Soldier's Girl (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw this movie the same day that I saw Million Dollar Baby (the boxing film starring Hillary Swank and Clint Eastwood), and at the end all I could think was - is this how I wanted to spend Christmas Eve? Crying?
Well, it was worth it.
Barry's story is well known, so I'll skip a retelling. Although I never fully understood Barry's interest in Calpernia, only because the movie didn't make any attempts to delve into the "why" of his attraction to her, I found myself moved by their love, and Barry's fierce determination to keep his private life (Calpernia) private.
What a shame that he shared barracks with such a horrendous and sick person (Justin). I know some people in the armed forces that are gay (but don't ask me who, because I won't tell ), and they are well accepted by their ... I don't know the technical terms here...comrades in arms. How's that. A pity that Barry didn't get stuck with a person whose problem was certainly far worse than OCD.
Anyway. What I found particularly moving, and what has caused me to watch the movie again, were the special features on the CD. Usually the special features are interesting for ancillary purposes. But these were different. First, I was surprised to find that Calpernia's [...] weren't real. I had been rather convinced that a real transgender was playing her role. Instead, it was a male, with a rather flat chest, so his performance was even more interesting. That's one of the main reasons I want to watch the film again.
Calpernia Adams herself appeared in the Special Features, and I was so surprised. I don't have a tremendous amount of experience with transgenders, but did not expect her to be so much like a lady. NOT a gay man acting like a lady, but a real lady. Her comments on Barry were pointed and poignant. Also, she did have her final operation, and is working now in L.A.
The other appearance of note in the Special Features was that of Barry's mother herself. We learned a little more about Barry than in the film. When he first went to Visions, his "buddies" were taking him there to get his mind off his breakup with his girlfriend of four years. She wondered if Barry was actually gay, but said that it didn't matter. What mattered is that what happened to him was a terrible crime, one of bigotry and hate, and so she and her husband have taken it upon themselves to speak when and wherever they can to combat closed minds. Good for them.
There were only two things that angered me. One, the person that killed Barry will be eligible for parole in less than thirteen years. The manner in which he killed Barry should have garnered him life imprisonment without the possibility of parole - at best. Also, the instigator of his death, Justin, is up for parole very soon. If not for his pressuring, the little idiot (Glover?) that killed Barry probably wouldn't have done it. If the movie showed that scene correctly, as it actually happened, then Justin is just as responsible for Barry's death as Glover, and should be in prison for a very long time.
*Added 9/29/06 - According to the October 10th, 2006 issue of The Advocate, "Justin Fisher...was [released] to a halfway house [last month]. Fisher will be out of custody entirely October 24."
He didn't spend nearly enough time for this crime. How horribly, horribly sad.


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Jailbait (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me just say that I absolutely LOVED this movie. And let me also say that have left my teen years some 20 years ago. I am 33 and usually hate to have to suffer through any teen-oriented comedy like "American Pie" I saw recently which I found hopelessly unfunny, boring and stupid. And most of the time, I don't even bother to try watching any other recent films dealing with young people's awakening about sex issues.
This said, I happened to catch "Jailbait" on cable recently and was instantly sucked into the deeply effective editing and camera work involved, along with the very satirical directing and performances. Even though the subject of statuary rape is a serious one, here it is treated in such a way that there is an awareness of the fact that this is high camp cinema and nothing depicted should be treated seriously.
I was particularly impressed with the two young leads which have been brilliantly directed into delivering performances that are in total harmony with the whole tone of the movie. This is a movie making fun of the whole "teen-movies phenomenon" all the while being totally aware of the fact that it is itself a "teen movie" but destined towards a more mature audience.
Many potentially offensive subjects here treated as jokes but the director was brilliant enough to let us the audience see that this is a movie who doesn't take itself seriously. Everything is so farfetched (with often hilarious results) that it tells us that the filmmaker expected nothing else than entertaining its audience with outrageous but finely tuned acting parodies and well-crafted camera work.
I have seen many teen movies such as "Scary Movie" I and II, "American Pie" I and II and none of them compares to the wit and cleverness "Jailbait" displays. A satire is probably the most difficult thing to achieve in cinema. It has to contain a balance between outrageous stunts and self awareness. Most teen movies pile up the gross factor, hoping to make audiences laugh. But here, even though no joke cliché is left unturned, it is done in a constant parody mode which I truly enjoyed.
I don't know why the reviews here were so negative regarding this little jem. Perhaps as I said before, this is probably a movie adult would enjoy more than teenagers. I for one, who is a very harsh critic concerning movies, found this one able to do what most films can't: entertain the hell out of me...

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Loving Annabelle (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie is fantastic. You don't really realize how great it is until after its over though. It is a great story. A Catholic Boarding School teacher falls in love with her female student. That's right, it is about lesbians and homosexuality. However, if you are just looking for "lesbian action" don't waste your time with this, its not a sex movie. If on the other hand, you are mature enough to handle such a plot, you'll love it. So after an hour of the student pursuing the teacher and the teacher being wary and afraid to be with her.....well I can't tell you how it ends. What I will say, though, is why it is so great. It does not openly debate, discuss, or point out anything about homosexuality being right, wrong, good, or evil. What it instead does is tell a wonderful tale of romantic, yet forbidden pursuit, and no matter what your stance is on homosexuality in general, you cannot help but hope for a happy ending, and get wrapped up in this love drama. After the movie is over, you think of how bittersweet the story is and poor this and at least that and then it hits you - You have been focusing on love, passion, heartache, and beauty....but NOT about Straight or Gay relationships. That's the beauty of this film. It captures you into a world of pure love drama and you forget that it is about a controversial subject at all. Regardless of your stance in this controversy, all you can focus on while watching is a love story between two human beings. Watch it, you'll love it.

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Rising star Erin Kelly (Waking Madison) is Annabelle, a precocious Senator's daughter who falls for her Catholic school teacher, Simone (Diane Gaidry, The Dogwalker).After Simone is assigned to control the rebellious student, she instead finds herself drawn into Annabelle's world. As their attraction builds, the two women must cope with the reactions of those around them. Writer-Director Katherine Brooks unveils this smoldering tale of forbidden love with intelligence, wit and sensitivity.

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Shelter (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm previewing "Shelter" for the Brisbane Queer Film Festival where it screens on Saturday 24th May 2008. "Shelter" shines as a film with huge heart, and one that's been made with equal care by the actors and all of the film-makers.
It's not at all like the angst-ridden abomination of a gay surf flick "Tan Lines". In "Shelter" surfing is simply a fact of life element - it's not used or abused as a device.
"Shelter" is a beautifully edited, spectacular looking and luscious sounding film which is definitely character driven. Each of the main characters is carefully developed so that we quite soon decide that we really do care about Zach, his young nephew Cody and Zach's love interest, Shaun. We want things to work out for them.
We understand that Zach is in a bind - he's allowed himself to be the physical and emotional anchor for a progressively more dysfunctional family, but we know that he deserves much better life options. The writer and director of Shelter has done a fantastic job - not a look or word is wasted, and yet the whole pace of the film is very relaxed.
"Shelter" deserves every accolade that any individual or Festival might care to bestow.
Straight audiences must find "Shelter" to be equally rewarding. The film's theme is, after all, about love, honour and commitment. What could be more wholesome than that?

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Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead end job and helping his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe's older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach's selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.

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Into It (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)The director's interview is perhaps one of the most memorable I've seen because it makes clear in director Jeff Maccubbin's own words the degree to which this film is a mirror to his own psychiatrically disordered life. The isolation, drug use, and self destructive behavior we see in INTO IT are as much the director's as the characters in the film. A reasonable hope is that with the new, cheaper, but higher quality film making equipment available to beginners, Maccubbin will refine his understanding of the art of telling a story without the self-indulgent camera tricks, lack of focus and jumpy editing which eventually sink this effort. The guy has the creativity but whether he can acquire the hard headed practicality crucial to keeping his audience with him is yet to be seen.
Own it? No. But if you are a cinema student, this would make a great study in beginner's land mines, not to mention the basis for a slew of film school discussions.

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Two Male Hustlers on a rampage of sex and drugs. Simon and Rem are depressed and are using sex and drugs to try to improve their lives. Despite everything, they keep falling into bad relationships with their johns and their dealers. Then, when Simon meets Evan (the host of a local cable home-shopping show) he thinks he may have stubbled onto his life s true path.Evan suffers from Tourette s Syndrome, but after having sex with Simon, his symptoms disappear, is Simon his cure? A sadomasochistic relationship develops between the two.Rem watches from the sidelines, even in his drug induced state, he can see the truth, it is just more self destructive behavior, but can he clue Simon in before tragedy strikes?ExtrasTrailer: Director s Interview: Letterbox Format: Interactive Menus

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Queer as Folk - The Complete Series (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, let me just say I would give the show five stars. It has heart and soul, gives you character you love, and still deals with important social issues.
The box set, on the other hand, I would give two stars. The set is actually really nice and looks great. There's just one problem, the disc holders are faulty. I've had to exchange the set more then once and eventually get a refund because each set I got had about half the discs dislodged from shipping. Most were scratched and scuffed so that they were unplayable in parts. Others have reported the same problem as well. I would suggest buying the seasons individually despite the increased price because no matter what method of shipping, the discs are likely to get dislodged and damaged. Better to pay a bit more and have a set you can actually watch.

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Based on the British series of the same name, Showtime's 'Queer as Folk' presents the American version. Following the lives of five gay men in Pittsburgh, 'Queer as Folk' is a riveting drama full of sex, drugs, adventure, friendship and love. Although the creators of 'Queer as Folk' wanted to present an honest depiction of gay life, it is by no means a comprehensive depiction. In addition to the usual sexual escapades and relationships of the five friends, the show explores critical gay political and health issues.

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Gay Weddings (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw the original broadcast of Bravo's Gay Weddings about two years ago and i have been waiting for it to be released on dvd since then, this show inspired me to propose marriage to my lover, something that before i thought was imposible, this show should be required viewing for high school students so they can understand that two people of the same gender can love each other as much as a man and a woman can, i salute bravo on their desition to finally release this show on dvd

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