(Me and Steve with Dragan Milinkovic, center, cinematographer from Montenegro at tonight's Industry and Film Director's Party at Toucan's Tiki Lounge.) Sometimes being gay can make one feel like the "odd man out," but that isn't what the five shorts in the segment I saw at the Palm Springs International ShortFest this afternoon was all about. It really was about guys who really didn't fit the mold; either for good or bad.
The Standouts in the "Odd Man Out" segment were Animated American and Of Best Intentions. Animated American - 15 minutes (USA) directed by James Baker and Joe Haidar. In this hilarious animated short that is integrated with great acting, Eric, played by Jason Marsden, is a digital loving executive on a mansion hunting expedition with his tall sexy wife, Trixie, played by Bree Turner. As it turns out, his real estate agent, Max, played by Jon Polito, is actually an out of
work toon rabbit. Not only is the story one about the changing dynamics of the animation industry, but also the quality of the acting and fable-like story gets the point across in a funny and entertaining way. A 5 out of 5.(Jason Marsden as Eric is confronted by Jon Polito as Max for his belief in the new way of doing things in the animation field.)
Of Best Intentions - 14 minutes (Ireland) directed by Brian Durnin. A first film by this director, this vignette of short stories of individuals whose best intentions overlap with one another is told is a very quick, succinct and compelling way. From the inventor of freon gas to a Reader's Digest story writer who never gives up, each of their lives lead from an unintended action to their demise. It kept the audience laughing to know that somehow what we were watching them do was going to lead to a bad outcome. Another 5 out of 5.
The other three in this series were bad, they just didn't rate as high.
The Magic - 25 minutes (United Kingdom) directed by Rory Rooney. A slightly neurotic guy begins to have "magical" things happen to him that leads him to loose his friends and acquaintances until one day he meets his long-lost sister who seems to have the same "magical" qualities. The story could have been told in much less time. A 4 out of 5.
Rattlesnakes - 23 minutes (Iceland) directed by Hafsteinn Sigurdsson. Inspired by seeing an over-the-hill rock star on TV, a husband who's settled into middle-aged boredom decides to shake up his world a bit by buying a pair of cowboy boots. As a comedy, it wasn't very funny; kind of tragic in a sad way. A 3 out of 5.
The Receiver - 14 minutes (Kazakhstan) directed by Anne Devereaux. Interesting conceptual idea of a man who makes phone calls after seeing a number on some money, but then never saying anything once the other person answers. However, when his young son who no longer lives with him finds his number and calls him, he still doesn't answer back. Another 3 out of 5.
After a brief trip home to change into something more festive than a t-shirt, we headed back to the Camelot Theatres for the big "The Gay!LA" show and filmmakers and directors party at Toucan's Tiki Lounge. Once again a dramatic short, The Young and Evil, that had something to say was the standout. This 15 minute (USA) short directed by Julian Breece who, along with his producer, Aaliyah Williams, were both present, was direct, gritty, and head-on in dealing with the subject of HIV in the black community. When it first began with its rap and harrassment of the main character by a group of neighborhood tuffs, I didn't know if I was going to like this film. (I'm pretty sure as a white 57-year old gay man this film was not shot with me in mind.) Yet, you cannot help be pulled into this film as the young man seeks to have unprotected sex even knowing it can kill him. The effect of having him encountering a "safe sex spokesman" and the choices they both make is extremely powerful. As a premier film by Breece, this young filmmaker is someone to watch. Definitely a 5 out of 5. Highly
recommended. I hope it receives some recognition tomorrow night at the awards.
(The Young and Evil stars Vaughn Lowery as a troubled young gay black man seeking unprotected sex.)
The other six shorts in this segment just didn't meet the same standards in my book. And, although a couple, Lloyd Neck - 16 minutes (USA) directed by Benedict Campbell, and You, Me and Him - 18 minutes (Brazil) directed by Daniel Ribeiro, both had good story lines, they felt a bit unfinished to me. I gave both of these a 4 out of 5. It was interesting also that both of these films not only dealt with their characters being gay and what that might mean for their futures, but also one character in each film dealing with a sibling relationship at the same time.
The films; Cocktales - 7 minutes (USA) directed by David James Kelly that dealt with some young office workers seemed trite and cute, so I gave it a 3 out of 5. Diva - 7 minutes (France) directed by Josephine Mackerras that featured a young man going to Paris to begin a new life, didn't seem to go anywhere, so it also got a 3 out of 5. Sombrero - 12 minutes (USA) directed by Nathaniel Atcheson featuring two guys who are to meet up with someone but sit at the wrong table was also cute, but it's been done before, so it also received a 3 out of 5. And finally, The Vicious and the Delicious - 12 minutes (Australia) directed by Tonnette Stanford was just slapstick that certainly did not need 12 minutes. I suppose if you like Varla Jean Merman, you
might have found it funny. I just found it ridiculous so it got only a 1 out of 5.
Then it was off to the Directors, Producers and Industry party at Toucan's where we got to chat with several film directors and hobnob with staff from the Palm Springs International Film Society.
The other three in this series were bad, they just didn't rate as high.
The Magic - 25 minutes (United Kingdom) directed by Rory Rooney. A slightly neurotic guy begins to have "magical" things happen to him that leads him to loose his friends and acquaintances until one day he meets his long-lost sister who seems to have the same "magical" qualities. The story could have been told in much less time. A 4 out of 5.
Rattlesnakes - 23 minutes (Iceland) directed by Hafsteinn Sigurdsson. Inspired by seeing an over-the-hill rock star on TV, a husband who's settled into middle-aged boredom decides to shake up his world a bit by buying a pair of cowboy boots. As a comedy, it wasn't very funny; kind of tragic in a sad way. A 3 out of 5.
The Receiver - 14 minutes (Kazakhstan) directed by Anne Devereaux. Interesting conceptual idea of a man who makes phone calls after seeing a number on some money, but then never saying anything once the other person answers. However, when his young son who no longer lives with him finds his number and calls him, he still doesn't answer back. Another 3 out of 5.
After a brief trip home to change into something more festive than a t-shirt, we headed back to the Camelot Theatres for the big "The Gay!LA" show and filmmakers and directors party at Toucan's Tiki Lounge. Once again a dramatic short, The Young and Evil, that had something to say was the standout. This 15 minute (USA) short directed by Julian Breece who, along with his producer, Aaliyah Williams, were both present, was direct, gritty, and head-on in dealing with the subject of HIV in the black community. When it first began with its rap and harrassment of the main character by a group of neighborhood tuffs, I didn't know if I was going to like this film. (I'm pretty sure as a white 57-year old gay man this film was not shot with me in mind.) Yet, you cannot help be pulled into this film as the young man seeks to have unprotected sex even knowing it can kill him. The effect of having him encountering a "safe sex spokesman" and the choices they both make is extremely powerful. As a premier film by Breece, this young filmmaker is someone to watch. Definitely a 5 out of 5. Highly
recommended. I hope it receives some recognition tomorrow night at the awards.(The Young and Evil stars Vaughn Lowery as a troubled young gay black man seeking unprotected sex.)
The other six shorts in this segment just didn't meet the same standards in my book. And, although a couple, Lloyd Neck - 16 minutes (USA) directed by Benedict Campbell, and You, Me and Him - 18 minutes (Brazil) directed by Daniel Ribeiro, both had good story lines, they felt a bit unfinished to me. I gave both of these a 4 out of 5. It was interesting also that both of these films not only dealt with their characters being gay and what that might mean for their futures, but also one character in each film dealing with a sibling relationship at the same time.
The films; Cocktales - 7 minutes (USA) directed by David James Kelly that dealt with some young office workers seemed trite and cute, so I gave it a 3 out of 5. Diva - 7 minutes (France) directed by Josephine Mackerras that featured a young man going to Paris to begin a new life, didn't seem to go anywhere, so it also got a 3 out of 5. Sombrero - 12 minutes (USA) directed by Nathaniel Atcheson featuring two guys who are to meet up with someone but sit at the wrong table was also cute, but it's been done before, so it also received a 3 out of 5. And finally, The Vicious and the Delicious - 12 minutes (Australia) directed by Tonnette Stanford was just slapstick that certainly did not need 12 minutes. I suppose if you like Varla Jean Merman, you
might have found it funny. I just found it ridiculous so it got only a 1 out of 5.(Steve with Benoît Ameil, director of A Juicy Turkey [La Dinde Marinée], left, and Khen Shalem, director of On the Road to Tel Aviv.)
Then it was off to the Directors, Producers and Industry party at Toucan's where we got to chat with several film directors and hobnob with staff from the Palm Springs International Film Society.
1 comments:
wow i felt the same way about that young and evil
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