Kiss Me Deadly (2008)

"Kiss Me Deadly" is the first installment of a planned spy franchise centered around gay former government agent Jacob Keane (Robert Gant) who can't seem to escape his former life. Keane is a photographer living the family life in Milan with his loving boyfriend Paolo (Nathan Whitaker) and Julia (Alessandra Muir), the daughter he shares with his lesbian friend Kyra (Katherine Kennard). Keane is pulled away from his boyfriend and daughter and back into the world of international espionage when his former partner Marta (Shannen Doherty) reappears after 17 years. With her memory erased, they now must elude a pair of ruthless assassins and a mysterious villain looking to gain classified information at any cost. What ensues is a fast paced game of cat and mouse as Keane must determine who wants them dead, and why.

The story begins on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as Keane and his partners Marta and Jared (Fraser Brown) are attempting to either get a man out of the country or learn something important from him. But before the assignment is completed there's an explosion and Marta is sent flying, with the mystery man lost in the flames. A few days later Keane learns that the Cold War has ended and he has lost his job. We fast-forward to the present with a montage of major political events moving through Bush, Clinton, another Bush, the World Trade Center attacks and the attacks on the Pentagon.

Keane is now living a comfortable life in Milan as a photographer specializing in rather tacky underwear campaigns. He kisses his assistant and has two of the male models pose together, so we realize rather quickly that Keane is gay. Marta reappears and leaves an urgent message on his answering machine that she is coming to Milan and must see him. He drops the kid off at Kyra’s house and heads to the train station to meet Marta. When he gets there he learns that she has amnesia and is being pursued by an evil thug. From here on the movie is all about learning why Marta can't remember anything and figuring out what Frosty the Hitman and his thug henchman Fredrick (Ian Roberts) are after. Keane has some pieces of the puzzle and must reconnect with his old agency after 20 years of retirement. As he does, he begins to wonder if they may be in on the scheme. He's also not telling Marta everything he knows, which leads her to become suspicious of him--especially when she regains memories of sleeping with him.

Keane kisses his lover goodbye and hits the road with Marta. The action moves to St. Albans, then to London, Zurich, and finally back again to Milan, keeping up a fast pace to make the viewer lose track of the story and overlook some holes in the plot. Along the way there's some gratuitous full-frontal male nudity which is frequently more distracting than anything else. After Keane and Marta leave town, they unearth some secrets and get a few more innocent people killed. It's strange that these super operatives are not very good at deducing the obvious solution to their situation. The climactic fist-fight between Keane and a beefy goon is the most satisfying action of the film, and not just because of the added joy of knowing that these are two strapping gay men wrestling one another to the ground.

"Kiss Me Deadly" is an action-packed spy thriller that has mixed reviews. The action is uneven, and a few of the scenes are so badly shot and edited that they're funny. There's a car chase where neither vehicle looks like it’s going over 15 miles per hour and a car crash where the vehicle suddenly flips over--off-screen. It's almost completely humorless and the characters don't have much electricity or chemistry with one another. But there are a few clever twists and unexpected shocks that keep things from getting too dour. Claude Foisy composed the original music, George Schenck and Frank Cardea wrote the screenplay, and Ron Oliver directed.

Clandestinos (2007)

Gay, cute and charismatic Xabi (Israel Rodríguez) has been living in reformatories, detention centers, and prisons since he was abandoned as a child. His feral life led to a life behind bars. He seldom manages to escape, but does on one occasion and meets Iñaki (Luis Hostalot), a middle-aged ETA terrorist who becomes his friend, teacher and lover--a Basque separatist who instructs him about the nature of revolution. However, Xabi is sent to a high security correctional facility after throwing a gasoline bottle at a policeman in a street raid, nearly killing him. Xabi, with friend Joel (Hugo Catalán), a young Mexican, and a Moroccan named Driss (Mehroz Arif) who is going to be deported, manage to escape and arrive in Madrid. They are the "clandestinos" of the title.

Xabi looks for Iñaki because he wants to join the ETA, but cannot find him. Joel and Driss are more interested in hooking up with two girls they meet on the bus. Desperate to prove himself to the terrorist, Xabi plants bombs and robs unsuspecting johns. As Xabi tries to prove himself to Iñaki, he gets in over his head, especially when a john he picks up to rob turns out to be a police chief (Juan Luis Galiardo), and his plans begin to crumble. Finding Iñaki turns out to be difficult, because Iñaki doesn't want to be found. A far more serious terrorist, he's driving around with a trunk full of C-4 and doesn't want to reunite with his young acquaintance. Surprisingly, Xabi and Driss have some success with their homemade bomb, but their situation is doomed not only because the anti-terror squads are on their tail, but also because the comically slutty girls with whom Driss and Joel have shacked up start to have suspicions. They realize what is going on with Xabi and call the police. The ending is done poorly and is a disappointment

Politics and gay love come together in this melodrama, and as we go inside the heads of the three boys we end up with a pleasurable viewing experience. The film provides some wonderful eye candy (the shower scene in the prison, for example) but it tells us about the desire for acceptance and how to achieve it. The cast is very good and Israel Rodríguez as Xabi is excellent. But while the action here is exciting, the tone is quite wrong for the movie. Since when is terrorism a lark? Sergio De La Puente composed the original music. The screenplay was written by Gabriel Olivares and Antonio Hens, who also directed. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Taiikukan Baby (2008)

During the summer high school preliminary swimming trials, senior ace swimmer Shibahara Jun (Nakamura Yuichi) loses to his rival Murai Naoki (Takahashi Yuta). Jun's father (Watanabe Ikkei), who is the team coach, says that rather than swim, he should concentrate on studying for his college entrance exams instead. Naoki asks Jun to coach him in preparation for the Inter High, and Jun accepts the assignment. Though feeling disappointed and uncertain, Jun puts his heart into helping train swimming rival and teammate Naoki. They are attracted to each other. Spending countless hours together at the pool, the two form a close relationship. But their time together is soon cut short when Jun decides to quit the team, and Naoki plans to move to the United States. That night, at the swimming pool, Naoki suddenly kisses Jun.

This drama of forbidden love between two young men is an interesting coming of age film. Teenage love or infatuation is a strange, wonderful, frustrating experience, full of hope and despair, and we see it all in this movie. It has a nice ending. Based on the novel awarded the first prize at "The First Junon Love Novel Grand Prix", a Japanese magazine novel contest, youth romance films "Doukyusei" and "Taiikukan Baby" were released in Japan as a double bill. Set in the same world with the same cast and characters, the two films begin at the same point and spin into two different stories of young love. D-BOYS member Nakamura Yuichi of Princess Princess D and Kamen Rider Den-O leads both films as high school swimmer Shibahara Jun. Co-starring Prince of Tennis Musical star Takahashi Yuta and Kubo Sho. The boys love film "Taiikukan Baby" follows the confused and romantic triangle that develops between Jun and his two friends. The DVD includes a "making of", deleted scenes, outtakes, an interview, a press conference, and the trailer. Keiko Kanome and Yoshihiro Fukagawa wrote the screenplay, and Yoshihiro Fukagawa directed. In Japanese with English subtitles. The alternate titles are "Gymnasium Babies" and "Tai Iku Kan Baby".

Bob and Jack's 52-Year Adventure (2006)

In this 41 minute documentary, Bob Claunch and Jack Reavley, two men in their late 70's, tell the story of their life long relationship. In 1952 Army Sergeant Bob Claunch was cornered and then courted by his commanding officer Lieutenant Jack Reavley. Their romance grew and soon became too obvious. Rumors became anonymous tips to headquarters. They avoided court-martial by confronting the entire unit and have been together ever since. That moment cemented Bob and Jack together for the rest of their lives. 52 years later they share how they remained a couple: how one left his wife and children, and how both survived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Beginning a new life and starting a radio station in Raymond, Washington, they later moved to Los Angeles to work as extras in movies. Today they battle the stigmas of being gay, a successful gay couple, and an active gay elderly couple. Bob and Jack recount the challenges they faced keeping their relationship intact, the issues they face growing old in a gay relationship, and their need for equal rights. It's a true, self-told story about lifelong love.

With the help of old footage and recordings they take us back to when they met, in the US Army in Munich, and they then guide us through their whole lives, through sickness and health, the good times and the bad times. The interviewer mostly lets Bob and Jack talk, but when he intervenes, he asks daring and relevant questions. It's cute, it's beautiful, but most of all it's important. The story of Bob and Jack is more than just a tribute to Bob and Jack themselves, it's more than a film about homosexuality. It's also a film about sticking together, about making it through the rough times, and it teaches us the most important thing of all: that love can keep us together if we are willing to work for it, and if we are nothing is impossible.

This charming, compelling, and inspiring film charts the course of their love affair over a half-century and beyond. Despite the rather unimaginative title, the film weaves together archival photos, audio recordings and present-day interviews to tell a remarkably conventional love story that, because it involves two men, makes it all the more remarkable. Director Stu Maddux filmed the interviews with one man closer to the camera, allowing us to see each man’s facial expressions when reacting to the other’s comments. Just like all old married couples, these guys finish each other’s sentences--that is, when they’re not interrupting each other. With all the debate over whether gay marriage should be allowed, it’s great to see that it has really existed all along. The DVD includes a Photo Gallery, the theatrical trailer, and a 1961 anti-gay educational film, "Boys Beware". Filmed in California, produced and directed by Stu Maddux.

Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon (2008)

"Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon" is a straightforward documentary about Jack Wrangler, a spoiled Beverly Hills brat, an insecure homosexual, and an unsuccessful actor who became a self-made icon of gay porn films. Born Jack Stillman, his father was a producer of TV show "Bonanza" and Jack realized his sexual nature with his attraction to Michael Landon. When he reached the peak of the gay porn-star profession, he then made a big a name in straight porn, married a famous woman, and started several new careers. This detailed documentary takes you through Jack's mind and life with much footage of him, his work, his times, and many people who were around him.

Wrangler is the emcee of this event, sharing his story with interviews and a horde of stills and footage documenting his rise to a formidable object of lust. He becomes the face of the gay porn scene, changing feminine stereotypes with his "everyday man" image and aggressive marketing angles, revealing Wrangler to be a puzzling, intelligent human being. Gay men saw him as a hero and role model. He seems shocked at how much he accomplished, discussing the branding of his name on sex toys and poppers, and his personal appearances, where he would work out stand-up routines to throngs of gay men. Wrangler crossed over to straight porn and although he admitted to be gay, he was able to participate in very hot heterosexual sex scenes. His testimony is backed by a slew of cult icons, including Bruce Vilanch, Chi Chi LaRue, Sharon Mitchell, Marc Shaiman, and Jamie Gillis.

The last part is devoted to Wrangler's relationship with Margaret Whiting, the famous singer who fell in love with the young star, ignoring his career and his sexual activities. The pairing is given adequate screentime to appreciate, allowing a comfortable transition to explore Wrangler's declining years in the adult industry, and his eventual career as a legitimate musical theater presence. The end of this documentary feels like a roller coaster slowing to a halt, concluding a ride of amazing experiences and revelations, showcasing a man who in his own words, "wanted to take a bite out of life."

In this fascinating documentary, Wrangler looks back over his life, and his wild, unpredictable career and life is recounted in this funny, smart and sexy film. He had invented himself and had great determination. Even though the porn industry is part of his past, people will always refer to him as a former porn star. It is easy on the drama and tells us a lot of the obvious. Interesting though, is to hear him finally explain his marriage to Margaret Whiting and how that has worked all these years. Some of the comments he makes in interviews in the DVD "extras" section are more interestesing than those included in the film. Jeffrey Schwarz directed.

Sun Kissed (2007)

The movie opens with a very good-looking man driving a truck along a desert highway. It is Teddy Rappaport (John Ort), a young aspiring writer on his way to his professor's isolated house to complete his first novel. He stops to pick up Leo Spaulding (Gregory Marcel), a handsome man waiting at a bus stop and the the mysterious caretaker of the house. When Leo and Teddy first meet they have sex after a beautiful interlude in the sun. Thus begins a romance which is filmed as soft core porn. Layers of memory and hallucination unfold that intertwine the two men. This is is the only part of the film that seems real.

Suddenly the plot switches both locations and chronologies and no explanation is given why. What could have been a beautiful love story becomes nonsense and questions are left unanswered, and even if we knew the answers I don't think we would care. When Teddy attempts a drunken seduction, Leo reveals a murky, mysterious and possibly dangerous past. What is the true nature of Leo’s relationship with Crispin (George Stoll), the older gay gentleman who owns the desert house where the two young men are staying? We witness Leo's slow sexual awakening, in painful conflict with his prejudices, obsessed with the idea "I am not homosexual." It is the supposed heterosexual who appears inwardly divided, in contrast to Teddy who knows that he is "completely" gay and draws an inner balance from this consciousness, in spite of his moments of despair. The loneliness of this couple in the middle of the loneliness of nature creates lots of atmosphere.

Intrigue and surrealist imagery dominate this gay-themed drama. Contemporary issues of sexuality, identity and creativity are explored through the young men's quests for love and intimacy. However, a plot with possibilities has poor and clumsy editing, horrible close-ups, and the overuse of the word "amazing". "Sun Kissed" is not a good movie. Typical viewer comments are "This is a nothing movie with a nothing story that feels and looks like a bad high school play" and "The quality of the film was horrible, sections of the movie must have been filmed with an 8 mm camera." It does have redeeming features though: good looking men, nudity and great music. Rockers "The Sea and the Cake" supply the music and if the songs were not there the plot would have been a disaster and the underlying bisexual theme would have suffered. Yet the music alone cannot make a good movie. It seems to be an Irish stew that would be a fine short, but as a full length film it falls flat. Of course, it does have some admirers. Patrick McGuinn wrote the screenplay and directed. He is the son of former "Byrds" rock band member Roger McGuinn.

Via Appia (1990)

Via Appia is the nickname of a Rio district where male prostitutes hang out. There German flight attendant Frank (Peter Senner) hires Mario (Luiz Kleber), a young hustler for a one night stand. Before Mario departs the next morning, he leaves a message scrawled in soap on the bathroom mirror: "Welcome to the AIDS club" before stealing Frank's camera and disappearing. The HIV-infected former Lufthansa steward hooks up with a filmmaker who thinks it's a good idea to film Frank's return to Brazil in search of this guy. We get to see the mean streets of Brazil, the boys who earn their living there, and the sex tourists who prey upon them as they are in turn preyed upon. Probably the most interesting aspects of the film involve a savvy Brazilian boy of the streets who attaches himself to the filming party and joins the search. The film crew looks for Mario, and Frank with his director and the fast talking hustler José (Guilherme di Padua) try to find Mario--who always seems to have just left whenever they arrive.

This is an interesting documentary based on the misfortunes of a gay flight attendant who likes to vacation in Brazil. The documentary is somewhat slow at certain points but it is all in context and helps to portray Frank's desperation. There is a lot of nudity and tends to show the stereotypical gay persona of man as sexual predator, but over-all the insight into the hidden side of Brazilian culture and the thought-provoking subject matter make it worthwhile. The film is no longer as topical as when it was first made because the mystery surrounding the disease has been reduced. Charly Schöppner composed the original music, and Jochen Hick wrote the screenplay and directed. Filmed in German and Portuguese with English subtitles.

Coffee Date (2006)

Straight-laced Todd (Jonathan Bray) arrives at a cafe for a blind date with Kelly (Wilson Cruz), whom he expects to be a girl. When Kelly turns out to be a hunky gay man, Todd discovers that he has been the victim of a prank by his brother Barry (Jonathan Silverman), who had placed an ad for his romance-starved straight brother on an internet "M4M" message board. Todd's mundane world is quickly turned inside out and he finds out that he has a lot of interests in common with his new gay friend. They decide to get revenge on Barry by pretending they are actually now a gay couple.

When Todd brings Kelly home, he sneaks out the window so Barry believes Todd spent the night with a man. It works too well, since Barry won't believe that Todd isn't really gay, and moves out of Todd's apartment. The joke soon goes further than they expected when Todd's family and friends all believe him to be gay. Everybody including his mother try to thrust him towards this new romantic endeavor. Todd continues to go with Kelly, and occasionally his friends, to see a movie, have a drink or coffee, and when the office gossip monger Clayton (Jason Stuart) sees Todd with a group of gay men, he "outs" him to everyone else at work, who accept and embrace the revelation. Despite his repeated attempts to prove otherwise, Todd soon finds himself doubting his own sexuality, and feelings toward Kelly.

"Coffee Date" is a fast-paced light hearted comedy filled with sexual shenanigans of a misguided kind. It handles the simplistic slapstick plot with realism, warmth and humor, showing the boundaries of friendship, sex and human compassion. The Village Voice calls it, "A warmhearted tale carried by genuine affection and a charming cast." It's great to see two of the top gay actors play gay characters in a gay film. In addition to acting in the film, Deborah Gibson (Melissa) wrote and performed the closing credits song. Originally a 2001 short film by writer/director Stewart Wade, it was expanded into a feature and played at various film festivals. Eban Schletter composed the original music, and Stewart Wade wrote the screenplay and directed.

Breakfast with Scot (2007)

Eric McNally (Thomas Cavanagh) is a gay retired hockey player turned TV sportscaster who lives with his partner Sam (Ben Shenkman), a sports lawyer. When Sam unexpectedly becomes the temporary legal guardian of his brother's stepson Scot (Noah Bernett), an 11-year-old orphan whose mother died of a drug overdose, their lives are turned upside down. The mother was the common-law wife of Sam’s brother Billy (Colin Cunningham), who left for Brazil promising to return and leaving the boy in the custody of child services. Scot is an effeminate sissy who loves boas, beads and Broadway musicals. The presence in Eric's home of an auburn-haired girlie-boy with a flouncing gait threatens his masculine self-image, not to mention his reputation as a macho sports hero. What makes Eric’s situation confusing is that his colleagues in broadcasting all know he is gay. Eric even admits that during his years as a professional player he was nicknamed Erica.

Sam believes Scot’s fondness for dressing up in his mother’s clothes and jewels and donning make-up is an unconscious expression of his grief and loneliness, a way of staying by her side. The impulsive kiss that Eric plants on Sam’s lips at a party late in the movie comes across more as an expression of horror than as a sign of his liberation from homophobia. He doesn’t begin to bond with Scot until he discovers that the boy can skate. At last he can both play surrogate father and demonstrate traditional manhood by channeling the boy’s twirling and dipping figure-skating talent toward hockey. Eric's unwillingness to become a parent eventually fades as Scot teaches Eric about accepting and loving your true self.

"Breakfast with Scot" is derived from the 2001 novel by Michael Downing, and viewers who have read the book are quite disappointed with this film. In the book the couple are a chiropractor and an editor at an Italian art magazine in Cambridge, Mass. The movie changes their occupations and moves the story to Toronto, Canada. It's a comedy with a message, quite well done in all departments. Damian Rogers wrote it's "a good-natured film about tolerance, acceptance and just being yourself." Robert Carli composed the original music, and Sean Reycraft wrote the screenplay based on Michael Downing's novel. Laurie Lynd directed.

KM.0 (2000)

The title refers to Madrid's central square, from which all distances within Spain are measured. Zero may also describe the state of the lives and stories of the 14 lonely strangers whose lives intersect and collide at this popular meeting point on a sweltering August afternoon. Chaos ensues when four pairs of strangers each make plans to meet. Mistaken identities and second chances are among the results of this comedy of errors featuring horny gay university student Máximo (Armando del Río), an internet-love seeking flamenco dancer (Victor Ullate Jr.), macho lovelorn gigolo Miguel (Jesús Cabrero), an actress, and a businessman starved for new sexual experiences. A young film director (Carlos Fuentes) arrives in town to meet his sister's friend, hooker Tatiana (Elisa Matilla) waits for her next trick, a woman married to a workaholic husband hires a male escort, a young woman whose fiancé is a morose waiter at a Km.0 bar and her younger sister appear, and then there's the male escort's roommate Benjamín (Miguel García). Multiple cases of mistaken identity lead almost everyone to the wrong pairing, and ultimately all 14 strangers become involved in this tangle of love and lust.

Several locals become drawn into the mix as well, including a local bartender (Alberto San Juan) who dreams of owning his own business, the bartender's shallow, robbery-prone fiancée Amor (Silke Klein) and her younger sister, a police officer (Roberto Álamo) with impulse control issues, and a mysterious stranger who seems rather bemused by the whole scenario. Sexuality is celebrated in all forms, including physical relations between older women and younger men, friendly intimacy and flirting between straight men and gay men, and the goal of helping a prostitute to earn what she's worth, rather than rescuing her from the profession. At first glance, all the connections may seem a little confusing, but the pacing is steady and the characters larger than life, so you never have that much trouble following all the diverse episodes. There are also various subplots that effectively bounce off each intersection of the characters.

The plot is contrived, the coincidences abound, but the characters find unexpected love and rejoice in the rain. It's a sweet film, fun and sexy without becoming overly graphic, politically incorrect, a romantic drama where the topic of sex pops up constantly, with very unexpected twists and turns that are woven into the plot. "KM.0" is a fast-paced, creative and warmly captivating farce the shows that serendipity, providence, and life's choices and coincidences can sneak up on us when we least expect it. The characters are genuine and likable, and the direction and cinematography are very good. It has a refreshingly earnest sexual frankness, which is both hip and cute at the same time. Joan Bibiloni composed the music, and both Yolanda García Serrano and Juan Luis Iborra wrote the screenplay and directed. In Spanish with English subtitles.

The Boondock Saints (1999)

The film opens with mass in a Boston Catholic church. Twin brothers Conner MacManus (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy MacManus (Norman Reedus) pray while a sermon is read. As the priest begins his homily, the brothers approach the altar. They depart as the priest reminds the congregation that they should fear not just evil but also the "indifference of good men". The brothers conclude that the priest finally understands, with Conner saying, "I do believe the Monsignor's finally got the point." Murphy replies, "Aye".

Conner and Murphy work at a local meatpacking plant. While celebrating St. Patrick's Day in a neighborhood bar, three Russian "soldiers", led by Ivan Checkov (Scott Griffith), enter and order everyone to leave. In the ensuing bar brawl, Conner, Murphy, and the patrons humiliate the mobsters, who the next day ambush the brothers in their home. Murphy is dragged into a nearby alley to be executed, but Conner escapes to the roof and drops down with a toilet off the roof and onto the mobsters, killing them and rescuing Murphy.

The Russian mob's involvement summons flamboyantly gay FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) to the murder case, and he surmises that the mobsters' death was not a professional hit but self-defense. As the police begin a manhunt for the killers, Conner and Murphy arrive at the police station to clear their names. During the initial interrogation, the brothers impress Smecker with their multilingualism (including Gaelic, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, and German) while explaining the bar fight and subsequent self-defense the next morning. Smecker believes their story and allows them to stay overnight in a holding cell to evade the press. That night, Conner and Murphy receive a vision from God telling them to destroy all that is evil so that which is good may flourish.

The brothers resolve to rid Boston of "evil men" with the help of their friend and former mob package boy David "The Funnyman" Della Rocco (David Della Rocco). The brothers trade in the weapons and valuables stolen from the mobsters' bodies for their own, and use Conner's knowledge of Russian to locate a meeting between Russian syndicate bosses at a local hotel. Crashing into the room through an overhead air duct, the brothers draw their guns and fire, killing the 8 underbosses. Forcing the leader, Yuri "Fat Man" Petrova (Victor Pedtrchenko), who was the brothers' main target, to his knees, the brothers recite a short prayer.

Then they execute him, placing pennies over his eye sockets, in which both of his eyes were shot out. While the brothers are preparing to leave the hotel, they are surprised to find Rocco dressed as a bellboy knocking at the door with a tray of food. They pull him into the room, concealing their identity with masks, and threaten to execute him. Rocco, who is begging for mercy, says he was sent as backup by Italian mob boss Papa Joe Yakavetta (Carlo Rota). Eventually they reveal their identity to Rocco, who becomes appalled at seeing the dead Russian bodies in the room. Once again, Agent Smecker is brought to the front of the murder case. Smecker's theory is that the executions were the result of the feud between the Russian and Italian mobs.

The next day, the brothers try to convince Rocco that he was sold out by Papa Joe, because he was sent to the hotel with a six-shooter despite the fact there were 9 mobsters in the hotel room. Rocco soon realizes this after killing two of Yakavetta's men at a deli later on, who hint to Rocco that he really was sold out. In retaliation, Rocco and the brothers hunt down and kill Vincenzo Lipazzi (Ron Jeremy), underboss of the Yakavetta crime family at a local strip club. Also killed at the Strip Club are two street criminals with no connection to organized crime (thus disproving Smecker's mob war theory). The three vigilantes proceed on a series of increasingly violent missions, cleansing the city of criminals and others who have eluded justice. Papa Joe, believing that the mob killings are an act of revenge from Rocco, contracts the infamous contract killer Il Duce (Billy Connolly), to deal with the package boy.

As Smecker and his team investigate the scene of the killing of Lipazzi, Smecker is informed of the shooting that took place earlier in the day at the deli. However he is unable to connect this incident to the one at the strip club because at first one of Smecker's men said the shootings were not related, but Smecker realizes that different weapons were used at the deli. Rocco used a six-shooter at the deli, while he and the brothers later on used silenced pistols at the strip club. Smecker reveals that the shootings were related due to the fact that there were no witnesses at either scene, though at the strip club there was a stripper who went unconscious before Lipazzi was murdered. Angering Smecker, he leaves the deli and he warns that there will soon be related shootings carried out by the three vigilantes.

Rocco insist that he and the brothers murder a hitman that Rocco had briefly worked with. According to Rocco, the man was responsible for murdering an entire family and had burned their remains in a dumpster. They head to the hitman's house and murder all of his men. After a hand-to-hand fight, Rocco beats the hitman to death with a cue ball. As they leave the hitman's house through the front door, the trio is ambushed by Il Duce, and in a shootout the trio chase Il Duce away. Rocco's finger is shot off and each of the brothers receive serious gunshot wounds which they cauterize with a hot iron. Hours later at the crime scene, Smecker discovers the finger and takes it to conduct his own investigation. Discovering that it belongs to Rocco, whom he previously met, Smecker begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the various murders.

His sympathy for the brothers conflicting with his professional desire to bring them to justice, Smecker, who is homosexual, goes to a gay bar, gets drunk, and seeks advice from a nearby Catholic church. Bemoaning the futility of the courts that fail to punish evil men and his uncertainty with the MacManus brothers' actions in a confessional, Smecker is oblivious to the fact that Rocco, who has tracked Smecker to the church, is forcefully directing the priest's responses to preserve the Boondock Saints' identities. Conner sees Rocco follow the priest into the confessional and, disgusted with the blasphemy, pulls Rocco's head through the other confessional at gun point. In whispered tones, Rocco tries to explain to Conner the circumstance while still holding his gun to the priest's head. Smecker is advised, reluctantly by the priest, that the Saints are acting as messengers from God and that "the laws of God are greater than the laws of man." Inspired by the advice, Smecker decides to help the brothers.

Then the brothers contact Smecker on the phone and inform him that they, along with Rocco, would finish off Papa Joe Yakavetta that night. Things at first go to plan that night as the brothers and Rocco infiltrate the Yakavetta headquarters to finish off the family, but are captured by Papa Joe and his henchmen who recently arrived to protect Papa Joe. When Papa Joe comes down to the basement, Rocco curses him. Papa Joe decides to execute Rocco to intimidate the brothers, who free themselves and tend to Rocco while Smecker, disguised as a female prostitute, distracts the other mobsters. Smecker kills the remaining mobsters only to be knocked unconscious by Il Duce who mistakes Smecker for a woman. As the brothers say their family prayer over Rocco, Il Duce arrives and sneaks up behind them.

As he hears them recite the family prayer and sees that the man he was hired to kill (Rocco) is dead, he lowers his weapons and joins them. It becomes apparent that Il Duce is their long-lost father, as the brothers had previously refused to teach Rocco the prayer because it is only passed down in their family. He then joins them in their mission to rid the city of evildoers.

Three months later Papa Joe is sent to trial, and though there seems to be enough evidence to convict him, the reporters on scene anticipate his acquittal due to his charisma. The trial is forcibly interrupted when the two brothers and Il Duce, aided by Smecker and several police officers, infiltrate and lock down the courtroom. The three then publicly declare their mission to destroy evil and recite their prayer one last time, killing Papa Joe with several bullets. The media dubs the three "Saints", and the movie ends with various "man-on-the-street" interviews in which various Boston citizens reflect on the question "Are the Saints ultimately good or evil?"

"The Boondock Saints" is very watchable and keeps the viewer interested throughout with a strong story, frequent black humour and interesting visuals. Willem Dafoe steals the show and David Della Rocco is also very good. It's funny, touching, and even moving occasionally, not very politically correct, the acting is competent, with a clever balance of humor and tension, with phoney Irish accents. This gangster film may carry a message about self-help justice with elements of comedy, tragedy and morality. The "f" word is used almost 250 times, and the movie has received poor reviews from critics who bitch about poor acting, a sketchy plot, and too much violence. Jeff Danna composed the music, and Troy Duffy wrote the screenplay and directed.

Socket (2007)

Dr. Bill Mathews (Derek Long) is a surgeon who is struck by lightning and winds up recovering in the hospital where he also works. There he meets a mysterious, sexy intern named Craig (Matthew Montgomery) who suffered the same natural accident and has developed an appetite for electrical voltage. After meeting him Bill realizes he has the same craving. Craig slips him a card inviting him to a meeting of "people just like us." In this underground group Bill finds other survivors who have been electrocuted in various ways and the members are now addicted to the electric current. The electrical sex-addicts can only get off by plugging in--plugging into electrical sockets that is.

Not only does Bill become hooked, his relationship with sexy Craig ignites, setting a chain of events into shocking motion. Soon the two develop an insatiable appetite for wall sockets and each other, but it's not enough for Bill. Using his gifted talents as a surgeon, this doctor will stop at nothing to find the ultimate charge. Bill uses his surgical knowledge to come up with a method of inserting electric sockets and prongs into the members' wrists so they can "juice up". But after Bill accidentally discovers that he can mainline electricity from living people, he becomes hooked on absorbing this particular kind of power. When the ultimate quest for pleasure goes too far, the results are shocking.

An erotic sci-fi fantasy like no other, a pair of gay lovers literally get a jolt as they plug in for pleasure. To say this goes beyond the usual coming-of-age or romantic comedy gay movies is an understatement. It's surely one of the most original films in its genre, fusing the usual hot gay men and lots of nudity with electricity fetishes and erotic sci-fi. The premise that men who are struck by lightening develop an insatiable addiction to electricity is silly, but when the film is this much fun, it doesn't matter. Dark and sexual, fairly low-budget, but always entertaining, it really offers something different. "Socket" is reportedly the first gay sci-fi thriller, and is also unique in that it is a film where the sexuality of the four lead characters is irrelevant to the somewhat confusing plot. There are too many flashbacks, and viewers seem to be mostly disappointed with the acting and the entire film. Jennifer Kes Remington composed the music, and Sean Abley wrote the screenplay and directed.

Sex Life in L.A. (1998) #2 (2005)

Michael Sullivan narrates this German-made English language film, a downbeat documentary about male sex for sale in LA. The focus is on 9 diverse interview subjects, including muscular HIV-positive real estate broker Cole Tucker, actor Matt Bradshaw, fashion model Tony Ward (Madonna's former lover and contributer to her "Justify My Love" video), photographer Rick Castro, performance artist Ron Athey, and homeless hustlers David and Patrick. The 9 men want to have successful lives, and it's a film about survival, fashion models, hustlers, porn actors, photographers and performance artists. They all work with their bodies to realize their dreams and each dream is different. The film shows the most intimate views of their lives behind cover photographs. It includes very private parts of Tony Ward and his story of success and failure in Hollywood. Shot on 16 mm film.

"Sex/Life in L.A. 2: Cycles of Porn" is a follow up and another revealing glimpse of a world where sex, art and business collide in LA. The film begins with a look behind the scenes at Chi Chi LaRue's "Live and Raw Hotel", a hotel filled with webcams and host to a group of boys, filming every moment for the world to see. Produced 7 years after the filmmaker's first documentary portrait, director Jochen Hick checks up with some of his previous subjects: Adult film stars Kevin Kramer, Cole Tucker and Matt Bradshaw.

Surprisingly Cole Tucker is not like his onscreen persona and it is nice to see what a down to earth man he is, much like the rest of them. But sexuality is constantly evolving, and styles, tastes and even new technology are providing a new supply of up-and-coming talent. Hick deftly explores a culture in which young men occupy a house outfitted with webcams for a sexy chat site, and nomad filmmakers rove the country looking for impromptu stars of their condom-free "bareback films". The dreams, disappointments and unwavering reality of the gay adult industry are all opened up with insight and humor in this interesting film. Sex parties, drugs, and more sex round out the film that just begins to scrape the surface.

The documentaries waste no time in introducing us to a mixed bag of current and former gay sex workers, all of whom are affiliated with the porn industry. The more intelligent of these young men seem particularly sad because even when they're expressing their hopes and dreams for a different future, they don't seem to really believe that they'll get it. They're barely legal age, yet they've already developed a mature cynicism. The least appetizing portion of the second film depicts one of the young men from the "hotel" going to a sex party with a group of older men who are sucking on pipefulls of crystal meth, very disturbing considering one of the young participants from the first film had died from a combination of crystal meth and heroin.

Walking a fine line between pathos and humor, the older porn stars first chronicled in Hick's initial film, emerge as older, somewhat different people than they were seven years earlier. Cole Tucker shows up as a stable businessman involved in a long-term relationship, appreciative of his experiences in the porn industry, but mature enough to accept the need to move on. Living with his sister in bible-thumping Baton Rouge, La., Matt Bradshaw seems resigned to his current circumstances, to the point of being almost evasive about much of his experience as a performer in porn movies.

The bareback production team from Hot Desert Knights, a specialty film company, hires men in the same age bracket as Cole Tucker. They seem happy and contented with their lives, despite the fact that all are admittedly HIV-positive. These men have confidence and maturity, with no tinge of the bitterness and cynicism of their younger counterparts. There are brief scenes of hardcore sex, but these guys are mostly dull. A bit higher IQ for the subjects would have been more interesting. There's not much introspection or thought here. The high points of the film are a bathtub masturbation scene including "the money shot" by very tired looking model Tony Ward, and self mutilation scenes by performer Ron Athey. James Hardway/Harrow composed the music, and Jochen Hick wrote the screenplay and directed.

Naked Boys Singing! (2007)

Ten men pick up where "The Full Monty" left off. First, they shed their clothes as they enter LA's Hayworth Theater. Once on stage, they start the party with the The Chorus Line-like come-on, "Tonight you finally get what you paid for!" Throughout the set, the diverse array of physically fit men discuss topics ranging from nude housekeeping (Kevin Stea's "Naked Maid") to cultural traditions (Joe Souza's "The Bliss of Bris"). It's lighthearted and upbeat. Most of the 16 songs are basically show-tunes, with the exception of Jaymes Hodges's country-flavored "Nothin' but the Radio On" and Anthony Manough's disco-oriented "Muscle Addiction."

Some performances are solo. Others include two or more participants, such as the locker room lament "Fight the Urge" and the opening salvo "Gratuitous Nudity." Gay-friendly and body-positive, "Naked Boys Singing!" is truth in advertising. The show was recorded in front of a live audience and the entire repertoire--except Jason Currie's soft-shoe "Robert Mitchum"--features full-frontal nudity. You'll get a charge from "Gratuitous Nudity", and "Perky Little Porn Star" all performed entirely in the nude. The musicians of rock band Barenaked Ladies perform fully clothed, whereas the "happy Hollywood hyphenates" perform fully un-clothed.

"Naked Boys Singing!" is a musical comedy film adaptation of the 1998 off-Broadway stage musical of the same name. The play first went "full-frontal" at Los Angeles' Celebration Theater in 1998. Since its raucous debut, the revealing revue has dropped its drawers for eager audiences around the world and was voted best musical by "LA Weekly" and "Backstage West". This long-running musical review sparkles with memorable tunes and vibrant dance numbers most will enjoy over and over again. Alternately campy and coy, smirky and serious, the 16 original songs (newly arranged by Troy Christian) celebrate the male anatomy and the gay lifestyle with playful wit and bold explicitness. Sound quality is excellent, cinematography is tastefully well-done, and quiet moments are few. With its complete lack of sleaze, it is more likely to have you pondering the cast members’ skin care routines than their vital statistics. And though stage shows are always best experienced live, the DVD version offers the advantages of "pause" and "zoom". Brought to you by the producers of "Latter Days" and "Adam & Steve", this electrifying filmed performance brims with excitement, fervor and sexy naked men.

The Cast

* Kevin Alexander Stea as Naked Maid
* Joe Souza as Bliss of a Bris
* Phong Truong as Window to the Soul
* Jason Currie as Entertainer
* Joseph Keane as Perky Porn Star
* Anthony Manough as Muscle Addiction
* Andrew Blake Ames as Jack's Song
* Vincent Zamora as Window to Window
* Jaymes Hodges as Nothin' but the Radio On
* Salvatore Vassallo as Conductor

The screenplay (including music and lyrics) was written by Stephen Bates, Marie Cain, Shelly Markham, David Pevsner, Mark Savage, Robert Schrock, Rayme Sciaroni, Trance Thompson, Bruce Vilanch, and Mark Winkler. Robert Schrock and Troy Christian directed.

Wie die Karnickel (2002)

Horst Bömmelburg's (Michael Lott) relationship with his girlfriend Vera Malkowski (Anna Böttcher) is stressful and unsatisfactory in every way. When Vera finds a pornographic film in the trash, she leaves him and moves in with her mother. Horst makes friends with his new gay neighbour Siggi (Sven Walser), who introduces him to a new and much more relaxed perspective on his sex drive. At the same time he starts an affair with the famous soprano singer Kriemhild Nastrowa (Andreja Schneider), who is guesting with the orchestra that Horst is playing basoon in.

Vera does not know any of this and on her friend Gilla Bienentreu's (Elke Czischek) advice, attempts to seduce Horst over dinner with sexy lingerie. However, the attempt fails miserably. Gilla then introduces Vera to Gudrun Benningsdorf (Mina Tander) and Britta, editors of “Xanthippe”, a feminist magazine. They interpret Vera's story in their own way and publish an article in which Horst is presented as an inconsiderate “offender”.

Soon, Vera turns up at Horst and Siggi’s flat party. When Horst makes an attempt at lessening Vera’s feelings of humiliation from the disasterous dinner, she kicks him in the groin and walks out of the party. On the same evening, Kriemhild ends her affair with Horst, who is feeling rather relieved, as her insatiable sexual appetite was beginning to exhaust him. Kriemhild marries the geriatric conducter of the orchestra, Zacharias Brettschneider (Jochen Stern), who arranges a job for her at the Scala.

Siggi has just split up with his longterm partner Hubert (Heinrich Schmieder), and lives his life between one night stands and the desire to return to him. When his mother announces a visit, he plans to finally come out to her and present Hubert as his steady partner. However, he declines and a one night stand is asked instead. When Siggi's mother (Irmhild Wagner) visits, Hubert unexpectedly does appear, thereby blowing Siggi's cover, and on top of this is starting an affair with Benno (Alfonso Losa).

Horst admits his passion for porn star Kelly Trump (herself) to Siggi. Without Horst knowing, Siggi signs him up to be a guest on the trashy talkshow "Catch your Dreams", where Kelly Trump and another actress, as well as the editors of Xantippe magazine are also invited. Horst arrives with Siggi as a supposed audience member, and when he is asked on stage, he is publicly exposed as addicted to pornography. The talkshow host introduces the other guests and does his best to play everyone off against each other.

Siggi had only wanted to help Horst meet Kelly, and so tries to leave the live show with him. Vera suddenly turns up, having watched the show at home. She had become so enraged when the distorted relationship in Xanthippe was read out on TV, that she rushes into the studio to set things right. While angry discussions are raging on stage, Vera starts to make friends with Kelly Trump, and Horst returns to the show. He demands to know what all the fuss has been about and asks everyone in the audience who has seen a porn movie to stand up. After some hesitation the entire room ends up standing. After the show Vera and Horst make peace and agree that their relationship had no real basis. Vera goes to the pub with Kelly, and Horst and Siggi go home contemplating.

"Wie die Karnickel" is a charming, straight forward, light-hearted comedy full of clichés about the heterosexual and gay world. A version was released in the US with the title "Maybe, Maybe Not..." starring Til Schweiger. Unlike that movie, this one has not yet been released in the U.S.A. It's sort of based on the comic book, "Wie die Karnickel" created by Ralf König, although this time the script was written by König first, then published as a comic. Marius Ruhland composed the original music, and Sven Unterwaldt Jr. directed. In German.

Creatures from the Pink Lagoon (2006)

In a small town in 1967, young sissy Phillip (Nick Garrison) is about to celebrate his birthday at the beach house owned by his best friend Stan (Lowell Deo). All of Phillip's friends are gathered for the party, including Stan's hunky boyfriend Billy (Vincent Kovar), Billy's shy nerdy cousin Joseph (Evan Mosher), who is attracted to Phillip, and Randall (Philip D. Clarke), the chain-smoking queen of the bunch who insults the others, especially his boyfriend-du-jour, Gary (John Kaufmann), who is instantly smitten by Billy. Phillip's friends want to convince him to drop Billy, who is cheating on him.

Unfortunately, the chemical plant near a cruising highway rest stop has mutated the local mosquitos, so that anyone bitten becomes a raving, undead flesh-eating zombie. A horde of horny gay men are turned into ravenous cannibalistic zombies by the toxic mosquitoes and are making their way towards Phillip's party, eating every man in their path. They have attitude, a dislike of cheap cologne, and an appreciation for showtunes and Judy Garland. With body parts washing up on shore and party guests disappearing, our heroes must find a way to stop the zombie attack.

This homage to the schlock horror classics of the 1950's and 60's never takes itself seriously. It's "Night of the Living Dead" meets "Boys in the Band", and is irreverent, outrageous, cheesy, very campy, and not politically correct. Shot in black & white and made on a shoestring budget by a group of Seattle stage performers, it features a simplistic plot, unspecial effects, and enthusiastic performers, who obviously had a lot of fun making this film. DVD extras include trailers, deleted scenes, a "making of" featurette, a previous short by the director (and one of the stars, in drag) for Seattle's 2004 gay pride, production stills, plus crew and actor commentaries. David Maddux composed the original music for this droll melodrama. The screenplay was written by Basil Harris and Chris Diani, who also directed. It is Diani's first feature film.

Leaving Metropolis (2002)

David (Troy Ruptash) is a successful painter who has lost his inspiration. To find stimulation he takes a job as a waiter. His friend and roommate Shannon (Thom Allison), a pre-op male-to-female transsexual, stumbles across the Main St. Diner, owned by hunky Matt (Vince Corazza) and Violet (Lynda Boyd), who are looking for a waiter. David gets hired and quickly becomes close with the couple, although they don't know of his career in the art community and are surprised to learn that he's gay. David's friend Kryla (Cherilee Taylor), a columnist for the Winnipeg Tribune is an aging, bitter, fag-hag journalist. She tracks David down at the diner against his wishes. David demands that she write up the diner in her column, which she does, and the diner's business picks up considerably.

Shannon, whose sex reassignment surgery has been repeatedly delayed because of her HIV-positive status, becomes ill. David has a painting installed and Kryla gets his photo in the paper. Matt and Violet see the photo and realize that he's famous. David and Matt start hanging out. Matt, who had tried his hand at drawing comic books, pesters David to show him his paintings but David resists. Matt confesses that he had once fallen in love with another man in college although he hadn't acted on it. David, finding himself drawn to Matt, paints him nude, although Matt doesn't pose. He tells Matt that there's a painting he needs to see. Matt comes to David's place and sees the painting. He becomes aroused and the two begin an affair. Sparks fly, but the portraits he paints of Matt may break the couple apart.

David paints two more portraits of Matt, who still doesn't actually pose. Kryla and Shannon hail them as his best work and ask him to exhibit them, but Matt is nervous about how Violet would react and makes him promise not to. They love each other, but keep the relationship secret because of the disapproval Kryla expresses to David at the idea of him sleeping with a married man.

Kryla discovers the affair when she walks in on David and Matt having sex. Matt tells David that he lied about loving him and escapes. In the aftermath of the affair, Shannon convinces David to break his promise and exhibit the paintings. He does so under the title "Straightman". When Matt learns of the show he confronts David, first threatening to destroy the paintings and then offering himself again sexually. David contemptuously dismisses him. Matt tells Violet about the paintings and about the affair and admits that he is in love with David. She demands a divorce.

Shannon has grown progressively more ill, and decides to take her life. As she dies, David runs into Kryla at a bar and they have a bitter fight. Violet attends the opening but merely tells David that the paintings are very good. As she leaves, Matt arrives and she refuses to give him another chance. After the opening Matt again approaches David who also rebuffs him. At the film's end, Matt has left town. David has also decided to leave, but he and Kryla reconcile.

Sex and emotions fill the screen in this film set against the backdrop of several events in the fictional life of "Superman" in the early 1990s, including his revealing his secret identity and marriage to Lois Lane and "The Death of Superman" storyline. The events in the comics parallel events in the lives of the characters. Filled with very much gay and straight sex, "Leaving Metropolis" pays as much attention to the character's minds as to their flesh. Some of the script's metaphors are a little clumsy, but the psychology is convincing. It is stereotypical in that the gay character has a roommate who is HIV-positive and a transexual, and the character he falls in love with is a straight man who is confused, but really wants to stay with the wife. However, it is a story of infatuation on both sides of the relationship and it is entertaining to watch the story unfold. Filmed in Winnipeg, Canada, the screenplay was adapted by Brad Fraser from his play "Poor Super Man". Dennis Burke composed the music, and Brad Fraser directed.

Dead Boyz Don't Scream (2006)

During a photo shoot with photographer Roz (Monique Parent) in an isolated spot, the country's top male models are turning up naked and dead during a western-themed photo shoot complete with fake guns and cowboy hats--and little else in the way of costumes. The gay hunks are brutally murdered by an unseen mysterious killer who turns the photo shoot into a bloodbath. Who would want to murder these perfect, muscular pretty boys? They may be a little self-involved and clueless, but that's no reason to take an axe to them! Fearless lesbian talent agent Tess Oster (Victoria Redstall) and her forest ranger girlfriend, Belle Van Dyke (Gina Marie Gian), must stop the slaughter before there are no models left to shoot. As they are picked off one by one, Oster and Van Dyke investigate.

In this homoerotic slasher movie, a deliberately silly and campy script provides plenty of laughs to go along with the deliciously naked men. From the producers of "Leather Jacket Love Story" and "Sharpshooter" soft-core erotic films, "Dead Boyz Don't Scream" has some of the hottest flesh in gay films. It's a raucous thrill ride through the dark side of male modeling filled with gratuitous nudity, politically incorrect violence, and lesbians with guns. The movie stars men’s magazine models Christian Mousel (Christian), Zack Vazquez (Anthony), and Reid Hutchins (Joey), and scream queen Monique Parent ("Mirror Mirror III") as Roz in the story of a photo shoot that turns into a bloodbath when a mysterious killer comes calling. The lesbians are basically the heroes, but the focus is on the top male models from the pages of "Playgirl" and "Men's Workout".

The unrated DVD presents the movie, which has played numerous festivals across the U.S. and overseas, in widescreen with the following extras: Producer’s audio commentary, behind-the-scenes material, cast interviews, bonus footage from the “hot” scenes, and trailers. In what could have been titled "So Many Dicks, so Little Script", a gaggle of male models shamelessly parade their jewels in a manner that is soon tiresome and sexless. Like the majority of male strippers everywhere, most are straight and toned--not queer and tempting. Once the murders begin, lesbians come to the rescue. Bill Newlin composed the original music, there is no screenwriter credit, and Marc Saltarelli directed.

La Mala Educación (2004)

In the early 1960s, two school boys Ignacio Rodriguez (Francisco Boira) and Enrique Goded (Fele Martínez), discover love, cinema, and fear in a religious school. Padre Manolo (Daniel Giménez Cacho), the school principal and their literature teacher, is witness to and part of these discoveries. On discovering the two boys' affection for each other, the priest, who is himself engrossed with Ignacio, is jealous and threatens to expel Enrique as a "bad influence". In an attempt to prevent this Ignacio promises to do whatever the priest asks of him. After molesting Ignacio, the priest expels Enrique anyway.

The film jumps to the 1980s with the boys now young adults. In Madrid, Ignacio (Gael García Bernal) lands on the doorstep of Enrique (Nacho Pérez), who is now a famous filmmaker. Ignacio is an aspiring actor with the stage name Ángel Andrade. He has a semi-autobiographical manuscript which he hopes Enrique will turn into a screenplay and cast him in one of the major roles. The short story is about their time at the Catholic school together and the physical and sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Padre Manolo. It also includes a fictionalized account of their reunion after all those years.

Enrique wants to adapt Ignacio's story into a film, but "Ignacio's" condition is that he play the part of Zahara, the transsexual lead. Enrique remains skeptical, for he feels that the Ignacio whom he loved and the Ignacio of today are totally different people. He drives to Galicia to Ignacio's mother and learns that the real Ignacio has been dead for four years and that the man who came to his office is really Ignacio's younger brother, Juan.

Enrique's interest is piqued, and he decides to do the movie with Juan in the role of Ignacio to find out what drives Juan. Enrique and "Ignacio" start a relationship, and Enrique revises the script so that it ends with Padre Manolo, whom Ignacio was trying to blackmail to get money for sex reassignment surgery, having Ignacio murdered. When the scene is shot, "Ignacio" breaks out in tears unexpectedly.

The movie set is visited by Manuel Berenguer (Lluís Homar), who is none other than the real Padre Manolo, who has resigned from Church duty. Manuel confesses to Enrique that the new ending of the film is not far from the truth: the real Ignacio blackmailed Manuel, who somehow managed to scratch together the money but also took an interest in Ignacio's younger brother Juan. Juan and Manuel started a relationship and after a while realized they both wanted to see Ignacio dead. Juan scored some very pure heroin, so that his brother would die by overdose after shooting up.

Enrique is shocked and not at all interested in Juan's weak vindications for what he did to his brother. Finally, before he leaves, Juan gives Enrique a piece of paper: a letter to Enrique that Ignacio was in the middle of typing when he died.

"La Mala Educación" is a potent, complex, twisty, sexually provocative thriller very similar to a Hitchcock film. It features a gender-bending performance from Gael Garcia-Bernal, and an ingenious convoluted plot. It's a remarkably creative comment on sexual abuse among Roman Catholic clergy, but is far from being straightforward or confined to one theme. The film weaves a complex tale of exploitation, deceit, ambition, seduction, and blackmail that places a story within a story and shifts back and forth in time. Alberto Iglesias composed the music, and Pedro Almodóvar wrote the screenplay and directed. In Spanish with English subtitles. The English title is "Bad Education".

Bangkok Love Story (2007)

In the world of Thai organized crime there is a star assassin named Mhek (Rattanaballang Tohssawat) , a lone gunman who kills "bad people" to satisfy his bosses, but cannot kill "good people". He is assigned to kidnap a police informant named Iht (Chaiwat Thongsaeng), but Mhek has a change of heart when he is ordered to kill Iht. In a gunbattle with his employers, Mhek is wounded, but Iht grabs Mhek's gun and returns fire. The two men then escape on Mhek's motorcycle. At Mhek's rooftop hide-out, Iht tends to Mhek's wound and finds himself attracted to Mhek. While giving Mhek a bath one day, Iht initiates sexual intercourse with the hitman. Conflicted, Mhek demands that Iht leave him alone. Iht returns home to his fiancee, Saai (Chutcha Rujinanon), but is no longer interested in continuing a relationship with her. He spends his days pining over Mhek, and tracks down Mhek's brother, Mhok (Wiradit Srimalai), and their mother. Mhek is the sole support of his mother and younger brother, both of them HIV-positive. The source of their infection is the abusive live-in stepfather.

Mhek's dream is to take his mother and brother away from Bangkok to the mountains of Mae Hong Son Province. But after Mhek's mother has realised Mhok sold himself to survive, she commits suicide by hanging herself. At the same time Iht's fiancee, Saai, also witnesses Mhek and Iht kissing, and terminates their marriage plans. Meanwhile, Mhek's former employers are gunning for him. Mhek decides to hunt them, and he manages to kill them. He also goes to Mhek's former bosses' hide-out to try and stop Mhek, but he is too late and misses Mhek by a second. Iht gets injured when the wife of Mhek's former boss shoots a clock that shatters in Iht's face. Mhek, meanwhile, is planning to meet his brother at the railway station to leave Bangkok for good. But before he can board the train, he is apprehended by the police and sent to prison.

Years pass by. Iht visits Mhek in prison and reveals that he was left blind in the final gunbattle with Mhek's bosses. Mhok commits suicide while at a Hospice in Northern Thailand because he no longer has the energy to fight his disease. Eventually, Mhek is released from prison, and Iht meets him. But before the two men can leave to start their life together, Mhek is gunned down by an assassin.

Iht eventually gets his sight back, and the first thing he does is to look at his mobile phone, which has a picture of Mhek on it that he took many years before and a video taken by Mhek himself saying that all along, he loved Iht and that he would love him to his last breath. The ending could have been triumphant, but instead is tragic, which makes the film even more powerful.

This gay romantic crime action drama is the story of a man who falls in love with a gunman who is assigned to kill him. The cast of actors is excellent and the chemistry between the two leads is undiluted by the forces that are meant to separate them. Ultimately it is a love story between two classes of people whose discovery of forbidden love emphasizes some universal truths. It is a well-made, beautifully photographed film, but unfortunately there are censored versions with artificial fuzzy and darkened areas. Plus the DVD cover art is misleading. Poj Arnon wrote the script and directed. The Thai title is "Puen". In Thai with English subtitles.

(2005) ילדים טובים

In Tel Aviv, 17 year-old Meni (Daniel Efrat) wears only the most fashionable clothes, is interested in music, loves the cinema, and works as a rent boy. He is the father of the baby of former girlfriend Mika (Nili Tzerruya), a young drug addict prostitute. Mika has serious mental problems with drug abuse and is also homeless. She shows up at Meni's apartment and they have lengthy conversations about themselves and their daughter. Meni has an adoptive mother Grace (Gila Goldstein) who is a trans-gender prostitute, and clients that contact him on his cell-phone. One night he meets Tal (Yuval Raz), also a hustler and they decide to spend the night together. During that night their lives take on a new meaning, and in the morning they decide to meet later at a club. Until the meeting, both of them have to deal with their weary routine of clients, marginalized people, and unexpected events.

One evening a voyeuristic john enlists the pair to have sex together. But the experience proves to be more than just a simple trick: it stirs up feelings between Meni and Tal, and they decide to meet again the next day. But they never see each other. Meni becomes upset. Tal gets picked by a brutal, vicious, corrupt cop (Dvir Benedek), who becomes his pimp. He is beaten up and badly abused, and Tal retaliates by killing him. Mika drops off her little girl with one of Meni's friends and goes back to prostitution. Meni tries to talk her into coming back with him, but she refuses. Then Meni tries to give his little girl to her parents but they refuse. In the meantime, Tal tries to find Meni but fails and goes back to his apartment and bed, falling asleep crying. Meni and a friend with his daughter watch a sunrise, and the movie ends.

Stirring and sexy, with emotional depth, "Yeladim Tovim" was written and directed by Yair Hochner, a high school film teacher and film critic for Israel’s “Seret” cinema website. His love of moves permeates every frame, with inspiration from Godard, Gus Van Sant, John Cooper, and John Waters. It has the look of a documentary in its simplicity and candor, and the dedicated performances, strong scripting and good direction adds up to a very good film. Eli Surani composed the music score. In Hebrew with English subtitles. The English title is "Good Boys".

Ang Lihim ni Antonio (2008)

In Manila, 15 year-old Antonio (or Tong) (Kenji Garcia) is a curious and confident young man who is newly aware of his homosexuality. Tong’s exploration of his identity unfolds as his family begins to break up. His mother Tere (Shamaine Buencamino) is in denial that his father has abandoned them. During a sleepover at his friend Nathan’s (Nino Fernandez), after a night of drinking and aroused by normal adolescent sex talk, Tong makes a pass at his sleeping friend. Much to his surprise, Nathan does not offer any resistance, and the two boys share their first sexual experience. Unfortunately, a satisfying and memorable night turns into disappointment when Nathan starts avoiding Tong the next day. Sensing something isn’t right, his best friend Mike (Jiro Manio) becomes curious. Tong is forced to tell the truth and comes out to him. Mike is totally supportive, and generally offers a comedic side to this otherwise serious film.

Soon Tong’s hedonistic and very hot 25 year-old uncle Jonbert (Josh Ivan Morales) arrives from the province to stay with him and his mom for a few weeks. Things begin to unravel as Jonbert becomes Tong’s sexual obsession, and the uncle reciprocates. A shocking tragedy begins to spiral up and as a result Tong's mother saves her son by stabbing and killing Jonbert. The intense ending leaves the audience with a feeling of disturbed emotions as Tong and his mother are escorted by the authorities.

"Ang Lihim ni Antonio" confronts the taboo topic of incest head on while giving an authentic portrait of middle-class life in Manila. It's a raw and honest look at the not-so-secret, and sometimes downright depraved sex life of sexually frustrated teenage boys. This rich story is of a confused young man, growing up with few positive role models, who makes crucial choices and is forced to face their tragic consequences. The scene-stealer of the movie is Shamaine Buencamino who plays Antonio's mother. Her acting, particularly in the last part of the movie, is brilliant. The film uses a sometimes wobbly handheld camera without much of a musical soundtrack, except for the occasional tunes from the acoustic guitar of a neighborhood musician, making it a voyeuristic and intimate affair. There are explicit sex scenes, adult content, and one graphic scene of violence. Currently, this film is one of the highest grossing Filipino digital films in history. Lex Bonife wrote the screenplay, and Joselito Altarejos directed. In Tagalog with English Subtitles. The English title is "Antonio’s Secret".