Being a big fan of the first installment, I finally caught up with "Jackass 2" the other night. As expected, it was outrageous and often hilarious. Interestingly though, much more shocking than say, "Shortbus." I think somehow I expected more outrage or shock in the days and weeks leading up to tonight's public debut of "Shortbus." But, its a testament to the talent and idealism of John Cameron Mitchell and all those involved, that the end result is a movie with a really big heart. Manhola Dargis begins, in today's New York Times review:

As utopian visions go, it doesn’t get much better than “Shortbus,” a film in which all you need is love — and sex, lots and lots of mutually, sometimes collectively, pleasurable sex. John Cameron Mitchell wrote and directed, though orchestrated might be the better word for a carnivalesque romp in which men and women engage in sex in a multitude of creative combinations. An ode to the joy and sweet release of sex, the film manages to be a sincere, modest political venture that finds humor where you might least expect it, notably in a ménage à trois featuring a cheeky rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”