Comedy – Page 49 – Discover great gay stories.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 052 – ‘KUNTERGRAU’

Title – ‘Kuntergrau‘

Director – Kai Kreuser, Maik Scholz, Nick Schröder

Starring – Fabian Freistühler, Daniel Kosic, Marcel Meyer, Moustafa Tarraf

Release Date – 2015

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Happy new year everyone!! Hope you all had at least some chance to rest, relax, and reflect on the coming year and all the exciting (and dreadful) surprises that lie in wait. Here’s to hoping you also got the chance to watch some movies to ring in the new year. Did any of you watch ‘Make the Yuletide Gay‘ with friends and/or family? I showed it to my mom and she was quite tickled by it!

I know the wait for Season 2 of ‘I’m Fine’ has felt like forever, but it’s nearly over!! It premiers January 25th right here exclusively on Dekkoo and you can check out a little teaser here! The full trailer is coming out veryyyy soon! In the meantime we’ve got something very similar for you – a webseries from the capital of Germany – Cologne dubbed ‘Kuntergrau‘. At 5 episodes averaging 12 minutes each you’ll be either binge it in one sitting or give yourself 5 fantastic morning commutes or work lunches worth of cute young queerness!

Being gay and living in Cologne in Germany and not Berlin must feel just like living in Pittsburgh versus NYC. But that’s where ‘Queer as Folk’ succeeded and that’s how ‘Kuntergrau‘ works its charm. There’s definitely something about portrayals gay life in a smaller city that seems more tight-knit and adventurous. It’s also this exact need to come together that inspired the production of the series. Volunteers aged 17-27 worked on this project over the course of several months and you can tell that a lot of love and hard work went into it.

‘Kuntergrau‘ follows five friends living as openly gay men in Cologne. It absolutely tries to do away with the typical coming-of-age closeted stereotypical storylines and instead tries to focus on issues that young gay men are living with in metropolitan areas. All the characters are very charming and unique in their own way, not to mention very cute! Jan and Noah are the first of the friends we meet and they also happen to be lovers. Complicating their relationship is Noah’s desire to be extremely masochistic and submissive in bed which cuddle-friendly Jan doesn’t enjoy. The handsome Marcel seems to tie a lot of the characters together with his openness towards sexuality and the fact that he’s the only single one. The final couple of the 5-some is the extremely cute and shy Leopold and a fresh face in Cologne; Lukas. There aren’t many supporting characters, but Leopold’s Grandma Margarethe is adorable!!!

It’s hard to pack a lot of content into something so short, but ‘Kuntergrau‘ absolutely has a lot to say. There’s a lot of emotional digging around the issue of sexuality in Jan and Noah’s relationship – is it truly love if one person’s sexual desires can’t be fulfilled? Lukas and Leopold have their own baggage to unpack – Leopold is very virginal/shy and Lukas is hooking up with someone outside of the relationship. Finally the show even tackles HIV with Marcel as a proud HIV-positive man simply trying to not let the virus take over his carefree and hookup-friendly life. The show really took me by surprise as I hadn’t heard of it, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this team as I think there’s some fantastic talent both in front of and behind the camera.

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Watch it with: A few friends

Mix it with: Vodka/Soda

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New This Week – 12/22/17

Danny is a babysitter struggling to balance his lives as a gay man dating in his twenties, an actor auditioning in Hollywood, and a babysitter looking after a surly six year-old named Quinn. When he discovers Quinn has a penchant for cross-dressing, Danny resolves to uncover the truth behind this inclination. Is Quinn under the LGBT umbrella, or is his hobby just a phase? What’s a manny to do? ‘Danny the Manny’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo.com!

‘The Michael Henry Collection For The Homosexual On The Go’ is a fun, light, important array of videos targeted towards the humorous homosexual. If you feel ready to step into this world of perfection, jealousy, high society and farts click on the clickable area of this section. Brought to you by Michael Henry, a weirdo. The second collection of Michael’s hilarious short videos are now available to stream on Dekkoo!

16 year-old Jack Strong is a San Francisco high school student, who attempts to reconcile his sexuality with his Christian upbringing. He courageously asserts — in song no less! — that his challenge is to live genuinely despite pressure from his parents and church to change who he is. Watch ‘Flight to Sinai’ on Dekkoo.com!

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Coming next week: “A poetic, beautifully acted tour de force.” – The New York Post

DEKKOO DISPATCH 050 – ‘MAKE THE YULETIDE GAY’

Title – ‘Make the Yuletide Gay‘

Director – Rob Williams

Starring – Keith Jordan, Adamo Ruggiero, Hallee Hirsh, Kelly Keaton

Release Date – 2009

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It’s that time of the year again folks. Time to take out all those ornaments and take down a few of the more racy photographs you’ve got hanging on your walls before your parents show up. The holidays have always been friend and foe to the gay community. While we’ve been able to make the best of them by celebrating the season with friends and lovers it also reminds us that we sometimes can’t be with our families because we’ve been kicked out or ostracized. Luckily things have been getting a lot better (especially for younger gays) and our families have started to accept the idea that Christmas can include handsome hunks in love.

That’s the topic of this week’s CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Dekkoo Dispatch! The straights have ‘A Christmas Story’, but we’ve got ‘Make the Yuletide Gay‘ to… make the Yuletide gay-er? I mean let’s face it. Christmas is pretty darn gayyy. You’re decorating a tree, wearing silly sweaters, making eggnog cocktails, and waiting for a stranger to come into your house in the middle of the night to give you a ‘gift’. These are all homosexual activities that the straights have claimed in the name of Christmas! But I digress…

‘Make the Yuletide Gay‘ has been a yearly holiday viewing tradition for many homosexuals I know since it came out in 2009. It’s universal tale of acceptance, love, and family-above-all attitude is exactly the kind of vision of Christmas that we all hope becomes a reality for everyone. The story revolves around the adorable couple of Olaf (aka Gunn) and Nathan. In school they’re completely out and proud. Olaf even sports an HRC t-shirt at the beginning of the film. Snazzy! For winter break they head their separate ways with Olaf travelling to his family in the Midwest and Nathan going on a cruise with his parents. Once we arrive there we quickly realize that Olaf, while out in school, is definitely not out to his family. Of course there’s a twist – Nathan suddenly shows up on his doorstep without knowing he’s still in the closet. Thus begins a movie full of the comedy of hiding in plain sight.

I say hiding in plain sight because a lot of the movie’s comedy plays on the parents being a little ‘thick’. The mother, played by Kelly Keaton, is so gosh darn adorable and nice. While watching her I couldn’t help but think of Stephanie McVay in ‘The Edge of Seventeen’. She’s the ideal Christmas mother: constantly baking cookies, making hot cocoa, and telling embarrassing stories about her son to his boyfriend. The father, played by Derek Long, is a stereotypical ex-hippy stoner professor. He’s extremely calm, rational, yet also completely out of it. Thus jokes made by Nathan about usually taking the ‘top’ bunk fly right over their heads to hilarious result. The other character I should mention is Abby. She’s the next-door neighbor that Olaf’s parents are trying to set him up with. Awkwardness definitely ensues.

This is absolutely a perfect movie to watch with just about anyone, but especially your mostly-accepting to totally-accepting family over the holidays. It’s definitely PG to PG-13 so you won’t have to worry about your mother fainting over a sex scene.

We at Dekkoo wish you all the best over the holidays and we’d be remiss not to remind you that the gift of Dekkoo is a totally amazing present for any gay, young or old.

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Watch it with: Family, Friends, Aliens, you name it!

Mix it with: Spiked Eggnog

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New This Week – 12/15/17

An eccentric, aging psychotherapist forms an unusual bond with his newest patient, a much younger gay man suffering from depression and boyfriend problems. Wildly inventive and relentlessly sexy, ‘Seat in Shadow’ is a strange little mind-fuck from Scotland.

Director Ades Zabel has been an integral part of the Berlin cabaret and drag scene since the 1980’s. His hilarious stage character Edith Schröder, for whom he is best known, stars in this drag holiday comedy filled with unforgettable and often crude humor. ‘When Edith’s Bells Toll’ is the perfect recipe for the holiday season.

13-year-old Gabe Kowalski is a late bloomer whose attempts to impress Shane, a more mature classmate, get him into a hairy situation. The adorable gay short, ‘Yeah, Kowalksi!’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo!

Joe, in the midst of dropping out of college and coming out as gay, decides to record the everyday activities of his life on a handheld mini-video and post the clips to the internet. Soon after he begins this experiment, Joe meets Jesus, a narcissistic hustler drawn to the idea of constantly being on camera. Watch ‘The Famous Joe Project’ now on Dekkoo.com!

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Coming next week: A wonderful series about a boy named Danny who is struggling to balance his lives as a queer person dating in his twenties, an actor auditioning in Hollywood, and a babysitter mothering a surly six year-old named Quinn.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 049 – ‘YEAH, KOWALSKI!’ AND ‘SEAT IN SHADOW’

Title – ‘Seat In Shadow‘

Director – Henry Coombes

Starring – Henry Coombes, Ross Hunter, Jonathan Leslie, Marcella Mclntosh

Release Date – 2016

Title – ‘Yeah, Kowalski!‘

Director – Evan Roberts

Starring – Cameron Wofford, Conor Donnelly, Kaitlyn Knippers, Annamarie Kasper

Release Date – 2013

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Happy Wednesday Dekkoo’ers! We’re getting closer to the holidays which makes everyone go a little crazy so here are a pair of movies that you might sympathize with:

‘Yeah, Kowalski‘ is a super adorable short film about puberty and first crushes by Evan Roberts. A festival darling back in 2013 it traces a week in the life of 13-year old Gabe Kowalski. He’s a bit of a late bloomer who has two obsessions: Growing armpit hair and impressing his dream-boy, Shane. Shane seems the polar opposite of Gabe. He’s tall, outgoing, and proud of his armpit hair. There’s a lot to love about this film especially the honest depiction of a gay crush at such a young age which hopefully becomes the norm in this day and age.

Next up for your double feature pleasure is ‘Seat In Shadow‘ a film hailing from the UK that has a decidedly mind-bending bent to it. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the feature film debut of artist Henry Coombes whose work has been presented at the Venice Biennale among other prestigious art shows. Collaborating with David Sillars on the screenplay who also plays the role of the therapist Albert they’ve crafted a unique study of mentor-student relationships that can go off the rails.

Albert is an older gay painter and self-proclaimed therapist that lives his own life and doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks of it. He studies unique ways of living and thinking through YouTube videos like how to make your own toothpaste with charcoal and random lectures on Jung. He also gets very high and talks to his plant he’s named Priscilla. When an old friend of his comes to his apartment he reluctantly agrees to help her grandson named Ben who’s going through a rough time and could use someone to talk to. You’d think Ben would have everything going for him. He’s young, good-looking, and goes to parties. Unfortunately Ben is in love with a guy that’s simply a big ‘ole jerk! He uses Ben and then criticizes everything about him.

The film is comprised primarily of one on one sessions between Albert and Ben. In the sessions they delve deep into human emotions like love, sex, and the desire to consume drugs. You can tell that the director has a deep fondness for hallucinogenic drugs. The movie definitely worships them and the filmmaking style reflects a very twisted and warped view of reality. The best part of the film by far is Albert. He’s painted very realistically with all manner of human flaws inherent in an older gay artist. He’s part monster/part angel and the director really manages to delve into that with a real honesty that’s refreshing.

Well I think you’ve got two extremely interesting films to dig into today/tomorrow/this weekend so I hope you’ll do that and let us know what you thought! 🙂

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Watch ’em with: Your mentor

Mix it with: Absinthe!

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‘Seat In Shadow’ is now available on Dekkoo!

Artist turned Director Henry Coombes’ debut film, ‘Seat In Shadow‘ offers a wildly unhinged view of gay life in Scotland with an equal mix of humor, poignancy and eroticism.

Stream ‘Seat In Shadow’ exclusively on Dekkoo!

New This Week – 12/8/17

Based upon controversial author Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling book, this highly-underrated jet-black comedy is one to revisit. Notorious for its bedroom scene of drop-dead gorgeous Ian Somerhalder and Russell Sams dancing in their underwear, this highly-homoerotic, acerbic college-set film has gained a well-deserved cult following over the years. Featuring bitterly-funny cameos by Swoosie Kurtz and Faye Dunaway along with a pulse-pounding soundtrack, it’s time for you to learn the “Rules.” Watch ‘The Rules of Attraction’ now on Dekkoo.com!

Eddie’s fascination with his older, sexier neighbor, Chad, heightens after he spies on him in the bathroom measuring his manhood. ’33 Teeth’ is now available to stream on Dekkoo.com!

This indie series set in Atlanta GA follows an ensemble cast that is catapulted into chaos after a brutal attack divides the city. Separate lives quickly become entwined forcing each person to face their own prejudices. Binge season 1 of ‘Skin Deep: The Series’ now available on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week: A witty, perceptive study of social mores, sexual excess and the bizarre symbiotic relationship between doctor and patient, teacher and pupil; artist and muse.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 048 – ‘THE RULES OF ATTRACTION’

Title – ‘The Rules of Attraction‘

Director – Roger Avary

Starring – James Van Der Beek, Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossamon, Jessica Biel, Kip Pardue

Release Date – 2002

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On Dekkoo we’re turning our gaze to the glorious year 2002 with ‘The Rules of Attraction‘. While Ben Affleck was soaking up his Sexiest Man of the Year award from People Magazine there was another kind of sexy happening in cinemas. One involving James van der Beek from the legendary ‘Dawson’s Creek’ in an on-screen gay kiss with the smoking hot Ian Somerhalder. The film based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis (who also wrote ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Less Than Zero’ – both of which were also made into movies) follows the lives of 3 students as they make their way through the sexual angst of college.

Unlike ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Less Than Zero’, Roger Avary’s adaptation of the book actually tries to follow Ellis’ crazy narrative structures and wildly explicit views of sex and drugs. The film’s use of slow-mo, reverse motion, split-screen, and intense montage all call to mind the frenetic energy of Ellis’ visionary 1987 novel. The movie focuses on three main characters:

Paul Denton – The gay one. The defiantly gay one I should say. Paul’s attitude towards his queerness is refreshing even to this day. He’s confident in being himself completely even if it ends in being shoved or spit on by a guy he makes a move on. Paul’s love interest in this movie is Sean Bateman who’s in love with Lauren Hynde. Oh did I not mention this was a love triangle movie?? Ah my bad. Yeah it’s a love triangle movie. Paul falls head over heels for Paul’s rugged looks, his ‘slutty’ attitude, and his devil-may-cry attitude towards almost everyone. Personally I think Paul (played by Ian Somerhalder) is the hottest character in the film. He’s constantly wearing the tightest outfits and has permanent pouty-lip syndrome. The shirtless dance scene with his friend ‘Dick’ is easily one of the highlights of the film and worth the price of admission!

Sean Bateman – Enter the psychotic (or is he just a troubled genius?) straight character of the film. Funnily enough Sean is supposed to be Patrick Bateman’s (‘American Psycho’) little brother so it all makes sense why he’s a little unhinged. Sean’s religious views consist of sex, drugs, and more sex. Honestly he’s probably a dream boyfriend for a lot of people. Sean starts getting mysterious love letters from someone just around the time he first runs into Lauren Hynde. The two circumstances align in such a way that trigger a burst of longing and perhaps even love which he chases throughout the film. Oh and there’s a plot line involving him having to pay his drug supplier that honestly I could’ve done without. But c’est la vie!

Lauren Hynde – Ok so Lauren is basically the sweeter version of Daria if Daria did cocaine. Lauren is probably the most grounded character of the film. She’s very much a good girl when it comes to sex, even going so far as to study venereal disease textbooks before parties to discourage hooking up. Perhaps that’s what makes the connection between Sean and Lauren so intense. Her desire to hook up with someone who has so much sex and tame him and his desire to settle down with someone so virginal.

Besides those three adorable human beings you can also look forward to:
-Early career cameos by Jay Baruchel & Kate Bosworth.
-An appearance by the legendary musician Paul Williams as a crazy doctor.
-Legendary actresses Faye Dunaway & Swoosie Kurtz in a hilariously awkward dinner scene.
-Jessica Biel!

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Watch it with: Two friends that you’re in a love triangle with

Mix it with: Beer and cocaine

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 046 – ‘EATING OUT 2: SLOPPY SECONDS’

Title – ‘Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds‘

Director – Phillip J. Bartell

Starring – Jim Verraros, Emily Brooke Hands, Rebekah Kochan, Marco Dapper

Release Date – 2006

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Heya Dekkoo-ers! Happy post-Thanksgiving! I hope you had a great time with your loved ones or that random hot guy that wouldn’t leave the next day because he was using you for your Dekkoo subscription (a gay cinema nerd fantasy…). Everyone knows that the best part of Thanksgiving isn’t the actual dinner, but the countless meals you can make out of the leftovers. This train of thought led me to re-watch one of my favorite gay films of all time: ‘Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds‘. Get it? Oh lord I hope so…

Way back when in Dekkoo Dispatch Number 2 I talked up ‘Eating Out‘ – the first in a series of five films conceived by Q. Allan Brocka. The popularity of the first resulted in a sequel just two years later that exceeds the first in so many ways. The original will always have the charm of razor-sharp writing in a very low-budget production, but the second film obviously benefited from a larger budget and a new eye behind the camera, Phillip J. Bartell, a prolific movie editor and director of ‘L.T.R.’ (probably the best short film on ‘Boys Life 4’). Phillip later went on to co-write every subsequent Eating Out installment.

Our story continues a few months after the events of the first film with two breakups happening in quick succession. Gwen (Marc’s fag hag who loves to date gay guys) can’t hold onto her boyfriend because he’s tired of pretending to get it on with guys and Kyle (our insecure but cute protagonist) gets dumped by Marc (hottt!) for not being confident enough in himself and their relationship. Oh and in case you’re confused about the character of Marc looking a little different, you’re not crazy, there was a casting change that in my opinion is for the better. Brett Chukerman now works for HSN and I’m truly jealous of all the housewives that get to drool over him during the day.

All these single people need someone to lust over right?? Enter Troy (from Troy, Illinois!) a ridiculously chiseled and tan fellow college student who happens to be a nude model for the art classes as a side-hustle. After Troy drops his robe for the class (btw yes you do see ‘it’) Gwen comes up with a scheme to pretend Kyle is an ex-gay to impress Troy who is slightly ashamed of his attraction to guys. Of course Marc notices the irresistible Troy as well and tries to seduce him using gay-bro tactics. It’s a race to the finish line to see who can sleep with him first!

There are some great new characters in the sequel including Mink Stole, (a John Waters regular who goes on to have a supporting lead in the other Eating Out films) Scott Vickaryous, (who plays the leader of the ex-gays), & Adrián Quiñonez (the sexy Octavio). In usual Eating Out style there are a couple of signature long sexy scenes plus plenty of full frontal nudity to whet your palate. The lines are endlessly quotable and it’s a great gay party movie. What are you waiting for?!?! Watch it!

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Watch it with: A gaggle of horny gays!

Mix it with: Beers for the ex-gays and white wine for the proud gays

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New This Week – 11/10/17

Hard partying and wild love affairs lead to some serious soul-searching when a group of close-knit friends are forced to come to terms with the unexpected death of a loved one. Sort of like a pansexual version of ‘The Big Chill’, ‘Even Lovers Get the Blues‘ offers a sexually explicit portrait of a group of young Belgian friends.

In this gay short, an intense “bromance” between a gay football player and a straight military solider confronts the meaning of friendship and masculinity. Watch ‘Forces’ now on Dekkoo.com!

Thomas is blindsided when his estranged brother, Seth, shows up unannounced to the annual family vacation… with his boyfriend. Despite a well meaning attempt to surprise everyone, things do not go as planned, throwing Thomas and the family into an awkward week long vacation where everyone has problems and no one wants to talk about them. ‘An Ordinary Family’ is available now on Dekkoo.com!

Take a peek at the brand new, behind-the-scenes Dekkoo-exclusive video from photographer Marco Ovando. This time, Marco trains his lens on the absolutely gorgeous Andrew Vecchio. We guarantee it will have your blood racing within the first 5 seconds!

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Coming next week: “Had Fassbinder shot a documentary about Viennese prostitutes, it would look like this” – Filmstarts