Our Staff Picks column is a new addition that takes you back to a time when video stores reigned supreme and the "Staff Picks" section was the place to find out what films were worthy of one's time. Of course, our version has a decidedly nude angle, as we suss out which films from a certain genre with great nudity. This week: Mumblecore
Mumblecore, affectionately dubbed "bedhead cinema" by film critics in the early 2000s, was a movement in indie filmmaking that continues to this day. Mumblecore movies are defined by two main characteristics: they are low-budget and naturalistic. That means the dialogue almost sounds like improvisation (it sometimes is) and tends to be hyper-realistic.
Mumblecore movies are often thought of as "twee" because that's the era they came out of, but mumblecore also gave us mumblegore which is a subgenre of low-budget indie horror. Joe Swanberg's films and Greta Gerwig's Frances Ha are the most well-known in this genre. Even Lena Dunham got her start in this genre with her debut film Tiny Furniture.
Hannah Takes the Stairs
Joe Swanberg, a king of mumblecore meets nudity, directed this film starring Mark Duplass and Greta Gerwig. Greta plays a free-spirited college grad and aspiring playwright who spends her summer dating around in Chicago. She has a crush on Kent Osborne's character and one thing leads to another and we see Kent blowing his horn in the bathroom. Don't be dirty! He is literally playing an instrument...and yes, he's nude.
Creep and Creep 2
Creep is certainly one of the more creative low-budget indie horrors from this time. This Mumblegore movie is very simple! A man hires a freelance director to follow him around at his house in the woods to make a documentary. As the cameraman arrives and meets the nice Mark Duplass who wants this footage to show his unborn son because he has a terminal illness.
As time goes on, we all get suspicious of the real situation here. Mark Duplass' character seems to have other, more nefarious motives and we learn that this guy does this. He's a creepy killer! That's why we get Creep 2. We get to see him do it again, and this time he's naked!
Cyrus
This film appears to be a little bit higher budget than the others on the list and that is probably because of one of the bigger named stars in the movie. The nudity is played for laughs, but I know that some of you all have some zaddy crushes on John C. Reilly. So I give you this scene where you can see his butt and his cock as it slips through his undies:
The Zone
Joe Swanberg directed this veritable festival of dicks. Kentucker Audley and Lawrence Michael Levine go naked, jerk off, show off their cocks, and kiss. So it looks like these two shaggy-haired hunk are going to The Zone...the Bone Zone!
The plot follows a mysterious visitor who spends the night at an engaged couple's apartment. His presence stirs things up and shifts attractions around. That's fun for us to watch!
Young American Bodies
This one isn't a film at all! This is another Joe Swanberg project that was an indie web series filled with nudity. This is basically softcore porn! We even see the creator and actor Joe Swanberg measuring his huge penis. No wonder he loves to fill his movies with nudity! He's got quite the member.
We also get to watch some gay sex! Ryan Smith and Nathan Adloff talk to each other while they are in the act about what each of them is horny about. Hey, guys, stop talking! Get down to business:
