dinty Reviews

The Sweetest Thing (2002)

Dreadful.

[3/10 · 5 June 2003]

It's porn without the complexity of plot or the delicate shadings of character. The female leads are all wasted in terms of their comic gifts. This film reminded me of "Saving Silverman" but for girls, and filthier, but just as unfunny and unengaging. Did a woman actually write this appalling script?

Down with Love (2003)

a misfire

[5/10 · 7 May 2003]

Renee and Ewan are at a loss in this misfire parody of "Pillow Talk" and all those other giddy Doris & Rock romps of another era. What is this movie? Not a loving homage, not a biting satire, and most painfully, not terribly funny, despite heroic efforts from the leads and David Hyde Pierce. Those Doris & Rock movies were all about the struggle between the sexes, particularly those of the pre-lib, independent working woman, and belong to their time. Why remake "Pillow Talk" without a point of view? It might as well as be a Saturday Night Live skit (heaven knows it's unfunny enough). The swell sets and yummy costumes occupy your eyeballs for a few, but you'll find yourself shaking your watch and scratching your head for far longer. There's really no there there - skip it.

The Fluffer (2001)

provoked and frustrated - it's like porn that way

[13 March 2003]

What is The Fluffer? Beats me...part naughty gay comedy, part bizarre love triangle, part down & dirty noir and ultimately, kind of a mess. The filmmakers can't seem to make up their own mind about the fascination and repulsion of the porn industry, and so tease and titillate the viewer while telegraphing despair, destruction, death. It's frustrating not only because there is (at least) a provocative story to tell but also because the acting is pretty consistently on a high level, with strong leads and good supporting players. Overall, definitely a notch above most routine gay-indie-product out there, and I'd definitely take a chance on the next project from these filmmakers.

Rock Hudson's Home Movies (1992)

intriguing if flawed reimagining of RH film legacy

[6/10 · 10 October 2002]

An intriguing project, but by no means a success, this is a reimagining and reinterpretation of RH's body of work with the gift of hindsight about his sexuality and early death from AIDS. The film clips are great fun, and speak volumes about the tension between Rock the Movie Star and Rock the Man. That's the problem - by comparison, the device of the actor impersonating Rock gets in the way, underlining the obvious and forbidding the viewer from drawing his/her own associations. Rock belonged to the last dawning of the studio era and shone gloriously, consistently even in the dopiest and most compromised of his films. This narrator looks/sounds NOTHING like Rock and his presence on camera makes the film look like the grad school project I suspect it is. A shame, because there's a real story to be told, and Rock deserves a stronger stand-in. We miss you, Rock.

Stonewall (1995)

well-meant, but...

[6/10 · 11 June 2001]

It's a well-meant effort with a lot of heart behind it but far less by way of acting, writing and directing prowess. The leads are competent but flat and the direction is pretty standard issue (with the exception of the riot, which is quite badly staged and directed). The period pop songs, lip synched by the drag queens, grow tiresome after a while. I found the Duberman book powerful, passionate and engrossing as any novel - maybe someday someone will feel inspired to do a film adaptation right. All in all, this movie's a heroic effort but not a success.

20 Dates (1998)

You may not make it past 8 or 9

[29 May 2001]

Call it a date with density. Incredibly tedious and self-indulgent documentary about an unappealing and relentlessly self-promoting filmmaker, apparently inspired in equal part by Woody Allen and Henry Jaglom but without the charm, wit or skill of either. The director has no great insights to share on the single scene in Los Angeles (that might be a stretch anyway) but also no real affection for the women involved, for the pursuit of filmmaking or for his audience. The documenting of the dates is invasive and obnoxious and finally, wearying. Why bother?

Nowhere (1997)

sex, drugs and angst, California youth style

[2/10 · 19 March 2001]

Typically overbaked Araki, a silly but visually lush exercise in adolescent existential chic. Like declaiming the emptiness of neon in neon - aren't all his films? - this one moves at a decent pace, and there are momentary pleasures to be had, provided one can suspend one's disbelief and enjoy the humor. Nowhere, indeed.

The Next Best Thing (2000)

Worse than I expected.

[5 April 2000]

Madonna & Rupert have zero chemistry together and there's not a believable moment in the film, despite the high drama turn of events. Not a lot of humor either. The movie does make some surprisingly effective points about the inequity of gays and lesbians in our judicial system, but a typical episode of "Will & Grace" reveals more about the dynamic of gay men and straight women than this flick.