adam_world

Make the Yuletide Gay is not a great piece of art. This is not a film that will open on a ton of screens worldwide and earn millions of box office dollars. This is a small budget gay themed holiday film. If you go into it expecting anything more than a bunch of corny jokes and a formulaic plot, you'll be disappointed.

College student Gustav "Gun" Gunderson (Keith Jordan) is out and proud at school but is secretly not out to his eccentric Midwestern parents (Derek Long and Kelly Keaton). During the Christmas holidays he struggles to find the right time to finally tell his parents the truth. When his boyfriend Nathan's holiday plans fall through, Nathan (Adamo Ruggiero) surprises Gustav by showing up on the Gunderson home to spend the holidays. Comedy ensues.

This film explores familiar territory but it's a fun ride. Some of the jokes you see coming, but generally the script is quite clever. There are a few awkward transitions and the editing could have been a lot tighter. The camera particularly overplays Keaton as mom Anya Gunderson, lingering on her a few moments too long after each punch line. Often removing a few beats here and there would have made a lot of difference.

Keith Jordan does a fantastic job. Despite the fact this is a comedy and everything will probably turn out for the best, Jordan manages to make the "what if" fears seem real.

Degrassi-The Next Generation's Adamo Ruggiero seemed oddly uncomfortable in front of the camera during the early scenes. Initially I had trouble believing he and costar Jordan were in a long-term relationship. Ruggiero's acting steadily improves as the film progresses and eventually delivers a good performance, but he was obviously chosen to draw in an audience.

Make the Yuletide Gay is fun and light-hearted with a few good laughs. It won't become a mandatory Holiday viewing, but it is perfect for what it is. In other words, you get what you pay for.

I don't want to say too much about Get Happy other than to see it if you have the chance.

The initial grainy footage of a drag queen performing a Judy Garland tune had me ready to dismiss this film entirely, I just didn't expect the sheer magic that followed. What I assumed to be an adult was a 12 year old boy performing spot on impersonations of Liza Minelli, Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand and, well, you just have to see this movie.

While the story of Mark Payne is incredible, what is doubly inspiring is the way in which the adults in his life chose to embrace his eccentricities instead of trying to straighten him out. This short documentary deserved the audience award it received at the 19th Annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film and Video Festival.

I saw Weaker Species as part of Toronto's Inside Out Film Festival. It was included a programme of shorts called "Gays and Confused". From that title, and the write up for the individual shorts, I was expecting something a lot lighter. I did not know that Weak Species was based on the writings of Dennis Cooper. I was definitely not prepared for the intensity of this film, nor were the two audience members who fainted during the screening.

George, played adequately by the attractive Brendan Bradley, is an arrogant artiste at the top of the High School food change. George seduces and discards the weaker members of his school while lusting after football star Cliff (Reed Windle).

At the bottom of the food chain is the troubled and perpetually high Steve (Erik Smith). Steve tries to escape his troubles through increasing rough sex. Instead of easing his sense of isolation, it only adds to his growing sense of despair.

The film alternates between the comic absurdity of George's self-importance and the intensity of Steve's downward spiral and the jarring violence that accompanies it.

Production values were high and Erik Smith was excellent, but I could have done without the sudden dark turn. The violence effectively left most of what was actually happening to the imagination of the audience. However, the violence in the climatic scenes did not further the story and could have remained completely off screen.

Movies do not need definitive endings but there should be consequences to the characters' actions that lay in the realm of possibility. This movie lacked any real consequences to events that would have had very serious repercussions. Steve and a teacher instrumental to a character's "trajectory," seem to simply return to school the next day.

Weak Species was technically quite good and will definitely have its fans. I just didn't like it very much. This movie is not for the faint at heart, and, if that statement gives you pause, I would skip this short.

Shank tells the story of a closeted gang member Cal (Wayne Virgo) who is deeply in love with his best friend Jonno (Tom Bott). When Cal stops a senseless beating of college student Olivier (Marc Laurent), Jonno and his girlfriend Nessa (Alice Payne) seek retribution for what they perceive as Cal's betrayal. Their anger grows and tragic consequences ensue when they discover Cal's secret.

Shank is set in a world not usually explored in gay cinema and as a coming out story there is a lot to be admired here. Unfortunately certain aspects of this film never work and that should have been apparent to the film makers early on.

Virgo and Laurent are young, attractive and naked for most of the film but have no chemistry together. At times the audience roared with laughter at Laurent's soppy glances, terrible timing and absurd delivery. Despite what another reviewer has said, this did not "break the tension". These moments simply drew sharp attention to the amateurish mistakes made by the director and the problems with the script.

Marc Laurent's performance as Olivier was dreadful. He might be a passable actor in his native French, but he lacked the experience and talent to give a nuanced performance in English. He simply couldn't convey the necessary combination of vulnerability and strength that would make him desirable to Cal and the audience. I didn't believe that the street tough would go for someone like Olivier.

In contrast, the sexual tension between Cal and Jonno was electric. Tom Bott was completely believable as the sexy and dangerous Jonno. Bott's performance was flawless, subtly portraying a range of complex conflicting emotions.

Alice Payne turned in a promising performance as Nessa, and Wayne Virgo in the lead managed to hold the film together.

Near the end of the film a series of events occur that simply didn't seem plausible in the grander scope of the movie. We are asked to believe that a well-educated adult would act in a manner that contradicts common sense. His decisions are made doubly confusing with the final (contrived) revelation. There are no realistic consequences to the any of the character's actions. We are also subjected to some heavy handed imagery and a few film school clichés.

If you're into queer cinema you will likely find something to enjoy in this first effort from director Simon Pearce. However, I think most audiences, gay or straight, won't find the movie nearly as compelling as it should have been.

I saw this film at the Toronto Inside Out Festival. The festival program made the film sound fantastic, unfortunately the experience definitely wasn't.

The film starts strong with an amusing stop motion animation sequence and then... nothing. A lot of nothing for about an hour. Very little dialogue. No discernible plot. Just two actors with bad hair having bad sex with random strangers.

There are some fantastic shots and the costuming is very unique, but the film is pointlessly arty. The director even includes one of those horrible poetic sequences that angst ridden film students are so fond of.

Just when I was ready to leave the theatre, things picked up. The Eve character does something unexpected and the subsequent change of locale propels the movie forward. Suddenly the film started to make sense and things actually start to happen. If only the entire film was as good as the last 30 minutes I might feel comfortable recommending it.