Reverend's Reviews: Have Yourself a Sexy Homo Christmas

 

There is currently no shortage of opportunities during this holiday season to "make the Yuletide gay." We can delight in an abundance of ginger(bread) men, ugly sweater-inspired undies, and battery-powered toys (ahem). And there are plenty of hot guys getting down and dirty in three new, gay-themed home video releases from around the world! Two of them even have Christmas connections.

Cola de Mono (now available from TLA Releasing) is set in Santiago, Chile on Christmas Eve. Two brothers – younger, precocious Borja and the older, studious Vicente – have gathered with their amusingly pessimistic (at least initially) mother. As the three get intoxicated on wine and the special holiday punch which the film is named after, family secrets of a homosexual nature are revealed and result in some decidedly non-jolly, bloody mayhem.

Talented writer-director Alberto Fuguet draws from his own upbringing during the 1980's for this provocative psycho-sexual thriller. Borja and Vicente sport short shorts, and there are numerous references to such popular movies from the "Me Decade" as Short Circuit, Aliens, Gremlins, Poltergeist and Revenge of the Nerds. In one memorable scene, Borja (played by the deliciously sassy and sexy Cristobal Rodriguez-Costabal) does for dancing in a jock strap what Tom Cruise did for dancing in tighty-whities in 1983's Risky Business. William Friedkin's controversial but pioneering (at least in hindsight) gay slasher flick Cruising is also eluded to.

Fuguet's biggest inspirations, however, are the 70's-80's oeuvre of director Brian DePalma as well as horror novelist Stephen King's works. Cola de Mono even opens with a quote from King: "We lie best when we lie to ourselves." King's Carrie figures strongly, especially during the finale (notably, DePalma directed the original film version), as well as DePalma's Body Double and Dressed to Kill. Topping it all off is Christian Heyne's great, synth-pop score and 80's songs by the popular Chilean group Upa! Made with a potent combination of economic storytelling, nostalgia, visual flair and eroticism, Cola de Mono shouldn't be missed by gay men in the 45+ age bracket.

Meanwhile, the infamous Chinese provocateur SCUD (Utopians, Amphetamine) is back with his latest, explicit gay epic, Adonis (now available from Breaking Glass Pictures). It isn't set at Christmas time but does open with a bevy of beautiful naked men in a forest who we later learn are elves! The film stars and is even named for SCUD's current muse Adonis He, who also headlines the director's last production.

In what may be an at least partially autobiographical story, Adonis is a Beijing opera performer who turns to porn and prostitution after he is cut from the company. He is taken in by an older man he comes to affectionately call "Uncle," although this agent is revealed as truly wicked by the film's horrific climax. Told in non-linear style, we learn about Adonis's childhood with a terminally-ill mother. There are also bondage, kink and orgies throughout that at times threaten to be too much even by SCUD's standards.

Nathan Wong's gorgeous cinematography in color, black & white, and sepia ravishingly depicts the sometimes sordid proceedings. Adonis is not without its philosophical and even theological aspects, especially in the end. Like most of SCUD's films to date, it is an often hypnotic blend of both sacred and profane elements.

From China we are transported to India for Jayan Cherian's Ka Bodyscapes (now available from Ariztical Entertainment). As the first Indian film to deal openly with LGBTQ issues, censors demanded heavy cuts to it and ultimately banned it from theaters. There is no explicit sex shown but the relationship between lead male characters Harris, a gay artist, and the athletic Vishnu is undeniably sensual. Jason Chacko and beautiful Kannan Rajesh assay these roles, respectively.

The pair confront prejudice and persecution, especially once they support their female friend and her fellow feminist activists. Sadly, things don't end well for them, in a harsh reminder of how far Indian society still has to go in accepting its LGBTQ citizens. But writer-director Cherian does an admirable job of showing the diverse attitudes that do exist in modern India. There are also beautiful shots of the local flora and fauna plus of Harris' provocative paintings.  

Ka Bodyscapes makes for eye-opening holiday viewing on many levels. After all, this is the season of goodwill toward all.

Reverend's Ratings:
Cola de Mono: B+
Adonis: B-
Ka Bodyscapes: B

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

Dearest Review: My Ex-Boyfriend's Wedding

Kosovo's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at this year's Academy Awards is The Marriage, a moving drama about the sacrifices one makes... or doesn't make... for love.

Bekim (the Jake Gyllenhaal-ish Alban Ukaj) and his fiancée Anita (Adriana Matoshi) are in the midst of preparing for their upcoming wedding when they unexpectedly run into Nol (Genc Salihu), an old friend of Bekim's who has returned to Kosovo after living in Paris for several years. It is soon revealed that Bekim and Nol were more than just friends, they were lovers, secret lovers in a country that is still unaccepting of LGBT people. Old passions are reignited, but there is no real happy ending for anyone in this love triangle.

In his feature film debut, director Blerta Zeqiri (also co-writer of the screenplay with the film's producer, Keka Kreshnik Berisha) aims for a universal story where the gender of the three main characters is besides the point. This is admirable, yet there is a lot in The Marriage that is familiar, especially if you're a connoisseur of queer cinema. Zeqiri also pads the story with superfluous flashbacks (some of which are practically indiscernible from the story proper) and a family dinner scene that goes on forever for no apparent reason.

What saves this Marriage is the performances of its two leading actors, especially Salihu (a Kosovar pop star who was also a judge on his country's version of The Voice), who imbues his character with a steadfast dignity even though he knows quite well that he will be the one most victimized by fate.

The Marriage opens this Friday in Los Angeles and will also be available via Video On Demand.

Dearest Rating: 7/10

Reviews by Kirby Holt, Movie Dearest creator, editor and head writer.

Dearest Review: Darling Lily

From her spirited performance as the impetuous Lady Rose on TV's Downton Abbey to her luminous portrayals of Cinderella and the feisty waitress Debora in Baby Driver on the big screen, Lily James has become a true star across several mediums. And as she proves in the hit musical sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, she very well could add pop star to her resume if she so chose.

Leave it to our darling Lily to make us all forget about Meryl Streep as she takes on the younger version of Streep's character Donna in this follow-up to the 2008 box office smash Mamma Mia!, itself based on the long-running global stage musical that cemented the 70s chart-topping Swedish quartet ABBA permanently in the pop culture firmament well into the 21st century. Yes, she sings better (and leaves all the mugging to her predecessor/older self), but Lily also makes us so smitten with Donna that it doesn't even occur to us that she's a bit of a slut, what with sleeping with three different men she barely knows all within a short span of time (thus setting up the whole "who's your daddy?" plot of the first movie).

And she's super cute in those overalls to boot.

Taking a page from, of all things, The Godfather Part II, Here We Go Again is a hybrid prequel/sequel that, like the conventional wisdom regarding that gangster classic, is better than the "part I". Writer/director Ol Parker (whose directorial debut was the lesbian romcom Imagine Me & You) had the unenviable task of taking the sow's ear that was the critically-reviled original and turning out, if not quite a silk purse, at least a gorgeous looking light entertainment that unabashedly chugs along in happy ABBAland until it sneaks in a heart-tugging valentine to motherhood in the final act that will surely create tear-diluted glasses of Chardonnay in girls' night viewing parties for years to come.

When a Mamma Mia sequel was first announced, many wondered what ABBA songs were left considering all their biggest hits were, more or less, already used. But Parker took a deep dive into the ABBA back catalog and while you (like me) have likely never heard them before, found several – "Why Did It Have To Be Me?", "I've Been Waiting For You", "My Love, My Life" – that actually fit quite seamlessly into his narrative, almost as if they were written specifically for it. He even manages to squeeze in "Waterloo" (previously relegated to the "curtain call" on both stage and screen) into the story proper, plus a few choice reprises of songs – "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" – no ABBA project could do without.

Cher will next play Lady Gaga's long-lost mom in A Star is Born 2.

Considering it was one of ABBA's many #1 songs (not to mention one of the best-selling singles of all-time), the absence of "Fernando" was glaringly obvious from Mamma Mia! since it first opened on the musical stage way back in 1999. Well, the wait for it was worth it, as the song is finally performed in the "ABBAverse" here by none other than Cher as Donna's globe-trotting mother... that's right, 35 years post-Silkwood Cher plays Meryl Streep's mom. And if that wasn't bonkers enough, Cher is joined by both Donnas, Lily and Meryl, as well as the whole Mamma Mia! gang (both young and older versions), in belting out "Super Trouper", Here We Go Again's time-bending grand finale, an irresistible coda to the whole Mamma Mia! franchise... for now.

Dearest Rating: 8/10

Review by Kirby Holt, Movie Dearest creator, editor and head writer.

Reverend's Review: Do the Konga

 

One of cinema's biggest, most enduringly popular beasts is making his unexpected debut on the Broadway stage this month. No, I'm not referring to Duane Johnson but rather King Kong, the massive simian ruler of Skull Island. Kong first appeared on movie screens way back in 1933 and has reigned over sequels and remakes ever since. When I first heard he was to be the star of a theatrical musical, I scratched my head like many naysayers but I was also intrigued. So intrigued was I that I set out to make King Kong, which opened November 8th, the subject of my first official Broadway review since moving to the east coast!

Although this production actually originated in Australia, it is most fitting that it is having its American premiere in the city Kong has terrorized repeatedly. The book, written by recent Tony winner Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), is set in Depression-era NYC just as the 1933 and 2005 movies were. It follows the original plot's basic outline but makes some striking changes with the lead human characters. Carl Denham, the charmingly reckless filmmaker, is now a full on villain with little regard for his leading lady, Ann Darrow, Kong or anyone/anything else. Ann, meanwhile, is no longer a wilting flower scream queen à la Fay Wray but a newly empowered heroine for the #MeToo generation (she is also currently being played by a black actress, Christiani Pitts, making Ann even more relevant in 21st century USA).

Denham, Ann, and a hunky all-male crew journey to Kong's home via a spectacular evocation of a sailing tanker courtesy of scenic and projection designer Peter England. Once there, the original tale's gorilla-worshipping natives are replaced by mysterious sentient plant life, which is initially confusing but explained later in Act Two. These crafty vines "kidnap" Ann and present her to the larger-than-life master of Skull Island.

Photo by Joan Marcus

The genuine thrills of this stage adaptation of King Kong are provided by its title creation: a 2,000-pound, two-story-tall, absolutely-believable puppet designed by Sonny Tilders and operated by ten cast members dubbed the "King's Company." It roars, it carries Ann in its fist, it "runs" through the jungle, and it convincingly climbs the Empire State Building (uniquely viewed from within the tower). At one point, when Kong breaks free from his theatrical captivity, it even moves down to the first view rows of the audience and "sniffs" patrons before roaring at them. The audience responded with wild applause to practically every gesture and facial expression of this marvelous faux monkey.

One does wish the musical's book was stronger and its songs more memorable but it is hardly "The Mess That Roared," as it was recently dubbed in a merciless New York Times review. The techno-pop score by Marius de Vries (of Moulin Rouge! and La La Land fame), Eddie Perfect (who will soon also be represented on Broadway with the new musical version of Beetlejuice) and a handful of other contributors features a few numbers that are catchy, moving, and/or hilarious (intentionally so). The most touching and memorable of these is one of the simplest: a lullaby Ann sings to the wounded Kong while a full moon casts its light upon them. Ann gets a couple of powerhouse songs including "Last of Our Kind" but the climactic "The Wonder," sung by the entire cast, is genuinely spine-tingling.

Director-choreographer Drew McOnie puts his predominantly male cast through some dazzling paces. The fluidity not only of the dances but the show as a whole is truly impressive. The handful of female performers are fine in largely chorine roles, and several of them nearly steal the show away from Kong when they are forced to sing while the monster is breaking free.

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Pitts is fetching and in command as Ann, the queen to Kong's king, even if her character comes across as too contemporary at times. As the conniving Carl, Eric William Morris has charm but is saddled with a pretty one-dimensional role and isn't given much to do musically. Veteran actor Erik Lochtefeld is affecting as Lumpy, a new character with a tragic backstory. And ensemble member Casey Garvin is a standout as "Fake Carl" in the show-within-a-show relating the story of Kong's capture. Garvin is handsome and hilarious, and the unknown woman sitting next to me concurred that he is this production's best asset after the Kong puppet.

It is difficult to predict the longevity of the stage version of King Kong, given the mixed critical reaction it is receiving plus its enormous scale and related cost. There is no question, though, that it is the best giant-monster musical out there... at least until a Godzilla tuner comes along.

Reverend's Rating: B+

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