I M Not What You Want

In the movie, Lam plays Ricky, a gay university student who had just decided to come out of the closet. Hung plays Ricky’s friend Mark. When Ricky decided to announce to his family his sexual orientation he was warned by his fag hag Olivia (played by Carol Chan) not to. He still pushes through with his decision, not wanting to hide his true personality anymore. True to Olivia’s warnings, Ricky’s parents not only were displeased about his being gay. They could not accept having a gay son that they threw him out of the house shortly after his confession.

Ricky decides to stay at Mark’s place while waiting for things to cool down at his home. He moves in with Mark even if Mark’s girlfriend Mabel (played by Joyee Lam) does not approve of the arrangement. She doesn’t trust Ricky and is uncomfortable with his being gay. As the days go by, Ricky and Mark developed a deeper kind of friendship. Unbeknownst to Ricky, Mark is actually gay. At first Mark struggles with confiding to Ricky about his sexual orientation. He didn’t have Ricky’s confidence and self-assurance on being homosexual. After much internal debate, Mark eventually opened up to Ricky and confesses his feelings. That night, they decided to be together despite Mark not having broken up with Mabel yet. The movie’s ending straddles the line between being heartwarming and causing heartbreak as it deals with the feelings of all the characters.

The first thing that viewers will notice is that I Am Not What You Want does not contain any sex scenes that are common with gay movies nowadays. By removing that plot element, the movie pushes off the gay film stereotype. What it focuses on instead is that what matters is only “love” as there should be no distinction between “gay love” versus “straight love”.

This alternative inspection of love and sexuality also challenges the values and points of view taken mostly by heterosexuals especially in Hong Kong and China. Viewers will find the story tender, and the approach taken towards its subject matter as very compassionate. The portrayals of all the characters and their actions are realistic, which is one of the things that the movie is successful with. The only thing perhaps that makes this movie perfectly well made is that the cinematography can get a bit blurry. It is not evident if this effect is intentionally done by the director, so it can get distracting sometimes.

I Am Not What You Want is only 48 minutes long. Released in 2002, this is director’s Kit Hung second short film. It was presented at the International Festival of New Film in Split, Croatia, the Internationaal Speel Film Festival in Gent, Belgium, and other gay festivals in San Francisco, London, Bangkok, Tokyo, Melbourne and New York. I Am Not What You Want also won a Special Jury Award at the Golden Dragon film festival in Belgium.

Songs

• Flower and Glass, by Chet Lam
• Me and Instant Noodles, by Chet Lam
• Come Closer, by Chet Lam
• One vs Two, by Chet Lam, performed by Lam Yee Man

KURAP

Kurap is an indie film about greed and corruption among small-time criminals in the streets of Manila starring GMA contract artist Sherwin Ordonez in his first mature role.Ambet is a small-time pickpocket lurking in the busy streets of Metro Manila.Together with his gang of young criminals, he steals things and sells them the easiest way possible…. through bribery and corruption.





Meanwhile, Ambet’s only sister Luchie, is afflicted with glaucoma, a disease which causes slow blindness of the eye.Ambet’s illegal income is not enough to sustain the two of them let alone Luchie’s sickness.Marlon will then enter the picture.





He is a cunning cameraman who is always chasing for a video material on petty street crimes, prostitution and prohibited drugs.His hidden camera is constantly on the hunt for juicy stories which he is peddling to his publicity-hungy client, the television netwrok.





As Luchie’s eye condition aggravates, Ambet will agree to work for Marlon as an ‘undercover agent’.Ambet will be caught in a dilemma and will eventually betray his comrades all in the name of love and money.In the blink of an eye, moral degradation, sexual awakening, deceit and deception will be exposed.Corruption and greed will consume them leading to their own death and destruction.





Kurap competed in the 10th Osian’s Cinefan Asian and Arab Film Festival in New Delhi, India last week. It was chosen as the opening film in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival on October 15-29, 2008. And on October 10-19, 2008, it will compete in the 24th Warsaw Film Festival in Poland.

SERBIS

A drama that follows the travails of the Pineda family in the Filipino city of Angeles. Bigamy, unwanted pregnancy, possible incest and bothersome skin irritations are all part of their daily challenges, but the real “star” of the show is an enormous, dilapidated movie theater that doubles as family business and living space. At one time a prestige establishment, the theater now runs porn double bills and serves as a meeting ground for hustlers of every conceivable persuasion. The film captures the sordid, fetid atmosphere, interweaving various family subplots with the comings and goings of customers, thieves and even a runaway goat while enveloping the viewer in a maelstrom of sound, noise and continuous motion.

The Pineda family operates a run-down movie house in a city in the province, which shows dated sexy double-feature films. The family has taken up actual residence in the old building as well. The matriarch Nanay Flor, her daughter Nayda, son-in-law Lando and adopted daughter Jewel take turns manning the ticket booth and the canteen. Her nephews Alan and Ronald are the billboard painter and projectionist respectively.

Nanay Flor had filed a bigamy case against her estranged husband and is attending the court hearing today when, after a number of years, the decision will be finally handed down. It is within this context that the story unfolds. As the rest of the members go about their daily activities, we get a glimpse of how they suffer and deal with each other’s sins and vices — relational, economic or sexual.

Alan, who is financially unprepared for marital responsibility, feels oppressed by his pregnant girlfriend’s demand of marriage. Nayda, who entered marriage out of tradition, is torn between marital fidelity and her ambiguous attraction towards her cousin Ronald. Nanay Flor, who loses the case, feels betrayed not only by the court judge but also by her son who testified in favor of his favor.

Preoccupied with their personal demons, the family in unmindful that inside the movie theater, another kind of business is going on between the “serbis” boys (male prostitutes) and the gay patrons.

KAMBYO

After producing two successful movies, Ang Lalake sa Parola and Ang Lihim Ni Antonio, the indie film tandem of Lex Bonife (as screenplay writer) and Jay Altarejos (as director) are at it again to give us another gay-themed movie to watch out for, entitled “Kambyo”.

The film brings to the silverscreen two of the hottest members of Viva’s all-male bump-and-grind group Men of Provoq, Johnron Tañada and Gabz del Rosario; along with indie film discoveries, Rayan Dulay and Kenjie Garcia; and former teenstar Harold Macasero.

Kambyo is story about four 21-year-old men belonging to the different permutations of gay sexuality experience a paradigm shift in their lives after a road trip to Ilocos Sur.

MACKY (RAY AN DULAY) organizes a road trip to Ilocos Sur after graduation to visit his best friend PHILIP (JOHNRON TANADA) from first year college who left the university before their sophomore year due to family problems. He is joined by his activist, bisexual cousin MANUEL (KENJIE GARCIA); artistic and promiscuous gay man XAVIER (HAROLD MACASERO); and a good looking vagabond, ALDO (GABS DEL ROSARIO).

After the road trip, Macky is able to let go of his secret feelings for his best friend Philip, who is now married with two children; Manuel is able to express his love for Xavier; Xavier gets to realize that he is worth the love that he has been fearfully avoiding; and Aldo realizes that he still can dream despite the struggles in his life.

I LOVE DREAM GUY

In this Boys love movie, five young men land job contracts as entertainers in Japan and form a new hip-hop dance group called Dreamguyz. Guided by their gay manager DIDI (Jao Mapa), they spend the next few months before their trip bonding as friends who share a common dream of finding greener pastures in the Land of the Rising Sun.





MICHAEL (actor) worked as a dancer in Japan when he was still a minor, using a fictitious name and a forged passport. He makes sure his recruiter doesn’t find out he’s not a first-timer to Japan like the rest of the guys.



BENJO (actor) seeks to escape a cruel stepfather and find his missing older brother, a musician turned illegal alien in Japan. ALVIN (actor) is Didi’s lover, who openly expresses his affections for his benefactor while hoping to make his own money in Japan. The two members who share choreographic duties, Jake and Rico, quickly develop a secret romance. Problem is, Jake lives with his devoted girlfriend Jenny (Niña Jose), who supports him financially. On top of his dilemma, Jake is soon discovered to have a heart ailment, jeopardizing his chances of joining the group’s trip to Japan.



As a former Japayuki himself, Didi knows a stint in Japan hardly guarantees a financial windfall for the group. So he enlists the members in a networking company that has been giving him good dividends.





Unfortunately, the company collapses without warning. It ruins Didi and threatens to dissolve not just his relationship with Alvin but the group itself. Violence erupts on the eve of their trip, which could shatter the dreams of the Dreamguyz.


Additional Information:


Director: Joel Lamangan
Genre: Drama, Boys love
Castings: Marco Morales, Jao Mapa, Niña Jose, Sherwin Ordoñez
Country: Philippines
Language: Filipino, Tagalog

Litle Big Boy

Little Boy Big Boy

Director: Joselito Altarejos
Writer: Lex Bonife

Companies:

Viva Films Beyond The Box

Release Year: 2009
Country: Philippines
Language: Filipino | Tagalog
Subtitle: N/A
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 75 min

Cast:

Paolo Rivero Douglas Robinson Renz Valerio Ray An Dulay Sophia Baars

Little Boy/Big Boy tells the story of a carefree graphic artist named Raymund and how he is filled with doubt as he is suddenly faced with the responsibility of looking after his seven-year-old nephew Zach. But while taking care of Zach, Raymund finds himself in the middle of building a relationship with his new lover Tim where he teaches him the value of acceptance and self-respect. This gripping indie film, which stars Paolo Rivero as Raymund, Douglas Robinson as Tim, and Renz Valerio as Zach, is helmed by Joselito Altarejos with screenplay by Lex Bonife. The director shares that Little Boy/Big Boy “has turned out to be an adult gay-drama with lots of sensitive scenes, heart-warming moments and insights on relationships – gay or straight.”

Boring Love

Boring Love
Seng Ped
Director: Sarawut Intaraprom
Story: Pantip.com

Companies:

Shine Entertainment Weekend Project Pro.

Release Year: 2009
Country: Thailand
Language: Thai
Subtitle: N/A
Genre: Drama, Romance
Runtime: 83 min

Cast:

Nattapol Nillapoom Attiwat Lumkool Intira Ketworasoontorn Taweewat Wanta Pimchada Rungpiromkit

Based on a hot topic that been posted on Pantip.com which later became a best-selling book, Boring Love is a comedy that tells the story of a guy named Ped who is caught in the middle of two persons who seem to have feelings towards him.
Ped and Oiy work at an airline. Oiy, who is gay, wants more than just friendship with Ped, but his heart as well. Ped, who has just broken up with his girlfriend, tries to get Oiy out of life, as he can't accept being gay. He draws closer to Oiy without realising it, as he sympathises with his plight, and Oiy is a good friend at least. However, acting on his old instincts he sets up a meeting between his old girlfriend, Kai, and Oiy, in the hope Kai can persuade him to go straight. Kai secretly fancies Oiy, and fancies her chances of converting him. Oiy discovers the meeting was a set-up. Feeling betrayed and rejected, he leaves Ped's life, just as Ped had wanted. However, once Oiy has gone, Ped discovers he can't live without Oiy, and was much closer to his friend than he realised...