InsideOut Your Turning Me

Hey y’all is that time again in the T-dot weather is warming open toes are slowly peeking out: Summer. To help us get into full summer groove was the 20th Annual InsideOut LGBT Film and Video Festival. Here’s what you missed this year:

The Opening Gala Party Thursday at The Bata Shoe Museum. DJ Shane Percy whose claim to fame is Grapefruit (T.O. #1 monthly gay event) was throwing it down on the ones and twos. The too hot to handle performance of the night was the  alluring  Boylesque, which I might add is Canada’s first and only all-male burlesque troupe. The well endowed group of dancers, actors, and performance artists had the the crowd busting at the seams and feeling a lil hot n bothered all at the same time.

So Friday evening after work, I went down to Isabel Theatre to pick up my media pass and decided to head home, not realizing that the number one film on my list Mädchen in Uniform (just the film that started it all, when the slightest thought of lesbianism was  taboo) was at 5:15 arrrggghhh!!!

Saturday I had  much better luck when I went to see A Frozen Flower. This story of  inconceivable love (based on a true story) is set 14th century Korea starring heartthrob actors Zo In-sung and Joo Jin-mo. It starts at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, were a zealous king grooms young boys to become part of his royal safeguard.  The purpose of this elusive guard was to keep at bay any political tactics and military threats from the the punks in the Yuan Dynasty. The teachers’ pet Hong Lim  matures to the chief of guards, he was guarding a lil too much of the King if you know what I mean. The Yuan Emperor who is a real punk pardon coward attempts (a horrible one I might add) to divert power from the King because of the rumor of the King not able to produce a heir. The Yuan Emperor thinks he’s pretty slick, he figures we all what you doing behind closed doors with your so called “chief of guards” we may not say, but we know. Never fear the king comes up with a brilliant idea or so we think gives Hong  Lim the incontrovertible command to make love to his queen in hopes of producing this heir. Ya heard correct, I almost died on the spot. The movie was great had me at the edge of my seat, the costume and scenery were divine. The sex,I mean sex scenes, were stimulating shall we say. So what’s not to love?

Brotherhood (Broderskab): Director Nicolo Donato has produced a gritty and beautifully dark drama displaying the growing attraction between two neo-Nazi gang members. Army sergeant Lars is dismissed from the military after the accusation of putting the moves on one of his men. The dismissal enrages Lars leaving him empty, a void the neo-Nazi group fills. The neo-Nazi group you must understand is fueled by anger, hatred, which manifest in acts of violence against anyone not like them and especially gay men. I realized early in the film that the bond these losers share is not ideology but a simple sense of brotherhood. Quickly feelings of belonging turn to love when Lars moves in with Jimmy (the star pupil), but Jimmy is initially unresponsive towards Lars because Jimmy knows Lars is being groomed for leadership over Jimmy’s drug-addicted younger brother Patrick. Eventually he transitions  from resentment to admiration to friendship and then love. But guilt and torture and star crossed lovers in the night all ensue. We think love has conquered all as Jimmy and Lars manage to escape, we are hoping for a quick escape. The Great Escape never happens as one of Jimmy’s skeletons from his closet comes out and potential ends everything as he knows it.

Sad to say I didn’t make it to the Closing Night Gala. They had DJs Denise Benson and Cozmic Cat of Cherry Bomb throw down on the decks with a performance from fabulously sexy ILL NANA!

Until next year,

xoxo – Pinkie