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Hombres Íntegros (Spanish) [Fine Young Men]

This is a genuinely interesting film. It kicks off feeling like a queer character study hitting every single beat you'd expect from a rom-com, and then it takes a hard turn into something a lot darker. At its core it's about a gay teenager who gets pulled into a crime by his own friend group. It's set in this world of Mexico's elite class, and while we've seen something similar with the wealthy setting in Spain's Elite, this is the first time I've really seen that kind of world explored through a Mexican lens. Our main guy is Alf, a student from serious money who's just come back to his Catholic all boys school in Mexico after spending a year away at a religious boarding school in the States. Coming back, he realizes his school and his old friend group aren't the same as when he left, they've traded in being precocious kids for chasing girls and getting drunk. Instead, Alf finds himself drawn to Oliver, a new student who plays ukulele and stands ...

Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes

Yet another one of those films, which I cannot decide if they should be reviewed here or not. Given that this played in a few LGBT film festivals, I am gonna write a very short review. Besides the fact that most characters in the film are gay, there is nothing queer about it. There are no talks of love, closeness or nothing. For some, this may be a good thing, because it shows that the film is focussed on the core subject; but for others (people like me), it is a slight disappointment. Because truth be told, I would have never touched this movie of not for the gay context.

Gavin is a comic book nerd and a lawyer for a company developing new technology. He is good friends with the scientist Robert and one day an accident happens and Gavin realizes sudden subtle changes inside him. One night after a party, Gavin jumps to save a hot guy from hate crime on an alleyway, thereby realizing his powers for the first time. With the help of scientist Richard, he realizes that he now has energy surge that he can release to blast things away. However every time he hears dance music, the power goes away (how gay!). He gets a costume for himself to save people from evil. We also have a rival scientist Hector planning his carrier as a super villain (The Metal master). After a series of events, a huge fight happens between the two, with Surge emerging as a winner and finding the love in a man whom he saved for the first time.

The movie claims to be a new high in low budget camp movies and it is true. This movie is one long running joke about the classics and clichés of the Superhero genre. Sadly, I didnt laugh on most jokes. Maybe because I wasn't aware that this is a spoof and my expectations were completely different. As mentioned before, tThe movie had gay characters, but they weren't all just stereotypical buffoons like in many gay movies & sitcoms. Though romance was in the air, the characters abstained from any physical contact. The acting in the film is not the worst but it is pretty bad. And same is true for special effects and editing. But the film still has some charm and mostly because of Gavin/Surge's character. For example, Surge is a fanatic about his cape, even though everyone and everything conspires to convince him it is a bad idea. And we see how it comes in the way of enacting his full potential as a super hero but in a campy sort of way.

With a half baked script and bad acting, I am not sure if I can recommend this film but what the hell, I am sure there are folks who enjoy spoofy campy fun. To each his own. (3/10)

Comments

Fyfaen said…
Have you ever watched “Fögi Is a Bastard/F. est un salaud“?
It’s a bit disturbing film but it was worth watching for me,so I want to know how you would rate this film.
Anyway,I really like your blog and I hope you continue it.
(Sorry if there’s any mistakes since English isn’t my first language.)
Golu said…
Firstly, i love your id "fyfaen". I became a fan of the songs ever since I heard it in SKAM.
I dont think I have seen the film, even though the title is very familiar. I will look for it and watch soon, and of course, you will see my thoughts here in my blog.
Fyfaen said…
I became a big fan of that song for the same reason hence my id.
Thanks! I’m really looking forward to it.

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