Arizona Sky

Boy oh boy.... That was pretty bad. They tried. They tried. But they so missed it. Lots of long long long scenes of nothing but talking heads. Secondary characters that really had no place or depth. Shots looked as if it were being filmed on a stage instead of real places.

It was a romance and it wasn't romantic at all. The characters, primary and secondary, had no dimension at all. The pace never changed, never got every exciting. We didn't even get a love scene. A few awkward places where the two main guys took off their clothes and stood around in their underwear, but that was the extent of it. There wasn't any chemistry between the two stars. I guess they were both straight and only in the movie for the money. No growing passion between them. You could see both main actors were trying really hard, but it just mostly came across as if they were giving interviews on NPR. Same pacing.

And the country boy, Kyle (Jayme McCabe), spent the whole time acting like a big wounded puppy and we didn't know why. I can't recommend it. Sorry. And sorry to a crew who obviously tried. Maybe it was like a college project that somehow got to the screen in the GLBTQ hunger for movies?

UPDATE: No. No college project. This is standard Jeff London's faire. And that means fair is the best we're going to get. I saw "Best Day Ever," and it was so bad I gave up halfway through. Jeff? Maybe you need a writing partner. You've got decent ideas but they all fall as flat as flat as can be. How do you get the money to make your movies? I'd like to know because I'd love to get some of my novels made into movies. Or are you just wealthy?

I wanted to like this film, and some of it is very good, but there are many flaws. The best thing about this is the performance by Eric Dean as "Adult Jake". James McCabe as "Adult Kyle" is very handsome to look at, but weak as an actor. There is also a lack of chemistry between the two lead actors. My main complaints are the repetitive lines in script, slow pace, awkward & long pauses, and inadequate photography. Several key scenes just drag. Too often, the camera seems too far back from the actors and gave the feel of a filmed play. There needed to be more medium shots and closeups. This film is just "OK" and pleasant for an LGBT romantic drama.

It's a cute story, not great acting. It was nice watching. Gay film not about aids, cheating, drugs, or sex. It was a story about love. Your childhood friend you might have experimented with, but grew apart. Definitely worth watching for a feel good film. Don't expect a lot from the acting or cinematography.

Not everyone will appreciate Jeff London's film making style but I've actually found it refreshing in its straight forward (some would say simplistic) style and earnestness. The actors make the most of what they are given.

Arizona Sky is a badly neglected treasure of a film which should be short listed with that small handful of gay themed films like My Beautiful Laundrette made in the UK and The Man I Love made in France. Particular kudos should go to the stars Eric Dean and Jayme McCabe for their convincing and visceral portraits of your average confused-conflicted non-gay identified man who loves another man. Far from being poorly scripted and poorly acted, Arizona Sky superbly portrays the confusion and pain of being caught in the terrible place of having to deny one's most tender feelings--and it does so with the actor's silences, hesitations, and awkward moves in hostile environs. Az isn't the land of Oz, but its where real men in real boots have to walk over and over if they are to win their personal honor and live lives of real integrity.