It’s been a banner year for American cinemas and sex, arriving at a point where anything worth talking about in film (or so it seems) has to do with this curious new obsession with the flesh. Recently, we’ve had Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s sex addiction comedy “Don Jon,” a DVD sequel to ’90s adult catastrophe “Showgirls” and the Palme d’Or winner “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” which is already courting controversy for its explicit lesbian sex scenes.
While Europeans might shrug over sex-themed films, American film discourse has never been quite so steamy. In their first column of fall quarter, columnist Tony Huang welcomes this expansion of taste while columnist Sebastian Torrelio takes a rare disdainful side in this week’s Love|Hate.
BY TONY HUANG
A&E; contributor
thuang@media.ucla.edu
I don’t mean to unequivocally endorse “Don Jon” or “Showgirls 2,” movies which, to me, seem unlikely to be totally successful. But I’ve found it gratifying to see film culture trending toward a more open exploration of sexuality, even if the larger profile attempts might prove distasteful.
I’m certainly no fan of Ryan Gosling’s foray into the shock-provocative, a la this year’s “Only God Forgives” or his in-gestation Christina Hendricks sexually themed project. And I certainly don’t adore “Showgirls,” which has gained some puzzling contrarian supporters in recent years.
But then I see the mass media pouncing on Abdellatif Kechiche’s directorial practices on “Blue Is the Warmest Color” as if he were sexually abusing his stars and I wonder if film discourse couldn’t handle some provocation in this area – that we’re ready to bare flesh as well as soul. It’s a very American concept that movies must be wholesome and pure, that any reference to eroticism must be filtered through euphemism.
I like that sex is cool again, even if the films might not be great (yet). I hope that the succession of racy films (like “Spring Breakers”) keeps succeeding, and that someday they won’t incite outrage for the mere concept of people in scanty clothing.
My hope is that the new focus on bedroom matters will finally pull the vibrant American independent scene into a larger cultural focus – the long-derided, rarely acknowledged mumblecore film movement would in particular benefit from broader acceptance of sexual themes.
If it takes a Joseph Gordon-Levitt “sexcapade” to get directors like Joe Swanberg to make a foray into mainstream filmmaking (Swanberg’s “Drinking Buddies” recently corralled a surprising A-list cast for what is essentially an art project), then so be it – I for one welcome the steamy new future of American filmmaking. Maybe someday we won’t need the French to adapt our lesbian coming-of-age stories.
— Email Tony if you have an opinion of his “love” side at thuang@media.ucla.edu.
BY SEBASTIAN TORRELIO
A&E; senior staff
storrelio@media.ucla.edu
Two recent films in particular come to mind. The first, “Thanks For Sharing,” stars Mark Ruffalo as one of three average citizens in New York City overcoming his sexual addiction. The other two characters are played competently by Tim Robbins and Josh Gad with their own respective love interests, but of course Ruffalo is the main character, so his love interest gets to be played by Gwyneth Paltrow.
I’m not saying that sexual addiction isn’t a real issue, but when a film such as “Thanks For Sharing” plays it off with predictable soap opera romantic comedy antics, it’s hard to concern oneself at all.
The second, “Adore,” takes an even bigger step back. Starring Naomi Watts and Robin Wright as two members of some horribly disfigured love pentagon-ish shape, the film makes sexual relationships and drama utterly laughable.
“Adore” uses artistic filmmaking as an excuse to play off of a script that could have very well been adapted from a Lonely Island song – a story so preposterous that I’m not refraining from detailing it in this column because of spoilers, but because I don’t believe I have the ability to.
Point is, it’s getting tiring. I had the fortunate opportunity to see “Don Jon” last spring, and although the plot follows the same completely revolving-around-sexualization style, Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings enough fun and Jersey Shore-parodying to provide for an entertaining premise. If filmmakers could learn to bring enough originality into their scripts, perhaps the problem wouldn’t be as apparent.
But then again, there’s always more. Such as Lars von Trier’s two-part magnum project “Nymphomaniac,” about the 50-year life span of a girl who at some point comes in contact with members of a cast including Shia LaBeouf and Jamie Bell to do who knows what.
Or everyone’s recent obsession with casting “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Which brings up an interesting idea – maybe we should make a petition to stop all this madness. Then Hollywood would surely listen to us.
— Email Sebastian if you have an opinion of his “hate” side at storrelio@media.ucla.edu.