Reviews

Here's another Southern California yawn fest courtesy of Frederick Keeve, the writer and director of this Cali monstrosity. Keeve needs a refresher course in both writing and directing, the sooner the better. Chances are, judging from this mess, is he has no talent at all. 'The Accompanist' centers around a piano player in a dancing school who falls in love with much younger, and personally troubled dancer. Meanwhile, he's still in a terrible relationship with a recent ex wife and sees this new and exciting relationship as not only a diversion, but hopefully a way out as well. That in a nutshell describes what transpires in this hour and a half mess. Perhaps Keeve believed that 'Californiaizing' his terrible script would make it better. Guess what? It didn't. I strongly recommend that this excuse for a picture be avoided. If you decide not to take my advice, don't blame the talentless Keeve, blame yourself. The only one who suffers here, other than the viewer, is poor Ricky Palomino, the problemed 27 yo co star, who tries his best despite a sub mediocre script and lousy direction.

I gave the film one star only because of Ricky.

Why anybody with acting, writing and directing credibility would associate themselves with this piece of LA based cinematic garbage is completely beyond me. It got to the point, and I write this as a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, that I had little if any sympathy for either the victims or the community at large. Paul Etheridge/Ouzts wrote and directed this Cali nonsense. He needs to return to writing school, as the dialogue and the characters are awful. What was he, and the overpaid executives who gave this awful production the green light, thinking? There is not one not shred of anything positive for the gay community here. Seek and ye shall not find.

Perhaps I'm over analyzing a run of the mill horror picture, but this Hollywood monstrosity is the worst of it's genre that I've ever seen. I'm not surprised that the Cali-focused 'Here TV' is airing it. Hellbent' gets a DWYT rating- Don't Waste Your Time.

It's difficult to understand why talented actors like John Cusack would associate himself with garbage like 'Adult World'. This is poorly written, directed and overacted by almost everyone in the cast, especially by Amy, the character portrayed by Emma Roberts. John, did you need the money that badly? Is it worth sacrificing your reputation and career? Amy is a loud, overly annoying, privileged and ambitious poet wannabe who can't handle the truth about her imagined writing talent. She meets Cusack's character, a published poet for whom she has the highest regard. How his character or anyone for that matter could tolerate Amy for more than five minutes defies all logic. She ends up trashing his apartment, which is exactly what he deserved for encouraging her. The supporting cast, which includes award winning performers (John Collum and Cloris Leachman), does little to save this cinematic sinking ship. I'm glad that John did eventually redeem himself professionally.

A bunch of LA loony toons examine their own lives as well as others through the lens of a teenager's death, most likely a suicide. She was a young relative and her funeral is pending. This is a dysfunctional family for sure, I guess typical of the southern Cali experience. The writing is awful- characters talking into a camera, giving boring soliloquies about themselves, their families, failed relationships and friends. If only their dialogues were more biting, more relevant to their feelings about the young lady's death, it might have helped. Even the victim speaks from her coffin, her final words with nothing meaningful to say about herself. I was not moved in the slightest.

Perhaps a venue change would've worked a whole lot better. Writers like Charlie Levi are among those misguided artists who believe that 'Californiaizing' a script or screenplay enhances the final product. That is not at all true.

Stayed with 'Childless' hoping it would eventually improve but as with the movie, I was disappointed.

There's talent here that is regrettably wasted on this sub mediocre picture. Barbara Hershey, Joe Mantegna and James Naughton are among those in the lead cast. Not even these talented folks could save this piece of cinematic Cali crap.

'Fellow Travelers' (FT) is a well intentioned miniseries that evolves around a relationship between two men that spans 30 years. Like most limited runs, it got in its own way by going on longer than it should've. The story could've gone six episodes instead of what seems to be the obligatory eight. What I disliked about 'FT' was the constant skipping around in time. One scene we were in the 50s, fighting the homophobic Joseph McCarthy machine and then suddenly we are thrust 30 years ahead during the beginning years of the AIDS epidemic. Then back and forth like a tennis ball. It might have been more consistent. There's a lot of good here too, namely the acting all around, especially the two leads. There are many interesting characters too, many who come and go. The writing is haphazard, however.

I'm not sure how they ended up in San Francisco but there were other components of the series I didn't fully grasp either. Civil rights, bigotry and discrimination are front and center here, and that's always a positive thing. I just wish the series were told in shorter form.

So where do I begin? 'Kiss Me Goodbye' (KMG) starts out pretty well. A widow (Sally Field) is starting to reclaim her life after her husband's (James Caan) accidental death three years earlier. She's now contemplating marriage to her new beau, (Jeff Bridges), much to the dissatisfaction of her mother (Claire Trevor). I will admit it was a pleasure seeing Ms. Trevor in what would end up being her last film. Too bad this was her final bow after a most distinguished career.. The young couple decide to inhabit the same beautiful NYC brownstone she lived in with her first husband. This is where it starts going downhill.

The ghost of the widow's first husband appears making plans difficult for the widow. Shes the only person who can see him. Caan clearly doesn't belong here. This picture might have worked better with just Field and Bridges exploring their future together. They can easily carry a movie. However, now with the 'ghost plot', Field overacts terribly trying to hide the fact that Caan's spirit is present. Comedy isn't her forte. The script also suffers as a result. Bridge's character is reduced to a boring boyfriend who nobody likes, including the dog and her mother. I won't go on further, but this is not something I'd recommend to the fans of Ms. Fields, Mr. Bridges and Mr. Caan. I gave it four out of ten stars only because of Ms. Trevor's inclusion in the film and the precious dog who might be the funniest character than any of the others. I also liked the Dusty Springfield's opening number which should have been nominated for best song. It might be the best thing about KMG.

Jesse Rosen not only directed this Cali-venued monstrosity, but also wrote it. It deals with overgrown men who are LA misfits, trying to navigate the waters of sexuality and gender affiliation. I'm not sure where Rosen received his training as a writer, but for the sake of that institution, it's best he not reveal it. Once again, we're thrown into the boring world of LaLa land with a cast of characters lacking any depth, consistency or interest for that matter. The acting is also awful. Nobody really cares about these pampered, spoiled brats but themselves as well as some over enabling parents. The guys aren't anywhere as good looking as they think they are. The women do nothing to help the women's cause whatsoever. Overall, this film should never have happened. Jesse Rosen should return to Freehold NJ and start all over again.

I watched the three parts of this depiction of how religion can sometimes be obstacles to achieving certain personal goals and aspirations. In this case, RJ and Chris, two devout Mormons, fall in love during a mission at which they're both partnered. Needless to say, same sex relationships are not only strongly frowned upon, but considered highly immoral and banned within the overall church. They try to find a way to navigate and make it work against the backdrop of the Church doctrine condemning their love. Certainly this type of condemnation is not limited to the Church of Latter Day Saints but also exists within many other religions around the world. I have to say that the writing, direction and acting in all three segments were positive. Nick Ferucci and Ben Farmer are the lead actors who play the beleaguered couple. Their families (especially their fathers) and friends deliver solid performances. Without giving anything away, I thought parts of the trilogy, including the ending, were a bit far fetched. However, they in no way undermined the overall spirit of this excellent series.

This film out of Italy deals with a man's fork in the road as he turns 30, uncertain of what his path forward is. Antonio, who has been in a relationship since high school with Lorenzo, is in for a rude awakening when he's suddenly thrust into the uncertain world of 'single hood' after Lorenzo unceremoniously dumps him after 12 years. Antonio didn't see this coming. He's now on his own, feeling his way without the life tools he didn't learn having been sheltered for so long. He meets some interesting characters along the way. Denis, though very different, becomes his closest friend, helping him to find work and a place to live. Through him, he meets Luca, a bakery owner who hires Antonio since he has expressed a strong interest and talent in baking. The writing is very good, as are the direction and acting. The three main characters blend well together despite their very opposite backgrounds and natures. They support each other and help Antonio to finally grow up and cast his own shadow rather than being in other people's. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, especially the interplay between the characters who grow to love each other.

On his final day, Alan Driscoll, obviously a long repressed gay man going through the final stages of ALS or something similar, is pleasured, in his hospital bed, by a male prostitute possibly hired by his soon to be widow. 'Never or Now' is a beautifully acted, poignant 18 minute short. It's focused on the soon to be deceased man and the young guy who's there to sexually, and spiritually, provide pleasure while helping the sick man to realize his fantasy of having a meaningful connection with a man. The wife leaves money before temporarily leaving her husband to run errands. The young man shows up, disrobes, and jumps into the hospital bed with Mr. Driscoll. He compassionately lays with him, guiding the sick man's hand all over his young body, fully cognizant of what's happening. When he leaves, he doesn't take the money most likely left there for him. He performs an amazing act of kindness to a stranger with very little time left.

Kudos to Smith Crowe's performance as the young man, and Greg Phelan, the writer. An act of kindness takes little effort but could mean the world to its recipient.

Here's another film that had its heart in the right place, but unfortunately, terrible writing, direction and acting sink this piece of Cali cinematic garbage before it even begins. Stewart Walker is the culprit behind this mess. Walker needs to go back to writing school and learn how to construct a decent screenplay, then take courses in directing. 'Tru Love' centers around a family relocating from SF to a far more conservative town in what might be the San Fernando Valley of LA. The local high school is predictably homophobic and as a result, some of the more conscientious and open minded students organize a gay-straight alliance. This could have and should have been so much better if only had it been under more talented supervision. Predictability and cliches abound, as does plenty of homophobia on the part of the sadistic gym teacher/coach. This movie should be remade because valuable lessons can be learned here, but regrettably were lost somewhere in the sub mediocre dialogue. I rate Tru Loved 2 stars and 10 yawns!

This is, by far, one of the worst mystery films I have ever seen. The characters are plastic and poorly developed, the direction and screenplay both abysmal. It pretends to be a suspense film centered around a California nutcase trapping a bunch of other Cali knuckleheads in a remote house during the height of a torrential and seemingly endless storm. The culprit is convinced that one of his hostages was emailed a highly sensitive document that would have exposed an illegal international act. He has already killed the person who sent the email and travels to Cali to find the recipient. What transpires is so far fetched that I found myself laughing during what were supposed to be highly dramatic moments. I'm not blaming the actors because they had so little to work with, but do find fault with them for taking on such a ludicrous project in the first place.

Rating: DWYT (Don't Waste Your Time).

'Horseplay', (HP) is a forgettable film out of Argentina. It centers around a bunch of hetero knuckleheads, all friends ,who converge upon a country villa for fun and frolic. Throw in an ample dosage of homophobia and you pretty much have the essence of this cinematic garbage. Marco Berger, the writer, director and co-producer, is chiefly responsible for creating this unfortunate nonsense despite some impressive work he has done previously. I'm not sure what motivated him to even bother with his seriously flawed screenplay. Perhaps he felt he could create something meaningful out of something awful. Unfortunately for the viewer, this was not the case. What we see is young grown men acting like teenagers, testing the limitations of their friends. One is gay, one is bi, and they, regrettably, are the most repressed of all the characters.

There is some nudity, frontal and otherwise, that the viewer should know about beforehand. However, it in no way detracts from an already terrible movie. In fact, it enhances it somewhat. The homophobic scenes are way too numerous and most likely offensive to a sizable portion of the audience. Overall, 'HP' we have doesn't even come close to creating a meaningful experience for us cinema lovers. Quite the opposite is true, in fact. I give 'HP' a DWYT rating (Don't Waste Your Time).

It took two people to write the screenplay for this, one of the worst films I have ever seen. Jeremiah Campbell and David Sterling should find another profession because writing screenplays is clearly not their strong point. The direction and acting are equally as bad. The film centers around a gay man, who, by the way, is also a vampire. He is on a timeline to find his the love of his life, or his entourage of vampires, yes vampires, will be gone forever. He meets an LA transplant (aren't they all transplants in LaLa land?) from Ohio and sets his sights on him to be his savior. Without revealing anything else, not that there is a whole lot more, this cinematic piece of LA garbage only goes downhill from here. For the LGBTQ+ community, there is nothing positive about this 'gay vampire movie'. At least there's nothing overly negative either. I give this film a DWYT rating, Don't Waste Your Time.

I really wanted to like 'Tennessee Queer'.(TQ). It's heart was definitely in the right place. The problems with this film are numerous, however. First of all, the writing is abysmal. It's clear that an amateur was in charge. I'm not sure who Mark Jones is, but he's in desperate need of refresher courses at a legitimate writing school. TQ centers around a New Yorker who goes back to his hometown for a visit at a rural place in Tennessee. What he finds there, needless to say, is extreme homophobia. Hello? This is Tennessee! He decides to organize a gay pride March down the Main Street and appeals to the city leaders who of course initially vote no. Then one of them who's seeking higher office decides they should support the rally, so they can identify those citizens, especially high school students, who are gay. The children will immediately be placed into conversion schools to rid them of their 'gayness'. Ridiculous premise for sure, but regrettably, this happens way more than we think it does, even though the writer sugar coats it here. The bad guys are made to look like bumbling fools. Who will prevail? Check it out if you want to waste two hours of your life.

Though it means well, 'Tennessee Queen' does absolutely nothing to elevate the discussion of what the LGBTQ+ community faces in any meaningful way. Bad job all around.

I thoroughly enjoyed 'You and I' (Y&I), a German film centered around two longtime friends, one straight and one gay. The sexual preference differences don't matter to either one of them as there is an underlying platonic love between both. Their History has bonded them. They decide to embark on a trek through rural parts of Germany, creating photographs, adventure and harmless mayhem along the way. They end up meeting a third person who joins them on their journey which ultimately causes a rift between the two friends. Jealously does manage to rear it's ugly head. That's all I'll say. What we witness is a beautiful expression of their deep love and friendship. Though Y&I can be a bit slow at times, the acting, directing and writing are all excellent. We also get to see some beautiful scenery and photography of parts of Europe that are off the beaten path. My favorite scene occurs at a dinner table toward the end of the movie when a tough decision has to be made. It's a wonderfully directed and poignantly acted scene. Does their friendship survive the road trip? Does something deeper between both emerge? Check it out.

I highly recommend Y&I for you and me.

For starters, 'Since You Went Away' (SYWA) went on too long. The editing job left a lot to be desired. With nearly three hours long, including a brief intermission, SYWA had many slow moments which is typical of films that are too lengthy. Jennifer Jones was completely miscast, just coming off her Oscar win the year before for 'The Song of Bernadette'. Jones was simply too old for the role she played. Her chemistry with Claudette Colbert who played the role of her mother was weak. Her husband, David O. Selznick, was responsible for her being cast, a bad choice on his part. It was obvious that these two stars were trying to outdo each other, though ultimately, it was Colbert's film. Shirley Temple, Monty Wooley, Joseph Cotton, Robert Walker and the wonderful Hattie McDaniel round out the supporting players, who, as a group, were better than the two leads.

SYWA was well intentioned. It dealt with the ups and downs of an American family whose patriarch was serving in the military during WWII. It mirrored the plight of many such families in 1944, when the picture was made. The writing was mediocre, the acting passable, but overall, SYWA should have been shorter and should have given a stronger account of a family facing this dilemma. It tugs at the heart strings for sure, but that's not enough to make this movie what could've and should've been an outstanding one.

Brent Gorski is solely responsible for this boring, drawn out piece of Cali based cinematic garbage. Whoever told Gorski he has talent as a writer and actor should have his (their) heads examined. 'Holding Trevor' centers around a few LA knuckleheads who think they're God's gift to everything and everyone. Guess what? Nothing could be further from the truth. Gorski plays the title character, Trevor Holden, a notorious malcontent who flutters around LaLa land looking for something meaningful with whom he can connect. He's already involved in a relationship with a self destructive heroin addict which only serves to make his life that more unhappy. Meanwhile, he's stuck in a meaningless job while trying to make it as an actor. There are no redeeming characters in Gorski's downbeat film. Can Trev change his life when given the opportunity to do so? Does anyone really care? Message to Gorski and other LGBTQ film writer wannabes: Elevate our community and stop with the stereotypical gay characters who represent a small area of our great community. Also, get your butts out of LA. Enough already. Be daring, venue is important to a story, as is character development. Contrary to what Gorski and other writers think, when referencing and critiquing the LGBTQ+ experience, stop with the premise that the sun rises and sets exclusively on Cali, especially LA. It doesn't!

There are so many wonderful, cutting edge and meaningful LGBTQ+ films out there. Regrettably, this is not one of them. 'Lazy Eye' should have been titled 'What am I Doing Here?'. This line is actually uttered by one of the characters toward the end of this mediocre tale of reconnection, loneliness and guilt. Dean, an artist who's married to Brian, but spends a good deal of time geographically separated from him due to work, tries desperately to rendezvous with Alex, a heartthrob from his past. Dean's search takes 15 years to search and is finally successful. Alex visits Dean in Cali and sparks start to fly immediately between the two of them. Dean neglects to tell Alex he's married and very much in love with his husband. Alex finally figures it out but only after he has fallen in love with Dean. He finally asks Dean 'What am I Doing Here' and this viewer thought that one line made more sense than did the rest of the movie's dialogue including the film's title. So much mumbo jumbo occurs between these two who both, in reality ,would have been better off not reconnecting.

I wish the writing were better, as well as the direction and acting by the two leads. It wasn't awful, but not too good either.

'People You May Know' (PYMK) was too long, not particularly well written, the characters sketchy and far fetched scenarios abound. It centers around a group of LaLa Land denizens, some with questionable morals and ethics. Joe, one of the main characters and gay, is 'heterosexualized' one evening, sleeping with the wife of one of his best friends, the result of excessive alcohol on both sides. Their lives are forever changed as a result, for the better and for the worse in terms of her marriage. Joe is lonely and single and trolls the internet while looking for inspiration to write the great novel. He discovers he's being catfished online by an imposter who he had fallen in love with before finding out the truth. A far fetched meeting with the real person who's being impersonated occurs at a local bar one evening.

This entire catfishing experience becomes the inspiration he needs to tell his internet story. His writer's block is finally lifted. One of the other characters falls in love for the first time, then receives a job promotion forcing him to relocate. This regrettably derails his relationship, sadly. All I'll say is another far fetched situation happens here at the end.

The writing could have been tighter, the film shorter, and the acting and directing improved. But in the end, PYMK is well intentioned and even somewhat entertaining at times.

Ryan Shiraki, whoever he is, wrote and directed this awful, unfunny and forgettable piece of cinematic crap. He assembled a fairly impressive cast, including John Goodman, to participate in perhaps the worst movie in what has been a distinguished career for him. The inane plot centers around this adolescent acting heterosexual imbecile pretending to be gay, so that ironically he would be more appealing to the opposite sex on the college campus who embrace gay men. It only goes downhill from there, with the hateful 'f' word thrown around coupled with female characters who debase women everywhere. Racism is also center stage here. Everyone is so bad, you actually don't know who to be angry with. If you find homophobia, racism and misogyny at all humorous, and have an iq south of 50, then this is your movie. In my opinion, Ryan Shiraki is the biggest culprit here. He needs to go back to school and learn how to write without using hateful and offensive language in order to get cheap laughs.

This is a short story about a young man, living in Berlin with his gay partner, who receives devastating news from his mother in Spain that his younger brother has died. Visibly shaken and upset, he flies home to attend the funeral. He senses that he's not being told everything surrounding his brother's death, especially after learning that they had to conduct an autopsy. His parents try to cover up the real reason for what turns out to be his brother's suicide. He comes across the suicide note and learns that his brother was gay, deeply unhappy and isolated not only by his peers at school, but especially at the hands of his own parents who tried to alter his behavior. It turns out that the older brother went through the exact same thing during his adolescence. He's very angry at his parents and to some degree, at himself for not checking on his brother in a long time.

This short was well written, directed and beautifully acted. It's a poignant piece on acceptance, love, isolation and how dreams can come true if you try hard enough to achieve them. I loved and highly recommend it.

I was a big fan of SATC and watched it regularly. Even with their flaws, the dynamic four faced challenges head on and as a team. Sometimes the outcomes were good, other times not.

The series was well written and edgy. NYC was the fifth SATC star. However, I thought the ending two episodes undermined the essence of this otherwise excellent show. Everything was unrealistically wrapped up into nice packages with pink bows, and there were happy endings for all.

Mr. Big, who was Carrie Bradshaw's chief tormentor, often treating her abysmally, emerges as her 'savior' at the series' conclusion. His misogyny toward her knew no bounds. He dragged her heart all over the Big Apple for six years (of course she allowed herself to be manipulated by him). If anything, the real hero would be the person who rescued Carrie not from Paris and Alexander Petrovsky, but from Mr. Big. Carrie needed her salvation from Big as well as from her own masochism which kept propelling her back to what was always an abusive relationship. SATC's ending will go down as one of the worst in tv history, imo.

Once again, the typical LGBTQ+ viewer sees less and less relevant content available on television. Such are the stereotypical shows whose writers and producers sincerely believe they're doing something concrete and meaningful to help the hetero world understand what makes our community tick. In most instances, nothing could be further from the truth. 'Falling for Angels' is one such example.

Set in what is falsely described as the most culturally diverse city in our great country, LaLa Land, 'Falling for Angels' falls far short of providing anything significant that might bolster the importance and self realization of how wonderful and diverse our world is. The writing team, including David Millbern, are the typical gay men who believe the world rises and sets on the City of Angels. Guess what guys, you're wrong and that fact adversely affects the quality of your work and hence, this series. I'd have more respect for 'Falling for Angels, if it were more geographically balanced which clearly is not the case.

Get your behinds out of LA and see what you might discover in Fargo, or Des Moines, or Burlington Vermont.

By isolating yourselves in SOCAL, you do a great disservice to your writing and communicating skills, thus failing to show how very varied and wonderful the LGBTQ+ truly is. We don't see it here.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film which centers around two young men, a hotheaded Greek (Vasilis Magouliotis) and a more down-to-earth German (Anton Weil) who meet on a Greek ferry headed to Italy. Once there, they embark on a road trip north to Germany with several predictable arguments along the way, given their very different backgrounds and life experiences. Some of the scenery along the way is magnificent. The acting was excellent all the way around, especially by the two lead actors . The same can be said for the photography, script and direction. Can two people who are totally different find commonality and even love? Can they discover things not only about themselves but also about one another that might help bond them? I highly recommend this entertaining picture to all.