Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 2 - (Page 36)

>spin it never came here ShortbuS written by > PhilliP Andrew longmAn Wichita is not noted for its many art-house cinemas. Right now, the most controversial thing you can see is The Golden Compass, a movie so dumbed down from its genuinely daring source material that the word “church” is never mentioned. Film is the most accessible artform of the 21st century, and we’re letting ourselves get left in the prairie dust. To combat this we at NakedCity are introducing you to our newest column, It Never Came Here, where we’re going to watch the films that shake you up and make you think. These are the movies Bill Warren hasn’t shown us. Let’s start off with a bang. Something really different. Something naked and raw. Let’s watch Shortbus. nakedcity Shortbus is the second film by John Cameron Mitchell, whose fabulous rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch was a cult smash. An audience favorite at Cannes, Shortbus was too racy for wide distribution in the U.S. Mitchell wanted to produce a movie that explored characterization through sex and portrayed sex as the positive, connective, often ridiculous force that it is. He assembled a cast largely of amateurs, and they developed the script and characters in a series of workshops. Not for the prudish of heart, Shortbus opens on a penis and closes with an orgasm. In between, there is a great deal of sex in all shapes, sizes and combinations—all of it explicit and real. The story follows the sex lives of an ensemble of New Yorkers sometime between 9/11 and the blackout of 2003. The Jamies, the world’s most adorable gay couple, are at a pivotal moment. Depressed filmmaker James (Paul Dawson) wants to open up the relationship, and ebullient ex-child star Jamie (PJ DeBoy) is going along, but he isn’t really sure why they need to. Sofie 36 nakedcitymag.com > volume 1 issue 2 (Sook-Yin Lee) is a sex therapist who’s never had an orgasm, despite the impressively athletic sex she has with her husband (Raphael Barker). She’s obsessed with reaching the big O, and it’s straining her marriage. Severin (Lindsay Beamish) is a professional dominatrix who is finding that her work is crippling her ability to connect. Selling herself as a sexual commodity is keeping her from being anything else. All of the characters make their way to the titular sex club Shortbus, a salon “for the gifted and challenged,” run by drag cabaret star Justin Bond (loosely playing himself). In the uninhibited atmosphere of the club, they find community and a little sexual healing. It’s been described as a Woody Allen movie, if Woody Allen was into pan-sexual orgy scenes. Still, Shortbus is an art film, not a porno. The sex is handled in a largely realistic way, and after the first 15 minutes it’s no longer titillating. It’s a sweet, well-meaning movie about community as much as it is about sex. The message of Shortbus? We all just need to come together. Now, go rent it. Because you’ve seen eight movies this year that did everything but actually spray blood on you from the screen. Because you’ve never seen a movie that was realistic about making love instead of war. Because you disagree with it and it makes you uncomfortable. Real art should challenge you. Rent it because it never came here, and if we don’t broaden our horizons and learn to appreciate independent cinema, the next one won’t either. >>> http://nakedcitymag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 2

Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 2 Contents Mí Casa - Calling Out The Senseless Make Me Blush - Natural Beauty Tonic - Absinthe Mí Casa - First Mortgage Meal Juiced - Interface-to-Face Uncommon Threads - 9 ½ Hours Muse - Chump Love Noise - Morland & Arbuckle Spin - It Never Came Here: Shortbus Noise - Hip to the Lip Noise - Murder By Death Muse - Remain in Light Street - Bar Beat

Naked City - Volume 1 Issue 2

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