What can I recommend about Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild? Well, how's this: it has a great soundtrack. Still, an expensive tracklist that includes Justice and Michael Jackson is likely to be whittled down before the film makes its way into theaters -- and let's hope that the movie's running time is, too. To be fair, the version screened at Outfest wasn't final (for example, the closing credits were missing), but a sex farce like this needs snappy timing, not a glacial pace and a nearly two-hour running time.
The sequel to the American Pie-spoofing Another Gay Movie, Gays Gone Wild picks up with all four boys headed to Fort Lauderdale for spring break (though three of the actors have been recast -- a situation the movie acknowledges and makes fun of early on). Amidst the buff bodies on display, Griff (Aaron Michael Davies) and Jarod (Jimmy Clabots) wrestle with the idea of an open relationship, while eager Andy (Jake Mosser) has to slow down to accomodate his new love interest: a virgin. Meanwhile, all the boys -- including diva-in-training Nico (Jonah Blechman, the only lead to reprise his role from the first film) -- have to contend with the evil antics of the Jaspers, a group of gay Heathers led by Big Brother refugee Will Wikle.
Writer/director Todd Stephens professed a desire to go deeper with Gays Gone Wild, and the explorations of gay monogamy certainly give the film a bit of juice -- it's just too bad so much of it is wasted in interminably slow-paced scenes. Too often, the film seems to take its cues from Blechman, a talented actor who nevertheless pauses for dramatic effect after every third word, as if anticipating laughs that never come. Quicker banter and judicious subplot cutting might not totally save Gays Gone Wild, but if Stephens really wants to make good on his promised third installment (Gays in Space), it'd be a good place to start. - Kyle Buchanan
Awards Night at Outfest is often the most fun night of the fest, and last night was no exception, thanks to the copious charms of Mama, the night's host and "trophy diva." Made to play second fiddle to host Bruce Vilanch last year, Mama finally came into her own -- a remark she would no doubt twist into a double entendre, if given the opportunity.
The night's big winners included double winner Hamlet 2 (Outstanding Dramatic Feature and Outstanding Soundtrack), XXY (Oustanding International Dramatic Feature), and Sex Positive (Outstanding Dramatic Feature). Most auspiciously, the night's final award for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature went to Were the World Mine, which then screened to an appreciative audience under the stars at the Ford Amphitheatre.
Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight poses with director Thomas Gustafson after the latter collected his award for Were the World Mine.
No one may have been more excited to receive an award than Outstanding Actress winner Nicole Bilderback, who won for The New Twenty. The giddy actress may be straight, "but I just came out as an Asian!" she squealed to laughter and applause.
Robin Williams was on hand to support daughter Zelda, star of Were the World Mine. If he looks just a bit uncomfortable, maybe it's due to Zelda's bangin' miniskirt (which you can catch just a glimpse of here). No, seriously, she rocked it.
"It's so cold out here," moaned presenter Calpernia Addams -- before shrugging off her warm wrap to better display her bodaciousness.
Presenter Janice Dickinson attempted to steal both the spotlight and the award she was supposed to give out. I'm sure no one is surprised. She also instructed out model J.P. Calderon to doff his shirt onstage, and he meekly complied.
Watercolors director David Oliveras took home $5000 and the prize for HBO Outstanding First Dramatic Feature. He did not, to our knowledge, take home presenter Rex Lee. (photos courtesy of Brian Putnam)
One of the biggest premieres at the Outfest Film Festival this weekend wasn't a movie at all: it was the screening of Sordid Lives: The Series. The West Coast premiere of the much-anticipated Logo series -- the prequel to Del Shores' 2000 sleeper hit -- drew a sold-out crowd in advance of its July 23rd TV debut.
Writer/director Del Shores gets a kiss on the red carpet from his partner Jason Dottley, who plays Ty in the series.
Dirty Sexy Money star Candis Cayne showed up to lend support.
Audience favorite Beth Grant (who plays Sissy in the series) has a way with camp -- you may remember her doubting Mary McDonnell's "commitment to Sparkle Motion" in Donnie Darko.
Shores takes questions from the audience. (Photos courtesy of Brian Putnam)
So many lesbian films have what I like to call The Moment: a scene where the (usually married) protagonist first lays eyes on the free-spirited, eventual love interest, sparking a widening of eyes and a smatter of "I didn't think I liked girls before this!" confusion. The World Unseen nails this moment, and then some: as housewife Miriam meets rebellious Amina at the local cafe, the former is so bewitched that she looks ready to hurl herself out of the closet. Miriam's husband turns up his nose at grubby Amina's choice of dress, but Miriam is smitten. "Maybe it's easier to work in trousers," she muses, dreamily.
Classic line, and it's illustrative of The World Unseen in general: it doesn't do anything new, but it does what it does pretty well. At the very least, it looks gorgeous -- set in 1950s South Africa, the sweeping vistas give the small film epic scope. And as the leads, Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth exude so much glamour that their love affair sometimes seems impossibly unrealistic. Still, the film is more comfortable with Hollywood pop than it is with real world issues, and an uneven middle stretch devoted to the problems of apartheid threatens to sink the central romance just as it's getting started. Trousers might be easier to work in, but this glossy film is most confident when it's dressed up.
It's Halloween in the Castro as The Lost Coast begins, but Mark, Jasper and Lily don't seem in the mood to party. Dour twentysomethings tenuously linked by high school friendship, the three of them skitter around each other, saying little and doing even less. As they ditch the Castro and head out to find a drug-dealing friend, it soon becomes apparent that openly gay Mark had a high school fling with Jasper, and the tension between them this night might lead to something more. The only problem: Jasper's engaged to be married.
The Lost Coast is a moody, well-shot, ultimately uneventful piece that's all the more frustrating on account of how talented its makers appear to be. Though the characters treat this Halloween with suffocating self-importance, there's very little actually transpiring. In fact, we frequently flash-forward to Jasper writing a "there's something you should know about me" email to his fiancee, but as he continues to detail every mundane thing that happened that Halloween night, you can imagine his impatient fiancee thinking, "Get to the point!" Unfortunately, audiences may think the same thing. - Kyle Buchanan
In an unfortunate bit of scheduling, last night's Outfest screening of Eleven Minutes -- the perceptive new documentary about Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll -- went head-to-head with the season premiere of Project Runway itself. Bad timing, but as the documentary details, Runway continues to loom large for McCarroll as both a blessing and a curse. Certainly, he admits, the show launched his career -- but it's also raised unrealistic expectations that McCarroll has trouble meeting. Why, everyone wants to know, is it taking him so long to show his first collection? After all, he produced a new dress in every episode of Project Runway! It should be easy, right?
As Eleven Minutes skillfully shows, it ain't. Money is a constant concern -- many in McCarroll's camp work for him for free -- but so are the designer's insecurities. His work is as confident and compelling as his outsized personality, but while he would never bite his tongue, he often seems apologetic about his clothes. "Who would wear this?" he says, mocking one of his most outre creations. Tasked with picking out his most saleable items, he goes for all the safe choices -- then is burned when buyers reject them for not being "Jay" enough. McCarroll's biggest fear is being seen as nothing but a reality TV personality, but as the center of this documentary, he's a sympathetic star. Though he may overcome Project Runway someday, getting out of his own way will be another matter. - Kyle Buchanan
Is thirty the new twenty? That's the supposition put forth by Chris Mason Johnson's The New Twenty, though I don't remember twenty being quite this dull. An ensemble drama concerning five college pals about to turn the big 3-0, The New Twenty deserves kudos for its multiracial casting and willingness to include two gay characters among its leads -- it's just that no one has anything very interesting to do. As the characters chatted nonstop about promotions, jobs, work offers and the like, I had to wonder: is thirty suddenly the new forty?
Andrew (Ryan Locke) is the group's putative ringleader, a strutting investment banker on the verge of marrying Julie (Nicole Bilderback), despite the fact that his slacker friend Felix (Thomas Sadoski) obviously still yearns for her. Meanwhile, Julie's brother Tony (Andrew Wei Lin) starts dating an HIV-positive man, while their overweight friend Ben (Colin Fickes) can't get a date at all, despite all the time he spends cruising gay hookup sites. In the film's production notes, Johnson talks about his desire to present a young group of friends where the sexuality of some is a non-issue -- though there's a weirdly anticipatory, self-loathing humor advanced by the film's two gay characters. Not enough to call much attention to itself, mind you -- but then, that's true of The New Twenty in general. - Kyle Buchanan
One of the true triumphs of this year's festival is Meadowlark, a documentary by 27 year-old Taylor Greeson. Autobiographical in nature but analytical in tone, the film deals with events that transpired in Montana in the Summer of 1993 when the then twelve-year-old Greeson was ordained as a Mormon priest, lost his virginity to an older man, and faced the loss of his older brother Charlie—murdered in a mysterious encounter that the film details like a real-life detective story. It's climax is a prison interview with the murderer. David Ehrenstein spoke to Greeson, who now lives and works in Los Angeles, about how he shaped this seemingly "sensational" material into such a complex and decidedly unsensational piece of work.
Run through the topics dealt with in this film—Mormonism, homosexuality and murder—and they all scream Oprah. Yet you consistently side-step the emotional hysteria. How did you avoid going that route?
I knew from the beginning that these were topics that could be sensationalized very easily. People want to hear about violence and sex. I very titillating. Everybody,when I was making the film was suspicious of the relationship between Frank [Firmin, the murderer] and my brother Charlie. And that was the case when the investigation happened. I preferred to keep more of an even hand. Being ordained in the Mormon priesthood that same year also played a huge role—in addition to the murder of my brother and the loss of my virginity. I knew that going back and dealing with that summer, these things weren't weighted equally. But because they happened simultaneously it's really hard for me to separate all those events. I mean I attended my brother's funeral walking alongside the man I thought I was in love with.
How old was Mike, the man you first had sex with?
He was 21. He was an important part of my life and with me during a very difficult period. For at the same time I was dealing with this huge crisis of faith. I was convinced that what I was doing was wrong and that if I really wanted to fulfill God's plan I would have to pray really hard and God would eventually make me not gay and make Mike go away. So those events were kind of all mixed together. But looking back it's hard not to weight my brother's murder a bit more heavily than those other two events. Because I would say I've recovered from my relationship with Mike and from being a Mormon more easily than recovering from my brother's death. I still think of Mike fondly sometimes. The first person you fall in love with , it's very hard not to think fondly of them. I was 12 years old and doing something very pleasurable for all 12 year-old boys. So it wasn't completely terrible and traumatic. I treated him more kindly than I could have. There are a number of things about my relationship with Mike that would not only be difficult for the film but next to impossible to deal with in the film.
Such as?
There were times when Mike threatened to kill himself if I didn't stay with him. That was when I was 14 years old. And then there were times when he'd say 'Yeah you're right this is a terrible relationship and what we're doing is really shameful. Just go tell your mom.' There was a good deal of emotional blackmail. But I also realized, and I'm not trying to say I was a precocious child but when Mike says 'You were at the maturity level I should have been,' I think it's very true. I'm not saying he's dumb but there's something about him that had not quite reached the age of adulthood. So although a number of messed up things happened, I think I've recovered enough so that I was able to show Mike speak in his own words and to reassure him that I don't look back upon that event as if he raped me, and by no stretch of the imagination am I a card-carrying NAMBLA member. But after losing my brother and dealing with that I guess my relationship with Mike didn't seem that traumatic. Intergenerational relationships happen frequently in the gay world. I don't try to psychoanalyze myself so I don't know if it's because of my relationship with Mike but I'm usually attracted to older men. My boyfriend of nine years is my own age. But I'm fairly certain that if I wasn't with my boyfriend Seth I'd be with someone who's at least in his 40s.
(Greeson's brother Charlie with their grandfather Terry)
What happened with your brother is truly out of the ordinary. You were on vacation with your family, he stayed home and was knifed to death as a result of an altercation with this guy Frank Furmin with whom he'd had some sort of vague dealings. Was there a sexual element involved?
There are a lot of loose ends. I don't personally now if there was a sexual relationship, but the more I became involved with making this film it just slowly began to not matter at all. It's one of those moments in your life when you realize the thing you're most curious about will never be satisfactorily answered. I think the prosecutor still believes there may have been some sort of sexual advance Frank made that Charlie perhaps rebuffed. I think my family kind of believes that a little bit. Frank certainly denies that. There was no indication in talking to him that he had had a sexual relationship with Charlie. I think he made inappropriate comments. But when he killed Charlie he was also dating a 14 year-old girl. Concurrent with his conviction for deliberate homicide he was also sentenced for sexual attack because although this 14 year-old girl was consenting her parents were not.
I understand this is a particularly poignant time to be premiering this film.
It's one of the hardest times of the year for me now because the anniversary of his death is happening in just a few days. This year has been particularly difficult because Charlie would be 30. This is the year when Charlie has been dead as many years as he was alive. I can't believe it was 15 years ago. And I have these moments when I think 'God I just wish Charlie could meet Seth.' "
This film is going to be a hard act to follow. What's next for you?
I'm working on a film about Mormon Fundamentalists right now. I'm making this from the point of view of a gay man who doesn't really care all that much about gay marriage. I think it's interesting for a gay man living in a state that allows gay marriage to go into a community that is asking to create consenting adult relationships as they see fit. About 55,000 people consider themselves Mormon Fundamentalists, but they are divided into a number of groups with vastly different beliefs.
Some of whom have been in the news a lot lately.
Oh yes. There's child brides there's some incest happening, there's sodomy happening with some of the younger men, there's people kicking young men out of the community. But the people who represent that interpretation of fundamentalist Mormonism are actually the minority of the larger community of fundamentalist Mormons. But they get the most press because they're the most visible. Nobody wants to say "I'm a Mormon fundamentalist, interview me," because it's a felony in the state of Utah. So understandably people are quite tight-lipped about it. I started this project when i happened to be watching Bill O' Reilly and he said 'If we allow gay marriages polygamists are going to be the next people asking for marriage rights.' Well they already are asking for marriage rights. I've had sister wives say to me 'You're a gay. You understand discrimination. You understand what it means to come out.' I find that fascinating.
Does the film's title refer to the state bird of Montana?
Meadowlark does, indeed, refer to the state bird of Montana. I love the sound of the word, and it also has an interesting background. The Latin name is sturnella neglecta, which means "neglected starling." It is so called because it was one of the most common birds in that region of the country, yet it was not classified until long after it had been discovered. I also love that from above, the bird is completely camouflaged in the prairie grasslands, but when he lifts his head you see his yellow breast, slashed with a deep black "V." I'm obviously not going to make another film that's exactly like Meadowlark, but because what I do is very self-revealing I will certainly have projects in the future that I'm going to be as passionate about. I've never cared that much about gay marriage. So when it happened in California Seth and I had this moment of 'Should we get married?' Because we can. (Photo's courtesy of Greeson)
Otto (Brian Pera) is depressed, and rightly so -- the death of his partner, Jody, has caused him to hole up in his house for two months, neglecting his friends, dishes, and newly unkempt beard. Still, there's something unsettling about Otto's mood: "You have no anger," says his friend Rob, who forces the emotionally flatlining Otto to embark on a road trip with him. Rob thinks it'll help Otto out, but Otto's not sure if anything can; after he wanders away from Rob at a rest stop, he finds himself caught up in a new-age commune, a place where he can rename himself and perhaps start anew.
The Way I See Things, Pera's directorial debut, is a lot like the talented writer-director-star itself: it's a good-looking thing, occasionally frustrating, and always exuding a quiet, magnetic pull. The commune Otto finds himself at is sometimes faintly ridiculous, and one wonders if Otto feels the same way, but his inscrutable face reveals nothing -- except for the occasional flash of surprise when the commune's methods actually seem to get through to him. Aside from some stumbles in point-of-view (the lone scene told from someone else's perspective involves a hunky New Ager stripping off his shirt for an extended conversation -- no doubt it'll make the poster), it's an interesting, literary debut -- no surprise, as Pera's also authored the novel Troublemaker. He's got a lot of talent, even if I (like Rob) spent most of my time waiting for him to come fully alive. - Kyle Buchanan
Hello all, Corey Scholibo, A&E Editor for The Advocate here. I have been diligently going to screenings and watching screeners trying to bring you a preview of this years festival. Here are some films that are not to be missed from what I have seen so far—though I am hoping to find a few more gems in the next couple of weeks. Check back regularly for the latest reviews, interviews and event coverage.
BI THE WAY
Brittany Blockman and Josephine Decker road trip across the country interviewing everyone from Michael Musto, to college students, to people at truck stops, hoping to find out what America thinks about bisexuality. A refreshing glimpse at an often forgetten letter of our community.
Screens:
Sunday, July 13, 12:15PM @ DGA 2
Thursday, July 17, 9:45PM @ DGA 2
BOYSTOWN
When gentrification isn't happening fast enough for real estate agent Victor, he decides to speed up the process by murdering the elderly tenants in his trendy gay neighborhood of Chueca in Madrid. This comedy is one of the best I have ever seen at Outfest and features a clever script, and terrific performances from the likes of Rosa Maria Sarda (of Almodovar fame) as a police detective who's neurosis have all but incapacitated her.
Screens:
Wednesday, July 16, 9:30PM @ Fairfax 1
CHOOSE CONNOR
Politician Lawrence Connor, played by Steven Weber, mentors aspiring
young politician Owen Norris who he meets at a middle school graduation
(for the record Weber is the commencement speaker, not just trolling
middle schools). As young Owen learns that all politics is the art of
compromising one’s dreams, he also uncovers a sordid underworld where
high powered men use and abuse teenage boys for their own pleasure. The
life lesson of trading morality for power is a little over wrought, but
screenwriter and director Luke Eberl, shows so little of his hand, and
Weber's performance is so subtly creepy that I ultimately found myself
taken in and yearning to know what happens next.
Screens:
Thursday, July 17, 9:30PM @ Fairfax 1
Saturday, July 19, 12:00PM @ Fairfax 2
DEREK
This documentary about the life and work of Derek Jarman was one of the best at Sundance and will be a welcome addition to Outfest. Tilda Swinton narrates an almost poetic portrait of Jarman's work, his spirit, and his sexuality.
Sunday, July 13, 5:00PM @ DGA 2
Friday, July 18, 7:15PM @ Fairfax 2
A JIHAD FOR LOVE
Director Parvez Sharma first screened his twenty minute work in progress about queer Muslims at Outfest six years ago. Now a feature length documentary, this film examines the relationship between homosexuality and the Muslim faith. Sharma takes the viewer inside communities all over the Middle East, and brings forth a few brave voices who share their religion, their lives and their loves with us.
Screens:
Thursday, July 17 @ DGA 1
OTTO: OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE
What can I say about this film that the words "gay zombies" can't express. From the mind of director Bruce LaBruce (Hustler White, Raspberry Reich)
comes an allegory about how today's youth feel dead inside. Expect lots
of over-the-top gore and some sexual exploits with orifices not created
by nature.
Screens: Friday, July 11, 9;30PM @ Redcat
Tuesday, July 15, 9:15PM @ DGA 2
Trinidad
Who knew that Trinidad, Colorado, with a population of 6,500, was the sex change capital of world. Well, at least I didn't. This documentary about the small town, follows several of it's transgendered residents including Dr. Marci Bowers—who is herself now one of the world's top doctors for reassignment surgery. She treats her work like an art form but has trouble relating to some of the other characters on a personal level as a group of them try to build an out patient facility in a local home they are remodeling so that patients have a place to recoup around people who have been through the surgery. Director PJ Raval does an amiable job of capturing the subtle moments of people who's whole life is lived in various states of performance and nuance.
Screens:
Friday, July 11, 9:45PM @ DGA 2
Sunday, July 13, 1:00PM @ Redcat
The World Unseen
Set in rural South Africa in the ‘50s, this story of forbidden love between two Indian women may be the lesbian stand out that films like Loving Annabelle were in past Outfests. First of all the film is gorgeous and is shot on location, with impressive production value in recreating the period—even if in this case it means farm houses and an old cafe. "Free spirited" (read '50's for lesbian) Amina wears men's pants and and big cowboy hat while she runs her cafe along side "negros" whom she allows to dance and eat in the same room as white people. She is introduced to Miriam, the traditional wife of a local store owner, who is dealing with two kids, a cheating husband, and the "place" of an Indian woman in a marriage and a family. Though the film is tame by some sexual standards, it is in keeping with the social mores of the time, and the scenes between Amina and Miriam are hot just the same. Though the film tries to tackle race in a way that it can't always handle, Apartheid is really more of a backdrop for Miriam's journey to find herself.
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