Frameline 2010: Friday
Jun. 26th, 2010 09:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nakedbeeFive down, two more to go!
Friday's film reviews below the cut
Note: plot summaries (italics) and promotional images shamelessly lifted from the Frameline website. Click the image to go there for more info, including links to the official movie websites.
The Stranger in Us
Like many young gay men before him, small-town Virginian Anthony, played by Raphael Barker from John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus (2006), arrives in San Francisco wide-eyed and eager to drink up his new surroundings. But the cozy bubble of nights spent writing poetry in coffee shops and playing house with Stephen, the career-minded older boy friend he barely knows, soon bursts when Stephen’s frequent outbursts of anger turn abusive.
Having moved into an apartment with a casual acquaintance, Anthony spends his days disinterestedly shoveling popcorn at a local movie theater, while at night he wanders the city’s streets. Enter puckish cutie Gavin, a barely legal runaway and hustler who alternately acts as guide, enabler and watchdog to Anthony.
Shuttling forward and backward across time, local writer/director Scott Boswell’s debut feature is a bold, sympathetic portrait of the struggles, pleasures and perils of losing and regaining oneself in the concrete jungle.
First of all, Raphael Barker is a super cutie and if you haven't seen Shortbus yet, you should run out and remedy that right away! Shortbus is by the same director as Hedwig and the Angry Inch (and if you haven't seen that yet, then I just don't even know what to say. It's a rock musical filled with awesome! What could be better?!)
Ok, back to this movie. I wasn't initially planning on seeing this, but they added a second screening and I'd heard from one of the comic book guys the day before that it was good. I was braced for the perils of the concrete jungle, but the film was way less dark that I expected. The "shuttling forward and backward across time" editing choice wasn't very elegantly executed, but got better toward the end. Otherwise this was an excellent film. Anthony and Gavin's friendship was just awesome to watch and I grew to care about them so much over the course of the movie that by the end, when they both seem like they're going to be OK I was really moved. Yay for angst + positive endings!
Gay Days
In 1985 there were three openly gay people in Israel. Excluded from public office and oppressed by violence and discrimination, the gay and lesbian population existed underground. Over the next decade, a spectacular revolution unfolded. By 1998 there were up to 3000 openly gay and lesbian people celebrating the Summer of Pride in Israel.
The film features the colorful voices of major Israeli cultural figures who paint a picture of a time in Tel Aviv when people from all walks of life, including academics, artists and even military officers came together to start a movement and change lives. This wasn’t a violent revolution but a societal uprising driven by people who were ready to come out of hiding and claim their identity.
This was a pretty decent documentary. I don't have too much to add to the plot summary above. The lack of violence in the revolution was very pleasantly surprising.
Worldly Affairs
A collection of non-US shorts. Just Friends was by far the most fun, but all of the shorts were quite watchable.
Transatlantic: two couples on opposite sides of the Atlantic share a mysterious connection
Sadly, the connection was so mysterious (and tenuous) that the short was pretty unsatisfying.
The Armoire: director Jamie Travis’ resounding finale to his Saddest Children in the World trilogy, is a comedy, mystery and melodrama based on a game of Hide and Seek gone bizarrely awry
I don't know why I thought this would be a happy short. I blame A Series of Unfortunate Events for skewing my expectations.
Inflatable Swamp: An incredibly hot man in the UK walks the line between carnal sex and human closeness
This was pretty cool. The premise is that after every sexual encounter, this guy writes a brief note describing his partner and then attaches it to a blue helium balloon. Then we see the dude's bathroom and there are dozens of balloons floating on the ceiling, all with their notes (the inflatable swamp of the title). He moves on to his next conquest and is jolted out of his routine when his partner-of-the-moment has a diabetic attack. The moment when Mr. Hunk stops and see the other guy as an actual person rather than just a sex toy is very understated and moving. Very sweet.
Swing: Wei Long and Daniel broke up a few weeks ago, but Daniel asks Wei Long to meet him once more
Huh. This short makes more sense now that I know they broke up a few weeks ago. That wasn't clear from the film, so the scene where one guy hands the other some photos and then they chat sort of aimlessly for a few minutes had almost no emotional resonance. Oh well.
Lines: the story of two men who decide to share their music, realizing that there are some styles that are difficult to mix
This was cute and simple. I was sad that their musical styles didn't "mix."
Just Friends: In Just Friends? the answer to the titular question turns out to be pretty clear — this tender Korean love story of two young men in the military who only want to be together is sweet affirmation at its best.
This was pretty awesome. Not one but three musical dance numbers with sparkly text and fabulous costumes! The majority of the film was non-musical, but still very charming. Recommended (although I don't know how easy it will be to get a copy).
Elena Undone
Before crossing paths with Peyton, falling for a woman was an unimaginable situation for Elena, a straight wife and mother. The friendship between Peyton, an out lesbian writer, and Elena, the wife of an anti-gay pastor who has never experienced true love, transforms swiftly from a one-sided crush into a torrid extramarital affair. Writer-director Nicole Conn confidently tackles issues of religion, sex, family and commitment in this contemporary story about star-crossed lovers and the walls between them.
This was a great romantic drama. Elena's son and his very cool girlfriend deserve a special award for fabulousness, but it's the main pairing that makes this movie so incredibly hot. There was less comedy and action than I usually like in my movies, but they won me over. Check out the trailer on YouTube.
We Have to Stop Now
Festival favorites Jill Bennett and Cathy DeBuono (Out at the Wedding, And Then Came Lola) once again ignite the screen, this time as a sexy, professional couple who seem to have it all. But relationship therapist Susan (comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer) doesn’t need a PhD to see that emotionally uninhibited Kit (Bennett) and uptight know-it-all Dyna (DeBuono) can barely stand each other for a single session, let a lone eternity. We Have to Stop Now is a wacky but down-to-earth emotional rollercoaster likely to remind you of your most dysfunctional (yet likeable) queer friends.
This was OK. I guess I'm not really a fan of "dysfunctional (yet likeable)" ... maybe they were just not quite likeable enough. I do applaud their marketing strategy though ... when the creators tired of having their ideas for lesbian-themed TV shows rejected even by the "gay" networks, they made their own show and put it on the web. Season 1 is available for free and Season 2 is available by subscription.
Friday's film reviews below the cut
Note: plot summaries (italics) and promotional images shamelessly lifted from the Frameline website. Click the image to go there for more info, including links to the official movie websites.
The Stranger in Us
Like many young gay men before him, small-town Virginian Anthony, played by Raphael Barker from John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus (2006), arrives in San Francisco wide-eyed and eager to drink up his new surroundings. But the cozy bubble of nights spent writing poetry in coffee shops and playing house with Stephen, the career-minded older boy friend he barely knows, soon bursts when Stephen’s frequent outbursts of anger turn abusive.
Having moved into an apartment with a casual acquaintance, Anthony spends his days disinterestedly shoveling popcorn at a local movie theater, while at night he wanders the city’s streets. Enter puckish cutie Gavin, a barely legal runaway and hustler who alternately acts as guide, enabler and watchdog to Anthony.
Shuttling forward and backward across time, local writer/director Scott Boswell’s debut feature is a bold, sympathetic portrait of the struggles, pleasures and perils of losing and regaining oneself in the concrete jungle.
First of all, Raphael Barker is a super cutie and if you haven't seen Shortbus yet, you should run out and remedy that right away! Shortbus is by the same director as Hedwig and the Angry Inch (and if you haven't seen that yet, then I just don't even know what to say. It's a rock musical filled with awesome! What could be better?!)
Ok, back to this movie. I wasn't initially planning on seeing this, but they added a second screening and I'd heard from one of the comic book guys the day before that it was good. I was braced for the perils of the concrete jungle, but the film was way less dark that I expected. The "shuttling forward and backward across time" editing choice wasn't very elegantly executed, but got better toward the end. Otherwise this was an excellent film. Anthony and Gavin's friendship was just awesome to watch and I grew to care about them so much over the course of the movie that by the end, when they both seem like they're going to be OK I was really moved. Yay for angst + positive endings!
Gay Days
In 1985 there were three openly gay people in Israel. Excluded from public office and oppressed by violence and discrimination, the gay and lesbian population existed underground. Over the next decade, a spectacular revolution unfolded. By 1998 there were up to 3000 openly gay and lesbian people celebrating the Summer of Pride in Israel.
The film features the colorful voices of major Israeli cultural figures who paint a picture of a time in Tel Aviv when people from all walks of life, including academics, artists and even military officers came together to start a movement and change lives. This wasn’t a violent revolution but a societal uprising driven by people who were ready to come out of hiding and claim their identity.
This was a pretty decent documentary. I don't have too much to add to the plot summary above. The lack of violence in the revolution was very pleasantly surprising.
Worldly Affairs
A collection of non-US shorts. Just Friends was by far the most fun, but all of the shorts were quite watchable.
Transatlantic: two couples on opposite sides of the Atlantic share a mysterious connection
Sadly, the connection was so mysterious (and tenuous) that the short was pretty unsatisfying.
The Armoire: director Jamie Travis’ resounding finale to his Saddest Children in the World trilogy, is a comedy, mystery and melodrama based on a game of Hide and Seek gone bizarrely awry
I don't know why I thought this would be a happy short. I blame A Series of Unfortunate Events for skewing my expectations.
Inflatable Swamp: An incredibly hot man in the UK walks the line between carnal sex and human closeness
This was pretty cool. The premise is that after every sexual encounter, this guy writes a brief note describing his partner and then attaches it to a blue helium balloon. Then we see the dude's bathroom and there are dozens of balloons floating on the ceiling, all with their notes (the inflatable swamp of the title). He moves on to his next conquest and is jolted out of his routine when his partner-of-the-moment has a diabetic attack. The moment when Mr. Hunk stops and see the other guy as an actual person rather than just a sex toy is very understated and moving. Very sweet.
Swing: Wei Long and Daniel broke up a few weeks ago, but Daniel asks Wei Long to meet him once more
Huh. This short makes more sense now that I know they broke up a few weeks ago. That wasn't clear from the film, so the scene where one guy hands the other some photos and then they chat sort of aimlessly for a few minutes had almost no emotional resonance. Oh well.
Lines: the story of two men who decide to share their music, realizing that there are some styles that are difficult to mix
This was cute and simple. I was sad that their musical styles didn't "mix."
Just Friends: In Just Friends? the answer to the titular question turns out to be pretty clear — this tender Korean love story of two young men in the military who only want to be together is sweet affirmation at its best.
This was pretty awesome. Not one but three musical dance numbers with sparkly text and fabulous costumes! The majority of the film was non-musical, but still very charming. Recommended (although I don't know how easy it will be to get a copy).
Elena Undone
Before crossing paths with Peyton, falling for a woman was an unimaginable situation for Elena, a straight wife and mother. The friendship between Peyton, an out lesbian writer, and Elena, the wife of an anti-gay pastor who has never experienced true love, transforms swiftly from a one-sided crush into a torrid extramarital affair. Writer-director Nicole Conn confidently tackles issues of religion, sex, family and commitment in this contemporary story about star-crossed lovers and the walls between them.
This was a great romantic drama. Elena's son and his very cool girlfriend deserve a special award for fabulousness, but it's the main pairing that makes this movie so incredibly hot. There was less comedy and action than I usually like in my movies, but they won me over. Check out the trailer on YouTube.
We Have to Stop Now
Festival favorites Jill Bennett and Cathy DeBuono (Out at the Wedding, And Then Came Lola) once again ignite the screen, this time as a sexy, professional couple who seem to have it all. But relationship therapist Susan (comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer) doesn’t need a PhD to see that emotionally uninhibited Kit (Bennett) and uptight know-it-all Dyna (DeBuono) can barely stand each other for a single session, let a lone eternity. We Have to Stop Now is a wacky but down-to-earth emotional rollercoaster likely to remind you of your most dysfunctional (yet likeable) queer friends.
This was OK. I guess I'm not really a fan of "dysfunctional (yet likeable)" ... maybe they were just not quite likeable enough. I do applaud their marketing strategy though ... when the creators tired of having their ideas for lesbian-themed TV shows rejected even by the "gay" networks, they made their own show and put it on the web. Season 1 is available for free and Season 2 is available by subscription.