TIGLFF Day 10

We skipped the early afternoon movies, but got there in time for a block of shorts.

Feltch Sanders is kind of a gay Starsky & Hutch. Very corny, very funny.

Remember those old documentary shorts that usually had something to do with public health matters or wartime security? Billy’s Dad Is A Fudgepacker is made to look like one of those movies. Shot in black and white, slightly out of focus at times, cheery music in the background. It really captures that 1950’s feel. This movie is loaded with double entendres starting with the title. In this case Billy’s dad is a fudgepacker… working at a chocolate factory… in the packing department… Every other line is some kind of gag. It had the entire audience ROFL.

La Fidanzata was a cute little Italian movie. Grandma comes to visit Lolo unexpectedly just as Lolo and his lover are getting ready for a romantic movie. Very predictable, but nicely made. 

On The Low explored how a young black male deals with his secret. 

Running Without Sound is from the viewpoint of a young deaf runner. A feel-good kind of movie. 

Night Swimming is about two friends whose truck breaks down miles from anywhere. They have to spend the night in the woods and they cross the lines between friendship and lovers. Their relationship is forever altered. One is in denial and the other is heart broken.

The first feature we saw was Freshman Orientation. The main character pretends to be gay to get a girl. His roommate is actually gay and falls in love with him. It was a funny movie if you find college humor funny. A bright point in the movie was the casting of John Goodman as a gay bartender. (3 stars) 

Gay Sex In The 70s is not about old guys having sex… it’s a documentary about gays in 1970’s New York. Everyone came out of the closet during that time period. Gay sex became a public event. Promiscuity became the norm. From lower Manhattan to the Brambles in Central Park people were having sex everywhere, with everyone, usually without protection. Not a pretty picture, but valuable information that helps put today’s events into perspective. (4 stars)

The evening wrapped up with Carçon Stupide, a Swiss film in French. It plodded along rather slowly. A lot of audience members left before the movie was over. Those of us who stuck it out were rewarded with a wonderful ending. The main character is a twenty year old male prostitute who is very naive about the way the world works. To him having sex with everybody means you don’t have to love anybody. He meets a a forty something man who is actually more interested in him as a person than as a sex object. After a series of tragic events he re-examines his life. He makes a complete turn around and in the end we see him meet the man who may become the love of his life. I’ll probabaly add this one to my DVD collection. (4 stars)

By the time we got out of the theater is was after 1:30 AM. We spent over eight hours in the theater. My knees, legs, back, and butt were so sore I could hardly walk out of the theater. This morning I feel amazingly well. We’ll be heading downtown early this afternoon for the closing day festivities.