Fun in Boys Shorts (2012)

Fun in Boys Shorts
Saturday 6/16, 11:00am @ Castro, FUNB16C
Sunday 6/24, 2:00pm @ Castro, FUNB24C

Couples Therapy, dir. Mike Rose, 2012, USA, 10 min., S324 [not reviewed]
Two Guys in a Backyard, dir. Tez Frost, 2011, Australia, 5 min., S416 
4 Pounds, dirs. Josh Levy & Robi Levy, 2010, Canada, 8 min., S343 
CRUSH, dir. Gloria LaMorte, 2011, USA, 9 min., S325 

33 Teeth, dir. Evan Roberts, 2011, Canada, 8 min., S301  [trailer]
7 Deadly Kisses, dir. Sammaria Simanjuntak, 2011, Indonesia, 4 min., S303 
Shabbat Dinner, dir. Michael Morgenstern, 2012, USA, 15 min., S401 
Unanimated (Desanimado), dir. Emilio Martí López, 2011, Spain, 8 min., in Spanish with English subtitles, S418 
Alone with Mr. Carter, dir. Jean-Pierre Bergeron, 2011, Canada, 18 min., S306 

Couples Therapy[not reviewed]

Two Guys in a Backyard

Two Guys in a Backyard, doing what best mates do — getting sweaty, groping each other, pinning one another in compromising positions, speaking of their love for each other.... You know, normal straight-guy stuff! Of course, one of them sees the situation from a slightly different perspective than the other. Well written, well made, and fun to watch, with a cute surprise ending. Highly recommended.

Scott Thompson in 4 Pounds

Just about any project with Scott Thompson (of Kids in the Hall fame) involved in it is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Well, Scott Thompson wrote, co-produced, starred, and co-starred in 4 Pounds, playing both himself and his own mother, so it has a pretty solid pedigree. Scott is getting ready to make a beach movie, but he’s four pounds [That’s almost 2kg, for Canadians and other civilised folk.] over his target weight — the horror! Can he lose the weight, with only four weeks to do it?? Will his mother survive her worries about his reckless weight-loss plans? Fun as always; highly recommended.

At the prom with your CRUSH

It’s the night of the senior prom in the South Bronx, which means that it’s Michael’s (Sean Carvajal) last chance to “kick it” to his CRUSH Brandon (D.J. Afanador) and tell him how he really feels. Things get a bit surreal, and nothing is quite as it seems. His friend Nikkie is after him to man up, but will he find the courage? (Cameo: the DJ at the prom is played by Dominic Colón, who wrote and co-produced the film.) Well done, highly recommended.

The boy next door in 33 Teeth

In 33 Teeth, we meet Eddie (Spencer Siegel), a boy about 14 years old who (along with his mother) is smitten with Chad, the older boy next door. Eddie sees Chad one day coming out of the shower, using a red comb to measure his manly equipment, adding to Eddie’s obsession, but later Chad’s buddy disses Eddie when he notices him lurking about, so Eddie finds a creative way to both indulge his crush and also retaliate for the slight. Highly recommended.

Learning about the 7 Deadly Kisses

In 7 Deadly Kisses, we learn about the pitfalls of trying to kiss a girl — everything from the frog kiss to the dragon kiss, faux pas that will scare away any self-respecting girl. In order to be assured of success, a boy should practice with another boy. What’s that? You boys would rather keep kissing each other? A cute, entertaining bit of fluff, recommended.

Shabbat Dinner

In Shabbat Dinner, two families come together for the traditional Jewish sabbath dinner. The adults stay at the table with a little too much wine while the two teenage boys go off on their own for a little conversation and whatnot. The scene that ensues deftly captures the first tentative steps in coming out. Highly recommended, and also available on DVD from the filmmaker’s website.

Unanimated (Desanimado)

Imagine living in a world where almost everyone else — even including your own parents — is live action, but you’re a cartoon. You go to therapy, you gaze longingly at other cartoons you see on the streets, you wrestle with coming out to Mom and Dad (who somehow haven’t noticed). It’s an interesting allegory, and makes for a pretty good film. Recommended.

Alone with Mr. Carter

Many gay boys had teen crushes on some sort of a “daddy” figure, but occasionally you find a gay teen who’s looking for more of a “granddad” figure. It’s 1997, Ellen Degeneres’ coming out is all over the news, and young John (Robert Naylor) is in love with the silver-haired man next door, but Mr. Carter (Paul Sanders) is about to move away, perhaps never to be heard from again. Will John find a way to speak his truth out loud before the chance is gone? The character of John is well written and well played, deftly capturing the feel of an early teen crush. Highly recommended.