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vanyel wrote on 01/09/2009:

I got this collection of shorts off the filmmaker's website recently (after watching the director and his husband in the Hidden Frontier webisodes), and quite enjoyed it. There are 5 shorts running the full range from comedy to romance to drama, all with commentaries, and a sweetly romantic easter egg to top it off.

Sunflowers started off a bit slow, but got going early on. A nice romantic story showing how teen dating is pretty much the same gay as straight, with good chemistry between the leads.

Masturbation: Putting the Fun into Self-Loving is a funny spoof of 50's educational films, but not for the prudish (as if the title didn't clue you in!). Not explicit however, so have no fears there if you've got a little bit of the prude hidden away.

Those who like farces will probably like Drag Queen Heist, but it didn't click with me. Jared and Bobby are a couple, down and out, who decide (well, Jared decides) to rob a bank. I felt sympathy for Jared, giving the heist plot a more tragic, desparate attempt at survival, but Bobby was a royal jerk and made it hard to be believe Jared would go to either of the extremes he was attempting. I did like the cute (in more ways than one!) visions, and the twist the story takes, though.

Of the official shorts on here, Begging for Change was my favorite, even bringing a couple of tears near the end. Quite well done with the best acting and production of the set, this short looks at the two directions a homeless teen's life may take depending on the directions life's "toss of a coin" can take us, and doesn't hold back.

And The Award Goes To... is a humorous spoof of the Oscars, an enjoyable closer, as the filmmaker imagines getting an Oscar for his Masturbation short..

The commentaries were relatively interesting and informative, but I confess to being such a hopeless romantic that I liked the easter egg short the best of all just for what it implied in real life. I feel guilty about even mentioning it exists, but if you're a romantic at heart, you're missing out if you don't look for it.

Pogo wrote on 01/08/2009:

Hailed at film festivals, awarded multiple prizes, these five short films by young LGBT filmmaker J.T. Tepnapa redefine "gay film." From gentle romance to laugh-out-loud comedy to gritty drama, these films are as different from each other as they are from anything else out there. Tepnapa will surprise you with his choices and amaze you with his versatility. Seriously, is there anything this guy can't do?

Someday, everyone will have heard of J.T. Tepnapa. Here's your chance to be able to say you were first.

Amos Lassen wrote on 01/08/2009:

"BEGGING FOR SHORTS" BY J.T. TEPNAPA

A Great Collection

Amos Lassen

Some of you may know J.T. Tepnapa from having seen “Drag Queen Heist” at lest year’s Reel Attractions. He has a brand new movie out called “Begging for Change” which is thought provoking and a delight but I will get to that in a few.
“Drag Queen Heist” was been shown twice in Little Rock and hopefully we will have it again this year for the festival. Bobby and Jared, two cute lovers are down on their luck and their finances. They are dying to get away to try to start a new life in Puerto Vallarta but have not got the money to get there. Jared has the answer to their problems and feels that they should rob a bank to finance their lives. Surely no one would ever suspect that a drag queen could be a bank robber. Bobby demurs at first but soon he is convinced that it may indeed be the answer to their problems. Yet other problems seem to arise. One of these is to decide what color nails should a bank robber have. On the way to the robbery they are stopped as plans go awry and so do the dreams for relocation. Granted the premise is silly, but the resulting film is just wonderful. You will laugh and say to yourself that it is ridiculous but you will love it just the same.
“Masturbation: Putting the Fun in Self-Loving” is a treasure. I have actually mentioned it once before when I reviewed TLA’s “Men’s Mix” DVD of which it is a part. The title alone should have your interest and I have to say again that it is the wittiest movie on the TLA compilation and a gem in its own right. Dr. Sigmund Winston teaches students of the 1950s how to make their hand jobs more effective and more fun. He has his trusty sidekick Billy along to help demonstrate the technique. It is quite simply a step by step way to gain more pleasure from self pleasure. It is just plain hilarious (and instructional as ?well).
“Sunflowers” is a sweet little short about finding the right guy and it is just wonderful in its tenderness. Devon is knocked off his bicycle and is taken over to the house of the person who ran into him, John. It is there that he sees Alex and a spark is lit. It is a charming little movie that is a beautiful look at growing up gay and although simple, it has powerful message as it covers a series of first experiences. Young love is so sweet.
“Begging for Change” is a complete departure from the other films in that there it is not a comedy. It more specifically answers the question of “what if?” What are the possibilities we face in life if we had done things differently. A young man who is living on the streets receives a gift f a silver dollar and he faces a journey on two different roads—to go back to the streets or to go home. The movie looks at the issues of redemption as opposed to desperation. The subject is extremely serious and while we look at the young runaway kid we see life looking back at us. We are forced to deal with the choices we make in life. Are our decisions sometimes frivolous or do we weigh out the possibilities before we make a decision. “Begging for Change” is a new J.T. and he’s as good at being serious as he is at being funny. I love this film.
Finally there s a new film, :“ And The Award Goes to...”, another parody that looks into the life of the filmmaker and festival hit, Masturbation: Putting the Fun into Self-loving. In this parody, J.T. Tepnapa is nominated for Best Short Film on Hollywood’s biggest night. But behind the “thank yous” and lies on stage, is the true Hollywood story about how movies really get made.

Rick wrote on 01/08/2009:

I purchased BEGGING FOR SHORTS previously because I had seen some of director J.T. Tepnapa's short films and other work at various GLBT film festivals in the United States. Now that it is here on TLA, I am gonna send everyone here to purchase it when availabe!

This DVD compiles four of J.T.'s award-winning short films (plus one great new one) into one fun DVD (it's a great value!). Here are my little capsule reviews of each, to give you an idea of what is on this amazing DVD:

"Sunflowers" is a tender and beautiful short film about blossoming young love, and the heartaches that sometimes accompany it. Tepnapa has captured some awkward adolescent emotions spot on, and his cinematograpy is beautiful, too.

"Drag Queen Heist" is... indescribably funny. It's a comedy of errors about two average gay guys who need a change of direction in their lives. So, as anyone might do, they dress up as drag queens to pull off a bank robbery. Needless to say, nothing goes right. Guaranteed to make you laugh. A lot. Tepnapa directs and stars in this one, and it was definitely a crowd favorite at film festivals.

"Masturbation..." is nowhere near as gross as it might sound... and 100 times funnier than you can imagine. Tepnapa has recreated a grainy, health education film from sometime in the 1950's to discuss this important issue. Except this is health education as you've never seen it before. 9 out of 10 doctors agree that this parody is funny as hell.

"Begging for Change" sneaks up on you. Unlike the other films in this collection, which are mostly light-hearted and somewhat comedic, Begging for Change is a serious, well acted, intriguingly presented film that asks "What if..." and shows how changing one simple event in someone's life can make serious, life-altering differences (both good, and bad. Very, very, bad). Tepnapa attempts and successfully achieves a dramatic sense of seriousness, urgency, and interrelatedness with this film. He delivers it in a style that speaks much about the depth of his abilities as a young director. You will watch this one several times.

"And the Award Goes To..." is an amusing parody of the success Tepnapa received with the successes and critical acclaim of his short films on the GLBT film festival circuit. The film presents a fictional night at some Academy Award-like Hollywood event where Tepnapa is up for the best film award for his well-received "Masturbation" film. On a second layer, Tepnapa also makes some humorous but harsh commentary on what it takes to make it as a struggling independent film producer in Hollywood. The "other films" up for awards, and the clips shown to the audience from them, are disastrously funny, too. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love it.

I am so glad I found this DVD. I'm going to show it to everyone! And hopefully they will purchase their own copy to show to their friends. I look forward to seeing more of Tepnapa's work (I saw on IMDb that he is currently working on a full-length feature film called "Judas Kiss." Based on what I see on this DVD, I will be first in line for his next film! I am glad TLA will be carrying that, too, when it is finished.

Bradley Gorder wrote on 01/07/2009:

A very diverse group of wonderful short films. It's a great collection of drama and comedy! With Drag Queen Heist, Masturbation:Putting the Fun into Self-Loving, and The Award Goes to... for great funny moments and Sunflowers and Begging for Change for some seriousness, there's something for everyone (or every mood of your own). Fun to watch over and over again. Loaded with awesome special features and a fun menu, it's a great DVD. I enjoyed my copy and have bought several more to give as gifts. Great Value!