THEGAYUK

Author: Roger Walker-Dack

  • FILM REVIEW | The Secret Path

    This new gay love story from a married couple of newbie filmmakers Daniel and Richard Mansfield is quite unique.★★★

    Essentially a two-hander, its the story of a pair of lovers in their late 20s who are on the run having deserted the British Navy in the early 1800s. Having come ashore near the rather lush grounds of the estate of an abandoned country house, the two men live ‘rough’ during the day whilst at night they dig up dead bodies to sell and get some funds to move on.

    In a script that is full of more holes than any net these ex-Mariners may have found at sea, we are never too sure why they do little beyond walking around in circles or just lying on the grass cuddling each other.

    They make out occasionally in a manner that one can only suggest that their clumsiness is due to being new to man-on-man sex, or that they are used to doing it on rough seas which gave them a natural rhythm. What is for sure is that the whole place is haunted, and in this supernatural thriller where Theo alone keeps seeing dead people, we know that it cannot possible end well for him or for his lover Frank.

    It’s a bold move making a gay period drama, especially on a micro-budget, and these two Brit filmmakers should be applauded for their valiant effort. The combination of the jerky hand-held cameras and an ominously eerie soundtrack go a long way to making this wee movie more watchable. The two very likeable actors, Darren Bransford & Henry Regan, do well with their parts but they, like the script could have so benefited with both more substance and better direction. The whole thin plot was far too stretched out and made one’s attention wander a little too often in the middle section in particular.

    This new movie is due to be premiered at the GayWise Festival in London in November but before that will be available on VOD/DVD at Amazon.

  • FILM REVIEW | You And The Night

    The opening sequence of French writer/director Yann Gonzalez debut feature starts with confusion that never really eases up through this avant-garde art-house film. ★

    CREDIT: Les Rencontres D’Après Minuit
    CREDIT: Les Rencontres D’Après Minuit

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  • BUTT IS IT ART? Tree is Erected In Paris

    Diana Vreeland the ‘Anna Wintour’ of the 1940’s –1960’s once very archly declared ‘the best thing about London is Paris!’.

    Art lovers would definitely agree with her this week as the French Capital hosts the 40th Edition of The International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC) which after Art Basel is THE leading exhibition in the World. Based in the Palais Grand and in venues all over the city and for several days it becomes the meeting place between artists, collectors, gallerists, curators, museum directors and stars from the world of international contemporary art.

    We know that Ms Vreeland would thoroughly approve of such a stylish gathering, but we are a little unsure of what she would have thought of American artist Paul McCarthy’s piece called ‘ Tree’ an 80ft inflatable sculpture ‘erected’ in the heart of the Place de Vendome.

    It kind of reminds us of something BUTT we are not quite sure what!

  • FILM REVIEW | Love Or Whatever

    Like most Therapists who spend their working day advising people how to get their act together, Corey was not that hot at getting his own life on the right track. When he finally proposed to his muscle-bound airhead personal trainer boyfriend, Jon just freaked out and ran off into the arms (and bed) of the nearest woman. He had finally come of out of his gay closet to discover that he was bisexual, or maybe straight even. ★★★

    Corey crying his eyes poured out his woes to his best friend who was his lesbian sister Kelsey, who insisted that there was only one way forward for him viz. Grindr. And soon as she had taught her brother how to use this Gay dating app. the first man he spotted was the Pizza delivery guy. Pete is hotter than hell: handsome, intelligent, articulate and is running the pizza store whilst caring for his sick Uncle the owner. He’s a saint and too perfect to be true, but this is the movies after all.

    The two men have a very successful date and geeky Corey now has another muscle-bound super-fit boyfriend, but before they can even think about even living happily ever after, they must get through a couple of melodramas first. It turns out that Melissa, the woman who the newly proclaimed bisexual Jon is dating, is also a client of Corey’s and she insists on telling him every intimate detail of her new relationship not knowing that he was her predecessor. Eventually he tells her that his appointment book is full and she should go find another therapist.

    Meanwhile Jon decides he really prefers Corey after all so he comes back and they immediately jump in to bed only to be caught in flagrento by saint Pete. Before they can even get their underwear back on, in storms Melissa who had given Jon a lift and had been waiting in the car outside. And just before they can all say scream ‘How could you ? etc’, then into this now rather packed house comes Kelsey to say that she is broke and her coffee shop business is in Foreclosure and she’s leaving town.

    It’s a romantic comedy so you know that in this very lightweight fluffy piece it will work out in the end so everyone will have big smiles on the faces and a hot body to share their beds. Well most of them anyway. This one is cute, thanks mainly to a good cast, and not just the ex-underwear models who play two of the leads.

    As fun as it is you and perfect for a date night, you may still cynical just opt for the ‘whatever’ rather than ‘love’!

    Available to by from Amazon

  • FILM REVIEW | The Way He Looks

    FILM REVIEW | The Way He Looks

    The lazy summer is over and Leo and his best friend Giovana are back in High School for the new term when curly headed new boy Gabriel joins the class for the first time.★★★★★

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  • FILM REVIEW | The Fault In Our Stars

    16 year old Hazel Graze is permanently attached to an oxygen tank that now keeps her alive after her most recent bouts of cancer. If knowing that her days on earth are severely limited isn’t bad enough, she has to cope with her well-meaning parents and their enforced sunny dispositions to just get through each day. It’s no wonder that this sweet teenager is so depressed as she is dragged from counsellor to group therapy because the adults in her life tell her this is what she needs.

    It isn’t of course, but as stoic and brave as she is, Hazel is not sure that anything beyond her favourite post-modern novel (about cancer), will ever remotely make her happy. That is until one day in the Youth Cancer Group she meets Augustus. A clever tall and handsome 18-year old whose potential career as a baseball player was cut short when cancer took his right leg. He’s a carefree optimistic soul with a very quick acerbic wit who takes an instant shine to Hazel and pursues with an energy and enthusiasm that totally throws her.

    He takes her out on a few very chaste dates, reads the novel that she is addicted too and starts courting her with long late night phone conversations and they gradually morph into a couple in love. A few weeks into this budding relationship Augustus springs a surprise. He’s fixed it with the ‘Make a Wish Foundation’ for the two of them to take a trip to Amsterdam where Hazel can meet Van Houten the author of the book she will not put down. The elusive writer never produced the sequel he promised and Hazel has always been desperate to know what happened next in this unfinished story.

    Meanwhile, before she can go she has another close call with death when she suddenly gets very sick again. It turns out that she will recover to fight another day only to realise that Augustus’s cancer has reappeared and this time there is going to be nothing to stop it being terminal, and soon.

    If that is not enough grief, Van Houten is a major disappointment and breaks her heart too, and just to ensure that we use up at least two boxes of Kleenex watching this high-octane tearjerker, when the young couple are in Amsterdam they visit the Anne Franck house, giving us another reason to sob out loud.

    However what makes this melodrama work and keep our sympathy remaining high throughout is a beautifully understated and mature performance by Shailene Woodley who so carefully avoids any temptation to milk the part and make Hazel a tragic figure. She imbues her with such a serenity and a dignity, makes her warm and funny and never once makes this poor dying teenager a pathetic figure. She is a sheer joy to watch. Ansel Elgot has a slightly easy task as Augustus and he does it exceedingly well demonstrating such great chemistry with his co-star.

    Based on the best-selling novel by John Green who used his past experiences as a chaplain in a children’s hospital for the groundwork of his story. Adapted for the screen by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, who previously wrote ‘The Spectacular Now’ together, and it is director Josh Boone’s sophomore feature.

    Highly recommended.

  • FILM REVIEW | Gone Girl

    ★★★★★ | Gone Girl
    When the movie opens on a quiet July morning in a small Missouri town there is no visible indication we are looking at a man who has fallen on hard times.

    It turns out that Nick Frost has been virtually unemployed since being laid off from his job on a magazine in NY and is now penniless. He and his wife live in a large ugly suburban house that they lease using the remains of her depleted trust fund, and this morning on his 5th wedding anniversary he is feeling sorry for himself and sipping a shot of Bourbon in the small empty bar he owns with his sister. As he sounds off about the stale state of his marriage the telephone rings. It’s his neighbour telling him that the front door of his house is wide open.

    That’s not the only thing he discovers when goes back home, as the house is totally deserted and furniture is turned over and broken as if there has been a struggle of sorts. When the police check it out they find signs of blood and enough clues to be concerned for Amy’s safety and decide to mount a Press Conference the next day to appeal for help. Nick is joined for this by Amy’s psychiatrist parents who are famous authors having once made a fortune on a series of books called Amazing Amy that ruthlessly exploited their daughter’s childhood.

    Initially, there is an overwhelming abundance of sympathy and support for Nick from both the police and local community but as Detective Rhonda Boney keeps uncovering further clues that indicate that Nick may be responsible for his wife’s disappearance, the mood rapidly changes. Egged on by local TV pundits who have already declared that Nick is guilty of killing his wife, everybody turns against him. When his young mistress goes public about their affair it seems like now that a motive has been established, they can be no further doubt about his guilt.

    Things are far from what they seem in this latest movie from the master of suspense director David Fincher who excels at complicated thrillers such as this. By using a series of flashbacks he has shown that this once fairytale romance is now on the rocks, but even so, it’s impossible to comprehend the depths that Amy will go to resolve it in a manner that will try and exact such diabolical revenge on her unfaithful husband.

    It is one of those movies that is best enjoyed knowing little beyond these bare bones of the plot because what follows is so astonishing it will certainly stupefy you. Just when you think you have it all worked out, the story will twist another 360 degrees to confound you yet once again. It is however unquestionably one of the BEST movies of 2014.

    Ben Affleck is superb as put-upon Nick who you may dislike for wanting his own way, but even he doesn’t deserve the punishment Amy wants to exact on him. The movie, however, belongs to the British actress Rosamund Pike who, in an Oscar-worthy performance, is nothing less than outstanding as Amy. It’s an amazing revelation to see her being so brilliantly devious, manipulative, demented and stunningly seductive when she wants her own way. She is such a sheer joy to watch (apart from all the bloody bits naturally).

    Lest I should forget, there are also some great supporting turns that deserve mention too. Kim Dickens (TV’s Sons of Anarchy) as the Detective, Carrie Coon (TV’s The Leftovers) as Nick’s sister Margo, Neil Patrick Harris as Amy’s stalker boyfriend, and Tyler Perry for once playing it straight as Nick’s hot shot lawyer.

    The script, the first ever written by Gillian Flynn, and adapted from her own novel gave Fincher a great canvass to work with, but it is his superb attention to the most minute detail that makes it such the spectacular roller-coaster ride that it is.

  • FILM REVIEW | This Is Where I Leave You

    ★★ | This Is Where I Leave You

    The ‘leaving’ in the title of this rather frenetic comedy refers to death and divorce and a few other departures in between. Everybody in the Altman family has both issues and secrets and the set up for us (and them) to discover them all is when the patriarch dies and his widow (their mother) insists that they must all sit the traditional Jewish Shiva even though none of them has been inside a synagogue for decades.

    Shiva means sitting there together for 7 days without exception or excuse and talking about life and death, and this family have a lot of it on their minds. Four days prior Judd just discovered his wife in bed with his boss and had walked out on both his marriage and his job. Judd’s eldest brother Paul has been trying to get his wife Annie pregnant for some time now and maybe firing blanks, so she looks for an alternative ‘donor’ in her ex-boyfriend, who just happens to be Judd. The youngest brother Phillip who is still just a big kid at heart shows up with his older cougar girlfriend/future fiancé who he met when she was his therapist. The 4th sibling is Wendy, the mother of two, and whose workaholic husband has a cell phone attached to his ear permanently, whilst she is still carrying a torch over Harry the man next door who was her childhood sweetheart and who she dumped after a serious car accident which left him with brain damaged.

    The only one who seems prepared to talk openly and frankly is the mother who proudly flaunts her new breast implants and incessantly hawks the best-selling book that she wrote some years ago based on all her children’s secrets. Naturally, it turns out that she has a big secret too, but this, the most surprising one is not revealed until almost the end.

    It’s all a little too much with an over-abundance of clichéd plot strands that are at best mildly amusing but in reality, give the overall feeling of an ill-conceived TV situation comedy that is too eager to please. Its one big saving grace is the stunning array of talented actors that make up the cast and do the very best with the script that they have been served up. Jason Bateman as Judd stoically takes most of the heavy load as the main character, and Adam Driver, Corey Stoll and the wonderful Tina Fey play his siblings. Timothy Oliphant is the man next door, Dax Shepherd bares all as the cheating Boss, Kathryn Hann is the motherless sister in law and Connie Britton as the put-upon cougar girlfriend. Mother is played by the great (and elegant looking) Jane Fonda but there are moments when you are convinced that she has just phoned her performance in.

    It’s one of those movies you will be happy to watch on a wet Winter evening when there is nothing else that grabs you on the TV, as its really not bad. It’s just that it could/should have been so much better

    Opens on the 24th October 2014

  • FILM REVIEW | The Two Faces Of January

    ★★★★ | The Two Faces Of January

    After an overly long gestation period, this lesser-known psychological thriller from novelist Patricia Highsmith finally makes it to the big screen.

    The year is 1962 and the story opens on the sunny steps of the Acropolis where two American tourists, Chester McFarland and his much younger bride Collette, are having fun enjoying the splendor of the Ruins, whilst nearby Rydal a handsome charismatic Tour Guide has a small group of young wealthy debutantes eating out of his hands. At Collette’s insistence, Chester hires the guide to take them sightseeing although he quickly realises that the young man is not all he claims to be.

    It turns out that neither is Chester, and the past that he is running from is far more complicated and filled with danger. That night a Private Investigator turns up at Chester’s hotel room and threatens to expose him unless he repays the money he swindled from some Clients in a Ponzi-type scheme. After a struggle in which he kills the man, Chester realises that he will need to quickly flee Athens before the murder is discovered. So he turns to Rydal sensing that the young man will know someone who can get them new passports to replace the ones that the Hotel had taken off them when they checked in.

    As they all need to hide out until the new passports can be forged, Rydal suggests that they take the night ferry to the distant island of Crete. However when they arrive there the Hotel will not give them rooms without proper identity, so they catch a decrepit local bus into the remote heart of the island hoping that a more basic village inn would take them in regardless. As the journey gets more difficult and fraught the trio seem less elegant and assured particularly as there are strong undercurrents of mistrust developing between them, especially the two men. Rydal seems fixated with Chester who he thinks off as a substitute figure for his father whom is estranged from, whilst on the other hand, Chester suspects that the young man wants to steal Colette away from him.

    Suspicion leads to treachery and the pace gets more frenetic as they try to keep one eye on each other whilst keeping the other eye looking out for the authorities in hot pursuit as they start catching up on them. It’s very clear that it’s not going to end well for any of them.

    It’s hardly a Hitchcock masterpiece like his adaptation of Highsmith’s Strangers on A Train, nor is it Minghella’s take on the novelist’s Talented Mr Ripley but Oscar-nominated screenwriter Hossein Amini in his directing debut does an admirable job keeping the tension level high in this gripping thriller. The moody cinematography is particular is superb adding a very dramatic visual look to this period piece. Whilst the lead actors Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst may not have a great deal of chemistry as a couple, they put in really fine performances as the troubled McFarlands that one expects from these two talented actors The real joy, however, is Oscar Isaac who was completely mesmerizing as Rydal, and this following hotly on from his riveting turn in Inside Lllewyn Davies clearly shows that he is destined to be a major star.

  • TOP 10: Favourite Gay Web Series

    The rapid growth of high quality and extremely well produced WEB SERIES has made us sit up and take serious notice. Covering all aspects of our community, there is literally something for everyone. Here are another favourite Top 10 that we’re currently hooked on. So ditch that TV remote and turn your Laptop on to see the programmes that we really deserve and want.

    1) THE OUTS: We were quickly addicted to this series written/directed and starring ADAM GOLDMAN as one half of a Brooklyn couple who are both trying to discover if there is life and love for them after they break up. Funny and tender and extremely perceptive: you will be hooked after the 1st episode

    2) HUSBANDS: Two unlikely LA gay celebrities get married. One is an out and proud rather fey TV host and the other a hunk who may be the LA Dodgers first Out baseball star. This wonderfully rich and insightful comedy has already had over 3 million viewers on YOU TUBE, and you will soon discover why it is such a smash hit.

    3) THE 3 BITS: This is another Brooklyn based show but this time it’s about three siblings: one gay, one lesbian and one straight. Each have their own story to tell. It calls itself a queer show about sex, love, booze, drugs, friendship, family and amazing acts of stupidity. But mostly sex. Immensely enjoyable.

    4) THE BOYS WHO BRUNCH: This smart sexy urban series has been hailed as ‘Sex In The City’ meets ‘Queer As Folk’. In an attempt to shake up the monotony of his life in New York City, Mason introduces his 3 best friends to each other and creates a social-circle of his own. He then proposes a weekly brunch dare, something they’ll have the 6 days of the week to do before the next brunch.

    5) THE BATTERY’S DOWN: Shortly after Jake Wilson graduated from the University of Michigan the budding director, choreographer and actor then tried to follow his dream and make it big on Broadway. This web series is based on his life as a struggling New York actor. Great musical numbers and camp drama plus each week he seems to snare a big star for a cameo role including Miss Alison Janney, Cheyenne Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg to name but a few.

    6) TWO JASPERJOHNS: The most bizarre of all the series on our list, this oddball comedy is the tale of nine semi-sane brothers from Ohio living in New York whose last names are Jasperjohns and two of them live together. We cannot get enough of it.

    7) TOUGH LOVE: A fresh edgy unpolished series about what it means to be young, broke, queer and trying to make it in New York City.

    8) LITTLE HORRIBLES: Is a darkly comedic web series following the poor decisions of a self-indulgent lesbian trying to navigate her thirties being single in L.A. Created by Amy York Rubin who wants us to laughs in the face of those painfully uncomfortable moments that no one wants to remember, but everyone does.

    9) WHERE THE BEARS ARE: Follows the exploits of 3 bear roommates sharing a house in the hills of Silverlake. It is a hilariously fun comic crime caper that is best described as “The Golden Girls” meets “Murder She Wrote” with big, hairy, gay men.

    10) BULK: An excellent series featuring bears this time in NY, with it’s gritty, raw and sexy drama.

    It seems like we discover a new series almost every week, so we will keep reviewing the ones that we think you should know about. If we have missed your favourite, please let us know.

  • INTERVIEW | Dina Martina, “There was a time when I enjoyed gentlemen callers, but that time is done and we all die alone”

    The incomparable and hysterically funny Dina Martina has described herself as a tragic singer, horrible dancer and surreal raconteur. Trust me she is all of those and more, but ever since she first exposed her bizarre performances to a startled world back in Seattle’s Center on Contemporary Art in 1989 she has accumulated legions of devoted fans who have dubbed her “magically warped”, “hilariously unfortunate” and “utter genius”. She is in her own words totally ‘off the charts’.

    Absolutely packed with ludicrous song, horrifying stories and overburdened costumes, Dina Martina’s shows are impossible to adequately describe, other than that they’ve become synonymous with jaw-dropping pathos and mind-blowing comedy. On her first trip to London ‘Time Out’ hailed her as ‘divinely funny’ and audiences have demanded she come back to the UK every year since. This unique and unpredictable performer is very much an acquired taste, but it’s one that we at THEGAYUK love to indulge in, so we were thrilled (and a tad apprehensive) when the great lady agreed to take tea with us as the summer drew to a close.

    Thank you for taking Tea with me this afternoon Miss Martina, could you describe exactly where we are and what you are wearing for our readers?
    Thank you. We’re in my suite at the Hampton Inn La Guardia and because this is a print interview, I am wearing jeans and a camisole. The camisole is from Victoria’s Big & Tall Secret.

    How did you spend your summer this year?
    I spent my summer performing in Ptown (Provincetown, Massachusetts), which is so full of tradition and heritages. It’s the first place the Pilgrims stopped in the US, but they moved on to Plymouth ’cause nobody goes there so parking’s real easy. Ptown is also the nest egg of American Theatre, so it’s crawling with celebrities. On any given day, you could be eating sandwiches with Joan Collins or disco dancing with Fatty Arbuckle and the Pointer Sisters.

    You are back in Provincetown for your 10th season, what keeps bringing you back?
    First off, two words: saltwater taffy and award-winning fudge! Second off, it’s such a charming little finger of land, it’ll steal your heart and your soul. A lot of the locals say Ptown’s best-kept secret is the great white sharks, but I think it’s the ticks. Oh, and the biting flies are always a perineum favourite.

    You are quite unlike any other entertainer we have ever seen, how would you describe your own performances?
    My mother told me if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all – so I don’t. But what I will say is that if you come to my show, you may or may not see the following: white carriages under the stars, live violin dubstep routines, shivering girls in short skirts and high heels, one of those old, beat-up school buses with chickens on it, and an elevator that only goes down.

    Many poor scribes (like me) fail to do you justice, what is your favourite review?
    I can’t pinpoint a specific review, but there are press quotes that stand out: “As graceful as a Coke machine moving about on a hand truck”, “She looks like Liza Minnelli and Liz Taylor hit with a brick” and “Dina comes from an alternate reality where female superstars resemble walrus prostitutes”.

    After the show the other night many of the ladies and young men were talking about your unique fashion sense, do you have any tips that you could pass on?
    For myself, I enjoy a snug fit to better showcase my ballpark figure. I find that if it fits like sausage casing, you feel more alive. Vive la tourniquet!

    When you go home at night is there anyone else there to keep you company besides Phoebe your daughter?
    One night, a few years back, there was a woman who was standing in the corner of my bedroom, but she left through the window when I turned my lamp on. Other than that, I’m just in love with Show Business. Of course, there was a time when I enjoyed gentlemen callers, but that time is done and we all die alone.

    Why is it that of all the awards you have won, your movies that are part of your show have never ever been nominated for an Oscar?
    I’m guessing it’s just a clerical error, but I can’t say for sure. Thank you for mentioning it, though.

    As you write all your own songs (or ‘alter’ others) do you have a new album out?
    Yes, I have a new just-released, soon-to-be-finished album titled Dina Martina: Haunted by Maritime Tragedies. I’m so proud of “Maritime Trads” because it’s got a real pan-Asian vibe; more so than my 3 previous albums (Dina Martina: Street of Dreams/Blunt Force Trauma, Dina Martina: Anthem of a Fur Trader’s Wife, and the Christian rock album, Dina Martina Deuterockin’ Me).

    You’ve appeared at Soho Theatre in London 3 times now, if your British fans nominated you to be the next Queen, would you stay and accept?
    Those are some mighty sensible shoes to fill. I think I’d rather start small, like Court Jester, and work my way up. There’s less dissension in the ranks when you’re promoted from within.

    Will you come back across the pond and see us again soon?
    Nothing would pleasure me more.

    N.B. those Press Quotes are 100% real…..

    www.dinamartina.com