movie musts :: shortbus

shortbus
a film by john cameron mitchell

rush right out to you local cinema to take in this fantastic film by 'hedwig and the angry inch' creator - john cameron mitchell. it's been a while since i've seen a film that was actually worth watching and paying $11+ for.

this pretty much underground indy film stars no one in particular but has an excellent art quality to it - not only in the way it was shot (fantastic paper mache transitions and interesting camera angles and lighting) but the realistic and very real sex scenes that were peppered throughout. now - i'm not a fan of porn - and knowing that there would be an auto-fellatio scene in the movie did concern me just a bit going into it - but john cameron has somehow been able to capture class in the common act of sex and masturbation.

in brief - 'shortbus' is a story of a hetero married couple, a homo couple, the 3rd, a stalker, and a dominatrix finding their answers to sexual frustrations at a party called shortbus somewhere in new york city. the party - hosted by 'kiki and herb' star justin bond (kiki) - is nothing short of a free for all orgy where sex is the game and art surrounds the moment. sounds seedy right? actually it's a great exploration of human sexuality in it's rawest sense.

two performances shocked me - justin bond and pj deboy. i saw the 'kiki and herb alive on broadway' show a few months back and hated it - didn't think there was any way that duo could ever pull themselves out of the muck i saw - but low and behold - justin captivated me in every scene - i was delighted at the role he played and how he interacted with the other characters. another shock was pj deboy. now - if you've been reading along at home - you know from the archive i've spoken of mr. deboy before (from the archives :: a random monday retold) - well he's now one of the leads in this movie. he didn't do a bad job - i can say he's a better actor than singer - and thankfully - we didn't have to hear him sing a single tune in the movie - praise god!

some of new york's microlebrities were choice cameos: the world famous *bob*, dirty martini, and murray hill - and then some better knowns like jake shears of the scissor sisters as well as 'the l word's' daniela sea.

it was a delightful movie - and one that i'd even consider purchasing on dvd when it's released - though i don't think that john cameron mitchell will be nominated for another academy award with this one - the 'nr' rating would make for a very interesting nod from the academy if they are feeling bold. nonetheless - run - don't walk - and go see this film - you'll be glad you did!