Change Your Image
Bob E
Reviews
L.I.E. (2001)
Coming of age against tall odds from a punk, Gay perspective
Very well done! Dealing with Gay youth themes in a milieu of punk high schoolers all coming of age in the usual confusion, competition and camaraderie of teens. Most of the kids come from bad homes of one sort or another. The hero, Howie, overcomes the loss of his mother in an accident on the L.I.E., desertion by his (very bad influence) best friend, disillusion with his skirt-chasing, white collar criminal father, and attempted seduction (and also badly needed support) by an old pederast. Quite a lot to squeeze into the movie, let alone a few months of a Gay teenager's life! But the director and actors carry it off with flair, eyes on both reality and idealism at the same time.
Segunda piel (1999)
Very realistic story of gay/bisexual/straight triangle
This is a dramatic, very realistic story about the internal strife of a bisexual man, torn between his beautiful wife and child and his desire for romance with a Gay surgeon. Well photographed and directed with excellent music. Excellent beach scenery. Explicit sex scenes are well done. The emotional pain of the 'bisexual' man (more likely a Gay man who married to please his parents and conform to societal pressures) is very graphically and honestly portrayed. The damage that his refusal to deal with his identity crisis causes both his wife and his lover is also honestly shown. Javier Bardem is excellent as the surgeon and Adriana Gil as the wife is stunningly beautiful.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Best movie of the year!
Costumes luscious. Actors marvelous. Story treated with humor and taste. One long love match.
Brazil (1985)
One of the best of the glimpses of the future!
This film ranks with "1984" as a look into the future as seen by a great artist -- (and it's a MUCH better movie than 1984 was!). The style, color, music and pace of the movie are superb, but it's the integrated vision of what our future might look like that makes it have enduring value. Odd that, in fact, it was being made in the year about which "1984" was written. One of my 10 favorite films.