Guy (Kevin Spirtas) and Phillip (Gregory Phelan) meet at a garage sale where they are both looking at the same Green Plaid Shirt. The two start a relationship which has it’s rocky moments. Set in the late 1970’s, we find Guy contracting AIDS and have a bit of a debate on whether or not fidelity is intended for gay men, which never really gets resolved. And most of the story is told in flashbacks. For a first time director, this was probably not too bad, but a bit uneven.
Bump! is a gay travel show. Hosted by Charlie David, it visits vacation spots and highlights where to find gay and lesbian attractions. Hotels, restaurants, night life and of course shopping. Now on DVD, the South America edition goes to Buenos Aires, Såo Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro as Charlie finds spots to cruise hot guys, learn to dance and relax by the pool with a hot travel agent, Bryan Herb. If you enjoy the Travel Channel and such, this is a diverting video.
Joe (Tim Swain) is an art school student on a scholarship who picks up extra money hustling. In between drawing, hanging out and getting stoned with his fag-hag, and getting unfortunate haircuts he starts to fall for Ramon (Gil Bar-Sela) another hustler who works the same street. Between Something and Nothing.
Regine is a grandmother who’s gay grandson Guillaume (Guillaume Quatravaux) is still grieving for his now 2 years departed mother whose ashes sit in a suitcase on gradma’s balcony because Guillaume hasn’t gotten them scattered over Scotland yet. Then there’s her gay houskeeper Maxime (Jean-Philippe Sêt) who thinks keeping the ashes around on the balcony is just a tad creepy. Hopefully, this would have made more sense if I still remembered any of my grade school French lessons, but with just the subtitles to go by, something must’ve gotten lost in translation. And my grandma would’ve tanned my hide if I’d slouched around her house in just my briefs, but maybe it works differently in France.
Nick May is Ricky “The Houseboy” in this 2007 independent film. Overhearing that he’s going to be replaced with a “new toy for Christmas” by the couple he’s living with, he goes on a spree of pickups while they’re gone and plans to kill himself on Christmas Eve, dramatically leaving his body for them to find. As he makes his way through a series of tricks, he tells them that he’s planning on suicide getting little sympathy from any of them. Finally he clicks with a young man he meets in the park.
In Wilde, Stephen Fry is Oscar Wilde the Irish playwrite and poet who’s affair with “Bosie” aka Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law) leads to his down fall upon his confrontation with Bosie’s father the Marquess of Queensberry. Ioan Gruffudd and Michael Sheen are among Oscar’s conquests who are thrown over for the enchanting and troubled Bosie.
Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) is an Israeli intelligence agent who returns after a successful run assassinating terrorists to find that his wife has committed suicide. After his refusal to go to therapy, his boss puts him on the trail of an aging Nazi by detailing him to play tour guide and spy on Axel (Knut Berger), the Nazi’s grandson, who’s on a trip to Israel to visit his sister who’s living in a kibbutz. Already annoyed at his assignment, Eyal is further confounded by Axel’s openess to consorting with Palestinians, cute male ones at any rate. Eventually, the two develop a friendship as Eyal deals with his frustrations with his life. And, oh yeah, they have a nekkid shower on the beach. Walk on Water.
Michael Ontkean is Dr. Zach Elliott and Harry Hamlin is Bart McGuire in Making Love. In this 1980’s picture, Zach has been mostly happily married to Claire (Kate Jackson) for 8 years. He’s started to question his sexuality, but can’t quite work up the nerve to experiment. Bart, a bit of a hypochondriac, comes to see him and the two strike up a friendship which moves to something sexual. Zach finally works up the nerve to come out to his wife, but can’t find the acceptance he wants with Bart.
One of the first real gay movies I ever saw on the really, really late movie.
