Cut Sleeve Boys._______
Summer is winding down. For proof of that, look no further than the local Cineplex, where a certain déjà vu has begun to set in. Late August is when Hollywood dumps all its summer leftovers into theaters—the stuff that didn't test so well; isn't so easy to market; and sounds and looks a bit too familiar. The Invasion and The Last Legion, both opening this week, fit this definition, as do two films with heavy gay subject matter, Cut Sleeve Boys and Death at a Funeral. Though the familiarity of all these will breed both comfort and contempt from audiences, I found the latter two enjoyable enough—although they are not particularly memorable. ( The first two weren't screened by deadline. )
Cut Sleeve Boys, which plays exclusively at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, begins by explaining the derivation of the movie's title. A one-time Chinese emperor, a title card informs, awoke one day to find his male concubine still asleep on his sleeve. Rather than disturb the sleeping beauty, the emperor cut off his sleeve to prove his love for the Adonis. From then on, we read, 'gay in Chinese was known as cut sleeve.' Honestly, this interesting little anecdote is the most original thing in this gay comedy from writer-director Ray Yeung. That's not to imply that it isn't entertaining, ( somewhat ) comedic, moving and sexy ( with the requisite hot male eye candy guaranteeing the last ) . In fact, its similarity to scores of previous TV shows and movies of the Queer as Folk and Sex and the City variety may be just the ticket for gay audiences looking for a nice 90-minute diversion in air-conditioned comfort.
The Sisterhood TV/movie template ( Steel Magnolias, Waiting to Exhale, The Joy Luck Club, TV's Sex in the City, etc. ) has been successfully mirrored by gay culture for years now and like its female counterparts, has broken out into ethnic subsets over the years. Now Cut Sleeve Boys joins the ranks as it focuses on gay Asian culture ( albeit Chinese-British ) . The characters are Mel ( Steven Lim ) , the relationship-phobic circuit queen with the tattooed hot body; Todd ( Gareth Rhys Davies ) , the innocent stud from the sticks who falls hard for him; Ashley ( Chowee Leow ) , the nellie drag queen who lives for sophistication and glamour; Diane/Dan ( John Ebb-On-Knee Campbell ) , a world-weary transsexual; and Ross ( Neil Collie ) , the butch guy dying to release his inner queer ( and inner drag queen ) who gets his chance thanks to Ashley. The story begins with the abrupt death of a friend, Gavin ( Mark Hampton ) , who dies of a heart attack after doing a bump while getting serviced in a toilet stall. Mel and Ashley, the two lead characters who drive the story, are introduced at the funeral and the others in quick succession.
Things bump along with the expected highs and lows as characters fall in and out of bed, sashay in enough glitter drag to make Lady Bunny jealous and, eventually, ( of course ) find their True Purpose. The picture is shot in eye-popping colors ( the costumes help ) , is attractively designed and, naturally, has a techno-heavy soundtrack. I also liked the contrast of the techno thump with a device that Yeung creates for the character of Ashley, a dedicated rice queen if there ever was one. Ashley, it seems, is enough of a retro queen to play old Asian 78s on a rickety phonograph to help him reach his inner diva. The insightful, poetic lyrics of the songs on the scratchy 78s are subtitled as they play, and this charming device adds some depth to Ashley's search for a meaningful relationship and to the movie as a whole.
I'd have been much more captivated by a full length re-creation of that emperor and his male concubine parable that gave the movie its title but a self-described 'quirky stir-fried journey of self-discovery and, ultimately, a makeover of the British Chinese gay experience' instead will suffice until Yeung gets the budget to bring us this more lavish epic ( a gay The Emperor and the Nightingale as it were ) . Given the talent he displays here, that's not such a far-fetched idea.
The other awfully familiar movie this week is Death at a Funeral, the latest installment of a film centered around a dysfunctional British family together for a social occasion. Stereotypical characters include the shallow, successful good-looking brother; the overshadowed, envious, put-upon older brother; a snappish sister; and a nasty geezer in a wheelchair. The comedic situations are overcooked to say the least: A boyfriend who needs to make a good impression is accidentally dosed with a hallucinogenic, old folks spout naughty words, the geezer in the wheelchair needs help in the bathroom before he loses his load, numerous sight gags involve the corpse and others are seen ad nauseum.
The plot hinges on the arrival at the funeral of a sinister dwarf who has photographic proof that the deceased man, father of the now sniping brothers, was a poofta ( and a big one at that ) . The dwarf wants to be paid off immediately or he will reveal Big Daddy's secret. 'Hilarity' ensues as the brothers try to keep the secret ( and the dwarf ) under wraps. The screening audience howled at each ensuing scatological sight gag ( Is incontinence really so funny I ask? ) and giggled at the subsequent pratfalls and 'outrageous' set-ups.
The director of this likeable but so-so comedy is none other than Frank Oz, who was vilified back in 2004 for his comedic remake of The Stepford Wives. Audiences and critics were not kind. That one I liked. That one made me laugh and I watch it on occasion on DVD. Death at a Funeral probably won't compel me to do watch it again. But there's the rub and again points out that all criticism is subjective. All around me at Death at a Funeral the audience roared with laughter while I, puzzled by the reaction, merely chuckled from time to time. Maybe it was the heat.
Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . People can leave feedback at the latter Web site, where there is also find ordering information on my new book of collected film reviews, Knight at the Movies 2004-2006.
