Beefcake

I was curious mostly about this movie. Not being one to pass up on seeing a movie based on information or history I took a chance and watched it on the HERE! network a couple of years ago. It was better than I expected.

Ignoring the continuous display of frontal male nudity (which didn't offend me in the least), This film was very informative and entertaining. The interviews opened my eyes to a part of history that I have only read about. It is a pity that this film didn't get more exposure, but I believe that the "exposure" on screen would and probably did prevent any real showcasing in worldwide theaters.

I think that anyone who likes to know what occurred in the past in regards to pre-stonewall life should watch this film. And if anyone who just wants to see guys in the nude without the sex involved, will like it too. In any case, it's really interesting.

Beefcake is a fascinating docu-drama about a unique chapter in the history of the Gay liberation movement in the United States. It's a pity this film hasn't received a wider distribution here (if any at all). The MPAA guidelines, no doubt, would require quite a bit of editing to get it under the NC17 barrier. But nudity in the film, however, far from creating a salicious aura, actually conveys a sense of innocence and freshness to most of the dramatic scenes.

The interview materials, in need of some tighter editing, did drag at times, though they were, for the most part, interesting and informative. This is more than made up for in the dramatic scenes. The actors convey both the excitement of this emerging masculine/Gay "scene" and the tragedy of the legal persecution suffered by the people who promoted it.

By all means, see this movie if you get a chance. It's well acted (Josh Peace is a stand out), well directed and a fitting chronicle of one part of pre-Stonewall history.

Very entertaining and often funny, this re creation - with selected, astonishing genuine footage - of the AMG he-man 'studio' of the 1950s BEEFCAKE is best seen with a large (gay) crowd in a big cinema. That's how I first saw it and enjoyed the reactions as much as the movie. However the dramatic aspects of BEEFCAKE disappoints or falls short for several reasons: some of the casting is really terrible. Throughout BEEKCAKE, we see genuine footage made in the 50s by Bob Mizer. Parts of the production of these films is dramatized. The actors in these re created scenes are far from physically right. The actor who plays 'Red" has a podgy body, unlike anyone in the real footage, and this is jarring against the photos and film strips screened. Also, one stupid scene with what is supposed to be "Ramon Novarro" with a massive black fake phallus, the old man actor looks like Montgomery Burns from The Simpsons. I cannot fathom the point of having really inappropriate looking actors play parts of well known handsome and athletic men. Even the actor playing Mizer does not look like the real Bob Mizer. BEEFCAKE has some excellent interviews with original AMG talent, especially Joe Dallasandro whose early work is astonishing and humorous. However, the recreated scenes often lurch into territory only seedy gay guys want and it is somewhat alienating from what is basically a fascinating part of Hollywood history. There is actually a good story and better movie unmade (yet) here that is half way successful in this production of BEEFCAKE

Watching a doco about male physique models whilst eating a bag a chips makes you think twice. That aside, this is a reasonably interesting film that blends original archive footage, interviews and places them along side recreations of events of the AMG Studios, set up by Bob Mizer to capture the male physic. The recreations are okay to a limit, there is too much flipping between black and white and colour and some of the actors playing the models have less than defined bodies which goes against all the images we are bombarded with that show strong ripped muscular bodies. Some of the acting is also heading to Hamsville. There are some clever scenes where they have melded archive footage with new scenes and this works very well.

There are some interesting, if brief, interviews with some of the people that came through AMG: models including Joe Dallesandro, as well as other photographers and fans. Then there is a vast array of archive footage of models-and yes there is plenty of flesh on display-and it does have a sense of beauty to it, because despite the obvious homoerotic nature of some of the photos and films made and the fact that these were taken for publications that were really the beginnings of pornography, there is an innocence to some of it and perhaps that was the 40/50/60's backdrop which was an all together different time.

The film wins on its old footage and the telling the story of an age gone by, but is let down by trying to have too many ideas at once. Now I have to go do some sit ups.

More of my reviews at my site iheartfilms.weebly.com

Beefcake is a decent 'mock'u-mentary of the life and times of Bob Mizer, founder of the 'Athletic Model Guild' in the early 50s - and precursor to todays muscle mags and also the Playgirl type of magazine. Sure, the storyline is predictable (but, so was 'Titanic') but the characters are all but priceless! And, many of the actors playing the models when young look a lot like the actual models did! This was a great use of stock original footage and 'made to look like' stock original footage. The interviews with the models are priceless, if only for the reality they provide. The acting is spot on, the sets are great and (when viewed in comparison to the original films) quite spot on! One of the other great aspects of the film is the recreation of the AMG original title styles for the credits for this film. All around, a good movie which chronicles the rise and fall of the beginnings of the 'Beefcake' magazine industry!