All Boys

2009, 73 mins, Czech Republic


All Boys is a documentary about the gay porn industry in post Communist Czech Republic. It follows a number of models and the director in the rise and fall of the industry. It includes what they did after they reached the end of their career at the ripe old age of 22.

As a documentary it was pretty poor. The voice over was trying to make out the film was something it was not. At times it felt quite exploitative which I suppose the industry is. There are many porn stars that enjoy themselves and are in control of their career. However, this company took vulnerable teenagers off the street and persuaded them to model, promising them money. Most of the boys end up homeless, drug addicts and alcoholic. Despite this, I am a committed libertarian and think in no way the industry should be restricted. I just think the director should think about what he is leading these boys into. Some of the boys end up in 'normal' careers, one even has a wife.

I also found difficult that the studio specialised in barebacking scenes. However, there was no mentioning of testing the models. I just got the impression that this was a low budget studio that did not take their responsibility seriously. I suppose a documentary film is better at focusing on the more corrupt element of the industry, but this does not reflect a lot of the industry.

I suppose it did not help that the type of guys used are really not my type.


I think overall this will appeal to anyone who enjoyed Bel Ami late 90s twink porn, but sorry this is just not my thing.

1/5 - Poor documentary - a turn off not a turn on.

Holding Trevor

2007, 88 mins, USA


Holding Trevor tells the story of Trevor, a young gay guy, who is lost and has no direction in life. His best friend and ex lover, Darrell, is a junkie, who he loves. Despite meeting Ephram, the man of his dreams, he is still missing a purpose. He is supported in his journey by his bitchy gay friend, Jake, and fag hag, Andie.

I have wanted to see this film for a couple of years, partly because of it being a gay indie classic, and partly because of Jay Brannan (Jake). Jay plays Jake in much the same manner as Ceth in Shortbus - funny and slightly bitchy. I have wondered whether it would be good to see him do something different, but I think this type of character reflects him and this is what he does best.

Holding Trevor is a better representative of gay indie cinema. In no way it is perfect, some of the shots are amateur and, at points, the acting can be slightly wooden. However, this type of film will never be made in Hollywood so it is a compromise for such a themed film to be made. Saying that, the dialogue is very natural and reflects typical conversations a gay man would normally have - witty one liners and subtle put downs.

Trevor does become too self involved at times and there is an element not wanting him to be happy, reflected very well with the 'perfect' doctor Ephram. However, the voice overs are a little self indulgent and it gets very Dawson's Creek at times. Despite this, he represents a lot how some gay men feel about life.

His relationship with his friends is pivotal in the film and Andie in particular is very good. The sub plot of her finding out she is HIV positive was very realistic. Her relationship with Trevor demonstrates that you do not have to be related in order to be family.

Although this film will never be Oscar winning, I think it is, despite its flaws, a little gem amongst the many poor titles within its genre. I knew it would not live up to my high expectations, but it is still essentail viewing for any gay man.

3.5/5 - Rough round the edges but deep down it has a heart

Time Shift - Dear Censor

BBC Four, 29 September 2011


I was expecting my next discs but they have yet to have arrived so I have decided to review a documentary that is on BBC Four tonight.

Time Shift - Dear Censor is an excellent documentary on the correspondence between the BBFC and film directors. It demonstrates how society's attitudes change and how the film censors have to cope with the responsibility of determining what the boundaries in taste and decency are.

Rebel Without a Cause, one of my favourite films, was one of the first to feature because they felt the parenting skills of James Dean were poor and could negatively influence society. This seems ludicrous in today's films but clearly an issue of the time.

I was surprised there was no real mention of censoring homosexuality (the Celluloid Closet is a better resource for this). Women in Love was the nearest but was more focused on the first male full frontal nudity.

BBFC developed its role to allow potentially offensive films, such as the haunting but excellent A Clockwork Orange, to receive approval because they are a work of art. As a committed libertarian, I agree no organisation should limit films just because the majority of the population would be offended.

This principle was particularly tested with Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom, which is the most disturbing film I have ever seen. But the correspondence with Pier Paolo Pasolini made the excellent point that it is a film to 'turn off' abuse rather than 'turn on'.

I was very interested in more recent films, such as Shortbus, which have pushed the boundaries again. However, we are not allowed to see any correspondence from the last 20 years so I hope the BBC will do this again to uncover the concerns of more modern classics.

I really enjoyed this step back in time and it gives a good grounding in the history of film, how society has changed and how governments deal with controversy in art.

If you have access to BBC iPlayer, I highly recommend it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/

From Beginning to End

2010, 93 mins, Brazil


A non-judgemental film about two brothers, Francisco and Thomas, who develop an incestuous relationship from moment Thomas is born. Their love is tested when Thomas is selected to train for the Olympic swimming team in Russia.


The film is certainly different from most gay themed movies and challenges the audience not to be put off by the taboo subject. You do feel the love between the characters at points and the longing for each other when they are apart. Towards the latter half of the film, Francisco experiences a sense of lost control through clubs and alcohol, something we can all relate to.


The relationship is less about them being gay and is more focused on their love. There are no clear signs that either would identify as being gay and never clearly demonstrate that they find other men attractive. It did not surprise me that it developed into a sexual relationship as the family were perhaps too loving for each other, if this is possible. There was only one scene where the second father told off Thomas and and the reaction of the mother and children that this was alien concept to the family. Even the mother's first divorce is remarked as non stereotypical because there is no tension with her ex husband. Perhaps this signified that without clear boundaries, the boys were unable to draw the line of their brotherly love. Neither brother questions whether what they are doing is wrong.

The film tackles a very taboo subject with grace and you do end up forgetting at points that what they are doing is wrong, but films are not meant to have a strict moral code because this is the beauty of cinema. 


However, the film loses pace by diverting to scenes demonstrating their love, such as the naked tango or a long kiss in the rain. This device does not work well at points as it intrudes on the story. What makes these diversions worse, is the choice of music was not used well. Most of these interludes were bad piano pieces that sounded like a sixth form student recital. The film could have done with expanding parts of the story and greater character development.


Despite this, the film was interesting and did slightly move me, but it will not be something I would watch again

3/5 - Challenging but slightly let down with the direction

Introduction

Hi

Welcome to my blog. I am computer illiterate so stay with me as I get used to this. I am hoping to update regularly on the films I watch and try to establish a film of the week. I watch as many films as I can off LoveFilm and currently have over 350 titles on my list. I am also adding new releases. I have also a number of TV shows on there. As I rarely watch regular TV shows, I wait until they come out on DVD - these will also be reviewed by series (unless there is a classic episode). I would ideally love to be paid as a reviewer but I do not think I would be good enough!

I am a 28 year old gay guy who has a keen interest in films of a number of genres, especially LGBT, foreign language films and the old classics.My tastes match the extremes - from art house to trashy gay films, I will watch almost everything (with the exception of the major, special effects, blockbusters). I particularly like gay films if they say something about gay people. It is all part of self discovery I suppose, which may sound a bit wanky but not intended. My favourite film of all time is Shortbus, partly because it is self exploratory and partly because it is funny.


I have a number of other interests, including current affairs, weight training, clubbing and sports.

Anyway, enough about me, I hope you will enjoy the reviews.