Spectator88's reviews

Tonight's 9-1-1 featured Kenneth Choi in his role as Howie Han. Outstanding episode and Choi is brilliant!

Pit Stop is a wonderful new film from director Yen Tan. It is the story of two mid-thirtyish gay men, Gabe and Ernesto, living separate but not totally dissimilar low key working class lives in the same Texan small town. Separately each man is yearning for love and emotional fulfillment while respectively struggling with his daily life and relationships. The focus is on Gabe and Ernesto but everyone in the film is a real person with a story to tell. All are portrayed in a thoughtful and empathetic way with no one casually discarded for the sake of storytelling expediency. This is a true character study of people finding their way in life and love and one cares about what will happen to them.

Gabe is divorced but trying to sustain his family for the sake of his young daughter. He has recently been rejected by a male lover who is married and now moved away. Ernesto is trying to end a two year relationship that has fallen apart and has no future. At the same time he is dutifully visiting a previous lover who lies comatose in a convalescent home following a car accident. Both men want more but their personal situations and the small town environment constrain them from being who they are and achieving the love and intimacy they long for and deserve. Both men still want to be wanted.

The film is beautifully made and the ensemble cast, led by Bill Heck as Gabe and Marcus DeAnda as Ernesto, is top notch. Pit Stop is a moving film that deserves a wide audience. Fans of Tan's earlier film, Ciao, will particularly like Pit Stop.

Bad Boy Street is a charming, feel good film from prolific filmmaker Todd Verow. Actor Yann deMonterno plays Claude, a Parisian man, who on his way home after a night out finds a younger man passed out drunk on the sidewalk and takes him home to sleep it off. The next morning begins a very quickly developing and heartwarming romance between Claude and "Brad", the younger man, played by Kevin Miranda, who is struggling with who he is and who he really wants to be. Although clearly troubled, Brad is very sweet and loving. The third principal is Catherine, played by Florence d'Azemar, Claude's closest friend, who is always there to provide him affectionate and comforting support throughout the ups and downs of his burgeoning love for Brad. All three characters are very likable and all three actors are quite wonderful. For good measure Kevin Miranda is surely one of the most beautiful men ever. Yes, the movie's scenario may be somewhat improbable but it is a touching story of love and friendship that can give hope to all. There are some technical deficiencies, for example an uneven soundtrack, but they do not detract from the film's overall enjoyment. Highly recommended!

I watched this film based on several positive comments elsewhere. Gads!! This film is insipid, inane, juvenile, full of caricatures, etc. The premise is creepy and preposterous. The plot is totally implausible and everything is moved along by happenstance and hackneyed devices - you know the sort of thing when one character walks in the front door just as another character walks out the back door. Even as a supposed light comedy it lacks depth. It is mostly one liners from superficially drawn characters many of whom are quite disagreeable all the way to annoying. The acting is mostly poor but forgivable to some extent given the mostly contrived and empty (meant to be funny I guess) dialogue that has been written for these witless characters.

Stay away!!