Maybe the pacing is a little off, maybe a little script doctoring is in order, but for a low budget indie gay film, this is pretty good. Gay men will appreciate Frankie Valenti's butt (which many of us have seen in other filmic contexts), and may be surprised, as I was, at his solid acting chops. A few little things stood out: Tood (Frankie V.) wears cowboy boots with shorts, a bandanna on his head, while plinking at nothing in particular with his bb gun. Beats the hell out of the stereotypical costuming usually reserved for the-city-boy-come-home-to-the-small-town meme. That bit felt real to me. The flashback scenes of Todd and his brother Chet also have moments that work--good casting, here, too, as these young actors work well together. Marc Strano at the helm of a film he costars in has done good work with Tiger Orange. Far better than the usual gay indie work, well edited, well shot, well done. Those of us who grew up gay and closeted will see familiar situations, here.
... View MoreNo one seems to mention this is a play on the Biblical Prodigal Son. As such, it is interesting that the leads are homosexual. Imagine if, in the Bible, that is why the younger son left!I have only seen about 20 minutes and I could already tell, from the body ink of the lost son, that he was a porn star, amateur or otherwise since that is how they look nowadays. It is also interesting that, as in the Bible, the younger son goes off to live a life of total debauchery and comes home because regardless of his "charm and talent", no one wants him for anything but his body either and they get tired of that too - been there, done that, see ya, it's been fun, etc.I can also tell that the Elder Brother is a bit envious of the daring do of his little brother although I do not think he would like it for long.The setup had the father, who by all accounts was a good one, simply admonishing his young sons against sodomy. What is so bad about that? Nowadays, I guess it is child abuse. Sigh.So the younger son resented Daddy; he stole Barbie Dolls from his school friends and of course this was cool because he had already seen Big Brother's Blue Boy mag. Did they fool around ever?And then he went off to seek his fortune or to get out of that stinkin small town where nobody can be gay, yadda yadda yadda. And of course he has that "look" that gets you picked up in 10 seconds because well, you have that "look." Are we supposed to blame all his problems on daddy?I am on a gay film fest this week just to see what the world is propagandizing in that area. Next, some flick about gay boys who like "bears." It's a comedy so should be hilarious, huh?
... View MoreUgh. There are elements I appreciate in this story, but in general it fails to get airborne. The black sheep brother needed an actor with strong chops - as much as I wanted this role to work for this movie it never comes to life, gains much dimension.In fact none of the acting in the story is very strong. I like the lead character very much and he's fighting to rise to the occasion, but his work feels uneven and never fully engaged. Ugh again! Great story idea, great setting, like the premise of the brothers who have parted ways - but it ultimately doesn't work.(It is almost certainly unfair to push this all off on the actors! The directing seems uneven and unfocused as well.) This is a story I'd love someone to try and do again - with a much stronger cast and better direction.
... View MoreA well done and, as far as I know, a unique story concept. Not sure how rare it is for two brothers to be gay, but the situation was quite believable."Johnny Hazzard," the former porn star, turned in an exceptionally good performance. He is obviously multi-talented.Two gay sons of a small town hardware store owner turn out to be totally different personalities. Todd, the younger brother left home for LA. He is brash, angry, confrontational. Chet, the old brother stays at home, looks after his father during his final illness and death,continues to run the father's hardware store. He is an introvert, lacks self-confidence and has become resigned to a solitary life. He is openly gay and is accepted within the small community because he isn't in anyone's face about his orientation.When Todd leaves LA and returns to the small town because he is unemployed and without money, he definitely stirs up the town and unsettles Chet as they try to reconcile and reconnect.The acting was great. Todd/Johnny Hazzard makes the movie come alive. The young man who plays the local police officer also did an excellent job.Well developed plot and some thought-provoking issue resolutions. Definitely a worthwhile movie to see.
... View More