March 2006 - July 2008 Reviewed by
Glenn Bishop
Reviewed May 14, 2008
April 24, 2008 Issue
Glenn's attention, rapt as ever when watching as cute an actor as Tom Harper in "Surveillance 24/7," nevertheless kept drifting off to Hitchcock's seminal 1959 work, "North By Northwest." Comparisons between the two films are both obvious and necessary.
For
those loyal Quest readers who
may be missing the reference, "North By Northwest" offered Cary Grant
as an ordinary man – as if Cary could ever have been "ordinary" – who
inadvertently manages to get caught up in an extraordinary tale of
murder and espionage. Given Hitchcock's obsession with blonds, Cary
also manages to end up in a final reel clinch with Eva Marie Saint.
In Kevin Sampson's taunt, if muddled screenplay, Adam Blane (Tom Harper) is pretty much just an average sort of bloke. As a teacher at an exclusive English boy's school, Adam works hard and in his free time is determined to play hard. Sometimes Adam relaxes with a little kite surfing. After dark, you'll find Adam out in London's celebrated gay clubs. One night Adam hooks up with hottie celebrity photographer Jake Raven ( Sean Brendan Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan's son), son of media baron Lord Raven (Nicholas Jones). After Adam's rather fumbled introduction, these two hot gay men do what two hot gay men normally do in situations such as this -- they head off for some quality time between the sheets. Mission accomplished, Adam decides it is time to shove off. In doing so, he nicks Jake's phone by mistake.
Turns out to be quite a big mistake.
Adam, the film's genuinely ordinary protagonist, is thus rudely tossed into a sequence of extraordinary circumstances. Jake disappears and the tabloids begin spinning a tale of Jake's drunken and fatal leap off a yacht. Adam, presumably the last man to have seen Jake alive, suddenly finds himself popular with all the wrong sort of people. Soon everyone seems to have their hidden cameras poised on Adam, not the least of which are Lord Raven's RNN news crew as well as the British security service, MI-5.
Oh what a tangled web screenwriter Sampson and director Paul Oremland have weaved! Squarely in the midst of a fabulous conspiracy – think Princess Diana's death -- Adam turns to reporter and one-time girlfriend Amy Conroy (Dawn Steele).But can Amy be trusted? Glenn certainly thought not. She has, after all, managed to hold a grudge against the poor lad for seven years. Why? Just because after her, Adam turned gay.
Determined to make "Surveillance 24/7" edgy and relevant, director Paul Oremland filmed his thriller as if done entirely with surveillance cameras – going so far as to incorporate footage of Adam taken within one of London's leading saunas. Sadly, no shots of couples in flagrante or even of Adam sans towel. Still, so much for anonymous encounters, thinks Glenn.
Buy it, rent it or forget it…
After much contemplation, Glenn must give "Surveillance 24/7" a provisional "thumbs up." "Surveillance 24/7" is a wonderfully ambitious film and while Tom Harper may not be Cary Grant, he is really quite engaging as Adam. Eventually the film's dizzying camerawork and increasingly convoluted plot leaves "Surveillance 24/7"spinning alarming out of control. In "North By Northwest" Hitchcock carefully delineated the playing field, leaving moviegoers able to separate the good guys from the bad. Not so here. Having watched "Surveillance 24/7" twice, Glenn continues to find himself totally clueless. Although not for the first time. Most disappointingly, the secret, potentially fascinating "fairy tale" at the heart of the film, far too late introduced, ends up little more than a narrative gimmick.
Just the facts…
"Surveillance 24/7" zips along at 87 minutes and is in English.
"Surveillance 24/7" is available with a SRP of $24.95
Director Paul Oremland also made the classic gay title, "Like It Is" back in 1998
DVD extras include "The Making of Surveillance" featurette plus "A Message of Love and Respect from Susan Sarandon?!"
December 13, 2007 Issue
Reviewed November 29, 2007
Reviewed November 8, 2007
DVD: "Coffee
Date" Has Its Perks
Reviewed October 25, 2007
April 24, 2008 Issue
Florentine Director William Florescu Talks
About Bellini & Gay Love Of Opera
March 27, 2008 IssueMilwaukee
- Opera fans of all sexual stripes will be in their
glory
this weekend when the Florentine Opera Company presents the Bellini
opera I Capuleti
e I
Montecchi to Milwaukee audiences on April 25-27 at
the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Quest’s Mike Fitzpatrick
spoke with the Florentine’s General Director William Florescu about the
upcoming production, the gay love of opera and much more.
Quest: Let’s start off the the question that I think almost every gay man asks himself some time in his life: what is it with gays and opera? What makes opera so attractive to the gay male persona?
Florescu: (chuckles) I don’t know. Since I’m not a gay man I don’t know the answer to that. I only know that as an opera producer that its one of these things that you might say “that’s a myth or a stereotype,” but there seems to be some reality to it.
I certainly know it’s there. I’ve been doing music now for over thirty years and I certainly know that it does exist. As a producer I’m glad its there because it generates interest in our product which is what I’m all about.
Quest: Well, to be real honest, it’s the costumes and in general - though it varies with the composer - the oversized drama and almost melodramatic elements of some of the greatest pieces. And obviously the music helps - and it’s a chance to dress up.
Florescu: I think it’s not by coincidence that some of the entertainment icons not in the world of opera that have become sort of identified with male gay worship are referred to as divas, which is an appropriation from the world of opera. So I think some of the elements - even if it doesn’t involve operatic pieces like you say - the larger than life aspect of it, the glamour, etc. sometimes transcends the genre itself but of course is always present in opera.
Quest: Look at the production that you’re going to be kicking off the 75th season with. There’s the message of racism and second-class citizenship that permeates Madame Butterfly, for example. And it is true that there was a stereotype that gays bumped themselves off in the last act of almost every play that they were in up until recently. But the whole concept of this wonderful relationship that was betrayed because of societal pressures.
Florescu: In my studies for my Master’s thesis it’s really interesting that all the operas of Benjamin Britten, who himself was homosexual at a time in (Great) Britain when that wasn’t necessarily a safe thing (to be) - If you look at the subjects of his operas, whether they’re serious or comic, they’re about the outsider and how they deal with a sometimes hostile world, whether its represented by Peter Grimes or society in general in Albert Herring. I think you make a good point. Madame Butterfly is probably another good analogy to that.
Quest: Let’s talk a little about the outreach the Florentine Opera is doing to the gay community.
Florescu: It struck me odd, after I had been here a couple of years, they we hadn’t done something like that. Why hadn’t we made any kind of contact in a structural way with a community that’s very supportive. So I spoke with Scott Stewart our concert master and said “Let’s try something! Let’s do something to show we are aware of this support.”
Any time you are not a part of the community
(you wish to reach out
to), you’re always in danger of stepping your foot into it, in terms of
making what might be viewed as a stereotyped assumption. One of the
tough things is that if you’re making an outreach to the Latino
community or the African-American community, that’s self evident in who
that group is. Whereas with the gay community it’s something where the
people involved have to let you know that they want to be identified as
part of it. I’ve tried to be very sensitive to that.
So Scott came up with what I thought is a really nice idea: contacting the folks at the Room and setting up an opportunity to meet a cast member and talk a bit about the opera. The first time we did it, it was the coldest night of the year but we had a nice turnout.
It was successful enough that we knew we wanted to try it again. Sort of just take baby steps to show that we really have interest in doing this outreach.
Part of the reason I’ve done this is when I lived in Columbus (Ohio) for 15 years, the gay men’s chorus and the opera did some joint fundraisers together. It was really successful.
So I thought, “you know what, the Florentine should be doing something like this.” It’s part of a larger, philosophical view of mine. The Florentine has always been traditionally very successful. But in my view of it, we’ve been somewhat inward-looking and not outward-looking to the community in the larger sense. To me this is a very practical and pragmatic part of that. To me, this was a logical step that was long overdue.
Quest: As for the
upcoming opera I think most people would be
familiar
with the story source of Bellini’s I
Capuleti e I Montecchi.
Florescu: It’s interesting that the Bellini story is not based on Shakespeare. It’s based on older Italian legends that Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet) was based on. It has some key differences. One of them - not in terms of how the story is told - but one thing that people who haven’t been to an opera before need to be aware of is that the role of Romeo is a travesty role. In other words its a “pants role” - a male role sung by a woman.
Its something that continues to be an operatic convention. You’ll occasionally see the role sung by a tenor, but there’s another tenor in the opera so that doesn’t work. It’s all about how the voices fit. With a tenor it doesn’t work as well.
But the basic story is the same: they fall in love and they die. But there are slight differences from the Shakespeare.
Quest: Are tickets still on sale for I Capuleti e I Montecchi? Are limited seats available?
Florescu: Friday (April 25) is a good night. Saturday and Sunday tend to sell even bigger, so opening night is a good night to get tickets.
Friday and Saturday performances of the Florentine Opera’s production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi will be at 7:30 PM. Curtain for the Sunday matinee performance is 2:30 PM. Single tickets start at just $25. For more information on ordering your tickets, visit the opera company’s website at: www.florentineopera.org or call 414-291-5700 Ext. 224. Limited seating may also be available the night of each performance by inquiring in person at the Marcus Center box office.
Editor’s Note: In Quest’s May 8 issue, our interview with William Florescu will continue. Be sure to read about opera’s user-friendly innovations, the link between opera and NASCAR, how opera is truly the last “real deal,” and the Florentine’s magnificent, upcoming Diamond Jubilee season.
e I
Montecchi to Milwaukee audiences on April 25-27 at
the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Quest’s Mike Fitzpatrick
spoke with the Florentine’s General Director William Florescu about the
upcoming production, the gay love of opera and much more. Quest: Let’s start off the the question that I think almost every gay man asks himself some time in his life: what is it with gays and opera? What makes opera so attractive to the gay male persona?
Florescu: (chuckles) I don’t know. Since I’m not a gay man I don’t know the answer to that. I only know that as an opera producer that its one of these things that you might say “that’s a myth or a stereotype,” but there seems to be some reality to it.
I certainly know it’s there. I’ve been doing music now for over thirty years and I certainly know that it does exist. As a producer I’m glad its there because it generates interest in our product which is what I’m all about.
Quest: Well, to be real honest, it’s the costumes and in general - though it varies with the composer - the oversized drama and almost melodramatic elements of some of the greatest pieces. And obviously the music helps - and it’s a chance to dress up.
Florescu: I think it’s not by coincidence that some of the entertainment icons not in the world of opera that have become sort of identified with male gay worship are referred to as divas, which is an appropriation from the world of opera. So I think some of the elements - even if it doesn’t involve operatic pieces like you say - the larger than life aspect of it, the glamour, etc. sometimes transcends the genre itself but of course is always present in opera.
Quest: Look at the production that you’re going to be kicking off the 75th season with. There’s the message of racism and second-class citizenship that permeates Madame Butterfly, for example. And it is true that there was a stereotype that gays bumped themselves off in the last act of almost every play that they were in up until recently. But the whole concept of this wonderful relationship that was betrayed because of societal pressures.
Florescu: In my studies for my Master’s thesis it’s really interesting that all the operas of Benjamin Britten, who himself was homosexual at a time in (Great) Britain when that wasn’t necessarily a safe thing (to be) - If you look at the subjects of his operas, whether they’re serious or comic, they’re about the outsider and how they deal with a sometimes hostile world, whether its represented by Peter Grimes or society in general in Albert Herring. I think you make a good point. Madame Butterfly is probably another good analogy to that.
Quest: Let’s talk a little about the outreach the Florentine Opera is doing to the gay community.
Florescu: It struck me odd, after I had been here a couple of years, they we hadn’t done something like that. Why hadn’t we made any kind of contact in a structural way with a community that’s very supportive. So I spoke with Scott Stewart our concert master and said “Let’s try something! Let’s do something to show we are aware of this support.”
Any time you are not a part of the community
(you wish to reach out
to), you’re always in danger of stepping your foot into it, in terms of
making what might be viewed as a stereotyped assumption. One of the
tough things is that if you’re making an outreach to the Latino
community or the African-American community, that’s self evident in who
that group is. Whereas with the gay community it’s something where the
people involved have to let you know that they want to be identified as
part of it. I’ve tried to be very sensitive to that.So Scott came up with what I thought is a really nice idea: contacting the folks at the Room and setting up an opportunity to meet a cast member and talk a bit about the opera. The first time we did it, it was the coldest night of the year but we had a nice turnout.
It was successful enough that we knew we wanted to try it again. Sort of just take baby steps to show that we really have interest in doing this outreach.
Part of the reason I’ve done this is when I lived in Columbus (Ohio) for 15 years, the gay men’s chorus and the opera did some joint fundraisers together. It was really successful.
So I thought, “you know what, the Florentine should be doing something like this.” It’s part of a larger, philosophical view of mine. The Florentine has always been traditionally very successful. But in my view of it, we’ve been somewhat inward-looking and not outward-looking to the community in the larger sense. To me this is a very practical and pragmatic part of that. To me, this was a logical step that was long overdue.
Quest: As for the
upcoming opera I think most people would be
familiar
with the story source of Bellini’s I
Capuleti e I Montecchi.Florescu: It’s interesting that the Bellini story is not based on Shakespeare. It’s based on older Italian legends that Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet) was based on. It has some key differences. One of them - not in terms of how the story is told - but one thing that people who haven’t been to an opera before need to be aware of is that the role of Romeo is a travesty role. In other words its a “pants role” - a male role sung by a woman.
Its something that continues to be an operatic convention. You’ll occasionally see the role sung by a tenor, but there’s another tenor in the opera so that doesn’t work. It’s all about how the voices fit. With a tenor it doesn’t work as well.
But the basic story is the same: they fall in love and they die. But there are slight differences from the Shakespeare.
Quest: Are tickets still on sale for I Capuleti e I Montecchi? Are limited seats available?
Florescu: Friday (April 25) is a good night. Saturday and Sunday tend to sell even bigger, so opening night is a good night to get tickets.
Friday and Saturday performances of the Florentine Opera’s production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi will be at 7:30 PM. Curtain for the Sunday matinee performance is 2:30 PM. Single tickets start at just $25. For more information on ordering your tickets, visit the opera company’s website at: www.florentineopera.org or call 414-291-5700 Ext. 224. Limited seating may also be available the night of each performance by inquiring in person at the Marcus Center box office.
Editor’s Note: In Quest’s May 8 issue, our interview with William Florescu will continue. Be sure to read about opera’s user-friendly innovations, the link between opera and NASCAR, how opera is truly the last “real deal,” and the Florentine’s magnificent, upcoming Diamond Jubilee season.
March 13, 2008 Issue
Surveillance 24/7Glenn's attention, rapt as ever when watching as cute an actor as Tom Harper in "Surveillance 24/7," nevertheless kept drifting off to Hitchcock's seminal 1959 work, "North By Northwest." Comparisons between the two films are both obvious and necessary.
For
those loyal Quest readers who
may be missing the reference, "North By Northwest" offered Cary Grant
as an ordinary man – as if Cary could ever have been "ordinary" – who
inadvertently manages to get caught up in an extraordinary tale of
murder and espionage. Given Hitchcock's obsession with blonds, Cary
also manages to end up in a final reel clinch with Eva Marie Saint.In Kevin Sampson's taunt, if muddled screenplay, Adam Blane (Tom Harper) is pretty much just an average sort of bloke. As a teacher at an exclusive English boy's school, Adam works hard and in his free time is determined to play hard. Sometimes Adam relaxes with a little kite surfing. After dark, you'll find Adam out in London's celebrated gay clubs. One night Adam hooks up with hottie celebrity photographer Jake Raven ( Sean Brendan Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan's son), son of media baron Lord Raven (Nicholas Jones). After Adam's rather fumbled introduction, these two hot gay men do what two hot gay men normally do in situations such as this -- they head off for some quality time between the sheets. Mission accomplished, Adam decides it is time to shove off. In doing so, he nicks Jake's phone by mistake.
Turns out to be quite a big mistake.
Adam, the film's genuinely ordinary protagonist, is thus rudely tossed into a sequence of extraordinary circumstances. Jake disappears and the tabloids begin spinning a tale of Jake's drunken and fatal leap off a yacht. Adam, presumably the last man to have seen Jake alive, suddenly finds himself popular with all the wrong sort of people. Soon everyone seems to have their hidden cameras poised on Adam, not the least of which are Lord Raven's RNN news crew as well as the British security service, MI-5.
Oh what a tangled web screenwriter Sampson and director Paul Oremland have weaved! Squarely in the midst of a fabulous conspiracy – think Princess Diana's death -- Adam turns to reporter and one-time girlfriend Amy Conroy (Dawn Steele).But can Amy be trusted? Glenn certainly thought not. She has, after all, managed to hold a grudge against the poor lad for seven years. Why? Just because after her, Adam turned gay.
Determined to make "Surveillance 24/7" edgy and relevant, director Paul Oremland filmed his thriller as if done entirely with surveillance cameras – going so far as to incorporate footage of Adam taken within one of London's leading saunas. Sadly, no shots of couples in flagrante or even of Adam sans towel. Still, so much for anonymous encounters, thinks Glenn.
Buy it, rent it or forget it…
After much contemplation, Glenn must give "Surveillance 24/7" a provisional "thumbs up." "Surveillance 24/7" is a wonderfully ambitious film and while Tom Harper may not be Cary Grant, he is really quite engaging as Adam. Eventually the film's dizzying camerawork and increasingly convoluted plot leaves "Surveillance 24/7"spinning alarming out of control. In "North By Northwest" Hitchcock carefully delineated the playing field, leaving moviegoers able to separate the good guys from the bad. Not so here. Having watched "Surveillance 24/7" twice, Glenn continues to find himself totally clueless. Although not for the first time. Most disappointingly, the secret, potentially fascinating "fairy tale" at the heart of the film, far too late introduced, ends up little more than a narrative gimmick.
Just the facts…
"Surveillance 24/7" zips along at 87 minutes and is in English.
"Surveillance 24/7" is available with a SRP of $24.95
Director Paul Oremland also made the classic gay title, "Like It Is" back in 1998
DVD extras include "The Making of Surveillance" featurette plus "A Message of Love and Respect from Susan Sarandon?!"
December 13, 2007 Issue
Reviewed November 29, 2007
Reviewed November 8, 2007
Todd (Jonathan Bray), the
erstwhile protagonist of the new romantic comedy "Coffee Date," is
pretty much your basic, made-to-order nice guy. A computer 
programmer,
Todd has just divorced his shrew of wife and good guy that he is, Todd
is even letting his slob of brother Barry (Jonathan Silverman) crash on
his sofa. Well, no good deed goes unpunished, as Glenn if often wont to
say. Barry sets Todd up with an online profile and it is in cyberspace
where Todd meets Kelly (Wilson Cruz). After exchanging a few emails,
they sets up a coffee date for a meet & greet.
There’s only one slight glitch: joker Barry has placed Todd's profile in the men-for-men section. And on purpose. Oops!
Living as he does in an ever-so logical world, Glenn would have expected Todd and Kelly to have exchanged photos at some point. Nope. Since they haven't, there's one hell of a surprise in their future. Kelly is expecting to meet a gay man, Todd is not.
In Stewart Wade's genial screenplay, Todd truly does becomes the odd man out.
While waiting for the blind dates that aren’t going to show up, the two strike up a conversation. In the process, they discover that they share a passionate interest in movies and directors. Much like Glenn himself. By the time they discover the misunderstanding, Todd and Kelly have already become fast friends - even making plans to go together for a Bergman double-feature.
Realizing that his brother has played quite a little prank on him, Todd decides turnabout is fair play. So what does he do? Todd brings Kelly home with him. This proves a huge mistake as Barry freaks. Barry is so shocked in fact; his "gay panic" goes into warp drive. When Todd realizes the extent
of his mistake, he tries to reassure Barry. But Barry still calls up Mom (Sally Kirkland) who is on the first plane to comfort her newly "out" son.
Here "Coffee Date" begins to spiral dizzily out of control. Everyone in Todd’s life is absolutely convinced that Todd is gay, despite his repeated protestations to the contrary. So overwhelmingly supportive are his family and co-workers, Todd eventually begins to wonder if maybe he might be gay. After all, he does like Kelly an awful lot.
Well, there's only one way to find out!
In the lead roles, Jonathan Bray and Wilson Cruz, who is looking mighty buff, invest their characters with surprising depth even as Wade's screenplay puts these two would-be lovers through rather predictable paces. And if, at times, Todd's extreme "gay panic" made Glenn positively want to scream, "Enough already," the film's exploration of the possibility of real relationships between gay men and straight men was indeed a pleasant surprise.
Buy It, Rent It Or Forget It?
In his feature film debut, Stewart Wade has managed to craft a smart, fun romantic comedy that refuses to simply reshuffle hoary old stereotypes. He's also managed to snare some star power with Deborah Gibson, Sally Kirkland, openly gay comic Jason Stuart and an exceedingly pudgy Jonathan Silverman in addition to hottie Cruz. A real charmer, "Coffee Date" would be an excellent choice when entertaining straight family members this upcoming holiday season.
Just The Facts...
"Coffee Date" runs approx. 93 minutes and is in English. All about "Coffee Date," at www.coffeedatethemovie.com The DVD is available with a SRP: $19.95. DVD extras include deleted scenes and a featurette: "The Brewing of Coffee Date"
programmer,
Todd has just divorced his shrew of wife and good guy that he is, Todd
is even letting his slob of brother Barry (Jonathan Silverman) crash on
his sofa. Well, no good deed goes unpunished, as Glenn if often wont to
say. Barry sets Todd up with an online profile and it is in cyberspace
where Todd meets Kelly (Wilson Cruz). After exchanging a few emails,
they sets up a coffee date for a meet & greet. There’s only one slight glitch: joker Barry has placed Todd's profile in the men-for-men section. And on purpose. Oops!
Living as he does in an ever-so logical world, Glenn would have expected Todd and Kelly to have exchanged photos at some point. Nope. Since they haven't, there's one hell of a surprise in their future. Kelly is expecting to meet a gay man, Todd is not.
In Stewart Wade's genial screenplay, Todd truly does becomes the odd man out.
While waiting for the blind dates that aren’t going to show up, the two strike up a conversation. In the process, they discover that they share a passionate interest in movies and directors. Much like Glenn himself. By the time they discover the misunderstanding, Todd and Kelly have already become fast friends - even making plans to go together for a Bergman double-feature.
Realizing that his brother has played quite a little prank on him, Todd decides turnabout is fair play. So what does he do? Todd brings Kelly home with him. This proves a huge mistake as Barry freaks. Barry is so shocked in fact; his "gay panic" goes into warp drive. When Todd realizes the extent
of his mistake, he tries to reassure Barry. But Barry still calls up Mom (Sally Kirkland) who is on the first plane to comfort her newly "out" son.
Here "Coffee Date" begins to spiral dizzily out of control. Everyone in Todd’s life is absolutely convinced that Todd is gay, despite his repeated protestations to the contrary. So overwhelmingly supportive are his family and co-workers, Todd eventually begins to wonder if maybe he might be gay. After all, he does like Kelly an awful lot.
Well, there's only one way to find out!
In the lead roles, Jonathan Bray and Wilson Cruz, who is looking mighty buff, invest their characters with surprising depth even as Wade's screenplay puts these two would-be lovers through rather predictable paces. And if, at times, Todd's extreme "gay panic" made Glenn positively want to scream, "Enough already," the film's exploration of the possibility of real relationships between gay men and straight men was indeed a pleasant surprise.
Buy It, Rent It Or Forget It?
In his feature film debut, Stewart Wade has managed to craft a smart, fun romantic comedy that refuses to simply reshuffle hoary old stereotypes. He's also managed to snare some star power with Deborah Gibson, Sally Kirkland, openly gay comic Jason Stuart and an exceedingly pudgy Jonathan Silverman in addition to hottie Cruz. A real charmer, "Coffee Date" would be an excellent choice when entertaining straight family members this upcoming holiday season.
Just The Facts...
"Coffee Date" runs approx. 93 minutes and is in English. All about "Coffee Date," at www.coffeedatethemovie.com The DVD is available with a SRP: $19.95. DVD extras include deleted scenes and a featurette: "The Brewing of Coffee Date"
Reviewed October 25, 2007
Reviewed September 27, 2007
Reviewed August 9, 2007
Review: "Nina's
Heavenly Delights"For the Opening Night of the 20th Annual Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival, Festival Director Carl Bogner has selected a sure-fire crowd-pleaser with Nina's Heavenly Delights.
In
her debut film, filmmaker Pratibha Parmar offers a familiar story, that
of a much loved albeit deeply closeted daughter who fled her close-knit
family rather than accept the marriage that had been arranged for her.
Now three years later, following the death of her father, Nina (Shelley
Conn) has returned home to Glasgow to a decidedly tepid welcome and the
knowledge that her father had bet – and lost – half share of the family
business, a curry house named the New Taj.With her best gay pal Bobbi (Ronny Jhutti) at her side, Nina tries to make sense of her life and her future. All she knows is that she doesn't want to see her father's beloved restaurant in the hands of rival restaurateur Raj Khanna (Art Malik, best known for his role in "Jewel of the Crown") and that of his handsome son Sanjay (Raji James). Oh, by the way, Sanjay just happens to have been the prospective husband from whom Nina had fled.
Oh what a tangled web, thinks Glenn.
After some serious introspection plus a session helping Bobbi choreograph a Bollywood-style dance routine, Nina decides to send off the New Taj in one final blaze of glory by attempting to win the annual Best Of The West curry competition. With young Nina at his side, her father had twice won the title and had long dreamed of winning a third, a hat trick. Only one thing stands in Nina's way: Lisa (Laura Fraser).
Headstrong, persuasive and downright gorgeous, Nina quickly convinces the obviously smitten Lisa to help in her curry-induced quest. Nina's family, however, are entirely another matter, each being caught up in their own internal melodramas.
Playing homage to a number of popular films, a hint of Ghost here, a pinch of My Best Friend's Wedding there, a generous measure of the classic My Beautiful Laundrette plus a dollop of The Iron Chef, Nina's Heavenly Delights ambles along in a cheerful, good-natured fashion, as Nina and Lisa fall in love while preparing for the fabulous meal they will need to create in order to beat the cocky Sanjay and win the competition.
Can Lisa and Nina return the New Taj to its former glory? Is Nina strong enough to accept Lisa's love and come out to her family? Will Sanjay ever get over Nina and live happily-ever-after? Should Bobbi try to convince Nina's spunky but endearing little sister to burn her downright hideous Highland dancing outfit she seems way too fond of wearing?
Full Price, Matinee or wait 'til the budgets...
While lacking in any genuine original spark, director Pratibha Parmar and screenwriter Andrea Gibb have nevertheless concocted a most enjoyable – not to mention hunger-inducing – film. Surrounded by her lovable family and wacky friends or is it her wacky family and her lovable friends, Conn's Nina rather pales in comparison. Gibb's script has her cast as a somewhat reluctant lesbian lover and Conn perhaps takes this a little too much to heart. Far more compelling are Ronny Jhutti as Bobbi, the kooky but adorable Bollywood drag queen and especially Veena Sood as Nina's kindhearted mother, a woman at her own crossroads. In the end, having made sure that all loose ends are neatly wrapped up with a great big bow, Parmar and Gibb refuse to leave well enough alone. Oh, no. Determined to leave moviegoers leave the cinema humming a happy tune, Nina's Heavenly Delights has one final surprise: a ludicrous Bollywood-inspired musical number.
Just the facts…
Nina's Heavenly Delights opens the 20th Annual Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival on Thursday, September 6th at Landmark's Oriental Theatre. Find complete schedule information at arts.uwm.edu/lgbtfilm. Veena Sood, who plays Nina's mother, also played the role of Dolly in the delightful comedy "A Touch of Pink"
On
the Aisle: "The Lady in
Question"
In "The Lady in Question," the latest production from those madcap folks at Off The Wall Productions, the Lady (definitely with a capital "L") is our
own Dear
Ruthie who seamlessly transforms Gertrude Garnet, "the leading concert
pianist of the international stage" into the rightful heir to such
movie queens of years past as Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and Ingrid
Bergman.
Busch evidently delight in those great Movie Dames from the 1940s and is positively misty-eyed at the winning combination of romance and danger so perfectly captured in the movies of that era. In "The Lady in Question," Busch borrows generously from such classic films as "Casablanca," "Notorious" and particularly MGM's "Escape," in which the always radiant Normal Shearer helps strong-jawed Robert Taylor get his actress mother out of the clutches of slimy Nazi bigwig Conrad Veidt.
Yes, gentle reader, here we have Dear Ruthie versus the Nazis. Celluloid Nazis, to be exact.
Once Barrelhouse Gertie, the Kissing Kitten of the Keys, Busch's heroine Gertrude Garnet ( that's pronounced "Gar-nay," thank you very much!) finds herself stranded in Bavaria, sans maid but with wise-cracking gal pal Kitty (Kristin Pagenkopf) in tow. With no room at the proverbial, Bavarian Inn, suave Baron Von Elsner (Dale Gutzman) generously offers the use of his "schloss."
Did Glenn catch that right?
Soon our Gertie meets handsome Professor Erik Maxwell (Jeremy C Welter) who seeks to enlist her help in securing the escape of his imprisoned actress mother Raina Aldric (Lori Morse). No dice! Gertie doesn't see herself made from the same noble cloth as, for example, Bergman's splendidly selfless Ilsa in "Casablanca." As someone who has had to claw her way to the top, Gertie knows if she doesn't look out for herself, no one will.
Glenn is certain she'll change her mind – as would any heroine worth her shoulder pads. Gertie throws all caution to the wind when she finds the strangled body of her friend, Kitty. In a schloss filled with crazy doctors, a psychotic little girl (Karl Miller) in Heidi-drag and the Baron's deeply patriotic mother resolved to ridher castle of "that American woman," Gertie knows she's on her own.
Anyone familiar with Charles Busch's typical madcap, comic riffs knows there'll be puns a-plenty plus generous helpings of physical slapstick as well as equal measures of rib-ticklin' romantic rendezvous. True, some of the wild physical comedy feels cramped in the friendly confines of the Off The Wall Theatre. Yet through it all Dear Ruthie's Gertrude reigns supreme. Like her fabulous cinematic predecessors, this tough dame is certainly capable of taking on any number of Nazis with no weapons other than her steely determination, an abundance of moxie and, of course, those sensational shoulder pads.
Can Gertie and company outwit the sinister, mother-obsessed Baron? Will sweet Heidi (Liz Mistele) manage to turn cute Nazi boyfriend Karel (Kurt Thomsen) away from his allegiance to Herr Hitler? Is Raina strong enough to throw off the shackles of captivity and walk to freedom?
Glenn'll never tell…
Just the facts…
"The Lady in Question" is presented by Milwaukee's Off the Wall Productions in the Off The Wall Theatre – 127 E. Wells Street through Sunday, September 16th. For tickets, call the Box Office at (414) 327-3552 or for more information, check out their website at www.offthewalltheatre.com
Gay cinema has begun to embrace the
horror film genre, from David DeCoteau's joyfully homoerotic
"Brotherhood" series to more overtly gay offerings like HereTV's
"Dante's Cove" and "The Lair" as well as the mad slashing "Hell Bent."
Yet too many of these films seem only concerned with getting their hot
male co-stars naked than actually providing the moviegoer with any real
scares.
Not so Jeff London's recent release: "When Darkness Falls." Promotional materials promise equal parts "Twilight Zone," "Tales From the Crypt" and "Night Gallery." Okay, sure. But happily filled with handsome, clean-cut All-American gay boys.
"When Darkness Falls" is the title of the first (and best) of London's two cinematic stories. Kevin (Mike Dolan),at once something of a loveable scamp yet quite the gay Lothario, has invited Danny (Matt Austin), a potential new boyfriend up to his parent's mountain-side residence for the weekend. The setting is quiet, isolated and in a word, idyllic. A perfect retreat to which to take a hot young man for a romantic weekend, evidently long a practice of Kevin's.
While sex is definitely on Kevin's mind – and let's face it, Danny is H-O-T HOT – Kevin can't help himself from spinning one scary story after another. Isn't that a cemetery just over there? What about that old folk tale, you know, the one about zombies? Eventually all of Kevin's creepy stories start to give Danny the willies.
Let's face it, the way into a man's pants is not by scaring him sh*tless, so says Glenn.
Darkness falls and all of the noises one might expect to hear amidst the utter stillness of a mountain getaway begin to take on a sinister tone. Despite Kevin's determined efforts, Danny is soon toofrightened to pay the least bit of attention to his romantic overtures. Even when Kevin begins to insist that he's made all of the stories up, it is too little, too late.
Then the phone rings.
At this point Glenn started screaming at the TV,to the completely oblivious characters, "The call is coming from inside the house! The call is coming from inside the house!!" But do you think they paid Glenn even a bit of attention. Nope.
The second, much shorter film is called "Best of Care" and finds Mike Dolan's earnest Billy caring for obnoxious invalid Donny (Ron Petronicolos,). Poor Billy cooks (clearly very badly) and cleans (ditto) and is thoroughly abused by Donny who evidently controls the purse-strings. Donny refuses even to give Billy money for a Christmas tree. Heartless bastard. Then, one dark and stormy night, Billy has had enough. But can he suffer the consequences?
BTW: Here's Glenn's vote for the "alternate ending," included as one of the DVD's extras, as much, much more effective than London's ultimate choice..
Buy It, Rent It or Forget It
An aficionado of horror films harkening back to the halcyon days of the classic daytime soap, "Dark Shadows," Glenn eagerly welcomes a good horror flick and found "When Darkness Falls" surprisingly effective and entertaining. Despite his apparent low budget, London has a sure hand with building suspense with music and sound effects while eliciting decent performances from his genuinely appealing cast Although someone surely could have suggested to Matt Austin, a very attractive, masculine young man, that one can "act" scared without becoming a total sissy.
Just The Facts…
"When Darkness Falls" has a running time of 92 minutes (combined) and is in English.
"When Darkness Falls" is available now on DVD with a SRP of $22.95.
All about "When Darkness Falls" at www.guardianpictures.com
Jeff London has directed such other popular gay films as "Regarding Billy," "The Last Year" and "And Then Came Summer."
Matt Austin plays a hot hustler in "Cowboy Junction"
In "The Lady in Question," the latest production from those madcap folks at Off The Wall Productions, the Lady (definitely with a capital "L") is our
own Dear
Ruthie who seamlessly transforms Gertrude Garnet, "the leading concert
pianist of the international stage" into the rightful heir to such
movie queens of years past as Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and Ingrid
Bergman.Busch evidently delight in those great Movie Dames from the 1940s and is positively misty-eyed at the winning combination of romance and danger so perfectly captured in the movies of that era. In "The Lady in Question," Busch borrows generously from such classic films as "Casablanca," "Notorious" and particularly MGM's "Escape," in which the always radiant Normal Shearer helps strong-jawed Robert Taylor get his actress mother out of the clutches of slimy Nazi bigwig Conrad Veidt.
Yes, gentle reader, here we have Dear Ruthie versus the Nazis. Celluloid Nazis, to be exact.
Once Barrelhouse Gertie, the Kissing Kitten of the Keys, Busch's heroine Gertrude Garnet ( that's pronounced "Gar-nay," thank you very much!) finds herself stranded in Bavaria, sans maid but with wise-cracking gal pal Kitty (Kristin Pagenkopf) in tow. With no room at the proverbial, Bavarian Inn, suave Baron Von Elsner (Dale Gutzman) generously offers the use of his "schloss."
Did Glenn catch that right?
Soon our Gertie meets handsome Professor Erik Maxwell (Jeremy C Welter) who seeks to enlist her help in securing the escape of his imprisoned actress mother Raina Aldric (Lori Morse). No dice! Gertie doesn't see herself made from the same noble cloth as, for example, Bergman's splendidly selfless Ilsa in "Casablanca." As someone who has had to claw her way to the top, Gertie knows if she doesn't look out for herself, no one will.
Glenn is certain she'll change her mind – as would any heroine worth her shoulder pads. Gertie throws all caution to the wind when she finds the strangled body of her friend, Kitty. In a schloss filled with crazy doctors, a psychotic little girl (Karl Miller) in Heidi-drag and the Baron's deeply patriotic mother resolved to ridher castle of "that American woman," Gertie knows she's on her own.
Anyone familiar with Charles Busch's typical madcap, comic riffs knows there'll be puns a-plenty plus generous helpings of physical slapstick as well as equal measures of rib-ticklin' romantic rendezvous. True, some of the wild physical comedy feels cramped in the friendly confines of the Off The Wall Theatre. Yet through it all Dear Ruthie's Gertrude reigns supreme. Like her fabulous cinematic predecessors, this tough dame is certainly capable of taking on any number of Nazis with no weapons other than her steely determination, an abundance of moxie and, of course, those sensational shoulder pads.
Can Gertie and company outwit the sinister, mother-obsessed Baron? Will sweet Heidi (Liz Mistele) manage to turn cute Nazi boyfriend Karel (Kurt Thomsen) away from his allegiance to Herr Hitler? Is Raina strong enough to throw off the shackles of captivity and walk to freedom?
Glenn'll never tell…
Just the facts…
"The Lady in Question" is presented by Milwaukee's Off the Wall Productions in the Off The Wall Theatre – 127 E. Wells Street through Sunday, September 16th. For tickets, call the Box Office at (414) 327-3552 or for more information, check out their website at www.offthewalltheatre.com
Reviewed July 12, 2007
New On DVD: When Darkness FallsGay cinema has begun to embrace the
horror film genre, from David DeCoteau's joyfully homoerotic
"Brotherhood" series to more overtly gay offerings like HereTV's
"Dante's Cove" and "The Lair" as well as the mad slashing "Hell Bent."
Yet too many of these films seem only concerned with getting their hot
male co-stars naked than actually providing the moviegoer with any real
scares.Not so Jeff London's recent release: "When Darkness Falls." Promotional materials promise equal parts "Twilight Zone," "Tales From the Crypt" and "Night Gallery." Okay, sure. But happily filled with handsome, clean-cut All-American gay boys.
"When Darkness Falls" is the title of the first (and best) of London's two cinematic stories. Kevin (Mike Dolan),at once something of a loveable scamp yet quite the gay Lothario, has invited Danny (Matt Austin), a potential new boyfriend up to his parent's mountain-side residence for the weekend. The setting is quiet, isolated and in a word, idyllic. A perfect retreat to which to take a hot young man for a romantic weekend, evidently long a practice of Kevin's.
While sex is definitely on Kevin's mind – and let's face it, Danny is H-O-T HOT – Kevin can't help himself from spinning one scary story after another. Isn't that a cemetery just over there? What about that old folk tale, you know, the one about zombies? Eventually all of Kevin's creepy stories start to give Danny the willies.
Let's face it, the way into a man's pants is not by scaring him sh*tless, so says Glenn.
Darkness falls and all of the noises one might expect to hear amidst the utter stillness of a mountain getaway begin to take on a sinister tone. Despite Kevin's determined efforts, Danny is soon toofrightened to pay the least bit of attention to his romantic overtures. Even when Kevin begins to insist that he's made all of the stories up, it is too little, too late.
Then the phone rings.
At this point Glenn started screaming at the TV,to the completely oblivious characters, "The call is coming from inside the house! The call is coming from inside the house!!" But do you think they paid Glenn even a bit of attention. Nope.
The second, much shorter film is called "Best of Care" and finds Mike Dolan's earnest Billy caring for obnoxious invalid Donny (Ron Petronicolos,). Poor Billy cooks (clearly very badly) and cleans (ditto) and is thoroughly abused by Donny who evidently controls the purse-strings. Donny refuses even to give Billy money for a Christmas tree. Heartless bastard. Then, one dark and stormy night, Billy has had enough. But can he suffer the consequences?
BTW: Here's Glenn's vote for the "alternate ending," included as one of the DVD's extras, as much, much more effective than London's ultimate choice..
Buy It, Rent It or Forget It
An aficionado of horror films harkening back to the halcyon days of the classic daytime soap, "Dark Shadows," Glenn eagerly welcomes a good horror flick and found "When Darkness Falls" surprisingly effective and entertaining. Despite his apparent low budget, London has a sure hand with building suspense with music and sound effects while eliciting decent performances from his genuinely appealing cast Although someone surely could have suggested to Matt Austin, a very attractive, masculine young man, that one can "act" scared without becoming a total sissy.
Just The Facts…
"When Darkness Falls" has a running time of 92 minutes (combined) and is in English.
"When Darkness Falls" is available now on DVD with a SRP of $22.95.
All about "When Darkness Falls" at www.guardianpictures.com
Jeff London has directed such other popular gay films as "Regarding Billy," "The Last Year" and "And Then Came Summer."
Matt Austin plays a hot hustler in "Cowboy Junction"
Reviewed May 24, 2007
Reviewed April 26, 2007
New
on DVD: “The Night Listener”
“The Night Listener” stars Robin
Williams as Maupin’s alter ego Gabriel Noone, a gifted storyteller who
hosts a
nationally syndicated radio show, “Noone at Night.” As the film begins,
Gabriel
is at loose ends. His relationship with hot long-term boyfriend Jess
(Bobby
Cannavale) is failing and poor Gabriel has simply run out of stories.
Then
a publisher friend, Ashe (Joe Morton), turns up, most opportunely. Ashe
has in
his possession a very special manuscript, one written by 14 year-old
Pete
Logand (Rory Culkin), in which the boy chronicles the shocking sexual
abuse he
suffered at the hands of his sadistic parents. As so often happens in
stories
such as this, the boy has become a huge fan of Gabriel’s radio show,
now that
he’s safely living with a foster mother. Ashe gives the
manuscript to
Gabriel who responds immediately to the boy’s plight, filling the void
in his
own life with Pete’s gallant battle with his various AIDS-afflicted
infections.
What
follows is a budding, if unlikely, friendship between Gabriel and the
boy. The
ever chivalrous Gabriel goes so far as to buy the under-age boy a Playboy.
Only the boy is safely squirreled away in the bowels of northern
Wisconsin and
they can communicate only by phone and letter – the film presumably set
pre-Internet. Then one day Jess talks to the boy and expresses
skepticism, to
Gabriel, about how much the boy sounds like foster mother Donna (Toni
Collette,
in a unpleasantly twitchy performance).
Gabriel
is initially outraged Jess could make such a claim but the seed of
doubt has
been sown. Gabriel soon becomes obsessed with proving that Pete is in
fact
real. Yet in the process, Gabriel’s doubts actually lead Ashe to pull
Pete’s
book from publication.
From
its intriguing premise, “The Night
Listener” now morphs into a rather limp, tedious thriller. Quixotic
in his
need to “make things right,” Gabriel goes on a quest to find Pete, his
motivation a veritable minefield of doubt, guilt and neediness. Gabriel
boards
a plane and heads off to Wisconsin. He finds Pete’s small-town home and
eventually Gabriel even finds Donna who, by the way, is blind. Yikes.
In Toni
Collette’s hands, Donna is an extraordinary bundle of ticks and
neuroses but
sufficiently convincing so that all in the small-town believes her saga
implicitly, although someone there would have had to see her “son’ at
some
point, surely.
And
that’s pretty much the movie, other than some simplistic psycho-babble
about
how similar Gabriel and Donna are and, of course, the final, startling
resolution which Glenn wouldn’t dream of revealing here.
Buy it, rent it or forget it…
Definitely
worth a rental, “The Night Listener”
is well made and Robin Williams is often affecting as Maupin’s
cinematic
stand-in and therefore a “must-have” for all real Robin Williams fans.
Also
fine in supporting roles are the usually reliable Sandra Oh as
Gabriel’s
favorite gal pal and Rory Culkin (geez, how many Calkins are there??)
as the
possibly imaginary Pete. Yet it is hard not to see “The
Night Listener” as a lost opportunity to explore the reciprocal
rather than similar impulses that drive Donna and Gabriel. Instead
Maupin and
director Patrick Stettner chose a more commercial, less successful
direction.
“The Night Listener” has a running time
of 81 minutes and is in English.
“The Night Listener” is available
now on DVD with a SRP of $29.99.
DVD
includes an in-depth “The Night Listener
Revealed” plus one rather bizarre deleted scene.
Reviewed February 22, 2007
Reviewed February 8, 2007
Reviewed January 25, 2007
Reviewed December 28, 2006
Rvivewed August 17, 2006
Reviewed July 20, 2006
Reviewed July 6, 2006
Reviewed May 25, 2006
Garçon Stupide
The
"stupid boy" of "Garçon Stupide" is Lo•c (Pierre Chatagny),
a lanky, adorably doe-eyed young man who spends his days inspecting
chocolate
bars at a factory in his small Swiss home town of Bulle. By night he
comes
alive, albeit via the internet where he is clearly no stranger to
online gay
sexual encounters.
As
the film begins, Lo•c has set out on
just such an encounter, with a man named Lionel Ð presumably the
cinematic
stand-in for director Lionel Baier. Unlike the encounters the
blissfully
promiscuous Lo•c usually sets up, Lionel wants to talk, wants to get to
know
the young man rather than merely settle for a few moments of physical
yet
ultimately impersonal intimacy.
Lionel Baier the director, as well as
Lionel the unseen voice in this encounter, both seem to be suggesting
that the
real and far more interesting story here isn't actually about sex but
that of
the coming-of-age of this beautiful and engaging young man. Perhaps not
all
will agree but that is "Garçon Stupide" is a neat little nutshell.
From here we get an intimate peek at
Lo•c's life, learning that he is really rather sweet and surprisingly
shy Ð at
least when sex isn't involved. While
Lo•c may not be "stupid" as the film's title would suggest, his
education is horribly lacking. When confronted with something he
doesn't know,
Lo•c turns to a dictionary, whether to try to discover the
meaning
Impressionism or even to learn who Adolf
Hitler was. His one and seemingly only friend is a young woman named
Marie (Natacha
Koutchoumov), a student who works as a receptionist for a natural
history
museum. She is Lo•c's bedrock of support and friendship, the person to
whom he
shares all of his adventures and whose
Lausanne apartment he occasionally crashes at when he misses the last
train
home.
That Marie might be
in love with him is
not something Lo•c would even consider.
Much like Lo•c's life, the film meanders
along, punctuated with sexual encounters, which while unexpectedly
explicit are
anything but erotic. Disturbingly, Baier juxtaposes these encounters
with
images of primates from the museum. And there are more encounters with
Lionel,
who seems to relish his role as a mentor.
Unlike life, which can meander along
interminably, director Baier is savvy enough in this debut effort to
force Lo•c
to finally question the nature of his
existence. Jealousy takes hold of Lo•c as he learns that Marie is
beginning to
spend time with another man, a potential boyfriend. Lo•c is
incapable of being happy that Marie
has possibly found someone but merely sees Marie's relationship in
terms of how
it will effect him, "She'll stop taking care of me."
Tragedy strikes and Lo•c tries to replace
Marie with an obsession for a charismatic footballer, Rui (Rui Pedro
Alves).
All too soon Lo•c's obsession turns to stalking Rui, first at games and
eventually closer to home. Surprisingly, Rui invites Lo•c in for coffee
and a
tentative relationship develops between them.
In
many ways, "Garçon Stupide," is simply a coming-of-age film, although
rather more sexually frank than most Glenn has seen. Often the film is
frustratingly confusing, as plot developments are inexplicably dropped.
Yet in
newcomer Pierre Chatagny, Lo•c is an undeniably appealing if somewhat
infuriating protagonist, totally self-absorbed and yet capable of
seeing much
of the world with a sense of wonder that is quite magical.
Reviewed May 11, 2006
DVD Review:Chicken Tikka Masala
Before there was "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding," there was a charming little gay film called "Wedding Banquet," made by then relatively unknown
filmmaker Ang Lee. Name sound familiar?
Thought so. Before there was "Brokeback," Lee offered this delightful
comedy which focused on a young gay man willing to go to the extreme of
getting married to placate his traditional Chinese family. Many
years and certainly, many "Wedding" films later, there comes another
enjoyable little film, "Chicken Tikka Masala." Jimi (Chris Bisson) lives with very cute boyfriend Jack (Peter Ash), Jack's drunken, slattern sister Vanessa ( Sally Bankes) and her chubby but lovable daughter, Hannah. Exceptionally dysfunctional perhaps, but this very curious little extended family appears to be quite happy content.
Or at least they seem to be until the arrival of Jimi's aunt and uncle for a visit. At a family gathering, Jimi and pretty Simran (Jinder Mahal) are seen chatting together. Immediately the family decides that they would be a perfect couple. Before you can say "Chicken Tikka Masala," Jimi finds himself the very surprised guest at his own engagement party. Arranged marriages are certainly common in Indian households and who wouldn't want to marry the drop-dead gorgeous Simran who appears to be quite amiable to proposition.
What's poor Jimi to do? He loves his adorable family and doesn't want to hurt or disappoint them by telling them he's gay. He also loves his adorable boyfriend Jack..
Even Glenn clued-in pretty early on that by the end of the film, all that was wrong in the world of "Chicken Tikka Masala" would happily (not to mention, humorously) made right. Sadly, the screenplay by 18 year-old Roopesh Parekh offers very few surprises and little depth. In the hopes of
keeping
the film light, Parekh steers clear of alienating practically anyone.
Jimi's family seems so gosh darn nice that Jimi comes off as
increasingly churlish in how he refuses to be honest ("Just tell
them" screamed Glenn). Nor does he treat Jack any better. Perhaps
concerned with offending conservative audiences, Jack and Jimi's
relationship is subdued to the extreme.What saves "Chicken Tikka Masala" are enjoyable performances from the appealing cast. Glenn is hard pressed not to describe just about everyone in the film as adorable. Chris Bisson and Peter Ash are both such engaging and attractive young actors that Glenn found it impossible not to root for the requisite, happily-ever-after ending. Katy Clayton's Hannah is the sort of delightfully worldly-wise youngster last seen on cheesy 1960s sitcoms. And then there is Zohra Segal's wonderful, scene-stealing grandmother. Adorable, adorable, adorable. Every last one of them.
Okay, not quite all of them. Sally Bankes who plays the large er, well… hearted Vanessa can't possibly be described as adorable. Oh, no. Big, crude and invariably either drunk or nursing a monster of a hangover, Bankes' Vanessa is certainly a welcome breath of fresh air in a film too often teetering on a niceness-overdose.
Buy it, Rent it or Forget it...
Director Harmage Singh Kalirai keeps the film on a snappy pace and the lively soundtrack, too, is a definite plus. While lacking the polish of "Touch of Pink" or the aforementioned "Wedding Banquet," "Chicken Tikka Masala" is a fun little movie whose heart is most assuredly in the right place. A perfect date night movie.
Just the facts…
"Chicken Tikka Masala" runs approx. 92 minutes and is in English.
"Chicken Tikka Masala" is available now at an SRP: $19.95
The adorable Peter Ash can also be found on BBC America's naughty, "Footballers' Wives." Limited DVD extras
Reviewed March 16, 2006
Reviewed March 2, 2006
“Dorian Blues”
Tennyson Bardwell’s debut film, “Dorian Blues,” a delightful coming-out, coming-of-age film, proves especially welcome after the intensity
(not to
mention the continued media hype) of “Brokeback Mountain.”
Relatively rare on film, the coming-out story dominates gay bookshelves. Would-be gay writers perhaps see the coming-out story as something of a rite of passage. Fortunately, most have the insight to bury said manuscript at the back of their sock drawer. Still, many others get published. Thanks to the wonderfully wacky world of print-on-demand publishing, anyone with $100 burning a hole in their pocket can get their deeply personal story†onto the shelves of their†local LGBT bookstore.
Bardwell’s bittersweet saga begins with a funeral – that of the father of likable Dorian Lagatos (Michael McMillan). The time is ten years earlier – George the father is in office. An older, presumably wiser Dorian reflects on his high school days, aware that they†were not†to be the best days of his life. Seldom are even today, Glenn imagines, for closeted gay and lesbian teens.
But not for his younger brother Nicky (Lea Coco), the quintessential boy-next-door. Nicky is everything that Dorian is not: handsome, athletic, popular and a terrific student to boot. He is, of course, the star quarterback on the school football team. as is required in stories such as this It is perhaps not at all surprising that Nicky is the one and only star in†their father’s eyes.
Dorian’s journey is a familiar one – briefly turning to religion (“I love you, Dad.”), his hunky, little brother Nicky trying to teach Dorian how to fight (result, a concussion) and a hilarious misadventure with a sweet, hooker-next-door type named Tiffany, who teaches Dorian how to dance.
With wry humor, Dorian copes with acceptance and coming out to his family. His wonderfully unexpected relationship with his brother Nicky is a refreshing departure from the typical formula.
As an only son, Glenn wonders how Dorian managed to keep his hormones in check while sharing a bedroom with the strapping Nicky all those years.
Yet, it is Dorian’s relationship with his father that is at the heart of “Dorian Blues.” As Tom Lagatos, Steven C. Fletcher†offers a hard, arbitrary man, one who not only expects respect but total acquiescence from his wife and sons. In the film’s best scene, Dorian finally musters up sufficient courage to tell his father he’s gay. Initially Tom Legatos scoffs that Dorian doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. Dorian’s response is what Glenn wishes he might have thought to have said, “I don’t know that the word gay means? Well, you’re wrong. It means I like men, not you maybe, but in general.” Touché!
Buy it, Rent it or Forget it...
Blessed with a clever, often quite poignant screenplay, an attractive cast and fine performances, "Dorian Blues" is sure to please LGBT audiences. Although “Dorian Blues” veers off course when Dorian flees suburbia for the big city, it is an absolutely charming film, perfect for even the most discriminating viewer’s DVD collection, along with such titles as “Beautiful Thing,” “Kiss Me Guido” and “Prom Queen.”
Just the facts…
“Dorian Blue” zips along at a nifty 88 minutes. The DVD is available now with an SRP of $24.95 Minimal DVDs extras include close-captioning and deleted scenes. For all about “Dorian Blues,” check out the film’s official website at: www.dorianblues.com
Tennyson Bardwell’s debut film, “Dorian Blues,” a delightful coming-out, coming-of-age film, proves especially welcome after the intensity
(not to
mention the continued media hype) of “Brokeback Mountain.”Relatively rare on film, the coming-out story dominates gay bookshelves. Would-be gay writers perhaps see the coming-out story as something of a rite of passage. Fortunately, most have the insight to bury said manuscript at the back of their sock drawer. Still, many others get published. Thanks to the wonderfully wacky world of print-on-demand publishing, anyone with $100 burning a hole in their pocket can get their deeply personal story†onto the shelves of their†local LGBT bookstore.
Bardwell’s bittersweet saga begins with a funeral – that of the father of likable Dorian Lagatos (Michael McMillan). The time is ten years earlier – George the father is in office. An older, presumably wiser Dorian reflects on his high school days, aware that they†were not†to be the best days of his life. Seldom are even today, Glenn imagines, for closeted gay and lesbian teens.
But not for his younger brother Nicky (Lea Coco), the quintessential boy-next-door. Nicky is everything that Dorian is not: handsome, athletic, popular and a terrific student to boot. He is, of course, the star quarterback on the school football team. as is required in stories such as this It is perhaps not at all surprising that Nicky is the one and only star in†their father’s eyes.
Dorian’s journey is a familiar one – briefly turning to religion (“I love you, Dad.”), his hunky, little brother Nicky trying to teach Dorian how to fight (result, a concussion) and a hilarious misadventure with a sweet, hooker-next-door type named Tiffany, who teaches Dorian how to dance.
With wry humor, Dorian copes with acceptance and coming out to his family. His wonderfully unexpected relationship with his brother Nicky is a refreshing departure from the typical formula.
As an only son, Glenn wonders how Dorian managed to keep his hormones in check while sharing a bedroom with the strapping Nicky all those years.
Yet, it is Dorian’s relationship with his father that is at the heart of “Dorian Blues.” As Tom Lagatos, Steven C. Fletcher†offers a hard, arbitrary man, one who not only expects respect but total acquiescence from his wife and sons. In the film’s best scene, Dorian finally musters up sufficient courage to tell his father he’s gay. Initially Tom Legatos scoffs that Dorian doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. Dorian’s response is what Glenn wishes he might have thought to have said, “I don’t know that the word gay means? Well, you’re wrong. It means I like men, not you maybe, but in general.” Touché!
Buy it, Rent it or Forget it...
Blessed with a clever, often quite poignant screenplay, an attractive cast and fine performances, "Dorian Blues" is sure to please LGBT audiences. Although “Dorian Blues” veers off course when Dorian flees suburbia for the big city, it is an absolutely charming film, perfect for even the most discriminating viewer’s DVD collection, along with such titles as “Beautiful Thing,” “Kiss Me Guido” and “Prom Queen.”
Just the facts…
“Dorian Blue” zips along at a nifty 88 minutes. The DVD is available now with an SRP of $24.95 Minimal DVDs extras include close-captioning and deleted scenes. For all about “Dorian Blues,” check out the film’s official website at: www.dorianblues.com