Denied

I watched this last night and kept asking myself -- why. Why are people making such horrible movies in the name of queer cinema. The dialogue was weak and at times completely comical in serious moments, the scene transition showed a bad attempt at a directorial signature, and the actors seemed to lack any and all direction. Or if they had it, the director made them plod through the most boring, mundane, poorly written material I have ever seen.

But all hands to marketing, who provided cover art that makes people think they are going to see some very juicy sex between hottie boys. Well, there was the most brief nakedness (I think) and the sex was eh. Frankly, this movie was a flop in even the most basic reason to watch crap like this -- a quick way to get off.

Now maybe I am being a little harsh but I would hope that any further endeavors of this cast and crew were leaps and bounds above this and that they consider this one of those learning experiences they woudl rather forget.

Twisted

It seems that adapting classic works is the new rage. From Jane Austen to Shakespeare, the adaptations seem endless. But I will never understand why there is this fascination with adapting Charles Dickens Oliver Twist and changing the little boy thieves into little boy hustlers. Oh for the simpler days of Oliver!, a sweet and kind musical, where boys remained boys, and not play things for dirty old men. But I digress.

Twisted is a 1996 adaptation that takes place in New York City. This movie like all adaptations makes changes to the original text, including: Oliver is a 12 year old African American child, the artful Dodger is a bleach blonde twink, and Fagin is a lecherous old queen. But most importantly, the thieves are now prostitutes. In the case of Oliver aka Lee, bait for pedophiles.

I have to say, I have watched a lot of bad movies in the past and this one is no exception. It shares the same fatal flaw of a slow story development, overly artistic elements that simply bog down the production and an inability to retain the interest of the viewer. I have to say, if you really need to see a Oliver Twist adaptation with boys hustlers, check out 2003's Twist.

Superbad

I saw this totally rad film last night with my boy. It not only made me laugh to the point of almost crying, but it made me feel alive. I described this film to my roommie as a combination of American Pie and Sixteen Candles.

It had a lot of the same crude humor of AP but the sensitivity of SC. But it also had an edge that I have been missing from teen cycle buddy comedies in the past few years. Not even Not Another Teen Movie, which I love to pieces, was as satisfying as this film.

What made this experience even more enjoyable was seeing it with the boy. He is not a native of this country, and he enjoyed it as much as I did. It proves that some universal truths such as comedy can transcend culture backgrounds. Isn't that the greatest gift film has to offer us...

Coming Attractions

From the mind that brought you Sean C.'s Rantings & Ravings...a new movie review site.


From new releases, to old releases, to things I have watched a million times but now have a new take on, this blog will cover it all.


You have been warned...