Three Days in Orlando (2005) User Reviews

Selling Queer Delivers

[henrylovesyou · 8/10 · 26 May 2005]

I recently saw this film at a screening in Philadelphia and think it was outstanding. Although some of the audio got wild in two spots where there was heavy traffic on screen and where some people started screaming, I think it was perfectly acceptable for a documentary. Someone commented about the film looking like it was shot with a handycam and I think that guy must be blind. Most of the footage looks great. I thought the story was well told and unfolded in three parts, what gay days is... it questioned if events should give more to charity and it ended on a kind of sad note about one of the main characters feeling like he didn't belong in his own community anymore. All together it was a good doc and I recommend it.

Good for what it is

[juliaspress · 6/10 · 27 May 2005]

I caught the film at a private screening this week after reading the comment by Bobby, and have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The film had no noticeable sound issues save for two small segments and the picture looked great on digital projection 2k. As a documentary it served its goal of "documenting" a moment in time. It's not a Michael Moore expose, but then again it's not an expose at all. I'm disappointed that so many people think that the movie is out to make a buck because I met the filmmakers at the screening and they assured everyone that 100% of the profits were going to be split between three charities. They were all very sincere and told the crowd that they hadn't wanted to release the film at all but were urged for almost a year by people in the film to get the movie out so that they're stories would be told. After this they let local charities solicit for donations. I really think this was a documentary made to showcase diverse stories about the gay community and I think it was done very well for a film that was released under the circumstances. In some parts toward the end the movie started to drag, but I think it was to give equal time to both sides of the interview coin without taking anything out of context. A few people I talked to after the screening didn't like it because they thought there would be more party boys and more controversy, so in my opinion they came in to the film expecting something they didn't get. I had no notion of what I was going to see and enjoyed myself by taking the film for what it is, not what I thought it SHOULD be.

Thought Provoking

[thebigdoglives · 8/10 · 27 May 2005]

I enjoyed Selling Queer. I was familiar with the director's previous work and wanted to check it out. I think that people who are have seen the film and think that it is haphazard are the same people who didn't understand Pulp Fiction when it came out. The segments do jump around in a non-linear way. I got the connections right off the bat with a feeling of being at the event in some what real time. I loved the segments behind the scenes at the carnival and I especially loved the lesbian wedding segment. I thought it captured real emotion on the part of the women and drove home the sense of how much they loved each other. I also enjoyed the brief history of circuit parties. This film is not for everyone! I saw the movie with two straight friends and they also enjoyed it leaving the screening saying, "I didn't know there was so much to gay community". I never really let them in to my life in that way and in turn they never realized that there was anything to these kind of happenings besides people holding hands and singing. The film will definitely play better to a straight audience or gays who aren't directly involved in "being gay" in the ways portrayed in the film.

Accurate

[arthur-5715 · 10/10 · 26 May 2005]

I've been to a few of these kind of pride events and think this film does what it sets out to do, it shows them for what they are. Nothing more, nothing less. I personally walked away from the film thinking that Rob Labby was foolish for risking his own money. After seeing this movie my partner and I went online and donated to our local GLCC, so if that's what it was about it worked for us. I read in an article online that 20% of the profits are going to gay charities, so I don't know why some of these comments talk about making a buck off the film. 20% of anything is much more then I would've expected, especially from a movie that's kind of a pet cause film. I'd watch the documentary again and suggest you rent it.

Superb Documentary

[redrockman99 · 9/10 · 30 June 2005]

After hearing about this documentary on the right-wing radio show, Steve Brown Etc., I thought that I'd take a look. Was I ever impressed. Essentially, the movie sets out to expose problems within the gay community and their "pride events" in relation to charities. The concept at first glance can make gay people very angry about airing their "dirty laundry" and rightfully so. Robert Labby (one of the main characters) was trying to do a religious activity in the middle of Sadom and Gamora and failed. What I thought was most important was that this seemed to be a continuing theme. In the lesbian wedding segment we see the preacher from the Joy MCC church conducting the ceremony, after himself admitting that he too is gay. I don't know what the filmmaker's intentions were, but inadvertently he's created a wonderful illustration of how lost homosexual culture is, even beyond the typical stereotypes of drug abuse and sex addiction. It shows the culture to be apathetic and having the misplaced arrogance of a petulant child. There is nothing about the movie that reaches for situations where homosexuals illustrate how misguided their lifestyle is, all of it is natural and undoctored.

surprisingly, Robert Labby, the gay promoter documented in the film, was the guest on the Steve Brown Show, not any of the filmmakers. This made me curious to see what the movie was about. How could a gay man fighting for gay rights come down so hard on his own people? The answer is very clear if you see Selling Queer.

I highly recommend this picture.

Silver Screen Docs

[wiretiger · 7/10 · 27 May 2005]

In the last few years there has been a huge surge in documentaries being released for the cinema. Films like "The Yes Men", "Bowling For Columbine", "Super Size Me" have all come out to an ever more hungry audience.

Selling Queer is part of this trend and not the best the bunch. I did enjoy this film more then I enjoyed the unrelated precursor, "When Boys Fly", but neither of these films really got me going.

Technically I'd consider the film on par with any other shoot from the hip documentary, so I have no real complaints in that department, but where I take issue is with the handling of the subject matter. I wanted to see more of evil people doing evil things. I didn't get that. I wanted to see all the terrible conspiracies at work on how big business is taking advantage of the little guy, but it didn't give that to me.

In a way I broke my cardinal rule of making up my mind over a trailer. I've learned not to get sucked in to the marketing of a picture, but I let my guard down. For that I can't fault the film or the director. As a matter of taste I thought the director did a smashing job with a project like this. I think gay pride is kind of obsolete in this day and age and he managed to make a movie that was at least somewhat interesting. I'd like to see what he does on his next film.

As I said before, it's kind of forced like When Boys Fly, but without the heavy-handedness. This film let's you make up your own mind about it without apologizing for that. Unlike colombine and some others who spoon feed you one sided muck. But as a stand-alone piece it could have been better. Kudos to the director for keeping me from walking out, but I've yet to see anyone tackle a subject matter like this and blow me away.

Another film poorly made trying to make money off of Homosexuality

[TJK311 · 1/10 · 26 May 2005]

This film was touted to be a Documentary concerning Orlando Gays Days, the Gay Community in Orlando and Big Business. Having viewed this film (wish I hadn't), I didn't come away with anything the documentary's name "Selling Queer" stated , except for one very short, very quick comment in the entire film. The comment was fast and was hard to find through all the choppy confusion. Selling Queer had absolutely no cohesiveness of structure, content and purpose. Sorry, it did have a purpose. The purpose was for some director(?) to make a quick buck off Homosexuality.

Renting or even seeing for free, Selling Queer would not be worth the effort. You would do better to burn the money in you wallet or purse rather than wasting it on this film.

How Ironic

[bobby-175 · 1/10 · 20 March 2005]

A movie maker trying to make money by making a movie about people making money off of homosexuals.

I'm not sure exactly how to tell you my disappointment in this movie. Subject material and eye candy should be plentiful but somehow the director missed all of it. Was there a goal? Where's the story line? If all it takes these days to make an independent film is for some whack with a cheap handicam to wander around and aimlessly shoot people then suicide may be my best option. The sound is off for most of the film, the directing lacks direction, and the film could use a talented editor.

If you find this at a film festival near you keep this in mind -> You are better off brown nosing in the lobby with the real film makers.

I'd heard it was offensive, but it wasn't good enough for that...

[rajasthanb · 2/10 · 18 February 2006]

I'd heard from a friend that he was offended, but I didn't think this poorly shot movie was worth getting worked up about. A went with a small group of friends, (both gay and straight) and we left before it ended.

As for being provocative, well, I thought it was pretty ho hum.

It seems as though the writers thought that anything showing gays would stir up interest.

I think the IDEA behind it had promise,

but maybe with more experienced crew,

it might have gone somewhere.

The narrator had a great voice, though.