stronzetto Reviews

The M.O. Of M.I. (2002)

Absolutely Miserable

[1/10 · 12 May 2004]

Just when I thought that gay films couldn't get any worse than "Sordid Lives" or "The Journey of Jared Price," along comes this stinker.

This is a truly horrible film. It bears comparison with "Plan Nine from Outer Space" and other classics of bad film. The plot line is stupid and completely obvious. Anybody who doesn't see the "plot twist" coming (guess what? A main character isn't who you think he is...if you're an idiot, that is) has never seen a single suspense movie in their life. The acting is painful. I have no tolerance for bad acting, and this movie gave me hives. The three main characters are all acted horribly. The most awful aspect of this movie, however, is the writing. I have never seen a movie with such bad dialogue (including the shamefully bad "Journey of Jared Price"). The performance art scenes deserve particular mention here. Whoever wrote that dialogue must have been joking.

Gay people deserve better movies than this. Remember "Beautiful Thing" and "Get Real"? Where did movies like that go?

Chasing Amy (1997)

Flawed but impressive

[4 April 2003]

"Chasing Amy" enjoys the odd status as being my favorite flawed movie. Parts of it (the entire "Hooper X" character, the needless comic-book/cartoon series subplot, and the frankly inaccurate portrayal of the lesbian community) seem amateurish and, at times they are distracting. At its core, however, is an incredibly insightful film about the complexities of human sexual and emotional relationships. The Joey Lauren Adams character is absolutely unique in modern film: she is a sexually, emotionally, and affectionately adventurous woman who makes no apologies for the fact that she is continually exploring what she wants out of life and human relationships. Ben Affleck and, most especially, Jason Lee have never given better performances. The incredibly understated, sometimes unspoken way that they navigate the boundaries of their friendship is stunning. This film will be meaningless to people whose relationships have been cut and dry, "boy meets girl in the suburbs of the midwest and live happily ever after." But for those of us who have lived lives like Alyssa, Holden, and Banky, this film is a moving and affirming experience. I really mean that.

Sordid Lives (2000)

Absolutely Rock Bottom

[1/10 · 13 March 2003]

This movie is painfully bad. The characters are incredibly insulting. Not a single one seems like a real human being; they are all cartoonish. The story ranges from unrealistic, to sappy, to simply boring.

What a waste of film.

The Journey of Jared Price (2000)

One of the worst movies ever made

[1/10 · 2 May 2001]

I've seen "The Journey of Jared Price" twice now, and the second time I became convinced that I was watching one of the worst movies ever made. It's like watching a train wreck-hideous and fascinating at the same time. The acting is hopelessly amateurish, the dialogue is painfully bad (particularly the monologue on the meaning of the word "partner"), and the plot is predictable and condescending. If this is the state of gay movies in the year 2001, then we've taken a huge step back. What ever happened to good movies, like "Beautiful Thing," "Get Real," and "Edge of Seventeen"?