Category: Drama

DEKKOO DISPATCH 024 – ‘I’M FINE’ IS BACK!

Title – ‘I’m Fine‘

Director – Brandon Kirby

Starring – Perry Powell, Lee Doud, Shaughn Buchholz, Ulysses Morazan

Release Date – 2017

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The wait is finally over! Episodes 5-8 of Dekkoo’s Original Series ‘I’m Fine‘ are online for your immediate on-the-go entertainment. Nate, Jeff, Andy, Brian, and yes even the legendary love-of-Nate’s-life Joey are back in action!

After binging the last 4 episodes of Season 1 I had soooo many questions for director Brandon Kirby. Below are a few of them for your enjoyment:

FD: So at the end of episode 4 Jeff reveals his more-than-friends feelings for Nate which to me was what I was most excited about with the release of episodes 5-8. Has that situation ever happened to you?

BK: Since moving to LA, I’ve played the Jeff role in that scenario numerous times, admitting my feelings to friends of mine, and once I was in the Nate position. With that friend, we actually ended up trying to be romantic with each other, but ultimately decided we are DEFINITELY only meant to be very close friends.

FD: Was there any inspiration for that hilarious party scene in Episode 5?

BK: The whole situation with the grandma’s painting, that actually happened to me a couple years ago at a house party in Hollywood on New Year’s Eve. I was drunk, waiting in line for the bathroom and bumped into a painting on the wall. The host called me out for it. The version of that happening in Ep5 is obviously dramatized.

FD: Speaking of dramatized… from money-hungry party hosts, to shady pool boy escorts, to awkward brunch guests you’ve painted a slightly depressing view of LA. At the end of the day do you have a positive view of gay life in Los Angeles or are we all doomed?

BK: Ha! I mean, we might all be doomed for other reasons. But in terms of Los Angeles and West Hollywood specifically, I do love living here but it took me a while – years, actually – to fully come around to it. So, in that time in between, I found a lot of the flaws and a lot of the things in the gay community that, y’know, aren’t the best. But of course any skewering I’m doing here comes from a place of love.

FD: You’ve teased a lot of new characters in the second half of Season 1. Which of them are you most excited to explore?

BK: I’m excited to explore Jeff’s roommate Louis, who we haven’t met before, and their new mutual friend Zachary, who plays an especially important role in Season 2.

FD: Well then you should totally dish on what’s going to happen in Season 2!

BK: Let’s just say the storylines go beyond just exploring why Nate is clinging to being “fine” but to his circle of friends, as well. We dive a bit deeper into everyone’s individual existential crises. And yes, it’s still a comedy!

FD: Well I’m super psyched for it. I’ll leave you alone after you tell me your top 3 films on Dekkoo.

BK: ‘Edge of Seventeen‘, ‘Concrete Night‘, & ‘Parting Glances‘

WATCH IT NOWWWW!

DEKKOO DISPATCH 023 – ‘EDGE OF SEVENTEEN’ AND ‘GO-GO REJECT’

Title – ‘Edge of Seventeen‘

Director – David Moreton

Starring – Chris Stafford, Lea DeLaria, Tina Holmes, Andersen Gabrych

Release Date – 1998

Title – ‘Go-Go Reject‘

Director – Michael J. Saul

Starring – Heath Daniels, Josh Babich, Korken Alexander

Release Date – 2010

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Hi everyone! We’re halfway through Pride Month now and I’m definitely not ready for it to be over yet. Tomorrow kicks off Frameline’s LGBTQ Film Festival in San Francisco which is always a great time. Let us know if you see any awesome films there you think should be added to Dekkoo!

Last week was a little on the dark side, so this week I’m lightening it up with two super cute ones! Start your movie night with a bit of glitter with ‘Go-Go Reject‘. Daniel is a your average queen that hangs out at go-go bars with friends and dreams of leaving his day job at Yogurt World. One day Daniel realizes he needs to fulfill his dreams of becoming a dancer. More specifically Daniel wants to be exactly like Jennifer Beals in ‘Flashdance’ minus the steel mill of course. Sadly Daniel isn’t exactly the hottest guy ever and can’t quite convince club owners to hire him so he takes matters into his own hands. The best thing about this short film is the unbridled enthusiasm of the main character played by Heath Daniels (who also stars in several other films by Michael J. Saul such as ‘Adults Only‘ which he also wrote!) and the really hot skinny guy he dances with at the end (call me!).

We’re traveling to the 80s gentlemen! Hold on to your mascara! Boom! The year is 1984 and it’s summer vacation. Eric Hunter is about to start his first day of work at a theme park in Sandusky, Ohio with his best friend Maggie. They both share a love of Toni Basil (Hey Mickey!), Eurythmics and making fun of their lame high school classmates, but right when Maggie seems to be having feelings for Eric that go beyond friendship Eric meets co-worker Rod. He’s older, sexy as hell, and is out and proud about being gay. Thus begins a sexual awakening for Eric that takes place over a year of his life, but only 103 minutes for us.

‘Edge of Seventeen‘ was written by Todd Stephens (‘Another Gay Movie’, ‘Another Gay Sequel‘) and was actually based on his life as a teen in Sandusky. Originally slated to direct the pic, the duty fell to his friend David Moreton (‘Testosterone’) at the last minute who took the reigns on this touching and ground breaking feature. The movie was filmed in 1998, but you’ll swear it was filmed in the 80s due to the awesome music (supposedly 80s music was unpopular to license at that point in the 90s so the filmmakers were able to get it for cheap), rad costuming (polyester everywhere!), and muted color grainy cinematography (filmed in 16mm and then blown up to 35mm). On Dekkoo we’re presenting the brand-new HD Restoration which looks gorgeous!

‘Edge of Seventeen‘ is one of those films where I could go on a very long rant about interesting facts. I’ll just talk about the case for brevity’s sake!

  • Chris Stafford who plays the main character, Eric actually left the world of acting shortly after starring in ‘Edge’ and became a lawyer. I was browsing the deep reaches of the internet one day and actually saw his speech from the University of Miami at his graduation where he was the class valedictorian!
  • You might find the girl who plays Maggie familiar. She plays the older sister character in the popular gay film ‘Shelter’.
  • Lea DeLaria who plays the lovable boss Angie is now super famous for her role in ‘Orange is the New Black’.
  • Andersen Gabrych (Rod) has a cameo role in every single Todd Stephens film. My favorite one is in ‘Another Gay Movie‘ where he gets puked on!

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Watch ’em with:  A large group of fun queens!

Mix it with: One of those blue drinks.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 022 – ‘EASTERN BOYS’ AND ‘JOHNNY’

Title – ‘Eastern Boys‘

Director – Robin Campillo

Starring – Oliver Rabourdin, Kirill Emelyanov, Danil Vorobyev, Edea Darcque

Release Date – February 27, 2015

Title – ‘Johnny‘

Director – Micah Stuart

Starring – Tony Abatemarco, Luca Alexander, Brandon Crowder, Nikita Kochnev

Release Date – July 10, 2016

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Welcome to the new Dekkoo Blog everyone! It’s your new one stop shop for everything in the world of gay cinema. I encourage you to add Dekkoo.blog to your blog feed (or click the follow button below) and let us know if you have any suggestions to make it better.

This week we’ve got two dark and sexy films (both with hustlers) that we think you should watch ASAP!

First up is ‘Johnny‘. While there have been a glut of films that have dealt with an older man finding himself through a younger prostitute, I found that ‘Johnny‘ did it with an amount of grace and sexiness that few have come close to.

One night a random John (Sam) picks up the sexy Johnny for a hot time at a sleezy motel. What neither of them expects is the human connection that forms and the secrets that both reveal over the course of their encounter. Personally my favorite part of this short is the intense sex that occurs between the two characters. It’s rare to see such a hot inter-generational encounter in a short film like this. Even rarer to see poppers being brought into the fray. Woo!

After ‘Johnny’ you’re ready to go deeper into the world of hustlers with ‘Eastern Boys‘. This film is directed by Robin Campillo who was the writer of the Palme D’or winner, ‘The Class’. His new film ‘120 Beats Per Minute’ was just in the official selection at Cannes and is hyped as one of the best French films dealing with the ACT UP movement. The film follows a lonely gay man named Daniel. He seems well-off, but is lacking love and friendship in his life. The beginning of the film starts off showing the train urchins at the Gare du Nord station in Paris. It’s hard to tell where they’re from, but you can assume it’s somewhere in Eastern Europe. They had to leave to escape the poverty and now they’re looking for a way to make money. In walks Daniel looking for some company and he finds Marek. A rendez-vous is scheduled and when someone knocks on Daniel’s doors it’s not Marek, but a child claiming to be Marek.

I really don’t want to give too much more away. One of the best things about this movie is its wonderful balance of tension, romance, and action. I’ll tell you that I’ve never had a film make me sweat as much as this film does in the first 30 minutes. It’s nerve wracking!! ‘Eastern Boys‘ brilliantly tackles the fears and desires of both older gay men and young homeless immigrants all in just over two hours.

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Watch ’em with: You and maybe one other person whose hand you can grab onto during parts of ‘Eastern Boys‘.

Mix it with: Red Wine.

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Johnny

DEKKOO DISPATCH 018 – ‘FOGI IS A BASTARD’ & ‘BOYGAME’

Title – ‘Fogi Is a Bastard‘

Director – Marcel Gisler

Starring – Fredric Andrau, Vincent Branchet, Urs Peter Halter, Jean-Pierre Von Dach

Release Date – April 28, 1999

Title – ‘Boygame’ (as part of ‘Straight Men and The Men Who Love Them: Vol. 3‘)

Director – Anna Österlund Nolskog

Starring – Charlie Gustafsson, Joakim Lang, Sophie Adolfsson, Palmira Koukkari Mbenga

Release Date – December 3, 2013

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This week on the Dekkoo Dispatch we’re covering two films that center on youth and sexuality and the angst that arises from that potent combination.

‘Boygame’ (part of ‘Straight Men and the Men Who Love Them Vol: 3‘) is a masterful investigation into the limits (or lack thereof) of male bonding from Swedish director Anna Österlund Nolskog. Yup that’s right. One of the sexiest and deepest probing studies into straight guys maybe not being that straight is from a woman. The short centers around best friends John and Nicholas. They joke together, encourage each other to chase after their girl crushes, and even jerk off together. But once conversation turns to
the mechanics of sex and how they’ll be able to keep from cumming too quickly that’s when the line between friends and something more gets a little blurry. There’s so much about this short film to fall in love with, but personally my favorite part is right at the end studying the character’s faces to determine exactly what they’re thinking. Each time I come up with something different and it never fails to make me feel giddy in one way or another.

After you’ve fallen in love with John and Nicholas from ‘Boygame’ it’s time to keep up those reading skills with another foreign film. This time from Switzerland (French language), the land of mountains, watches, chocolates, and drug addicted rockers like Fogi, one of the main protagonists (although he could also be considered the antagonist) of ‘Fogi is a Bastard‘. I watched this movie for the first time when I was in high school or early college and really felt a connection with Beni, the main character since he was a
similar age and also looking for love. Now re-watching it later I’ve fallen in love with it even more since I can now recognize many of the tell-tale signs of impending romantic disaster which occur in the film quite frequently – that and I’m also just really into guys in collars now more than I was before.

15-year-old Beni goes to a rock concert one night and falls in love with Fogi, the lead singer of a so-so rock band. He quickly becomes a ‘roadie’ and Fogi introduces him to sex and tenderness which Beni sucks in like a sponge. At first Fogi isn’t really a ‘bastard’ as the title would suggest. He’s vulgar and off-putting, but those are qualities that rock stars usually posses and Beni admires that. After a while though one of Fogi’s band members
gets him back into heroin which has negative consequences on their relationship (obviously). Beni is persistent in his love for Fogi and won’t let go even when Fogi prostitutes him out to older men for drug money.

‘Fogi is a Bastard‘ is definitely a film that stands out from the pack for its tender study of drugs affecting a loving relationship. Parallels could be drawn to Ira Sachs’ ‘Keep the Lights On’ for it’s portrayal of two souls battling it out in the name of affection and love.
There are also some fantastic images in this film that refuse to leave my memory like when Beni curls up at Fogi’s feet and then Fogi pours milk on his face. Lactosploitation indeed!

Watch these films! You won’t be disappointed.

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Watch ’em with: A friend who enjoys sexy foreign films

Mix ’em with: A 6-pack of good beer

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 017 – ‘SPRING’ AND ‘IN THE NAME OF’

Title – ‘Spring‘

Director – Hong Khaou

Starring – Jonathan Keane, Chris O’Donnell

Release Date – January 22, 2011

Title – ‘In The Name Of‘

Director – Malgoska Szumowska

Starring – Andrzej Chyra, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Maja Ostaszewska, Lukasz Simlat

Release Date – September 20, 2013

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Hey Dekkoo-ers! Hope your week is going swell. I’ve got two great flicks to talk about today, both with an inter-generational theme.

‘Will it hurt?’ asks the youth nervously to the camera. ‘Yeah it can’ replies the older and much more confident man sitting across the table at the cafe. Thus begins the movie ‘Spring‘, a short film about sadomasochism and Sub/Dom role-play. It’s a fantastically shot short film by Hong Khaou, the director of ‘Lilting’ and an intriguing investigation into a young man’s mind as he explore fetishes he’s only dreamt of. Definitely a short film you won’t want to miss!

A funny side-note about this film is that most of it was shot in a room that caused a bit of a scandal way back because ‘The King’s Speech’ was shot in it along with a gay porn film!

Alright after you’ve taken a bit of a break :ahem: post-‘Spring‘ it’s time to sit down with ‘In The Name Of‘. It’s a beautiful, poetic film centering on a country priest in Poland dealing with his repressed sexuality. The film deals with heavy issues, but spreads it out to great effect with sensitivity and beauty.

After having just been transferred from another parish, Adam sets up shop in the sleepy little town by opening up a halfway house for wayward youth. The rules are simple: work hard and don’t get into trouble. Adam is able to start a family in a way with these young men and seems to be really happy early on in the film. But just when everything seems to be going well a new boy joins the ranks who senses Adam’s growing relationship with Lukasz (whose looks draw an obvious correlation with Jesus Christ) and decides to shake things up amongst the guys.

The film really comes together in the final act so I definitely recommend staying with it through the admittedly slow first half. If you need motivation there’s plentyyyy of half-naked guys throughout the film. Right when the song ‘The Funeral’ by Band of Horses started playing over a religious procession through the country-side was when the movie really coalesced for me and became magical from that point on.

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Watch ’em with: Your local gay-friendly (or just plain gay) priest

Mix ’em with: Wine blessed by said priest

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 015 – ‘I’M FINE’

Title – ‘I’m Fine‘

Director – Brandon Kirby

Starring – Perry Powell, Lee Doud, Shaughn Buchholz, Ulysses Morazan

Release Date – April 19, 2017

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Hey all! So we’ve been hyping our new original series, ‘I’m Fine‘ to you for a while now and the moment has finally come to premiere the first four episodes of Season 1! At Dekkoo we’re constantly on the hunt for new filmmakers working in the LGBTQ spectrum and the director of ‘I’m Fine‘ is a perfect example of what we’re striving for. This series is the directorial debut of Brandon Kirby whose work in the film industry with both Outfest and Strand Releasing showcases a clear passion for the world of queer cinema.

The premise for ‘I’m Fine‘ centers around Nate who’s going through a tough post-breakup phase and relies on his friends Jeff, Andy, and Brian for emotional support. In the first four episodes alone we witness rebound sex, drunken confessions of love, reunions with BFFs, shrieking homosexuals, awkward phone calls, and most importantly – mimosas.

When I asked the director more about his motivations behind creating ‘I’m Fine‘ he responded thus: ‘My motivation to make the series is the end of ‘Looking,’ and how, though we have options among the digital space, there is not a series dedicated solely to the experience of the LGBT community where they are experiencing friendships and relationships — and at the forefront. And beyond what even ‘Looking’ was able to achieve, I want to open up a conversation on gay male friendship in the way recent works such as ‘Frances Ha’ and ‘Broad City’ have explored the fluidity found within female friendship. These stories aren’t being told when there’s so much to tell.’

We’re calling ‘I’m Fine‘ our very first, ‘pocket series’ because the episodes were designed to be short. It’s a series you can take with you on the go! The first four episodes are available now. Episodes 5 through 8 will launch June 21 and we’re already in pre production for season 2!

Make sure to let us know what you think, tell all your friends, and most importantly…enjoy!

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Watch it with: That cute guy you’re sitting next to on the subway!

Mix it with: Your energy bar and cup of coffee. Don’t be late to work!

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 014 – ‘BOY CULTURE’

Title – ‘Boy Culture‘

Director – Q. Allan Brocka

Starring – Derek Magyar, Darryl Stephens, Patrick Bauchau, Jonathon Trent

Release Date – April 1, 2006

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Alright show of hands – who here has not watched ‘Boy Culture’? We won’t tell anyone, promise! Alright there seems to be a few of you out there. Why haven’t you watched it?? Are you afraid of the sexiness? Do you think it looks cheesy? We promise it’s not as cheesy as you think it is. Well I mean it is, but I promise there’s more to it! Just keep reading.

‘Boy Culture‘ follows the adventures of a witty and droll prostitute named ‘X’. Through voice-over he takes us through his philosophies on hooking, dating in the gay world, and introducing us to his smoking hot roommates; the mega-twinky Joey with the large tongue and the possible-love-of-X’s-life Andrew (played by the always-charming Darryl Stephens). Conflict comes into play when X reveals that even though he’s in love with Andrew he can’t actually imagine having sex without getting paid. Luckily X has a new older client that seems to be good at playing the role of therapist. Enter Gregory, (played by Patrick Bauchau, a veteran actor best known for ‘A View to Kill’, but who I know best from ‘Phenomena’ which I actually watched last night coincidentally) a recluse who seems to only want to talk and not actually have sex.

Alright so what value does this movie that seems to be just another gay prostitute film contain? Well the answer is the incredibly witty, fun, and honest dialog penned by Q. Allan Brocka (‘Eating Out‘, ‘Rick & Steve’) who once again is able make a low-budget film shine through dialog that ranges from the brilliantly cheesy to really heartfelt lines that get me aww’ing every time, ‘But lesbians have it easy. Sure they have all that dyke drama, but it’s only because they give a shit about each other’.

Key points to convince you more: 3ways, hot guys, the dangers of GHB, witty old man dialog, repressed childhood memories, a black wedding, coming-out, falling in love, a really awkward sex scene, (Patrick Bauchau is totally straight and it feels really uncomfortable, but it’s hilarious I promise!) crossword puzzles, dykes with pink hair (I see you Emily Brooke Hands!), really hot back-up plans, tax evasion, road-tripping, and tea! Whew. Done. You’ve been convinced. Enjoy ‘Boy Culture‘.

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Watch it with: Lots o’ friends or that trick you brought home.

Mix it with: Apple Martinis

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 013 – ‘THE CONSEQUENCE’

Title – ‘The Consequence‘

Director – Wolfgang Petersen

Starring – Jurgen Prochnow, Ernst Hannawald, Werner Schwuchow, Hans-Michael Rehberg

Release Date – December 2, 1977

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It’s time for a deep cut from the vaults! ‘The Consequence‘ (Die Konsequenz) is a film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, famous for directing films such as: ‘Das Boot’, ‘Air Force One’, ‘The Perfect Storm’, ‘Troy’ and one of my all time favorite films: ‘The Neverending Story’ (cue Limahl!).

‘The Consequence‘ was a radical film for Western Germany at the time. A story involving two completely open homosexuals (and dealing with underage sex between men) was something unique at the time and even caused a Bavarian television station to completely halt their transmission of it in 1977. The film stars long-time Petersen collaborator Jurgen Prochnow (‘Das Boot’, ‘Dune’) as Martin, a convicted homosexual facing 2 1/2 years in jail for his relationship with a 15-year-old. While in jail he meets
one of the guard’s sons, Tomas, whom he immediately forms a bond with. After Tomas and Martin spend a night together in the prison they fall madly in love and consequently their relationship in the movie matures over the span of several years mostly involving waiting for each other to leave various prisons and reformatories. It’s an epic in the best way possible and lovingly tended to by both the director and the actors who throw themselves into the creation inspired by Swiss writer Alexander Ziegler who had to live through many of these same trials.

Ultimately I can’t promise an extremely happy ending, but I can promise a journey that is well worth it. By the end you’ll feel like you’ve watched both of these characters grow up and learn some hard facts of life. Der Speigel said, ‘it is, above all, a natural love story in black and white – one of the most private and credible to have been seen on the screen in a long time.’

Oh and just a heads up: You’ll notice that the subtitles are a little hard to read in places, but currently this is the only available element that has English subtitles.

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Watch it with: A friend who appreciates historical queer
cinema.

Mix it with: A good bottle of German wine.

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Coming next week: A sexy romantic comedy from
the director of ‘eCupid‘ and ‘Is it Just Me?‘