Beverly Kills (2005)

Beverly Jackson (Gary Kelley) is an aspiring actor who loses a role in a musical at the Pride Playhouse, a nude theatrical production of "Balls Out."--a revue that promises a same sex marriage ballet and gratuitous male nudity. Furious, muscular cross-dresser Beverly decides to form a cult of revenge after seeking advice from Rocco (John Marlo), his massuer. Meanwhile back at the Playhouse, employee Shane (Rick Sparks) is dumped by his boyfriend, then falls into the arms of Ray (Matthew Herrmann), a lighting designer, and the two are swept into Beverly's bizarre scheme. We encounter broken relationships, lonely guys, new relationships, arrivals to Hollywood from all over the country who long to become stars and end up being "stand-in celebrities" for the tourists along the Hollywood Boulevard.

Beverly gathers the guys and gals who have auditioned and plans a terrorist martyrdom attack at Hollywood and Highland as a means of making a statement about the unstable way of life and irony of the promised land of dreams. The tone changes a lot: it's a comedy, then a drama, then a love story. Of course it all goes awry, but it does so with some very attractive people and some impressive talent.

This very entertaining satire of Hollywood lunatics, fanatical doomsday religious cults, and oversexed gay community theater features lots of cuties, a hot romance and a twisted drag queen. There are plenty of laughs in this edgy comedy, and the over-the-top, silly, ridiculous situational comedies and parodies contain much social comment. All of the men in the movie are gorgeous and either wear absolutely nothing or next to nothing throughout the whole movie. Their nudity includes full frontals. The "Balls Out" musical number is great! Unlike most low-budget gay romantic comedies this one doesn't take itself so seriously, is quite witty, well-acted, and leaves you feeling good. If you are easily offended or don't have an absurd sense of humor, then you should probably look elsewhere as this one is scathing and out there. Viewers comments are mixed. The DVD includes the director's commentary track, which is very entertaining and helps appreciate this movie even more. For some great surprises, freeze-frame the Cult's CD multi-media presentation. A few single frames contain some startling images. Jeffery Alan Jones composed the incidental music, and Damion Dietz wrote the screenplay and directed.

Azuloscurocasinegro (2006)

Jorge (Quim Gutiérrez) and Israel (Raúl Arévalo) are two best friends living in Spain. Jorge wants a suit. Israel wants a van. Jorge's plans are put on hold when his father Andres (Héctor Colomé) has a stroke. For seven years he nurses his father and is forced to take over his job as a janitor while studying part time to get a business degree. When Natalia (Eva Pallarés), his childhood crush, returns from studying abroad, Jorge yearns for something better. He is desperate to find a better job, but no one will hire him because he only has experience as a janitor.

Antonio (Antonio de la Torre), Jorge’s older brother, will soon be released from jail. He is an opportunist who has never gotten along with their father. In prison Antonio meets Paula (Marta Etura), a beautiful young woman in jail on drug charges. Paula has a problem because she flirted with another inmate's boyfriend. Violently harassed in jail, she wants to get pregnant in order to be moved to the jail's safe maternity ward. Antonio just wants to have sex with Paula, soon falls in love with her, but he discovers that he is sterile.

Everything changes when Antonio gets out of prison. He plays on Jorge's good nature to get him to step in during conjugal visits and impregnate his girlfriend Paula. Jorge reluctantly agrees, even though it might get in the way of his long-term relationship with Natalia. Meanwhile, Jorge's best friend Israel secretly photographs men visiting an erotic masseur. He finds out that his father is one of the clients and thinks that he must be gay. Irritated with his father's hypocrisy, Israel starts anonymously blackmailing him. However, he later begins to question his own sexuality when he visits the erotic masseur himself.

Jorge's relationship with Natalia becomes difficult after she tries to get him a job where she works but he is only offered a position as a janitor. Then Antonio finds out that their father has an undisclosed bank account full of money. Jorge makes regular visits to the women's prison to carry out his brother's wishes and falls for Paula. Gradually, they develop an unusual relationship. She gets pregnant and through her, Jorge learns to stop feeling responsible for everything and finally confront his own wishes, ignoring what the world expects of him. He breaks his relationship with Natalia and decides to wait for Paula’s release. The relationship of the two brothers survives Jorge's emotional involvement. Antonio fails to retrieve the money his father has had in the secret bank account and is instead mortally attacked by his father.

Israel confronts both of his parents and his own sexual identity, finally achieving some degree of peace. Jorge and Paula have a baby daughter. He moves from the building where he has worked and lived for so many years, finding a new job as a janitor. When Jorge thinks of escaping his dead-end life, he dreams of a suit, which is dark blue, almost black. At the end, he takes Israel’s car, breaks the store window and grabs the dark blue suit.

These two stories are interwoven to demonstrate the struggle between family obligations and individual freedoms, especially at that point in life of coming into one's own. With its subtle wit and homoerotic curiosity, "Azuloscurocasinegro" is a fresh and vibrant discovery reminiscent of its Spanish-language forerunner "Y Tu Mama Tambien". The English title is "DarkBlueAlmostBlack", which is technically called "midnight blue". It's a state of mind, an uncertain future, and a color--a color that we don’t always recognize and which varies depending on the light, the medium and the mood. The DVD extras include interviews with the director and the lead actors. Pascal Gaigne composed the original music, and Daniel Sánchez Arévalo wrote the screenplay and directed. In Spanish with English subtitles.