Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, has been getting a lot of critical praise for seemingly elevating the NC-17 rating back to an art-house standard. The film is also being heralded as a bracing look into the world of the sex addict. The critics and the audience on Rotten Tomatoes have given the film a 79% rating. According to the site, the critics feel that “Shame” “[b]oast[s] stellar performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan” and is “a powerful plunge into the mania of addiction affliction.” Let’s see what they had to say individually. “Few filmmakers have plumbed the soul-churning depths of sexual addiction as fearlessly as…

Title: Shame Director: Steve McQueen Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Hannah Ware, Nicole Beharie, Elizabeth Masucci Years ago, when the NC-17 rating was first created, it was serious-minded, almost grim explorations of adult sexuality like “Shame” that its champions no doubt had in mind. Of course, along came the campy “Showgirls,” which didn’t help matters. Mostly, though, the NC-17 rating was a non-starter for Hollywood studios not only because they tend to instinctively shy away from art and controversy like a cat avoids rain, but also because many newspapers — bowing to the tom-toms of local morality police — refused to carry advertising for NC-17 films, which made…

A discussion and review of the newest movie releases from your favorite entertainment and celebrity website! Hello everyone, this is episode 24 of the Movie Night Podcast and this week Rudie Obias is joined by Elisabeth Rappe of Film.com to discuss the latest film from filmmaker Steve McQueen, starring Michael Fassbender. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Download and listen to it. “Shame” features Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale and Nicole Beharie. Read Rudie’s review of “Shame” from the 49th New York Film Festival. On the next episode of Movie Night, we’ll be discussing “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” “The Sitter,” “Young Adult” and “Tinker, Tailor,…

Title: Shame Director: Steve McQueen Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie This is one of the rare times where the synopsis must be described before yours truly even attempts to analyze any of this sucker (no pun intended…yet). Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) is a bachelor living in present day New York City. He earns a decent living and resides in a roughly 600 sq.ft. apartment (that’s a good size for that town). Brandon presents himself well and spends his time hanging with his boss (James Badge Dale) as they frequent trendy bars and restaurant lounges. While Brandon always seems composed and confident, he is quite eager…

As we enter November, the Oscars can’t be too far off. This famous awards ceremony honors movies released during the calendar year, meaning that some actors have multiple films eligible. Jude Law released a mammoth six films back in 2004, three of which earned Oscar attention, though not for his performances. Academy rules don’t permit an actor to receive two nominations in the same category, but earning one lead and one supporting mention is permissible. Often, a big year for an actor with one knockout movie role might lead to two nominations, even if the second is undeserved. For instance, was Jamie Foxx really Oscar-worthy in Collateral or was he…

The U.S. movie trailer for Shame with Michael Fassbender and actress Carey Mulligan has made its way to the web. In the flick Fassbender plays a sex addict whose sister, with her own set of problems, comes to live with him. Directed by Steve McQueen, Shame is also grabbing headlines today after earning itself an NC-17 rating due to full frontal nudity and other adult content. Talking about the Fox Search Light picture’s rating with THR recently, Steve Giulia of the studio said “I think NC-17 is a badge of honor, not a scarlet letter. We believe it is time for the rating to become usable in a serious manner……

Title: Shame Director: Steve McQueen Cast: Michael Fassbender, Cary Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Hannah Ware, Elizabeth Masucci, Lucy Walters and Nicole Beharie In Steve McQueen’s 2008 film, “Hunger”, also starring Michael Fassbender, McQueen took a “fly-on-the-wall” approach to the Irish Republic Army prison hunger strike of 1981 and the martyrdom of their leader, Bobby Sands. Although stylized with graphic violence and slow motion sequences, its view of Bobby Sands was always held far away. This is shown in the film’s most iconic scenes between Bobby Sands and his priest (Liam Cunningham), which last for a riveting eight minutes in one take. McQueen hints at that style in his new film,…

With Ryan Gosling threatening to leave the world of acting behind him, “Drive” might be a little bittersweet to some. But, it’s not as if Gosling has already given up acting, right? And besides, the critics still love “Drive,” giving it a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences also rated it highly, giving it an 81%. If it turns out the movie is act one of Gosling’s swan song, then this is a great way to go out. According to Rotten Tomatoes, most critics felt the film, also starring Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman, as “[a] hyper-stylized blend of striking imagery and violence, ‘Drive’ represents…

A discussion and review the week’s new movie release from your favorite entertainment and celebrity website. Hello everyone, this is episode 14 of the Movie Night Podcast. This week Rudie Obias and Perri Nemiroff discuss the remake of “Straw Dogs” and the new thriller “Drive”. Subscribe on iTunes or Download and Listen Here. “Straw Dogs” features James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd, James Woods, Dominic Purcell and Willa Holland. It was written and directed by Rod Lurie. “Drive” features Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks and Ron Perlman. It was written by Hossein Amini and it was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Read Perri…

Title: Drive Directed By: Nicolas Winding Refn Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos Quite clearly director Nicolas Winding Refn worked hard to bring Drive to life in the most appropriate way possible and, in turn, we get a movie that requires a degree of personal investment. Drive isn’t the type of film that lays out its plot points and lets you follow along, rather something that gives you incredible access to the main players, compelling you to become part of the action. At times, the need to decipher the details can be frustrating, but Refn duly rewards you for…