Filipino Gay Movie - Sibak: Midnight Dancer (1994)

Director:Mel Chionglo
Starring: Gino Paul Guzman, Gandong Vervantes Jr., Luis Cortez, Noni Buencamino, Lawrence David
Manila, in the Philippines, has a thriving and lively gay subculture which is strongly influenced by the pervasive poverty of the islands. In this story, three brothers from the island of Cebu work in that world as sibak, sometimes referred to as "macho dancers," but better described as hustlers, or male prostitutes.They have a variety of ways of reacting to their profession: the oldest (only 21) juggles relationships with his wife and his male lover, the youngest, Sonny, has a transvestite lover. Dennis, the middle brother, likes the wild scene of pick-ups, and hasn't settled in with anybody. The colorful gay world of Manila livens up the almost documentary-style rendering of the daily lives of these men and their families, and the story comes to a sudden, dramatic conclusion.

German Horror Film - Rohtenburg/Grimm Love (2006)

Director: Martin Weisz
Starring: Keri Russell,Thomas Kretschmann,Thomas Huber,Rainier Meissner, Angelika Bartsch,Alexander Martschewski,Nils Dommning

Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story is a 2007 psychological horror film inspired by the Armin Meiwes cannibal murder case. The film is directed by music-video specialist Martin Weisz and written by T.S. Faull. The producers made Igby Goes Down.

French Movie - Beau Travail (1999)

Director: Claire Denis
Starring: Denis Lavant, Michel Subor, Grégoire Colin, Richard Courcet, Nicolas Duvauchelle

Beau travail is a 1999 French movie directed by Claire Denis that is loosely based on Herman Melville's novella Billy Budd. However, instead of the maritime setting of the novella, the movie takes place in Djibouti where the protagonists are soldiers in the French Foreign Legion. Parts of the soundtrack of the movie are from the opera by Benjamin Britten also based on the novella.

Channel Four Films - Bent (1997)

Director: Sean Mathias
Starring: Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, Ian McKellen, Mick Jagger, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brian Webber, Jude Law, Gresby Nash, Suzanne Bertish, David Meyer

Bent Trailer

A suave, debonair playboy, Max (played by Clive Owen), is living the decadent and promiscuous Berlin nightclub life. Though he is dedicated to his lover Rudy (played by Brian Webber), who performs in the cabaret, he can't resist the attractive German soldier that catches his eye during a raucous night at Greta's club. Like everyone else at the club that night, they are oblivious to the reign of terror that is about to drive them underground. It is the infamous Night of the Long Knives and Max's one-night-stand, an associate of the homosexual Nazi Commander Ernst Rohm, doesn't live to see the morning. Although Max and Rudy escape, the Gestapo follows. Like the erstwhile androgynous Greta (played by Mick Jagger), who burns all her dresses and begins a new life as "George," Berlin is changing. Years before the true commencement of the Holocaust, Hitler has reenacted the little-used German law Paragraph 175 (see also Paragraph 175), making homosexuality illegal. This political step, coupled with the murderous actions of Hitler's secret police, sends a clear message to the homosexual community of Berlin: deny your sexuality or flee. In a desperate fight for survival, Max contacts his Uncle Freddie (played by Sir Ian McKellen) to make a deal that will get himself and Rudy safely across the border to Amsterdam. But before they can escape, they are rounded up like stray dogs and shuffled aboard a train headed for Dachau. In the indignity of a filthy crowded train car, a fellow prisoner, Horst (played by Lothaire Bluteau), teaches Max how to cope with the new order. To make it off the train, he must harden his heart. He must do what the Gestapo tells him including aiding in the brutal torture and murder of his lover anything to stay alive. In the harsh conditions of the work yard at Dachau, Horst teaches Max another life-saving lesson not about the survival of the body but the survival of the heart. Though the two men cannot touch, they find a way to make love. Despite the agony, despite the scrutiny, Max learns through his powerful bond with Horst that survival, like intimacy, has less to do with the flesh than with personal truth and fundamental human dignity.



This film adaptation of Martin Sherman's play is only partially successful. The greatest problem is that it seems too theatrical; the stylized sets, the small number of people in the concentration camp scenes, the visual monotony of watching two prisoners constantly move rocks back and forth, the clipped exchange of repetitious dialogue, and the overwrought ending all contribute to making the film seem stagy and artificial. The scenes don't seem to flow together organically; instead, the film seems like a series of discreet set pieces. Also, some individual scenes are less compelling than they could have been; for example, a crucial scene in which Max "earns" his yellow star is filmed in a manner that minimizes its dramatic value. Granted, this particular example could be due to either a lapse in filmmaking or a conscious decision to not exploit the scene's highly disturbing content. Indeed, the film's subject matter is so emotionally charged that some of the scenes are affecting even if they do seem overly theatrical. The fine performances help a great deal; Clive Owen does a convincing job of portraying Max's transformation from a selfish hedonist to a man willing to reclaim his dignity while Luther Bluteau is quite effective at conveying Horst's underlying feelings of anger, pride, and fear. Their performances are particularly important in the film's showcase scene; as Max and Horst talk themselves into mutual satisfaction without any physical contact, they demonstrate the indomitability of the human spirit and the ability of people to express their sexuality, love, and defiance of oppression under even the most adverse conditions. Sure, this is a self-consciously crowd-pleasing scene that's intended to drive home an obvious point, but it's still quite moving. Too bad there aren't more equally compelling scenes in the movie. - Review by Todd Kristel

Tsui Hark Film - Xanda (2004)

Director: Marco Mak Chi-Sin
Starring: Sang Wei-Lin (Qiang), Zhao Zi-Zhon (Lung), Zhang Hong-Jun(Tieh), Ni Jing-Yang (Ning), Teng Jun (Wei)

Xanda is the latest film for Tsui Hark as producer. The film concentrates on a kung fu fighter from the countryside named Qiang who goes to the big city, where he learns about the new sport that's sweeping the city. Xanda is a hybrid form of martial arts, varying mainly on kickboxing and grappling. When his friend Lung is seriously injured by the current Xanda champion Wei, Qiang learns to combine his traditional kung fu with Xanda techniques to win the championship.

Xanda Trailer

Tsui Hark produced this action drama, which utlizes a cast of unknowns and a rather non-photogenic Shenzen setting to tell a familiar genre tale. Sang Wei-Lin is Qiang, a champion wushu fighter from the country who decides to leave his small town roots and head for the big city. Eventually Qiang becomes a contestant in the fighting ring, where the big thing is Xanda. A relatively new martial art similar to Thai Kickboxing, Xanda is hip among the teeming Shenzen urbanites. Qiang originally doesn't intend to become a Xanda fighter, but a run-in with Xanda champ Zhao (Teng Jun) lands Qiang's buddy in the hospital. Qiang needs money to pay the medical bills, and Xanda pays well. The decision seems to be a total no-brainer.



Sadly, the road to Xanda champion status is not as easy as Qiang would hope. Since he's already a rural wushu champ, Qiang has the not-unplausible notion that he should do okay. Sadly, Coach Tieh (Zhang Hong-Jun) of the local Xanda academy has no such faith in Qiang, and gives him menial, frustrating tasks instead of ass-kicking instruction. The meaning of all this seems somewhat Karate Kid-like, i.e. learn to pull weeds and soon you'll be owning in the ring. However, Qiang initially lacks that patience and Tieh lacks any of Pat Morita's cuddly disposition. Qiang eventually charges into competition instead of Tieh's son Lung (Zhao Zi-Long), which proves disastrous. Meanwhile, Qiang spars with a tough wannabe singer/barmaid named Ning (Li Jing-Yang), and somewhere underneath this generic exposition there's supposed to be some actual characters.

Surprisingly, Xanda does seem to possess actual characters. While given to typical situations and types, the characters do appear to walk, talk, and interact like human beings would in the big, bad world. Everyone chases their dreams, but at the same time fears the committments that life requires. Among these potential committments are the obligatory relationships (Ning and Qiang fall in love but waver up until the final reel) and that pesky thing called perserverance of will. Qiang never competed in any championships since winning at wushu, and doesn't intend to sully his personal record. It's only because he needs the money that he jumps back into the ring, but what then? Will he continue to learn Xanda, challenge the champion, and prove that he's not afraid to lose? Hell, this is a sports movie—what do you think happens?



When Xanda finally hits its final twenty minutes, we get genre clichés by the dozen. There's a training montage, an obligatory "going after the girl vs. going to the fight" conflict, and more obvious plot devices than can be easily explained. This shift is usually enough to kill most sports movies, and Xanda falls into that trap by bypassing many established conflicts for a quick montage of Qiang racing to the ring. Qiang and Tieh's personal issues seem to disappear, and Qiang apparently masters the mysteries of Xanda in virtually no time at all. Given the generous amount of attention paid to Qiang's initial foray into the world of Xanda, and his deepening relationship with Ning, the quick-fix montage can only seem too convenient.

Still, Xanda possesses enough minor positives to make it potentially worthwhile. Besides the decent character development, the low-budget feel is refreshing, and even helps compensate for the overdone genre clichés. The actors (three of whom are actual Xanda professionals) are neither impressive nor embarrassing, and at the very least don't stop the film cold with their obvious acting inexperience. Plus, this type of Rocky story has undeniable built-in appeal. Who doesn't want to see someone rise up and take on the hunky champion? The fights can be a little over-edited, but they're staged with dramatic flair and good impact. Director and ace editor Marco Mak moves the film along efficiently, such that the unavoidable platitudes (Tsui Hark, who co-wrote the script, has never been incredibly subtle) and leaps of logic don't really register. Xanda is not a film for popstar chasers or those looking for the next Iron Monkey, but for what it is—a low budget Rocky clone with complete unknowns—it's really not that bad. - Review by Kozo

Ringo Lam Film - In Hell (2003)

Director: Ringo Lam Ling-Tung
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lawrence Taylor, Lloyd Battista, Carlos Gomez, Chris Moir, Billy Rieck, Kaloyan Vodenicharov, Veselin Kalanovsky, Ivo Tonchev, Juan Fernandez, Michael Baily Smith

When Kyle LeBlanc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is prosecuted for killing the man who murdered his wife, he is sent to the most notoriously violent prison in Eastern Europe, where brutality is an understatement. Guards force the prisoners into death matches for their own personal profit, and the already violent inmates are provoked until they're barely recognizable as human beings. Though Kyle initially holds nothing but contempt for his fellow cell mates, it isn't long before their rage takes root in his own mind. When it's his turn to fight, channeling that rage may be the only chance he has at survival.

In Hell Trailer

Count 'em. This film marks the sixth time Jean-Claude Van Damme has corralled a big name Hong Kong director into working with him. In Hell also marks the third time director Ringo Lam has been paired with the Muscles from Brussels, but things seem a bit upside down. Instead of a made-to-order Van Damme crap-a-thon helmed by a Hong Kong director, this is a Ringo Lam-type film which just so happens to star Van Damme. Mr. Universal Soldier keeps his kicks and pretty boy preening out of the picture, and instead plays a broken, battered shell of a man who seeks redemption at the end of his rope. No, you did not read that wrong: Van Damme has been asked to play a character, and not some muscled bohunk who does splits to the delight of his drooling female fanbase. Predicters of the Apocalypse: ready your scorecards.



Van Damme is Kyle LeBlanc, an American working in an Eastern European steel mill. Sadly, Kyle gets sent up the river when he kills the man who murdered his wife—right outside the courtroom that just acquitted him. He's sentenced to life inside the big house, and what a house it is. Corrupt from tower to septic tank, the prison is every male heterosexual's nightmare joint, where the prison guards delight in catering to the prison gangs who line their pockets with a little extra. Aside from giving extra perks to the mafia who pay them, the guards also provide "fresh meat" for those who are willing to pay for it. To wit, if you're good-looking like young Billy (Chris Moir), expect a friendly new cellmate for ninety minutes.

Kyle is spared that indigity, and instead is stuck in a cell with Prisoner 451 (Lawrence Taylor), who apparently has severed the tongues of a few of his cellmates. He's also thrown into "the hole" a lot, which gives him time to reflect while admiring the waterfall of sewage which periodcally falls into his room. Eventually, Kyle is called upon to participate in the prison's main attraction: a brutal fist fight to the death, which is gambled upon by various military personnel and the prisoners themselves. It's really a sick sort of place: friend turns against friend, honor is nonexistent, and those who rule are the worst ones around. Stuck in this living hell, Kyle succumbs to the darkness and begins to lose himself to the primal brutality of his surroundings. Can he bring himself back? And will audiences buy that Jean-Claude Van Damme is actually trying to act?



If Internet message boards are to be believed, then the answer is yes. Apparently, more than a couple of Van Damme watchers give props to his performance in In Hell, and to be honest they aren't totally off. Van Damme does attempt some form of inner emotion that fits the role well, though the degree of his success isn't really that high. His performance is reasonably solid, but he doesn't bring more to the table than any number of B-type actors could have. More credit should be given to the fact that he keeps his usual shtick to a minimum. No splits occur, nor any high-flying roundhouse kicks or punch-em-in-the-face preening. He's supposed to be a broken man who finds his way back, and if that's the case then nice job, Jean-Claude! Maybe five guys in a basement will give you an acting award.

Still, it's hard to judge whether or not Van Damme effectively conveys his character's inner journey, because the script does all the work for him. Despite some harrowing moments, In Hell settles into tried-and-true prison film cliches and some annoyingly obvious narrative choices. Certain characters are ringers from a screenwriting handbook, and the general storyline (the prison is changed by Kyle LeBlanc's struggle with his inner demons) seems perfunctory and without developed weight. Ringo Lam does his best to stick to the meaty drama at hand (yes, being in prison really sucks), and succeeds for the most part. Where he doesn't succeed is in making this B-movie potboiler better than its direct-to-video roots. Lam doesn't sensationalize what happens, nor does he pretty it up, which lends some credibility to the proceedings. In Hell features some harrowing stuff, which may be affecting to some. Then again, we've pretty much seen all this before, and most likely the lead actor was a better one than Jean-Claude Van Damme. - Kozo