East Side Story
Wolfe Video // 2006 // 88 Minutes // Not Rated
Were The World Mine
Wolfe Video // 2008 // 95 Minutes // Not Rated
Mr. Right
Wolfe Video // 2009 // 95 Minutes // Not Rated
Hollywood, Je T'Aime
Wolfe Video // 2010 // 97 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge Dawn Hunt // December 4th, 2011
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get masking tape in Los Angeles?"
"Everybody loves a good gay romance and these are four of the all-time best. From the hit teen musical charmer Were the World Mine to the unexpected Los Angeles love tales East Side Story and Hollywood je t'aime and across the pond in search of Mr. Right -- if you're looking for Big Gay Love, you've definitely found it."
Since 1985 Wolfe has distributed gay and lesbian films. This collection brings together four of the company's romantic comedies which feature characters who happen to count being gay among their various attributes.
Were the World Mine
Timothy (Tanner Cohen, As the
World Turns) is an out teen who's bullied at school. To try and make life
bearable he escapes into musical daydreams. The lack of slick, obviously moneyed
musical numbers helps make it all seem grounded in reality, which is a wonderful
choice that buoys the film's likeability factor. Add in to that a story which
involves Shakespeare's "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" and I was sold.
But the defining factor which hooked me was Timothy being responsible for his
own life. The choices he makes move the story along and the moment when he
realizes that the only real thing he's created is pain is one of my
favorites.
Mr. Right
This movie is a good example of a 'slice of
life' film, and I enjoyed its simplicity. The theme is akin to Love
Actually in that it revolves around a group of friends and their love lives.
It's pretty straightforward in its storytelling once you get to know all the
players. It's sweet and uncomplicated with believable characters and a nice
circular plotline.
East Side Story
Diego (Rene Alvarado, With the
Angels) lives with his abuela and helps run the family restaurant. But his
dream is to escape Los Angeles and start a business and family of his own with
closeted lover Pablo (David Beron, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight.) When
Pablo dumps him and his aunt outs him, it seems to be the time to leave. Enter
new neighbor Wesley (Steve Callahan, Abrupt Decision) and his insensitive
partner and you have the stirrings of the love triangle which drives the rest of
the movie. The biggest flaw is the glut of 'Hey look! I'm acting!' performances.
I hate watching movies where the actors seem afraid to become their characters,
and this film is sadly typical of a lot of gay-themed movies with this
weakness.
Hollywood, Je T'aime
This is the story of Jerome (Eric
Debets, The Boy With the Sun in His Eyes), a man with no purpose and no
direction. After breaking up with his boyfriend he jets off from Paris to Los
Angeles on a whim. Jerome has the emotional range of a sleeping baby. No matter
what happened he reacted the same way: sort of a 'meh' affection that confused
me. More than that, if Jerome didn't care about what happened to him then why
should I? He didn't feel grateful for his unbelievable luck, or seem
particularly happy. So it was understandable that I completely checked out of
this film.
As far as tech specs go, all of these films suffer from their low budgets and the only saving grace is that none of the subject matter requires high end video so the 1.33 is alright. However the audio tends to suffer from low levels and it's definitely more than noticeable. Hollywood, Je T'aime is the worst offender with dialogue completely disappearing at times.
None of the special features are such that I feel the need to recommend them, however if you're looking for captions they are a special feature which has to be accessed through the bonus features section. Not at all convenient.
There are definitely some diamonds in the rough in this collection, but with a genre-specific collection like this you have to have interest in the genre. If you aren't a romcom person or dislike gay themes, stay away. If that sounds like your cup of tea I recommend this if only for the value of more films for your money.
It was 50/50, but I see the glass as half full, so not guilty.
Review content copyright © 2011 Dawn Hunt; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2013 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice, East Side Story
Judgment: 80
Perp Profile, East Side Story
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Release Year: 2006
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, East Side Story
* Commentaries
* Deleted Scenes
Scales of Justice, Were The World Mine
Judgment: 92
Perp Profile, Were The World Mine
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Release Year: 2008
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Were The World Mine
* Commentary
Scales of Justice, Mr. Right
Judgment: 88
Perp Profile, Mr. Right
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Release Year: 2009
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Mr. Right
* Featurette
Scales of Justice, Hollywood, Je T'Aime
Judgment: 60
Perp Profile, Hollywood, Je T'Aime
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Release Year: 2010
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Hollywood, Je T'Aime
* Commentary
* Deleted Scenes
* Featurette
* Trailer
Accomplices
* IMDb: Were the World Mine
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0476991/combined
* IMDb: East Side Story
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0437171/combined
* IMDb: Mr. Right
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0882789/combined
* IMDb: Hollywood Je T'aime
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1432150/combined