I’ve said it before; if not on this blog, then elsewhere …

I love chick flicks, especially of the romantic comedy sort. Perhaps it comes from being raised by women; or perhaps I just have a keenly defined sense of the aesthetic and am not afraid to let my self experience emotion (except in terms of my own relationships, in which I’m deathly afraid to do so).

I just finished watching The Jane Austen Book Club. The Netflix blurb has this to say about the film:

Six book club members find their lives resemble a modern-day version of Jane Austen’s novels in this drama. Sylvia’s (Amy Brenneman) husband of 20-plus years has walked out; Jocelyn (Maria Bello) breeds dogs to escape loneliness; Prudie (Emily Blunt) dreams of other men; Bernadette (Kathy Baker) hopes to find Mr. Right; Allegra (Maggie Grace) has issues with her girlfriend; and Grigg (Hugh Dancy), the only man, wonders why he’s even in the club.

It’s so much more, actually … for one, it’s not truly a drama, although it has a few dramatic moments, the film is presented with much more of a light note, showing the humor that can be found in even the most difficult of situations.

It’s a complex exploration of relationships, not only romantically, but betwixt the characters of the film itself. The sole male member of the club cannot make the first move on the woman with whom he is in love, even though she (in complete denial of her own feelings towards him) pushes him towards another member. A teacher, whose own marriage is falling apart, finds herself falling for a student … will she be able to resist the temptation?

Perhaps I should pick up one or two (or all six) of Miss Austen’s novels to find out what so captivated the characters in the film, as well as the novel on which it was based.

Fabulous lunch with the the short one today at Cafe Niche on 3rd South and 8th East, just northeast of Trolley Square. Don’t know if it was the atmosphere, the food or the company, but this was definitely one of the best lunches I have had in awhile.

After dropping Jennie off, had a good chat with Scotty about the state of life, the weather, wine, and skiing.

Am now watching the Film Independent Spirit Awards on IFC, trying to get ideas for more movies to put in the Netflix queue. Thus far, the most promising film appears to be I’m Not There, directed by Todd Haynes.

Just got done watching the film Shortbus, written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell (of Hedwig and the Angry Inch fame).

This was one of the most fascinating movies I’ve seen in a long time …

I was first drawn in by the description of the film on Netflix.com, which describes the film as:

Director John Cameron Mitchell delivers an unbridled look at the New York City underground, focusing on a group of hipsters who frequent a downtown club renowned for its lascivious ways. Through graphic polymorphous sexual couplings — and using an ensemble cast composed largely of first-time actors — the film chronicles each character’s erotic journey of self-discovery in a raw and riveting fashion.

Other than the above description, I knew very little about the film other than that it appeared as a suggestion on Netflix due to other films I have seen, and I just stuck it in the queue because it seemed interesting.

Then, last night, IFC showed the final, “Extremes” episode of their Indie Sex series of short documentaries. The documentary discussed how sex has been portrayed in independent film throughout the years, and how in recent times, filmmakers are really pushing the envelope even further by incorporating unsimulated sex into their films. Some call it pornographic, but others call it art … I think it really comes down to how the sex is portrayed.

In any case, one of the films discussed in this episode was, in fact, Shortbus …

The film itself has an interesting amalgam of characters, including a married couples-counselor/sex-therapist (played by Sook-Yin Lee) who has never had an orgasm herself, a gay couple who are wondering if they should open up their relationship, and a dominatrix who has troubles connecting with people on an emotional level.

I didn’t really expect the sex scenes to be quite as graphic as they actually were; but the manner in which they were filmed really did bring it out of the world of pornography, and into the realm of art. This flim wasn’t your typical XXX fuck-fest, but really explored the characters’ development and motivations; the emotions were very real, as were the orgasms, both male and female.

Included on the DVD version which I watched is also a documentary called “Gifted and Challenged: The Making of Shortbus”, which is quite captivating in-and-of itself.