Love and Death on Long Island

Rating:
Summary: Just your usual 'man wants boy who lives with girl' story
Review: One really wants to like this unusual little film. The premise is intriguing and full of possibilities, and it is deftly cast. It hedges its bets, though, and is not ultimately very satisfying, though it starts out promisingly. Giles De'Ath (John Hurt), a reclusive and arrid academician, is locked out of his London home. Ducking into a cineplex, he finds himself in the wrong theater watching 'Hot Pants College II'. He is arrested by the sight of a young actor on screen, Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley). Having been accosted by some jocks, Ronnie is lying on a table in a picture of homoerotic martyrdom. The actor's beauty captivates Giles (quite justifiably so), and his life takes on new purpose. He fantasizes about him and even takes to smoking cigarettes that happen to sport the same name as the Long Island village in which Ronnie lives. In a moment of uncharacteristic spontaneity, Giles goes there to seek out the object of his fantasy. He runs into Ronnie's live-in girlfriend at a supermarket -- literally, with a shopping cart -- in a strangely awkward and unfunny scene. The nicest moment of the film comes soon after, though, as Giles sees Ronnie walking his dog on the beach. The two finally meet and, as their hands clasp, fantasy becomes reality. For a moment. Reality cannot measure up and it is downhill for the viewer, the characters, and the film. Ronnie is simply flattered that the writer has taken such an avid interest in his career and wants to write a script for him. Jason Priestley is appropriately beautiful and seductively photographed from a distance but, written shallowly, he loses his appeal as we get closer. The suspicious and unpleasant girlfriend manipulates the couple into moving to L.A. and Giles, in a desperate (and shamelessly embarassing) move, tries unsuccessfully to get Ronnie to dump her and come to England with him. So Giles returns alone, feeling that the actor will somehow remember this moment forever -- another fantasy. The sole result of their meeting seems to be a new scene for Ronnie in 'Hot Pants College III', and a new self-indulgence for Giles. 'Love and Death' is billed as a comedy, but it isn't funny. It could have been a touching tragedy, but it falls short. Taking after 'Death in Venice' in premise only, the film is as different from that literary masterpiece as Venice is from Long Island.

Rating:
Summary: Just your usual 'man meets boy who lives with girl' story
Review: One really wants to like this unusual little film. The premise is intriguing and full of possibilities, and it is deftly cast. Unfortunately, it is not ultimately very satisfying, though it starts out promisingly enough. Giles De'Ath (John Hurt), a reclusive and arrid reclusive academician, is locked out of his London home. He ducks into a cineplex, finding himself in the wrong theater watching 'Hot Pants College II'. About to leave, he spots Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley) on screen. Having been beaten up by some jocks, Ronnie is lying on a table in a picture of homoerotic martyrdom. The actor's beauty captivates him and his life takes on new purpose. Giles fantasizes about him and even takes to smoking cigarettes that sport the same name as the Long Island town in which Ronnie lives. Giles goes there 'to research his new book' and to find the object of his fantasy. The two finally meet and, as their hands clasp, fantasy becomes reality. For a moment. But reality cannot measure up and it is downhill for the viewer, the characters, and the film. As the actor, Jason Priestley is appropriately beautiful and seductive from a distance, but comes across as shallow and loses his appeal as we get closer. The film is billed as a comedy, but it isn't funny. It could have been a touching tragedy, but it falls short. Taking after 'Death in Venice' in premise only, the film is as different from that literary masterpiece as Venice is from Long Island.

Rating:
Summary: Jasons' movie segments are hilarious and worth the watch
Review: The movie is kind of slow, but it is worth the watch. Jason and john are very good actors in this film. The little movie segments are the true masterpiece in this movie. These segments are a cross between any 80's movie you've seen and a 90210 episode. Not until the end of the movie do you actually get the point of the story. The funniest bits in this movie are the scenes in the coffee shop. It is a light comedy full of suttle humor. Watch it today.

Rating:
Summary: A twist on "Death in Venice".
Review: The movie makes pretty good fun of High and Low Culture. But it takes a while: the first 15 minutes, you don't know what sort of movie you're watching. But when John Hurt starts collecting photos of Jason Priestley in teen mags and asking for "Hot Pants College 2" at the video store in that impeccable accent, the film escapes its near-anesthesia and delivers some real belly-laughs.

Hurt is perfect, and you should not expect less from this great actor. The overblown literati herein is the sort of role he was born to play. And I like this newcomer Fiona Loewi as Priestley's girlfriend -- lots of cool command. But, in my humble opinion, Jason steals the show, with his uncomprehending expression and "Cool, dude" language. Watching Priestley and Hurt working together is one of the strangest film-watching experiences I've seen this decade.

Unfortunately, the movie can't decide whether to be a farce or serious meditation on themes Thomas Mann writes about in "Death in Venice" (which this movie, down to the title, closely resembles). The two impulses often uncomfortably clash throughout, and there are times when you're STILL wondering what sort of movie this is -- as well as wondering if the filmmakers knew what sort of movie this is. Also, Long Island herein looks like anything but. Where are we? Canada? Probably, since the filmmakers are, I believe from Canada. Which also explains the unnecessary coldness (a vogue current in Canadian art films) that this movie needs to shake in order to generate real emotional heat. Oh well. . . .

Rating:
Summary: From promise to fizzle
Review: This film had potential in the beginning, but ends up a big disappointment. For such sensitive performances, there is an amazing lack of self-awareness on the part of the characters. Basically, a successful English writer (John Hurt) sees an actor (Jason Priestley) on the screen, and falls in lust, like people often do. In the mind of this lonely writer, lust morphs into love, with all the tragic implications, and our main character is suddenly crossing the Atlantic to find his Long Island fantasy. Instead of enjoying his sudden creative, inspirational energy, and making use of it in a positive manner, he decides to stalk the object of his affection, and befriend the actor's girlfriend in order to get to know him. If that isn't creepy enough, by the end of the film, after all his secrecy and deception, he proclaims his love in an amazingly self-indulgent speech, and then appears genuinely surprised when the object of his affection doesn't jump up from the table and screech "Praise be, I am found!".

Yes, this oversized ego is genuinely surprised that his fantasy isn't interested in a romantic relationship-- never mind that the young actor is not gay, or that he's in love with someone else, or that he just discovered his new friend has been lying to him all along... never mind all that: this man is in love, and darn it, doesn't he see what a tremendous gift this is? End of film: bold, unhumbled english gentleman (if you can call someone capable of such deceit a gentleman) goes back home with his self-importance firmly intact.

It's not the gay love theme that makes this movie unappealing, or even the stalker ramifications, it's the fact that the main character never once acknowledges reality-- he learns nothing as a result of all his misspent energy-- except perhaps, how to use a fax machine and other modern technological appliances. His meandering, parting words (by fax) are all about how the actor is going to live to regret this missed opportunity, and how all other relationships will pale compared to the bright promise of gay love. Oh give me a break.

Rating:
Summary: First-rate
Review: This is a small subtle film, with delicacy and humor. If you have a TV attention span, you're probably too desensitized to subtlety to get much from this. But if you are a fan of fine writing, fine characterizations, and fine acting, this is a fine film.

Rating:
Summary: Tragic Editing of a Potentially Good Film
Review: This movie continuously appears to have potential, but it is never realized. Every innuendo is so undeveloped that you pray that another one isn't dropped on your lap. The effect is that the movie drags to a slow death. The "big" scene is banal and embarrasingly thin. One must conclude that there was a lot more footage but that it was edited out in an attenpt to keep the length tolerable. It wasn't.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, overlooked, fresh
Review: This movie probably deserves more like 4.5 stars. I really like it a lot. It is the story of an old English man played by John Hurt - described best by amazon as an "author of laborious text" - who develops a huge (homosexual) crush on Jason Priestly's character, "Johnny Bostock" an aspiring actor. Stuck in b-movie roles, Bostock's participation in cheesy 80's-style teeny bopper movies introduces a side-theme to the movie that I for one found totally hilarious. Many of Bostock's cinematic appearances are shown in the film, and to see Jason Priestly playing an actor who is himself in turn playing some absolutely ridiculous 80s studmuffin is really one of the highlights of the movie.
Aside from that, this movie has some moments of real wit and humor. John Hurt navigating the dives of Long Island proves to be every bit as amusing as its potential. [...]In fact, I can't think of a single movie that is anything like it in either plan or execution.
That said, I admit that Love and Death on Long Island is not a flawless movie. Many people will find the ending somewhat unsatisfying, and I don't disagree. Indeed this is not a movie with a big conclusion or a "message" or a grand finale. But it is a movie with many modest rewards for the viewer who is prepared to accept its peculiar pace and style.

Rating:
Summary: Last Breath At Young Affair. Pathetic Last Ditch!
Review: This movie was sort of quirky. It is an older Englishman's obsession with a young North American actor. The plot was OK. The end was what I gathered a mystery of the affair/obsession. The thing is this older mans last ditch effort to COME OUT to the North American young actor, and enjoy an affair with him. The girl friend catches on to him during a baseball game, and does feel miffed, or put off.
The movie was a bit farfetched in the fact that the actor role lives in a normal suburban Long Island, New York area. He has a home completely open w/ no security gates --- whatever.
I give this movie four stars because it does deal openly with Gay topical matter.

Rating:
Summary: finally re-released
Review: This really is a great film. Fans of films like XXX steer clear.
It is dark and very thought provoking, and watching Hurts obsession with the young actor grow is fantastic. Who'd have thought that jason priestly would appear in a good film!!