Reverend’s Reviews: Thanksgivukkah Viewing

Much has been made online and in the popular press about this year’s rare convergence of Thanksgiving Day and the first day of Hanukkah, with some dubbing the joint celebration “Thanksgivukkah.” I am thankful for, among many other things, this holiday week’s large number of high quality gay-themed DVDs.

In light of Hanukkah, it seems most appropriate to start with Undressing Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land from Breaking Glass Pictures. This myth-busting travelogue is co-directed by Tel Aviv filmmaker Yariv Mozer with gay-porn entrepreneur (and Russian-born Jew) Michael Lucas. They travel throughout Israel, interviewing numerous gay citizens about their experience living there. Among them is Yossi & Jagger writer-director Eytan Fox. Virtually all relate how positive and accepting an environment it is, especially since homosexuality was decriminalized in 1988. Their stories definitely disprove the overwhelming western notion that all Israelis are conservative, anti-gay terrorists (to paraphrase one commenter’s reference), although being openly gay is more difficult for Muslim men than Jews. At only 46 minutes, the film comes across in the end as more of a tourist recruitment tool than a fully objective documentary but it is worth watching.

The popular web series Old Dogs & New Tricks makes its DVD debut this week courtesy of Wolfe Video. As I am generally averse to watching anything of potential substance online, this was my first opportunity to view the two seasons’ worth of 5-10 minute episodes. I was quite impressed by series creator Leon Acord’s writing and the overall quality of the production, despite some sound issues on some season 2 episodes (which could be due to a potentially faulty DVD transfer). The lead acting quartet of Acord, David Pevsner, Curt Bonnem (the only straight actor out of the lot) and Jeffrey Patrick Olson is strong, and the seasons feature bigger-name actors including Thom Bierdz (The Young and the Restless), Ian Buchanan (General Hospital), Bruce Hart (Homewrecker), Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis and Doug Spearman (Noah’s Arc, Hot Guys with Guns). Whether you see it on DVD or online, you owe it to yourself to check this very funny and heartfelt series out.

Green Briefs is the latest release in Guest House Films’ ongoing series of color-themed short films following last year’s Black Briefs and Blue Briefs. The five exceptional shorts selected this time around deal with gay teens and men sorting through family issues. Veteran actor James Karen (Poltergeist and Return of the Living Dead, among nearly 200 credits) gives a touching, all too realistic performance in Marc Saltarelli’s well-written Pride as the dementia-addled father of a resentful gay son (Perry Ojeda, also giving a strong performance). The Commitment is a heartbreaking examination of an interracial gay couple planning to adopt a child. Shabbat Dinner is a very funny story about a gay teen and an initially-straight teen who connect during the title Jewish family gathering, while Kimchi Fried Dumplings is a more serious look at tensions between two gay Asian-American brothers preparing for Christmas dinner. Finally, Cedric Thomas Smith’s hard-hitting, award-winning The Symphony of Silence explores the tragic repercussions of bullying among high school students.

If you prefer gay stories with fairly unexpected twists, check out the new releases Triple Crossed and Solo from TLA. The first is an ambitious, not always successful but genuinely intriguing tale of an Afghan war veteran suffering from PTSD (a very good performance by easy-on-the-eyes newcomer Jack Brockett) who gets hired to off a wealthy gay business owner. It marks the directorial debut of former porn actor Sean Paul Lockhart, who also plays the intended victim. Argentine filmmaker Marcelo Briem Stamm’s Solo, meanwhile, features a steamy encounter between two hot men that devolves into allegations of extortion, betrayal and, ultimately, murder. It is engaging and enjoyable, so long as one doesn’t expect a happy ending.

Movie Dearest and I wish all our readers a happy Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and holiday season!

Reverend’s Ratings:
Undressing Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land: B
Old Dogs & New Tricks: B+
Green Briefs: A-
Triple Crossed: B-
Solo: B

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Thanksgiving Greetings

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Reverend’s Reviews: International Tour

Several new theatrical and home video releases this week illustrate how small the world is becoming when it comes to GLBT inclusion and our common struggles.

Our travels begin here in the USA with Geography Club, playing in Los Angeles theaters starting today. Adapted from Brent Hartinger’s popular YA book, it features a group of GLBT high school students who form an underground support group advertised as the “Geography Club.” Figuring they are safe because no one would be interested in such a topic, they are surprised when their school’s football star (Cameron Deane Stewart, who was also recently seen in Pitch Perfect) begins to attend their meetings and even more surprised when he admits to being gay.

While the lead performances are pretty amateurish, the movie benefits from a terrific supporting cast that includes Glee’s Alex Newell, Scott Bakula, Hairspray’s Nikki Blonsky and the hilarious Ana Gasteyer, perfectly cast as the school’s off-kilter sex ed teacher. Current high school students will likely find the film relatable and enjoyable, but I felt old watching it and so will probably anyone of voting age and above. It skews young to the exclusion of virtually everyone other than die-hard fans of its adult cast members. Still, I highly recommend it for the 18 and under crowd.

Those in the central Philippines have endured tragic, epic devastation the last two weeks. The Filipino gay horror-comedy Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings, now available on DVDfrom Ariztical, offers a much-needed sunny look at the island nation and its GLBT inhabitants. Remington (Martin Escudero) had an unfortunate habit as a child of publicly pronouncing as gay anyone who appeared to him to be so. One day, he offended an ill-natured drag queen who subsequently placed a curse of retribution on the lad: as Remington approaches adulthood, he will himself turn gay. The change begins slowly at first, but soon Remington is in full (though admittedly stereotypical) homosexual mode. He shaves his body hair, wears form-fitting t-shirts and jeans, sashays and gets his groove on in the street and — horror of horrors — becomes well spoken. Projecting gay-Remington’s subtitles in pink is another over the top but amusing touch.

In the ultimate case of bad timing, Remington’s transformation gets underway just as a serial killer targeting GLBT people is stalking the city. It isn’t long before murdered drag queens are rising from the dead and the city’s all-female police force is under siege. Despite its low budget, the film also features fun visual effects and accomplished zombie makeup, as well as some lovely cinematography of Philippine countrysides and the sexiest séance ever put on celluloid/digital. The talented Escudero makes his character’s plight both funny and poignant, the latter so most especially during the movie’s finale when someone must choose to sacrifice their heterosexuality so Remington can become straight again. Director and co-writer Jade Castro proves himself an international talent to watch despite this film’s sometimes rough edges and moments of questionable humor.

We next journey to rural Mexico for Peyote, what I consider the best film in this bunch. It is an authentic, sexy look at two disparate souls gradually drawn together. Pablo (Joe Diazzi) is an attractive but geeky teenager who is introduced making a sci-fi movie in his kitchen with vegetable protagonists. He is also in the process of arranging a hookup online with his presumed girlfriend but ultimately hesitates to commit. Frustrated, he takes to the street and crosses paths with the hot, slightly older and definitely worldlier Marco (Carlos Luque).

Since Pablo rebuffs Marco’s initial efforts at flirtation, he invites Pablo to take a road trip with him to the desert town of Real de Catorce in search of hallucinogenic peyote. Pablo agrees so long as he can document their trip on his camera. The peyote proves elusive but the young men learn much about themselves and one another, especially once it gets late and they have to spend the night together. The chemistry and sensuality between Luque and Diazzi are palpable but are used in service of a truly human story by Omar Flores Sarabia, whose impressive directorial debut this is. Peyote just had its world premiere at last month’s Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in New Mexico but is already available on DVDand VOD from Breaking Glass Pictures. Be among the first to discover it.

Our international tour this week ends in Spain and neighboring Portugal, the settings for Tiago Leao’s disappointing Longing Nights (Noches de Espera). It is also available now on DVDfrom Breaking Glass. Trying way too hard to be provocative, Leao cuts between four different stories involving frustrating relationships and/or unrequited love. The most interesting of the main characters is Aitana, a transgender prostitute who subjects herself to all manner of abuse from men before she finds comfort from an unlikely source. Otherwise, there’s a straight couple where the man is a drug dealer, a pretty but dull gay couple struggling with one’s refusal to become monogamous, and a lesbian couple where one partner also refuses to settle down sexually.

There’s lots of graphic sex on digitally-shot display, raw and real but not pretty. Virtually all of it has been seen and done before in better films, with the exception of Aitana’s affecting storyline. If you must watch Longing Nights, concentrate on her scenes and fast forward through the rest. Oh well, three good stops out of four when traveling isn’t too bad.

Reverend’s Ratings:
Geography Club: B+ (for teens)/C+ (for adults)
Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings: B
Peyote: B+
Longing Nights: C-

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.

Reverend’s Reviews: Sins of the Past

There were no less than 120 generally well-received films shown during the just-concluded AFI Fest 2013. For many attendees, though, this year’s most memorable and most discussed moment was Mark Wahlberg’s lengthy, foul-mouthed rant following the world premiere on November 12th of Peter Berg’s wartime saga Lone Survivor, which Wahlberg headlines. The actor (and reportedly devout Roman Catholic; Pope Francis ought to wash Wahlberg’s mouth out with soap) was apparently taking to task Tom Cruise and other fellow performers who have likened their preparation for certain roles to military training, à la the Navy SEAL training Wahlberg underwent for his film. Director Berg eventually calmed Wahlberg but the star refused to take any further questions from the post-screening moderator.

The former Marky Mark wasn’t the only one railing against perceived slights and sins during the festival’s seven days. There was plenty of finger-pointing taking place on screen too. Whether it was Julia Roberts bitterly criticizing Meryl Streep as her character’s drug-addled mother in August: Osage County, Will Forte’s underappreciated son on a road trip with Bruce Dern’s stubborn daddy in Nebraska, or Emma Thompson’s P.L. Travers versus Tom Hanks’ Walt Disney over the latter’s alleged mishandling of Travers’ Mary Poppins character in Saving Mr. Banks, there was much throwing of stones on display.

Perhaps the most divisive AFI Fest film in this regard was Philomena, the Weinstein Company’s Oscar hopeful that begins its US theatrical run next week. Based on a sad but compelling true story, the film stars Judi Dench as Philomena Lee, who in the 1950’s was forced by Irish nuns to give up a son she bore out of wedlock. Lee only opened up about this episode in 2004, fifty years later. Disgraced British journalist Martin Sixsmith pursued Lee’s story and ultimately wrote a bestselling book, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, which served as the basis of the film. Dench is superb as always in the title role and Steve Coogan (so hilarious in 2008’s Hamlet 2) gives a strong co-starring performance as Sixsmith.

Unfortunately, I and at least a few others felt the screenplay co-written by Coogan (who also produced) and Jeff Pope hits too many false notes. This is especially true when it comes to the treatment of GLBT issues and Catholicism. Warning: potential spoilers ahead for those unfamiliar with the book or true story. You see, it is discovered that Lee’s long-lost son, born Anthony, was adopted by an American couple and grew up under a new name, Michael Hess. Hess was a gay man and successful attorney ultimately chosen by President George Bush, Sr. to be his chief legal counsel. As a Republican party insider, Hess was conflicted over his sexuality and secret, long-term relationship. Tragically, he contracted HIV and died of AIDS complications in 1995, nearly a decade before Lee and Sixsmith began searching for him.

In the film, Lee is presented as a simple, naïve woman with little interest in matters other than her strong Catholic faith. When she learns her son was gay, however, she suddenly seems to know all about GLBT issues and vocalizes such terms as “bi-curious” and “beard” (applied historically to women with whom gay men would publicly appear heterosexual). But she also, astoundingly, applies dated stereotypes to her son, claiming she always knew he was gay because he was “sensitive” as a 3-year old (what 3-year old isn’t?) and was photographed wearing “dungarees” as an adult! While all this is presented comically, I was borderline offended by the filmmakers’ misguided effort at pandering to the GLBT audience. It is especially disappointing given that the film’s director, Stephen Frears, previously made two pioneering, non-stereotypical depictions of gay life: My Beautiful Laundrette and Prick Up Your Ears.

The Catholic Church and even God aren’t handled any more sensitively. It’s hardly news that the Church has engaged in and covered up all sorts of questionable behavior in the past. Ireland’s Church-run network of Magdalene laundries, wherein Lee found herself as a teenager, was previously exposed as abusive. The nuns in Philomena are entirely one-dimensional, with the film’s fictional Sr. Hildegard shown as downright hateful. While some viewers will cheer Sixsmith’s climactic showdown with Sr. Hildegard, his victory struck me as so assured that it rings hollow.

Philomena’s central story of regret, love and forgiveness is strong, as are the cast members’ performances. The film could have been much stronger with a more nuanced script that doesn’t veer so uneasily between comedy and drama, black and white. Gay and Catholic viewers, especially: consider yourselves warned.

In LA theaters this weekend are two Polish films that also deal with Catholicism, past sins and/or homosexuality, with a dose of anti-Semitism to boot. In the Name Of, previously reviewed here when it was shown at last summer’s Outfest, reveals the struggles of a closeted gay priest who runs a camp for troubled boys. It has insightful moments but in the end is a pretty familiar story.

Much better is Wladyslaw Pasikowski’s award-winning but controversial Aftermath (Poklosie). How controversial is it, you ask? One of its lead actors, Maciej Stuhr, has received death threats for his portrayal of a man uncovering (literally) his Catholic neighbors’ collaboration with the Nazis during World War II that led to the murders of over a hundred Jews. The film has also been banned from some cinemas in Poland by right-wing political leaders.

Ireneusz Czop co-stars as Franek, the brother of Stuhr’s character, who has returned home for the first time in twenty years from his “adopted” city of Chicago, Illinois. The two form an initially uneasy but ultimately Hardy Boys-like alliance as they strive to discover the truth about their town and family. Entirely engrossing and intelligent, apart from a couple of scenes where Franek unwisely runs alone into the dark woods when he hears mysterious noises, Aftermath serves as a testament to all those attempting to atone for humanity’s sins of the past.

Reverend’s Ratings:
Philomena: C+
In the Name Of: C+
Aftermath: A-

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.