Strand Releasing will release a series of seven short films
called “Fun in Boys’ Shorts: The Best in Gay Men’s Cinema” on June 3,
2014. The tile is not really pun; there
are seven short films. The release seems
to follow the vein of the “Boys Life” series (Jan. 28, 2008), from the
Frameline Film Festival. .
“Spooners”, the first film (13 min), was the most successful
for me. Directed by Bryan Horch, the film has Nelson (Walter Reploge), at the
urging of his husband Corey (Ben Lerman) shopping for a new mattress at
“Drowsy’s”, and finding the mattress to be a giant computer recording his every
move and instinct for all in the store (and on the Internet) to see before his
husband shows up. It’s a nice satirical
piece on the loss of privacy in the modern world.
“Housebroken” (15 min) by Wade Gasque, gives us an attractive
gay man Paul (Mark Strano) visitng a swinging LA couple (Carrie Keranen and
Justin Schollard). The intimacy may be
too much for the marriage. The film has
the short of humor of “10 Rules” (April 24).
“Skallaman” (“Bald
Guy”, 12 min, Norway), by Maria Bock, has a young man returning home to his
parents after being seen dating a “short fat and bald” guy, and then later
another tall and thin bald guy. The musical, with quite a lilt in the songs, is
a satire on lookism and “body fascism”. This is one of the more remarkable films of
the set.
“Alaska is a Drag” (14 min), by Chaz Bennett, presents a
drag queen doing a macho job in a cannery near Anchorage, and befriending a
more conventionally masculine gay man, and teaching him how to take care of
himself.
“Desanimado” ((“Unanimated”, Portugal, Emilio 8 min). An animated character goes into therapy to
deal with how the real world treats him because he is “different”. The film always shows him in a totally real
background. The therapy dialogue goes
existential, as he ponders whether belonging to the world of others is a moral
imperative. Again, this film shows some
originality.
“Sabbatical”, by
Glenn Kiser, not to be confused with a more recent feature, 8 min), is a break
in a marriage here. Phillip (Ross Marquand) returns home to his spouse (Michael
Carbarano) after having traveled to Thailand and even recovered from Malaria.
“P.D.A.”, by Patrick Hancock (8 min), has Pat challenging
his lover’s aloofness (and his “inexpressive heart”). I never knew that it offended people not to
use hand saniitizers.
This review was done from a private Vimeo screener link.
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