Category: Review
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FILM REVIEW | Campaign Of Hate: Russia And Gay Propaganda
★★★★ | Campaign Of Hate: Russia And Gay Propaganda
Uber gay porn king Michael Lucas has kept his clothes on in front of the camera for a second time with his new documentary about the plight of gay men and women in Russia. It is a vast improvement on his first attempt at getting serious with his ‘Undressing Israel’ movie where life for the stream of hot gay hunks he interviewed couldn’t have been any rosier. Here Russian-born Lucas (born Andrei Lvovich Treivas) was back in Moscow his birth city to discuss that being a homosexual during Putin’s regime can be a serious danger to your health.
It’s hard to get past a culture where the first time young gay kids learn anything about their sexuality is when they open their Soviet Encyclopedia and turn to the letter H. There for homosexuality they read just three facts. 1: it’s a sickness, and 2: a harmful influence of the West, and 3: it;s a crime for which you can go to prison for. And it doesn’t get much better for when the boy turns into a young man he will not just be mocked and humiliated by society but gay bashed several times and quite severely.
The personal accounts of the gay Russians trying to lead normal lives, albeit almost all of them in the closet, were grim and depressing. Given the fact that they have to deal with so much sheer undisguised hatred every working day, it is no wonder that all of them without exception would choose to leave and move anywhere else in the world to live if they could.
One of the commentators that Lucas interviewed made several good observations about in this present tough economic climate in Russia, Putin needs to distract people’s attention from his main problems and focus them on other media grabbing agendas. The harassment of gay people is one such target especially as they are considered a soft option and will not fight back. It has eerie overtones of the old Bush campaign that stirred up the US conservative wing about gay marriage in such a way that they would be sure to turn out to vote on Polling Day and at the same time re-elect him. Coincidentally our economy was in ruins then, but somehow that was hidden from us at the time.
The rhetoric spouting by one of the vehemently anti-gay legislators as he justified his unequivocal hatred of the LGBT community was barbaric and heinous and he refused to accept either reason or factual information. When Lucas informed him that there was data that showed that the largest single group of people who committed suicide in Russia where young gay teenagers, I thought the man would explode with rage.
Some of the gay and lesbians that Lucas interviewed tried to put a brave spin on the situation saying that things were definitely improving and that LGBT was now becoming accepted as part of the general protest. The majority of the others, however, thought it was just getting worse.
Lucas’s interesting film probably didn’t say anything new, and it avoided drawing its own conclusion as to what lie ahead for the gay community there. It does however quite rightly serve as a wake-up call for those of us that live in the relative freedom of the West, lest we should ever think that gay rights are the rights for everyone.
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FILM REVIEW | In Their Room: London / Berlin / San Francisco
US Filmmaker Travis Mathews is a professional voyeur.
His documentary movies all focus on gay men and their intimacy and are very raw and explicit. His most successful project to date is ‘Interior Leather Bar’ where he, and a somewhat obsessed James Franco, pieced together what they thought maybe the content of the chunk of William Friedkin’s 1980 gay classic ‘Cruising’ that the Censors insisted on being deleted. Before this however, Mathews embarked on series of videos, that have now been released under the banner of ‘In Their Room’.
The first ‘episode’, a 20 minute short, was filmed in Mathews hometown of San Francisco where armed with just a simple video camera he visits 8 men alone in their bedrooms. Some are clothed, some naked, some are silent or reticent to share, whilst others are happy to expose every intimate detail of their thoughts about love and sex. Although it is always mainly the latter.
The second film, shot in 2011, continues to voyeuristically document what goes on in the minds and bedrooms of urban gays. Now in Berlin, Mathews lingers on the tension and circular nature between intimacy and loneliness by documenting a handful of gay men as they troll the web looking for hook-ups or love. It is the only film in which he actually features a coupled pair, and is probably the most explicit of the three films.The third and final film made last year focuses on 8 gay men in London. I’m not sure if it was deliberate on Mathew’s part, but the bed-sitting rooms of his subjects this time around look decidedly squalid. Again he manages to draw out the men’s most private thoughts and aspirations as they talk aimlessly as he films them doing the banalest daily tasks. It is also the one episode when the vulnerability and loneliness of urban gay men really starts to seep through.
The work is an interesting experiment, which although shares nothing new with us, at least gives us a moment to reflect on parts of our lives that many gay men have difficulty discussing. The series is definitely not for everyone, but at least you don’t have to have a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology (like Mathews has) to appreciate it.
Out December 2015
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FILM REVIEW | Human Capital, Morals May Be Loose But The Pace Is Fast
On a snowy wintry night in a small town in the suburbs of Milan, after he has worked at an Awards Evening for the local school, a waiter jumps on his bike to make his way home. However before he can get there, he is run over by a hit-and-run driver who leaves him at the side of the road to die. This tragedy affects many more people than the ones involved in the accident, and this complicated multi-layered drama is the tale of a number of people from all walks of life who end up embroiled. ★★★★
Director/screenwriter Paolo Virzì tells this story in three chapters through different sets of eyes, and each re-telling of the same events has its own particular focus.
The first one is ‘Dino’ and it starts 6 months earlier when Dino is dropping off his teenage daughter Serana at her boyfriend’s family fancy villa. Massimiliano and she go to the same school together even though they come from totally opposite ends of the social scale.
Massimiliano’s father Giovanni runs a major international hedge-fund, and Dino a small-time real estate broker is desperate to be allowed to invest in the fund. As it happens that particular day Giovanni is short of a tennis partner and so the anxious-to-please Dino wangles his way on the court and into the Fund. He mortgages his business and house to find the necessary minimum €500,000 investment without telling his new second wife who is expecting a child. You know its not going to end up well for him even then.
The second chapter is named ‘Carla’ after Giovanni’s insecure socialite wife who is bored to tears as she is always left to her own devices by her neglectful wheeler-dealer husband. An ex-amateur actress, Carla persuades an indulgent Giovanni to save the local dilapidated theatre for the sake of the town’s culture, but he does it to make a quick buck on the property. She at least gets to have a one night stand with the theatre director as a way of compensation.
The final chapter is the one on ‘Serena’ who has been keeping dumb to the police on who actually drove Massimilani’s car the night it hit the driver. This is where all the loose ends of the story get tied together and as the Fund fails both Dino and Giovanni’s wives act like they are both completely in shock at discovering their husband’s greed. Dino had believed the myth that easy money was just that, and it would bring him happiness too, whilst Giovanni used it as a tool simply to buy anything and anybody he wanted, including his son’s freedom.
This very Italian tale was surprisingly adapted from an American best-selling novel in which the action had been set in Connecticut. Avarice is avarice wherever it is. Although the emphasis was on the menfolk, in this movie, it was the three women’s performances that were the attention grabbers: newbie Serena Ossola in her first screen role as Serena, Valeria Golino in the small but vital part of Roberta, Dino’s wife, and the stunning Valeria Bruni Tedeschi who picked up the Best Actress Award at Tribeca Film Festival for her excellent portrayal of the neurotic Carla.
The morals may be loose but the pace is fast and consuming in this look at capitalism in crisis. It’s a sorry tale, but one that is told very well.
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FILM REVIEW | Boys, Tender and Touching Coming Of Age Film
The two boys in question are 15-year-old Dutch schoolboys who get thrown together when their athletics coach selects them to be part of a 4 man relay team. They seem an unlikely pair of friends at first as Sieger is reserved and a little uptight mainly because of the fact since his mother died, he has to try to keep the peace between his wayward brother and strict father. Marc on the other hand is outgoing and adventurous and lives with his fun-loving family and a younger sister he adores.
★★★★
The boys bond after practice one day and in an impulsive moment when they are are larking about swimming together in a lake Marc leans forward and kisses Sieger squarely on the mouth. He responses by returning the kiss, but once they are out of water and dressed, he nervously blurts out that he is not gay, before cycling off and leaving a bewildered Marc alone.
Sieger’s old pal Theo, also part of the running team, persuades him to go on a double date with two local girls. When they are out at the fairground together the four of them run into a surprised Marc who is positively shocked and somewhat hurt when Jessica leans forward and gives Sieger a passionate kiss right in front of him.
This very tender and touching coming of age story about this confused young boy who wants to fit in with the norm of what he thinks is expected of him has some very neat twists and turns and is not as predictable as it seemed at the outset. As he struggles with his sexuality, he is so aware of his father’s disillusionment with his brother that he believes he least should not disappoint him too. On top of this, they all live in a most idyllic corner of the lush Netherlands countryside which is not just a visual treat but somehow evokes memories of more innocent times.
With great performances from the very young cast, this entertaining made-for-TV movie will hopefully get to the wider audience it deserves now it is being released worldwide.
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FILM REVIEW | The Circle, aka Des Kreis
★★★★★ | The Circle, aka Des Kreis
Even though he led a very closeted life, Ernst Ostertag went out in public to a gay ball held by The Circle Magazine and met and fell in love with Robi Rapp, a drag act who was performing there that night, who would later become his life partner. The year was 1956, and the city was Zurich, and although homosexuality was not illegal in Switzerland, gay men were not only just ostracised by society but also lived in real fear of losing their jobs and being shunned by their families.
This hybrid of a movie: part documentary & part fiction is the true story of how this chance encounter would survive all the pressures of an intolerant and bigoted public, and the harassment of the police and authorities, to become 60 years later, the first ever same-sex couple to have a Domestic Partnership registered in Switzerland.
Back then Ostertag was a young and somewhat naive French Language teacher at a Girls School who risked the wrath of the Principal by wanting to introduce his pupils to avant-garde work by Albert Camus. Off-duty he discovered the existence of The Circle, a gay erotic art and poetry bi-monthly magazine that was the first if it’s kind in Europe when it was founded in 1942. The magazine was sold by subscription only and the membership list was heavily guarded at The Circle’s office, but occasionally the publishers organised get-togethers, like the Ball that Ostertag met his man.
The murder of one of their number served as a thinly disguised excuse for a campaign of persecution by the Police whose biggest weapon was exposing the men publicly for being gay. It was enough to cause Ostertag’s School Principal, a married man with two children, to take his own life.
This is a fascinating glimpse into a post War War 2 mixed fortunes of a gay community in Europe before the onslaught of freedom that was about to occur with the swinging 1960’s (although maybe not quite in Switzerland). Rupi’s mother was very theatrical and not only acknowledged her son’s sexuality but also welcomed his lover into the family with open arms, whereas Ostertag’s conservative parents were so very formal and cold, that he never came out of the closet to his sister until he was 70 years old.
The movie which so excellently portrays all the emotional stress on these young men who struggled to come to terms with their own sexuality, works best with the dramatised flashbacks thanks to some masterly performances, particular by the two lead actors playing the lovers Matthias Hungerbuehler and Sven Schelker. The interviews with the present day Ostertag and Rupi, now in their 80s, are extremely touching, but really add little to the narrative itself.
‘The Circle’ aka Des Kreis won both the prestigious Teddy for Best LGBT Documentary at the Berlin Film Festival, where it also picked up a coveted Panorama Audience Award too. I think it is surely set to become a firm audience favourite too when it does the Film Festival rounds now.
Highly recommended.
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REVIEW | La Soiree, Southbank, London
★★★★★ | La Soiree, Southbank, London
A Treat For Cabaret, Circus or Burlesque
Roll up, roll up – the circus is back in town! Last seen in London in 2011, multi award-winning cult hit La Soirée returns to the capital celebrating a triumphant world tour and the 10-year anniversary of the troupe’s first show.
The show is a heady mix of cabaret, circus and burlesque with enough quirky weirdness to please even the most twisted of people. Trapeze work, juggling, strip-tease and acrobatics feature along with music, comedy and some quite frankly hot men wearing very little at all. The world of cabaret can be a little tired but the well curated acts all put original and exciting spins on traditional art forms. Acrobatics are so much more fun when the performers are dressed as English gents and stripping off to the National Anthem, surely? What could be finer on a winter’s evening than a man dressed as a giant blue bunny squashing a balloon with his bottom or a depressed clown belting out songs? This is a very funny, lively and engaging show and well worth seeing. If you love cabaret, circus or burlesque then this is a definite treat. If you’re naïve to all of that then this is a good place to start sampling it.
The Spiegeltent is the perfect venue with intimate ringside seats and a vintage feel that suits the proceedings well. There’s a range of seats with booths available and dining packages available if you’re feeling extravagant. Surrounding the venue are winter themed bars and stalls, a maze of fir trees and a lot of people in Christmas jumpers.
The strictly limited Christmas season runs until the 11th of January 2015
View the acts here: http://www.la-soiree.com
Buy tickets here: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/la-soir%C3%A9e-87403?dt=2014-11-12
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FILM REVIEW | Pulp: A film about life, death and supermarkets
★★★★ | Pulp: A film about life, death and supermarkets
Gangly geek Jarvis Cocker is the most unlikely looking rock-star ever, but seeing the front man of the British indie-pop group PULP ignite frenzied crowds of a packed stadium, you realise that he is, in fact, one of the very best.
His quintessentially English band enjoyed enormous critical and commercial success in the late 1990s before calling it a day at the height of their fame in 2002. Cocker then went on to establish a new career as a solo artist and combined this with a weekly radio show and some filmmaking too.
Much to their many fans delight the band reformed in 2011/2012 for one more major tour of the US and the UK. The final performance was in their hometown of Sheffield, a working class industrial city well known for its droll Northern humor and where they have long been regarded as local heroes. This mutual love affair was clearly evident with Cocker and all the band members relishing with pride at being considered as such a major part of their community’s culture, as equally was the gushing praise from their diehard fans.
This documentary from German-born New Zealander Florian Habicht which he made with Cocker, is an affectionate look at both this last Concert and the city and its people who are such an integral part of the Pulp phenomenon. Habicht infuses the concert footage with some quirky talking-head pieces from some colourful and eccentric locals and even includes a middle-aged ladies choir belting out Pulp’s most famous hit ‘Uncommon People’ which is considered an anthem in this area. Cocker himself comes over as an extremely likeable funny man which is somewhat of a surprise given the rather dark lyrics of the songs that he pens and performs. In fact, his acute observations of everyday life, and also those of sexual frustration, account for a great deal of the band’s popularity.
This joyous wee tribute to this disarmingly charming man will totally delight not just his fans but also anyone who has any passion for British indie-rock. Although why Habicht insisting in calling it ‘A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets’ is beyond me.
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FILM REVIEW | Starred Up
Violent prison dramas with raw angry men desperately displaying their machismo just to survive the regime of brutality that pervades in jails always have an underlying tone of homo-eroticism in them. ‘Starred Up’ with a brilliant career-making performance from 23-year-old Jack O’Connell is one such movie especially as it has the near-obligatory shower scene that ends in a naked fight.
★★★★★
O’Connell plays troublesome teenager Eric Love who has been moved from a juvenile detention facility as they cannot handle him any more. Unlike the other inmates banged up in this adult jail, he doesn’t want to get out, as the reason he has forced the authorities to send him to an adult prison, is that his father, who he barely knows, has been serving time there for the past 14 years.
The back-story as to how these two ended up being incarcerated is vague to say the least but it’s not that important as its the attempt at reconciliation between father and son that is the focus of the story. He may only be 19, but Eric is a hardened criminal who knows how to work the system, which only serves to enrage the corrupt prison guards who are determined that they will not be beaten by this youth, even if it means actually having him killed. Their undisguised anger is matched by the determination of a do-gooder volunteer social worker who is insistent that he can cure Eric, and maybe even his father, by some simplistic anger-management.
It gets a tad confusing on occasion when the men’s shouting matches become incoherent, but one doesn’t need subtitles to get the gist of the violent action most of the time. This is essentially Eric’s story and of the way that he has deliberately chosen to develop into manhood. We are never sure either because of the script, or O’Connell’s mesmerizing performance, if the boy actually loves his father or really wants him dead.
Directed by David McKenzie (‘Young Adam’, ‘Hallam Foe’) from a script by Jonathan Asser based on his own experiences as a prison social work. Even with strong supporting performances from Ben Mendelsohn as the father and Rupert Friend as the social worker, this film, one of the very best prison dramas for a long time, completely belongs to Eric, thanks to O’Connell’s portrayal. We are bound to see a lot more of this actor as he destined for stardom.P.S. Starred Up is a term used in the UK to describe the early transfer of a criminal from a Young Offender Institution to an adult prison.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE4ziBfu0JA
by Roger Walker-Dack -
THEATRE REVIEW | Othello, Frantic Assembly, Birmingham REP
★★★★★ | Othello, Frantic Assembly, Birmingham REP
Mesmerising, Otherworldly, Sublime
Who would have thought that Shakespeare’s “Othello” could be placed in a ‘Chatsworth Estate’ like location, bursting with rawness but, at the same time, realness unlike any other. Frantic Assembly dissects the true essence of the play and transfuses it in to a contemporary setting. Extremely commendable work.
“Othello” is my favourite play by William Shakespeare, but as underrated as it may be to many, it cannot hide the fervour of overcharged emotions that play from minute one. It tells the story of a Venetian moor who is the general of the armies in Venice that marries the daughter of a Venetian Senator, figure of which disapproves of the union. The theme of this play is jealousy, and Iago speaks of this as: “It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.” Iago is jealous of many things, but in particular Michael Cassio’s promotion to Left Lieutenant by Othello, when Iago has been his long serving ‘slave’. Iago sets about on a mission to deem Desdemona ‘false’ and unworthy of Othello’s love. Iago proceeds in planting the seed of doubt in to Othello’s mind that Cassio and Desdemona are, essentially, at it. It all goes downhill from there, culminating in Othello killing his wife due to the paranoia.
Some say there may be a sub-jealousy theme going on: Iago is jealous of Desdemona being married to Othello, when Iago envisions himself in her place. There is one sequence in Frantic, on the pool table, Iago is standing over Desdemona, and then the table rotates as Iago walks along it and his crotch level with Othello’s head. Read between the lines yourself.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly was subliminally phenomenal. Each actor played a key part to the show’s success. Every actor was strong in movement but eloquent in speech, which is a hard thing to do. Especially when, in one moment, one is being flung around a pool table and in the next reciting a speech in perfect iambic pentameter. Under the electric and elegant direction and choreography of Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett with Eddie Kay, “Othello” simmers into a beautiful crescendo of emotions and physical energy.
The actor that stood out most ferociously was Steven Miller, who you might recognise as playing Lenny Lyons in Casualty, with his relentless energetic flair and passionate speaking, in verse. His monologues were heart-felt and sincerely understood.
The set, for me, played a fundamental part in the atmosphere witnessed by the audience. The way the concertina flats moved effortlessly around the stage, and the way the pool table zoomed in and out, almost like a feather, was only short of genius. My favourite scene was when Cassio (Ryan Fletcher) is drunk and he portrays being drunk most convincingly, and the set aided to this with the ‘walls’ literally moving as Fletcher zig-zagged alongside it portraying the drunk effect we all know, very well, “the room is spinning”.
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FILM REVIEW | The Riot Club; Violent Morally Abhorrent, Immensley Watchable
★★★★ The Riot Club | The atrocious unsocial behaviour of a group of very wealthy privileged college-age offspring of England’s landed gentry whose utter contempt for the poor is matched by their assumed rights of trashing and vandalising other people’s properties, seems a odd topic for a movie.