Shame 2011 - Blu-ray Forum

BluraySe7en · 11-21-2011, 07:06 PM

Shame 2011

Having blazed the screen in 2008 with his hugely controversial début Hunger, Turner prize winning director Steve McQueen has followed it up with no less risky Shame, having approached a political hot potato with his first film chooses that other subject that gets people riled, Sex! McQueen choosing to utilise his leading man from his début the exceptional Michael Fassbender.

Fassbender is Irishman Brandon who now resides in New York, an incredibly private man and single, which allows him to indulge in his sex addiction. When his younger and unstable sister Sissy ( Carey Mulligan) turns up uninvited at his apartment, Brandon feels trapped unable to indulge in his addiction comfortably. Sissy a club singer who chooses to come and go unpredictably forcing Brandon to question his lifestyle, choosing to ignore her cries for help coupled with his own mental state, things quickly spiralling out control as his condition leads him into the darkest of places.

McQueen in his début seemed to wear his artist credentials big and bold, 10 minute sequences of a prison guard mopping urine from Hunger, here he is more restrained but his distinctive style is still up there on the screen. Opening the film with a montage of Brandon's lifestyle, framed beautifully but capturing the mechanical actions of his addiction with brutal clarity New York photographed with an unrelenting nightmarish bleakness, returning cinematographer Sean Bobbitt assisting again making a formidable team. Harry Escott providing a powerful minimal score.

Mulligan an actress of incredible talent has never been so magnetic, a hugely brave and stark portrayal, both with Fassbender, particularly a scene where Sissy sings a stripped down version of New York New York, McQueen focusing up close on her face as she intones beautifully while cutting back to Brandon's reaction to the performance, both Mulligan and Fassbender's readings giving the such emotional resonance to the sequence.

Fassbender who seems to one of the busiest actors around already having clocked up a major role in a Hollywood blockbuster, a new reading of Jane Eyre and the forthcoming David Cronenberg film Dangerous Method alongside Viggo Mortensen this year gives what is undoubtedly his most impressive riveting performance to date the pain etched on his face. Sequences going from humour to outright horror with Fassbender alongside Mulligan simply electrifying.

McQueen and Fassbender looking to team up for a third time for a future project in pre production Twelve Years a Slave (alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor with also the surprise casting of one Brad Pitt) seem to be continuing their partnership and on evidence of Hunger and now this their second film is a pairing which is hoped will flourish not unlike other actor director pairings of the past.

This is adult film making with a capital A and considering the amount of sexual imagery on display it is a testament to McQueen and his team that this at no point becomes titillating, their will be those who cry pornography and have already but this is by no means an arousing experience, an assault on the senses and an emotional journey. Shame maybe it's title but it is anything but a Shameful achievement for it's cast and crew.

* * * * *

Wally Q · 11-21-2011, 07:09 PM

A second trailer was released the other day; first I'd seen any footage of the film. I'm totally impressed. If I can make it to an art-house two hours from me to see it, I totally will.

Caesar Will Rise · 11-22-2011, 01:01 AM

I might check it out on Blu. For Michael Fassbender. I still need to see Jane Eyre.

The_Basterd · 11-22-2011, 03:16 AM

I saw this @ the TIFF Premiere in September with Fassbender and the Director in attendance.

I f*cking LOVED IT!

Fassbender & Mulligan's performances =

It's my 2nd favorite film of the year, and I can't wait to finally see it again in less than three weeks.

MikeScott · 12-03-2011, 12:04 AM

Anyone lucky enough to see it this weekend? Looks like an amazing film but no way it opens here. My chain already said they won't show it because it's NC-17. Anyone who can see this should go. If it can do well enough maybe it can erase the stigma of the NC-17 rating. My theater did say if it does well enough they may re-consider showing it. So if you can, please support it.

Cinemach · 12-03-2011, 03:59 AM

Checked this out after work this evening. I was surprised at first at the full house, and even more (pleasantly) surprised that there were no obnoxious titters and laughter, unlike my screening for Drive earlier this year. Then again, that was at a Regal, this was at a Landmark - different audiences. End of digression.

This was a pretty damn good picture. I wasn't too impressed with Hunger, so that kinda objectified my outlook, at least I think so; but the maturation of McQueen directorially is manifold. First, the acting - at least from the leads - is fantastic. Fassbender is trying to set a Guiness World-Record for magnificent performances in a calendar year, and Mulligan gets to show some chops after kinda being on the sidelines in that regard in Drive (though she was good and effective there).

I figure the NC-17-ness partly attributed to the packed house(s) at my theater, but those looking to be 'shocked' and/or 'titilated' are in for a disappointment as quite frankly the violence in Drive is more graphic than any sex in this picture. *Kinda big-->

[Show spoiler]

.

The script is pretty bare, and there are not much details to be gleamed

[Show spoiler]

- greater particulars are filled in by performance and imagery. And in this area I believe McQueen shines in Shame in a way I just didn't get out of his previous effort. He ventures into Antonioni territory with his ability to primatize framing and image to drive the story, above other plot considerations, and that might be what to come to expect out of his future efforts.

Recommended, with the caveats for explicit sex & male/female nudity (but you already knew that). 9/10

Hawkguy · 12-03-2011, 04:25 AM

I saw it tonight. Liked it far more than 'Hunger'. Can't wait for it to be released, I already want to watch it over again.

Wally Q · 12-03-2011, 04:47 AM

I've got this sneaky suspicion that it's going to be a long wait to see this. If my local theaters didn't get Blue Valentine last year, I definitely don't see this opening up unless it sleeps its way into the Best Picture lineup.

Sorry for the terrible play on words.

Moleman1138 · 12-03-2011, 04:54 AM

All my local indie theater's site is saying "soon" But what is "soon?" We're getting A Dangerous Method in January and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in a few weeks.

Wally Q · 12-03-2011, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moleman1138

All my local indie theater's site is saying "soon" But what is "soon?" We're getting A Dangerous Method in January and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in a few weeks.

So much independent cinema and neither the time to see or art house theaters to watch them at. I wish I lived in the LA area and had either Laemmle or Arclight to rely on.

Someday...

jvince · 12-03-2011, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Basterd

I saw this @ the TIFF Premiere in September with Fassbender and the Director in attendance.

I f*cking LOVED IT!

Fassbender & Mulligan's performances =

It's my 2nd favorite film of the year, and I can't wait to finally see it again in less than three weeks.

Fassbender and Mulligan are two of my favorite actors right now, so I'm definitely gonna see this.

Dave_6 · 12-03-2011, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvince

Fassbender and Mulligan are two of my favorite actors right now, so I'm definitely gonna see this.

I've enjoyed Fassbender in everything I've seen him in and I fell in love with Mulligan after seeing Drive.

Evra · 12-03-2011, 02:24 PM

One question to those who have seen it:

Does

[Show spoiler]

If no, kindly spoil the ending for me. =)

Hawkguy · 12-03-2011, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evra

One question to those who have seen it:

Does

[Show spoiler]

If no, kindly spoil the ending for me. =)

[Show spoiler]

Hawkguy · 12-03-2011, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_6

I've enjoyed Fassbender in everything I've seen him in and I fell in love with Mulligan after seeing Drive.

Despite every other aspect being of it being excellent, he was my favorite part of the film.

MikeScott · 12-03-2011, 08:03 PM

I've loved Mulligan since seeing An Education. She's a wonderful actress and is great in everything (An Education, Never Let Me Go, Drive, hell, even Wall Street 2). I can't wait to see her in this. I just wish theaters would get over this damn stigma about NC-17 films. Nothing wrong with having a rating that shows the movie is for mature adult audiences. I'm considering making a trip to Minneapolis to see this, which is 3 hours from me. I think it's important to support it on the big screen. I usually try and support independent films anyway, but with the NC-17 rating it's even more important to support this one. I'm tired of censorship.

Quilty · 12-04-2011, 06:06 PM

This film is excellent. It's moody, seedy, and a bit haunting. The performances from Fassbender and Mulligan were phenomenal. There was one theater within 50 miles that played it here, and I drove to the heart of Washington DC to catch it. Well worth it

For those who have seen it and have any insight on the relationship between Brandon and Sissy, please PM me, I have some questions and would love to hear your thoughts.

MikeScott · 12-06-2011, 08:40 AM

9 more theaters will be added this weekend for a total of 19.

Quilty · 12-06-2011, 11:35 PM

My brother, who lives in Los Angeles, just caught a showing and loved it as well. The more we talk about it, the more I want to see it again. Carey Mulligan is still stuck on my mind, what a great performance

thelittleprince · 12-10-2011, 05:41 AM

Finally got the chance to watch this tonight. Definitely one of the best films of the year-- the raw performances from Fassbender and Mulligan, the great supporting cast, the long takes and lingering shots that haunts and can make you uncomfortable, the daring yet not exploitative sex scenes, and the feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the crowded streets and subways of NYC. 5/5

11-21-2011, 07:06 PM	#1
BluraySe7en Senior Member Member since:Feb 2010 Location:Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, U.K 4K collection:198 Blu-ray collection:405 DVD collection:2 Blu-ray reviews: 9	Shame 2011 Shame 2011 Having blazed the screen in 2008 with his hugely controversial début Hunger, Turner prize winning director Steve McQueen has followed it up with no less risky Shame, having approached a political hot potato with his first film chooses that other subject that gets people riled, Sex! McQueen choosing to utilise his leading man from his début the exceptional Michael Fassbender. Fassbender is Irishman Brandon who now resides in New York, an incredibly private man and single, which allows him to indulge in his sex addiction. When his younger and unstable sister Sissy ( Carey Mulligan) turns up uninvited at his apartment, Brandon feels trapped unable to indulge in his addiction comfortably. Sissy a club singer who chooses to come and go unpredictably forcing Brandon to question his lifestyle, choosing to ignore her cries for help coupled with his own mental state, things quickly spiralling out control as his condition leads him into the darkest of places. McQueen in his début seemed to wear his artist credentials big and bold, 10 minute sequences of a prison guard mopping urine from Hunger, here he is more restrained but his distinctive style is still up there on the screen. Opening the film with a montage of Brandon's lifestyle, framed beautifully but capturing the mechanical actions of his addiction with brutal clarity New York photographed with an unrelenting nightmarish bleakness, returning cinematographer Sean Bobbitt assisting again making a formidable team. Harry Escott providing a powerful minimal score. Mulligan an actress of incredible talent has never been so magnetic, a hugely brave and stark portrayal, both with Fassbender, particularly a scene where Sissy sings a stripped down version of New York New York, McQueen focusing up close on her face as she intones beautifully while cutting back to Brandon's reaction to the performance, both Mulligan and Fassbender's readings giving the such emotional resonance to the sequence. Fassbender who seems to one of the busiest actors around already having clocked up a major role in a Hollywood blockbuster, a new reading of Jane Eyre and the forthcoming David Cronenberg film Dangerous Method alongside Viggo Mortensen this year gives what is undoubtedly his most impressive riveting performance to date the pain etched on his face. Sequences going from humour to outright horror with Fassbender alongside Mulligan simply electrifying. McQueen and Fassbender looking to team up for a third time for a future project in pre production Twelve Years a Slave (alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor with also the surprise casting of one Brad Pitt) seem to be continuing their partnership and on evidence of Hunger and now this their second film is a pairing which is hoped will flourish not unlike other actor director pairings of the past. This is adult film making with a capital A and considering the amount of sexual imagery on display it is a testament to McQueen and his team that this at no point becomes titillating, their will be those who cry pornography and have already but this is by no means an arousing experience, an assault on the senses and an emotional journey. Shame maybe it's title but it is anything but a Shameful achievement for it's cast and crew. *** * * * ***

12-03-2011, 03:59 AM	#6
Cinemach Special Member Member since:Feb 2011 4K collection:6 Blu-ray collection:415 DVD collection:67 Trading Score:24	Checked this out after work this evening. I was surprised at first at the full house, and even more (pleasantly) surprised that there were no obnoxious titters and laughter, unlike my screening for *Drive* earlier this year. Then again, that was at a Regal, this was at a Landmark - different audiences. End of digression. This was a pretty damn good picture. I wasn't too impressed with *Hunger, so that kinda objectified my outlook, at least I think so; but the maturation of McQueen directorially is manifold. First, the acting - at least from the leads - is fantastic. Fassbender is trying to set a Guiness World-Record for magnificent performances in a calendar year, and Mulligan gets to show some chops after kinda being on the sidelines in that regard in Drive* (though she was good and effective there). I figure the NC-17-ness partly attributed to the packed house(s) at my theater, but those looking to be 'shocked' and/or 'titilated' are in for a disappointment as quite frankly the violence in *Drive* is more graphic than any sex in this picture. Kinda big--> [Show spoiler] . The script is pretty bare, and there are not much details to be gleamed [Show spoiler] - greater particulars are filled in by performance and imagery. And in this area I believe McQueen shines in Shame* in a way I just didn't get out of his previous effort. He ventures into Antonioni territory with his ability to primatize framing and image to drive the story, above other plot considerations, and that might be what to come to expect out of his future efforts. Recommended, with the caveats for explicit sex & male/female nudity (but you already knew that). 9/10 Last edited by Cinemach; 12-03-2011 at 04:03 AM.

12-03-2011, 02:24 PM	#13
Evra Power Member Top contributor Member since:Dec 2009 Location:Singapore Home Theater Gallery:1 Blu-ray collection:- Blu-ray reviews:12 Trading Score:1	One question to those who have seen it: Does [Show spoiler]brother screw sister at the end? If no, kindly spoil the ending for me. =)

11-21-2011, 07:09 PM	#2
Wally Q Banned Member since:Sep 2011 Location:12771 4K collection:592 Blu-ray collection:2006 DVD collection:150 Digital collection:6 Trading Score:1	A second trailer was released the other day; first I'd seen any footage of the film. I'm totally impressed. If I can make it to an art-house two hours from me to see it, I totally will.

11-22-2011, 01:01 AM	#3
Caesar Will Rise Banned Top contributor Member since:Apr 2011 Location:South Carolina Blu-ray collection:191 DVD collection:27 Blu-ray reviews:14 Trading Score:1	I might check it out on Blu. For Michael Fassbender. I still need to see Jane Eyre.

11-22-2011, 03:16 AM	#4
The_Basterd Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2010 Location:Grapes Are Fun! Blu-ray collection:307 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:20	I saw this @ the TIFF Premiere in September with Fassbender and the Director in attendance. I f*cking LOVED IT! Fassbender & Mulligan's performances = It's my 2nd favorite film of the year, and I can't wait to finally see it again in less than three weeks.

12-03-2011, 12:04 AM	#5
MikeScott Blu-ray Champion Member since:Jul 2010 Location:Minnesota Trading Score:503	Anyone lucky enough to see it this weekend? Looks like an amazing film but no way it opens here. My chain already said they won't show it because it's NC-17. Anyone who can see this should go. If it can do well enough maybe it can erase the stigma of the NC-17 rating. My theater did say if it does well enough they may re-consider showing it. So if you can, please support it.

12-03-2011, 04:25 AM	#7
Hawkguy Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:May 2011 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- Trading Score:37	I saw it tonight. Liked it far more than 'Hunger'. Can't wait for it to be released, I already want to watch it over again.

12-03-2011, 04:47 AM	#8
Wally Q Banned Member since:Sep 2011 Location:12771 4K collection:592 Blu-ray collection:2006 DVD collection:150 Digital collection:6 Trading Score:1	I've got this sneaky suspicion that it's going to be a long wait to see this. If my local theaters didn't get Blue Valentine last year, I definitely don't see this opening up unless it sleeps its way into the Best Picture lineup. Sorry for the terrible play on words.

12-03-2011, 04:54 AM	#9
Moleman1138 Special Member Top contributor Member since:Apr 2010 Location:Rochester, NY 4K collection:1 Blu-ray collection:772 DVD collection:172 Blu-ray reviews: 5 Trading Score:1	All my local indie theater's site is saying "soon" But what is "soon?" We're getting A Dangerous Method in January and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in a few weeks.

12-03-2011, 08:03 PM	#16
MikeScott Blu-ray Champion Member since:Jul 2010 Location:Minnesota Trading Score:503	I've loved Mulligan since seeing An Education. She's a wonderful actress and is great in everything (An Education, Never Let Me Go, Drive, hell, even Wall Street 2). I can't wait to see her in this. I just wish theaters would get over this damn stigma about NC-17 films. Nothing wrong with having a rating that shows the movie is for mature adult audiences. I'm considering making a trip to Minneapolis to see this, which is 3 hours from me. I think it's important to support it on the big screen. I usually try and support independent films anyway, but with the NC-17 rating it's even more important to support this one. I'm tired of censorship.

12-04-2011, 06:06 PM	#17
Quilty Active Member Member since:Mar 2011 4K collection:4 Blu-ray collection:368 Trading Score:40	This film is excellent. It's moody, seedy, and a bit haunting. The performances from Fassbender and Mulligan were phenomenal. There was one theater within 50 miles that played it here, and I drove to the heart of Washington DC to catch it. Well worth it For those who have seen it and have any insight on the relationship between Brandon and Sissy, please PM me, I have some questions and would love to hear your thoughts.

12-06-2011, 08:40 AM	#18
MikeScott Blu-ray Champion Member since:Jul 2010 Location:Minnesota Trading Score:503	9 more theaters will be added this weekend for a total of 19.

12-06-2011, 11:35 PM	#19
Quilty Active Member Member since:Mar 2011 4K collection:4 Blu-ray collection:368 Trading Score:40	My brother, who lives in Los Angeles, just caught a showing and loved it as well. The more we talk about it, the more I want to see it again. Carey Mulligan is still stuck on my mind, what a great performance

12-10-2011, 05:41 AM	#20
thelittleprince Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Mar 2010 Location:wasteland 4K collection:211 Blu-ray collection:3467 DVD collection:56 Digital collection:490 iTunes collection:663 Trading Score:80	Finally got the chance to watch this tonight. Definitely one of the best films of the year-- the raw performances from Fassbender and Mulligan, the great supporting cast, the long takes and lingering shots that haunts and can make you uncomfortable, the daring yet not exploitative sex scenes, and the feeling of emptiness and loneliness in the crowded streets and subways of NYC. 5/5

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