Birder (2024) Directed by: Nate Dushku

 

While there are some wonderful gay centric films out there produced by the community I am the first to admit they are few and far between between and instead there is a much larger number of amateurish low budget productions. Some of these use the low budget and lack of professional actors or crew to their advantage and come across as charming and some are first steps towards better films. Birder is low budget but is done very professionally with good acting and cinematography and it isn't vapid. There is a good amount of full frontal nudity and sex in but they don't come across as soft core porn and are used to show the openness of the situation and the characters. Sure the fact all of the performers are all young and attractive gets your attention but I liked how there was no judgement on sex or sexuality and it was all very matter of fact.

SPOILERS:

It would be impossible to talk much about this film without giving it all away so I won't try to avoid spoilers. The main character is visiting a clothing optional camping area with mostly but not all gay men. I had no idea what the plot of this was but it's clear from the first minute this guy is a serial killer. It doesn't come across as him punishing people for having sex, like many slasher films, but is portrayed more as a fetish he has. I am not sure that is any better a take. This guy single handedly strangles almost all of the other characters and he basically gets away with it. 

This is where I tell you I didn't like the movie despite some of its strong points. The writing I thought was weak. I couldn't believe this was all happening and despite the people at the campground being nice and enough, none of their deaths was particularly upsetting since they were not developed enough to feel much for them. Killing someone by strangling with your bare hands isn't as easy and quick as it looks in this film. The lead is supposed to be literally charming the pants off and the life out of the other campers but if I met him at a camp ground, I'd leave and warn everyone else he was a serial killer. I don't think it's the fault of the actors, I think its possibly the style of editing which lacks giving any sense of suspense. 

In the end the killer leaves after being found out by the ranger who he kills and heads off to another location. On the way he is cruised by a guy in a gas station bathroom, goes back to the guy's van and he himself is immediately made into a victim and the new killer tells him "no hard hard feelings...". I think we are supposed to be surprised but it was always what was going to happen I thought and it didn't feel like he was getting what he deserved for his murderous lifestyle. 

I expected a movie with so much explicit sex and murder to be more engaging. 

American Swinger (2008) directed by Jon Har & Matthew Kaufman

 In the 1970s Larry Levenson decided to open a straight sex club in New York at the Continental Baths with had been a gay bathhouse that had hired the likes of Bette Midler and Barry Manilow at one point. Soon the place was called "Plato's Retreat" and it became infamous. 

The film is, rightly, mostly about Levenson and his obsession with being some sort of king of the sexual revolution. Have taking over the gay club he immediately forbid sex amount the male guests (women on women was perfectly fine, of course) as well as alcohol, drugs and prostitution. These restrictions proved hard to enforce and honestly they didn't seem to make make of an effort making the place a haven for drug use and prostitutes. His plan was to open Plato's Retreat all over the United States, which never happened and the original club was eventually plagued by tax fraud and the changing policy landscape which included the rise of AIDS in the 1980s. 

The documentary is well done, I learned a lot about this famous club. It also has a few clips from Levenson and his then wife being interviewed by Phil Donahue which did nothing if not reinforce what a shitty, mean spirited and exploitative show he had. The directors show the many ides of the sexual revolution but despite all the talk of freedom and acceptance of non tradition (heterosexual) lifestyles - I have to say it comes across pretty clearly that the high minded "sexual liberation" was certainly a thing for many of the club goers but there was an overarching feeling that this place was more than a little sleepy and exploitive as well. 

I found it interesting to see how AIDS affected the straight sex scene in the 80s as most times AIDS is mentioned, if not every time it's only about the gay community's experience with it. The people interviewed show how far their heads were in the sand about the danger and how easy it was for straight people to buy into that a disease could only effect gay people and not them. One woman highlights this and states she realized she was only still alive by sheer luck and not all her friends from the time were not so lucky. 

This is an interesting view of the sexual revolution that lets you decide what to think of the players in the Plato's Retreat saga.

Sólo quiero caminar

Just Walking. Thieving, vengeful, resourceful, uberbabes, needless death, redemption, abusive bastards, fucking, shooting, tool-use, punching and pasión of many types.

Seasonal Hints: "Why Not?"

Thanks, Abby!

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, MADEMOISELLE!

Take one very naughty schoolteacher, a hunky Italian woodsman, a generous handful of suspicious townsfolk plus a big pinch of mayhem and you'll have the deliciously wicked and dark "Mademoiselle"! Filmed in gorgeous black and white by Tony Richardson and based on a Jean Genet story, Jeanne Moreau plays the repressed schoolmarm in a French village where fires, floods and livestock poisonings are causing havoc and paranoia. Suspicion automatically falls on Manou (Ettore Manni), an Italian woodcutter, as handy with his "sword" as he is with his saw! However it's the frustrated teacher who is actually the culprit. Before each act, she applies make-up, does her hair and changes into stiletto heels and fishnet gloves as though she has a hot date. Well, she does-sort of! When Mademoiselle and Manou FINALLY ignite, ooh la la--il fait tres chaud! Of course, it won't end well, but it's a wantonly sexy and visually stunning ride.



(Note: there are a few scenes of animal cruelty that really bothered me in this film. I'd like to hope they were faked...but they were unsettling to me nevertheless.)

'When I'm In My White Mood'

I like to get smashed on cheap wine!

Satan bouche un coin

It's a trimmed down version of Jean-Pierre Bouyxou's "Satan bouche un coin", set to Morticia's Theme, of course.

You can see the devilish thing in it's entirety here.

?Que? aka What? aka Quoi? aka Che?

Has anyone out there seen this film and if so, where can we get it? Netflix doesn't have though it is finally on DVD. Check out these descriptions:

IMDB:
A young American woman (Sydne Rome) traveling through Italy finds herself in a strange Mediterranean villa where nothing seems right. Her visit becomes an absurd, decadent, oversexed version of "Alice in Wonderland", with Marcello Mastroianni as the maddest of mad hatters and Roman Polanski a kinky March hare.

HKFlix.com
In this erotic comedy from famed director Roman Polanski, Sydne Rome stars as a very sexy and quite bewildered young hitchhiker. As the film opens, she has just escaped the clutches of three would be rapists only to find her way to a seaside villa. Things are, as she discovers, very strange at the villa. She is given a room and, within moments of undressing she is under the peeping eye of a hedonistic pervert, played with bravado by Marcello Mastroianni. She soon encounters the rest of the occupants of the mansion, all are completely anomalous and each tries to persuade into a sexual encounter. Throughout her entire erotic adventure, she carries a diary under her arm and writes curiously impersonal and un-erotic entries. This is the least discussed of Polanski's films, but on some levels it may be his most revealing.


Amazon UK: Product Description
More than three decades after its controversial release, it remains the most butchered, debated and least-seen film of the Oscar winning and controversial director Roman Polanski's entire career. Special features include; 'Sydne in Wonderand' a film about star Sydne Rome; 'Memories of a Young Pianist' a featurette with composer Claudio Gizzi and 'A Surreal Pop Movie' a featurette with cinematographer Marcello Gatti.

Synopsis
Based loosely on the story of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, WHAT? is a dark comedy from Roman Polanski and writing partner Gerard Brach. A young American, Nancy (Sydney Rome), hitchhikes through Europe and finds herself in a remote Mediterranean villa. Wherein she meets some strange inhabitants who lead her deeper into the weird and wonderful rabbit hole. A cult classic, not to be missed!

Ooh, I just spotted it for sale on Amazon (1 new, 1 used) and on TCM's site. Can't wait.

Gourmet Garbage from Larry Bishop

Hell Ride. Dialogue like it was written by a violent, horny, male 14 year old that gets A+ at English class. I think exploitation done by experts can still be exploitation. Buy that Miata and drive too fast on a mountain road and I will argue you will not miss the MG.



Larry Bishop, baby! Joey Bishop's son!

Leave us not forget he was "The Hook" in Wild in the Streets

KIKA

Perdón por no subtítulos en Inglés. Hágase un favor y obtener de esta película. Es loco, caliente y preocupante. Me encanta que mis compañeros de Celuloide Slammer amigos!