BEAR CUB will be screened at the Inside Out
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Pedro (portrayed by straight actor Jos Luis Garca-Prez), a
sexually active gay dentist is forced to re-evaluate his
lifestyle when forced to look after his 9-year old nephew
Bernardo (David Castillo) for 2 weeks. Things take a turn
when the hippie mother Violeta (Elvira Lindo) is imprisoned
long term in India and Bernardo's paternal grandmother, Dona
Teresa (Empar Ferrer) opts for custody. Why? Because Pedro
has now grown to love his nephew! But BEAR CUB is an
extremely hilarious comedy, thanks to director Miguel
Albaladejo sense of humour and his injection of the nuances of
the 'bear' scene. Albaladejo is brave enough to include
graphic sex scenes that take place in the saunas and back
rooms in and around Madrid. With lines like: (Pedro telling
Bernardo): "one of us is always crying, this can't go on", or
"you have to be nicer to your grandmother even if we want to
kill her," there is a certain charm that permeates the movie
throughout. But Albaladejo's film becomes over sentimental
towards the end when Pedro's medical history (he is HIV
positive) comes into the picture. Credit at least goes to the
script for treating it as a slight handicap rather than a
disease. BEAR CUB is that rare film that takes a seemingly
controversial lifestyle and makes it totally charming and
delightful. Bears are humans too!
He fights like a man, so he can become a woman. The title BEAUTIFUL BOXER is derived from the fact that this talented and fierce Thai boxer is firstly a beautiful transvestite but he needs the money to undergo the operation. BEAUTIFUL BOXER is the straight forward but rather bland rags to riches story of one filial son who, against all odds, rises to be a popular and fierce kick boxer. A bit of sentiment, comedy and romance but nothing really dramatic here. An educational travelogue is provided to the viewer as well, as the champion travels the length of the country for his bouts. With the matches excitingly executed, BEAUTIFUL BOXER passes as light entertainment, nicely told. The film is based on a true story - Troon, the boxer of the title is currently working as a model in Thailand.
Franco Zeffirelli, who has directed many operas on
film himself (LA TRAVIATA, LA BOHEME, VERDI), directs CALLAS
FORVER, a film that traces gay manager/promoter Larry Kelly
(Jeremy Irons) quest for filming a new version of CARMEN with
aging opera star Maria Callas (Fanny Ardant). Trouble is that
she needs this break, but would not admit it and so Kelly
enlists the help of her journalist friend, Sarah (Joan
Plowright). But things take a turn for the worse (or better)
once Callas starts work. For someone who knows the scene so
well, Zeffirelli directs sans passion. Scenes with the diva
crouched down in tears or looking amiss do not constitute
drama. If one would think that watching Irons in a gay role
or the formidable Ardant as Callas be worth the price of the
ticket, he or she would be surely disappointed. Though aging
is the theme running through the story, the script bounces
from one protagonist to the other (Kelly and Callas) with
disastrous results. This is drama turned into boring
melodramatic karaoke.
LE CLAN is a tale of three volatile brothers,
Marc (Nicholas Cazale), Christophe, (Stephane Rideau) and
Olivier (Thomas Dumerchez) living a troubled life in French
small town, France. Mother has passed away, father (Bruno
Lochet) does not care, and there is neither anything to do nor
is there a decent job. So, the louts turn to fighting in
local gangs, drugs and sex. Director Gael Morel's (star of
Andre Techine's gay film LES ROSEAUX SUAVAGES) film is told in
three chapters, each with the title of the brothers' names.
Morel's film is beautiful to look at - scenery-wise (with lots
of mountains and lakes) and male body wise. All three actors
are incredibly good-looking. There is also cameo from hunk
Vincent Perez as a fellow worker known as the butcher. That
aside, Gael's film becomes more engaging as it moves along.
Though the brothers have not solved all their troubles by the
end of the last reel, they have made good progress. Olivier,
the youngest has a gay affair with a young Arab, Hachim (Salim
Kechiouche) who teaches him the slave dance called Capoeira of
the English title.
A coming-out-story set during the lazy days of
a summer camp. Parents of the teens send them there to learn
sports like windsurfing and sailing but the kids are more
interested in smoking dope, drinking beer and having sex. The
film centres on Zoe and Clara who make a pack at losing their
virginity. But this is no straight story and Clara discovers
her true sexual orientation. Nothing much happens in this
film and nobody would really care what happens to whoever.
Odd thing about this film is that this coming-out lesbian
flick is directed by a guy and that the guys are just as
good-looking as the girls. There are better things to do than
watching this one?. Like smoking dope, drinking beer and??
The coming-out theme is a tiresome one done
countless times from the era of the first gay films till the
present. But as every gay person knows, coming-out is a
traumatic experience that everyone out of the closet has to go
through. So director Bardwell puts together a series of
hilarious set-pieces - the stern family dinner table
discussion; the down-to-earth talk with his STEPFORD WIFE-like
mother; the counseling with the social worker; the therapy
sessions et al; - that make up his protagonist, Dorian's
(Michael McMillian) experiences. But what makes DORIAN BLUES
tick is that Bardwell understands and plays all the
stereotypes and clichs to the utmost, milking all the laughs
that they can get. The only really serious moments (a
necessity to put the film into perspective) are the funeral
and the father/son coming-out confrontation scenes. If you
can forgive the script's minor flaws (such as how Dorian after
kicked out of the house, makes it on his own in NYC), DORIAN
BLUES is all laughs and the perfect film to see in a cinema
filled with an audience who have all come out. Bardwell
proves that charm and originality can still be found in any
old worn genre.
EVERYONE refers to the attendees of gay couple
Grant (Mark Hildreth) and Ryan's (Matt Fentiman) ceremony for
their pledge of commitment (i.e. their gay wedding). The
friends, relatives and even caterer (a total of 5 other
couples) arrive bringing along more emotional baggage than the
couple or the audience can handle. Dead babies, strained
relationships and hidden demons are some of the problems
conjured up by Vancouver writer/director Bill Marchant.
Marchant has a role himself as a guilt-ridden surgeon. If
EVERYONE is supposed to be a dark comedy, it turns out more to
be an over smart film for its own good. All the lines sound
contrived as if spoken deliberately for an audience to hear.
The film is less about gay marriage, human issues but more a
showcase of bogus yuppie intellectuality. Gay actors
masquerading as straights (their mannerisms are a dead give
away) and staginess are a few of the flaws. The film did win
the prize for Best Canadian Feature at the Montreal World Film
Festival. The director will be in attendance at Inside Out.
The Stupid Boy (Garcon Stupide) of the film title is 20-year old Loic, a gay teen, who works at a chocolate factory in small town Bulle. He spends his weekends at nearby Lausanne, where he often has sex with anonymous men. His only friend happens to be Marie, whose apartment he crashes at in Lausanne. Things take a turn when he meets Lionel (face not seen but voiced by director Baier), a man interested in Loic for what he is, and not sex. Loic gets extremely upset when Marie finds a boyfriend as well. At this point, Loic can only improve himself or let his life spiral downhill. Baier's film has an authentic look, given the film's grainy documentary feel and the hand held camera movements. One problem with this film is Loic's improbable character. Why would Marie or Lionel have any interest in him in the first place? His looks perhaps? The audience can only echo the same feelings about Loic and about this film.
The Inside Out programmers are brave enough to showcase a video as the opening gala night movie. The Hat Sisters (Ethan's drag gay aunts), the obnoxious gay republican that sings (flat), the worst real estate lesbian agent in the world, the chunky young teen who thinks he is the hottest thing on the planet, the mother who lives with her son's ex... these are some of the over-the-tip supporting players in this spoof on the institute of gay commitment. The story centers on 26-year old Ethan (Daniel Leterle) who moves from one lover to another, unable to commit or settle. One problem is that the main plot is clichéd - nothing that the viewer has not seen or heard before. What works though, is the humor that is fast and funny with a laugh-out loud moment every minute or so. You know what they say - a good joke can cover a dozen mistakes. Based on the underground comic strip by Eric Orner (who also did the animated work for the film), the film has plenty of material to draw from.
1950 Hollywood heartthrob Guy Stone (Matt
Letscher) has not just landed the coveted part of BEN-HUR -
but also in hot soup after being photographed coming out of a
gay bar. So, He is convinced by his agent (Veronica
Cartwright) to marry the studio chief's ditzy blond, Sally
(Carrie Preston) to keep up apperances. Based on the director
Richard Day's play of the same title, STRAIGHT JACKET is
nothing nouveau. Characters like Guy Stone have been dealt
with (more effectively and wittingly) in films like the
mockumentary MAN OF THE YEAR (Playgirl's man of the year is
gay) and hiding ones sexual orientation is so commonplace
among gays (before they come out) that the topic for comedy
would hardly interest both gays and straights. The twist of
Stone really falling in love with a leftist writer (Adam
Greer) does not help inject any interest or comedy either.
Sets, lighting, wardrobe are passable but the problem is that
the film is just not funny. Even Stone's butler's one-liners
do not lift an eyelid. Guy Stone's main line in the film is:
"What's the point of being famous if you can't use it to get
laid?" Then why put everyone through the torture of seeing
this through.
- Gilbert Seah -