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Nine Dead Gay Guys

Nine Dead Gay Guys

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Stereotypes and Tasteless Jokes Abound
Review: I really can't express how much I disliked this movie. It came to me highly recommended, so perhaps I went into it with high expectations, but I was definitely underwhelmed.

The story is about two young Irish men who move to London looking for fame and fortune and instead find themselves hustling older gay men to survive. During the course of their work, they inadvertently stumble over a murdered "Queen"--the first dead gay guy. They then find themselves caught up in a caper to discover the rumored "bed of bread", a bed supposedly stuffed with cash. In the process, they leave a trail of dead gay men in their wake.

The already anemic plot is stretched so thin that at times it practically disappears. The film is populated by a series of grossly stereotyped characters, but at least it's an equal opportunity offender--everyone from Jews, to Arabs, to little people, to blacks, to lesbians, to gay men can be disgusted by their portrayals in this schlock fest.

The movie sells itself as a hilarious British comedy, but I didn't find myself laughing once as I suffered through the full eighty-four minutes. Comparisons to John Waters are only valid if they refer to his more recent (and foul) offerings such as "A Dirty Shame".

If you enjoy tasteless jokes and stereotyping, then you may enjoy this movie. If you prefer subtlety, smart humor, good acting, competent direction, or intelligent writing, look elsewhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Review: 9 Dead Gay Guys
Review: If you have a problem with sexually explicit language, forget it. Beyond the swearing, this is a funny, lighthearted romp. The irish lads are naturals, and Michael Praed is GORGEOUS in glam makeup and flamboyant clothes. I enjoyed it, what did you think??

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay.. well
Review: Kind of funny. Silly. Harmless. Diverting. But it could have been 9 Dead Crooks, 9 Dead Italian Guys, 9 Dead Working-Class Stiffs .. whatever. Yes, some of the humor comes from the gay factor and maybe its ultimate successs is the fact that there could be interchangable 9 Dead ___ Guys, but it still doesn't amount to too much. Silly, crass, amusing. Okay rental for a boring night.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Okay.. well
Review: Kind of funny. Silly. Harmless. Diverting. But it could have been 9 Dead Crooks, 9 Dead Italian Guys, 9 Dead Working-Class Stiffs .. whatever. Yes, some of the humor comes from the gay factor and maybe its ultimate successs is the fact that there could be interchangable 9 Dead ___ Guys, but it still doesn't amount to too much. Silly, crass, amusing. Okay rental for a boring night.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Decent movie, but worst. dvd. sound. ever.
Review: Nine Dead Gay Guys (Lab Ky Mo, 2002)

Nine Dead Gay Guys is an otherwise amusing film that suffers from the single worst sound transfer I've ever encountered on a DVD, and I've watched a whole lot of low-budget DVDs over the years.

The story concerns Byron (Touching the Void's Brendan Mackey) and his best friend Kenny (character actor Glen Mulhern) traversing their way through a small segment of the London gay underground. Kenny has come over from Ireland to visit Byron, and has no idea of what Byron does in London to earn money. When he finds out, he's initially disgusted, but ends up falling right into it with Jeff (Steven Berkoff of War and Remembrance, Absolute Beginners, The Krays, etc.), one of Byron's favorite tricks. The problem is, everywhere Kenny goes, gay guys turn up, well, dead. Add in a subplot about an orthodox Jew who goes under the alias Golders Green (Simon Godley, a regular minor character on Alias Smith and Jones) with a bedful of money, and you've got a comedy.

Well, okay, you've got a mishmash of stereotypes. But it does contain some genuinely funny moments, some of them possibly unintentional (for example, the Desperate Dwarf, played by Raymond Griffiths, looks way too much like Graham Norton for the casting to be a coincidence). Ultimately, it could have been a mindless, amusing piece of tripe well worth whiling away an evening.

But then comes the sound transfer.

By now, I'm sure we're all well aware that there has yet to be a DVD made, at least in my experience, that has a proper sound transfer. To a one, the music is far too loud, and the voices are far too soft. Nine Dead Gay Guys takes it to extremes, forcing the viewer to turn the sound up almost to the maximum when there's nothing but voice and ambient sound, resulting in deafening blasts of music on regular occasions. It's hideous. I've heard better sound transfer on public-domain flicks from fly-by-night companies. ** (half a point knocked off for horrible sound transfer).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Classy Little Cult Film
Review: NINE DEAD GAY GUYS is a hoot! Director/Writer Ky Mo Lab has concocted a tale of two Irish lads (Byron played by Brendan Mackey and Kenny played by Glenn Mulhern) who have come to London to find the 'streets paved with gold' and instead find that the only way to support their wayward habits of drinking and bumming off others is to play the gay pub route, making money giving sexual favors in the johns. In this dubious line of work they encounter the subterfuge of London's seamy side and come upon a murder that has to do with 'Queen' (Michael Praed), an Orthodox Jew named Golder's Green (Simon Godley) who is obsessed with 'size'9 (a fact which eventually leads to the path of the man directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of nine gay guys), and a supporting commedia dell'arte bunch of oddballs. The cast of highly original and hilarious characters includes a Lesbian pub owner Iron Lady (Karen Sharman), a cab driver Dick-Cheese Deepak (Abdala Keserwani), a dwarf (Raymond Griffith), and others. The photography is appropriately smarmy, the sets and production design are some of the best color manipulation you'll find anywhere, the musical score fits the plot, and the use of over titles at the right moments punctuates the comic book atmosphere of the piece. Excellent acting from everyone involved, a spiky and uproariously funny script and a general sense of great British satire make this film about what could be construed to be a shady topic simply an all out good time to watch. And there is even a touch of tenderness at the ending, which makes a major statement about corporal vs. spiritual love. Excellent!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dark comedy that never really delivers the laughs
Review: Nine Dead Gay Guys is an interesting little film. I don't know that I would qualify it as pure farce or pure dark comedy, but it quite well could be a mix of both. Unfortunately, it never rises above silliness in its attempt at humor, leaving the viewer wondering where the laughter is.

Straight Irish lad Kenny follows his also straight mate Byron to London upon Byron's assurance that he's gotten lucrative employment. Much to Kenny's chagrin, there is no job, Byron was lying. Byron lives as a squatter in an abandoned building drinking himself blind and earning money to pay for it by providing sexual services to the men at the local gay pub.

Shortly, Kenny gets sucked into the whole "gay for pay" scheme.

The plot revolves around Kenny and Byron trying to hunt down a supposed stash of cash in the bed of a gay man called "The Queen". However, as they move on their merry way to find the money they accidentally leave behind a trail of dead bodies.

All of this could have been much funnier if the script and direction had been tighter. The lead actors are up to the task and are quite likable and talented. However, the sum of the parts does not provide a really cohesive storyline.

It's really just a fair film that could have faired better, I think, with a stronger hand directing the action and a more competent hand at editing.

Pleasant, but not really worth bothering.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dark comedy that never really delivers the laughs
Review: Nine Dead Gay Guys is an interesting little film. I don't know that I would qualify it as pure farce or pure dark comedy, but it quite well could be a mix of both. Unfortunately, it never rises above silliness in its attempt at humor, leaving the viewer wondering where the laughter is.

Straight Irish lad Kenny follows his also straight mate Byron to London upon Byron's assurance that he's gotten lucrative employment. Much to Kenny's chagrin, there is no job, Byron was lying. Byron lives as a squatter in an abandoned building drinking himself blind and earning money to pay for it by providing sexual services to the men at the local gay pub.

Shortly, Kenny gets sucked into the whole "gay for pay" scheme.

The plot revolves around Kenny and Byron trying to hunt down a supposed stash of cash in the bed of a gay man called "The Queen". However, as they move on their merry way to find the money they accidentally leave behind a trail of dead bodies.

All of this could have been much funnier if the script and direction had been tighter. The lead actors are up to the task and are quite likable and talented. However, the sum of the parts does not provide a really cohesive storyline.

It's really just a fair film that could have faired better, I think, with a stronger hand directing the action and a more competent hand at editing.

Pleasant, but not really worth bothering.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Part of the Magnificent K's Gay Movie Marathon
Review: Ok guys...this is a seriously funny movie...my best friend and I (the Magnificent K's) definatly recommend this...and it is best when either preceeded or followed by the ever popular "But I'm a Cheerleader"...it makes for wonderful entertainment...those 2 movies make our marathon....neither of us are homosexuals...we just find these movies so amusing! The only reason we rented this movie in the first place was because of the title, which is intriguing in itself...but it certainly lived up to our expectations! Rent it! You won't be disappointed!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Funny dry wit humor
Review: This is really a fun if not dry show. If you know the CIty of Quebec Bar in london then you will understand completely.

I suggest this if you want to laugh a little but it is dry, very dry british humor with some really funny moments. Nothing is politically correct about this movie.


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