 |
 |
From the top: ‘Out at the Wedding’ ‘Curiosity of chance’ and ‘Socket’ (Photos courtesy of studios)
|
|
|
| | |
| |
|
|
| | |
HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > FEATURE
COMMENTS
 
Reel Affirmations, Washington’s annual gay film festival, winds to a close Saturday night after the East Coast premiere of “The Walker,” a film starring Woody Harrelson as a gay society man in D.C.
Festival awards will be presented at a post-film party at Nellie’s Sports Bar. Winners will be declared in the following categories: Audience Favorites, Best Feature Film, Best Men’s Short Film, Best Women’s Short Film and the Plant A Seed Winner, a program that grants seed money to an aspiring gay or transgender filmmaker.
Our reviews of the final nine films are below. For more information, visit www.realaffirmations.org. Contributing writers: Katherine Volin, Zack Rosen, Amy Cavanaugh and Greg Marzullo.
9:15 p.m.
Lincoln Theatre
The unsatisfactory convergence of being gay and a teenager plays out nicely in “The Curiosity of Chance,” an ’80s, John Hughes-style movie with a gay twist.
Chance Marquis — poor kid never had a chance with that name — is the sort of boy who, without a second thought, wears a top hat and tails to his international school in England. Of course, he gets beaten up and tortured by jock Brad Hardin. Luckily Chance, who’s too smart for his own good and doesn’t quite know how to hide that fact, makes friends anyway, and they protect him.
Chance’s kid sister aids and abets him and helps smooth things over with their military-minded father. Although their father does make them use “sir,” he’s surprisingly accepting and loving of his children — his character is a well-rounded one, a rarity in film.
Like all good ’80s movies, “The Curiosity of Chance” dabbles in clichés, but its humanity makes the film a pleasure to watch. (KV)
7 p.m.
Lincoln Theatre
It’s only been three years since “Friends” ended and barely more than one year since the finale of “Will & Grace” aired, yet somehow we’re back in sitcom territory again with “Out at the Wedding.” Is there some sort of appeal that I’m just missing when 30-year-old characters lie left, right and center and turn easy enough misunderstandings into total debacles because of their inept communication styles and immaturity?
Alex/Alexis/Lexi, the main character whose name depends on which world she’s living in, returns home to be bridesmaid at her sister Jeannie’s wedding. Alex brings along her gay friend Jonathan, of course, and through some misunderstanding — if you’ve ever watched a sitcom, you know how that goes — he manages to spread the rumor that Alex is a lesbian.
Alex tries to correct the rumor but then just accepts it, because isn’t it easier to live your own life as a lie? Of course not, so the misunderstanding morphs into a mess and Jonathan’s the only one punished, and somehow Alex’s boyfriend, despite her perpetual deceptive relationship practices, doesn’t dump her. Everyone wins.
OK, there’s some funny and even clever moments, but the whole concept is stale as day-old bagels. And it’s not even half-price. (KV)
11:15 p.m.
Lincoln Theatre
“Socket” is the story of Bill Mathews, a surgeon who’s struck by lightning and discovers an underground network of fellow survivors who now get off on electricity. Foregoing any alcohol or drugs, Mathews and the others, including a cute hospital intern whom he sleeps with, hook themselves up to a generator and then go out to dance the night away.
The tone and delivery of “Socket” suggests a “Stir of Echoes”-style horror flick, but the most frightening image in this movie is of its main character’s bare, hairy chest. We follow Bill as he spirals further into an electricity addiction and an intense relationship with Craig, the intern. However, drab does not equal spooky and clichéd dialogue does not equal mood. Early on, Bill compares Craig’s smile to penicillin because it “cures what ails him.” If that doesn’t scare you, then maybe the rest of the movie actually will. (ZR)
5 p.m.
Lincoln Theatre
First, breathe a sigh of relief: these shorts are about youths, not by them. Though the subtlety and small scope of most of these shorts is evidence of a mature hand behind the camera, many of them are engaging stories that end without payoff.
“John & Michael” is the animated story of a love that develops between two boys with Down syndrome who meet in a group home. The visuals are cool, but the nearly unintelligible narration makes the story hard to follow. “Yeah No Definitely” would be a promising start to a longer film, as a cute ...
| 
