July 15, 1997

I have to admit to a slightly sinking feeling on entering the sub-zero climes of Enzian to check out these 4 shorts - a plethora of mustaches and tight-fitting tank tops seemed to indicate an audience of the converted, when I would have thought that reaching a broader audience might have been the filmmakers' intentions. Ah, the unshared pleasure of film masturbation.

A pounding House beat introduces writer/director Nickolas Perry's Must Be the Music and four fresh-faced teenagers out for a night in LA. "Fake ID's are a good thing" intones narrator and protagonist, Jason (MiloVentimglia), sixteen and (hardly) never been kissed. A group of boys going clubbing, scrubbed clean, full of corny pick-up lines and hard-ons - what could be more American?

An in-your-face close-up of two boys french kissing introduces us to the club, and a beautiful cinematic moment is captured with Jason's straight cousin's reaction of disgust at the sight - just the type of image that should be shown to Jesse Helms and company. The camera swings to the dance floor and a slow-motion portrait of physical desire as a blonde boy feels and undulates to the incessant House beat, self-absorbed, eyes closed. Jason's interest is piqued, but he hasn't counted on his good buddy also checking out the surfer boy's bleached good looks. To the winner the spoils. Who will it be?

Great soundtrack, some truly cinematic use of the camera, an interesting premise - all slightly ruined by dialogue I found extremely trite, and a suite of self-conscious young actors who seem uncomfortable in their roles. Oh, well.

And so to Tom DeCerchio's Nu Zio's Second Cousin, a militant "don't fuck with me" response to "fag bashing." A group of high school jocks spot a couple of boys leaving a bar and dash in, baseball bats in hand. But they don't count on Tony (Vincent D'Onofrio) whipping out a pistol and asking "So you guys wanna bond? Get on your knees and I'll stick my dick in your asses." Whoa, in with empowerment, out with that victim complex. Yeah, it was the wrestling team that did it for Tony, and he has a little present for one of the perfectly coiffed young boys - dinner with mum (Eileen Brennan).

In a superb "somewhere between under and over the top" performance, Brennan recounts her pride at Tony's status as captain of his high school wrestling team, "jumping all over the boys." And like all good mums she wants to meet Tony's girl...and so to the little twist in wait for young Jimmy. All a little predictable and obvious, but that Brennan, can she act or what?

Read about the other two short films.

Peter Lewis A true African-American, Peter has led a peripatetic lifestle, and after graduating from UCF with a film degree, he is pondering life as another wannabe, devoting his time to working on a novel, his thesis film, a suntan and the dubious benefits of Rogaine. Other Articles I've Written