For sale, 5 original dvds as detailed below. All are region 2 UK imports
Shown is the cover from volume 5.
Boys on Film 1: Hard Love
An excellent collection of nine short films (longer than the usual fare; the running time is 147 minutes) from Peccadillo pictures. A diverse grouping of humour, poignancy and eroticism. The films comprise:-
* Summer (UK, 9 mins): Two late-teen males, good friends, are in a London park. They find themselves talking about blow-jobs, and one of the friends is nervously trying to pluck up the courage to speak his mind...
* Gay Zombie (US, 20 minutes): An superb, original short film. A West Hollywood zombie, Miles, is convinced by his therapist ('How's the flesh-eating coming along, Miles?') to try to resolve his uncertain desires. He visits a gay bar, and is treated as a freak by the patrons. He does meet two nice guys, who try to give him a make-over. But will his blood-hunger prove too much of an obstacle to forming a relationship?
* Serene Hunter (France, 13 mins): Set in Paris, the 'hunter' of the title is a 30-something gay male who has a string of one-night stands. Content being free and unfettered by relationships, he happily moves from encounter to encounter. He then surprises himself by becoming involved in a more substantial relationship...but can the hunter within him be tamed?
* Le Weekend (UK, 14 mins): A 22-year-old French film student, Terry, visits London to make a film for his class. He meets a handsome male in Soho; the language barrier proves problematic, but the two end up sightseeing and hitting the bars. When Terry needs somewhere to stay for the night his new friend offers to share his bed with him. Only one dilemma - Terry identifies as straight, but if he discloses this, will he loose the offered roof?
* Cowboy Forever (Brazil, 27 minutes): set in the stunning landscape of Brazil; beautifully shot with a background of water, open plains and sunsets. The narrator, Govinda, is a ruggedly-handsome 20-something 'campiro' (cattle-herder), who has an empathy with the natural world. He narrates this quasi-documentary of the change wrought in his life by the arrival of a new cattle-hand, Jones. After a night in town together, Govinda begins to wrestle with his unexpected desire for his new friend - but the latter seems only interested in females. Moreover, how can Govinda reconcile the machismo of his outdoor life with his feelings for Jones?
* Scarred (UK, 10 mins): Another unusual short. An early 20s male has a significant scar on his face from a knife wound - and is fed up of the unwanted attention that it attracts. Will he find someone who can see past the scar? The answer may lie with an older, middle-aged architect, who seems to be the one person to whom the scar is invisible. But what is the architect's real interest...?
* Packed Lunch (Australia, 24 mins): A fairly explicit documentary on the affinity between gay-identified males and the Speedo. Interviews with the first maker of Speedos, collectors, swimmers, and DNA magazine. Plenty of 'packed lunches' on view...a must-see for those with the Speedo fetish...or just for an eyeful of handsome males and, in some cases, what lies beneath that nylon.
* Mirror Mirror (Australia, 11 mins): An intense short film; simple in execution, highly moving in its message. An ageing, overweight male sits in front of his mirror, trying to say goodbye to his alter-ego, a once-glamorous drag queen. As he reluctantly throws out the wigs and make-up, she appears in the mirror and argues against her banishment ('You're nothing without me').
* VGL-Hung! (UK, 20 mins): Terry, an unattractive 30-something male, feels out of place and unloved among the muscled, topless denizens of London gay clubs. Searching for a guy to hook-up with online, his 'fairy godmother' appears on his screen, giving him the opportunity to transform his looks. Terry adopts various physiques (courtesy of some Eurocreme models), and meets up with different guys...but will he now find what he's looking for?
Boys on Film 2: In Too Deep
A truly excellent collection of nine short films, with the added benefit that more care has been taken this time to ensure an international flavour, including films from Sweden, France, Germany, Mexico and Australia.
*The Island (Canada, 6 min): A mix of narrative and animation as a film-maker imagines a 'homotopia' in response to homophobia - putting all homophiles together on an island. A provocative, original formulation that combines outspoken humour with a dose of bitter poignancy.
*Cowboy (Germany, 35 min): An urbanite estate agent in his 30s visits a decrepit farm in the countryside, hoping to purchase the land. He meets a quarrelsome yet buff, young farmhand, generating an escalating and tense eroticism. An atmospheric film that ascends into horror, with a genuinely startling denouement. Outstanding.
*Kali Ma (US, 16 min): A 'teenage' male of Indian origin is regularly bullied by the most popular guy at school. After he comes home crying following one particularly rough beating, his mother decides to visit the popular guy's home and exact her revenge. An excellent juxtaposition of black comedy and pathos, and a most original take on an otherwise common theme.
*Lucky Blue (Sweden, 28 min): 18-year-old Kevin is taken to a caravan site by his aunt for a summer vacation, where he meets Olle, a young handyman working at the park. Whereas Olle is quiet and painfully shy, Kevin seems brash and disdainful. A drunken midnight kiss, which Kevin denies in the morning, leaves Olle confused and hurt. A sweet and tender tale - a brief respite from this generally dark collection.
*Love Bite (Australia, 2 mins): Two teenagers smoke pot after school; one of them is desperate to confess a hunger that he is no longer able to hide from his friend. Entertaining and fun, if all-too brief.
*Bramadero (Mexico, 22 min): An abandoned construction site high above the bustle of Mexico City provides a location for two young men to perform a silent, prolonged mating ritual. A wordless and explicit, passional and violent, posthuman and sensual, communion between bodies.
*Weekend in the Countryside (France, 16 min): Two good friends, Marc and Pierre, take a trip to visit Marc's father at his sprawling countryside villa. Sunshine fades as Pierre rejects Marc's advances towards him - but will Marc face unexpected consequences? Another excellent, tense short with an intensely dark undercurrent.
*Working it Out (Australia, 6 min): An apparently assimilated, monogamous homophile couple spend their 45 minute gym session arguing about a 'stranger' who smiled at one of them in the changing rooms. A humorous film, if a somewhat tired theme.
*Futures (and derivatives) (USA, 18 min): A bumbling US law firm has an important client due at 8am, so they hire a temp to work all night producing a presentation. The next morning: the client arrives, the presentation is set up - and things take a mystical turn...
Boys on Film 3: American Boy
Boys on Film 4: Protect me from what I want
Boys on Film 5: Candy Boy
For more details on the content of volumes 3 - 5 or other titles available, please ask.
