Rating: 
Summary: Very diverse look at gay life - good for youth groups
Review: I had some difficulty understanding the first story, guess that's the generation gap. Nunzio's Second Cousin, while dark, highlights our need to encourage each other to be honest with ourselves. Alkalai, Iowa, is my favorite: there is gay life outside of New York, San Francisco and LA. It also raises the question of gay being genetic. The Dadshuttle is a spectacular example of the problems we have not only communicating with others, but with ourselves. Overall, the stories are a good reflection of the gay struggle for honesty, openness and acceptance, both within our culture and in the general culture.
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff
Review: I loved this film!! I was a fan of the original when I saw that a few years back, so I was skeptic about this second collection of stories. (I never believe in sequels recreating the magic) But this is a sure delight. I saw this film with one of my "boyfriends" and he was very impressed himself. Although he hadn't seen the original he said: Acky there is new found hope in gay film. Yes there is. There are finally great gay men date films out there, for us all to see.
Rating: 
Summary: Gary Palmer, give me a break
Review: I've seen and own both Boys Life and Boys Life 2. You know what they say about sequels? The second one always bites. Same holds true here. There IS one shining moment in this terrible movie... "The Dadshuttle". Gary Palmer's reviews of both Boys Life and Boys Life 2 are pathetic, longwinded nonsense. Boy's Life 2 is worth the rent, but not the full ticket price. I recommend the original.
Rating:
Summary: A Varied Quartet, with One Subtle Sleeper
Review: In 3 of these 4 shorts, homophobia lurks. All 4 are artistic, from minimal-realistic to episodic. MUST BE THE MUSIC: It's only four young teen guys going clubbing one night, scrappy and bopping. Business as usual with young males, but these prowlers are all gay--showing we're "different and the same." SECOND COUSIN: the tables turned, a New York cop makes a gay-basher come home for dinner at mother's. The subtlety? Residual internalized homophobia. ALKALI, IA: The film's jolty uneven flashback style well suits its subject, a farm boy discovering his father was gay, and his family is still anti-gay. But the best is THE DADSHUTTLE. Apparently only the conversation between guy and dad in a car drive, actually it's artistic genius, re-creating (not just reporting) son's attempt to communicate, father's non-intended awkwardness. Bravo.
Rating:
Summary: My father, was he one of us?
Review: None of the 4 shorts on display are bad, but MUST BE THE MUSIC isn't very inspired, just 4 teenagers out clubbing and that's it. THE DADSHUTTLE is OK, featuring a conversation about mundane things between a father and son. Lots of words left unspoken there. Too long, though. The standouts are ALKALI, IOWA, a novelettish subject worthy of Checkov given subtle treatment by Mark Christopher. NUNZIO'S SECOND COUSIN is an actor's dream, Vincent D'Onofrio hamming it up something wonderful as a gay Chicago cop out cruising, being harassed by gaybashers. Eileen Brennan as his chatty Italian mama
has a jolly old time, as well. This is worth buying, for ALKALI, IOWA alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not half as good as its predecessor
Review: Of the four shorts on this DVD, only one Alkali, Iowa, is worth seeing. The other three have none of the emotional resonance of the three short stories of the first Boys Life trilogy. The acting in Must Be The Music was pathetic and the story almost non-existent. Nunzio's Second Cousin also lacked a purpose, and The DadShuttle was simply annoying. Rent this to see Alkali, Iowa but I wouldn't recommend wasting money buying it. I was disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost As Good As the First Time....
Review: Ok. This is a compilation of 4 short films which are all focusing on being young and gay. This set of films includes the exceptional story The Dadshuttle by Tom Donaghy, a haunting and poignant drama of a young man coming out to his father while in a car; Alkali, Iowa by Mark Christopher, a serious drama of a young rural man accepting his homosexuality; Must Be the Music by Nickolas Perry, a tale of 4 teenage friends out on the town in L.A.; and the smart and funny Nunzio's Second Cousin by Tom DeCerchio about a gay detective who gets his unusual revenge on a young gay-basher. You will laugh out loud!
Rating:
Summary: Almost As Good As the First Time....
Review: Ok. This is a compilation of 4 short films which are all focusing on being young and gay. This set of films includes the exceptional story The Dadshuttle by Tom Donaghy, a haunting and poignant drama of a young man coming out to his father while in a car; Alkali, Iowa by Mark Christopher, a serious drama of a young rural man accepting his homosexuality; Must Be the Music by Nickolas Perry, a tale of 4 teenage friends out on the town in L.A.; and the smart and funny Nunzio's Second Cousin by Tom DeCerchio about a gay detective who gets his unusual revenge on a young gay-basher. You will laugh out loud!
Rating:
Summary: Good Collection, but TREVOR is sorely missed.
Review: Sure TREVOR has its own video release, but I really prefer viewing it with MUST BE THE MUSIC, ALKALI (from the director of 54) and NUNZIO'S SECOND COUSIN. As seen in theaters, TREVOR rounded out the multi-generational aspect of the program. Seen that way, we were shown the experiences of various characters from pre-teen to middle aged. I don't want to knock THE DADSHUTTLE (included in this DVD release in place of TREVOR) for it is a well performed piece and worthy of a look. I must thank IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT for releasing this DVD in the first place! MUSIC and NUNZIO'S are both presented letterboxed in their original cinema format. ALKALI, filmed in 16mm is presented full frame. As usual, Image's quality is great and the picture and sound quality runs circles around the previous VHS release. The reds and flashing lights of MUSIC's club sequences don't look as fuzzy and those colors don't bleed into each other as in the VHS version. The sound is much more audible as well. ... Waiting for Boy's Life 3...
Rating:
Summary: Rent it save some money!
Review: The moive was good, what little there was, short doesn't begin to describe the length of each story. The film left me wanting to see a lot more, when can we expect to see the rest of these films? My plea to the directors, finsh them please. Each film could easily be a full length production. Oh well, they were good, I'm greedy I guess. I bought 1 too, so I need to sit down and watch it too.
|
