Rating: 
Summary: Missed the Mark in the Dirt
Review: I purchased "Red Dirt" without previously viewing it, based on a recommendation I received. As a collector of gay and gay-themed films, I figured if I didn't like the movie, at least it would be an addition to my collection. After viewing this film, I can honestly say that I will never watch this painful, slow, unbearable movie again.We are asked to believe that a young attractive man, who lives with his crazed mother and becomes intimate with his cousin, is searching his life enough to become involved with a stranger to whom he rents out a cottage. The plot was simply unbelievable, and the ending is so utterly non-existant that the only thing you feel at the time is relief that your time will no longer be wasted. I doubt this will even stay in my collection, lest someone discover that I bought this stinker.
Rating: 
Summary: Red Dirt - A Stunning Surprise of a Film
Review: As a straight male who has enjoyed the campy work of horror actress Karen Black for several years, I purchased this film simply to watch her performance as the emotionally troubled guardian/aunt of the young man whose story is told in "Red Dirt." In a role that I at first thought more suitable for Jessica Lange, Karen Black turned in an Oscar-caliber performance. I was utterly stunned by the breadth and depth that she brought to the complex character she played. As I sat in front of my TV set, I suddenly found I was no longer watching the movie with the sole intention of focusing on Ms. Black. I discovered I was completely engrossed in this deeply moving tale about a young man who, without fully understanding why, is trying to find himself a place in the world where he can find love, inner peace and fulfillment. He longs to leave the red dirt farm he shares with his aunt, believing the key to his heart's desires lies elsewhere. Even the sexual relationship he is carrying on with his female cousin no longer fills the void gnawing at him. Shortly after the young man posts a "For Rent" sign for a adjoining guest house on the property, a drifter comes along and moves in. Having no male figures in his life, the young man quickly forms a friendship with the stranger. We learn that the stranger is a free-spirited man who has uprooted his own life in order to find the very things that our young hero yearns for. This commonality allows the two men to become best friends. Soon, the two men talk about leaving the farm to explore the "world beyond the farm" together. But the young man is conflicted by thoughts of leaving his aunt alone and his cousin behind. His aunt is somewhat dismayed that her nephew would form such a close bond with the stranger so quickly, but she does not wish to hold him back. His cousin, on the other hand, is first to suspect that the young man's attraction toward the stranger goes beyond that of "best friends." When she brings this to his attention, he is just as shocked and dismayed. What follows, I will not reveal here. But I will admit, with a red face, that I found myself rooting for the two men to openly acknowledge their love for each other. I have never felt comfortable watching two men kiss, but I was hoping they would eventually--even though it would have made me more comfortable to believe the men's relationship was nothing more than a deeply loving friendship between two people who happened to be of the same sex. Despite my narrow-mindedness, this film did not make me squirm in my seat. Rather, I was deeply touched and, on some level, I learned a powerful lesson: Love, when it is real, truly should have no boundaries. Profound and multi-layered story-telling at its finest. The DVD presentation is flawless in video and sound.
Rating:
Summary: A Film For The Heart
Review: I bought this DVD based on a previous review and it was a gamble well worth taking. Few films evoke emotions in me as strongly as this little gem did; perhaps it's because I grew up in the South, perhaps it's because I've walked similar paths to the ones these characters travel. Whatever the reasons, it touched my heart and I fell in love with the characters and their story, and "Red Dirt" has now earned a place on my favorites shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Better ways to spend your time.
Review: It seems most of the reviewers here either love this movie or hate it with a passion. I fall right in between. The lead was cute, but that didn't carry the movie. The cinematography was very good. The acting was mired by over-the-top fake southern accents (that thankfully, at least some of the time, the actors forgot to use.) At least Lee sounded authentic. The dialog was awful ("we're of the same flesh", give me a break. Who says that?) Despite all that, I did get drawn into the romance. Alas, the ending was a big disappointment. I certainly wouldn't buy this movie. In fact, I just "Netflix"'d it so it didn't even cost me as much as a rental. If you're faced with an evening of either watching this movie, or flipping channels for 2 hours, I guess the movie is marginally better and you can always freeze frame the nude shots for a little bit of a 'wake up' as the story slowly plods along.
Rating: 
Summary: Subtle, slow, and tragically sweet
Review: This story is about friendship between two young men that evolves into love without any pushing or prodding. It occurs so naturally that, for a while, one of the guys is able to deny that it has happened at all. But it has. At the start of this movie, you wonder where it is going. But the wait is worth the time and effort because the characters are beautifully developed. Karen Black is amazing. She alone is worth seeing this movie. The character of Emily also emerges nicely throughout the film. But it is the friendship between Griffith and Lee that is the focus of this film. As many others have said, this is not a 'gay' film. The friendship emerges naturally and, toward the end of the film, both men realize that is has progressed beyond a friendship (although Lee knows it first). The setting is a tiny, confined southern town where the characters are further confined by the demands of their own lives. Emily and Griffith use each other as a reason to stay until the reason no longer exists. Griffith plans to leave with Lee but the realization that their friendship has progressed beyond friendship sends him into a crisis of sexual identity and he drives Lee away. In the end, Emily leaves, Lee returns and the story winds down to a difficult but necessary conclusion. The only real complaint I have about this movie that sometimes the volume of the score drowns out the dialog. It is sometimes difficult to hear what the characters are saying. One such instance is a rather sweet scene between Lee and Griffith where you miss what Lee is saying just before he leaves. Too bad to have missed that. I highly recommend this film but give it time. It grows on you as it goes.
Rating:
Summary: a cinematographic masterpiece
Review: this movie was an unexpected delight. The acting was amazing and the cinematography was incredible. The story line was abit slow at times, but i felt every single emotion experienced by all the characters. It draws u into the plot and u feel like u are a character in the plot. i reccomend this movie to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Production quality was good but the script was not
Review: The overall production was actually good and the images of the south did have a vivid and alive sharpness that was enjoyable however the story is confused and slow.It starts with a scene of this young man [having adult relations] with a young lady that that turns out to be related ( stereo type of southern relations ) and along comes a drifter, a likable sort of fellow that is very passionate about life and the young man starts a friendship that grows. The story had promise but failed to deliver and in the prosess asks you to believe some fairly far out plot lines. The acting was good except some of the southern drawl that got a bit cheesy and unrealistic. I have viewed many independant films and in large find them very good however I found this film to be a poor investment and feel that "Trick" or " I think I do " to be better investments of time. This film has a few [adult] type scenes however is modest and shows very little nudity other than a shower scene of the drifter and the young man and girl in the beginning. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Independent Filmmaking at It's Finest
Review: Brilliantly written with exceptional performances throughout. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Awful Viewing Experience
Review: I almost became catatonic watching this movie. Contrived and dull, horrible acting ¡K I honestly don¡¦t know what Karen Black was thinking ¡V the accent alone was almost enough to make me want to trash this DVD. Beware!
Rating:
Summary: RED DIRT--SOMEWHAT INTERESTING BUT SLOW
Review: THE MOVIE HAS GREAT PRODUCTION VALUES, AND I'M SURE SOMEWHERE IN THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT THERE WAS A GREAT MOVIE, BUT THIS REALLY ISN'T EVEN GAY ORIENTED AS IT IS LISTED, JUST AN AVERAGE STORY TOLD IN A LESS THAN AVERAGE WAY. BEST FEATURE IS THE CUTE LEAD ACTOR, LITTLE ELSE. I FELL ASLEEP.
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