TV-MA...?! That's An Understatement!
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Artist:
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Album:Shortbus
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Track:
Imagine loud annoying buzzing, instead of this very pleasant song attached. And imagine banners of text floating across your favorite tele show because this post is a small warning advisory about a movie that came out in 2006, apparently got a lot of buzz that I never caught onto.
So...this was the situation. I'm browsing the independent film channels for a movie starting in the next half hour or so. La de da...a description catches my attention.
"explore the lives of several emotionally challenged New Yorkers as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex, comedy-drama"
...sounds like a good chick flick and it's on Sundance! I have faith and hope there's something different going on other than the average romantic-comedy-drama.
Alright, movie fans usually give a little over a 1/2 hour to let the plot build, right? Even when the opening credits started on the flick, I thought I made a good choice.
They start with a colorful animated flight above the city and take you over and in between buildings, wisping through trees and into apartment windows to the scenes of people in their bedrooms and bathrooms.
I think...
'oh, interesting, we're peeping on people'
Okay. Then I see a [heterosexual] couple in compromizing positions, hooting and holloring to the heavens...ALL over the place.
'head is twisting and face a little in shock, WOW! This is definitely NOT the average romantic comedy'
We zip out of that window and float some more in animation into another.
Now there's an attractive guy in a bathtub...a bathtub with no bubbles. The camera's right above the guy, no tricky angle shots to hide ANY body parts. He's video taping himself in the tub...then, I guess the warm water got to him?!
Now I think...
'BIZARRE. But I'll let it slide and keep watching.'
We float out of that window and into the room of a dominatrix whipping a man.
'DAMN!!! What the *&#* ?!' (head twisting again)
That was only about the first 10 mintues!!!
It was intense, eccentric, and extremely explicit. The little bit that I did see, left me feeling slightly disturbed, confused and a little freaked out. It seemed to be a very well directed artistic film, had some impressive reviews, and even the below teaser preview has me questioning my choice of not getting closure...but some of the footage was too off-the-wall, even for my substantially open-minded taste.
P.S. If ...sexual soulsearching interests you, young men kissing 80 year olds interest you, seeing naked bodies turned on in strange yoga positions interests you, or if gay porn interests you...then by all means this is the movie for you!
Comments (30)
wow sunshine, sounds heavy..........uh, no thanks at least not the young men kissing 80 year olds or the gay scenes
Erm...yikes.
Ick. No thanks.
WOWWIE WOW WOW !!!
Where do I sign up (heh kidding) !!!
Thanks for the warning SD. The trailer is not that daunting ('cept for the tiny word at the end). THis might be a good one to drive everybody out of the house so I can catch up on some reading....
heheheheh Reading - is that what you're calling it these days ;P
wow, I need a smoke just because I read this post
"young men kissing 80 year olds interest you, seeing naked bodies turned on in strange yoga positions interests you, or if gay porn interests you"
Well, that covers a just a small percentage of fetishes.
I gotta hose myself down now. I feel slimed.
Same here.
OMFG, I am laughing hysterically at your description of this movie & I've seen it before! It's definitely an outrageous film unlike anything I've seen before. But then again I loved John Cameron Mitchell's previous film "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" so he's one to push boundaries, that's for sure.
I think "Shortbus" is fascinating from the mere perspective of exploring sexuality in an upfront, honest manner as no one has done before(except in pornos). We here in the US are way too squeemish about any type of sexuality, therefore making it seem like something nasty & dirty to be hidden away. I was glad to read that you at least were able to recognize the artistic merits of the film & not totally give up on it. But then again, you're cool like that Helen!(I can see why you'd have the reactions you did if you weren't prepared to see this. I had read alot about it & checked out the film's website before I finally saw it so I definitely knew what I was in for).
Here's to pushing the envelope in films!
be careful out there, kids...
Pervert.
Steve, so you're into yoga I take it...? haaha!
Bixby - exactly!
Dale - I'm a little shocked you would even let your avatar be seen in this thread. ; )
Lizzie - You did say you were looking for something that rubbed you the right way...right? Well I don't think this is it! And neither is that video Scotfree posted!
Scottfree - I don't want to hear anymore about your reading. And I'm never watching any videos you post...ever again ya sneaky bastard! That was disturbing! : P
Rawkiddo - I know...that's an intense 45 seconds!
LMI - No doubt they only covered little ground with the fetishes...I consider myself an adventurous gal but these waters got a little too deep for me. Sorry I slimed you! (But it was fun. Hah!)
August! Why am I not surprised you've seen this?! I'm all about "exploring sexuality in an upfront, honest manner, & pushing the envelope, & recognizing the artistic merits of the film " but DAMN!!! There was some crazy stuff going on!!!! I have a little line there somewhere! ; )
Hey Flux - Well...needless to say I am NEVER taking one of your movie recommendations again! I can't believe you had the nerve to tell me to watch this! And thanks for advising Scotfree on his previous comment. ; )
If anything the song attached is pretty clean...really.
Now, let's be clear. I recommend the practices, not the movie. Nothing like some gay porn and S&M to start the day off in the correct manner. And yes, at least the song is good clean fun. ;)
Haha!! I thought you might be back.
Okay okay, for the record Flux had no part of recommending this. But damn...you get some S&M to start the day off?! You dirty dog, or should I say slave?! You find something new every day!
You find something new every day!
Same here.
Sorry Helen, but the conversation just seemed, uh, ripe for that one. It's from a 70's flick called "The Groove Tube" that played at midnight movies 'round here. The slow zoom on a theatre full of stoners was heelarious!! Can't believe it cruised under the Youtube censorship, but there ya go!
I don't dare watch the trailer here at work (which leaves me feeling "slightly disturbed, confused and a little freaked out" anyway).
I agree Helen, it is a trippy movie but not nearly trippy as that Testiclehead clip Scotfree posted! Wow, that was disturbing on many levels yet heelarious. But seriously, if you get a chance I'd recommend watching Shortbus all the way through since it all "cums" together at the end, haha!
Scott - Ha...it's okay. I blame myself for bringing up such filth to begin with. I'm still cracking up with the comments you all come up with tho! Not sure about that health dept video, but IF I were in a "theatre full of stoners" I'm sure it'd help. PPP.
qball - Wise choice, my friend. I don't think the audio is bad in this preview...but still I guess you get the point.
August! You're bad! I usually need closure, but I don't know if I can do it, I think it came together enough...eeeeek?! hahah! Perhaps since I'm a little more prepared....
Why thank you, thank you very much(grinning widely & taking a bow)! Maybe if you picked up where you left off in the movie, it might be more tolerable. I can't say the rest of the movie is any less wild but you get more clarity of what has gone on before, that's for sure.
The thing w/"Shortbus" is that it shows how we all create "families" of our own once we are grown up in many different ways, shapes & forms. And one way isn't any better or worse than another, just different. We all have that need of belonging and that's what "Shortbus" boils down to: community & the fact that we are all connected by the mutual experiences we have no matter how isolated we may feel. It's a pretty deep movie really.
Have you seen "Hedwig & The Angry Inch"? It's probably my all time fave movie & I own it so I've lost track of how many times I've watched it(I'd loan it to you if we lived nearby). It's pretty outrageous too but it's hysterical, yet incorporates some serious issues throughout as well as being a musical w/some great tunes. It's certainly not as outrageous as "Shortbus" by any stretch of the imagination though but it's pretty wild in it's own right(there's sex but not explicit).
Hedwig...sounds just a tad more like my speed, I'll keep an eye out for it.
I totally got the jist of the moral to the story August. Why are testing me today? First Outkast and now here!? haha! ; ) I saw the scenes in the actual Shortbus club when the guy is showing the therapist around. And took what I saw of the emotional details to heart...but some of those visuals I'm still trying to get outta head. And I like yoga! Damnit that's gonna be a tough one! : ( : )
Hedwig probably is but be warned, it's about a transgendered drag queen & her band & her/their personal journey. But there are alot of human parallels emotionally so most people can relate on one level or another.
And I can't assume that everyone understands everything that I know(not that I know it all, far from it) Helen. So I gotta test ya out to make sure you're up to par dear, hehe! Now that you've past the test, I'll let ya slide from now on(AS IF!).
Uh, er, that would be "passed" not "past" the test . . . just noticed that AFTER I posted my previous comment. DOH!
freakadoodledoo!!!
ahahaha! Are you a freakadoodledoo or a freakadoodledon't?
That's all relative to...
where we are, what we're doing, and how much booze is involved...
Too true. This reminds me of the quote from Johnny Depp's character in "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" where he says "Are you a MexiCAN or a MexiCAN'T?"