Yesterday Carlos and I went to see "Shortbus."
I'd been wanting to see it, despite the so so reviews. (Thank you Carlos again, for keeping from looking like a total perv there.)
My friend Dennis had told me that it was good. It's "very New York," he added.
(he was right)
He'd also told me that the first few minutes are the most graphic....so be sure to not miss them. (he was even more right)
He'd liked it a lot, and my friend Mark in Toronto had written me the following a few days ago:
"Oh, and on Friday I went to see Shortbus, the new John
Cameron Mitchell film (I never did see Hedwig).
Despite being about depressed and unhappy people, I
thought it was unrelentingly positive and upbeat and
hopeful. So I liked it, as it lifted my spirits
momentarily. There is some explicit sex, and the acting isn't
all that great, but it has a kind of naive optimism
that people could have a brighter future."
That sounded like recommendation enough.
Besides the fact that it seems like I'd been hearing about this film for years. I remember my friend Ben telling me that his roommate had been up for a part in it.
He didn't get the part, I'm afraid.
I can't say that the film is a complete success.
There's everything you could hope for, full frontal nudity....money shots...hetero-homo-ambi-sex...attractive, interesting actors....absolutely beautiful scenes of a cardboard New York city....lovely score....
but no identifiable plot really.
It seemed like it was written on a whim, and you could almost hear them saying in the background:
"You know what would be cool? If, like, when she has her orgasm, the whole city....."
There's a lot of emoting and a distant feeling that something "important" is being related, but you're never quite sure what it is.
Still, I have to agree with my friend Mark's point about it being about depressing subject matter, but not depressing. It's really kind of happy. And a movie about sex that's happy is pretty rare, isn't it?
It made me kind of hope for a 1960s kind of naivite. That was worth the ticket price right there, I guess.
4 comments:
I'm sorry I missed it with y'all. I'll have to catch it on DVD.
"Despite being about depressed and unhappy people, I thought it was unrelentingly positive and upbeat and hopeful. So I liked it, as it lifted my spirits momentarily."
The same can be said for "Running with Scissors." I was in SUCH a good mood when I got home after that movie, and I couldn't figure out why. Then I figured it must be because I wasn't any of the characters in the movie. ;o I'll take a little boredom and lonliness any day over what they lived with.
I didn't think it was too bad either, and I especially enjoyed the carboard box-like panoramic view of NYC.
Between you, me and everyone else here, the best part of that day was getting in that elevator, at the end of the movie, and then having it blackout. The power came on and then would quickly go off. The elevator jolted slightly down making a very exterted effort to try and move in either direction. Then we both looked at each other and agreed that the woman in Shortbus was finally having her orgasm.
I have no idea what was wrong with it, but it let us out after the longest minute I'd ever spent in a *very* confined space.
Not-so-good movie, but a very interesing yet brief elevator ride.
I didn't think it was too bad either, and I especially enjoyed the carboard box-like panoramic view of NYC.
Between you, me and everyone else here, the best part of that day was getting in that elevator, at the end of the movie, and then having it blackout. The power came on and then would quickly go off. The elevator jolted slightly down making a very exterted effort to try and move in either direction. Then we both looked at each other and agreed that the woman in Shortbus was finally having her orgasm.
I have no idea what was wrong with it, but it let us out after the longest minute I'd ever spent in a *very* confined space.
Not-so-good movie, but a very interesing yet brief elevator ride.
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