★ 5 / 10
Marc" (Michael Lucas) and his best pal "Robert
CinemaSerf
"Marc" (Michael Lucas) and his best pal "Robert" (Aaron Williams) need to find somewhere to live, so check out the deaths column in the papers and find an…
"Marc" (Michael Lucas) and his best pal "Robert" (Aaron Williams) need to find somewhere to live, so check out the deaths column in the papers and find an unoccupied apartment. "Marc" moves in with his friend "Cynthia" (Mara Hobel) and what quickly follows is a rather weak comedy will they/won't it romance. "Marc" espies a musical neighbour "David" (Hugh Panaro) and after a coffee in the stairwell he falls hook, line and sinker. His new amour already has, however, a boyfriend "Chuck" (Jonathan Walker) and, of course we know from the start that "Robert" has an huge crush on his friend but has no idea how/if to take it forward. The love triangle, ménage-à-trois thing has some amusing legs at the beginning but they quickly run out of steam and the film resorts increasingly to annoyingly over-scripted stereotypes about love, lust, frustration, musical theatre references and commitment phobia amongst young gay men. The presence of the "Cynthia" character seems specifically designed to irritate - she brings nothing at all the dynamic aside from get in the way of what plot there might have originally been while the film was on the drawing board. It's like two or three episodes of "Will and Grace" clumsily bolted together only without the wit or characterisations. I wouldn't bother, sorry.
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Maybe............."The Grand Gesture"
arizona-philm-phan
C'mon, World, wake up and REdiscover this little gay gem of a movie. There are so many out there that easily deserve their 0- or 1-Star; surely this little…
C'mon, World, wake up and REdiscover this little gay gem of a movie. There are so many out there that easily deserve their 0- or 1-Star; surely this little pearl deserves more. Yes, 1997's "Broadway Damage" is probably one of the most underrated and least known "gems" of gay filmdom........why not discover its delights yourself? So, just what is it about this production? Well, hey, there's no weird, dreary storyline; it's lite and fun......with guys who are not afraid to kiss. Yes, Michael Shawn Lucas (as Marc) has a body "to die for" and, c'mon, when he's also as earnestly sincere and sweet as he is, who wouldn't wanna wind up with him. And it would be very hard to forget Aaron Williams (as Robert), playing an endearing "little puppy" of a guy, who'll bring down Marc in the end. In fact, both male leads wear their sincerity on their sleeves----kinda refreshing to think there might still be guys like this out there.Above all, if you can't stand the sunny sincerity of a Broadway musical (but without all the singing), then stay away from this cuz it definitely tries to be sincere.......and succeeds at that in spades. Along with this there's really great cinematography: brite and colorful (how'd they do it with what must have been a piddl'in budget?). Hey, and there's that soundtrack to fall in love with, too. How Director Victor Mignatti put all this together, with no more money than he likely had, is anybody's guess and is a minor (scratch that), major miracle. How does a guy like this then just disappear from directing for the next 8, 9 years? Sad, sad, sad.In closing, one thing to possibly question is if maybe, just maybe, Director Mignatti should'a rethought the title. "BD" might resonate more with NY City-ers, but his own within-the-movie phrase: "The Grand Gesture" might have had more meaning to audiences at large (would the latter, as a title, have drawn in more viewers/buyers who'd fondly remember this film?). Ah, well, Monday morning "after-thought-ing" is always easier, isn't it? Besides, any way you look at it, Marc and Robert are gonna wind up being one of the favorite couples you'll meet in your home film library from time to time.....I betcha.PS: You know what? I'll even betcha this movie is one that other favorite film couples, such as Aaron & Christian (see Title 1, below) and Cedric & Laurent (see Title 2, below) would wanna have in their home video collections.(1) "Latter Days" / (2) "Just A Question Of Love"
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★ 8 / 10
LGBT and adjacent...fun story.
ksf-2
It's good. Sometimes it doesn't go well when the same person writes and directs a film; in this case, it makes for a cute, fun, story. A group of friends…
It's good. Sometimes it doesn't go well when the same person writes and directs a film; in this case, it makes for a cute, fun, story. A group of friends search for fame and fortune ( and work... and apartments) in new york, in the 1990s. Marc and cynthia find a grubby apartment in the village. Robert is secretly in love with marc. But marc is in love with the new neighbor david, who has his own secrets and issues. And they all obsess over "hair in face", the muscle dude who walks around the neighborhood, but only talks to his dog. Cynthia has a shopping addiction, but no source of income. We watch as they all audition and interview for jobs. And relationships. Cynthia is determined to work at a magazine, and comes up with creative ways to try to get an interview. One weakness was that in NYC, a huge number of people in the gay community were lost to hiv/aids in the 1990s, but it's barely mentioned in the film. Can these friends all work out their various issues together, and find happiness? Written and directed by victor mignatti. He has won a couple film fest awards. This is currently showing on the tubi streaming channel. Good stuff!
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