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ON SCREEN
Of Time and the City
Terence Davies
NR, 72 mins (Strand Releasing)
***1/2
A lovely, elegiac memory piece, Of Time and the City is a
beautifully constructed ode to gay filmmaker Davies' (Distant
Voices, Still Lives) birthplace, Liverpool. Davies' strong,
crisp narration and excellent use of archival photos and
images is extraordinary, as is his shrewd use of music which
alternates from poignant to uplifting. Davies describes his
sexual coming of age—which include the illicit pleasures
of a wrestler's body heat and the associated Catholic guilt—and
declares his contempt for The “Betty Windsor” Coronation,
in which details her gift list. Davies is a fussy gay man,
who projects a righteous anger at all that he finds wrong
with the world. He laments the rise of rock ‘n’ roll signified
by the Beatles, and announces the sterility of municipal
architecture. Yet his descriptions of family life, and his
hometown—which he alternately loves and hates—are both insular
and universal. Even for viewers who don't get every obscure,
Anglophilic reference, this film is still tremendously affecting.
—GARY M. KRAMER
Serbis
Gina Pareño, Coco Martin, Jacklyn Jose
R, 94 mins (Regent
Releasing)
**1/2
The Family Theater, where most of Serbis unfolds, is home
to an extended dysfunctional family, and a venue for anonymous
gay sex. It is also a symbol for the decay of Filipino society
and culture. Director Brillante Mendoza deftly employs a
handheld camera, and little or no incidental music, as he
follows the characters through the cavernous theater like
a voyeur. The documentary-like style of the film creates
a palpable atmosphere—one can almost smell the stench of
a flooded restroom. Moreover, the explicit sex scenes featuring
blow jobs and erections are considerably erotic. However,
Serbis is less successful creating emotion. The long-suffering
characters are mostly unsympathetic; Alan (sexy Coco Martin)
seems more concerned with the boil on his ass than he does
with his pregnant girlfriend. And while Mendoza may use clumsy
symbols, such as a nun falling in the street, to indicate
a lack of moral decency, viewers can only guess what the
runaway goat in the theater signifies. —G.M.K.
ON DVD
Boys Briefs 5
Directors include: Soman Chainani, Lisa Marie Gamlem, Daniel
Ribeiro
***
This so-called “Schoolboys” edition—although I’m not sure
how entirely fitting this ancillary title is except that
it will likely attract a demographic not otherwise inclined
to view short films—features an eclectic slate of six gay-themed
“briefs” from around the globe with refreshingly strong production
values. Standouts include Kali Ma about a mad momma seeking
vengeance on her gay son’s bully; You, Me & Him, from
Brazil, about how the death of a partner’s parents can change
things especially when an adolescent brother is involved;
and the sweet coming-of-age tale from Norway, Benny’s Gym,
directed by—gasp!—a woman. While the DVD is probably not
scintillating enough for some nor cerebral enough for others,
it must be said that these Briefs series are getting better
and better with each outing (which says a lot about the evolving
state of gay cinema). It doesn’t hurt that the boys are oft-shirtless
and pretty much across-the-board-cute either. —WALLY KING
Save Me
Chad Allen, Robert Gant, Judith Light
***
Chad Allen’s Mark is a drug-addicted, anonymous sex seeker
whose dying father’s last wish is for him to attend a Christian
conversion camp so he might magically—ta-dah!—turn straight.
But what he may find there instead is a better sense of self—he’s
gay, pops!—and true love with campus handyman Mark (Robert
Gant) who is also trying to find God and pray away the gay.
The proceedings can sometimes come off as preachy, but Save
Me is often deft at addressing its complicated and controversial
subject matter, so much so that you’d be hopeful that the
Christian right could learn a few things, too, if only they’d
watch it. Much of this is because of Judith Light’s nuanced,
believable, compelling, conflicted (and always fair) portrayal
of the Bible-thumping matron saint of the Genesis House for
wayward gays. —W. K.
LIMITED RUN
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Drag diva Peaches Christ and horror hostess Elvira are on
hand for this ultra-rare 20th anniversary screening of the
cult classic from the only known original print in existence.
The Vista Theatre. Sat., Jan. 17. Midnight. $15. peacheschrist.com
North By Northwest
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of this Hitchcockian classic.
Cary Grant gives one of his greatest performances as a
womanizing mama’s boy, whose cozy life of afternoon cocktails
with the boys is turned upside down when he’s mistaken
for an elusive government operative. The Aero Theatre.
Thu., Jan. 22. 7:30 p.m. $10. americancinematheque.com
Egyptian Theatre Historic Tour and Forever Hollywood
For the total “old Hollywood” experience take a docent-led
tour of the legendary 1922 Egyptian Theatre and discover
the painstaking restoration work and the marriage of modern
technology with a landmark of Hollywood history. Egyptian
Theatre. Sat., Jan. 17. 10:30 a.m. Tour and movie: $10.
americancinematheque.com
Inserts
The 18 and over Fetish Film Night, a once-monthly series
hosted by Rick Castro of Antebellum Gallery, visits this
1930s-set tale of a once-great silent film director, unable
to make the transition to talkies, resorting to silent
sex films. Spielberg Theatre. Fri., Jan. 16. 7:30 p.m.
$10. americancinematheque.com
Homo Must
Jawbreaker
Hostess Peaches Christ along with special guest writer/director
Darren Stein muses on the iconic film of sass and attitude.
A “Convention of Bitches” precedes the show with prizes awarded
to the bitchiest, meanest audience members. Landmark’s Nuart
Theatre. Fri., Jan. 16. Midnight. $10.50. peacheschrist.com
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