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Pick of the week: A violent, sexy and startling love story
Craig Brewer’s crowdpleaser about a pimp dreaming of music fame is anchored by strong performances from Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, and Taryn Manning. Howard plays Djay, while Henson and Manning are Shug and Nola, two of his girls. Hot-tempered and passionate, Djay begins making tracks with his friend Key (Anthony Anderson), and discovers he has a gift for lyrics. The catchy original soundtrack helps sell the story, as Djay’s songs seem to actually have a chance at getting radio play. While the strip club setting provides ample shots of semi-nude women, Djay and Shug’s sweet romance gives the film its emotional core and shows a softer side to Djay (and his temper). Their undeniable chemistry leads the previously timid Shug to throw down a sexy hook, her raspy croon on “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” making Henson’s star power glaringly obvious. —JD
Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age film won the Jury Prize at Cannes, telling the story of a young girl from Oklahoma who escapes her brutal household to pursue a salacious affair with a would-be cult leader played by Shia LaBeouf. The film is one of the best uses of LaBeouf’s talents to date, and turned its star Sasha Lane into an indie film darling. The relationship between its two leads is complicated and often problematic, with the film reaching no easy answers about their relationship. But the sex scenes, often shot very closely, are simultaneously sexy and intimate while conveying exactly why this girl chooses this man to help her escape reality. —CZ
To describe Sebastian Lelio’s “Disobedience” as “sexy” is in some ways an injustice. While the film notably features girl-on-girl sex, the subject matter is decidedly unsexy, telling the story of a lesbian who was ostracized from the Orthodox Jewish community for her lifestyle and reconnects with a past love when she returns for her father’s funeral. The film’s use of sex is extremely nuanced, using it to advance a bittersweet storyline rather than turn viewers on. But no matter how complex the film is, it will likely always be remembered for an infamous sex scene in which Rachel Weisz spits into Rachel McAdams’ mouth. —CZ
With its three-person blowjob circle, non-simulated sex scenes including ejaculation, and close-up of a pee stream unleashing into a bathtub, “Shortbus” is not for everyone. It’s an ambitious film, one that attempts to have fun, be sexy, and tell a good story. If anyone could pull it off, it would be the man behind “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” John Cameron Mitchell. “Shortbus” feels as much like an ensemble comedy as a playful experiment, though the two main characters are a sex therapist who’s never had an orgasm and a retired gay sex worker experimenting with opening up his relationship. With their partners, they both begin attending a weekly artist and sex salon, each hoping inspiration will strike. Mitchell wanted to use sex in new cinematic ways, “because it’s too interesting to be left to porn.” If it’s interesting sex you want, “Shortbus” has got it. —JD
