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Reviews
The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000)
Generally Enjoyable
I saw this film at the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The audience seemed to respond well. As did I.
I thought in general the dialogue was good, generally witty. Although it reminded of the line from 'Queer as Folk' when Vince is in the straight pub and says there are people talking in sentences that don't end in punch lines and no one seems to care. It seemed like a lot of what was said had to end in a punch line. The script at times seemed to be too witty and it sounded forced.
The performances were above par. With some surprises, noticeably John Mahoney of Frasier fame. I was so used to seeing him as Martin Crane the retired police officer that this was a nice change. Timothy Olyphant (who has been a favourite since 'Go") and Andrew Keegan were two others who I feel stood out from the rest of the ensemble. Also noteable was Matt McGrath's neurotic Howie, an all too familiar character.
Towards the end it did move to the formulaic and shmaltzy. A bit too sentimental. Don't get me wrong I did like the film it was good, just not like last year's Festival opener.
Speedway Junky (1999)
A bad Afterschool special is a kind description
I don't know where to begin. Darryl Hannah's performance was the true highlight of this film. Jonathan Taylor Thomas was very mis-cast and the audience laughed every time he came on screen, trying to play the bad boy. He just didn't work in the role. The plot was thin. Poor editing and continuity. I really couldn't recommend this film. If you want a good film to recommend to a gay/bi/questioning youth I would suggest Beautiful Thing or Get Real. Far superior films...