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Review

East Side Story
In East Los Angeles, handsome young Diego works at his family’s restaurant while secretly having an affair with a hunky but super-closeted real estate agent, Pedro. For the largely Latino neighborhood, the landscape is literally changing as white folks move in, including gay couple Wesley and Jonathan. Diego, increasingly frustrated with his hush-hush situation with Pedro (who, making matters worse, romantically pursues a female relative of Diego’s!), falls for Wesley. But racist and homophobic friends, relatives and, in Wesley’s case, a pissy ex-boyfriend guarantee this affair will be no picnic. Almost a companion piece to Quinceañera, director Carlos Portugal’s East Side Story employs a perfect blend of humor, drama and soap opera-worthy plot twists in telling this very timely tale of a neighborhood -- and some of its residents’ lives -- in flux. (English and Spanish with English subtitles)

Were the World Mine
Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a gay boy stranded in a private boys school obsessed with rugby. There’s just one thing about rugby he's obsessed with, the über-hot Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker). Both boys are students in Ms. Tebbit's (Wendy Robie, who "Twin Peaks" fans will recognize as "Nadine") English class. She's a teacher with a mission: to excite her students with the literature of the ages. When she decides to cast these two boys as the romantic leads in her production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and to cast boys in girl's roles, you know she’s just as mischievous as Puck himself. The rugby Coach and townspeople are up in arms, and Timothy sends himself off into musical gay fantasies that look as if they're designed by Pierre et Gilles. But Timothy just can't get the language right and Ms. Tebbit advises the boy to let the words work their magic. They do just that as Timothy finds in the script the recipe for a potion to make people gay! One spritz from Timothy's magic pansy and the person goes totally queer. The entire town (filled with Christian fundamentalists) is whipped into frenzy as the glorious production night approaches. This deliciously surreal confection of a film is steered by first-time co-writer/director Thomas Gustafson, whose 2003 short Fairies inspired this bit of magic. The musical numbers are over-the-top, production values first-rate and the acting is as flawlessly beautiful as the boys. We know the Bard would appreciate this totally queer take on his immortal tale of mayhem, "If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended."

Mr. Right
"Right" from the inventive opening credits, you'll know that Mr. Right is a delectably fun treat. The film has a cast of characters that will become family by the film's end. Louise (Georgia Zaris), friend to a gaggle of gay men, just wants to make sure that her current beau Paul (Jeremy Edwards) is actually straight. She has a history of dating gay men, so she brings him to a dinner party with her buddies. There's Alex (Luke de Woolfson), a cater-waiter whose acting career is always just about to take off. He's living with Harry (James Lance), a reality TV producer who's ashamed of the crap he foists on the public. Tom (David Morris) is a successful artist who brings his rental boyfriend Larrs to the party; Larrs (Benjamin Hart) is always on the make, or is he? And then there's William (Rocky Marshall), whose 11-year-old daughter is determined to drive her dad's boyfriends away. Current beau Lawrence (Leon Ockenden) is a TV star who everyone sort of recognizes, and who thinks that he's actually the doctor he plays on TV. Director/co-writer Jacqui Morris and her co-writer brother David have crafted a fast-paced movie about a group of charming characters who each discover an inner truth as the film develops. The frothy, fun and upbeat Mr. Right is one of the best date movies this year. Enjoy!

Hollywood je t'aime Jason Bushman's feature debut is a charmingly loving tale of a sweet Parisian lost in the wilds of gay L.A. With its explicit sex fantasy sequences and star Eric Debets extraordinary comic talent (he reminds us of a hot Roberto Benigni), this has quickly risen to the top, becoming one of our all-time gay cinema favorites. Like The Wizard of Oz, the story begins in a black-and-white Paris (most certainly not Kansas) where Jérôme (Eric Debets) still holds a candle for his ex, who moved onto other boys long ago. Deciding that he needs a fresh outlook on life, Jérôme packs his bags and heads for Hollywood, where he intends to follow his dream of becoming an actor. Landing in L.A. the film shifts to color and a seedy Hollywood motel (not really Oz, but it will do). The very adorable and naive Jérôme takes a long bus journey to the beach where he meets Ross (Chad Allen)(perhaps the Tin Man), a temptingly hot stoner. But our boy won't be tied down that quickly. On Santa Monica Blvd. he chats up tranny hooker Kaleesha (she's the Scarecrow), who falls in love immediately with our wandering naïf. She takes him to her home, where boarders seem to come and go. Jérôme settles in and goes on a few auditions, completely unprepared for the insane world of the bottom reaches of show business. All the while, Jérôme is dreaming of sex with his ex-boyfriend. And these dreams are gorgeous explosions of sexual fantasy. With his world thrown upside down (and the dreams), the young man must decide if LA is really the place for him. There really is "No place like home". Kudos go to star Eric Debets and writer/director Jason Bushman for creating this superbly entertaining film. The gentle humanity and humor of Hollywood, je t'aime make this an essential film. (English and French with English subtitles)