Tiger Orange

The movie is great. Strano and Valenti give life to two brothers who really seem to be real. Two different characters together in struggle to be themselves. In conflict with their inner being and apparently between them, they give life to the sense of brotherhood which should be between two brothers and also friends. One who tries to be as much free as he can, the other one close to the sense of family. Both will get to the same goal eventually being in a brotherhood of love and free. Director manages to express the loneliness of both different characters, the tireness of life till they find themselves in the end. I recomnend everyone to watch this movie because it has a powerful message for everyone.

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.

Set in a small town in rural California we meet Chet played by Mark Strano of 'Out to kill' fame. He has just organised his father's funeral and taken over the reins to run a small hardware store. He lives in what some would call a rural idyll and others would call 'the sticks'.

His brother is Todd played by Franki Valenti (aka Jonny Hazzard of 'Lair' fame and also the intriguingly named 'Hole Patrol' – which I am sure is about an annoying rabbit problem) who is more free spirited and has gone out and immersed himself in the World. Both brothers are gay but have chosen different paths, Chet of service and self denial and Todd of getting his rocks off and taking all the gay world has to offer. He is though a drifter and ends up home where they start to reconnect and explore their past.

Now this is actually a really good little indie effort. Valenti is very believable and plays the likable rogue perfectly. The direction is spot on from Wade Gasque and the camera work is mostly very good but the scenes that are beautifully framed and shot are let down by wobbly camera action in some of the dialogue scenes – seriously if it looks good and works then stick with it. It is an original story line too and deals with many issues – this is not 'porn fest' though so if that is your thing then best look elsewhere; if you like well acted and thoughtful gay based drama then there is a great film here waiting to be seen.

Porno star Johnny Hazzard goes mainstream in Tiger Orange. I expected him to fall flat on his handsome face, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Hazzard is a delight to watch throughout. Tiger Orange is not a porno, that is of course the first thought that will cross your mind, and understandably so. It is extremely rare for an erotic entertainer to cross over into clothed features.

There is plenty of skin, but no more sex than any other mainstream feature, less sex than one episode of many foreign televisions shows.

Tiger Orange is the story of two battling gay brothers, Hazzard plays the naughty, slutty, irresponsible, destitute, boyfriend stealing, sexier younger brother. So Hazzard is not playing against type, it might have been better to cast him as the sexually repressed older brother.

I don't know how much of Tiger Orange is improvisation, but it seems like Hazzard's real personality shines through. And he's a winner, the kind of kid brother, or next door neighbor we all fantasize about. A partner who's fun to be around all the time.

And that's the root of the problem in Tiger Orange. Younger brother always outshines dull, responsible, hard working, small town, respectful, plain, stable elder brother. It's a good script, and an engrossing story.

Sure, there's room for improvement, but Tiger Orange holds your attention from start to finish. At the emotional fraternal conclusion you yearn for just a little more. You don't want the ride to be over.

Two brothers - both gay - grow up in a single parent household with their father. One - "Todd" (Frankie Valenti) moves away to live his gay life in the open. When their father dies, he returns to find his more reserved, stay-at-home brother "Chet" (Mark Strano) running their family hardware store. The film depicts their relationship - both current, and through flashbacks of their childhood, and endeavours to investigate what fuels their love/hate situation. Nothing at all new here, the performances are OK - the usual character stereotypes - and the ending is pretty much as expected. The production standards are quite high, and their is some interesting comment on attitudes and assumptions - but they might have been more interesting had this been set in the middle of Iowa rather than the far more liberally minded California. Gregory Marcel provides some welcome eye-candy, but otherwise this is all forgettable family reconciliation stuff with a gay theme.