Hooks to the Left

By: Amos Lassen

If you know the name Todd Verow, then you know that he is one of the most innovative filmmakers working today. He never ceases to amaze me. His new film, "Hooks to the Left" is completely shot on a cell phone camera. Verow has based this film on the hustler journals of a rent boy who goes by the name of "Nail". After having been involved in a ten year relationship, Nail returns to the streets and to the world of male prostitution. Like everything else, street life is constantly changing and "Hooks to the Left" looks at what is different now because of the internet.
This is a very disturbing film but a necessary one. Many people rely on prostitutes to fulfill their sexual needs and internet or not, prostitution is here to stay. It is also difficult to watch because of the photographic method use but once the viewer gets used to it, it becomes just another way to watch a movie. The visuals are heavily pixilated and there are many nude male bodies, abstract interiors and blurred street scenes. These provide a fascinating landscape for the journal entries which are narrated as the film runs.
An interview with the director makes the entire business crystal clear and this is an exciting new way to look at the way some of us live.

By: L Douglas

Hooks on the left is a real rip off as a film. There is no sense of film-making save perhaps in the ego of Todd Verow. More accurately it should have been a audio CD or tape. The story line is indeed interesting, however the visual is virtually none existent and consists of a continuous and repeated series of ta tally blurred images. I say don't waste your money on this one; buy a magazine instead and get your money's worth.