4/5 Interesting, diverse collection of gay short films
  by Bob Lind (Phoenix, AZ United States)
From Wolfe Video, "He Likes Guys" is a 2009 collection of eight rather diverse gay short films. As usual, my rating above is the average of the individual rating of the individual films.

The compilation starts with "Steam" (UK, 2008), a brief skit featuring a hot man getting "steamed up" about something. It's visually eye catching and reasonably clever, give it 4 stars out of 5.

On the "Silver Road" (Canada 2007), we find two farm boys, one of whom is looking for more than friendship, but unsure of how the other would react. Kind of a downer, IMO, 3 stars out of 5.

After his son Julien's death, a father finds "Traces" (USA, 2008) of information that lets him realize he didn't know him as well as he thought. Also a downer, but 4 stars out of 4.

Winner of an award from Planet Out, "Just" (US, 2007) covers a conversation between two men after they have just "hooked up," talking about relationships and their feelings about monogamy. Well done, 5 stars out of 5.

A newly-cohabiting young gay couple hit the "Laundromat" (US, 2008), crossing paths with a much older man, as they deal with their dirty laundry in more ways than one. A worthwhile lesson about how to make a relationship work. 5 stars out of 5.

"Seeing You In Circles" (US, 2005) tells the story of Jerome a gay man who, on his 30th birthday, invites his ex to a diner for a drink. When the ex turns up with his new boytoy, Jerome is not a happy camper. 4 stars out of 5.

Wendie ("Don't Shoot Me") Malick stars as a transgender woman in "Waiting for Yvette" (US, 2007), a cute look at friendship and love between the members of a small 12-step support group. 4 stars out of 5.

Last but not least, the gay couple who find themselves "Babysitting Andy" (Canada, 2007) are forced to deal with a precocious and manipulative 9 year old tomboy who, among other things, wants them to explain what "fellatio" means. Uh oh. Cute idea, 4 stars out of 5.

DVD extras consist of a couple of GLAAD public service spots, and trailers for other Wolfe releases.


4/5 Pretty Good Shorts Collection
  by Demetrius Bagley (Astoria, NY)
Pretty good collection - wouldn't be mad if I bought it. Not sure about sequencing as the latter half is MUCH stronger than the first.

Steam was good, if a bit lengthy for the payoff.

Silver Road barely goes anywhere; great faces on the boys.

Traces & Laundromat really satisfied and carried this whoel DVD

Just is a good idea - execution feels fumbled, so what could be very good or great, is only ok. very happy to see two gay asian men nonetheless!

Babysitting Andy & Waiting for Yvette amused wonderfully, though not at 5 of 5 level.

Seeing You in Circles I'd seen before; it's a nice piece of work in many ways if a bit hard to watch ~ emotional horror short??


Would love to work with Traces team if they can bring more in this groove.

1/5 Nice try ...
  by bowery boy (seattle)
Yikes!

This collection of gay shorts are strictly for the gay guy who is really, really, really into being gay. Since I define my gayness instead of allowing my gayness to define me I hated almost all of them, found them to be be one dimensional and a bit stereotypical.

The acting is atrociously overwrought, the dialogue insipid, and the soundtrack for almost every short is maudlin, whiny male vocalist folk rock.

Also, nearly all the shorts are woe-is-me, it's-so-hard-to-be-a-happy-gay-man melodramas. I'm sorry, but I've never experienced as much angst as the characters in these shorts.

Here's a list of the shorts and exactly how I felt about them:

STEAM: The title says it all. So you know you're going to get your typically sweaty, naked rocket bodied gay guy with allusions to sex. YAWN.

SILVER ROAD: I lked the subtlety of the story but wish there was more to it. This one had a lot of potential in a Brokeback Mountain kind of way.

TRACES: An interesting tale of the relationship between a father and son. I must admit I did not see the twist coming that happens midway. But after that, the dialogue gets really, really bad. "You don't know me. You think you do but you don't." Really? Did a third grader write that?

JUST: A dialogue heavy, poorly acted piece of crap about the nature of gay relationships and monogamy. Just was just terrible which was too bad because I had high hopes in seeing gay Asian Americans protrayed on screen instead of your run of the mill pretty boy white dudes.

LAUNDROMAT: Done by the same director who did Just using the same main actor as well. Another squandered opportunity about a mismatched gay Asian American couple in a laundromat. Would have been more impactful if Just followed after this one but overall really dull.

SEEING YOU IN CIRCLES: I really liked the concept of the same story told over and over again from different POVs of gay patrons in an all night diner. But the overall, whiny, life sucks because I'm gay and my boyfriend broke up with me a year ago storyline is tired, trite, contrived, and boring.

WAITING FOR YVETTE: Cute and had potential. At least most of the acting was top notch, primarily from Wendy Malick who plays a transexual attending her last gay AA meeting on her last day before her "complication" is removed. Apparently, this was based on a play. I'm certian the play was better.

BABYSITTING ANDY: A slightly unrealistic and contrived albeit somewhat funny story about a precocious 9 year old being babysat by her wheelchair bound uncle and his wheelchair bound partner. She torments them because they won't tell her what fellatio means.

Overall a disappointing collection of shorts. I was also disappointed by the absence of shorts involving Blacks but that's par for the course in the gay community.

He Likes Guys reinforces why I try to steer clear of gay themed shorts and movies. I long for the day that intelligent, non-stereotypical gay films protraying the diversity of the gay community are made. We're not all gym bodied, under 25yo, sex charged White guys.

Until then my standards for gay films will remain high. You may like this more than I did. I hated it.


5/5 New Shorts from Wolfe
  by Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas)
"He Likes Guys"

New Shorts from Wolfe

Amos Lassen

"He Likes Guys" is a collection of eight short gay-themed film that are fresh off of the festival circuit. Each and every short film is something special and to have them all together on one DVD is a treat.
The very short (3 minutes) is a British film that looks at a very good-looking and buff circuit boy as he becomes "steamed up". At 13 minutes "Silver Road" from Canada is a visually beautiful film which takes place at the end of a beautiful summer. We watch as Danny finally decides to act on the lust he harbors for his best friend, Mark or does he?
"Traces" from the United States concentrates on Julian's father and his feelings about his gay son and how a parent's love affects homophobia. "Just", also an American film is about two Asian gay guys who have anonymous sex after meeting online. One of the men becomes very upset when he discovers that his sexual partner is cheating on his lover and the film looks at the issue of monogamy.
"Laundromat", also an American film looks at Lawrence and Joey, two boyfriends who live together have an argument over the fact that Lawrence seems to be constantly cruising and threatens their relationship. When they meet an older man by the name of Bob at the Laundromat, they gain inspiration and they decide to remain a couple.
"Seeing You in Circles" from the United States looks at an ex-lover who brings his new "squeeze" to meet his own ex in order to celebrate a birthday. Wendie Malick stars in "Waiting for Yvette", an American short about a pre-op transgender man who goes to his Gay Men's Tuesday night Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
Finally there is the hilarious "Babysitting Andy' in which a nine year boy wants to know what fellatio means. He finally is able to corner his gay uncle and his partner and hold them at bay with a water gun until they tell him.