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Frameline 2011: Monday
I went in to work Monday, so only saw the last two shows of the day. I'm glad I went, though, because I got to see some awesome movies, including the one that I think will be my festival favorite.
Note: plot summaries and promotional images again shamelessly lifted from Frameline and/or the filmmaker's sites. Check out the festival website and/or websearch the film's titles for more info.
HERNDON
With a gay bent, HERNDON. rereads the May 2009 celebration of the annual Herndon Monument climb at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
This short was from the same director as last year's fantastic documentary, Out of Annapolis. Apparently they shot this footage for the doc, but didn't realize what they had until watching it later. The filmmaker's recognized that this event would be relevant to the interests of many of Frameline's members and so graciously decide to share it with us: dozens of shirtless, muscled Navy Academy students scrambling over each other trying to climb a gigantic greased obelisk. Good times!
And as hard as it was to focus on anything other than the people on the screen, it was also very well crafted … clever title sequence, tight editing, and good, clear videography.
Private Romeo
Love knows no boundaries, but same-sex attraction in an all boys military academy is a tough drill. When eight cadets are left behind from a training exercise, love and trouble abound at McKinley Academy in Private Romeo, a suspenseful and sensual retelling of a classic tale.
The story begins in the classroom with the cadets reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but the storyline escapes the confines of the classroom and becomes the lens through which the boys live out the ensuing drama. The characters are soon revealed as their classical counterparts, with rival cliques acting as the warring houses of Capulet and Montague. Audiences will gush at the star-crossed lovers’ first kiss, but their encounter leaves each longing for more. The text takes on new meaning as our man Juliet and his Romeo follow their hearts, oblivious to the sidelong glances and smirks of their fellow soldiers. As the war between the two houses boils over, all of these handsome cadets are pulled into the turmoil of forbidden love.
Writer-director Alan Brown uses original dialogue sparingly but to good effect, letting Shakespeare’s original words address the issues confronting today’s gay youth. Brown cast only Shakespeare trained actors, and it shows. Mature acting from the entire ensemble keeps the story fresh and modern, especially Hale Appleman’s riveting turn as the film’s Mercutio. Matt Doyle and Seth Numrich, currently performing in acclaimed play War Horse at Lincoln Center, give brilliant performances as the star-crossed lovers, sparking with chemistry and connection.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even express how my Shakespeare-loving, slash-obsessed self enjoyed this movie. I am so stoked that it will be getting a theatrical release in the fall and eventual DVD distribution. Hopefully everyone will get a chance to see this! Woo hoo!
This is the military high school AU I didn't know I needed! The adaptation really brought back the danger and thrill that sometimes gets lost in period het versions of the play. I have honestly never seen a version with so much chemistry between the leads, either. It was so great! Also, it wasn't as dark as I was prepared for, which was nice … still intense and grim in parts, but without the homophobia I was braced for. Very cool!
I don't even have time to go into the more experimental aspects of the film ... the way the text was used, with the boys self-consciously quoting the play but also meaning every word ... guh ... just fantastic! Hard to explain, but really, really awesome.
Leading Ladies
You think you can dance? So do Toni and Tasi, the ballroom dancing Campari sisters. Only problem is, they’ve each got a secret that’s dying to be let out. Tasi is the sequined drama queen, sick of the spotlight, while mousy Toni is the stand-in, the wallflower pizza waitress who’s never been kissed—although she has her eye on Mona, a girl with rhythm of her own.
The sisters have some big dancing shoes to fill, courtesy of the ultimate stage mom, Cheri (US Latin Ballroom Champ Melanie LaPatin). Thank the cha-cha gods for Toni’s pirouetting best friend, Cedric (Benji Schwimmer, who swept Season Two of So You Think You Can Dance, currently Paula Abdul’s Artistic Director), who keeps the family on an even keel and pushes Toni to show the ballroom world her true colors. When Tasi’s secret explodes, Toni sees her chance to sashay in with cutie Mona in tow. They take the lead in the big ballroom competition, challenging everyone and paving the way for queer dance champs to come.
Through it all, the family twirls through life, learning new steps along the way. Each scene is choreographed to a T, including an epically sexy supermarket sequence, complete with break dancing in the produce section and a shopping cart cabaret. A killer-cute soundtrack and sassy design make sure Leading Ladies will charm the pas-de-deux right off you.
This was very cute. I'd write more, but I'm already running late for the movies this afternoon!
Note: plot summaries and promotional images again shamelessly lifted from Frameline and/or the filmmaker's sites. Check out the festival website and/or websearch the film's titles for more info.
HERNDON
With a gay bent, HERNDON. rereads the May 2009 celebration of the annual Herndon Monument climb at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
This short was from the same director as last year's fantastic documentary, Out of Annapolis. Apparently they shot this footage for the doc, but didn't realize what they had until watching it later. The filmmaker's recognized that this event would be relevant to the interests of many of Frameline's members and so graciously decide to share it with us: dozens of shirtless, muscled Navy Academy students scrambling over each other trying to climb a gigantic greased obelisk. Good times!
And as hard as it was to focus on anything other than the people on the screen, it was also very well crafted … clever title sequence, tight editing, and good, clear videography.
Private Romeo
Love knows no boundaries, but same-sex attraction in an all boys military academy is a tough drill. When eight cadets are left behind from a training exercise, love and trouble abound at McKinley Academy in Private Romeo, a suspenseful and sensual retelling of a classic tale.
The story begins in the classroom with the cadets reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but the storyline escapes the confines of the classroom and becomes the lens through which the boys live out the ensuing drama. The characters are soon revealed as their classical counterparts, with rival cliques acting as the warring houses of Capulet and Montague. Audiences will gush at the star-crossed lovers’ first kiss, but their encounter leaves each longing for more. The text takes on new meaning as our man Juliet and his Romeo follow their hearts, oblivious to the sidelong glances and smirks of their fellow soldiers. As the war between the two houses boils over, all of these handsome cadets are pulled into the turmoil of forbidden love.
Writer-director Alan Brown uses original dialogue sparingly but to good effect, letting Shakespeare’s original words address the issues confronting today’s gay youth. Brown cast only Shakespeare trained actors, and it shows. Mature acting from the entire ensemble keeps the story fresh and modern, especially Hale Appleman’s riveting turn as the film’s Mercutio. Matt Doyle and Seth Numrich, currently performing in acclaimed play War Horse at Lincoln Center, give brilliant performances as the star-crossed lovers, sparking with chemistry and connection.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even express how my Shakespeare-loving, slash-obsessed self enjoyed this movie. I am so stoked that it will be getting a theatrical release in the fall and eventual DVD distribution. Hopefully everyone will get a chance to see this! Woo hoo!
This is the military high school AU I didn't know I needed! The adaptation really brought back the danger and thrill that sometimes gets lost in period het versions of the play. I have honestly never seen a version with so much chemistry between the leads, either. It was so great! Also, it wasn't as dark as I was prepared for, which was nice … still intense and grim in parts, but without the homophobia I was braced for. Very cool!
I don't even have time to go into the more experimental aspects of the film ... the way the text was used, with the boys self-consciously quoting the play but also meaning every word ... guh ... just fantastic! Hard to explain, but really, really awesome.
Leading Ladies
You think you can dance? So do Toni and Tasi, the ballroom dancing Campari sisters. Only problem is, they’ve each got a secret that’s dying to be let out. Tasi is the sequined drama queen, sick of the spotlight, while mousy Toni is the stand-in, the wallflower pizza waitress who’s never been kissed—although she has her eye on Mona, a girl with rhythm of her own.
The sisters have some big dancing shoes to fill, courtesy of the ultimate stage mom, Cheri (US Latin Ballroom Champ Melanie LaPatin). Thank the cha-cha gods for Toni’s pirouetting best friend, Cedric (Benji Schwimmer, who swept Season Two of So You Think You Can Dance, currently Paula Abdul’s Artistic Director), who keeps the family on an even keel and pushes Toni to show the ballroom world her true colors. When Tasi’s secret explodes, Toni sees her chance to sashay in with cutie Mona in tow. They take the lead in the big ballroom competition, challenging everyone and paving the way for queer dance champs to come.
Through it all, the family twirls through life, learning new steps along the way. Each scene is choreographed to a T, including an epically sexy supermarket sequence, complete with break dancing in the produce section and a shopping cart cabaret. A killer-cute soundtrack and sassy design make sure Leading Ladies will charm the pas-de-deux right off you.
This was very cute. I'd write more, but I'm already running late for the movies this afternoon!