one of the publicity videos for Sauvage suggests the word can be translated into english as Savage, Unsociable or Wild ...
there's definitely plenty of savagery in the movie - which isn't surprising given that it's about a "street hustler" !
there's definitely plenty of wildness about the main character - he takes lots of drugs and sleeps on the streets or in parks
but i don't think he's unsociable. i guess two out of three aint bad.
i went to a screening recently with GB where the director did a Q&A - sometimes these events can be fairly dry with the director not wanting to give too much away, but this time the director was really forthcoming.
one of the things Camille talked about was that actors who read the script or auditioned for the role were really worried about the sex scenes, and wanted reassurance from him. he said that if they were worried before filming started, he knew that it would be a problem on the set - so he rejected all of them.
Camille said that the only thing Félix was concerned about was how to convey emotions considering the scarcity of dialogue in the film - he had no concerns about the violent sex scenes !
Félix gained his first major role in 120 RPM - but that hadn't been released by the time Camille was casting his film, so it was something of a leap of faith to cast the unknown as his lead. It worked out well for both of them, with Félix receiving rave reviews - and film currently has a 91% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes
If you like european films (there's no tidy Hollywood ending), and are ok with rough gay sex scenes, then this is definitely an interesting movie to watch.
Showing posts with label gay-film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay-film. Show all posts
12 March 2019
15 October 2017
Close Knit film
yesterday evening (straight after another queer film) ... i went to my last movie of this year's London straight film festival
as always - the text below contains SPOILERS
one of my favourite films of all time is a Japanese movie called I Just Didn't Do It ... which i reckon had a gay twist to it ... as well as a beautiful lead actor ! and the more recent Japanese movie Our Little Sister was very sweet.
so whilst trans films aren't normally my thing ... i thought Close Knit looked like it might be good ...
and it was !
the trans character is played by a male actor who isn't always hugely convincing as a trans person ... but he's a good actor ... and a cute guy.
there's a nice balance with one of the kids experiencing trans thoughts ... the only trouble is that what turned out to be a flashback scene for the main character, appeared to me as a scene for the kid character ... oops!
there's also the standard conservative character (who gets her comeuppance nicely) ... and an array of taunting school mates.
one of the central themes of the film is about containing your emotions ... and the director was asked about that in the Q&A after the screening ... but she wasn't really able to say anything much about it ... which seemed odd !
it's a well made, pleasant film ... but i'm not sure whether it will stay in my mind for long.
my top choice from the festival is 120 BPM ... or if that's too full on for you ... then The Cakemaker was also excellent.
as always - the text below contains SPOILERS
one of my favourite films of all time is a Japanese movie called I Just Didn't Do It ... which i reckon had a gay twist to it ... as well as a beautiful lead actor ! and the more recent Japanese movie Our Little Sister was very sweet.
so whilst trans films aren't normally my thing ... i thought Close Knit looked like it might be good ...
and it was !
the trans character is played by a male actor who isn't always hugely convincing as a trans person ... but he's a good actor ... and a cute guy.
there's a nice balance with one of the kids experiencing trans thoughts ... the only trouble is that what turned out to be a flashback scene for the main character, appeared to me as a scene for the kid character ... oops!
there's also the standard conservative character (who gets her comeuppance nicely) ... and an array of taunting school mates.
one of the central themes of the film is about containing your emotions ... and the director was asked about that in the Q&A after the screening ... but she wasn't really able to say anything much about it ... which seemed odd !
it's a well made, pleasant film ... but i'm not sure whether it will stay in my mind for long.
my top choice from the festival is 120 BPM ... or if that's too full on for you ... then The Cakemaker was also excellent.
Saturday Church film
as i've written a few times recently that it's London hetero film festival time ... and i've been out sampling some of the produce ... both gay and straight - even though i've only blogged about the gay ones !
as usual - the words below contain SPOILERS ...
in many ways Saturday Church is a typical tale of a queer teenager suffering at the hands of jocks and conservative family members ... the clip below is not typical of the film - but they don't seem to have a released proper trailer.
the standard story is interspersed by random acts of singing and dancing ... much to its benefit. why wouldn't you interrupt a locker room intimidation scene with the jocks carrying around our hero to music.
the songs aren't the most amazing you will hear - but they're perfectly enjoyable. the acting perfomances are the most insightful you will ever see - but they are perfectly acceptable. the story isn't the most original ever written - but it has an interesting twist on the standard teenage coming out fare.
Marquis Rodriguez plays one of the supporting roles - lovely looking guy ... hopefully he gets some more movies that we can see him in.
If you like musicals, and don't mind a storyline that isn't the most original - you will probably like this movie. just don't go for titillation - my boner count was zero !
as usual - the words below contain SPOILERS ...
in many ways Saturday Church is a typical tale of a queer teenager suffering at the hands of jocks and conservative family members ... the clip below is not typical of the film - but they don't seem to have a released proper trailer.
the standard story is interspersed by random acts of singing and dancing ... much to its benefit. why wouldn't you interrupt a locker room intimidation scene with the jocks carrying around our hero to music.
the songs aren't the most amazing you will hear - but they're perfectly enjoyable. the acting perfomances are the most insightful you will ever see - but they are perfectly acceptable. the story isn't the most original ever written - but it has an interesting twist on the standard teenage coming out fare.
Marquis Rodriguez plays one of the supporting roles - lovely looking guy ... hopefully he gets some more movies that we can see him in.
If you like musicals, and don't mind a storyline that isn't the most original - you will probably like this movie. just don't go for titillation - my boner count was zero !
11 October 2017
The Wound film
another day, another gay film at the breeders' film festival !
as usual - the words below contain SPOILERS - look away now if you don't want them
The Wound is a south african film ... which proceeds at quite a slow pace ... so don't go expecting an action packed couple of hours.
the three main characters are all very different - and each sort of tragic in their own way - it's not a hugely uplifting film.
some people say that movie characters are only interesting if they have some sort of "arc" - where they develop in the course of the film. the lead character definitely does ... the other adult does a bit ... but the young guy doesn't at all - and i did find him a bit dull.
apparently the film was originally written from the perspective of the young guy ... but i'm glad they changed it, as i think he was the weakest of the actors. although still pleasant to look at.
the first sex scene wasn't overly convincing - even though it was a bit horny. the sex got better though. but it was always very discreet - almost old style. still quite enjoyable! the lead actor (who is gay in real life) said that he watched it with his parents - rather him than me!
the director was onstage afterwards and was asked by the audience about the rather depressing ending. aparently he wanted to jolt us out of taking the urban liberal viewpoint - and challenge us to see if from the more rural, traditional angle. he also emphasised that there is an element of hope at the end for the lead character - if you look closely.
the lead actor was at the screening as well - more handsome and less butch in the flesh than he was on screen.
afterwards i got a msg on Grindr from another audience member ... but sadly he was a bit too old for me.
if you're interested in the subject matter, and you have the patience for a slow two hours, then go see it - there's still another screening in London. don't just go to see it for the beautiful actors - you will get bored !
as usual - the words below contain SPOILERS - look away now if you don't want them
The Wound is a south african film ... which proceeds at quite a slow pace ... so don't go expecting an action packed couple of hours.
the three main characters are all very different - and each sort of tragic in their own way - it's not a hugely uplifting film.
some people say that movie characters are only interesting if they have some sort of "arc" - where they develop in the course of the film. the lead character definitely does ... the other adult does a bit ... but the young guy doesn't at all - and i did find him a bit dull.
apparently the film was originally written from the perspective of the young guy ... but i'm glad they changed it, as i think he was the weakest of the actors. although still pleasant to look at.
the first sex scene wasn't overly convincing - even though it was a bit horny. the sex got better though. but it was always very discreet - almost old style. still quite enjoyable! the lead actor (who is gay in real life) said that he watched it with his parents - rather him than me!
the director was onstage afterwards and was asked by the audience about the rather depressing ending. aparently he wanted to jolt us out of taking the urban liberal viewpoint - and challenge us to see if from the more rural, traditional angle. he also emphasised that there is an element of hope at the end for the lead character - if you look closely.
the lead actor was at the screening as well - more handsome and less butch in the flesh than he was on screen.
afterwards i got a msg on Grindr from another audience member ... but sadly he was a bit too old for me.
if you're interested in the subject matter, and you have the patience for a slow two hours, then go see it - there's still another screening in London. don't just go to see it for the beautiful actors - you will get bored !
08 October 2017
120 BPM Beats Per Minute film
over the last couple of days i've written about two gay films that i've seen at the mainstream london film festival ...
yesterday i went to see a french movie called 120 BPM with my friend GB
as usual the text below contains SPOILERS - look away now if you want to see it blind !
i go and see most gay films that i find on the subject of HIV/AIDS - I find both the biological evolution of the virus fascinating (although this film didn't focus on that) and the impact it had on the acceptance of gay people. writers have suggested that the HIV epidemic forced / allowed gay people to become visible, and the horrendous death toll humanised gay people in the view of general western populations.
i grew up with the tombstone adverts - and the fear that it invoked probably helped keep me alive (and stopped me having sex / accepting my sexuality). there's a line in the film about France having double the infection rate than UK or Germany - those tombstone adverts really did work !
I don't know anybody who has died of AIDS - not sure if that's a consequence of my late coming out, or my lack of involvement in gay activism.
As is almost inevitable with a film about HIV - there are a couple of deaths ... but the emotions around the death scenes are universal - the scenes reminded me of a vaguely recent death in my family ... and of course i cried !
There's a line in the film, after a sex scene, where the main character asks "was i your first poz guy" ... and it forced me to consider my general reluctance to meet / have sex with guys who are positive. A recent encounter with a poz guy ended up with me considering taking PEP - but maybe i should be more open to it. the main character in the film even uses condoms for oral sex ... i'm not sure i could do that !
some of the sex was very good - and as usual i got hard. in the first sex scene i was thinking that you hardly ever see lubricant being used in film sex ... and a few seconds later the lube appeared on screen !
the director was on stage afterwards - and talked really openly about the film. some directors try and keep their intentions to themselves (so the audience projects their own ideas onto the film) - but this director was refreshingly forthright. sadly though he wasn't asked about the slightly strange closing scene - if anybody can explain it, please let me know !
at 140 minutes, i feared the film would be flabby - but it really wasn't. i don't believe a single scene could or should have been cut.
it really is a great movie - if you get a chance - definitely go and see it.
yesterday i went to see a french movie called 120 BPM with my friend GB
as usual the text below contains SPOILERS - look away now if you want to see it blind !
i go and see most gay films that i find on the subject of HIV/AIDS - I find both the biological evolution of the virus fascinating (although this film didn't focus on that) and the impact it had on the acceptance of gay people. writers have suggested that the HIV epidemic forced / allowed gay people to become visible, and the horrendous death toll humanised gay people in the view of general western populations.
i grew up with the tombstone adverts - and the fear that it invoked probably helped keep me alive (and stopped me having sex / accepting my sexuality). there's a line in the film about France having double the infection rate than UK or Germany - those tombstone adverts really did work !
I don't know anybody who has died of AIDS - not sure if that's a consequence of my late coming out, or my lack of involvement in gay activism.
As is almost inevitable with a film about HIV - there are a couple of deaths ... but the emotions around the death scenes are universal - the scenes reminded me of a vaguely recent death in my family ... and of course i cried !
There's a line in the film, after a sex scene, where the main character asks "was i your first poz guy" ... and it forced me to consider my general reluctance to meet / have sex with guys who are positive. A recent encounter with a poz guy ended up with me considering taking PEP - but maybe i should be more open to it. the main character in the film even uses condoms for oral sex ... i'm not sure i could do that !
some of the sex was very good - and as usual i got hard. in the first sex scene i was thinking that you hardly ever see lubricant being used in film sex ... and a few seconds later the lube appeared on screen !
the director was on stage afterwards - and talked really openly about the film. some directors try and keep their intentions to themselves (so the audience projects their own ideas onto the film) - but this director was refreshingly forthright. sadly though he wasn't asked about the slightly strange closing scene - if anybody can explain it, please let me know !
at 140 minutes, i feared the film would be flabby - but it really wasn't. i don't believe a single scene could or should have been cut.
it really is a great movie - if you get a chance - definitely go and see it.
07 October 2017
A Moment in the Reeds film
As i mentioned the other day ... the hetero London film festival is currenlty on ... but it's showing a few gay films !
Yesterday evening I went to see the world premiere of the Finnish film A Moment in the Reeds ... whose director is based in London ... which presumably explains why it isn't premiering in Finland !
The text below containts some SPOILERS ... so look away now if you want to watch it without knowing too much about it.
When the director came on stage to introduce it, he said that he felt Finland needed a queer movie ... which sounds a bit arrogant ... and a bit worthy.
And the film felt a bit worthy at times.
The first 60 or 70 minutes was quite good ... despite the partly improvised dialogue - although I accept that some viewers are probably more accepting of the slightly awkward / natural feel that improvisation brings.
After 70 minutes the film seemed to lose its way and featured lots of arty scenes where nothing much happened.
The two main actors were ok, but I didn't overly rate them - they may become good actors in future, but I don't think they are at this stage in their development.
One of the audience (which seemed mostly overweight, older, over perfumed men) in the Q&A afterwards talked about the great sex scenes ... but I think he was being overly generous. Whilst I admist that I got a boner at least once, possibly twice - one of the sex scenes just didn't work.
The director was also asked about each of the lead actors topping (in slightly more delicate language) ... and he confirmed that he and the actors had decided that it was important. The trouble was that one of the actors just wasn't a convincing top !
The film is showing in London a couple more times - there's currently a few seats left for each performance ... if you like slightly improvised, arty, cliched fare !
Yesterday evening I went to see the world premiere of the Finnish film A Moment in the Reeds ... whose director is based in London ... which presumably explains why it isn't premiering in Finland !
The text below containts some SPOILERS ... so look away now if you want to watch it without knowing too much about it.
When the director came on stage to introduce it, he said that he felt Finland needed a queer movie ... which sounds a bit arrogant ... and a bit worthy.
And the film felt a bit worthy at times.
The first 60 or 70 minutes was quite good ... despite the partly improvised dialogue - although I accept that some viewers are probably more accepting of the slightly awkward / natural feel that improvisation brings.
After 70 minutes the film seemed to lose its way and featured lots of arty scenes where nothing much happened.
The two main actors were ok, but I didn't overly rate them - they may become good actors in future, but I don't think they are at this stage in their development.
One of the audience (which seemed mostly overweight, older, over perfumed men) in the Q&A afterwards talked about the great sex scenes ... but I think he was being overly generous. Whilst I admist that I got a boner at least once, possibly twice - one of the sex scenes just didn't work.
The director was also asked about each of the lead actors topping (in slightly more delicate language) ... and he confirmed that he and the actors had decided that it was important. The trouble was that one of the actors just wasn't a convincing top !
The film is showing in London a couple more times - there's currently a few seats left for each performance ... if you like slightly improvised, arty, cliched fare !
06 October 2017
The Cakemaker film
The "straight" london film festival is on at the moment ... and luckily they have quite a few gay films!
Last night I went to see The Cakemaker - an Israeli/German film.
Like any review - the text below contains some SPOILERS - but not much more than in the trailer ... look away now if you don't want to know !
The film centres around a married Israeli guy, and his German boyfriend.
One of the strange/different things about the portrayal is that the german guy asks his boyfriend not just when he and his wife last had sex ... but what they actually did !
I must admit that i do ask guys when they last ejaculated ... and what they were doing at the time ... and sometimes they tell me about another guy ...
So maybe it's not that different.
And maybe my lack of interest in hearing about a bloke and a woman is more about the fact that i'm too gay to want to hear about hetero sex!
Maybe the two men in the film talking about straight sex whilst they have gay sex is a sort of threesome in itself ...
The director was at the screening yesterday - and talked about trying to avoid labels / definitions - whether that be sexuality or religion or nationality.
Go see it and let me know what you think !
Last night I went to see The Cakemaker - an Israeli/German film.
Like any review - the text below contains some SPOILERS - but not much more than in the trailer ... look away now if you don't want to know !
The film centres around a married Israeli guy, and his German boyfriend.
One of the strange/different things about the portrayal is that the german guy asks his boyfriend not just when he and his wife last had sex ... but what they actually did !
I must admit that i do ask guys when they last ejaculated ... and what they were doing at the time ... and sometimes they tell me about another guy ...
So maybe it's not that different.
And maybe my lack of interest in hearing about a bloke and a woman is more about the fact that i'm too gay to want to hear about hetero sex!
Maybe the two men in the film talking about straight sex whilst they have gay sex is a sort of threesome in itself ...
The director was at the screening yesterday - and talked about trying to avoid labels / definitions - whether that be sexuality or religion or nationality.
Go see it and let me know what you think !
13 December 2016
The Pass film
this film opened London Gay Film Festival earlier this year - but assuming it would get a mainstream release, i didn't bother even applying for a ticket
i noticed the other day that it had finally been released - but it's only in a few cinemas (and small screens) - so if you want to see it, you need to get a move on !
i think it's safe to say (without giving away any big secrets) that it's not a particularly happy movie ! there aren't any heroes.
but i've been thinking about it a lot since i saw it - which is always a good sign.
definitely worth seeing - just be prepared to be unhappy afterwards !
i noticed the other day that it had finally been released - but it's only in a few cinemas (and small screens) - so if you want to see it, you need to get a move on !
i think it's safe to say (without giving away any big secrets) that it's not a particularly happy movie ! there aren't any heroes.
but i've been thinking about it a lot since i saw it - which is always a good sign.
definitely worth seeing - just be prepared to be unhappy afterwards !
07 April 2011
llgff
i always enjoy going to the london lesbian and gay film festival ... but this year it was disappointing ...
usually the festival lasts about two weeks, and includes a range of british, european, north & south american and asian films ... this year is was a mere six days, with the obvious lack of diversity ...
apparently the funding from the BFI was halved - a depressing way to celebrate 25 years of the festival.
sounds like it's time to Save the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
usually the festival lasts about two weeks, and includes a range of british, european, north & south american and asian films ... this year is was a mere six days, with the obvious lack of diversity ...
apparently the funding from the BFI was halved - a depressing way to celebrate 25 years of the festival.
sounds like it's time to Save the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
03 September 2008
Mamma Mia film
i went to see the film of Mamma Mia recently, having seen the stage musical some years ago ...
the rumours of terrible singing from the male characters were widespread - but i didn't think that they were that bad ... however the singing from the women wasn't that great - it makes you wonder why they didn't get professional singers for the roles ? however, Julie Walters was fantastic in one of the supporting roles, which made up in part for some of the weaker actors ...
the most cringeworthy part of the film was Colin Firth's character turning out to be gay ! apparently it happens in the stage musical [i can't remember that] ... but it was truely horrific in the film - him getting topless and supposedly going out with one of the locals ... be prepared to cry !
the rumours of terrible singing from the male characters were widespread - but i didn't think that they were that bad ... however the singing from the women wasn't that great - it makes you wonder why they didn't get professional singers for the roles ? however, Julie Walters was fantastic in one of the supporting roles, which made up in part for some of the weaker actors ...
the most cringeworthy part of the film was Colin Firth's character turning out to be gay ! apparently it happens in the stage musical [i can't remember that] ... but it was truely horrific in the film - him getting topless and supposedly going out with one of the locals ... be prepared to cry !
28 February 2008
22nd London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival - preview
a couple of months ago i went to a preview of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival ... the idea was to see clips of some of the films, to give viewers a more informed choice when selecting which films to book ...
i have been to plenty of gay films over the years, and assumed that this would just be something similar ... so i wasn't expecting so much campness, air-kissing, and semi-cruising at the box office ! it did freak me out a little, and i nearly did a runner ... but i managed to survive it ... and was very glad i did, as the preview clips were really good.
in the end i booked about a dozen films, and enjoyed almost all of them ... my favourite was probably Love and Other Disasters - i would definitely recommend going to see it when it goes on general release ...
i have been to plenty of gay films over the years, and assumed that this would just be something similar ... so i wasn't expecting so much campness, air-kissing, and semi-cruising at the box office ! it did freak me out a little, and i nearly did a runner ... but i managed to survive it ... and was very glad i did, as the preview clips were really good.
in the end i booked about a dozen films, and enjoyed almost all of them ... my favourite was probably Love and Other Disasters - i would definitely recommend going to see it when it goes on general release ...
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