Saved by the Belles

I was lucky to be in Montreal and see this film at a special cinema called Ex-Centris. There has never been a movie I enjoyed more. Some of the cast members were there and spoke to the audience. My absolute favorite was Lydia Lockett who played Magda. She recited some of her original poetry to us, right there in the theater. No wonder her lines were so great. She's a poet. Most of the cast wrote their lines because at the end of the movie it is written -"with improvisations by....." The director Ziad Touma is to congratulated. Watch out for his films. I believe he has begun a new wave in cinema. And watch out for Lydia Lockett. She is an actress beyond comparison.

I just saw this on the movie channel the other night. I wished I saw it in the cinema. If you are fed up with Hollywood's version of life and want to see a film that is honest and beautiful, then see Saved By The Belles.

The cinematography is astonishing. The actors are authentic. I was moved to tears by Brian Charbonneau, who played the lead role of Sheena and Lydia Lockett who played in the subplot as a loving call girl.

Montreal looks beautiful. Ziad Touma, the director, is about the gutsiest man in his field.

I hope to see much more of his work.

I loved it ! Maybe because I'm jewish and fascinated by passion stories. Maybe because I didn't believe that video photography can can look so good when blowed up to 35 m"m(Used to be a film fanatic). And because I was looking for new language. In the eighties the gay cinema of Jarman, Fassbinder and all the other dudes had it's own style and rythem. It had "exposed" and fragile characters whom u could not meet in the mainstream heterosexual cinema. Now years had passed and the queer cinema turned to be straight. In it's story telling, visuality and the thing u get that stays with u when u go home. Saved by the Belles opened the good old door to queer cinema. It's truely a festivals' film, and in a wicked way it's also a film that can speak to almost any viewer (maybe not my parents) from the extasy loaded clubby to the the film student who's working on his m.a.

It'S hot ! sexy ! funny ! and reminds u how great it is to feel proud !

THANKS.

its very fascinating to see how so many people are fooled these days, by an overindulgence in style, and zero substance. so many of my friends loved saved by the belles. i love clubs. i love hot music. and i love hot gay guys. i thought it was homophobic, and presented all the usual gay cliches that everyone has already used to humiliating effect.

this film has a wicked soundtrack, and some of the most awesome individual visual flair i've seen in in awhile. i hope the director of photography does more stuff, or even publishes a book of photos. his ability to use colour, framing, and light is astonishing. but the film is a big disppointment, and totally boring. hollow and dull witted. the acting is terrible (sorry, i now that most of them are amateurs, but they should had a director who would have taken care of them better), the script and rhythm are awkward and terrible. but the saddest thing about the film is its lack of inner life, of inner fire, of joy, humour, or even anger. none. nothing. its like watching someone's version of a lie.

like a party you have to be stoned at to tolerate, it overstays its welcome after a half hour.