Shortbus into an uncomfortable movie to me. the James' story conclusion is so unfinished. it looks like they have gone too far to make a happy ending out of that. a definitely let down. therefore, the film is well done and the soundtrack rocks. I could never relate Animal Collective to an orgy!
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MCT:May 29, 2008
the titillation wears off early and there remains a more often than not humorous and touching film. The virtual NYC and brownout metaphor was pretty cool. Some of the songs were really touching. Overall, decent though nothing more. I wanted my orgasm but I had fun only.
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MCT:May 20, 2008Horrible. I wish to Film Zeus that I couldn't say that. But it's a pornographic look at sex with none of the appeal of pornography. It's a candid look at relationships and types of relationships that's so formulaic and boring it's hard to finish, let alone care about finishing. Outside of some of the lines (SOME) they say there isn't a character to enjoy. I hope the writer/director pulls something out his small gay ass that's more like his near perfect gay rock opera Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Cause this, described by him as "a movie about sex" just isn't a worthy follow up. Or a worthy movie about sex. Or a movie worthy of a second viewing.
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MCT:May 19, 2008
I've had the most difficult time writing this review. I can't quite capture what I want to say about this film and I can't quite make up my mind how I feel about it. At first, I gave it 3 stars but today, after watching some of it over again, I'm moving it up to 4 stars.
The more I think about it, the more impressed I am with the filmmakers ability to walk that line between pornography and art and land firmly on the side of art.
I can appreciate how he used sex as a symbol. We don't often think of sex in terms of a symbolic action/identity. Instead, sex is usually seen as a very straightforward physical manifestation of varied inward feelings or desires.
The long and short of it is that this movie is powerful. It draws you into the life of three characters who have trouble letting "the other" in. While I think Freud would be right in his glory with this group of people, it goes beyond a mere psychological study of the human being to bring us an artistic piece likely to move and challenge its viewer.
I have a feeling I'll be revisting Shortbus more in the future. I know that its graphic nature is necessary to go where the filmmaker wants to take us but, in a way, I wish it was less graphic so that more people would give it a watch and be taken to that place where social norms are torn down and healthy senses of sef are rebuilt.
P.S. I'm going to have trouble listening to Definitely Not The Opera from now on. I've seen all Sook-Yin Lee's nasty bits. -
MCT:May 18, 2008
I dont know how to comment on this flick .. u can say its a semi movie .. but the story n character are quite decent .. at last, I think the comment will be depend on each of u
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MCT:May 18, 2008
oonks mä huono homoseksuaali, koska en tajunnu tätä leffaa sit niinkun ..YHTÄÄN? jotain ihme sekoiluu ympäriinsä, ja ihme kokeiluija, tulee mieleen alku ajat, kun kaapista kaaduin ulos. rotfia! (roll on the floor in angst)
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MCT:May 5, 2008
Un film esthetique qui pousse à la reflexion sur le sexe, les sentiments, les relations, l'amour, la solitude...
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MCT:May 1, 2008
it wasn't something special , i didn't laugh , i didn't cry.....it was only a porn film . only sex references , nothing else...
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MCT:April 30, 2008
A really great film. Touching and emotionally engaging. Has a lot of nudity and very graphic sex scenes. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and transgender content.
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MCT:April 28, 2008
''New York is where everyone comes to be forgiven.''
A group of New Yorkers get caught up in their romantic-sexual milieu converge at an underground salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
Sook-Yin Lee: Sofia
Paul Dawson: James
Lindsay Beamish: Severin
Shortbus isn't for everyone, and if your prudish about things of a sexual nature then it's best to pass up on this maybe. Parents should send the kids to bed.
It takes alot to shock me sexually personally, which to me is why Shortbus, i could see past the sex and see that this isn't what it's about. It's a small part of what SB truly is.
Whats that you may wonder...Well it's a film which gives us an insight into a colourful array of characters each with their own fundamental problems in their lives, each trying to find an answer best relating to those problems, those factors.
Sofia is a sex therapist who has never experienced an orgasm, which some women may take for granted but i guess there's a pleasure and sense missing without it. When shes under a Narnia-esque lamp post upon a bench. Its wonderful imagery, wonderful as Sofia tried to achieve that cosmic Pandora's Box implosion.
It's not just straight couples analyzed but in Shortbus every aspect is analyzed. Three men in a three way relationship, a Dominatrix who's never had a serious relationship and a guy who doesn't know what he wants.
Which brings me to what Shortbus is in short. It's a place where these people, many people go to find what their looking for inside themselves sexually as well as mentally. It's not just some excuse for a huge orgy which could be mistaken if your not watching carefully or immersing yourself in the interweaving story.
I'm afraid Shortbus for me went very quickly due to my enjoyment of it. I don't think it's one i would watch over and over but definitely once and a while the issues it raises are very important in life, just not alot of people like to talk about these things openly in public discussions which is fair enough. If you have an open mind and don't take it the wrong way then give Shortbus a go.
A character study, not just a sexual journey but one of awakening too. -
MCT:April 25, 2008
nothing special . a kind of experiment of artists of N.Y . For me it was a multiple " sex and the city "
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Comments
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mistershinobiposted 322 days ago -
I watched Shortbus last night and unlike most movies today it has stayed with me playing over in my head all day. I went back and watched some scenes three times over. The movie is very multi-dimensional and I really ended up caring about what happened to the characters Cudos to John Cameron Mitchell for a job weel done.As for th graphic sex it was real it was raw it was about time.
posted 505 days ago
