Review: The Famous Joe Project

Review: The Famous Joe Project

Famous Joe Project is a special treat for me because I usually hate gay cinema.  The films commonly fall into farce comedy and attempt to blend in a kind of hyperbolic straight-on-gay oppression story to insist upon their own gravitas as an afterthought.

FJP does not do this in any great measure.  The acting is proper acting, the lead doesn’t have to speak a word in the opening sequence, he says it all with his face- the character is young and impressionable and experiencing a fearful kind of hope- he doesn’t believe that he’s beautiful but he’s also so happy to hear someone saying it to him.

This kind of honest portrayal of the darker internal gay experience is persistent through the film, from awkward and uncomfortable sexual encounters with partners the lead has to convince himself he’s into to getting involved with beautiful men with exploitative agendas and serious personality disorders.  

The mother in this coming out story is not a plain dealing villain but a dynamic character who is effective on and profoundly affected by the transformations of the lead.  We see not just the ogre of a wicked boyfriend but we also get a glimpse of his own suffering with personality disorder and his life choices.

  Gay cinema desperately needs more honest and considered storytelling of this kind instead of the Greek play approach filled with one dimensional stock characters and escapism prevalent in gay film.

The film’s concluding segments depart from the earlier portion which vaguely resembles a sort of documentary approach to Party Monster and delivers the lead into normalcy from a fantastic, otherworldly experience, a statement both about coming out and about growing up in general.

I deeply enjoyed and strongly recommend this film.

Exhibit 321

Gragas [39:33]: sry must go

Thresh [39:37]: end

Thresh [39:38]: ?

Gragas [40:05]: i life on a farm and a cow comes out sry

(Thanks to SlijepiPutnik for the quote!)

I Really Like Spring

So since I hate winter so and it's finally breaking, let's change tone and talk about how very much I like the Spring. I've written extensively about the summer, but I feel like I too often give the spring a miss. I like the spring because the winter is over, and the wind doesn't hurt my face anymore. I like the spring because the winter is over and my bones don't ache in a passing breeze anymore. I like the spring because the winter is over and I don't have to spend half a day doing laundry anymore. I like the spring because the winter is over and I don't have to worry about the engine in my car freezing up. I like the spring because the winter is over and I don't have to live in a bleak world where the sun is a fleeting ghost and the night is two thirds of the day. I like the spring because the choking clouds clear up and I can see the proper blue color of the sky again. I like the spring because the trees wake up and bring green to a world that was in grey and white. I like the spring because the rain patters on my roof and cleans the salt from the roads and everything near them. I like the spring because when I walk out my door in the morning, which I actually feel like doing again, I can hear birds singing in the trees around me. I like the spring because I have an easier time breaking bad habits and ending unhappy associations. I like the spring because people stop trying to get me to eat awful foods and start pushing fruits and fish. I like the spring because soon it will be summer. I like the spring because before long the temperature will climb through the 60s and 70s, 80s even. I like the spring because the cafes start to open up their streetside seating. I like the spring because the festivals and street fairs will be coming soon. I like the spring because you can walk to where ever you may want to go in town. I like the spring because it's bright outside and I don't have to hide in my home or my office. I like the spring because I always feel ready for new projects and finishing old projects. What an awesome season, I like the spring because it vanquishes winter.

Soylent

Okay so it's not exactly the shiny future where I have a house under the sea just yet, but it is that one-size-fits all nutritional product that I've always wanted so I'll content myself to take the future in little doses.

I've ordered away for a week of this stuff, and when it arrives I'll blog or perhaps vlog on how I find the product.

https://campaign.soylent.me/soylent-free-your-body