Noah's Arc (2005 -2006) (2008)

Logo Channel's TV series "Noah's Arc" is a black "Queer as Folk" with some "Sex in the City" thrown in. Set in Los Angeles, the show features the lives of four black gay friends dealing with everyday events. At the center of the circle is soft-spoken Noah Nichols (Darryl Stephens), a young struggling screenwriter with romantic ideals who is new to having a boyfriend. Surrounding him are uptight professor Chance Counter (Doug Spearman), flamboyant Alex Kirby (Rodney Chester), and unrepentant Ricky Davis (Christian Vincent). Noah struggles as a screenwriter, and in his dating life becomes very attracted to successful closeted film writer Wade (Jensen Atwood). Neither Noah nor the audience can tell if Wade's attracted to him or not. The cast rallies round one another for adventures great and small, and that's what makes it enjoyable, whether you're single, gay, black, or whatever. Often referred to as a comedy-drama, the show integrates socially-relevant issues such as same sex dating, same sex marriage, HIV awareness, infidelity, sexual curiosity, promiscuity, gay bashing and same sex parenthood.

"Noah's Arc" premiered on October 19, 2005 on the Logo TV network, and was Logo's most popular program. It ended October 4, 2006. Only two seasons were made. Season one was filmed in Los Angeles with nine episodes. Season two was filmed in Vancouver, Canada with eight episodes. Plus there is the pilot, included in the season one DVD release. Runtime is 23 minutes per episode. The original title of the series was "Hot Chocolate". It was announced that the show had been canceled a few months after the post-production of the film based on the series, and a few years after the cliffhanger finale. The melodramatic film adaptation "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom" served as a follow-up of the series. Patrik-Ian Polk created the show, directed some episodes and wrote the scripts for 3 episodes. Brent Belke composed the original music for 5 episodes. Laurie Lynd and Mina Shun directed 2 episodes each.

"Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom" (2008) takes place two years after the second episode and features Noah and Wade prepaing to marry in Martha's Vineyard. In attendance are Alex, managing the food and preparations; Chance, accompanied by his neglected partner of four years, Eddie (Jonathan Julian); the promiscuous Ricky, who secretly covets Noah; Brandon (Gary LeRoi Gray), a student of Chance’s, who is dating Ricky and afraid of coming out to his family; and a closeted British rapper, Baby Gat (Jason Steed). The personal problems of their friends and the unexpected arrival of Baby Gat threatens to end their relationship. With the Jacuzzi and two bachelor parties, the occasion prompts a flurry of flirtations, jealousies and sexy encounters. Emphasis is on communication, monogamy, and child rearing. The group shares a prayer at the dining room table. Written and directed by the show’s creator, Patrik-Ian Polk, the film ends with vows of commitment.

The Perfect Son (2002)

Ryan Taylor (Colm Feore) is a successful lawyer who has taken care of his father while younger brother Theo (David Cubitt), the black sheep of the family, has distanced himself from his family and become a drug abuser filled with self loathing. The death of their father reunites thirty-something Ryan and Theo. Hesitant to acknowledge emotional bonds between them, Theo soon discovers Ryan's secret homosexuality and AIDS infection. It is from this point we see the two characters slowly come together. Theo is an unpublished writer who spends more time inside of drug rehab centers than in the real world, and appears to be not the perfect son of the title. His girlfriend is Chandra West (Sarah Parker). Ryan is in charge of all the funeral details, and appears to be the perfect son until we accidentally discover that his gay lifestyle has contributed to a secret 10 years of IV infusions for AIDS. In talks talks about their father's estate, Theo learns about his brother Ryan's sexuality and that he is in the final stages of AIDS. Theo becomes one of Ryan's caregivers, and as they draw closer together the relationship helps him to better deal with other issues in his life.

"The Perfect Son" touches on many taboo topics such as gay sexuality, AIDS, death, euthanasia, and abortion. However the main purpose of this movie is showing two brothers dealing with their emotions. The DVD is well presented considering it is a small budget Canadian Film. It goes through the motions to hit all the politically correct notes, but the moralistic script and the choppy editing create a sloppy film with a slow fade in/fade out technique. Moreover, it's predictable, too familiar, forced, and somewhat depressing. Ron Sures composed the original music, and Leonard Flarlinger wrote the script and directed.