Boys Life 4: Four Play

Rating:
Summary: Not bad for a 'fourth' go-around...
Review: "Boys Life 4" continues the successful series of short films about gay men.

The first story is called "L.T.R." (ie. Long Term Relationship) which focuses on the lives of two young men aged 20 and 21 (ie. 'twinks') who fall in love and believe that it will last forever. An amateur film-maker documents their entire relationship from week one... right through to week four. One of the boys is very much a responsible home-maker while the other is a pot-head. The dynamics of their relationship recall the days of young love and how immature and inexperienced two young men can be. Some of the funnier high-lights include interviews with their friends and their take on the relationship, along with some personal 'interaction' with the film-maker himself.

The second story is called "O Beautiful" and tells the story of a young gay man who is attacked and sexually molested by a group of homophobic men in a New Jersey cornfield, and is then rescued by one of his attackers who returns after everyone else leaves. This would probably be the most drawn-out story of the four. It is hard to say whether these two men build a friendship, or more of an understanding when they spend the entire trying 20 minutes of the story talking about being gay, dealing with it and where to go from there. I actually felt that this was the most boring out of the four stories and probably the most cliched, especially the scene where the attacker breaks out into a rendition of "O Beautiful" for no other real reason than to cause the viewer irritation and drum in the fact that 'THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT FILM! YOU MUST LOVE ME!'. For those who are interested, there is only one shot of male 'nudity' in Boys Life 4 and you will find it in "O Beautiful".

The third story is called "Bumping Heads" and is a bittersweet story of an older man in his 40's who falls in love with a young drug-abusing man in his 20's who designs hats. The two meet at a party where they, 'bump heads' while reaching for a can of beer. Their friendship builds when they go out to a nightclub and again, 'bump heads' while looking around the club at the people dancing. The story is partly told in flashbacks from a hospital room where the older man has a bloody patch on his head and the younger man is angry at him for starting a fight. We discover what happened through the telling of the incidents leading up to this to what actually happened at the nightclub. There are some funny lines from the female Doctor at the hospital, but other than that, the ending leaves your mouth feeling a little sour.

The fourth and story is called "This Car Up", referring to an elevator in an office building and the budding relationship that is about to be explored by a bored office worker and a bicycle courier. This would have to be my favorite story of the four. The two men appear to be very superstitious about love, the office worker always referring to his 8-ball for answers, while the bicycle courier counts his odds by flipping quarters. The story is told in split-screen style with a set of spinning poker slots above their heads that tell you what they're currently thinking. I thought the format was clever and extremely funny and the outcome is very comforting. Definitely one of the cutest stories in the Boys Life series.

All in all, I was very pleased with Boys Life 4. The series is certainly not tired and with the continuing addition of fresh and innovative story-tellers and directors, I predict Boys Life to continue on for quite some time.

Rating:
Summary: 1 out of 4
Review: 1 out of 4 is worth the viewing (O Beautiful). The others could have been made and acted by anyone on the street. Even the bonus music video is better then the other 3. This should have been priced $9.99 if any. Don't waste your money. Buy Boy's life 1, 2 & 3 but you can forget this one.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting compilation of rather unique shorts
Review: At 84 minutes total, the fourth compilation in the series, "Boys Life 4 - Four Play" seems to be the shortest, but the four short features included are better than average for such works. I'll rate the separately:

"l.t.r" (2003) is a "mockumentary" (acted film which claims to be a documentary) about a filmmaker's study of a young twinkish couple, Michael and Riley, who are together several months (Golly!) and are sure they will be "forever." As you can likely guess, the relationship unravels as soon as the cameras start rolling, and the filmmaker drives the final nail in its coffin by supposedly sleeping with the younger of the two. Interesting in that the dynamics of the couple are rather realistic, and I'm sure you'll see others you know in what is said. (2 stars out of 5)

"O Beautiful" (2002) opens with a high school student coming to the rescue of a schoolmate who had been brutally gaybashed by a group of athletes from their school, and left without his pants in a corn field. As the plot plays out, it becomes apparent that the rescuer could and should have acted sooner, as he was with the young man's attackers. It soon becomes apparent that his belated efforts, as well as his suggestions that the attacked boy "stop this gay stuff", may mask his own insecurity about his sexuality. Very eloquent and powerful in its message, though I could have done without the "split screen" gimmick used throughout. The ending is also a bit ridiculous. (4 stars out of 5)

"Bumping Heads" (2002) is the most professionally shot of the compilation, and features indy (and openly gay) actor Craig Chester as a 35 year old who has a crush on a 24 year old friend, Gary, who wants to remain "just friends" (which becomes more emphatic when Craig - the name of his character as well - meets his boyfriend who just moved there to NY.) The story is told in flashbacks, with most of the humor coming from the differences between the pragmatic Craig and the "cool dude / himbo" Gary, to the point where you realize Craig is after someone who really isn't good enough for him, although not being able to have him still hurts. (3 out of 5)

"This Car Up" (2003) starts with an chance encounter between a businessman and a punkish bicycle messenger, who eventually realize they are infatuated with each other. I usually don't like cinema "gimmicks" in film, but this one is uniquely suited to the story: We follow the business man on the bottom left of the screen, and the messenger on the bottom right. Above them is a reflection of their individual thoughts (which often coincide), shown as a slot machine "reel" spinning and registering. Would probably drive one nuts in a full-length film, but it's cutesy for 16 minutes. (4 stars out of 5)

Incidentally, each film has a separate site on IMDB.com, so you might check that out for additional feedback on each title.

If you average my reviews for the four shorts, you get (just over) the 3 rating I gave the compilation. Since most compilations tend to contain at least one or two "stinkers" (except for Boys Life 1, which I thought was unusually good) this is as good as most you'll find.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting compilation of rather unique shorts
Review: At 84 minutes total, the fourth compilation in the series, "Boys Life 4 - Four Play" seems to be the shortest, but the four short features included are better than average for such works. I'll rate the separately:

"l.t.r" (2003) is a "mockumentary" (acted film which claims to be a documentary) about a filmmaker's study of a young twinkish couple, Michael and Riley, who are together several months (Golly!) and are sure they will be "forever." As you can likely guess, the relationship unravels as soon as the cameras start rolling, and the filmmaker drives the final nail in its coffin by supposedly sleeping with the younger of the two. Interesting in that the dynamics of the couple are rather realistic, and I'm sure you'll see others you know in what is said. (2 stars out of 5)

"O Beautiful" (2002) opens with a high school student coming to the rescue of a schoolmate who had been brutally gaybashed by a group of athletes from their school, and left without his pants in a corn field. As the plot plays out, it becomes apparent that the rescuer could and should have acted sooner, as he was with the young man's attackers. It soon becomes apparent that his belated efforts, as well as his suggestions that the attacked boy "stop this gay stuff", may mask his own insecurity about his sexuality. Very eloquent and powerful in its message, though I could have done without the "split screen" gimmick used throughout. The ending is also a bit ridiculous. (4 stars out of 5)

"Bumping Heads" (2002) is the most professionally shot of the compilation, and features indy (and openly gay) actor Craig Chester as a 35 year old who has a crush on a 24 year old friend, Gary, who wants to remain "just friends" (which becomes more emphatic when Craig - the name of his character as well - meets his boyfriend who just moved there to NY.) The story is told in flashbacks, with most of the humor coming from the differences between the pragmatic Craig and the "cool dude / himbo" Gary, to the point where you realize Craig is after someone who really isn't good enough for him, although not being able to have him still hurts. (3 out of 5)

"This Car Up" (2003) starts with an chance encounter between a businessman and a punkish bicycle messenger, who eventually realize they are infatuated with each other. I usually don't like cinema "gimmicks" in film, but this one is uniquely suited to the story: We follow the business man on the bottom left of the screen, and the messenger on the bottom right. Above them is a reflection of their individual thoughts (which often coincide), shown as a slot machine "reel" spinning and registering. Would probably drive one nuts in a full-length film, but it's cutesy for 16 minutes. (4 stars out of 5)

Incidentally, each film has a separate site on IMDB.com, so you might check that out for additional feedback on each title.

If you average my reviews for the four shorts, you get (just over) the 3 rating I gave the compilation. Since most compilations tend to contain at least one or two "stinkers" (except for Boys Life 1, which I thought was unusually good) this is as good as most you'll find.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Collection of Innovative Gay Shorts
Review: Four top-notch shorts comprise this latest installment in Strand's Boys' Life series, ranging from the super-funny (LTR) to the super serious (O Beautiful.) Luckily, it's organized that way (from funny to most serious) so it's not as jarring as a film festival shorts program...

"LTR" is Phillip Bartell's fall-down funny "mocumentary" about a "long term relationship" between two guys in their twenties... Fans of the Boys Life series may recognize the younger-but-taller curly-haired boy; he previously appeared as the cute blonde jock in Phillip's earlier short film, Crush... (PS: our uncredited narrator and "cameraman" is none other than Phillip himself, who I think gives a GREAT performance, even though he's never onscreen.)

"Bumping Heads" is the latest from Director (and BL4 Executive Producer) Brian Sloan, whose short "Pool Days" kicked off the original "Boys Life" and whose feature "I Think I Do" is a must-see comedy.

Gay film festival audiences have become accustomed to queer shorts that are set up to be funny; and while BH has a LOT of funny moments (many from Andersen Gabrych, buffed up from his days on the "Edge of Seventeen"), it's a more thoughtful piece, carried in large part by indie film veteran Craig Chester. Romantics will "get" Craig's performance in BH in a BIG way; ("club kids" could pretty much stop at LTR.) Interestingly, this short was extremely well received by straight audiences at mainstream film festivals, who seemed to "get it" more readily than some gay audiences (probably because mainstream film festival fans are more accustomed to short films that are more like short stories than one-liners.)

"This Car Up" is a fantasy on bike messengers that's the "flip side" of "Bumping Heads." (But to say any more would spoil their plots...) I think this is a piece that works better for folks who live in big cities (the title didn't even mean anything to me until a recent visit to NY, where I saw the phrase above countless elevators), but for a fantasy, the guys are cute, the situations are hot; who could ask for more?

"O Beautiful" wraps up this collection on arguably one of the most serious notes in the entire Boys Life series. The story starts with a physically beaten young man abandoned in a remote corn field (shades of Matthew Shepard), and kicks off when a high school Eagle Scout/jock arrives in his truck and tries to help him.

The only way to watch "O Beautiful" and "buy" it is to embrace its "theatrical" nature, which Director Alan Brown assists through the use of split screen. The dialog is about how society can atone for specific types of violence (like hate crimes), and more specifically whether atonement is EVER possible. Since it's a short film, it asks questions, but doesn't answer them... though it does aim the viewer at some conclusions.

Whereas the earlier short "Bumping Heads" has an almost squirmy realism to it, "O Beautiful" has an edge that arises out of its lack of realism... The dialog between the boys in the field isn't "realistic;" it's the steup for commentary on the violence at the core of the story. Further, the reactions of the characters are equally unrealistic; in fact, they're "stage-ey." (A number of women at a screening I attended commented on the fact that the victim wouldn't have been COHERENT when faced with someone who looked like his attackers, let alone able to hold up his end of a discussion on anti-gay violence...)

In a lot of cases, this would be a negative criticism, but I think this is what the director was "going for" (as it would take a MUCH longer piece to make the same points otherwise) In any event, "O Beautiful" is (purposefully) a much rougher ride emotionally than fans of the Boys Life series probably expect (but WORTH IT for any serious fan of gay film.)

Overall, a great collection of shorts, and probably a "must have" for any collector of gay cinema. Probably one of the strongest collections of gay shorts available.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Collection of Innovative Gay Shorts
Review: Four top-notch shorts comprise this latest installment in Strand's Boys' Life series, ranging from the super-funny (LTR) to the super serious (O Beautiful.) Luckily, it's organized that way (from funny to most serious) so it's not as jarring as a film festival shorts program...

"LTR" is Phillip Bartell's fall-down funny "mocumentary" about a "long term relationship" between two guys in their twenties... Fans of the Boys Life series may recognize the younger-but-taller curly-haired boy; he previously appeared as the cute blonde jock in Phillip's earlier short film, Crush... (PS: our uncredited narrator and "cameraman" is none other than Phillip himself, who I think gives a GREAT performance, even though he's never onscreen.)

"Bumping Heads" is the latest from Director (and BL4 Executive Producer) Brian Sloan, whose short "Pool Days" kicked off the original "Boys Life" and whose feature "I Think I Do" is a must-see comedy.

Gay film festival audiences have become accustomed to queer shorts that are set up to be funny; and while BH has a LOT of funny moments (many from Andersen Gabrych, buffed up from his days on the "Edge of Seventeen"), it's a more thoughtful piece, carried in large part by indie film veteran Craig Chester. Romantics will "get" Craig's performance in BH in a BIG way; ("club kids" could pretty much stop at LTR.) Interestingly, this short was extremely well received by straight audiences at mainstream film festivals, who seemed to "get it" more readily than some gay audiences (probably because mainstream film festival fans are more accustomed to short films that are more like short stories than one-liners.)

"This Car Up" is a fantasy on bike messengers that's the "flip side" of "Bumping Heads." (But to say any more would spoil their plots...) I think this is a piece that works better for folks who live in big cities (the title didn't even mean anything to me until a recent visit to NY, where I saw the phrase above countless elevators), but for a fantasy, the guys are cute, the situations are hot; who could ask for more?

"O Beautiful" wraps up this collection on arguably one of the most serious notes in the entire Boys Life series. The story starts with a physically beaten young man abandoned in a remote corn field (shades of Matthew Shepard), and kicks off when a high school Eagle Scout/jock arrives in his truck and tries to help him.

The only way to watch "O Beautiful" and "buy" it is to embrace its "theatrical" nature, which Director Alan Brown assists through the use of split screen. The dialog is about how society can atone for specific types of violence (like hate crimes), and more specifically whether atonement is EVER possible. Since it's a short film, it asks questions, but doesn't answer them... though it does aim the viewer at some conclusions.

Whereas the earlier short "Bumping Heads" has an almost squirmy realism to it, "O Beautiful" has an edge that arises out of its lack of realism... The dialog between the boys in the field isn't "realistic;" it's the steup for commentary on the violence at the core of the story. Further, the reactions of the characters are equally unrealistic; in fact, they're "stage-ey." (A number of women at a screening I attended commented on the fact that the victim wouldn't have been COHERENT when faced with someone who looked like his attackers, let alone able to hold up his end of a discussion on anti-gay violence...)

In a lot of cases, this would be a negative criticism, but I think this is what the director was "going for" (as it would take a MUCH longer piece to make the same points otherwise) In any event, "O Beautiful" is (purposefully) a much rougher ride emotionally than fans of the Boys Life series probably expect (but WORTH IT for any serious fan of gay film.)

Overall, a great collection of shorts, and probably a "must have" for any collector of gay cinema. Probably one of the strongest collections of gay shorts available.

Rating:
Summary: If ONLY there were a zero star rating
Review: This is the WORST collection of shorts I've ever seen. I'm not even going to WASTE any further time trying to critique these worthless shorts. (Has anyone noticed how useless these reviews actually are? One reviewer will give something 5 stars; another comes along and gives the same thing 1 star. "One man's garbage is another man's treasure")