DVD: Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds

In a surprising twist, I think Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds is actually a better film than the first. The first had many charms, and the story was interesting and, at times, funny. It was also the film that introduced the world to Ryan Carnes, might I say. Still, Jim Verraros annoyed me in many ways, sometimes coming off as just too much a stereotype. What a pleasant surprise that in Sloppy Seconds, Verraros is charming and believable.

There are some genuine laughs in this film, plus a side message about groups of uptight people who prey on impressionable kids starting to find out about their sexuality. Scott Vickaryous shines in his role as Jacob, trying to be the leader of a ex-gay movement. His undoing is revealing, as much as the disrobing of Marco Dapper as Troy.

The Wild, Wild West: The Complete Second Season

When I was a kid, growing up in Chicago, Sunday morning was for watching classic TV shows on WGN. There was Rawhide, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and my personal favorite, The Wild Wild West. That show -and possibly the classic series, The Avengers - saw me through the worst of times, and more or less, confirmed my sexuality.

While I always thought Robert Conrad as suave secret service agent James West was a prick, he was hot looking. That tight, compact little body (and shirtless as much as possible) shoe-horned into those tight pants. But it was the late, great Ross Martin I admired. As Atremus Gordon, Martin always looked like he was having fun, especially when he got to dress up in various disguises.

Anyway, I watched the show as much as possible, enjoying the brilliant idea of slapping together the two staples of the mid 1960's, James Bond and the TV Western. The show was pretty wild, even for its times -even though Conrad would later say that if you watched 10 episodes of the series, you’ve seen them all. It’s early season episodes were somewhat straight laced western fair, but like the daytime TV soap Dark Shadows, once it embraced the science fiction side of its plots, the show took off. Sadly, it was cancelled after four seasons, but not because of ratings, but because of the violence (which it was, as West got beat up every week)

The show disappeared from TV for a while, only to show up on the cable channel TNT during the late 1990's, where it ran for a few years. Last year, the show’s first season was released on DVD. Out of the 28 episodes, I think I saw all of them, but it was great to see them uncut for the first time, and in glorious black & white.

Season two came out this week, and it was the first season aired in color. The show also got a boost with its guest stars that season, including Boris Karloff, John Astin, Carroll O’Connor, Victor Bono (who was also in the pilot episode) and legendary actress Ida Lupino. Michael Dunn also returned for several guest shots as West and Gordon’s nemesis, Doctor Loveless. Plus, future Superman director Richard Donner got his start on TV and directed an episode that guest-starred Sammy David, Jr. and Peter Lawford, that led him to the silver screen, thanks to Davis, Jr. and Lawford.

A great series, I my opinion. And I’m hoping that they also release the two TV movie remakes done in the 1979 (The Wild, Wild West Revisited) and 1980 (More Wild, Wild West). They were once out on video, but I don’t think they were ever issued on DVD.

Plus, the theme music rocked. Classic all around.

Mysterious Skin

When I read Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim several years ago, the novel never left me. It was one of those rare books that disturb me so much, that I knew I would never read it again.

In 2004, Gregg Araki -whom until then had only directed films about the nihilistic LA youths, something that he was raised in, adapted the novel for the screen. The book was already hard to read, but could it be made for a wider audience?

The book and movie is begins in 1981, where two 8 year-old boys in the town of Hutchinson, Kansas -who play together on a Little League team - come into the orbit of their coach, who is a pedophile. Neil’s mother is promiscuous, and only pawned him off so she could go on dates, while Brian’s dad is emotionally distant, apparently disappointed with his life and son.

That summer, Neil is abused by the coach, and on one raining night, Brian is taken by the coach and raped.

But while Neil, more or less, accepts this situation that summer, he grows up to be a gay hustler, but Brian believes that he was abducted by aliens that summer night -and again that Halloween. As he grows up, his dreams of that night set him off looking for other people who have been abducted by aliens. As his obsession grows, he realizes that there is a connection between him and another boy named Neil and sets out to find him.

The opening scenes, where the boys are being abused is hard to watch, and I suppose that was the intention. But according to the director, he filmed those scenes in such away that the young actors where unaware of the sexual content.

The films stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who after hitting success with 3rd Rock From the Sun, has set a film career the see’s him choosing films that most young actors would avoid. Like his role in the teen film noir Brick (2005), he takes on the role of Neil with such gusto, and gives another bravo performance. Brian is played by newcomer Brady Corbet, and delivers a quirky performance as a teen who has to discover what happened to him when he was 8.

It’s a tough film to watch, and its not for the timid. But the performances are fabulous and Gordon-Levitt reminds me so much of Johnny Depp. In the sense, that is, that after TV success, Depp choose a film career out of the mainstream. Starring in small, independent or low-budget features where characterization and plots were more important than tent-pole films of the big studios.