paj28 Reviews

9 Dead Gay Guys (2002)

Awful!

[1/10 · 9 August 2006]

I just caught this movie on the here! channel. What a waste of time. I guess it was supposed to be funny and cheeky, but I didn't find it in any way funny. The plot was so ludicrous that I found it hard to care about what was going on. The "zaniness" of the characters and story was so forced that it came across as just plain dumb. And the endless music samples were thoroughly annoying! The leads were kind of endearing, and they could have made something interesting out of their friendship and their uncertain sexuality, but the makers of the film went for the Guy-Ritchie wannabe crap instead. Yet another really bad indie gay movie.

200 American (2003)

Terrible!

[3/10 · 7 March 2005]

I actually sat through the "making of" section of this DVD, and upon finding out that it was made with no budget and mostly straight actors then it all made sense. The premise of the movie is at least interesting enough, but everything about this movie just didn't work. The dialogue comes across as unnatural and stiff, and with the exception of the hustler/photographer wannabe character, the acting is pretty poor. The story plays out like a bad soap opera, with far too many contrived plot points. And the music is thoroughly horrendous! Every time the electric piano chimed in at the "serious" moments, or one of those bad songs started I wanted to throw heavy cookware at the television!

Testosterone (2003)

Why do most gay movies stink?

[4/10 · 7 March 2005]

OK I didn't read the book, so I can't compare it to that. I enjoyed the title credits and the brief performances of Sonia Braga and Jennifer Coolidge. The guys were hot, including the lead, David Sutcliffe. If that sounds like enough to recommend the movie, then go ahead and rent it.

But what was the point? It wasn't clear if this was supposed to be a black comedy or a mystery or what! There was no development of the lead character, who remained annoying and snarky throughout the movie. There was no reason to feel sorry for him, so there was nothing to draw you into the film on an emotional level. A movie about a gay man discovering his inner violent side, or descending into madness would have been interesting, but that is not where this film went.

At least the production values were better than those of some other recent independent gay films.

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

Worthwhile Despite Some Flaws

[7/10 · 24 August 2004]

Like the other acclaimed grim tragedies of last year, "Mystic River" and "21 Grams", "House" is not a perfect film, but it is memorable . There are plenty of inconsistencies and contrivances in the plot of this movie, and the ending is a little over the top as far as tragedy goes. However, I was so blown away by the performances of Ben Kingsley and Shoreh Aghdashloo that I couldn't help but be moved by the whole thing. And the film also manages to say something about race, class, and personal responsibility, all without setting up an obvious good vs. evil construct. So, if you're able to overlook the movies flaws, you will find much to appreciate about this film. Just don't watch it on a triple-bill with "21 Grams" and "Mystic River".

Down with Love (2003)

Not bad, on the small screen anyway...

[7/10 · 8 August 2004]

OK I was stuck at home today with a horrible cold, and I watched this movie on TV. I enjoyed this movie a lot! So it's no comedic masterpiece, but the music and art direction were a lot of fun, and I found most of the performances quite good. So what if it isn't a perfect homage to the old Doris and Rock movies. So what if the script was a bit lacking. I admire the effort to make a movie that's a little bit different these days. Ewan and Renee are adorable! Those costumes were great! And I'm sure there was a valuable message in there somewhere. (OK maybe not) Anyway, David Hyde Pierce was funny! Now if I had paid $10 to see it I'd probably have been less impressed.

Burnt Offerings (1976)

Well it was scary when I was 10...

[5/10 · 20 September 2003]

I remember seeing this movie on cable when I was a kid and being completely terrified. I rented it tonight with a friend who had not seen it (I'm now 36, by the way), and found it quite disappointing. There were a few eerie scenes and disturbing moments, but otherwise it was pretty slow-paced and a few things weren't explained or didn't make sense.

I was hoping that it would at least be campy or atrocious enough to entertain on that level, but sadly I was disappointed there also. Come to think of it, I probably found Scooby Doo kind of scary when I was 10 too!

The Trip (2002)

I really wanted to like this movie.

[4/10 · 25 May 2003]

Given that ALL of the other reviews of this movie (114 of them!) have been positive, this review will probably be dismissed.

IMHO, this movie joins "Broadway Damage", "The Fluffer", "Latin Boys Go To Hell" and a few others in a growing list of independent gay movies that just went wrong. The story was contrived and at its worst had a plot twist right out of "Dynasty". Its recreation of the 70's and the sexual politics of time were pretty shallow. The two leads were cute as a button, but Larry Sullivan's acting was forced and not believable. And Alexis Arquette's character was downright embarrassing, setting back the cause of fair portrayal of gays in film at least 20 years. Lower production values can sometimes be forgiven in independent films (why do they seem to be the lowest in gay indie flicks?), but not when the rest of the film comes across so poorly. The script and dialogue caused quite a bit of unintended laughter at the screening I attended, and the intentionally comical scenes, a few involving Jill St. John, seemed tacked on for camp value and didn't fit in with the tone of the rest of the film.

I'm generally a fan of independent films, but I've been disappointed by far too many of the gay-themed ones, most of them for some reason made in the USA.

The Low Life (1995)

Sometimes difficult to watch, but excellent nonetheless

[7/10 · 5 April 2003]

It's hard to "love" a movie that taps into the lives of a group of losers who fail to connect with each other and the world, but this was a well acted and mostly well-made film and I enjoyed watching it. Sean Astin was endearing and heartbreaking all at once, definitely a standout performance. One "external review" likened it to a Gen-X "Day of the Locust", but it reminded me a bit of Carson McCuller's "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". If you can relate to the characters (who hasn't ever felt lonely, detached, unrecognized and without direction at some point?) then you will take away something from this movie.

If you're impatient, don't like movies on the depressing side, or by some luck have never had an unhappy day in your life then you would not like this movie.