First off - there's absolutely no flirting going on in this film - with Anthony or anyone else. These people don't flirt - they just do it. Your first test of endurance is to wade through more than 15 minutes of intense violence and sexual perversion. This wouldn't be so bad - hell, I like violence and perversion as much as the next reviewer, but without a context to put it in, it is repellent. So you make it through the torture and mayhem. Then we meet Donna and the movie turns into something all together different - not better - just different: a road picture without heart. There are lame attempts at comedy thanks to cameos - broadly written and broadly played by broads like Judy Tenuta and Mink Stole (and a few hookers and drag queens, too). They all deserve better. The photography is purposely disorienting, so if you get motion sickness (or really ANY kind of sickness) - this flick is not for you. Come to think of it, I'm not sure just who this flick IS for -except maybe gay and bi-sexual S&M fans who like poorly scripted, poorly shot indy films about themselves.
9 Reviews
A confusing, sometimes unpleasant experience
JimOmaha4 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Had I checked IMDb BEFORE renting this DVD from Netflix, I'd have a couple of hours of my life back. I'm frankly suspicious when I see that a film's director also wrote it. In this case, according to the credits, the same guy was "writter and director" - unfortunately, an indication of the overall quality of this production. There were a few interesting moments (e.g., Judy Tenuta's scene reminded of her early comedy routines touting Judy-ism) which led me to rate this two stars rather than one. Those moments, however, were few and far between ... and I almost did not get to see them because the opening sequence was nearly incomprehensible to me, not to mention reprehensible in its violence. I admit I went back to watch that part again to see if I had missed something that would help me figure it out once I'd seen the whole thing. Nope, though I at least recognized who the characters were who would turn out to be important later. The "spinning camera" technique was overused and essentially pointless. I found myself talking to the TV screen: "What?!?" or "For goodness sake, get ON with it!" Not recommended.
A blood and cum splattered road film
LLAAA48379 August 2009
I can't exactly say what the plot is because there isn't really much to say. The film starts off with a lot of flashes of two men performing oral sex on each other in a dark shack littered with dismembered human body parts. Then there's this gay guy named Anthony who gets beaten and tortured at the beginning of the film by a deranged mobster for somehow screwing up a mob hit. Then this one guy who kidnapped him shows up out of nowhere and then shoots the torturer and releases Anthony and then Anthony and him take turns raping this guy and taking pictures. Then the film randomly flashes forward and suddenly Anthony has a girlfriend and is living with her and her younger brother who they take turns messing with in a variety of silly and cruel ways. Suddenly the girlfriend's mom calls and tells her that her father is dead, so Anthony and her decide to drive to the funeral. Along the way they encounter a lot of weirdos, mostly prostitutes, and have a bunch of crazy sex adventures before running into the man who saved Anthony's life. Things get crazy.
Basically, if Kenneth Anger decided to co-direct a full length film with John Waters and borrowed the basic ideas of the writings of the Marquis de Sade and Gaspar Noe's style, FLIRTING WITH ANTHONY would be, more or less, the result. The result is a mixed bag. There are a lot of admirable ideas and interesting themes that the film has. The film mostly plays around with the idea of sadomasochism, but doesn't really go too far with it. There are also a lot of really campy comedy moments throughout that seem very out of place. Then again, this film doesn't really have a personal style. The whole film is completely random. The first fifteen or twenty minutes of the film are full of graphic gore, torture, rape, and shocking sex acts. Much of it is shown in extremely graphic detail, so this isn't a film for the squeamish. After all that, however, the film completely switches gears and becomes almost like a deranged road movie with a lot of campy and cheesy comedy thrown in for shock value. The last third of the film is kind of like a cross between a gay hardcore porno film and a coming-of-age movie. That's really the best way I can really describe it.
Strangely, despite the drastic differences in film genre styles, the music score in the film never changes. The whole film has a very Industrial sound to it, much like TETSUO: THE IRON MAN, ERASERHEAD, or pi. It's an angry sounding film. There are also a lot of flashing camera effects, so be warned that this is a film to be avoided if you're an epileptic. This is kind of a hard film to watch, not just because of the gore and the graphic sex, but also because of the camera. The camera movements are very jarring and they really don't ever slow down. I wouldn't normally mind this if it were for a thematic purpose or if it were a music video, but for a gay torture porn road movie like this it does start to grate on the nerves and distracts from the narrative quality of the film.
The film also lacks the necessary character development meant to keep the audience watching. This becomes a problem late in the film when the dramatic elements of the film build up and you realize that there is no reason to care about this psychotic man who used to dismember people for the mob. Pretty soon the film just dissolves into a bunch of stuff happening for no reason. There's no point, there's no plot, and there's no chemistry. The end result is more of an experimental film than anything else. For a while, the style of the film makes up for the lack of substance, but it doesn't sustain the entire running time of 88 minutes.
I do want to give the director credit. There really are a lot of cool ideas here and they do get some good treatment. The film currently has a 1.3 rating on IMDb, but I honestly don't think it is THAT bad. There are things about it that do work. Ultimately I think it has more to do with the screenplay than anything else. I think that director Christian Calson should just stick to directing for now until he takes the time to come up with a better and more fleshed out screenplay. This film does work as an experimental shock film, and if you're into that idea then I do highly recommend that you see FLIRTING WITH ANTHONY.
Basically, if Kenneth Anger decided to co-direct a full length film with John Waters and borrowed the basic ideas of the writings of the Marquis de Sade and Gaspar Noe's style, FLIRTING WITH ANTHONY would be, more or less, the result. The result is a mixed bag. There are a lot of admirable ideas and interesting themes that the film has. The film mostly plays around with the idea of sadomasochism, but doesn't really go too far with it. There are also a lot of really campy comedy moments throughout that seem very out of place. Then again, this film doesn't really have a personal style. The whole film is completely random. The first fifteen or twenty minutes of the film are full of graphic gore, torture, rape, and shocking sex acts. Much of it is shown in extremely graphic detail, so this isn't a film for the squeamish. After all that, however, the film completely switches gears and becomes almost like a deranged road movie with a lot of campy and cheesy comedy thrown in for shock value. The last third of the film is kind of like a cross between a gay hardcore porno film and a coming-of-age movie. That's really the best way I can really describe it.
Strangely, despite the drastic differences in film genre styles, the music score in the film never changes. The whole film has a very Industrial sound to it, much like TETSUO: THE IRON MAN, ERASERHEAD, or pi. It's an angry sounding film. There are also a lot of flashing camera effects, so be warned that this is a film to be avoided if you're an epileptic. This is kind of a hard film to watch, not just because of the gore and the graphic sex, but also because of the camera. The camera movements are very jarring and they really don't ever slow down. I wouldn't normally mind this if it were for a thematic purpose or if it were a music video, but for a gay torture porn road movie like this it does start to grate on the nerves and distracts from the narrative quality of the film.
The film also lacks the necessary character development meant to keep the audience watching. This becomes a problem late in the film when the dramatic elements of the film build up and you realize that there is no reason to care about this psychotic man who used to dismember people for the mob. Pretty soon the film just dissolves into a bunch of stuff happening for no reason. There's no point, there's no plot, and there's no chemistry. The end result is more of an experimental film than anything else. For a while, the style of the film makes up for the lack of substance, but it doesn't sustain the entire running time of 88 minutes.
I do want to give the director credit. There really are a lot of cool ideas here and they do get some good treatment. The film currently has a 1.3 rating on IMDb, but I honestly don't think it is THAT bad. There are things about it that do work. Ultimately I think it has more to do with the screenplay than anything else. I think that director Christian Calson should just stick to directing for now until he takes the time to come up with a better and more fleshed out screenplay. This film does work as an experimental shock film, and if you're into that idea then I do highly recommend that you see FLIRTING WITH ANTHONY.
Audience Abuse
playwrite200018 June 2006
The director, outfitted in chains and leather, warned the audience at the SF Frameline Film Festival Friday night that we were about to see an "experiental" film. Experimental? Leave the video camera on the back seat of the car, let the tape roll and edit in all the pointless dreck within eyesight. A meandering pastiche road show manqué that starts nowhere and takes the audience no place. The gratuitous violence that opens the movie drove more than one patron from the Castro theater. I would have left, too, but my cine-buddy needed a ride home and has this thing about seeing even the worse merde through to the end. By the time the lights came up the audience had thinned considerably. Tepid applause. Pro forma questions of the director who seemed pleased with the product. Avoid this film!
Terrible...
david-john-365175 February 2019
Don't even bother wasting your time...
This was by far the worst film I have ever seen in my life, if you could even actually call this mess a film. It's a bargain basement £1 purchase at best.
Terrible camera work, terrible "story" and the acting what a load of sxxt!!!
This was by far the worst film I have ever seen in my life, if you could even actually call this mess a film. It's a bargain basement £1 purchase at best.
Terrible camera work, terrible "story" and the acting what a load of sxxt!!!
Violent Swirl of Sex and Emotion
travisxlp20 September 2007
I got this title through netflix and really loved it. It's sexy and screwed up but I like that in a movie. Reminded me a lot of Texas Chainsaw meets Trick. I'd say, give it a shot and keep an open mind. The director did another movie called shiner that I liked but this was a better DVD. Judy Tenuta and Lowe Taylor are the best actresses. Daniel Cartier is the gay singer turned actor guy and he's good, too. Writing this makes me want to see it one more time. My favorite part is the last part of the film. By then, everything's been way over the top and then you really get to see the characters come full circle. I can relate to the Donna character because I've been involved with a guy who was a nightmare but it was kind of hot sex at the time. I'd say, give it a shot and see for yourself. The film will get a strong reaction no matter if you like it or hate it.
Rednecks, Closetcases, & Clueless Sit Down
craigwizzer20 September 2007
Props to director and writer. Fantastic editing. The cast did a awesome job, too. Sounds great and looks great. Closetcases hate this movie because they don't understand why it's OK to be gay. Rednecks don't like that it shows a bisexual girl and a gay guy getting it on. The sex in this movie was fantastic. Lowe Taylor should get an Oscar. That babe can act her way out of Alcatraz. She's so fine. This movie made me get all rocksteady if you know what I mean. Plus it was fun. The movie starts off with just nothing and you hear this crazy sound and you think there's something wrong with the camera. I saw it in San Francisco and it was a great experience. The director came out wearing leather. He wasn't wearing chains, you homophobe. Sit down and shut up. There's a love scene in the movie that's up there with all the foreign films I've seen. Really up there is how I'd review this. I don't know what's wrong with people on here. They slam this movie and then go and give props to the old bag in the Must Love Dogs movie.
weird and sexy
WlfrmG2 June 2013
I watched 'Flirting with Anthony' a first time and had no idea what was going on; however, some scenes are quite haunting, so I watch it again; reading a summary of the plot also all made sense.
The first part of the movie shows some pretty dark sex fantasies, the rest is some kind of sexy comedy in the form of a road movie. Both parts don't really connect and I did not even realised that the same main figure appeared in both parts (D. Cartier at the beginning of the movie without beard, looks totally different with beard in the second part of the film).
'Flirting with Anthony' also a little bit of a porn with a story line, but would not really call it a porn. It is more a road movie with explicit sex scenes. In most main stream movies these scenes or situations are not shown at all. Daniel Cartier and Jack are hot. I also liked the Techno sound track of he film, which works pretty well. Altogether, the film is quite different to most movies I have seen, therefore it is really a fun to watch.
The first part of the movie shows some pretty dark sex fantasies, the rest is some kind of sexy comedy in the form of a road movie. Both parts don't really connect and I did not even realised that the same main figure appeared in both parts (D. Cartier at the beginning of the movie without beard, looks totally different with beard in the second part of the film).
'Flirting with Anthony' also a little bit of a porn with a story line, but would not really call it a porn. It is more a road movie with explicit sex scenes. In most main stream movies these scenes or situations are not shown at all. Daniel Cartier and Jack are hot. I also liked the Techno sound track of he film, which works pretty well. Altogether, the film is quite different to most movies I have seen, therefore it is really a fun to watch.
No commentary?
torontofilmfriends26 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I don't have any idea what I just watched. I can easily write it off as a poorly made film but I feel compelled to find out more about why it's so strangely conceived. The film's website is currently down with some strange note on it. I'm rather curious about this film.
I saw Flirting with Anthony back to back with another gay film called Sun Kissed two weekends ago. I've watched one again and returned the other to the store. I watched Flirting with Anthony again and again. It's a funky movie. Mix one part sex, road trip, early 20s romance and you'll start to describe it. I found myself liking what I saw but the film is oddly paced and disjointed. The soundtrack is remarkable. There's a sticker on the box that says adults only and I think that's how I'd describe it. Daniel Cartier does a fantastic job and the cameos are really nicely spread out through the movie. Still don't know what to make of it.
I saw Flirting with Anthony back to back with another gay film called Sun Kissed two weekends ago. I've watched one again and returned the other to the store. I watched Flirting with Anthony again and again. It's a funky movie. Mix one part sex, road trip, early 20s romance and you'll start to describe it. I found myself liking what I saw but the film is oddly paced and disjointed. The soundtrack is remarkable. There's a sticker on the box that says adults only and I think that's how I'd describe it. Daniel Cartier does a fantastic job and the cameos are really nicely spread out through the movie. Still don't know what to make of it.
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