 |
| OUT to Win was Beyond FAB! |
The 20th Annual Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival ended this past Sunday after 10 days of Great film that showed a glimpse of what the future holds in film as taboos are crashing from small town drama to acceptence from other cultures. There were about 54 features and 99 shorts representing 24 countries, including 8 US feature premieres, 12 Seattle feature premieres, 30 Northwest feature premieres, and a world premiere (CAPITOL HILL 2). In addition there will be two live performances, but I only personally saw 16 features and 14 shorts and our contributors, Sara Michelle Fetters and Paul Torres, saw 17 more. The following are my choices for FAB, Good, Fair and WTF?! all coming to a Film Fest, Theater or DVD in the coming year!
FAB:
Out to Win
A FAB Doc about Before Michael Sam, During Michael Sam and Beyond Michael Sam. From Kopay to King to Bean to Collins to Griner tracks the histories of Coming Out in Pro Sports. This also brought a local connection with David Kopay (a UW alum) but also the introduction of Portland's OUT College athletes and couple, Chandler Whitney (Baseball) and Conner Mertens (Football), who were named grand marshalls of the 2014 Portland Pride Parade and that coverage is just one of the highlights. This Film got a Standing O!
Akron
One audience member commented at the Post-screening a beginning of a Post-Queer film, Post-coming out, post acceptance and Pro-Love genre. In Akron, 2 gorgeous College freshman fall in love and meet the parents, but the conflict is about a tragic moment involving one mother's loss and others guilt about causing the death of a child that happen years earlier, a little Romeo and Juliet here (Actually Roman and Julian), but from true love becomes forgiveness and compassion. FAB!
Upstairs Inferno (WINNER of the Jury award for Best Doc)
Another FAB Doc directed by Pal, Robert Camina (Raid on the Rainbow Lounge) that chronicles the worst mass murder in Gay History with the Arson fire that killed 31 people at New Orleans' Upstairs Lounge in 1973 narrated by the chilling appeal by Christopher Rice to interviews with the survivors and the fact this was holy site of being the first site of the MCC and the lack of support from the other church leaders to city leaders. This is unbelievably real and moments silence and applause from the audience to the chilling closing credits and memorial to the last frame.
Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte
Nothing is better than High Camp with Drag queens and an all star cast retelling of a classic. Some incredible performances by Matthew Martin, Varla Jean Merman, Jason Stuart and Raja (Yes, Raja) with incredible visuals (even though it was obvious it was done in front of a green screen) . The Best of the Best!
SHORTS
Pop Up, Porno
Little Deputy
My Life is a Dream
 |
| Winning Dad at any cost? |
GOOD:
Beautiful Something
Despite lots of anonymous bareback sex in a 24 hr period, a Beautiful Male Model goes from being a Muse for an possessive artist to the inspiration for a starving writer to a choice of a millionaire looking for the perfect companion (in a Boy Culture like scenario). The film is Beautiful and GOOD.
Winning Dad
Breathtaking views of the Washington State landscape is a winner along with Seattle Star, Arthur Allen who stars and also directs this melodrama about gaining acceptance and love from your boyfriend's homophobe father at any cost necessary.
You're Killing Me!
The all-star cast of some of the best Gay comedy stars (Jeffrey Self, Bryan Safi, Dru Droege) come together with this parody of American Psycho, or actually call it Gay Psycho when dating a serial killer is just no Big Deal. At least he is honest about it. The Performances that will make you SCREAM with Laughter.
Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story
People say 80's Porn was the Best, and I couldn't agree more thanks to the start up of Falcon and the style of Chuck Holmes (The Larry Flynt of Gay Porn) who took risks (during the AIDS Crisis), made money and gave money to orgs like HRC and made Gay Porn an important commodity. This Doc shows that money clearly buys respect in the gay community.
Front Cover
It's like the Wedding Banquet, set in the world of NY Fashion when a Taiwanese stylist is assigned to dress a film star visiting from Beijing and they suddenly hit the sheets and that is when East vs West collide. One of the best US made Gaysian films in years.
Drag Becomes Him
A Really GOOD Doc about Seattle Treasure, Jinkx Monsoon Before Drag race and during her year as Drag Superstar from portrayer, Jerrik Hoffer's Family struggles to places where you never been (Literally).
Capitol Hill
Season 2 of this Web soap was screened as a Movie and is as campy as ever thanks to the addition of Jinkx Monsoon and incredible special effects.
SHORTS
Mini Supreme
The Cream
The Beardist:DDG
I Do
Been Too Long at The Fair
Out There
Carpe Jugular
 |
| Any Potential Dudes, Bro? |
Fourth Man Out
Great Casting with Glee Hunk Chord Overstreet and one of the 3 bros dealing with their 4th bro coming out and once everything is OUT, How do you make it FAIR for everyone?
That's Not Us
Average Drama of 3 couples (Gay, Lesbian, Straight) with baggage as they experience a weekend getaway. Was it too Average? The audience didn't applaud at the end, but was that FAIR?
Naz and Maalik (Winner of the Jury Award for Best Film)
This was a MIX for me, I commend a film with 2 Gay Muslims in Brooklyn but then having the wasted appearance of a Female FBI agent just to racial profile them and create some action was almost a WTF?! Moment.
SHORTS
Off a Cliff
Forever, Ally
Nick Jonas: Gay Teacher
Middle Man
 |
| This is NASTY! |
WTF?!
Nasty Baby
Huge Star (Kristen Wiig) and being a Centerpiece film couldn't save this dud of a gay artist creating a crazy performance art exhibit and helping their friend (Wiig) get pregnant. The gay couple had no passion or chemistry and the most intimate it got was when they inseminated Wiig together. Most of the Gay audience was grossed out and I know it was total turn off. The neighborhood bully was also annoying and was on for too long. When the artist kills him in self-defense that is when the fun starts and then its over! WTF?!
Dyke Hard
What is not to love of a film with Dykes, Men, Drag queens and Full-frontal nudity and I was loving it until the graphic WTF? lesbian sex scene with a ghost. I got up and Left!
Films I heard were GOOD But didn't See, But our Pals, Sara Michelle Fetters and Paul Torres did:
Tab Hunter: Confidential
Freeheld
Peter DeRome: Grandfather of Porn
Liz in September
Kiss Me Kill me
The Glamour and the Squalor
Raven's Touch
A Gay Girl in Damascus
Reel in the Closet
Summer
Before the Curtain Rises (Torres)
Desert Migration (Torres)
Margarita with a Straw (Torres)
Portrait of a Serial Monogamist (Torres)
Stuff (Torres)
Films I heard were BAD, but Didn't See:
Everlasting Love
Addicted to Fresno
No comments:
Post a Comment