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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2006)
38 JUStlOUt JULY 21.2006 film Sarah Boss ■ y.— ■ I Decompositions, minimalist photography . .................. ................... Out on DVD Recent releases include two clumsy duds, two pleasant surprises MARKI FINE ART & FRAMING Slutty Summer Unveiled TLA Releasing Wolfe Video With a lascivious title like Slutty Summer, you can’t blame a guy for getting his hopes up for lots of hot and nasty action. The opening scene lives up to this promise, showing two naked men 69ing on an apartment floor. Nothing else in the movie reaches this level of naughtiness, though there is a certifiably skanky seduction scene in a men’s restroom. The film’s failure to live up to its title would be forgivable if the script weren’t so ama teurish and the jokes were actually funny. As screenwriter, director and star, the wooden Casper Andreas is not so much a triple threat as a triple dud. He stum bles on many of his lines, which is pretty mind-boggling when you consider that he wrote them himself. And by trying to make a silly sex farce a platform for serious discussions about men and fidelity, he succeeds only in giving the film a wildly uneven tone. Andreas plays Marcus, a New York City writer who discovers that his long-term boyfriend has cheated on him. At his new restaurant job he meets up with several gay co-workers, including promiscuous iiberfag Luke and a hot model named Tyler. Tyler puts the moves on Marcus, and Marcus is most definitely tempted. But is it too soon for him to move on to a new relationship? And is Tyler even capable of mono gamy? As Marcus grapples with his summer romance quandary, his nutty co workers try their own luck at love. If you’re in the mood for mindless entertainment or you just want to look at good-looking men for 80 minutes, you could do a lot worse than Slutty Summer. Just remember to keep your expectations very low. The DVD boasts several features that are better than the film itself. The pièce de résistance is “Who’s a Slut?"—a hilarious short documentary in which cast member Jesse Archer takes to the streets and interviews random people about their sexual proclivities. —Stephen Blair Male and female impersonators can be hilari ous, as seen in the comedy classics Tootsie and Victor/Victoria. Movies like Yentl and Boys Don’t Cry prove that gender reversals have dramatic potential, too. Unveiled, a sensitive and well-acted German film directed by Angelina Maccarone, is a worthy addition to the second category. After an extremely limited theatrical release in the United States, it deserves to find a much larger audience on video. Lesbians will undoubtedly love it for the strong female characters and the passion ate girl-on-girl action. But the story is so gripping and intelligent that it should appeal to all discerning viewers, regardless of their sexuality. Named by The Advocate as one of the top 10 films of 2005, Unveiled has the additional distinction of being banned in Iran. Watching the film in light of Iran’s hyperconservative views on women’s rights and homosexuality, it’s not hard to see why. In a dynamic and convincingly androgynous performance, Jasmin Tabatabai portrays an Iranian woman named Fariba. Persecuted because of her love affair with another woman, she flees to Germany and gets clear ance to stay by assuming the identity of a dead man. She lives in a male boarding house and gets an illegal job at a 'sauer kraut factory, rousing some suspicion from her male co-workers when she refuses to shower after work. Soon she befriends Anne, a fellow factory worker played with compassion by Anneke Kim Samau. Anne is suspicious of Fariba s true identity, but in an erotic bedrcxim scene she proves that she’s ready, willing and able to prove her love when Fariba finally reveals that he’s a she. A happy ending for Fariba and Anne is about as likely as a post-road trip vacation to Club Med for Thelma and Louise. The story is not without hope, though. Without giving away any plot specifics, Unveiled gives Fariba the last laugh. She proves that, with enough chutzpah, women from fundamentalist countries (or any country, for that slutty A “closet” worth coming out of! Th.e"Rio" Wardrobe Closet S iin p ly Sold Exclusively @ D in e borne hHBhhirrgs & décor 828 NW Hoyt • 503.796.0999 Hours: Monday thru Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-5 & Sunday 12-5 THE SENSUOU Indulge. I* * -# serf* mi ear« r««ri sst 7” 7 PEARL DISTRICT 1313 NW diaan Street 503.282.8200 ■RiOREPORT VILLARS 1-5 S A L Boone» Ferry Rd. 5OS.639.38OO EUREME 5th Street Public Market 541.343.8904 SEATTLE Pacific Place, Third Floor 206.223.9700
