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Reviews
The Trip (2002)
A Fun Filled Journey!
`The Trip', the feature debut by writer/director Miles Swain, is one of the best gay themed films I've seen in the past year. Although it does have it's shortcomings with some uneven acting and may try to tackle a bit too many plotlines, `The Trip' overall is a fun filled journey you don't want to miss that's both touching and heartfelt.
The story spans 11 years beginning in 1973 as Alan Oakley (Larry Sullivan), a young, straight, Republican newspaper reporter is working on a book about homosexuality called The Straight Truth. At a party of a friends, an older lawyer named Peter, Alan meets Tommy Ballenger(Steve Braun), an outspoken gay activist from Texas. Tommy is played by Steve Braun who gives an energetic performance to his role as does Larry Sullivan and both have a great chemistry between them. The two instantly hit if off and when Tommy is asked over to dinner by Alan, he thinks he's found his true love. Much to Tommy's surprise when he arrives he's greeted by Alan's girlfriend Beverly (Sireana Irwin), who although being a dizzy blonde can see the attraction between the two.
Without giving too much away Alan and Tommy do become a couple but not without some ups and downs. The film traces their friendship through the years with some nice montages of gay history interspersed throughout with the likes of Anita Bryant's anti-gay crusade, gay activism, and the aids crisis. Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack that also reflects the times and is put to good use featuring disco, new wave and various hits from the 70's and 80's, like America's `Horse With No Name' and Missing Persons `Destination Unknown', a surprisingly nice touch. Supporting roles include a really funny Alexis Arquette, as the campy friend Michael, Jill St. John as Alan's `queer friendly' mother and a small cameo by original MTV veteran, comedian, Julie Brown. The movie's finale brings Alan and Tommy together again ala `Thelma and Louise' and takes them on a trip together, spiritually and emotionally, hence the title. Some of the scenes are a bit campy and over-the-top, the dinner party fiasco, and some a bit outlandish, gas station stickup, but for the most part it's a nice love story/friendship that spans a turbulent time and is a nice homage to gay history. `The Trip' is an enjoyable ride!
Luster (2002)
fUn,fLesH,aNd, LuST
I knew this was going to be a `cool' flick from the opening credits that just list the first names of the cast and crew, but it isn't without its flaws as well. Namely some campy acting, a customer in a record store squealing for Madonna, to numerous subplots that tend to bring down the film as well as audio that tends to be muffled in spots. But overall the more it went on the more I accepted and enjoyed these vagabonds and the flaws found within.
The story centers around a punky, skateboard, party goer, poet, named Jackson (Justin Herwick), who works at a record shop called, how appropriate, `No Life'. After waking up from the aftermath of an orgy he inquires about a boy who was there, Billy (Jonah Blechman) with whom he develops an infatuation for and decides to track down. Who wouldn't! He's a cutey but he he too has some flaws. Needless to say Billy is the boy toy of a record mogel played by Willie Garson (Sarah Jessica Parker's gay friend Stanford on Sex and the City) who gets off on getting beat up. It does get a bit ugly and some people might not like the S&M. Throw in Jackson's hunky cousin Jed(Barry Wyatt), a clean cut collegiate type customer at the store (Sean Thibodeau) who's in love with Jackson, a lesbian friend named Alyssa (Pamela Gidley) who screws around with Jed and is later found out by her lover, and you get a smorgasboard of a soap opera. The one character I really wish had been more developed and with whom I felt something towards was Jackson's supposedly straight boss and friend at the record shop, Sam (Shane Powers). He gives a real emotional performance at the end and his story only scratched the surface. The other performances are hit and miss. Sometimes they're great and then at other times it seems campy and silly. It's a real mixed bag along with the storylines. Take it for what it's worth though and you'll have fun with these characters, their loves, lusts, and losses. The DVD is stereo and the transfer is a bit grainy but it only adds to the seediness of the tale. I didn't expect much more from a low budget `indie' and it also includes a short documentary with the director and a film commentary and trailers for other TLA releases.
Note: plenty of full frontal nudity From TLA Releasing
Jisatsu sâkuru (2001)
A Hellish Nightmare You Soon Won't Forget
I never knew about this whole subculture of Asian `shock' cinema only until I happened to have stumbled on the film `Audition' and ever since I've been hooked. This whole line of films from the Orient has to be the most original, bizarre, violent and intriguing films on the market today which for the most part, unfortunately, will probably never be seen by the public. That is until its Americanized and bastardized, which is unfortunate. Well, enough of my ramblings. Let me tell you about my latest delve into this underground market, the `Suicide Club', which is a pretty sick and twisted look at today's youth. There are a few scenes that don't particularly work well and some will leave you wondering, `what the hell?', but overall this is one helluva ride that's pretty dark and disturbing.
`Suicide Club' opens right away with a bang and never lets up right up until the very end. It begins as 54 school girls waiting on the subway platform all clasp hands, count down to three, and then jump in front of an oncoming subway car! Even as the boxcover told me this I really didn't know what to expect and it still came as a complete shock as blood and body parts are strewn across the train, passengers, and onlookers. Gruesome to say the least. This though is only the beginning as more teens begin throwing themselves off buildings, sticking their heads into ovens, and just a frenzy of various suicides. As the suicides mount the police are drawn in, especially after finding a carry-on bag with the contents I'll leave up to your imagination. The police are led then led to a mysterious website, by an unknown caller, where it has been keeping track of the deaths by colored dots and nothing more.
Thrown into the entire mix of this is a pre-teen pop group that seems to be popping up all over and on everyone's tv's! This madness continues to spiral out of control and then in a slight twist midway we are introduced to a bizarre cult, led by an even more bizarre leader. This part of the film took a turn that just didn't quite fit in but it was still dark and edgy as this cult leader was one of the sickest villains I've seen in quite a while. I won't give away any details but let's just say that his victims are kept tied up in oversized cloth bags on the floor in an abandoned bowling alley! Sounds bizarre? It is and its even worse then that!
The suicides mount until the ending culminates to what you would think would be a clean and tidy ending but kudos to Shion Sono who takes us onto this dark journey only to leave us in the `middle of the road'. You'll know what I mean after seeing it. This film is totally not for everyone, the faint of heart, or those with a weak stomach. I found it fascinating, intriguing and couldn't wait to see where I was going to be led next. Bravo for yet another Asian horror film that dares to overstep the boundaries and take the viewer on a hellish nightmare or a ride! I read where this film was a response by the director to bring Japan's rising teen suicide rate to the forefront but whether it was or not I'm not sure. It surely doesn't voice an opinion but rather uses that as a stepping stone for its decline into madness. If you like graphic, violent, twisted films check this out, its one you won't soon forget!
The Wedding Video (2003)
This Weddings A Hoot!
A lot has happened in the world of television since the first season of MTV's Real World back in 1992! We now have bachelors, jackasses, survivors, amazing racers, and just about anything you can think of in this world of so- called `reality' TV. Norm Korpi along with his buddy Clint Cowen have produced `The Wedding Video' which spoofs this whole genre and reunites his cast members from the good ol' days of the `Real World'.
The basic premise is that Norm is about to be married to Sky (Brien Perry- a real life straight porn star I might add) whom a few of his friends think is a woman and that Norm is straight. Surprise, surprise! Anyhow, Norm's taken the $10,000 his mom has given him, she refuses to attend or accept such a thing, and has hired an amateur videographer (Clint Cowen) to film the event up to the big day. It's a bit slow in the beginning as guests are filmed in their respective hometowns and is a bit chatty, and it isn't until they all arrive in L.A. that things begin to pick up. The `Real World' cast is reunited, for those of you who forgot, Julie Oliver, Heather B., Rachel Campos, Syrus Yarbrough, and so forth. Fans of the show will surely get a kick out of it, but if you've never seen any of them before, the one who steals the show is Heather B. Funny and with an attitude she comes across as the most natural and `real' of the bunch. But what is real and what is not? With plenty of backstabbing, bickering and mayhem, it's all caught on tape for us to see, even when the cameraman tells certain guests he's not filming. He's so sneaky! Capturing everything from the girls fighting, a wild bachelor party, a secret from Sky's past and just about everything in between it's one bumpy ride. Meanwhile, poor ol' Norm is totally oblivious to anything and everything that is going on around him. Not all of it works, the German dj, the homophobic wedding planners, and the girl who may or not be with Sky, but for the most part it's a good goof. But what really makes the film is the final few minutes where we actually see the `wedding video' and what Norm really thinks of the whole reality scene and what is really captured. The ending makes it work and I'm glad I attended this skewered wedding! Only true `reality freaks' and fans of the `Real World' will probably get a kick out of it otherwise you `non believers' may be bored and not get the `joke'.
The DVD also includes interviews with the cast, an enlightening commentary from Norm and Clint, and a handful of outtakes.