The Big Gay Movie Festival (Part 1)

The international gay film festival is going on in town and of course, I got the ten pass again this year. Watched half of it and I've walked out on only one. I understand that gay films usually have really small budget, and not much can be expected of them but having said that, they are a lot better than I've expected. Maybe gay films have become more main stream, thanks for Brokeback Mountain.

The main focus this year is RuPaul's Starrbooty. A tongue-in-cheek comedy reminiscing of late 70's Blaxploitation film. RuPaul plays Starrbooty (think Foxy Brown) an ex-supermodel of the world turns top secret agent who tries to rescue her niece from her nemesis Annaka Manners, who kidnap hookers on the streets, cut them apart and sell the body parts to the aging upper class. So Starrbooty went and become a "undercover ho" as she tries to rescue her niece. The film tries to be as campy as possible with shocking images sprinkled all over the movie like fairy dust. With various sex jokes, scat humor and body parts, as Mecca Revlon had put it, it's very "Gag you just for gagging's sake's, serve you just to serve." RuPaul was there in full drag and did a little runway show for us as she introduced the cast as well as an after Q&A section. It is hard not to pay attention to her, she's a 7 feet tall drag queen in a big platinum blond afro wig. Compare to her, Ari Gold, Gus Mattox, Michael Lucas and Mike Ruiz seemed small and insignificant. Michael Lucas the big media whore and attention monger that he is has to take off his shirt and show us half his penis to get the applause and approval that he so desperately seeks. What insecure man would need to do that? Sad really. I never liked him much, he seemed so arrogant and fake. He must have begged to be in the movie, he does have a huge penis though. C+

The one movie that I really love is called Shelter and I am not exaggerating when I say I love this movie, I LOVE it!!! I can compare it to my all time favorite gay film - Beautiful Thing. It's a movie about a teenage surfer boy trying to cope with his own sexuality while taking care of his father and his older sister's son. Living in San Pedro, California, Zach has to take care of his nephew since his father is disabled and his sister Jeanie's boyfriend ran off ever since he found out that Jeanie was pregnant. Jeanie who cares more about her own social life than anything, constantly manipulates and guilts him into babysitting for her, while she spends most of her time away from her own child. For these reasons, Zach has abandoned his own needs and thoughts about what he could do with his artistical talents and focus to make ends meet. Other than babysitting and holding down his job in a diner, he hangs out at the beach with his friends and surf. When his best friend's brother comes back into town, a relationship starts to emerge with Zach and this old acquaintance. The story is so beautifully told that I almost cried. God, what wouldn't I give to have a relationship like this? His sister keeps him grounded, discouraging him to go to art school, so he can take care of her son. And him sacrificing himself just for the sake of the 'family'. These concepts are too foreign to me. Everybody should go see it. A