O Fantasma (2000)

Este filme é sobre o totalitário de um corpo e a sua impotência. É esse o percurso de Sérgio (Ricardo Meneses), cantoneiro de profissão, que percorre os labirintos do lixo de Lisboa, limpando a cidade, em rotas que ninguém conhece, dos despojos que os outros deixaram. É isso que faz dele uma presença invisível, um “fantasma.”

This is a film about the totalitarian wish of a body and its impotence... Sérgio (Ricardo Meneses), a garbage collector goes through the labyrinths of the garbage of Lisbon, cleaning the city, in routes that nobody knows, keeping garbage items that interests him. There seems to be an invisible presence in his being that dictates what he does... is it “ghost?”

O FANTASMA is an extraordinary psychological film... it’s about one’s deepest fantasy. Its explicitness was entirely appropriate and not pornographic as pornography depicted self-denial. The lead actor’s innocent handsomeness will evoke either empathy or desire or both...

(In PORTUGUESE with ENGLISH subtitles)

WATCH MOVIE in YT

Spelen of Sterven (1990)

Een introverte vijftien-jarige schooljongen (Kees) is intelligent, ingetogen, gevoelig en een buitenbeentje. Hij wordt belachelijk gemaakt (verbaal en fysiek) op een jongens-school door klasgenoten en zelfs leerkrachten. Vooral tijdens gym moeten de stoere jongens uit de klas hem hebben. Zijn ontwakende seksuele interesse gaat uit naar jongens, en met name naar de fraai atletische klasgenoot Charel, de grootste bullebak van de klas.

Fifteen-year old school boy Kees (Geert Hunaerts) is introvert, intelligent, gentle, sensitive maverick, but physically and verbally ridiculed by his mindlessly cocky classmates and even insensitive teachers especially during gym class where his physical weakness is mercilessly abused to make him a defenceless laughing stock in front of his smirking peers. He is sexually interested in boys and in particular to his handsome athletic classmate Charel (Tjebbo Gerritsma) who is the biggest bully in his class.

SPELEN OF STERVEN which literally translates to "Games or Death" and titled TO PLAY OR TO DIE in English is a psychological teenage film (quite long for a short and too short to be classified as full-length) from the Netherlands based from an eponymous book. The acting department is remarkably compelling and the characters are appealing.

(Subtitled in ENGLISH)

WATCH MOVIE

Feed (2005)

Whilst keeping a close watch over the underbelly of the internet, Phillip Jackson (Patrick Thompson), a hot shot cyber crime investigator in Sydney, finds a suspicious website for Feeders & Gainers -- the weird world of fat erotica; a sexual subculture where fat-admiring men known as “Feeders” seek out obese women called “Gainers.” But one of these men -- Michael Carter (Alex O'Loughlin) -- may be going too far as he is feeding his charges to death and publishing details online. Phillip tracks him to Toledo, Ohio, and goes there with no official order determined to uncover the sinister underworld. What he discovers may cost him his life… and even his sanity.

FEED is an Indie film from Australia that is stylishly made albeit low budget. In spite of that, it successfully exhibited one of the darkest depths of human sexual depravity. In fact, it is a good film but its theme would make some of you feel otherwise. I’d say watch it... to witness what you probably have not seen before. You have been WARNED!

WATCH MOVIE

Bōizu Rabu - ボーイズ ラブ (2006)

平凡な毎日を送る雑誌編集者・間宮諦信(小谷嘉一)が、偶然取材で出逢った人気高校生モデル・如月のえる(斎藤工)。態度こそ乱暴なものの、のえるが描いた海のイラストに強く惹かれた間宮は、取材後食事を共にし意気投合するが、そのレストランのトイレで、のえるは性急に間宮の身体を求め出す。翌朝、編集部にのえるの事務所から「担当者が無礼を働いた。謝罪に来い」との電話が入る。のえるの家に謝罪に行く間宮だったが、そこで見たものは薄汚い男と交わるのえるの姿だった…。

Just doing his job, magazine editor Taishin Mamiya (Yoshikazu Kotani) interviews high school model Noeru Kisaragi (Takumi Saito). Despite Noeru's bad attitude, an enchanting picture of the ocean he draws leads Mamiya to invite him out for dinner afterwards. They connect at the restaurant, but while in the toilet there Noeru solicits Mamiya sexually. The next morning, Noeru's office calls the magazine office where Mamiya works. "Your editor was rude. Have him come and apologize." When Mamiya goes to Noeru's house to deliver the apology, he sees Noeru with a dirty-looking man. Mamiya is shocked to discover at that moment that his interest in Noeru goes beyond article research -- he truly wants to know more about him.

ボーイズ ラブ (BOYS LOVE, internationally) is a very absorbing dramatic feature from Japan despite some flaws which are actually tolerable. What I really like about the film are the great quotations they used to put emphasis on particular scenarios. The result was so successful that a sequel is actually in the making (if not finished yet) retaining the character of Mamiya. I keep my fingers crossed that I get copy of the sequel the moment it becomes available.

(In JAPANESE with ENGLISH subtitles)

WATCH MOVIE

Clapham Junction (2007)

This is a provocative and powerful single drama about the mixed experiences of several gay men during 36 hours in South London, and the devastating consequences that unfold when their lives collide. From a civil partnership ceremony to a heated dinner party, five separate stories are woven into the fabric of modern day London from school and work, to bars and clubs, during one hot summer’s night in the capital.

CLAPHAM JUNCTION is a revelation that is so true that it hurts those that didn't accept it. The roles played by Paul Nicholls, David Leon, Luke Treadaway and Joseph Mawle are exceptionally moving. A MUST-SEE for everyone!

WATCH MOVIE

L'Ennemi Naturel (2004)

Un jeune garçon est trouvé assassiné sur la jetée. Très vite, le jeune inspecteur chargé de l'enquête, Nicolas Luhel (Jalil Lespert), s'intéresse au père du jeune homme, Serge Tanguy (Aurélien Recoing), un personnage haut en couleur. C'est que tout semble opposer les deux hommes. Le film suscita troubles et doutes...

This mystery drama that provokes questions and doubts starts with a young boy being found dead at the pier. Immediately, Nicolas Luhel (Jalil Lespert), a young inspector is assigned to handle the investigation. He makes a few inquiries and then speculates... he names Serge Tanguy (Aurélien Recoing), the father of the boy as the prime suspect of the murder...

Some critics and viewers got so confused with L'ENNEMI NATUREL which I find not alienating at all though certainly very intriguing. They probably didn't pay attention to the film second by second that they lost touch somewhere when they were scratching their heads or probably daydreaming about Tanguy & Luhel's private parts. It's all about the mystery of the crime and the discovery of Luhel's hidden sexuality. And for a directorial debut, it's an amazing attempt!

(In FRENCH with ENGLISH subtitles)

WATCH MOVIE

On the Other Hand, Death (2008)

In this third instalment of the Donald Strachey mystery, Dorothy (Margot Kidder), an elderly guidance counsellor of a local high school who is open about her being a lesbian refuses to sell her home to a powerful developer. Soon she was suspended for advising one of the students to seek help from a “questioning youth hotline” and her house which she shares with the love of her life, Edith (Gabrielle Rose), was vandalized and the couple receives several homophobic threats. Is Dorothy’s sudden streak of bad lucks motivated by the real estate conglomerate or the anti-gay neighbourhood? As Donald (Chad Allen) investigates, three stories of great gay love surface: Dorothy’s undying love for Edith, Donald’s realization of how he loves Tim (Sebastian Spence), and the love of a young couple, Derek (Keegan Macintosh) & Joey (Kerry James), whose fathers are both homophobic. And there is a bit of sexual invitation when hunky Andrew (Damon Runyan), Tim’s ex-flame, in full nudity tries to seduce Donald who confirms that he is into monogamous (sexual) relationship only.

I’d say that ON THE OTHER HAND, DEATH is the best of the four instalments so far… it has a clever story plot that is fast-paced and full of twists & turns and fine acting from the lead characters.

WATCH MOVIE

Ice Blues (2008)

The fourth installment of the Donald Strachey mystery and this time it's set in New York and the client is actually Tim (Sebastian Spence) who as everyone knows is the loving partner of Donald (Chad Allen) who receives an anonymous 3M donation to shelter kids at risk. An instant meeting between the representative of the donor and Tim at a parking lot was halted when a hit man starts firing at the two of them. The donor vanishes and was found dead inside Donald's rented card in their residence the next morning.

ICE BLUES has a plot so unrealistic but the director managed to divert one's attention to its fast phased actions making it pleasant and thrilling to watch. Allen is as usual the series' best asset. He has an easygoing acting style that makes his character appealing.

WATCH MOVIE

Amic/Amat (1998)

Un hombre maduro y enfermo, profesor de literatura medieval, ha hecho recuento de su vida y ha decidido, entre dudas, qué es lo que le interesa dejar a los demás cuando haya desaparecido. Una herencia en forma de ensayo que ha insertado en la memoria de su ordenador personal. Al mejor y más antiguo de sus amigos le repugna una herencia que pueda estar contaminada por el miedo a la muerte. El mejor y más reciente de sus alumnos se niega a aceptar ser el heredero; pretende así preservar una oscura y ambigua libertad. Ese mejor y más antiguo de sus amigos está casado y tiene una hija. Un hombre casi feliz, con las cosas claras, a quien su mujer quiere tanto y tanto y tanto... Lástima que la hija, en cambio, viene a contarles determinado pequeño problema. ¿Pero es ella quien realmente tiene problemas? Los cinco personajes, en una carrera casi contra reloj, se debaten, luchan y se agreden, todos contra todos, al tiempo que descubren mútuamente la raíz de sus afectos, de sus pasiones, y reconsideran casi traumáticamente su futuro. Un futuro completamente incomprensible pero del que, según para quien, depende la salvación...

A mature and dying medieval literature professor Jaume Clarà (Josep Maria Pou) has gone over his personal life and has decided, amongst his doubts, what he wants to leave an inheritance in a form of an essay once he passes away which he has saved on his personal computer. His best friend Pere Roure (Mario Gas) is bothered that it could be tainted by the fear of death. His best student David Vila (David Selvas) does not want to be an heir as he wants to keep his dark and ambiguous freedom. On the other hand, Pere is a very happy man as long as things go well and he is so loved by his wife Fanny (Rosa Sardà). One day, their daughter Alba (Irene Montalà) paid them a visit to inform them of a slight problem. But is she the one who really has problems? The five characters, in an almost race against the clock, argue, struggle and hurt each other, everyone against everyone, whilst at the same time they discover mutually the roots of their affection, their passion, and almost traumatically reconsider their future -- a completely incomprehensible future, but on which, depending upon who, depends salvation...

AMIC/AMAT is about relationships and true friendships. In every battle there are victors but who are the losers in the end? This is another masterpiece from Spain with stellar performances by its actors. Another must-see!

(In SPANISH with ENGLISH subtitles)

WATCH MOVIE

Little Boy Blue (1997)

A teenager tries to shield his family from his father's violence in this downbeat drama. Jimmy West (Ryan Phillippe) is a young man growing up within a horribly dysfunctional family in a small Texas town. His father Ray (John Savage) is a Vietnam veteran whose physical and emotional scars from the war have turned him into a psychotic; he terrorizes his two younger children, Mikey (Adam Burke) and Mark (Devon Michael), brutalizes his wife Kate (Nastassja Kinski), and sometimes forces Jimmy and Kate to have sex at gunpoint. Jimmy's girlfriend Traci (Jenny Lewis) is about to move away to attend college, and while Jimmy would like to go with her (and with his abilities as a baseball player he could probably win a scholarship), he's afraid to leave his mother and siblings behind with no protection against Ray's abuse. One night, a man stops by Ray's tavern and begins asking questions; the stranger arouses Ray's fear and suspicion, and he never makes it home after an "accident" in the man's room. The death leads the local police to begin asking questions of their own, and soon a number of ugly revelations about the family's history come to light.

LITTLE BOY BLUE is simply amazing... I didn't expect it to be so good. It is a well-written and a well-acted mystery drama. And you'll feel good when you learn the truth in the end that you will remember this movie for sure...

WATCH MOVIE

Mauvais Genres (2001)

Bo Ancelin (Robinson Stévenin), jeune homme qui ne se voit, ne se comprend et ne s’habille qu’en femme, tombe amoureux de son nouveau voisin, Johnny (Stéphane Metzger). Mais ce dernier, qui se veut un « dur », n’a que faire de ses avances, auxquelles il ne répond que par le mépris et la méchanceté. Bo est le fils d’un notable poursuivi pour pédophilie. Le policier chargé de l’enquête voudrait bien obtenir son témoignage, qui confirmerait celui qu’il a déjà donné sept ans auparavant, étant enfant, et que la justice avait négligé. Mais une autre affaire vient perturber ce petit monde : des prostituées sont retrouvées assassinées et mutilées, et parmi elles, des amies ou connaissances de Bo. Cette dernière (parlons d’elle au féminin, puisque c’est le souhait du personnage) va passer du rôle de témoin à celui de suspect et même d’enquêteur, cherchant à trouver un fil conducteur dans cette affaire compliquée qui semble prendre ses racines une quinzaine d’années plus tôt.

Bo Ancelin (Robinson Stévenin) is a young man who sees himself as a woman and falls in love with his new neighbour, Johnny (Stéphane Metzger). However, Johnny only reciprocated Bo’s advances with sarcasm and nastiness. On the other hand, Bo is the son of a notable paedophile being investigated by the authorities. They want Bo’s additional testimony to follow up the allegation he made seven years before which was kind of neglected by them. In the meantime, prostitutes are found slaughtered and mutilated, and among them, are friends or acquainted with Bo. This time Bo becomes the prime suspect which he will investigate himself to clear his name and later found out that the scrupulous murders has something to do with an incident that took place fifteen years earlier.

MAUVAIS GENRES also known as BAD GENRES, TRANSFIXED and GENDER BIAS is mainly a serial-killer thriller with minor sub-plots that are somehow related if not directly related to the main story. This Belgian-French offer which is directed well with a fine cast of actors will keep you guessing until the end. It is definitely worth your time.

(In FRENCH with ENGLISH subtitles)

WATCH MOVIE

The Book of Revelation (2006)

A talented dancer who was abducted and tortured by three mysterious women struggles to come to grips with his harrowing experience. This adaptation from an unsettling novel is about a beautiful and charismatic dancer who has immersed himself in a dream world of graceful movement, Daniel (Tom Long) maintains an amiable but somewhat detached relationship with his girlfriend, and a passionate relationship with his mentor and choreographer Isabel (Greta Scacci). When his girlfriend asks him to buy a pack of cigarette in the morning of a big performance night, he doesn't return, the women in his life are devastated. Upon returning without explanation eleven days later, the profoundly shaken Daniel is unable to articulate his experience and loses his ability to dance. To make matters worse, Daniel is unable to engage emotionally with even the people who were closest to him before the strange incident. Now, in order to reclaim his identity by confronting his abductors, Daniel sets out to find the three women with only his memories of the ambient sounds that flowed into his window to guide him.

THE BOOK OF REVELATION is an Australian premier film that tackled a very rare issue – male rape. Tom Long powerfully and convincingly portrayed the role of a mesmerizing lead dancer turned powerless victim. All departments – Acting, Direction, Musical Score, Editing, Screenplay, Cinematography – are stunningly topnotch that they surely deserve international recognition. This will definitely stay as one of my favourites. A MUST-SEE!

WATCH MOVIE