Beverly Kills

First of all, this movie was pretty low-budget like most gay movies that I have seen except Brokeback Mountain. I think it is obvious that the whole thing is supposed to be a big joke and once I decided that was what it was I thought a lot of it was funny especially the balls out song in the beginning. I really liked the gay theater because it was just like what gay theater is, and that's a lot of naked guys singing and dancing. The songs were hilarious and the boys were cute even though a couple of them were not very good actors. I think this movie is a lot like a John Waters movie and if you don't like that kind of humor then you are going to get real sick of it real fast. This is the kind of movie to watch at a party with friends. Like Rocky horror or any other cult movie. It's funny and really out there.

Camp. Camp. and more camp. Shane (Rick Sparks) has a job, but doesn't have a place to live, so he's sleeping on a stage in hollywood. Everyone is giving him advice, but he's a wandering soul. He crosses paths with "Beverly" (Gary Kelley), who is starting a cult. and for SOME reason, has it in for Shane. ?? Sound quality through-out is just awful... between poorly placed microphones, and some of the actors rushing or mumbling their lines, it's hard to follow quite a bit of the time. Fun ad on the side of the pay phone when the girl calls her parents! Nudity and so much cussing, so this one is totally not for the faint of heart. Written and directed by Damion Dietz. The story picks up as it goes along.. we finally find out what Beverly's goal is, kind of. and much of the plot includes people dressing up as silly characters and real people, which is PERFECT, since most of the story takes place on Hollywood Boulevard. Ends up being much ado about nothing. silly, campy, but kind of fun if you just go along for the ride. During the end credits, we find out how everyone is doing later in life; which is good, because that's where we find out who some of the characters were... it's fun, on a gay, gritty, level.

I've seen some pretty bad films in my time, but this one is right there with the worst. The movie is funny only if you find overacting drag queens, a poor script, dreadful amateur performances, and insulting gay stereotypes amusing. The only time the movie comes alive and is on track is when we see snippets of a gay review they are putting on in the theatre. They should have junked the overacting drag queen and the two twinks finding true love (which as we all know doesn't last as long as herpes) along with the rest of the stupid plot and given us the show they are rehearsing. There the satire was bang on. The film is being compared to the early works of John Waters. That is an unjust comparison to Mr. Waters. John Waters' films were outlandish, fun, and the work of a talented filmmaker. This one lacks any of those qualities I just mentioned. It is clichéd, the humor is sledgehammer heavy, the acting just plain bad. There is a big difference between the words amateur and amateurish. The latter word fits this gobbler. I fell for the advertising hokum and bought it. Now I'm selling it on Amazon for any price I can get!

Damion Dietz (Neverland, The Virgin Larry, Fag Hag, Respect My Ass) is a director and writer who obviously has a great time putting together his genre of films. What seems to be over the top, silly, absurdly ridiculous situational comedies have a singular bite. Take the time to listen to the lines and observe the parodies and there is a lot of social comment that deserves some attention.

The plot is loose: Beverly Jackson (Gary Kelley - a buff, masculine guy in obviously absurd drag) is a wannabe actor who is denied a role in an upcoming musical at the Pride Playhouse: this sets off the idea of revenge that is supposed to be the main line of the plot but gets sidetracked by all the other antics. We encounter broken relationships, lonely guys, new relationships, arrivals to Hollywood from all over the country who long to become stars and end up being 'stand-in celebrities' for the tourists along the Hollywood Boulevard. Beverly gathers the guys and gals who have auditioned and plans a terrorist, martyrdom attack at Hollywood and Highland as a means of making a statement about the unstable way of life and irony of the promised land of dreams. Of course it all goes awry, but it does so with some very pretty people and, given the tenor of the script, some impressive introductions of talent.

The quality of acting must be judged on the requirements of the project and these folks play their roles very well indeed. There are some funny musical numbers, the requisite amount of bare skin to keep the eyes entertained, and in the short and long of it BEVERLY KILLS makes no pretense at being anything but what it is - a spoof, waaaaaay over the top independent edgy film, and actually quite a bit of fun. Relax folks, this is like a backyard summer charade. Watch it for what it is and enjoy the numerous quite fine talents, both male and female. Grady Harp, June 06

Pride Playhouse is holding auditions for a show called "Balls Out". Basically it involves having young, cute men singing and dancing in the nude. 40ish drag queen Beverly Johnson (Gary Kelley) auditions and is told he is too old. He plots revenge and starts a cult to help him (don't ask). Meanwhile a worker at the theatre--young cute Shane (Rick Sparks)--is dumped by his boyfriend. He meets and falls for young handsome Roy (Matthew Herrmann)--but he can't get over his ex and is afraid to commit.

OK--this is hardly a great film. The plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense (I'm STILL not sure what Johnson's plot was), the tone was changing a lot (it's a comedy, then a drama, THEN a love story!), a lot of the jokes are groaners and Kelley overacts to an extreme that gets embarrassing. Still I did like this film. The whole cast is young and full of energy and, surprisingly, most of them can act! Sparks and Herrmann especially are good. They make a cute couple and their attraction to each other is believable. Also this film has some attractive male nudity including full frontals. The "Balls Out" musical number is just great! So this is no great shakes but a fun, quick (85 minutes) and gay independent film with plenty of energy and a good cast. The biggest problem here is a script that can't decide what it wants to be. I give it a 6.