The Gift of Itty Bitty Titties

It's been quit awhile since I have updated the website with a film review, unfortunately that is because I have not seen many LGBT films that I have liked enough to review. Today is a new day and I just watched a GREAT Lesbian film brought to us by POWER UP and director Jamie Babbit who also directed the hilarious "But I'm a Cheerleader." At this point some of you may already know that I am taking about "Itty Bitty Titty Committee."

The film follows Anna (Melanie Diaz) on her journey from push over to radical feminist after she meets Sadie (Nicole Vicius) and joins her Feminist Movement group called Clits in Action (CIA). It is a great film with a strong feminist perspective and great message.

This being a film with a strong political message, I admit I thought it would run dry after awhile; however, the Guerilla statements made by the CIA made it amusing, exciting, and fun. I highly enjoyed everything about this film. The direction, acting, cinematography, and above all the writing were all of a quality few LGBT Independent films are able to pull off.

Because of the amazing story I recommend this film not only to Lesbian Feminists, all of whom have most likely already seen this film, but also to Women who are struggling with their own self image. "Try loving your itty bitty titties!"

Itty Bitty Titty Committee is written by Tina Maybry and Abigail Shafran. "Itty Bitty Titty Committee is a rockin love song to the heady rush of sex, freedom and rebellion that happens when an everyday girl discovers her own strength and the righteous indignation needed to take action and change the world."

Below is the trailer as well as a link to Wolfe Video, where you buy the film.



This Christmas, give the gift of Itty Bitty Titties.

"Between Love and Goodbye"

Between Love and Goodbye is one of the multiple films I saw last weekend during Fresno's Reel Pride Film Festival. The film was written and directed by Casper Andreas, (Slutty Summer, A Four Letter Word) and stars Simon Miller, Justin Tensen, Rob Harmon, and Jane Elliott.

While at the film festival I got the chance to meet the cast as well as Directer, Casper Andreas. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with each of them. Please read previous entry for my review of the entire weekend. Now, back to my review...

Here is the synopsis from the films website.

www.lovegoodbye.com

Love makes the world go round. At least that’s what Marcel and Kyle believe, until they suddenly discover that love can alternatively flip the world upside-down. When certain elements are set into motion, they tend to stay in motion. If tampered with, they can spin out of control.

Marcel and Kyle are in love at first sight, and even though they can’t legally marry, they will find a way to make it work. French Marcel marries their lesbian friend Sarah so he can stay in the USA with Kyle...

Love isn’t pure after it’s been tainted. Our perfect couple falls headlong into possessiveness, jealousy and rage; trapped in the tangled emotions found in that space between love and goodbye. Just how far will one of them go to put a stop to the madness?

Direction, story and performances by its sexy cast, Harmon, Elliott, and Miller, combined to create an amazing film with a catchy soundtrack preformed by the cast of the film. A CD of the soundtrack is in works to be released, which might be unfortunate for those riding in my car, as I cannot get it's self titled song out of my head.

Unfortunately, I only caught the last half of this film. Without giving too much away, the ending of this film gave me chills, which rarely happens. If "Between Love and Goodbye" is playing near you, I highly recommend going to see it. If it is not playing near you, I would suggest adding it to your Netflix queue, or better yet your personal video library when it is released on DVD.

"Between Love and Goodbye" Trailer

Affinity

Affinity film review

SPOILER WARNING!!!  

Do not read this entire review if you plan on reading or watching Affinity.  I highly recommend watching the film Affinity; however am 99% percent sure that the novel is a hundred times better than the film.  If you are planning on reading or watching Affinty, please stop reading this review now.

I actually watched Affinity awhile ago on Logo.  Affinity is based off a novel written by Sarah Waters. (Tripping the Velvet and Fingersmith)  Affinity is about an affluent woman who visits a local prison in order to be a positive influence on it's female prisoners.  During her visits she  meets, befriends, and eventually falls in love with one of the prisoners, Selina, who claims to be a spirit medium that was framed by one of her spirits.

The film was shot beautifully and I enjoyed watching the entire film; however I felt the ending was a tad disappointing.  When the film started I was skeptical about Selina's abilities; however as the film progressed I found myself being drawn into the possibility that Selina's abilities were a reality only to find out, at the end of the film, that Selina had simply been a clever con artist.

Shortbus

Today I am reviewing the film Shortbus.  Shortbus was written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell and follows a group of New Yorkers who are all patrons of Shortbus.  Shortbus is a bohemian salon that combines art, music, politics, and sex.

I remember years ago, while I was living in Minnesota hearing something about an artsy film that shot it's characters performing real sex acts.  It wasn't until the movie started that I realized that this was that film.  I found it interesting that the controversy surrounding this film and one of it's stars, Sook-Yin Lee, found its way to the Midwest.

For those of you that do not know; Sook-Yin Lee had found fame in Canada on a television show.  When the producers of that television show found out Sook-Yin Lee was going to be a part of a project where she would have sex and masturbate on camera, she faced a tough decision.  Participate in Shortbus and loose her job on Canadian Television, or drop out of the project; enter Hollywood.  Many Hollywood big wigs and A-Listers wrote letters supporting Sook-Yin Lee's decision to participate in the project and ultimately she did not loose her job on Canadian television.  Aparently they argued that the film was a form of artistic expression and that it would be unwise for them to punish her for that.

Also staring in Shortbus are:  Paul Lawson (James), PJ DeBoy (Jamie), Lindsay Beamish (Severin) Raphael Barker (Rob), Peter Stickles (Caleb), Jay Brannan (Ceth), and many many more!

I found the process of creating the film very interesting. They apparently started with casting

after the casting they had workshops with the actors where they created their characters and

then the story was created around them. While I see the logic of creating this particular film

that way, it also created problems with them; many actors dropped out of the project

throughout development. Perhaps the actors that were involved in the project till completion

are simply excellent actors, or perhaps they were so good because their roles were created

for them; however, one thing remains constant... I felt that the acting was AMAZING!!

While there were real sex acts being performed in this film, I would not call this film pornographic as the sex was not the main point of this film.  Sex was simply used as a tool to tell the story.  After watching Shortbus I was not sure what to think or feel about it.  That uncertainty caused me to ponder different aspects of the film that did stick out to me.  

After careful consideration I would have to say that my confusion about the film may have been the point of it all.  Like many of Shortbus's characters I was uncertain of how I felt.  The film takes place post 9/11 during a time where American's across the country were asking questions because they were unsure of what truth was.  "Why are we really in Iraq?  Was there an alternative motive involved for invading the country?"  

I would say that the underlying point to this film was that after 9/11 people were not entirely sure what to feel or think.  Shortbus offered an atmosphere where anything was acceptable; people were able to explore what they felt, how they should feel, and who they were.  I believe that the sex was a tool in the film for people to discover who they are and to feel something; anything...

Big Eden and Jeffrey

Today I watched two films that were suggested to me by my friend Michael.  

The first was big Eden, which is about a New York City artist from a small town.  Arye Gross plays Henry Hart, the artist, who travels home when his Grandfather and only living relative has suffered a stroke.  While staying with his Grandfather, Henry discovers that his childhood friend, Dean Stewart (Tim DeKay) has also returned home with his two children.  As the story progresses Henry's old feelings for Dean are brought back to the surface.  Things get complicated as Henry and Dean realize that the relationship they both want to happen simply cannot.  Not to worry, the story still has a happy ending as Pike Dexter (Eric Shweig), the owner of the local general store has been harboring secret feelings for Henry, which he expresses through his healthy and tasty meals, which he has been delivering to Henry and his Grandfather.

I thought this story was touching and I enjoyed watching it; however, I feel they could have resolved a conflict between Dean and Henry.  There is a scene in the film where Dean simply states that he cannot, but it wasn't ever really clear why.  We do know that Dean is straight, which definitely complicates any possible romantic relationship.  We also know that Dean definitely is interested in trying to have a romantic relationship with Henry as he tries to kiss him multiple times.  Perhaps they are having as difficult a time as I am explaining this.  While Dean loves Henry, the love he has for him is on a much deeper level.  He wants to be everything that Henry wants and would like to have the intimate relationship; however at the same time he knows that he cannot be everything that Henry has been searching for because of his sexuality.

Jeffrey is about a gay man, Jeffrey (Steven Weber: Wings), living in New York who really likes to have sex.  He describes sex, as many of us would, as a gift from god.  Jeffrey's problem is that the AIDS epidemic has just reached scare level 10.  What I mean is that the AIDS virus was still not fully understood; there were a lot of misconceptions, misinformation, and the treatments were not as advanced as they are today.  That said, many people in the film were frightened about having sex and contracting the virus, Jeffrey included.  Fear is what makes him decided to become celibate; soon after he meets Steve (Michael T Weiss: JAG), a HIV positive man.  The rest of the show is a mega celeb cameo fest where Jeffrey lets his fear paralyze him from living his life and allowing himself to fall in love with Steve, let alone anyone.  Patrick Stewart did an amazing job in his role as Sterling, a "fopish" interior designer.  I would recommend Jeffery to anyone interested in seeing a cute gay romantic comedy

As of yet, the films I have viewed and reviewed have featured gay men in the lead roles, not to worry my lesbian sisters, I promise that I will be reviewing a lesbian films shortly.

Beautiful Thing

Beautiful thing was originally a play written by Jonathan Harvey, which he later adapted into a film screen play.  Released in 1996, Beautiful Thing is set in a working class London suburb.  All the characters are neighbors in a large flat (apartment) community with thin walls where no ones business is private.  

The film follows the relationship of Ste (the popular jock, physically abused by his father and older bother) and Jamie (the nerdy recluse, verbally abused by classmates and argumentative with his mother)  One night after Ste is abused he spends the night at Jamie's home where they discover a deeper relationship.  The remainder of the film shows each boys journey of self discovery and acceptance with their sexuality as well as the importance and meaning of their relationship.

If you do not like British Cinema or watching scenes multiple times to ensure you understood the actors correctly, this film may not be for you; however this film has wonderfully honest writing, directing, and acting; it truly is Beautiful Thing.  (insert joke about cliché's) 

Latter Days Film Review

"Latter Days" is a film Written and Directed by C. Jay Cox who also has written the screen play for "Sweet Home Alabama" and recently Directed and Produced "Kiss the Bride."  Latter Days is set in Los Angeles and is about a gay "pretty boy" who falls in love with a Mormon missionary that lives nearby.  I had heard of this film before, but had never seen it, so I was quick to record it when I saw it would be on LOGO.

Unfortunately there was a malfunction with my digital video recorder and I was suddenly thrust sixteen minuets into the movie.  Fortunately, I hadn't missed much and was able to quickly catch up on what was going on.  The relationship between the two men originally starts when Christian (Wes Ramsey: Charmed) bets his roommate that he can convert one of the missionaries for $50.  

 

After this point I could see that the story would be ridiculously similar to a gay She's All That and various other teen dramadies.  Sure enough, through his interactions with the young Mormon boys, he discovers that one of them, Aaron (Steve Sandvoss: Rumor Has It, Kiss the Bride) is actually a closeted gay man and they eventually start a relationship. 

The story is pretty predictable from this point.  Here are the story progressions I was expecting; boy meets boy, boy falls for boy, boy looses boy, boy gets boy back and they live happily ever after.  However, the cleaver writer threw in a nice plot twist which not only left me shocked and saddened, but took the movie from blah and predictable, to a touching romantic story.  For those of you that might actually see this movie based on my review, I will not ruin it for you.

I was originally going to include a review of the actor's performances.  While they did 

a wonderful job, and the film would not have been the same with different actors, I believe the strength of this film was in its writing.  There is an over arching idea in the film, that, as far as I saw, was introduced nearly half way through the film.  

Aaron is sitting on a bench in front of a hospital consoling a woman who has recently pulled the plug on a loved ones life support.  To comfort the woman he tells her about when he was a kid and he read the comics in the newspaper.  He said that he used to put his face directly on the page and they appeared to him as a bunch of chaotic dots; we all know that if he were to pull his face away he would see the bigger picture.  Aaron continues by saying that life is also a sequence of chaotic dots and events, but from God's perspective they are all connected, and it is beautiful, funny, and good.  

The film itself does an amazing job incorporating this idea into the whole story.  The film starts out with a bunch of chaotic dots, making the audience think it was a gay She's All That, but as the story progresses and the camera "pulls out" we see the real picture, the true story, and how everything is connected, and it is beautiful, and it is funny, and it is good.

Mamma Mia!

Yesterday I finally made my way to a movie theater to see Mamma Mia!  I truly believe that I am the last gay man on this planet to see this movie.  In fact I believe that there are unborn gay fetuses and gay life on other planets that saw this movie before I did!

I did enjoy the film and plan on making it a part of my video library; however I do agree with some of the comments I have heard other people make regarding the three possible fathers;  I also felt that hearing these men sing was a little awkward, specifically Pierce Brosnon.  I do understand, though, that these men are not singers, they are wonderfully entertaining actors.

The popularity of the musical and now the film is really a testiment to the music of ABBA.  The popularity of their music has certainly crossed over generations.  That fact was evident by the varying ages of the audience members.  One negative aspect of ABBA's populatiry was that the woman sitting next to me would not stop singing or humming along with the characters on the screen!  Unfortunately, I think the only way I could have avoided the sing along would have been if I waited for the film to be released on DVD; who wants to wait that long?!?!?!

Another Gay Sequel - OUTFEST 08

Ok kids, here it is.  My final post regarding OUTFEST!  OUTFEST has technically been over for over a week now and most OUTFEST bloggers have already finished their OUTFEST entries so I apologize for the delay.

On Saturday July 19, 2008 Johnny and I went to the DGA to see Another Gay Sequel:  Gays Gone Wild.  As the title suggests this movie is the sequel to Another Gay Movie; both of which were written and directed by Todd Stephens who also directed Gypsy 83 and Edge of Seventeen.

Another Gay Movie tells the story of four High School friends (Andy, Jarod, Griff, and Nico) in their journey to loose their anal virginity before they go to college.  Hilarity ensues in this gay parody as they get themselves into sticky situations; no pun intended.  

Another Gay Sequel follows the same group of friends on their Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.  This time the foursome enter a competition with multiple other spring breakers called Gays Gone Wild.  The point of the competition is to see who can have the most sex during spring break.  Once again, the four friends find themselves in awkward, raunchy situations along the way.

Due to some industry drama, three of the four friends look slightly different in the sequel than they did in the first installment.  Here are photos of each character in a segment I will call Cherry (Another Gay Movie) and Cherry Popped (Another Gay Sequel)

Andy Wilson

Michael Carbonaro VS Jake Mosser

Both did a great job in the role as Andy and both will have promising careers ahead of them; however, I do have to say that I prefer Michael as Andy.  I guess it was just odd to imagine another actor playing that role.

Jarod

Jonathan Chase VS Jimmy Clabots

Both boys did an excellent job playing Jarod.  Both are equally attractive; however, if someone was holding my dog hostage, telling me I had to chose one or my puppy would be killed I would choose Jimmy because I found the relationship between Jarod and Griff more believable in the sequel.

Griff

Mitch Morris VS Aaron Michael Davies

Let's start by saying the I could not find a decent picture of Mitch that resemled his portayal of "Horse Hung Griff," so this not what his character looked like.  Mitch and Aaron did an amazing job at the role of Griff.  I really could not choose one over the other.  I will add that I LOVE "dorky" men so both of these guys, in my opinion, are hot!

The movie itself was hilarious!  There was a lot of product placement throughout the film, which I could have done without; however, I do understand that it helped get the movie made.  I also feel that they handled it in a way that was humorous, which made it's presence more acceptable.

When Johnny and I got to the DGA we were rewarded with the very last parking spot in their adjacent structure.  We also got one of the best parking spots, near the front; what some would call rock star parking.  

Before entering the building we went to The Coffee Bean, which was directly across the street.  As we made our way back towards the DGA I ran into JD Disalvatore who produced the my first film, Neurotica.  A few seconds later we ran into my friend Brian Nolan who was with Peter Stickles and David Moretti, his cast mates from Here Network's, The Lair.  After briefly catching up with them, Johnny and I headed inside where we saw a gay bottle of vodka and decided it was time for a few photos.  Little did I know the flash had been shut off on my camera.

After these photos were taken, we got into the ridiculously long line to see this film.  If you have ever been to one of the more anticipated OUTFEST films you know how long that line can be.  Next year it would be nice if I could afford an OUTpass.  An OUTpass grants you first access to seats without the hassle of buying a ticket.  You just show up, flash em your pass, and go in.  

After a little while our measly general admission line began to move.  As Johnny and I approached the entrance to the building, there were whispers that there might not be enough seats.  Luckily, Johnny and I were allowed to enter the theater and even found seats in the third row!  Tonight was definitely making me feel lucky.

After the movie screened we stuck around for the Q & A session where they bring the cast up on the stage.  As usual, everyone was a little shy to ask the first question.  Suddenly from the farthest reaches of the theater one brave soul raised his hand for the first question, "Were there any on set hook-ups?"  Everyone clearly started to giggle at the question.  Understandably no one from the cast seemed to want to give up any secrets, until Perez Hilton (who played himself) stood up and almost spilled the beans.  Thank god he respected people's privacy enough.  Had I been on set and hooked up with someone, I would not have been to happy with him for telling people.  Loose lips sink ships, Perez.

After everything was done at the DGA, it was off to the after party at the Here Lounge. 

Once again the place was packed forcing everyone to manuver around ass to crotch.  I did manage to spot Brian Nolan as we entered, so we went to talk to him.  We found out that not only did he and his friends not get into see the movie since they ran out of chairs, but that they also were able to receive a refund for their tickets!  You know there would have been hell to pay had I been in that situation...  I did find it slightly amusing that Brian and his friends, who are on some kind of a celebrity list, did not get into the movie, while I had rock star luck that evening...Well that is until I realized that they were allowed in the VIP areas at the after party while I was barely allowed to look inside.

The total night and the complete experience I had at OUTFEST was wonderful.  I will definitely be going back for next years movies; hopefully I will be in at least one of them!

Mulligans at The Ford!

After the festivities in Las Vegas I came back home to California with as much money as I went there with.  Nice to know I broke even, and didn't loose my entire savings to "the city of sin."

Now that I was back in town I was able to work one day before going back to LA for a few more OUTFEST Films.  The first of which was Mulligans, which was shown on Friday night at The Ford.  The Ford was a great place to watch a movie as we watched the movie under the stars and were able to bring in food and beverage.  Since I was the driver that night, I was unable to take part in the beverage; however, there is always next year.

Originally I was supposed to see the next two OUTFEST movies with my friend Michael;

however, Michael was working as a script supervisor on a film, and they changed his schedule around so he was now unable to attend.  Luckily I was able to give Michael's tickets to my good friend Johnny.

I picked Johnny up at 5:30 on Friday and we did not arrive to the theater until around 7:30!  I can't believe it took two hours to get there...  Got to love California traffic!!

The movie Mulligans was fantastic.  Everything about the movie was perfect, the setting, the acting, the direction, the story.  I really loved this movie.  The only thing I would have changed would have been the people sitting in front of me.  While one of them was really cute, and did check me out throughout the night, the others were super annoying.  They continually made snide comments throughout the film, such as, "This movie is so gay."  They also seemed to enjoy laughing at moments in the film that were meant to be touching...  During one of those moments the guy in front of me broke the back of his seat sending it crashing into my leg.

After the movie was over, Johnny informed me that my friends we had been sitting next to kept giving him more and more drinks throughout the film, and that he was going to need help getting down the stairs because he was already drunk.  Since Johnny was already drunk, we decided it would be an excellent idea to continue onto the after party at Club 11.  Here are some pictures taken at The Ford.  If you look closely and squint your eyes you can see Johnny and I in the back row!!  

Here I am with Jovy, who we sat next to at the screening.  I am trying out a new look with the low cut v-neck...  What do you think?

The after party was hosted by D.I.V.A (Diverse and Inclusive Visionary Artists) and it was PACKED!!  When trying to walk around the place you could not help but accidently brush up against people's asses or crotches with your various body parts.  

At one point, I was trying to walk past Reichen Lehmkhul so Johnny and I could find a place to dance .  That night I had completely forgotten that I had not switched to my smaller phone, so I 

 was walking around with my big SideKick LX attached to my hip.  As I saw an open place near where Reichen was standing I accidently brushed my crotchular area, SideKick attached, against one of his friends that had his back to me.  As I passed by Reichen, I accidently brushed up against him as  well.  

When Johnny and I made our way to the open spot to dance I turned around and realized that Reichen's friend that I unintentionally butt raped with my SideKick was JP Calderone from Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency.  Some of you may know that I have had a bit of a celebrity crush on JP for a few years now.  Needless to say, I was pretty embarrassed, but JP didn't seem to notice the unintentional violation.

Here is a photo commentary I made awhile ago featuring JP.  It's about how people assume all gay people have super powers when it comes to fashion emergencies.

Johnny and I continued to dance and have fun at the after party.  When we decided it was time to go, Johnny was past drunk...  Good thing I was driving :-)  After a quick trip to the bathroom, I gave my parking ticket to the valet and waiting for them to bring my car around.  A few minutes later, they said that my car was on the corner waiting for me.  This particular night, I had borrowed Lori's Prius.  Lori is my Uncle's girlfriend.  

Surprise!!! The car waiting on the corner for me was a cute BMW sport coupe! Perhaps this night I looked like I SHOULD be driving a BMW sport coupe and not a Toyota Prius or a Mazda 626.  As much as I wanted to drive off in that car, I decided to be honest and let the valet know that they brought me the wrong car.

I was also borrowing Lori's car the next day, so before I left to see Another Gay Sequel, she told me that if valet wanted to give me an upgraded car that this time I should take it!!  Perhaps the mistake at valet was an omen... a glimpse into the future if you will???