Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Program 26: Twisted Love

This year's installment of our (now infamous) "ImageOut There!" shorts program had more than it's share of shocks and surprises, but lucky for us, it also came with a "happy ending".

19 comments:

Woody said...

Wow! This was a great lineup on shorts. Those that missed it really missed out. Some of them were challenging, but at the same time were the best in the lineup in my opinion.

In particular, The Armoire and My Name is Love, while painful to watch, were very though provoking and stirred discussion afterward on many fronts.

I love that there were enough of these to put together a series, vs individual airings before other ImageOut There! movies. While it may not always be possible to do in future programs, when it is, I really prefer this format...

Jim V. said...

The two positive standouts for me were "Inflatable Swamp" and "I Want Your Love." At the end, I do have one negative remark...

"Swamp" was a really inventive way of telling the story of finding something special amidst bed-hopping/meaningless sex

I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about "I Want Your Love" Was it porn? Was it about closeness between gay male friends? Was it about how men can turn sexual desire on and off like a switch? Whatever I think, it deserves a second look - well written and well cast, it might be better if it had been fleshed-out into a feature-length film.

OK - now for the unpopular negative comment - With all respect to Paul Rapalee, "Burn The Milk" was about 5 minutes too long. The whirling camera and the soundtrack were far too overbearing. The point could have been made without taking the viewer to the point of nausea.

Michael G said...

@Jim - Forgot to mention in my intro that I Want Your Love was shot as a segment for a possible Shortbus-type gay feature. But of course, from what I've heard, most people already know this as they have searched the web for the short film following the screening ... and have watched it several more times since! If you go to it's video link in the Naked Sword website, it does ask the similar question about porn versus art.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Wasn't expecting porn. But yeah!

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
I would have liked a little more comedy but there was great variety in the program.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Hmmm?!!? Value to the festival?

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Where is Bill DeGroot? No interpreters?

Michael's response:
If there were no interpreters, then there must not have been a request for it. Or at least, not requested by the deadline.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Porn is boring. I can see that at home. The relationship issues were well done. Burn the Milk gets a big WTF.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
I Want Your Love is a porno with good dialogue. Gratuitous. Enough already.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Excellent collection. I [heart] ImageOut There!

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Most disturbing was the filthy house in Spilt Milk. I Want Your Love was just good porn.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Burn the Milk is totally f_cked up. I can't believe Paul brought his Mom. LOL!

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Still think last year's was better ... garden scissors and all. [smiley face] Thanks for the fun!

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
I Want Your Love is good sincere porn.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Umm, for pornography, there is something called the Internet. I expected better.

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
Michael as M.C. is great. Love his humor. This program could have been titled "Body Fluids" instead of "Twisted." It's ok -- not as good fare as past festivals.

Michael G said...

What can I say -- sometimes one man's art is another man's porn. =)

Anonymous said...

From the ballots:
We love Paul!!!

Dennis F said...

From the ballots:
Really great shorts. I very much enjoy the ImageOut There! Series. As queer film has gotten more acceptance and popularity, it has inevitably become more mainstream. I miss the more pithy and edgy films that filled the festival in years past. The ImageOut There! Series helps to maintain that edge. I'd much rather see the provocative and controversial than the queer feel-good mainstream.