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Shame reviews 2

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Post by Admin Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:20 pm

seafaringwoman:

MOVIE MONTH : : DAY # 1

Shame (2011)

Still assessing how I feel about this film. The performances from Fassbender and Mulligan were both impressive and much of the film gripped my attention (especially the subway ride in the beginning where he’s sexily/creepily eye molesting the married woman sitting on the opposite side), but somehow I found myself feeling almost apathetic by the film’s end, which is weird (right?!). I mean, the film’s about sex addiction and whatever be a person’s poison, I have extreme sympathy and empathy for anyone facing that battle. And yet, in this cinematic instance, instead of feeling any sort of compassion for Fassbender’s character, I was in a general state of discomfort, at times even disgust, at his actions/behavior. Perhaps that’s a part of the point (do we not treat or look at sex addiction in a manner significantly different from, say, alcoholism or an addiction to any of the long list of narcotics?). I’m going to sleep on this one, and maybe the morning will bring about a clearer analysis.
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Post by Admin Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:39 pm

thecloudscraper:
Sissy

I’ve never identified with a character as much as I did with Brandon’s sister, Sissy in the movie SHAME. It was so utterly terrifying that it got completely under my skin. Though she’s just that bit more dramatic than I am (cutting or suicide has never ever crossed my mind, because there are more than enough other plans stored in my head) the scene where they sat in the couch made me truly uncomfortable.

Needy, apologizing (“well at least I say I’m sorry”) and clinging to people who just want to be free to not have a care in the world. There’s a lot of love embedded in her, but she tends to give it to people who don’t ask for it and certainly don’t want it.

I love it when movies (or books) teach you something about yourself you’ve not been willing to see. Because the only way you can ever change is to understand where you’re coming from. Why you’re feeling the way you do. Why you tend to struggle with the things you do. And obviously because it makes you realise that you’re not the only person who has just that specific kind of issue. We’re never completely alone.
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Post by Admin Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:18 pm

anightatthepictures:
Review: Shame

Directed by: Steve McQueen
Written by: Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie

Shame, the second film by Steve McQueen, stars Michael Fassbender as Brandon, a charming New Yorker with a successful career and an addiction to sex. Carefully balancing his addiction with his career, his life is an organised and solitary one, free from any emotional attachment. This balancing act is shattered however when his younger sister, Sissy, Carey Mulligan, arrives unannounced at his apartment needing a place to stay. Her arrival causes Brandon to lose control of the carefully regimented life that he has built up around his addiction.

Shame sees Michael Fassbender reunited with Steve McQueen after the critical success of Hunger. Fassbender’s brilliant performance in McQueen’s debut raised his profile and helped him move from minor TV actor to Hollywood leading man; his performance in Shame is just as subtle and powerful. He is able to be both charming and cold, he doesn’t overplay Brandon’s emotional turmoil and the gradual unravelling of his life feels genuine and naturalistic. Just like in Hunger Fassbender’s body plays a key role in the way the story is told. There has been a certain amount of controversy about the full frontal male nudity in Shame. Considering the subject matter and the fact that Brandon can only find comfort through sexual acts it seems obvious that nudity would be completely natural to him, and in Shame, it isn’t gratuitous.

Carey Mulligan gives a wonderful performance as Brandon’s sister. She is almost the complete opposite to Brandon. Her life is unstructured, she is messy, impulsive and extroverted. Yet it is clear that this is someone who is running away from a traumatic past and not towards a positive future. In one of the standout scenes she shows her vulnerability as she performs a down-tempo version of New York, New York. Mulligan fills the screen and turns a bombastic ode to one of the most vibrant cities in the world into a tragic cry for attention. The lines “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere”, once so full of hope and promise, are dripping with desperation.

A lot has been written about Shame being a film about sex addiction but that’s not strictly true. Instead it’s a film about an addict. It could be drugs or alcohol that Brandon craves but in this story it’s sex. It’s important to make this distinction because there is not a lot of sympathy to the plight of sex addicts. People tend to react with skepticism when hearing that someone is addicted to sex because most people consider sex to be a positive event that they share with another person. Brandon is not driven by sex but by a need for control. McQueen has spoken about Brandon’s pursuit of La Petite Mort in a more literal sense than it is often used. It is the moment of ecstasy when one no longer feels restricted by the real world. It is this feeling that Brandon is addicted to and not the human interaction.

The eroticism of Shame is used cleverly to highlight Brandon’s frame of mind. There is a particularly tender moment in the film where Brandon takes a colleague, Marianne played by Nicole Beharie, to a hotel room for an illicit encounter. There is a sense of nervous anticipation between the two of them as they start to undress each other and share the little awkward giggles of two lovers who are unfamiliar with each other. The camera doesn’t cut away and doesn’t push in too close, thereby not intruding on their moment together. This intimate moment, whilst sensual and erotic for the viewer, is far too intimate for Brandon, who cannot deal with the pressure that emotional attachment brings. It ruins his pursuit of La Petite Mort.

In contrast to the eroticism of his attempt at an personal connection, the climax of the film and the point at which Brandon is really losing control features probably the most explicit scene in the film, a threesome with 2 prostitutes. Stylistically this is in stark contrast to the earlier scene. with Brandon and Marianne. Whereas that scene featured one long take using a wide angle so that the audience were observing and not intruding, the threesome features extreme close ups, frenetic cutting and a distorted sense of space and time. What McQueen manages to do very well is to make the more explicit scene unerotic. The lack of intimacy and the frenzied style makes the audience a fourth member of the action, an uncomfortable place to be.

There are thematic parallels that can be made between Shame and Hunger. In Hunger Fassbender’s character, Bobby Sands, lived in a prison but had freedom over his body. In Shame we see the exact opposite. Brandon lives in a world in which he is free to do whatever he wants. His addiction creates a prison where he is forced to obey certain rituals in order to survive the day. New York presents Brandon with every conceivable opportunity and yet he limits himself by only seeking sex. It is the limitations that his addiction have placed upon him that make him so immovable when his life is disrupted.
Shame is a powerful film that intends to show the viewer about the affect of addiction on both the addict and those around him. Although the dependent substance in this case is sex, there is a sense that Brandon could be addicted to alcohol or narcotics and the affect of the film would not be diminished. Subtly realistic relationships between the main characters immerse the viewer and McQueen’s direction communicates the deeper themes of the film effectively and intelligently.
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Post by Admin Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:12 am

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2011/12/05/111205crci_cinema_lane

Hot and Bothered
“Shame” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
by Anthony Lane December 5, 2011

The hero of “Shame,” Brandon (Michael Fassbender), lives in what you or I would call New York, and what St. Augustine would call a hissing cauldron of lust. Brandon has an office job, but we never learn what it entails; people hold smooth-looking meetings behind glass walls, but “Shame” prefers not to sully its hands with the grease of ordinary labor. The director, Steve McQueen, has his mind on lower things, and they furnish him with all the dirt he needs. Because what propels Brandon—what offers thrust and torque, if not meaning, to his existence—is sex.

What a busy fellow Brandon is. He lives alone, and a quiet night in means hiring a prostitute, or hooking up to a remote mate for a video chat; for want of a partner, he can always beat off in the shower, as if dreaming of cheating on himself. At work, his hard drive is rancid with downloaded filth, something that his boss, David (James Badge Dale), ascribes to a careless intern. When the two men go for a drink, it is the bumptious David who tries to ensnare a lustrous blonde at the bar, but it is Brandon whom she seeks out later that night. They rut against the leaning stanchion of a bridge, with the word “f&#!” helpfully scrawled on the concrete beside them, just in case we thought they were trading stock tips. The whole film is like that, rigorously shorn of randomness; even the graffiti must have its rightful place.

This is no surprise. McQueen, a Brit who attended art schools and worked in visual installation before turning to feature films, was lauded for “Hunger” (2008), and rightly so, although even that movie, about an I.R.A. hunger-striker (also played by Fassbender), was imperilled by the coolness of its own gaze. The wall of a jail cell, smeared with excrement as an act of protest, was filmed with such compositional care that it became, in effect, a work of abstract art, allowing us to forget what it actually was: human waste, applied with human rage, and surely unbearable to the human nose. McQueen could hardly be hipper, yet he remains, to an extent, an old-fashioned aesthete, drawn to extreme behavior in his characters not because of any trials of spirit that they undergo but because he is challenging himself to unleash the wildest material that he, wielding his camera, can then possess and tame.

The result is pure and pitiless, and, in the case of “Shame,” oddly disapproving. The film has an NC-17 rating, and it will prompt the customary gasps of outrage, but no viewer, however prim, could be harsher on the uncontrollable Brandon than the director is. At no point is the philanderer permitted to look as if he might be enjoying himself, and Fassbender, who was, frankly, much sexier and more devilish in “X-Men: First Class,” is required to spend much of his time staring with blank intensity into the middle distance. Whether Brandon is ashamed, as the movie’s title proposes, is open to debate; he looks merely shattered to me, roped to his own runaway habits, and although he does have one discernible rush of self-loathing, cramming his carnal detritus into garbage sacks, all you can think is, How charmingly retro! A guy who still buys porno magazines! Later, in one tidal wave of a night, he comes on to a woman in a bar, gets hoofed in the face by her boyfriend, swings by a gay club for a brief encounter (any port in a storm), and then rounds off the evening with a nice warm threesome. His companions, in that climactic bout, are played by DeeDee Luxe and Calamity Chang, two names that made me happier than anything else in the film. No such joy for Brandon; while his body is enmeshed with theirs, his face is trapped in a desperate rictus, as if he were nearing the loudest sneeze of his life, and what McQueen treasures here is the sullen aftermath, with the drained lecher sitting and crying beside the rotting piers of a wharf. And that’s what happens to naughty little boys.

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There is a plot, of sorts, amid the pulsation. Brandon’s sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), a part-time chanteuse and round-the-clock whirligig of neediness, comes unexpectedly to stay. He finds her naked in the shower, thus grazing another taboo. At one point, in a ritzy bar, she unveils the still heart of the film, her face trapped in closeup while she croons “New York, New York,” at a crawling tempo. Mulligan gives it her all, but, as so often in “Shame,” you can’t help considering the context. Would everyone in a New York hot spot go quiet for five minutes in order to listen politely to what is, in essence, a private distress call? McQueen, aided by his screenwriter, Abi Morgan, has stitched together a bespoke idea of the city rather than the place itself, in the same way that he frames erotic pursuit more as a neat conceptual art work than as the farrago of lunging, dithering, yearning, and near-farce in which most of society wallows. To Brandon’s credit, he tries to proceed normally with Marianne (Nicole Beharie), a colleague from the office, taking her to dinner and making non-horny conversation, but, when they finally arrive at the boudoir, guess what? He can’t get it up. McQueen might as well have hung a sign around Brandon’s neck that read “Warning: Cannot Mix Emotion and Sex.” If you want to see the same bafflement, vented with ten times the subtlety, check out Warren Beatty, in “Bonnie and Clyde,” slumping away from Faye Dunaway and murmuring, “I told you I warn’t no lover boy.”

Yet, for all this, “Shame” compels attention. Amid its pious devotion to the woebegone, there are scenes that manage to twitch into life and hit a nerve, perhaps because they also bump the funny bone. Take the wordless subway ride, early in the movie, that finds Brandon, impeccably swathed in coat and scarf, sitting diagonally opposite a young woman. To witness the back-and-forth of their flirtation is like watching Nadal versus Federer on clay. Topspin smiles are dinked across the car, lips are slyly moistened, and McQueen even lobs in a late twist, as the woman proves to be wearing not just a kindly smile but a wedding ring—a combination guaranteed to stir our hero’s loins. The entire sequence is perfect, and PG-rated, and if “Shame” had stopped there it would have been a poem. Instead, there is a novel’s worth of grinding still to come, and, by the end, all that I could think of, however respectful of the film’s aplomb, was the brisk advice delivered by the aging Flaubert to his satyr of a protégé, Guy de Maupassant, in 1878: “You complain about f#%@#&! being ‘monotonous.’ There’s a very simple remedy: stop doing it.”
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Post by Admin Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:17 am

Recent Watches: Let's Talk About Sex Edition

SHAME

DIRECTED BY STEVE MCQUEEN


*NOTE: THIS IS JUST AS MUCH A CRITICAL INTIMATION AS A REVIEW. SPOILERS ABOUND*

Is this film straight-forward as I think or as abstract as every differing opinion on what they saw on screen thinks? Or is either of us just plain wrong? It was obviously that this film would cause a stir but probably not in the way I have expected. Steve McQueen’s SHAME has been accused of being the conservative, puritanical, homophobic, and predictable (in some cases inhibiting these features for some reviewers all at the same time). I personally think this is a film where the ‘shame’ is not at all of what is ‘plaguing’ the main character Brandon Sullivan but the ‘shame’ lies in the root of what sprung into that ‘plague’.

It is inferred and said in the film that something happened to both Brandon and his sister Sissy, that they came from a bad place. Nothing else is really said but understood by both of the characters and the home they came from and any other family unit is not mentioned at all in the film. Did they come from a broken home? Was their upbringing sexually charged? Whatever it is Sissy unexpectedly re-entering Brandon’s life brings back memories he had wished to forget but nonetheless lives with day-to-day. Their brother and sister relationship does not at all seem to be normal. There is something off. They try to maintain some closeness by sitting close and watching TV but it all dissolves into both of them having absolutely knife-cutting back and forth dialogues of insults. They are both too comfortable being completely naked in the presence of the other including Brandon attacking Sissy for interrupting his masturbation session in the shower. There is also a bedroom scene that shows a relationship stunted in adolescence than two adults. Credit to Michael Fassbender and Carrie Mulligan (each snubbed by the Academy for acting nominations) for making every conversation among these two characters be so bare-bones real and palpable. Brandon and Sissy each share a certain fake quality to them and each know it, frequently using it against each other, which makes the reason they need each other also necessary. But neither are really capable of acting rational, instead going to extremes to act out their needs and traumas.

Sissy entering Brandon’s life serves as a reminder. She is flesh and blood but also somebody who is supposed to mean a lot to him. He tries to act like he cares but really a lot of his whole life is a front for his real life of hooking up for anonymous sex and encounters both physical and web-based.

Honestly, Brandon does a pretty good job managing it until she comes around. It is not that she completely abhors his behavior, she is equally promiscuous and frankly is more concerned about the lack of real intimacy in his life. Her having pleasure makes him realize he cannot really find pleasure, even when having sex with somebody he knows and likes personally. It almost becomes a job that Brandon decides to have a ‘lost weekend’ seeking all kinds of ways to have sex. Brandon addiction is power which is why after getting beat up he goes to the closest gay club where he can exert power with no apologies about (I do not find the shot homophobic but I find the inference that he can within 30 seconds get a guy to go down on him to definitely feed on a lot of people’s prejudices to be a good criticism). He maintains control of his addictions but something about Sissy coming back into his life shakes his entire foundation.

There is trauma that is the foundation for his addiction that likely happened in childhood but nobody has the slightest idea about it. Brandon is in a male fantasy on his terms. Women want him and men want to be him but Sissy knows too much about him to not find his life a bit sad. Sissy tries to have a fun, intimate sex life that Brandon does not really understand and pushes her aside. I am behind the incest accusation. Sissy is almost too cloying (this is sometimes the mark of people abused who despite their traumas continue to submit to their abusers) around Brandon and there is a hint of guilt and dread in Brandon’s conscious avoidance of her outcries and feelings that go beyond usual brother-sister drama. She actively tries to get his attention, impress him, and get close to him. When she screws his boss, it was almost a cry for attention. Her post-coital bedside snuggle attempt with Brandon triggers triggers him to act his most volatile. She wanted him, not the lame, taken, no-game to speak of boss.

It is safe to say, Brandon does not share the same feelings as Sissy. She became disposable like any of the prostitutes he had or the anonymous women he met over the internet. He does however feel her burden of presence, which is the ‘shame’. He had to have started with her. She was the closest to him. He ruined her. He might not have been the first there to ruin her but he had to be a contributor. But he, himself, might have also been ruined yet he also was the inheritor of that power. And he is still has to be the only lifeline to Sissy that makes her all the more damaged. This becomes very nature versus nurture question. Sissy assures Brandon it is nurture from a bad place but Brandon does feel like it is becoming a nature for him as a terrible person. He cannot get close to people with sex because he knows exactly the effect it had on people closest to him. The real tragedy is that Sissy coming back into his life does not make Brandon, based on her own agency, rage or anger, face it but rather her tragic lionizing of him does the trick.

The incest may not have reached any physical contact on-screen but emotionally it is so overwrought. There are no boundaries between these two. They continue to have sex lives but Brandon’s damage is the power burden he exhibits while Sissy continues a path of finding pleasure that pretty much is undercut by her once source of pleasure shutting her out. Everything may seem conservative in SHAME because the ‘shame’ is one of the more far-reaching taboos. Nothing in Brandon’s ‘lost weekend’ can ever really seem as extreme or depth-sinking as his past. His addiction is a burden, a job, a necessity.

I could just be giving this film too much credit. For such a film with great leading performances, nobody in the supporting cast is memorable or worth noting. The choices of setting for certain scenes leaves something a bit desired. The ending that McQueen may have thought is open-ended could easily be seen as a moral lesson for Fassbender’s ‘naughty boy’. The ‘lost weekend’ scenes are jarringly beautiful. Which begs the question, is Brandon finally getting his pleasure or are we, the audience, just too mesmerized by the beautiful people on screen? The dramatic cues of one character’s fate also felt too close to the edge of melodrama. McQueen is probably grateful the positive and negative response to his film is as diverse but this Rorschach blot of a film may need something a little more. Is the ‘shame’ sex addiction itself or something that if we are to be grounded in reality lies an unspeakable situation (Because who really cries out accusations of incest or sexual abuse so simply?)?

For its faults, SHAME remains a film I cannot get out of my head that is elevated by the performances of Fassbender and Mulligan (whom with this performance sold me on her playing Daisy Buchanan in the upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby) who are every bit as good, haunting, and emotionally-naked as any nominated performance of 2011. It is not the most well-written script and not the most craftily direct film but the performances make the movie stay with you rather than go in the one-hundred different bad directions it could have gone as a morality play of something the public snickers at just by the term ‘sex addict’. And for that I am grateful for its existence and being one of the most hotly debated films of 2011 into 2012.
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Post by Admin Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:57 am

kristofferson-fox:

Films Watched in 2012

Shame (2011)

Directed by Steve McQueen || Starring Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

I want to love this movie but the dang group of talking, babbling, idiots ruined the experience! I feel as if I need to see it again to give it a proper review, but tonight was the last night it played. But I’ll try my best. To begin, the music in this movie was amazing. In the beginning, while Fassbender’s character is on the train, the music completely drives the emotion and intention of the character. It was stunning how the score fit with the action, and how the lyrical music fit with the scene. Fassbender’s performance was fantastic. It was the best movie I’ve seen him in. He completely enveloped the emotion and physical hardships of his character. Mulligan was good, her performance in An Education was better, but her singing stint in this film was lovely. McQueen’s direction was superb, especially the final sex scene, which was done tastefully, but dramatically, and the scene in which Fassbender runs off the steam of the day. I really like this movie and wish I could’ve seen it uninterrupted, but I’m content I got to see it at all. I’m upset it didn’t receive any award nominations, because it was deserving of at lease Actor noms, if not directing.

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Post by Admin Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:00 am

thefilmsiwatch:
SHAME (2011)

And the award for my least favorite film of 2011 goes to …

SHAME! A film that starts off so well, but then falls apart once you realize it has nothing to say about its interesting subject matter. And when it descends into equating the protagonist’s desperation and personal hell to getting a blowjob from - gosh! - another man (!!!), I just couldn’t care anymore.

Or understand what all the fuss is about either. I mean really. So here we have a film that’s about addiction and obsession. And what? McQueen has nothing more interesting to say about these things than they exist (really?) and that they can tear your life apart (what?). I’ve seen people talk about how smart and intellectual this film is, but really? What is it saying we didn’t already know (and isn’t clear from the first 20 minutes?) There are no revelations, no surprises. And no characters to root for (even if there were, there are also no goals presented for them that we can root for them to achieve).

And sorry, but Fassbender needs a better speech coach. He’s supposed to be from Jersey but every time he has a long take, his accent sneaks through eventually. I thought it was really annoying. Another annoying thing was Carey Mulligan. God. That singing-scene. Jesus. McQueen: Carey Mulligan is no Annie Hall. Or Dorothy Vallens for that matter. She has no voice and staying on her for so long only brought to the forefront two things: yourself, the director, and the realization that the film is not getting any better after this point.
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Post by Admin Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:18 am

misterfassypants:

Just saw SHAME.

It was dark. Every single scene made me gasp. Halfway through the movie, it became very intense. Fassy’s acting was wonderfully amazing and it reminds me when he said in the interview how hard to shake off Brandon’s character was after playing it; it must’ve been scary. I don’t think Carrey Mulligan’s acting was underused. She is great as Sissy. I also don’t think there was any incestuous relationship between the siblings. Whatever happened in the home they grew up in, it was messed up and the one thing that probably made them survive was with the help of each other. I agree with Fassy when he said that Sissy’s character made Brandon vulnerable. It was her that made him think twice, her that made him feel for a change. It’s quite scary not being able to feel pleasure and just do things compulsively. Scary, scary thought. The musical score was phenomenal, it made you feel what the character was feeling; it intensified each scene. The things that Michael Fassbender did in the movie, as an actor required such a great amount of skill, I must say, he shouldn’t just be given a statue for it, but they should build him a statue to commemorate his phenomenal performance. It’s f&%$#& up that things like these do really happen and I acknowledge the genius that is Steve McQueen. Damn, that guy has a lot of things going on in his head and his storytelling is just perfect. I don’t know why Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar for this but I just have to say, at the very least, he made a very big impression on me. That guy is such a f#%@#&! good actor even sans the p****.
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Post by Admin Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:58 pm

lilith-the-ancient:
Shame. Sort of review. (No spoilers!)

So I saw Shame last night.

Getting to the theater was an adventure in itself. Usually it would take 38 minutes by train from Utrecht to Rotterdam (I was going to see it at the film festival there). Film would start at 8 pm. Just in case (and to have plenty of time for a nice meal), me and my friend arrived at the srtation at 4.15 pm, which should give us plenty of time.

However, it was snowing and while all normal countries can deal with a bit of snow, in the Netherlands it’s like the apocalypse starts early. There was only one train going from Utrecht (which is really worrying if you consider it’s the busiest train station of the country with trains going in all directions from there) to the Hague. Which would bring us half way (to Gouda). It was stacked with people. And I mean Japan in rush hour type of stacked.

We managed to get on. Once we got to Gouda, they told us there would be train to Rotterdam in 20 minutes. We proceded to wait for 2 hours in the blistering snow (I was wearing thin leather shoes, so my toes were freezing) growing more desperate and homicidal by the minute. The train arrived at 7.25. We arrived in Rotterdam at 7.55. After sprinting over ice and slush we were seated in the theater at 20.02, Shame started at 20.04. The relieve and sheer joy I felt that moment cannot be relied in words.

But yeah, the film itself. I liked it. A lot. It was beautiful for cinematographical poin of view, the pacing was just right, the music was good and the acting was superb.

I had kind of spoiled myself by reading all the articles and reviews in advance, so I knew almost every scene that was coming, but I still very much enjoyed it.

However, let me get this (probably unpopular) opinion out of the way: without Fassbender’s superb acting it would have probably be another indie flick with illusions of grandeur. It’s good, but the story alone, cannot carry the film. It’s needs the perfect leads. Mulligan was not bad, but I must say I was not really impressed with her acting. Although one thing she and Fassbender managed to pull off great, was the sibling bond. Their interactions with each other were so perfectly brother-sisterly.

And then there was Fassbender. After seeing this film I totally understand the outrage about him not winning ALL THE AWARDS for best male lead. He was phenomenal. Definitely the best role he ever played and possibly the best role he’ll ever play. He does not have much dialogue and what he sayis is usually the opposite of what his character feels, so he had to make everythign known through his expressions, his eyes, his posture. And jfc does he succeed.

I was worried that because I find Michael very attractive, I might get distracted from the film or the point it’s making. I didn’t have to fear. While during the first half I indeed was going: omg he is so ridiculously attractive, the second part had be completely gripped and just immersed in the story. In this tragedy. What I’ve heard here before is true: when you see the trio and the gay bar scene in context there is absolutely nothing sexy or hot about them, they are just heartbreaking.

Having said this, I am still surprised how this film gotten as popular and main stream as it has. Why? Because it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.

- The pace is very slow. It’s very art-house in the sense that it lets the scenery and beautiful shots do the talking.

- Much is left for you to fill in. The ending is open, the background is unexplained. You want to know what happened with these two people in the past to make them such sad and badly adjusted individuals, but all you can do is guess.

- It’s easy to miss the point. After the film I heard two girls talking in the bathroom and they said that it was too emotionless and my friend and I were like: were you even watching the sayme film? How can you miss the emotion here?

- Obviously it’s quite graphic. Although with everyone going on about how shoscking it was, I was kind of underwhelmed. I didn’t really find it that shocking. The nudity was functional. The rape scene in the (Sweedish) Girl with the dragon tattoo, now that was shocking and horrible to watch (though necessary for the story).

- The subject matter is not for everyone.

And for those of you still obsessed with the fassdong: yes, it’s huge.

Anyone who’s seen Shame and want to discuss it, please do! My ask is always open.
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Post by Admin Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:01 pm

sweetindielove:

I find it somewhat puzzling when I read people saying that they “loved Shame”. What exactly did you love about this film? Is it purely that Michael Fassbender starred in it? Was it that you got glimpses of his p****? That movie was very disturbing to watch, in my opinion. I don’t think I would watch it again for quite a while. It isn’t the kind of film a person can truly enjoy, or maybe I am wrong. Sex addiction is a serious problem and it is good that Steve McQueen wanted to address it. This film has great importance, showing how someone can live their life just going through the motions and not connecting on a deep level with anyone. It is very sad that there are people out there living this way. Anyway, with all that said, I feel that Shame was very well-written, well-acted, and well-directed and would recommend it to anyone who could handle the subject matter.
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Post by Admin Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:02 pm

http://www.theclapperbored.com/2012/02/05/shame/

Shame
Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Shame poses an interesting dilemma for me. I’ve got on record numerous times stating that the two most important things for a film to do are: a.) Engage and b.) Be attractive. Shame is both engaging and attractive but is so vapid that I found myself slightly alienated. Often profundity in cinema comes across as more superficial than the meretricious veneer of a film like Shame but, on this occasion, the polished performances and direction are all that is on show. It looks fantastic but treats its audience with a cold, calculated distance that damages the final product. This is the film that Drive managed to avoid being.

At the heart of it is the awesome man-of-the-moment Michael Fassbender who gives a towering performance as sex addict Brandon. The problem with the character is that we are not given any context or motivation, we are simply asked to accept Brandon’s situation and watch it unfold. But the iciness is increased by the anonymity of his location, his job, his sexual partners. It’s very much a deliberate directorial choice but the whole thing has the slightly passé feel of experimental shorts. I found myself yearning for some revelation that could give a glimmer of hope to Brandon but nothing came and the more I watched the less I cared about whether he found a resolution to his problems.

Into the mix is thrown Carey Mulligan’s Sissy, a singer whose life is a generic wreck. How exactly she lives or how exactly she’s gotten into her current predicament is left to the audience’s imagination (another example of the lack of motivation) but, in moving in with Brandon, she proves to be the catalyst for the film’s scant narrative propulsion. Her performance is excellent, as she always is, but the character is unlikeable and difficult to care for. She lacks the magnetism of Brandon, whose story arch seems more interesting, complex and developed. Her existence in the film, it would seem, is solely to put down claims of misogyny from the film’s potential detractors.

That’s not to make the film sound bad at all. The direction and cinematography are superb and the haunting feel of the movie is intoxicating. It’s disturbing in a way that only the finest pieces of cinema manage. The score is also a chilling delight, especially the recurring motif that follows Brandon on his sexual encounters across New York. In fact, if you’ve got to have a wholly superficial film then this is exactly how it ought to look.

A beautiful film that cannot muster the emotional resonance to make it as impactful as its subject matter and performances deserve.
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Post by Admin Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:08 pm

http://cloudsong.tumblr.com/post/17076640700/basically-here-is-what-i-got-out-of-shame

Basically, here is what I got out of Shame:

[WARNING: SPOILERS! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE AND PLAN TO DO NOT READ!]

This is the story of Brandon Sullivan and his sister Cissy. They had an incestuous relationship in the past and he still loves her. She doesn’t care for him as much as she once did. After all she’s the one who ended their relationship because she felt that what they were doing was wrong, while Brandon didn’t. He loves her too much to care. However, she leaves him and has no idea the damage this does to him. He is so broken up over what happens that the only way he is able to forget it, even if it is only for a moment, is to delve into the world of sex. He buys porn magazines, sleeps with every woman he sees, and joins a bunch of porn sites because he has to think about something other than Cissy. Who is gone. And he knows he’s never going to get her back.

It’s for this reason that when she comes back, Brandon can hardly stand it. Here is the girl he has been in love with all his life coming back to him after she left. She’s seeing the life that he now has and she is reminding him that he still loves her without meaning to. Every second he’s around her, he loves her more. And he goes off and has sex and watches porn in an attempt to forget her, but he can’t because she’s always there when he comes back. He can’t make her go away.

At first, he’s happy she’s returned. He thinks that there is a way they can restart their relationship and that things can change. This is why he agrees to go to see her sing and he cries when he hears her because he remembers whatever it is that happened in their past to cause the scars on her arms and hearing her sing now, looking so beautiful and happy and knowing that’s all a ruse makes him sad because all he’s ever wanted is for her to be happy.

When she sleeps with his boss, everything goes to s$#! and he realizes the relationship that he thought they could have isn’t going to happen. He leaves the apartment when he knows they’re going to have sex because he cannot be around to hear that and know it isn’t him who is making love to her. While this is happening, Cissy is trying to convince herself that she no longer loves Brandon and she does a pretty good job. Up until he kicks her out because he can’t deal with her being there anymore and knowing he can’t have her

When he leaves and goes out for however long, she tries to kill herself. In a way, Brandon is trying to get himself killed as well. He goes to a bar and fingers a girl that has a buff boyfriend. Once he leaves the bar, he gets his ass kicked by said boyfriend. He feels he deserves this because of everything that has been happening, so he doesn’t even try to fight back. After that, he heads to a club. The only reason he does this is because there was a guy making eyes at him across the street and he knows that, even though he isn’t gay, that guy can give him something to forget Cissy for a while. This is why he allows himself to be given a blowjob by a man. Of course, then there’s his threesome with the girls in some apartment and if you watch carefully, there is a point during that sex, he looks like he is about to burst into tears. This is because he knows Cissy is going to be gone soon and he’s never going to have another chance with her. And he’s just now realizing he never really did have a chance with her to begin with because she ended their first relationship and had no intention of starting a second.

It’s when he’s headed back to his apartment that he finally remembers her and this is only because someone jumped in front of the train, probably in an attempt to die. That’s when he remembers Cissy and how broken up she can get. He knows she’s probably been damaged somewhat severely by everything that has been happening and this is the first time he considers she could have done something terrible. He tries to call her and when she doesn’t pick up, he starts to panic. He runs home and finds her slumped against the bathroom sink, surrounded by blood. He holds her, tries to wake her, thinking all the while that this, this is his fault. He knows that it is his fault she tried to kill herself and he hates himself for that.

When he’s at the hospital with her, he finally truly sees the scars that are a result of her self-injury. He ghosts his fingers over them, wondering how on earth this could have happen, why he allowed it to happen, why he did nothing to help her.

She wakes up moments later and they have an emotional reunion. Brandon cries some more and probably admits that he still loves her. Cissy still doesn’t know if their relationship would really work, but she is willing to try because, if she’s going to be honest, she still loves him too.

When Brandon leaves the hospital, he walks and walks and walks, trying to get away from the nightmare back in that sterile, white room. However, when he can walk no more, he breaks down because he did this to her, because he still loves her and because he can’t have her, he knows that in his heart. Though they can have a relationship, be together, live together they can never get married and she could still leave him. This tears him apart because Cissy is the only person he will ever love. He won’t be able to love anyone else and he hates that it took him this long to figure this out.

At the very end of the movie, when the girl whom he was trying to get to sleep with him at the beginning of the film, starts eyeing him and suggesting that she wants that now, he only stares at her. He does nothing because he knows if he starts this up again, then he’s just going to end up being miserable and he has to at least try to get Cissy back. He knows that the only way he can do that is if he stops sleeping around and takes care of her. So he gives the woman a disgusted look and fills his head with thoughts of Cissy to get himself through the day because he loves her and she keeps him going.


Posted on Feb 4th, 2012 @ 11:30

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Post by Admin Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:25 pm

akinsman:

Kinsman Dissects: Shame (small spoiler warning).

I went to see Shame at the cinema with a couple of friends from my university. We saw it in a really tiny film theatre (max capacity, 75) and there were at least two walkouts that I noticed in the course of the film. I did a cinema module as part of my degree course last semester, and I thought I would have a look at the film in a critical light. Personally, I thought that both Michael Fassbender’s and Carey Mulligan’s performances were stellar, and it’s disgusting that the film got a total snub at the Oscars this year.

When my friends and I were discussing what we thought about the film, it suddenly occurred to me that there were several parallels that could be drawn between Michael Fassbender’s character and the media’s view of sex and women in modern times, whether McQueen intentionally put them in there or not. My points of comparison were:

Fassbender’s character struggles to have a non-sexual relationship with women, just as the media cannot stop objectifying women.
Any women that Fassbender cannot have a sexual relationship with (Mulligan plays his sister) he tries to ignore to avoid objectifying them. Mulligan represents the “average” woman then, who has a difficult relationship with her self-image.
Fassbender’s character is shown to have exhibitionist desires. This is the media’s obsessive interest in uncovering the sex lives of celebrity women.
Sex is not portrayed in a “beautiful” or “romantic” light, which puts the way the media portrays sex and women in the 21st century in a more realistic view than most films do. Sex any money are intrinsically linked, as are sex and the internet.
Fassbender’s character struggles with his own problems with sex and women. Whilst he is aware of his problems and attempts to stop them, as an addict, he cannot prevent himself from obsessing over them. This is how the media is now been attacked for its presentation of women and sex and how it both struggles against those attacks and concedes to them.
Ultimately, the film is unresolved. Whilst we know that the media is having a downright dangerous affect on ideas of sex, body image and other issues, particularly amongst women, but also now amongst men (as shown by the homosexual encounter in the film), the issue remains unresolved and potentially unending.

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Post by Admin Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:46 pm

cinemonologue:
Shame

Words cannot describe my disappointment. The film was dull, lifeless, and completely lacked any emotional depth of characters.

One can tell from my previous Shame post that I was excited for this film; I love Steve McQueen’s Hunger, and I love Michael Fassbender, AND I loved what I saw in the trailer. What I didn’t expect was the movie to essentially be a long-winded version of the trailer itself, skimming the surface of Brandon’s (Fassbender) sex addiction and not even bothering to expose anything about his tense relationship with his sister, or his obvious psychological issues which provoked the addiction in the first place.

McQueen was obviously taking the approach of film as art; we saw long, static close-ups of Sissy (Mulligan) crooning away in her somewhat unsuccessful American accent, as well as a montage of graphic sex scenes set to triumphant classical music (I will admit that Fassbender looked good naked). I so wanted to be swept up in the languid and indulgent cinematography but was instead bored. I was practically begging the camera to move; the scene to change; but no such relief was found.

Of course, there were some moments of cinematic brilliance; an impossibly long tracking shot of Brandon running through the streets of New York was utterly mesmerising; the fluidity and regularity between actor and camera was truly great. Another part of the film that I enjoyed (briefly) was the relationship between Brandon and co-worker, Marianne (Beharie). For the first time in the film, the dialogue had pace, and a sense of spontaneity, however this came to an end when Brandon lost the ability to perform sexually… (to resolve this somewhat awkward problem, no means were taken to provide an insight into his mind; instead, an expensive shot of energetic sex with a prostitute).

After reading a few reviews, it seems that many people adored the movie. Hmm, I fail to see the intimacy and compassion that the film is so heralded for. The few people that I spoke to about the film were entirely in agreement with me; it seemed an empty portrayal of addiction, and was neither engaging, nor particularly impressive.

I think I’ll leave it there; I could go on but I don’t want to become one of those crazy female critics who say every film is s$#!. I promise to do a positive review of something soon; perhaps the ole failsafe Jeux D’Enfants. Until then!
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Post by Admin Fri Feb 10, 2012 11:52 pm

sjmj91:
'Shame' review

Although Shame had begun and processed with a rather easy and short combination of a low budget at only £4.2 million, a very short duration during the shooting of the film that lasted up to 25 days and after its release, receiving a low box office taking - $9 million approximately, it earned its well-deserved positive critical acclaim despite it’s overly explicit sexual content that sealed it with an NC-17 rating in the US. Considering that there are films which either receive an NC-17 rating or anything mostly consisting of sex can be completely misunderstood for something involving pornography, Steve McQueen brings forth a film with a slight Stanley Kubrick and Bernardo Bertolucci-like style and approach to it that makes it a very gripping and magnificently filmed accomplishment with a very that leaves a very interesting but thought-provoking message.



Thirty-something Brandon Sullivan is a New York yuppie. He is also a sex addict who thinks about sex all the time when he’s not having sex. He surfs for porn on his work computer, masturbates often even in his office’s men’s room, and eyes strange women in whatever situation he’s in in the hopes of having quick anonymous sex with them. The arrival back into his life and his apartment of his sister Sissy Sullivan, from who he was estranged due to the emotional baggage associated, changes Brandon’s life, especially in what he can do in what used to be the privacy and sanctity of his apartment. Brandon’s life begins to spiral out of control following Sissy’s arrival. He gains a better understanding, albeit an unpleasant one, of his life following an incident involving Sissy.



Considering that the plot and the background passions that Brandon has and can occasionally become a bit awkward whilst watching the film, Shame expresses that mesmerising feeling of pure beauty behind it. It provides a whole new meaning to sex that we hadn’t really thought about before: the act as a whole is quite possibly the most passionate and pleasurable feeling one could ever endure but at the same time, this passion and pleasure could turn into something rather dangerous and become the biggest trap of all! Shame is one of those films that you’d watch where the story almost has absolutely nothing to do, therefore you cannot predict what is going to happen. So, what we have with Shame in that sense is that there are a few unexpected twists and turns around the corner.



Michael Fassbender has already broken through the layers of blockbuster triumphs and collaboration with famous directors after appearing in a vital role in Quentin Tarantino’s war film Inglourious Basterds and then progressed to renovate the role of Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto as a young man in X-Men: First Class. So, now with two different cinematic experiences on his shoulders, Fassbender goes on to portray yet another extraordinary role that hasn’t really been bought forth previously as we embark on his unorthodox adventures following his sexual passions and fantasies. Fassbender provides almost everything that you could ask for as we understand Brandon’s struggles that not only become deeply emotional but also rather horrifying at the same time. His performance is without a doubt one of the most powerful performances of 2011 and it will be very difficult for him to be able to pull off a stronger and more thought-provoking performance in the future than what he gave us here.



Alongside Michael Fassbender is the young and incredibly beautiful Carey Mulligan as Brandon’s sister. Mulligan has been recognised just like Ryan Gosling throughout 2011: delivered absolutely outstanding performances where she has been a strong and favoured Oscar contender for more than one film but has been completely shunned by the Academy. Her role as Sissy was occasionally all sweet and innocent but as we understood her a bit more, there turned this psychologically dangerous girl with a few problems. Another pointer about Mulligan in Shame is there is another whole new side to her that we hadn’t seen before: she is an absolutely fabulous singer! James Badge Dale becomes a huge effective character in his role as Brandon’s sleazy and flirty boss David, so he is yet another reason why Shame works in every aspect so exquisitely.



At approximately 40 years old, Steve McQueen makes only his second feature film throughout his entire career after 2008 biographical-drama Hunger, which also ironically starred Michael Fassbender. Together, they collaborate once more in another eccentric film that has identical filming and screenwriting aspects particularly to Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and Bertolucci’s Last Tango In Paris. It is the eerie and rather slow styles of camera angles especially in sexual scenes, unique forms of music and the occasional use of vulgar language. Each of this films as part of different generations provide the fact that film is a form of art in the various key aspects as well as for pure entertainment. McQueen’s next project Twelve Years A Slave in 2013 will become another exciting film to look forward to with Michael Fassbender appearing again.

Overall, Shame is one of those rare films that you’d watch and find both easy and difficult to watch on equal fronts as it expresses the pleasure and dangers of sex with a surreal and eerie approach to it. It is undoubtedly the greatest British film of 2011 and like many other public favourites; it has been snubbed massively by the Academy and Golden Globes! Shame could easily be described as a true dark horse of a film as it’s another great piece of art that becomes something very beautiful but also grippingly intense to watch.

RATING: 9/10

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Post by Admin Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:22 am

ostwinner:
Saw Shame tonight with the girls

I felt like half the film was agonising to watch.

Not because it was a bad film. Far from it. Shame is a great film for me because of how jarring it is at some points, as well as how it hits close to home in others.

You’re essentially watching a man f#%@#&! up his life behind closed doors (to use the expression) for 90 minutes, and every time you see him get on a train to go to work, you wonder if he’s going to do it over and over again.

I think Brandon is a good, if exaggerated, example of what it can be like to date in the modern world. Putting aside his addiction to the sex that can be found in pornography, I think Brandon possibly represents the type of person who entertains idealistic notions about what a relationship should be. However, because of the nature of the society he lives in, he cannot find that sort of relationship, or just can’t be bothered to try. It’s understandable that he could possibly think this way, since for most people there’s no such thing as ‘The One’, emotions can complicate things, and a marriage can be dissolved with ease these days. It’s no wonder that sex seems like an ‘easy’ alternative.

Sex then becomes an outlet for him, not just because it’s possible to just see it as gratification or no-strings attached, but because his experience of it through porn, makes it somewhat clinical for him. I don’t know about anyone else, but I get a very clinical view of sex from looking at porn. For Brandon, sex is like waking up the the morning, taking the train to work or turning on a computer at work. It’s just another automated daily routine for him.

The most agonising scene for me to watch was his date with Marianne. It was so awkward, but so real. I had a first date with someone that was full of awkward silences and lapses in conversation, so I was pretty much cringing throughout the entire scene.

Other things I enjoyed about the film were: the interaction between Brandon and Sissy that bordered on being slightly incestuous sometimes, the beautiful cinematography during the scene where Brandon was jogging through New York, and the strange juxtaposition of piano/orchestral pieces during sex scenes.

I think the pacing, long silences and drawn out scenes might be considered offputting, but I think that’s the effect Steve McQueen wanted for this film. You’re meant to sit there and agonise and get annoyed by the characters. At least that’s what I think.

Oh well, props to this film anyway!

P.S Michael Fassbender makes some really creepy faces in this one. They put Erik Lehnsherr’s faces to shame.
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Post by Admin Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:25 am

hopper-for-lucy:

I just saw this film a few hours ago and I’m finally up to writing a mini-essay on it.

The film is dark, confronting and unsettling. In no way does the film glorify sex. Whenever Brandon is f#%@#&! a woman, there is nothing beautiful about it. Steve McQueen shows that Brandon (because of his addiction) is frustrated, on edge and unsympathetic. When I was scrolling through the ‘Shame’ tracked tag on tumblr, I was disappointed to see that the only gifs being made were of Fassy’s d***, with the captions being “yummy” or something along the same lines. But to me, McQueen through his camera angles/techniques isn’t showing us how glorious Brandon is but how his addiction is ruining everything around him.

I think that McQueen created a really great balance between showing Brandon’s crumbling family life, how he interacts at his work and how his addiction over rules it all. The viewer can see that he has no emotional attachment to anyone whatsoever, except his computer which has all his porn stored on it. I was really frightened by that concept. Without giving to much away, the scene where Carey Mulligan (Sissy, his sister) is trying to convince Brandon that she is his only family and he should be caring for her, Brandon’s eyes are just blank and his responses are uncaring. When he tries to begin a relationship with a woman from his work, that fails too. McQueen shows that Brandon is a complete failure when it comes to communicating, hence his addiction. He’s not asking for comfort, love or companionship - and thats why he feels Shame afterwards.

I thought that the set design was really interesting as well. McQueen (just like in Hunger and his short films) favours long, uninterrupted shots. So when the film opens, I was staring at all the interiors (with giant glass windows and empty white walls) in a sort of awe, thinking “these places are really nice actually”. But as the film progresses I realised that these interiors reflect Brandon’s personality exactly. His work, his home are all traps - he is boxed in because his addiction isn’t allowing him to interact with the world on a healthy level. The walls are empty because Brandon can’t feel a wide range of emotions other than pleasure or shame. The film left me utterly depressed - there is a lot to think about addiction and how humiliation and anguish one feels and cannot escape from feeling.

I was talking to a few people too and most were not interested in the film because they think that its “too perverted” or “too sick”. But, on the other hand, when there is a film about a drinking problem or drug addiction, they’re more than happy to see it. The film needs to be given a chance because McQueen does really pay a lot of attention to the negative consequences of addiction. As I said before he isn’t glorifying anything about Brandon’s life. This addiction needs to be acknowledged by people, not pushed away (like what Brandon’s doing, what his boss does also).

Another reviewer actually, said that Michael Fassbender wasn’t nominated for an Oscar because the Academy does not like to see men “bare all”. But when a woman does so, she is commended. I really dislike that attitude, because Fassbender in this film really gives viewers a reason to feel and to think in the cinema. He is being brave to be part of such a story because it is not a popular one.

I hope that people see that there is more to the film than just Michael Fassbender and his appearance. McQueen isn’t making the viewer judge Brandon or anything, but rather giving an insight into Brandon’s crumbling world about a disease that seems to be becoming more of a problem in today’s society.
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Post by Admin Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:36 am

ninfanatic11990:
Finally saw "Shame"

Holy s$#!, was that amazing. I am seriously in awe of Michael right now. He did an excellent job with Brandon. Never in my life have I felt so…hopeless for a character. I had such a connection with the way he portrayed him and I felt so much pity. Wow, that movie definitely lived up to the hype. Carey Mulligan also did an excellent job. And of course, Steve McQueen did another amazing job, but that goes without saying. Now, I am even MORE angry about Michael not getting nominated for best actor because his work in this has got to be his best yet that I’ve seen.
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Post by Admin Sat Feb 11, 2012 12:42 am

ptjudgementday:
Shame

4.5/5 - Theatrical - Film #48 of 2012

Shame gives us a look into Brandon’s (Fassbender) life run by his addiction to sex. Early shots establish how Brandon deals with his sex addiction which controls his actions day and night. Brandon is a wealthy man accustomed to habit and routine. Brandon’s world is turned upside down when his sister Sissy (Mulligan) arrives unannounced and needs a place to stay.

Brandon’s private life becomes transparent and difficult to hide with Sissy crashing on his couch. Brandon and Sissy behave differently from one another. There is a simultaneous distance/closeness between the two. It’s as if both are on guard around each other constantly.

I tip my hat to McQueen (Director) for extracting wonderful performances out of Fassbender and Mulligan. I believed the trio would be nominated for Oscars: Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress but unfortunately they were not recognized.

I hesitate to discuss the major plot points with you. Give McQueen’s first film Hunger a try. If you enjoyed Hunger, brace yourself and watch Shame. McQueen is a Director to look for in the future. Just a matter of time before he takes home an Oscar for Best Director.
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Post by Admin Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:58 pm

endorwitch:
Saw Shame finally....
okies. Not really a review. Just some thoughts. None of the sex scenes were particularly sexy. Apart from the scene with Marianne, they just looked like what they were - an addict getting his fix.

When Sissy shows up unexpectedly. Ok i know they have things from their past that make them act the way they do now…i could understand all of it EXCEPT when he bashes into the bathroom thinking its a burglar and its just sissy have a shower and they stand there yelling at each other and all she does when he throws her a towel is dry her face… WHAT??? NO!!
stand nekkid in front of my bro or sis (or my parents even)??? HELL NO!!!!!!1

The bit where Sissy crawls into Brandons bed coz she is cold and he tells her to get out. then yells at her…..normal behaviour sure….but he had said SO little till that point in the film it was kinda shocking.

the scene that had all the gifs made from it. yeah between sissys phone call at the start and brandons face at the end. killed me.
michael - f#%@#&! hell - your face man. when you do emotions. jesus f#%@#&! christ.
you and mcavoy should do more films together where you both just emote all over the f#%@#&! place…they wouldnt know WHO to give the academy award to!

I am kind of disappointed they didnt have the scenes that were in teh script i read at the start and beginning he is in some therapy group trying to work on his probs…but i guess its kind of cool - it leaves it totally open ended so you can think and wonder what will happen to brandon and sissy.

only thanks to michael and his superb acting did i connect and feel in anyway for brandon. usually the scenes with sissy got to me the most. i really connected with her. carey is amazing. has she played any other roles as full on as that?
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Post by Admin Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:18 pm

littlebumpkin:
'SHAME' Film Review

SHAME (2011)

Director: Steve McQueen


It’s always interesting to hear people’s opinions of a film they’ve just taken 90 minutes out of their busy and exciting lives to sit and watch. Most people don’t stay until the end of the credits. I used to be one of them. Now, I’m an attentive and appreciative film student (or would like to think so), I sit until the very end, watching every credit as it rolls across the black screen. I also begin to eavesdrop on the conversations of audience members who filter quickly out of the auditorium; eager, now that the illusion is over, to go out and fill the empty voids within their schedules. On this occasion, it was the ignorant comment of a man sat a row behind me, as the title ‘SHAME’ presented itself on screen that caught my special attention. “Why would you wanna make a film about a guy who likes to wank all the time?” I had to laugh at this. Needless to say that this poor man is not in the least bit artistically inclined.

You’ll have to excuse my snobbery when I admit this, but when I go to see a film in a multiplex, surrounded by members of the public, straight away I feel like I know more than they do regarding what’s about to be shown on screen. They are passive spectators, unable to admit how much a film actually influences the way they think about things or carry out their lives, even if it’s in the smallest way possible. I may be wrong when I say this (though I’m probably not), but- when you’ve paid to watch a film about a sex addict who spends a great deal of his time prowling the shadows of New York City, engaging in animalistic and masochistic behaviour with the night sky as his alibi- you expect to see some wanking. It fits in with the whole ‘genre expectation’ thing. A psychological erotic thriller (and categorising Shame is no easy task), means lots of close ups on writhing body parts, explicit dirty talk and a blunt medium-close up of Michael Fassbender’s rather sizeable endowment before the film even reaches mid-feature length.


However, the concept of Shame is much more than the humping that rocks the surface. To me, this is a film about psychological entrapment and the grotesque human punishment that stems from the impregnation of self-hatred and loss of self-worth. Characters pass through large, empty spaces, stalking their own reflections in glass walls, windows and mirrors in a thought provoking motif that echoes the title of Steve McQueen’s fearless movie. The clinical aesthetics of the protagonist’s apartment resonate with the eerie and sadistic living space of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Although, instead of Fassbender chasing women around with a chainsaw, he occupies a setting in which the hollow emptiness framed is filled with obsessive compulsive tendencies towards sex and self-loathing with references to cybersex, porn and a great deal of wanking.

The relationship between brother and sister, performed by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, is one that I questioned because of its incestual implications throughout the film, though I soon began to realise that this draws parallels between both siblings’ disturbed lives and ultimately, makes them compatible as humans; one craves love from anything that moves and cannot function without it, while the other is unable to permeate his sexual construct with the vulnerability that love can cause. Profound stuff for a film about ‘… a guy who wanks all the time’, right? That’s because the audience member who sat behind me throughout this evocative film was wrong. Furthermore, he was disturbed, which means the film worked in its psychological affect on human conscience. This guy probably wanks far too much in an attempt to satisfy his quench for life and is just too afraid to admit it. And he probably loved the frank shot of Fassbender’s big willy.

Suffice to say, he was Shame’d.

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Post by Admin Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:22 pm

filmstudies101:

Shame ****1/2

I finally went and saw Shame after eagerly awaiting for about 6 months! Lets just say I was not the least bit disappointed, It exceeded my expectations in every single way. The style and direction was obviously Mcqueen style and similar to Hunger which is such a treat from every other film that comes out: ever! The thing that puts it above the rest is the slow and patient camera, the takes are incredibly long (for example an awkward dinner date with a single shot, single camera set up that lasts about 12 minutes but somehow remains so captivating and engaging). These long simplistic takes give it a breathe of fresh air, they let you soak in everything that is going on in the scene. The dialogue and acting is also so incredibly real and raw. No fancy monologues, no witty one liners, just real life awkward, raw speech. The spiral of Brandon’s addiction is portrayed so well. He goes to such lengths to dull the pain: he needs his fix. Fassbender is absolutely spellbinding in Shame, he doesn’t need to say a single word but with a glance he can say what a two page monologue can not. His performance is so raw and (literally and emotionally) naked and laid bare for everyone to see. As well as Carey Mulligan who was so broken and longing for connection that the first instance of praise is taken as a proposal. There are clearly not enough words for me to describe my appreciation for this film and the only thing that can do it justice is to go and see it! In my opinion it was completely snubbed at the Oscars and every other awards show of late. Fassbender shoudl have won them all but let alone not even be nominated for the Oscar?!?!?!?!?! Who do they think they are? As well as Mulligan who wasn’t even mentioned anywhere this awards season. It’s unfortunate because it is films like this that will be talked about for years to come, and not just “that one black and white silent film”.
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Post by Admin Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:22 pm

filmnerdthoughts:

Film Review: Shame (2011) Dir. Steve Mcqueen

Synopsis: In New York City, Brandon’s carefully cultivated private life — which allows him to indulge his sexual addiction, is disrupted when his sister Sissy arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay.

I’m note sure whether it was all the coffee I drank during the screening or the film itself but I walked out of this film physically shaken. I’m betting it was a bit of both. There is only one word to describe Steve McQueens second feature film: flawless.

Flawless direction, score, cinematography and of course performances. As I sometimes follow the Oscars, I was really disgusted (yes, I use that word) that this film has been completely snubbed by the Academy and for that reason, I will not be watching this year (Crosses arms angrily like a non-conformist!). Not that I think Steve McQueen or Michael Fassbender give a s$#!, Fassbender received best actor at the Venice Film Festival. I really do think it’s the Europeans who reward the best cinema whereas Hollywood is ruled by the production companies and will reward films and performances they can make money from. Because Shame is too dark and adult for mainstream audiences, it will not be rewarded by the Oscars. Whatever.

Fassbender had me in tears at one point. For those of you who have seen the film, you know which moment it is; one camera shot and Brandon is standing in the rain sobbing like a child. It’s heartbreaking because here is a human being like so many; stubborn, cut off from the world and others, frightened and has no idea what to do,who he is and why he is so f&%$#& up. You’re basically watching a person have a complete mental breakdown here and a struggle with their addiction.

I loved that I had no idea where this film was going, how was it going to end? I loved that McQueen didn’t make a cheap exploitive film (the viewers rocking up to see a bit of porn will be sadly faced with having to look at themselves). McQueen holds that camera and watches his actors perform and reveal and it’s so beautiful to see. I know a lot of film scholars and Psychologists can go to town on analysing this film and I’m sure there will be lots of PHD’s written about it. I loved the scenes between Fassbender and Mulligan; they are truly exceptional. The couch scene where Brandon and Sissy are arguing in front of a cartoon is just brilliant.

Honest, brutal, electrifying, frightening. It is the human condition on display here and it is beautiful and tragic. What a film.

My rating: 5/5 *****

Sissy: We’re not bad people Brandon. We just come from a bad place.

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Post by Admin Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:26 pm

altmil:

45/365 - Shame

Wow. I don’t even know where to begin with this movie. I guess I can start by saying the fact that it got zero nominations, like Drive, is completely ridiculous. The acting, the writing, the cinematography, the directing. Everything was just amazing. This beyond lived up to expectations. Emotionally this hit me over and over and it’s still with me. Everyone who hasn’t seen it should go see it as soon as it’s possible for them.

9.5/10
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Post by Admin Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:21 pm

justcallmesun:
movies i saw: shame

image

we are not bad people, we just come from a bad place

Shame, starring Michael Fassbender (major crushing right now) and Carey Mulligan, directed by Steve McQueen, is the most provocative and interesting film I’ve seen so far in 2012.

What’s it about? IF you are uncomfortable with sexuality in movies, this is one to avoid (if you didn’t know that already). Shame centers around Brandon, a middle aged man with a sex addiction and how his addiction both affects and is affected by his relationship with his sister, Sissy. There’s a lot of drinking. There’s a lot of swearing. There’s a whole lot of sex.

The people: What I find most amazing is no matter how short Steve McQueen’s directorial career may be so far, he was so uninhibited and daring in the making of this movie. He goes beyond what many fear to do. He combines the deepest depths of human sorrow and self-loathing with raw sexuality and a probing into the concept of love. It’s also clear why McQueen favors Fassbender for his films, he is amazing. This is a completely brave performance and he executed it perfectly. Not one moment did it feel forced or superficial. Every nuance, every look, every intonation felt very real. So real, in fact, that it made me kind of uncomfortable at times. I love it when movies do that. Probe into the viewer’s feelings and create emotion rather than simply purveying it. Fassbender’s chemistry with Mulligan was also one of the strongest points of this film, as was Mulligan herself. The entire movie draws on parallels between Brandon and Sissy to fully encompass all of Brandon’s feelings of self-loathing and disappointment and loneliness. The two fit like a glove together and combined, gave one of the most stirring at compelling relationship I’ve seen portrayed on film in a while.

Extras: The set design contributed perfectly to the feeling of the entire movie, but I find it was the music that really set the mood for me. As soon as the movie starts, you hear a somewhat eerie, haunting melody that reappears throughout the film. Other times, you hear classical music weaving through the story, providing a juxtaposition with Brandon’s anger and frustration. Perfect.

Favorite Scene: Although so many scenes in this movie are memorable, my favorite would have to be when Brandon and David are watching Sissy perform, and Brandon lets out a few tears. There’s so much in that one scene. For a good 5 minutes, you get nothing but Mulligan’s voice, and in the few seconds of silence between verses, there’s this complete silence which lends a feeling of slight dread and tension, but also the weirdest feeling of comfort. And Brandon shedding tears watching his sister just encompasses their entire relationship. How he doesn’t want her to end up like him. How he feels like he’d be a disappointment if she ever knew what he was. How he knows that not even his own sister can help him fight his urges.

If you are into daring movies, this film is a must watch. If you are only seeing it because you heard about Michael Fassbender’s p****, then I hope that when the movie ends, you take something away from it other than ‘that was a weird movie why did Fassbender wank so much?’. Appreciate this movie for what it is, because it is one of the most memorable I’ve seen in a long time.
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