THEGAYUK

Author: Roger Walker-Dack

  • FILM REVIEW | Broken Gardenias

    ★ | Broken Gardenias

    Jenni is a misfit and a nerd. She is so clumsy that she breaks most of the plant pots at the nursery where she works and that really annoys her boss.

    Her self-absorbed roommates all but one ignore her, and she is totally friendless. It gets even worse after she is hospitalised and loses both her job and her home. Clutching one cardboard box of her worldly possessions she makes tracks to the nearest park and sets about hanging herself from a tree.

    Even this does not go to plan as she is cut down and rescued by Sam (short for Samantha) a feisty lesbian with a buzz cut and ripped jeans and a great big grin. ‘This’ she tells a downcast Jenni ‘is the face of a nice person’. Something she feels the need to point out after listening to the miserable girl pour out her tale of woe as it seems likely that she has never encountered a nice person ever before in her life.

    Part of the story is Jenni’s father who she hasn’t seen since she was brought to the city and dumped there when she was very little. He is still in Los Angeles. Maybe. Jenni is very sketchy about details, but that doesn’t deter Sam who declares that they will set off for LA in search of him immediately. Even the fact they do not have a car, or even the faintest idea where in the vast city he will be is considered irrelevant by the overly optimistic Sam.

    Their road trip is littered with characters that Sam just shrugs off, but which wind up Jenni even more. When they arrive in the city and the search for the father starts, Sam has a detour when she runs into an old fling who invites her… and Jenni… to a wild party. Whilst Sam goes off to make out with her ex, wide-eyed Jenni ends up tripping on a psychedelic cupcake and getting into some bedroom action that she didn’t didn’t count on. She freaks out and then as she has angered the owner of the house as well, runs off into the city and is really on her own now. The question is will she survive, and will she find her father? Even more important will we have lost interest just like Sam does?

    Broken Gardenias is billed as a dark comedy and is the work of first-time director Kai Alexander whose bio states that he spent his childhood with his parents who were part of a travelling circus which may account for the bizarre roster of characters the two women encounter. The script is by newbie writer Alma S. Grey who also plays Jenni.

    The sole bright spot of this film is the performance of Ashley Morocco as the bubbly Sam as asides from this the movie just simply fails to really engage, and for a comedy, it is painfully unfunny.

  • FILM REVIEW | Glassland

    When John is not goofing off with his best friend Shane, he is driving his taxi around some of the seedier downtrodden neighbourhoods on the fringes of Dublin looking for fares. ★★★★

    Pickings are slim and he pleads with his boss to give him more shifts to make ends meet. He needs the money to support himself and Jean his alcoholic mother who seems determined to drink herself to an early grave.

    On the rare times she is sober she is vivacious and funny, but when she is wasted, Jean changes into a mean and nasty drunk. So much so that John videos one of her drink-fuelled tirades to play it back to show her what she turns into. Coming home to find her passed out is a regular occurrence, but on this occasion when he discovers her lying lifeless in a pool of her vomit he rushes her to the hospital ER. The doctor breaks the news that Jean desperate needs a new kidney, but if she doesn’t get her drinking in check immediately, she probably won’t last long enough to even have a transplant.

    If that is not enough for John to deal with, he also has to take sole responsibility for his younger sibling Kit who has Down’s syndrome, as Jean refuses to even acknowledge his very existence, let alone attend his 18th birthday. He does however finally manage to get Jean to an AA meeting but he discovers what she really needs is a proper detox programme that will cost £8000. No amount of driving hookers around looking for their ‘johns’ in his cab will raise an amount as large as this, so he is forced to borrow it from an unlikely source.

    He is actually handed the money by a person on a horse who passes him a tin full of money. We find later that the price he will have to pay for this is something to do with the activities of the criminal clique who lent it to him, but what this actually is as clear as mud and is open to wild guesswork. There is a clue in the naked dead woman he discovers in the bath in a deserted country house he has been sent too, but we are never sure why.

    Saying that this powerful Irish kitchen-sink drama is completely gripping from the word go. It has an impressive performance from Irish actor Jack Reynor as John that got him a Best Acting Award at Sundance earlier this year. Playing his mother quite superbly is Toni Collete who is pitch perfect as a deeply unhappy woman who seems almost happy to drink herself into oblivion. A nod to Harry Nagle a young actor for his bravado ad Kit.

    Confusing but quite compelling.

  • Steve Grand Has Really Got Something Worth Baring All For

    Gay singer-songwriter Steve Grand who became a star overnight last year when his first video went viral, stopped by vlogger Davey Wavey’s house to do some real musical promotion for his new album.

    So far a lot of the promotion that he receives is not for his music, but for his looks, so he wanted this to be different. It was until Davey literally got his hands on him.

     

     

     

  • FILM REVIEW: Elsa And Fred

    FILM REVIEW: Elsa And Fred

    ★★★★ ELSA AND FRED | Newly widowed Fred has been coerced by his control freak of a daughter to sell his large house and move into an apartment in New Orleans.

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  • FILM REVIEW | The Last Five Years

    ★★★★| The Last Five Years

    The Last Five Years is a rare breed. It is an (off) Broadway Hit Musical that has been very successfully adapted as a movie and avoided the disastrous transition from stage to screen that usually ruins most of Broadway’s exports.

    The simple story explores a five-year relationship between Cathy, a struggling actress, and her boyfriend Jamie who is a new novelist destined for big things. The show bravely tells Cathy’s story starting at the end of their marriage and working backwards, whereas Jamie’s is told in chronological order.

    With very little dialogue this two-hander is a series of songs with the couple singing to each other about their romance as it takes off and then falls apart, and in fact there is only one number in the middle of the movie when they sing a duet. So Cathy starts with her sad lament Jamie it’s Over’whereas Jamie’s exuberant first song Shiksa Goddess is about when they first meet and he totally falls in love with her and declares she can be anything, but preferably not Jewish as his Orthodox family had pressured him for years.

    As the title gives away the young couple meet, fall in love, marry and then part all in five years. Cathy gets stuck midway doing Summer Stock Theater in Ohio (!) whilst Jamie’s literary success makes him the toast of Manhattan. Evidently so closer based on composer Tony Award Winner James Robert Brown’s own life that he had to change one of the original songs after his actress ex-wife threatened legal action.

    It is completely enchanting and although sometimes the songs are a tad more passionate than the actual relationship, the infectious score and the very witty lyrics make this movie such a sheer delight. Credit too for a rather wonderful performance from rising star Anna Kendrick who showed in Into The Woods recently that she can sing as well as she can act. She is teamed with handsome Jeremy Jordan (from TV’s Smash) who is obviously a seasoned musical performer.

    The original stage show was first produced in Chicago in 2002 before setting in off-Broadway and picking up a few Awards. It has aged well with time, and this movie adaption from director Richard LaGravanse (‘PS I Love You’) will appeal to people beyond the usual musical aficionados.

  • Hallmark Reaches Out To Trans Community With Touching Tribute From Alex

    Kudos to one of the world’s leading greeting card makers HALLMARK for the latest instalment of their social media campaign ‘Put Your Heart To Paper’ which they have produced for Mother’s Day.

    The video features Alex, who identifies as transgender, recounting his touching relationship with his mum, Pam, whom he describes as: “the strongest, most wonderful person I know.”

    “I’ve never felt home in my body, and even though I was born a girl, I’ve always felt like I was a boy,” Alex says. Looking back on his experience coming out as transgender to his mother, he adds: “I was afraid to tell her because I thought love would have conditions.”

    Fortunately for Alex, he needn’t have worried. “The unconditional love that she’s shown has made me a better person in all of my relationships,” he says. “I am who I am because of who she is and who she’s been to me.”

    The clip ends with mother and son sharing a warm, misty-eyed embrace.

  • The Life Of A Gay Man’s Dog

    Kyle’s dog Luna thinks she gets a raw deal when it comes to dating as Kyle seems more obsessed with getting himself a boyfriend, but Luna has her needs too.

    She is adorable and so is Kyle Krieger, the man who Instinct Magazine once labelled ‘The World’s Hottest Hairdresser’ and once you watch their video you will want to make more effort ensuring that the four-legged member of your family also gets a chance to look for true love.

    P.S. See if you can spot any of the celebs who are the voices of all the dogs. They include actress Rumer Willis, actor Skylar Astin, YouTube Activist Tyler Oakley, singer Lance Bass, drag queen Courtney Act, Tv’s Fashion Police Brad Goreski, actor Darren Criss, and Footballer Robbie Rogers

    by @RogerWalkerDack

  • The Final Hurdle For Same-Sex Marriage In The USA

    Whilst we are somewhat fixated with the forthcoming General Election here, over in the USA the focus is on something that for the gay community is of even more significance.

    Today the US Supreme Court will hear two-and-a-half hours of arguments about two questions that will finally determine the status of same-sex marriage for every single State. Currently, it is legal in 36 States.

    It may seem complicated to us Brits but really the matter is quite simple and straightforward. What the Justices will be considering are this:-

    1. Does the US Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment require States to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?

    2. Does the US Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment require States to recognise the marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed elsewhere?

    The procedure that follows is documented and must be strictly adhered too. Mary Bonauto from Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders will lead off the arguments in favour of marriage equality for 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes from Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. Then, John Bursch, Michigan’s former solicitor general, will argue in defense of marriage bans for 45 minutes. Bonauto will then give a brief rebuttal.

    Doug Hallward-Driemeier a former Assistant Solicitor General will lead off about 30 minutes of arguments on the recognition question, and Joseph Whalen from the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office will defend the recognition bans for 30 minutes. Finally, Hallward-Driemeier will give a brief rebuttal.

    More than 150 briefs have been filed with the Justices, including the ones from the parties to the case, State Officials from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, or Tennessee and people challenging marriage or marriage recognition bans in each of those states. But most of the briefs are amicus curiae, or friend of the court, briefs, arguments made by people and groups not directly involved in the case but have an interest in the outcome and believe they have information of value or a viewpoint of interest to the court on the issues. There were 78 amicus briefs filed in support of the same-sex couples, including one filed by the Obama administration. And 67 amicus briefs were filed in support of the states, including one by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

    A Ruling from the Justices is expected in June. With most of the recent Court Cases favouring same-sex marriage, and with the latest opinion polls showing an impressive 61% of all Americans in favour, most LGBT Agencies are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the final outcome.

  • FILM REVIEW: From Beginning To End

    There is good taste, and then there is incest.

    It’s surprising that we can sit and watch a lot of suspect and even deviant behaviour amongst (consenting) adults on the silver screen, but this is one topic that we feel is just a tad too icky even for us. Especially when it comes in the form of a melodramatic Brazilian telenova that is short on both substance as well as clothing, and is to all intents and purpose nothing more than a pretty piece of soft porn.

    It starts with two young half brothers, one 6 years old and the other 12, who are a little too close to each other for our comfort zone, and for their mother too who suspects there may be more here than what meets the eye. Flash-forward to the boys as grown men, one of the fathers dies, then the mother passes away too, and the boys seek solace in each other. Well that’s their excuse as they have barely stopped lusting after each other since they were kids.

    We are convinced that it’s not just lust, but real love, which is put to the test when the younger brother who is a potential Olympic swimming champion is told by his coach that he must move abroad to train. To Russia no less. Oh come on coach, you mean to tell us there are no decent swimming pools closer to Brazil?

    Love conquers all though and even a very pretty girl cannot steal the old brother away from his one true love, and this all plays out to a rather deafening over-laden heavy strings soundtrack. And we guess they will happily ever after? Who knows? More importantly, who cares?

    Why see it at all? Well the boys/men are rather stunning beefcakes that even with this limited script prove that they can actually act, and also writhe around naked together looking very sexy but without doing the act (it’s soft porn after all). It was a big box office hit in Brazil when it was released in 2009, and it has now surfaced on Amazon where you can waste £4.49 and more importantly 90 minutes of your time.

     

  • No One Loves A Fairy When She Is 40 Plus

    For the past week gay social media sites have been buzzing about the rather shocking discriminatory policy of IMPULSE SOUTH FLORIDA, a community outreach group dedicated to spreading HIV awareness and education.

    They recently threw a massive pool party in Miami to help promote the recently renovated Vagabond Hotel, a local landmark. They made men over 40 years of age pay a hefty $50 admission when it was free to anyone else. To add insult too injury the party had been rather ironically heavily promoted and hashtagged on Instagram and Twitter with #JudgmentIsDirty,

    “I’m amazed at the invite I just received – free admission up to 40 years of age and $50 over 40,” Ed Stevens, a would-be party goer said to South Florida Gay News. “In addition to whether this is even legal, It’s a shocking and blatant attempt to exclude mature people and another instance of how people in our community should know better, given the discrimination and judgments we face in the mainstream world. And I was looking forward to going back to this beautifully restored landmark.”

    “The primary strategy is to organically establish a following of socially active, young gay men through engagement at large, organised events, such as Evolution, which occurred in Miami on April 18,”

    Impulse responded in a press release yesterday. “The purpose of events like Evolution is to create a lively, fun atmosphere where these men can interact while simultaneously being exposed to information about HIV in a non-judgmental environment.”

    That’s all well and said but as many other disgruntled would-be partygoers have been pointing out this week is the reality that the very same group of gay men who were made to feel very unwelcome also constitute a significant percentage of the donors who have helped keep IMPULSE in funds in the past.
    @rogerwalkerdack

  • BRUCE JENNER: “I Am A Woman Now”

    ‘I JUST CAN’T PULL THE CURTAIN ANYMORE.’

    At the beginning of the interview Diane Sawyer made it clear that Bruce was still using the pronoun He, therefore our review of the interview reflects that.

    When Bruce Jenner won the Olympic Gold Medal for the Decathlon in 1976 he broke the hold that the Soviets had on that event for years and instantly became an American Hero. For years this strapping handsome 6’4” man was recognised as the World’s Greatest Athlete. Tonight however she is sitting down to give an exclusive interview with ABC TV’s Diane Sawyer to finally confirm the news that he worries may disappoint so many of the fans who have looked up to him for years.

    Jenner is visibly extremely nervous as the cameras start to roll but she soon finds confidence as he begins to tell the real story for the very first time. What we discover in the next two hours is an outstandingly honest and open person who is also disarmingly charming. Jenner doesn’t shy away from any of Diane Sawyer’s probing questions and is utterly frank with his answers. Jenner’s words evoke a response from Brandon, his son, who puts it very simply when he tells his Dad that he was proud of his when she won all her medals, but that pales into insignificance with Jenner’s bravery now.

    Jenner tells the waiting world “I am a woman now. I have told a lie all my life, and this is who I am. I cannot hide anymore and I just can’t pull the curtains”. He adds “I still have all my male parts but I identify as female.” He believes that what he is doing is going to change the world by talking about it all now.

    Jenner explains that this is the very last time he will do an interview as ‘Bruce’ as he is about to undertake more of his transitioning which she reveals she started back in the 1980s when for a few years she took hormones.

    A deeply religious and a family person Jenner married Chrystie the first wife in 1972 and they had two children before they divorced nine years later. Wife number two was singer Linda Thompson and they had two children before they separated five years later, and then in 1991 Jenner married Kris Kardashian and as well as fathering two daughters Jenner became the step-father to the infamous Kardashian sisters. Jenner shares that the first person he revealed her gender confusion too was Chrystie, and he is very quick to point out that this was not the cause for the failure of this, or the other marriages.

    Jenner makes a point of explaining to an inquisitive and rather bemused Diane Sawyer that he is 100% heterosexual and has never ever even considered having sex with a man. He however has done his homework on this particular topic beforehand and quotes a very simply way of explaining the situation.

    “Sexual identity is about who you go to bed with, whereas gender identity is about who you go to bed as.”

    Jenner has been an integral part of her family’s infamous hit Reality TV Show for years, so his relationship with all the children has been carried out under the glare of spotlights for some time now. His four eldest asked to be part of the interview so that they could publicly express their support for their father’s transition.

    I think even Diane Sawyer was surprised with the answer Jenner gave when she pushed Jenner on how the ubiquitous Kim Kardashian had reacted. Kim had said that her husband Kanye had turned her around to the whole idea. West used his own life as an analogy: “I can be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am. I could have the most beautiful little daughter in the world, and I do. But I’m nothing if I can’t be me. If I can’t be true to myself, they don’t mean anything.” Kim added her own advice telling her dad “you’ve got to rock it”.

    Aside from the sensationalism of having a celebrity having the bravery to come clean to the world with such astounding and highly personal news, both Jenner and Diane Sawyer took time out to acknowledge the ongoing struggle of other people transitioning which is still so greatly misunderstood and still results in suicides and violent crime. Jenner expressed her deepest hope that talking about this topic in this manner on primetime TV may save more lives and give others the strength to become who they really are.

    When Jenner explained to Diane Sawyer that next time they meet she would only see Jenner as the woman she now is and she finished the interview with “I am saying goodbye to peoples perception of me, but I am not saying goodbye to me.”

    I think when the reviews are in, we will find she is even more of a Hero than ever before. Certainly in our book.

    The similarities of Jenner’s story with that of the Award winning TV series TRANSPARENT is remarkable . That featured a retired Professor also in his 60s who finally decides to transition and has to share the news with his adult children. It’s a rather joyous positive journey based on the real life story of the series creator Jill Soloway’s father .

    by @RogerWalkerDack