Boys Life 2

Four excellent short movies, with real-life situations in such diverse places as L.A., rural Iowa, Philadelphia, and Chicago. These films show the absurdities which gay people are confronted with by clueless straight people, and one film shows a glimpse of something most gay men never get to experience: the opportunity to actually date guys as a teenager. These films are up-lifting and should make all audiences smile and rejoice, whether gay or straight.

I enjoyed all four of the stories on the DVD. Each of them seemed like it came from the heart. The first three, though, seemed unfinished. Perhaps they were film-school exercises and not complete films.

I'd like to speak up on behalf of "Dadshuttle." This was added to the video anthology in place of "Trevor," which was part of the original film release of "Boys Life 2." I think that some may tend to dismiss it since it's a replacement. I found the acting in this piece to be moving and realistic. Besides being moved, I found myself a little shocked to find myself feeling a little like the subject matter is dated when it is so obviously not. Each of the four movies in the collection moved me in a small way, but Dadshuttle's the first thing I've seen in a long time that got me choked-up.

Well-done compilation of four short films about growing up gay.

The first one "Must Be the Music" is fun. It's about a group of gay teenage boys going to a disco. The refreshing thing about it is that the characters are gay...and could care less. Also it's very sweet and has a happy ending. Lots of fun.

"Nunzio's Second Cousin" is not so good. It's a very dark film about a very disturbed cop inviting a teenager home after he tried to rob him and his lover. Eileen Brennan overacts as the cop's mother. Dark, depressing. Still, it is interesting.

"Atali, Iowa" was dull dull dull. I'm not going to describe it...just avoid it.

The closing one "Trevor" is just superb. It actually won an Academy Award as best live short subject. It's about a very young kid coming to grips with the fact that he's gay. It's funny, moving and has a very uplifting ending. A real winner.

So, the first and last are the best segments. The second is good but dark. And the third should be avoided. Pretty good batting average I'd say.

I thought the first short film on this DVD, about the clubbing teens, was trite, except for Milo Ventimiglia and the ending. It's the only one of the four that's a predictable (but not too bad) "gay" movie. The last three films are unusual, each in its own way, and they're all outstanding.

Matt McGrath's performance as the son in DadShuttle is some of the most beautiful acting I've ever seen anywhere, speaking words so realistic and unmovielike that they'd have sounded pretentious spoken by anybody else. Coming from him they're sublime. (Only mediocre actors become big stars. The truly great ones, like McGrath, never do. It's crazy.) I'm glad Trevor was taken out of this collection and issued separately. If it hadn't been I'd probably never have seen DadShuttle.

Alkali IA feels like great literature presented with lovely restraint and grace. I liked it a lot. The real surprise in this set, though, is Vincent D'Onofrio and Eileen Brennan's hilarious dark comedy about a tough gay Italian cop and his mother. Every second of that film is pure delight.

This collection is much better than the first Boys Life (I'm watching the series in order), which surprised me because reviews trend the opposite way. Maybe it's because the three great films in this set are about and for adults, more intelligent and creative than most. They don't fit too comfortably under the "boys" banner, though. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the series plays out.