Last night David and I enjoyed a bit of a date night together. We enjoyed a very nice dinner at the London Hotel, then made our way to the ArcLight in Hollywood, then grabbed a nightcap at The Hudson before calling it a night. Because we love lighthearted holiday fare, we decided to see the new Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan film Shame … one day after we enjoyed the cheery and upbeat film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Don’t you just love holiday films? Click below to read my thoughts on the Steve McQueen directed film Shame.

The only thing I knew about Shame before seeing it was that Fassbender plays a sex addict. I can tell you know that that is not only an accurate description of the entire film but it’s really all you need to know before seeing the film. Shame stars Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender‘s penis … honestly. It’s a stark tale about a man with an uncontrollable sex addiction whose life is further complicated by the arrival of his younger (and equally troubled) sister. We never learn what previous trauma led to each character’s tremendous issues but you get the distinct impression they endured their trauma together. Shame features a lot of long scenes that try to convey an air of normalcy … in an attempt to put you in the reality of the characters. It’s a successful convention, even if sometimes you feel that some of the scenes drag. But like life, things drag sometimes. There are a few gratuitous nude scenes (ie. the aforementioned and impressive Fassbender penis, among others) but in a film about sex addiction, I guess that’s to be expected (and I am not complaining). I think there is a misconception that sex addiction can be sexy … this film shows that it is not only not sexy but potentially life destroying. I was very impressed with both Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender‘s performances … because they each really went for it in order to bring these characters to life. Fassbender especially, I mean … wow. He REALLY had to get into his sex scenes in order to achieve reality. I enjoyed the film mainly because of the stunning acting performances by pretty much everyone in the film (and the impressive penis, did I mention the penis yet?) and it’s worth seeing … but I don’t think everyone will love it. There is a lot of open-endedness and in the end, I was left with a feeling of Ok, that was intense … now what? I’m curious to hear what others think of this film.

After the movie, David and I grabbed a drink at The Hudson and posed for a photobooth film strip:

We had fun last night :) But, David has already made his way back East for the holidays and I am flying solo here in LA. I’ll prolly spend the next few days catching up on movies and pretty much enjoying LA as it gets empty and deserted. I can’t wait :D