The Trip (2002)

The Trip (2002)



Director: Miles Swain
Writer: Miles Swain
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Language: English
Duration: 95 min
Year: 2002



Stars: Larry Sullivan, Steve Braun, Ray Baker

By DAVE KEHR
Published: May 9, 2003 - The New York Times

''The Trip,'' a first feature written and directed by Miles Swain, is a gay melodrama with a historical dimension. The title, meant to be taken on a few metaphorical levels, refers first and foremost to the personal journey of Alan Oakley (Larry Sullivan), who begins the film in 1973 as a straight, uptight Young Republican working for an establishment newspaper and who eventually finds happiness as an openly gay man working for a radical homosexual-rights organization called Out Loud.

The agent of Alan's transformation is Tommy Ballenger (Steve Braun), a Texas teenager who has moved to Los Angeles to work for gay rights. When Alan first meets him -- at a louche party organized by Peter Baxter (Ray Baker), an older entertainment lawyer -- Alan sees Tommy as a potential interview subject for his book, a conservative attack on gay rights that he plans to call ''The Straight Truth.''

Before you can say ''closet case,'' Alan and Tommy are in bed together, an occasion marked by much forced hilarity when Alan's parents, a retired Army officer (Art Hindle) and a former Las Vegas showgirl (Jill St. John, in a remarkably poised appearance), show up for a visit the morning after.

Alan and Tommy soon make a gratingly perfect couple, which rouses the envy of scaly old Peter. His cunning plan, worthy of Alexis Carrington at her worst, consists of forcing a friend to publish Alan's long-abandoned, long-repudiated manuscript anonymously. When the book immediately becomes a best seller -- it is now 1977, at the height of Anita Bryant's ''Save Our Children'' campaign -- Alan continues to hide his authorship (though surely one talk show appearance denouncing his own former self would have gained his movement considerable publicity), allowing Peter to inform the media.

Imagine the look of surprise on Tommy's face when one of those annoying ''Live at Five'' reporters points a microphone at him and demands, ''Are you aware that the author of 'The Straight Truth' is your roommate of the last four years?''

But wait, as they say in infomercials, there's more: you also get a set of Ginsu steak knives, in the form of a third act, set in 1984, that finds Alan living in resigned misery with the predatory Peter. He receives a message from an old friend telling him that Tommy, now living in Mexico, is dying of AIDS and would like to see his former lover one more time.

So here begins the literal trip in ''The Trip,'' as the reunited companions try to cross rural Mexico in a beat-up convertible, hoping to take Tommy back to Texas for some treatment. The trip involves committing a couple of major felonies, considered here -- as in so many Hollywood films -- as essential steps on the way to self-actualization (viz. ''Thelma and Louise'').

With its implausible coincidences, inelegant plot twists and minimally characterized characters, ''The Trip,'' which opens today nationwide, doesn't have much going for it apart from its basic sincerity and decency, which are evident. Mr. Swain himself might benefit from some of the loosening up he has prescribed for Alan; his subject may be gay, but his film never departs from the straight-and-narrow technique of a television movie. DAVE KEHR

Violine (2012)

Violine (2012)


Director: Roman Ilyushenko
Writer: Roman Ilyushenko
Genre: Short movie
Country: Germany
Language: German ( eng. subtitle)
Duration: 12 min
Year: 2012



Stars: Johannes Huth, Hannes Sell











Two unlikely kindred spirits share an unlikely moment of intimacy with a violin.
'Violin' is a contemporary 11 minute film that was shot in Berlin in 2012, featuring originally composed music.



Oli is a talented young musician studying to play the violin. Jan is a dissatisfied dropout with aspirations, who sells dope for a living. A change to their usual meeting arrangements brings the two together in Oli's apartment for the first time.

The Hinterlands ( 2013)

The Hinterlands ( 2013)



Director: Brandon Ivie
Producer: Annie Cull
Writers: Michelle Elliott, Danny Larsen
Genre: Musical, Web series
Country: USA
Year:2013

Web page: http://hinterlandsthemusical.com/

In the middle of nowhere, growing up gay is the worst.

Meet Paul. He’s 16. He’s into theoretical physics. He lives in the middle of nowhere. And he’s gay. Being a scrawny, queer science nerd practically makes him a bully magnet. And as the harassment piles up, Paul contemplates taking his own life. In THE HINTERLANDS, a six-part musical miniseries, Paul struggles to keep his head above water as he confronts intolerance, his sexuality and the rocky path of adolescence.

We wanted to respond to the issue of gay bullying in a way that would help kids like Paul understand that they're incredibly valuable members of our human community and that they are inherently worthy of love and compassion.  We decided to do what we do best - write a musical.  As storytellers and songwriters, we can ask questions, create empathy and make change.  By creating the character of Paul we believe we will be giving young people a person with whom they can relate and empathize.  By watching Paul's journey to discover how to cope with the day-to-day bullying he faces, teens can gain strength and be inspired to overcome their own obstacles. Yes, “it gets better” for gay youth who make it through their difficult childhood and teenage years, but The Hinterlands is our attempt to help all bullied young people find and embrace their own innate worthiness NOW, despite the onslaught of hatred they must survive every day.

A guiding factor in the creation of the Hinterlands as a musical web series – rather than a staged production – was our belief that kids need to be able to access a story like this from the safety of their own laptops, iPads and smart phones. And kids in the real hinterlands are the most in need of a project like this, as some communities are highly intolerant of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender kids.

Hearts and Hotel Rooms (2007)

Hearts and Hotel Rooms (2007)

 

 

Director: Justin Nicholas James
Writer: Justin Nicholas James
Genre: Short movie
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Duration: 13 min

Stars: Aaron Harp, Wes Tyler, Amber Jaeger

 

 

 

Onaj osjećaj da ste zaboravili nešto reći i da više nećete imati priliku da to kažete se teško zaboravlja, ali kod nekih ljudi se stalno ponavlja.
Juče sam bio da se upoznam sa jednim momkom tu iz mog grada. Iako izbjegavam upoznavanje sa lokalcima ovaj put sam pristao da se nađem sa njim, djelovao mi je dovoljno diskretno i pouzdano tokom naših chat razgovora.
Dogovorimo se da odemo dovoljno daleko od grada u kojem živimo i provedemo jedno poslijepodne. Našli se , odemo na piće i pričamo. Trudim se da budem otvoren i iskren, a on kao da je progutao cipelu. Priča o društvu sa kojim izlazi i kako voli da mjenja mjesta tokom izlazaka. Kako je grad u kojem živimo dosadan i kako su svi drugi gradovi zanimljiviji i naravno što su udaljeniji to su bolji.
Odemo u drugi restoran sa prelijepim pogledom na more. Zalazak sunca , slikavamo se i narućimo žestoko piće da se malo bolje opustimo.  Nastavljamo razgovor i opet priča iste stvari. U povratku doma tokom vožnje kolima pokušavam da promjenim temu. Želim da mi priča o sebi o tome šta želi i očekuje. Ništa od toga nisam čuo. Ostao je zatvoren tokom 4 sata druženja o sebi ništa nije rekao.

Pozdravljamo se i nastavljam vožnju kući. Razmišljam šta je u tom momku da tako žarko želi da je negdje daleko. Zašto ne želi da priča o onome što potajno želi kada je zatvoren u svojoj sigurnoj i zaštićenoj sobi.

Najvažnije od svega toga je da li je u stanju sam sebi da odgovori na ta vrlo jednostavna pitanja.
Naravno da znam šta želi, ali ipak neke stvari se naprosto moraju reći. Prelomiti kome povjerovati i podjeliti svoje misli. Ako to ne uradiš i prepustiš se pušenju prangije i trpanju u nekom nepoznatom krevetu sa potpunim strancem onda si samo još jedan peder sa chata i ništa drugo.

Čisto onako da nešto napišem, a zašto sam ovo napisao ne znam ni sam.

 

Jimmy returns to a charmingly convenient hotel room, he reminisces on a one-night stand that took place there. Flashbacks from a year earlier - checking in, simple conversation, discovering love - bring into question whether or not Brian will return as well.