Open Cam (2006)

Manny Yates (Andreau Thomas) is a handsome young artist, still recovering from a relationship that didn't work out. Maurice (Ben Green) is his best friend and occasional sex partner. Manny decides to concentrate on his paintings and limit his social life to his circle of other gay friends, plus nightly visits to "Open Cam", a popular Washington, D.C. gay website. The problem is the guys he hooks up with online later turn up dead, which puts Manny at the center of the investigation conducted by gay detective Hamilton (Amir Darvish), assigned by the police to work on gay cases. A serial killer is finding his victims online and posting snuff films to the website. As the number of victims climb, the detective moves in as "live bait" into Manny's apartment with him, hoping to draw the attention of the killer as well as protect Manny. They play their role so well that they actually become lovers for a time, allowing Hamilton to gauge the reaction of Manny's ex-lovers and friends, one of whom may be the killer. Dark, brooding, no-nonsense, sarcastic Hamilton is divorcing his wife and coming to terms with his gayness. Conrad (J. Mathew Miller) is a computer geek who tracks the email connections on the open cam site and eventually leads to the final climactic scene.

This sexy gay thriller takes viewers on a wild ride studded with grisly murders and hunky men. It has low production values, interesting dialogue, and actors who are not the best. Most viewers have much criticism for this film. Music is by Houston Bernard, Warren Cuccurullo, George Draguns, and Jerry Walterick. Robert Gason wrote the script and directed.

The Ritz (1976)

Cleveland sanitation company owner Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) is "married to the mob" because of his wife Vivian (Kaye Ballard). Unfortunately, his brother-in-law Carmine Vespucci (Jerry Stiller) hates him, and on his deathbed Carmine's father tells him to "get Proclo". Certain that Carmine is going to kill him, Proclo takes a cab and tells the driver to take him to the last place any one would ever look for him. Proclo ends up hiding out from the mob in the middle of a gay bath house, the Ritz. The rates are low, the decor is art deco, and the clientele are hilarious! Chris (F. Murray Abraham) is a screaming queen. Googie Gomez (Rita Moreno) is a no-talent lounge singer who wants to become a bath-house star like Bette Midler. He believes Proclo is a Broadway producer. Claude (Paul B. Price) is a "chubby chaser" who takes one look at Proclo and falls in love, then chases him all over the bath house. Patrons hide under beds, are thrown into swimming pools, impersonate the Andrews Sisters, and are pursued by unwanted lovers. Proclos' guides through the Ritz are gatekeeper Abe Lefkowitz (Dave King), Chris, and Go-Go-boys Tiger (John Everson) and Duff (Christopher J. Brown). Falsetto-voiced detective Michael Brick (Treat Williams) and his employer Carmine locate Proclo at the Ritz, as does his wife Vivian.

This very funny farce deals in stereotypes, but is never mean spirited, and the cast portray the eccentric characters hilariously. Filmed long before the AIDS crisis, "The Ritz" offers a comic look at gay bath houses and a way of life that no longer exist. Ken Thorne wrote the music. Terrence McNally wrote the screenplay from his own hit Broadway play. Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, F. Murray Abraham, and Rita Moreno were in the original stage production. Richard Lester directed.