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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2011)
SEPTEMBER 16. 2011 OREGON S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE screenplay sharp enough, and the actors skilled enough to make this a minor quibble about a very worthy film. Like Harvest, this one features a mis matched gay pair: Gabriel, the kind of sweet kid who “girls tell their troubles to,” and Markus, a more worldly bi-boy. They meet at an English immersion school in Manchester and share a kiss. On returning to Iceland, their lives go back to their classic slacker routine, a whirlwind of drunken parties, teenage angst, hatefi.il parent-child relationships and bitter sweet romances. A jolting scene of Markus having sex with a girl at one of the parties sends Gabriel scurrying inward, though he still manages to comfort his beleaguered friends and also defend himself righteously against the constant intru sions of his shrewish mother. Wisely, the film pays at tention to an ensemble of characters, lifting it out of the ghetto o f “gay drama” by focusing equally on G abri el’s male and female friends and their romantic and fam ily travails. Director and co-screenwriter Baldvin Zophoniasson obviously knows this scene and these people, and one of Jitters’ joys is how intensely he por trays the (nonstop) inter- generational combat. There’s also enough humor— as when Gabriel’s anguished mother demands to know why he’s eating Cocoa Puffs— to balance some of the film’s disturbingly bleak moments. Directed by Baldvin Z, Iceland (subtitled'), 97 min., Sat., Oct. 8, 5:30p.m. — G ary M orris Hollywood To Dollywood In this irresistible road movie, gay twins Gary and Larry Lane set off in an RV dubbed “Jolene” to hand deliver a script to gay icon Parton at her namesake theme park. But the cross-country journey from Los Angeles to Pigeon Forge,Tenn. is more than just a professional pilgrimage, it’s a trip back to their North Carolina roots, and through the homophobia dotting their 1-40 route. The actor/model Lane brothers, warm, disarmingly genuine southern boys who’ve spent the last four years penning Full Circle with Parton in mind, know their share of celebs: among them Dustin Lance Black, Chad Allen (a producer on the documenta ry) and Leslie Jordan—who advise the sib lings to cut the script significantly. The Lanes have even met their idol Dolly before. But this time it’s different. “Full Circle” isn’t just the name of a Par- ton song, or the title of Gary and Larry’s screenplay. It’s a metaphor, granted an obvi ous one, for their return east, and the stories o f those they meet at rest stops, hair salons and bars along the way. It’s also a sometimes painful reminder that said circle—be it the lifelong pursuit of acceptance and love or a career-making deal— can’t always happen, at 33 least not within a mere 2,200 mile trek, or an 80 minute movie. Directed by John Lavin, Hollywood to Dollywood is as pleasant as it is gently pro found. The Lane siblings, accompanied by G ary’s amiable boyfriend, are so grounded, so positive— even in the depths o f familial, religious and cultural isolation— it’s hard not to believe that everything will work out in “The E nd.” They’ll certainly have you wanting it to. Directed by John Lavin, USA, 79 min., Sat., Oct. 1, 7 p.m., Gary and Larry Lane in attendance. — A manda S churr Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same Like any good Sapphic sci-fi rom-com worth its salt, Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same wastes no time delving into the complexities of modern relationships, and its many pop culture trappings: person als ads, role playing, psychoanalysis, greeting cards, online dating and the ozone layer. You see, when an inhabitant o f the Sat urn-neighboring planet Zots feels too much, the emotions transcend the body, floating into the atmosphere and destroying the ozone layer for these evolved beings. That’s right, folks: In writer-director Madeleine Olnek’s kitschy ‘50s B-movie throwback, love really is dangerous. Cue a few, well, cue ball-headed, cone- collared creatures, banished to earth— Brooklyn, to be specific—pending fickle human-inflicted heartbreak. Only then can they return home, numb, relieved o f their pesky feelings and harmless to the ecosys tem. Horny Zylar, virginal Zoinx and Zyler- smitten Barr care, they just don’t want to. I t’s silly, surprisingly astute fun— who’d a thunk a diner’s revolving dessert tray could be spun into a lesson on loss and regret?— complete with undercover government agents and alien-out-of-w ater absurdities. Just wait until you hear our Zots heroines discussing the effects of the ocean on sin gles vs. couples. Don’t expect the world here, you’re not gonna get it— at least not this world. Directed by Madeleine Olnek, USA, 70 min., Fri., Oct. 7, 7p.m. — A manda S churr Life on the Water 7:15 AM Saturday Reflected light flows in through generous windows. Sip a cup of Stumptown while you watch a blue heron 30 yards away at water’s edge Out the door for quick run before you really start the day Condominium Homes For Sale Presentation Center 503.229.7600 1310 NW Naito Parkway Ny ll2 Portland. OR 97209 Monday - Friday 8 :0 0 -5 0 0 & Weekends 9 :0 0 -5 0 0 WatBrfrDntPBarl.com http://waterfrontpearl.com M
