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plumbweiss
Reviews
Jeffrey (1995)
Frivolous Candy Floss
I saw the trailer for this film on another DVD and ordered it on the strength of that. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed throughout, save for the enjoyable camping by Patrick Stewart and an all-too-brief appearance by the always deft Nathan Lane.
I think the film is best enjoyed by a female audience, the whole thing plays to camp stereotypes and I think many gay guys will find it insulting. (At least if they're sober..) Certainly Patrick Stewart seems to be enjoying the role, in his pink beret and flouncing neckerchiefs, but generally I'm left thinking it's the woeful product of a straight person's impression of the gay world. Its self-indulgent, self-conscious, smug and embarrassing. Sorry.
Defying Gravity (1997)
Lovely
I first saw this film on DVD I borrowed from a friend, I enjoyed it so much I had to buy it myself the very next day.
Essentially a love-story with twists and turns, it's set in a Frat-house.(so I believe its called....I'm British and we don't have those..) A sort of student household I suppose we'd call it.
The main lead is Griff, he's got a secret boyfriend, the other guys in the house don't realise he's gay, and then something happens which threatens his little secret...
I admit I shed a few tears during the film especially towards the conclusion, it's quite moving for a romantic like me. Griff, played by dishy Daniel Chilson, and his sweet co-star Pete (Don Handfield) are very easy on the eye and make a nice couple. Some of the Frat Brothers' acting skills lean towards the naive, even clunky, but it all adds to the charm in the end.
My DVD copy is PAL and appears to be digitally converted from an NTSC film scan, this gives slightly disappointing quality in the same vein as a UK 'Friends' disc, eg slightly blurred movement and soft focus.
The Fruit Machine (1988)
The Fruit Machine, A Ride back to the 80's
Filmed in 1988, this film will be a trip down memory lane for those guys who 'came out' in the 1980's, a time when gay clubs played stock-aitken-waterman, were all neon and mirror-balls and a knock-to-enter door policy.
It's a sort of road-movie, as two gay best friends end up on the run after witnessing a murder at their local liverpool gay club, one of them spends his time with his head in the clouds, the other has to secretly hustle men (and women) to earn them money to survive.
If you're a romantic, the film will hit the spot, the two leads are played with a charming naiveté and the villains are pure evil camp. Good music, Robbie Coltrane in a frock, good acting, atmosphere and direction. My only gripe is that my VHS copy combined with what appears to be 16mm cine gives a rather grainy picture.
Jackson: My Life... Your Fault (1996)
Great though Puzzling
Best considered art house, the film is well acted, purposely over-acted in parts, symbolic and impressionistic. Shot beautifully in London, each scene is composed thoughtfully, utilising excellent incidental music. The lead guy (a cute Ben Soames) is very nice on the eye and plays with subtlety and feeling. In fact they're all well into the parts and understand the characters. Editing and direction are faultless though some people may misconstrue the unorthodox way the piece is constructed.
The film charts the strange lifestyle of Jackson, a young gay guy who's fed up with one night stands. Always on the lookout for Mr Right, he thinks he's found him in Hardy, a closeted policeman, when they meet at a glamorous nightclub. But Hardy hasn't banked on Jackson's possessive and neurotic millionairess Mother...
Baby (2000)
Synopsis
Beautifully shot, this short film is set in flashback: Our main character Joe is a pretty youth in his late teens who is lying on his bed in his boxers pleasuring himself. The film constantly cuts back to his day out at the swimming pool whose images and sounds provide the stimulus for his bedroom activity. The production is superb in every way, attention to each shot is evident and even the sounds of the echoing pool and glug of the water are brilliantly recorded. It's also a study of confused or ambiguous teenage sexuality: Joe is turned on alternately by his memory of a fit young male springboard diver, a young lady swimmer, guys showering off and the armpit of an Asian female newsagent!