Noah's Arc and Third Man Out_____
How different it must be, I think from time to time, to be growing up gay in America now as opposed to even 10 years ago. The 'frankness' of Ellen timidly announcing she was gay and the initial audacity of Will & Grace on network television were soon eclipsed by the raw cable in-your-face dramas Queer as Folk and The L Word. Today, with the inception of gay cable channels Here! and Logo and the already-gone-down-in-flames QTN, gay-themed television has reached a point that mainstream movies are still only dreaming of. Being gay in these new TV series is a given and, in most cases, besides the point. The aim of these shows—such as Noah's Arc, Dante's Cove, and Third Man Out—is to commodify the time-tested formulas of the gay channels' straight counterparts, all the better to replicate the large ratings and potential advertising dollars the straight shows have brought in. And why not? What could possibly be more tantalizing than to see the standard television formats that we all grew up with replayed via the delicious simple twist of casting gay characters in the foreground instead of shuttled off to the side?
Perhaps the most exciting of the new series is the self-proclaimed Sex & The City-meets-Soul Food dramedy, Noah's Arc. As the second season begins, Logo, the show's network, brings us the DVD release of the freshman season of the groundbreaking show—the first African-American gay sitcom. Logo's description of the show is apt—with each of the four characters easily identified as male counterparts of the 'Sex & the City' gals. Led by Noah, a nascent screenwriter in L.A., the quartet have had its relationship-related ups and downs throughout the show's first season and, wisely, the producers have included a lot of hunky eye candy and sex scenes in each episode as each character learns yet another 'life lesson.' Aside from the episodes being spread out over two discs ( that include a branching feature that leads to more sexy deleted scenes ) , there's a third disc that offers the unaired pilot and a collection of the deleted scenes. The cast and creators also provide commentary on various episodes.
A second season of Dante's Cove on Here! TV is also about to begin. And based on the evidence in Regent Entertainment's two-disc Dante's Cove: Season 1 set, it promises to be just as sexy and stupid as the first. The DVD cover says it all, loudly proclaiming the slogan 'Your Newest Guilty Pleasure' between the photos of the show's two hunky stars, one of whom is openly gay actor Charlie David. These are actually feature-length TV films ( in two episodes ) and, boy, is this a case of truth in packaging. Dante's Cove may be the dumbest, guiltiest pleasure I've had the pleasure of enduring since laughing through Adored, the gay Italian flick out from Wolf Video a few years back.
The show has been described as a cross between the cheesy gothic soap opera—part Dark Shadows and part Melrose Place—with its cast of young narcissists in heat. All the shapely residents of the coastal Dante's Cove Hotel, where the action takes place, are gay, bisexual, lesbian or straight and all have spectacular bodies. The men, it seems, are banned from wearing shirts except when the temperature dips below 75 degrees ( which apparently, it never does ) and everyone is required to be part of the dumb, dumb supernatural plot and occasional emotional smash-ups between the sex scenes which happen like clockwork every ten minutes or so. The acting is on a par with Showgirls, but who cares with a cast this hot?
Another fun DVD release is Third Man Out, also from Regent. This is the first of a series of feature-length shows ( a la Columbo ) again for Here! TV, and this one focuses on fictional gay detective Donald Strachey ( Chad Allen ) who, between working on his cases, finds time to strut around shirtless in his boxers while catching up with his lover and housemate, Timmy. The disc includes a making-of featurette in which the gay director Ron Oliver says that he was looking for a Nick-and-Nora-type relationship between the two. Though the banter of Timmy and Donald never quite comes close to Powell and Loy heights, they make a cute couple ( though the cliché of the butch lesbian rehabbing their house I could have done without ) .
The story itself—which revolves around a strident gay activist so hated for outing closeted big shots in Albany ( Albany?! ) , N.Y., that someone wants to murder him—isn't much and Donald isn't the cagiest of private dicks. Although the script is weak, some of the acting is wooden ( to say the least ) and the film noir conventions that the director wants to emulate are out of place, Allen is a very winning actor ( as evidenced by his recent big-screen feature, End of the Spear ) who effortlessly carries the show on his shoulders. I look forward to the further adventures of Strachey and company—thorns and all.
Finally, Rhino Home Video made a lot of show tune and diva queens happy ( myself included ) with the release of the five-disc Barbra Streisand: The Television Specials last fall. Now, single-disc releases of the five shows that beautifully showcase Streisand—the multi-Emmy Award-winning My Name Is Barbra ( 1965 ) , Color Me Barbra ( 1966 ) , The Belle of 14th Street ( 1967 ) , A Happening In Central Park ( 1968 ) and Barbra Streisand and other Musical Instruments ( 1973 ) —are being made available. The new packaging—which will make these discs musts for collectors—includes new cover art and a full-color poster insert in each of the releases. None of the discs has extras and the glossy booklet included with the full set has been omitted.
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Local Film of Interest: Set in Romania, Ryna is the gender-bending story of a female mechanic at a rural gas station who looks like a he ( think Boys Don't Cry ) but is known to be a she. Will Ryna choose one of three tenacious male suitors or some other future? It premieres locally on Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. See www.siskelfilmcenter.com .
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Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com .
