LEATHER JACKET LOVE STORY
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Sound format: Stereo
(Black and white)
An aspiring young poet (Sean Tataryn) relocates from the Valley to LA's Silver Lake district where he's distracted by drag queens, sex clubs, gay bashers and a hunky older stud (Christopher Bradley) with whom he falls in love.
Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard's MASCULIN-FEMININ (1966), David DeCoteau's ultra-low-budget drama is something of an acquired taste. After toiling in the lower echelons of the exploitation movie business (BEACH BABES FROM BEYOND, TEST TUBE TEENS FROM THE YEAR 3000, etc.), DeCoteau commissioned screenwriter/poet Rondo Mieczkowski to write the gay drama he had always dreamed of directing, and it took a year for the project to finally come together. But all good intentions are scuppered by threadbare production values (it was shot in 16mm black and white on a $60,000 budget) and a reckless shooting schedule (10 days), all of which is wholly characteristic of DeCoteau's directing 'style'. Furthermore, the central romance isn't remotely believable, because - at the risk of sounding crude and disrespectful - Tataryn isn't attractive enough to warrant all the attention (he was chosen for no other reason than his willingness to perform the nudity and sex scenes!), and he plays the character as little more than a socially awkward débutante, completely at odds with Bradley's experienced older guy, with whom he appears to have little in common. Howard Wexler's low-tech cinematography struggles to maintain the fairy tale ambiance suggested by Mieczowski's ambitious script, and as usual, DeCoteau allows too many dialogue scenes to continue well beyond the limits of endurance. Hilariously, the director has chided critics who trashed his 'feel-good' approach in favor of the 'heavy dramas' which he himself seems to dislike, refusing to countenance the idea that some viewers simply weren't taken by his amateurish scribble of a movie!
There are minor compensations: Mieczkowski's script may be dramatically uninspired, but his dialogue is smart and colorful, and he manages to prick the bubble of pomposity which informs his company of eccentric Silver Lake characters. Similarly, the cast is a mixed bag of newcomers and cult favorites: Bradley is an experienced actor ("Urbania", "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss", etc.) and director of animated shorts (BACKSTAGE WITH LITTLE LORENZO), and he has the kind of dazzling good looks which can stop any movie dead in its tracks (his full frontal nude scenes here are genuinely impressive!). Exploitation fans will be surprised to see Nicholas Worth (THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT) stealing the show as an ultra-theatrical gay poet - his poem-readings are a hoot! - while fashion model Geoffrey Moody makes his only screen appearance to date as Tataryn's best friend, a sluttish pretty boy with a penchant for rough sex. Indeed, Moody would have been an ideal choice for the lead role (he performs an enthusiastic sex scene around the film's midway point), were it not for his aversion to full frontal nudity, though this could have been accommodated without compromising the film's erotic potency. Joe Dallesandro was considered for a major supporting role, but he couldn't be found in time! Also starring Andy Warhol/John Waters favorite Mink Stole (PINK FLAMINGOS, DESPERATE LIVING) and veteran gay activist Morris Kight. Watch out for a truly memorable stripper (Dennis Larkin), and a hilarious cameo from Bob Prest as an irreverent doctor who pierces nipples and other body parts for a living!
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Sound format: Stereo
(Black and white)
An aspiring young poet (Sean Tataryn) relocates from the Valley to LA's Silver Lake district where he's distracted by drag queens, sex clubs, gay bashers and a hunky older stud (Christopher Bradley) with whom he falls in love.
Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard's MASCULIN-FEMININ (1966), David DeCoteau's ultra-low-budget drama is something of an acquired taste. After toiling in the lower echelons of the exploitation movie business (BEACH BABES FROM BEYOND, TEST TUBE TEENS FROM THE YEAR 3000, etc.), DeCoteau commissioned screenwriter/poet Rondo Mieczkowski to write the gay drama he had always dreamed of directing, and it took a year for the project to finally come together. But all good intentions are scuppered by threadbare production values (it was shot in 16mm black and white on a $60,000 budget) and a reckless shooting schedule (10 days), all of which is wholly characteristic of DeCoteau's directing 'style'. Furthermore, the central romance isn't remotely believable, because - at the risk of sounding crude and disrespectful - Tataryn isn't attractive enough to warrant all the attention (he was chosen for no other reason than his willingness to perform the nudity and sex scenes!), and he plays the character as little more than a socially awkward débutante, completely at odds with Bradley's experienced older guy, with whom he appears to have little in common. Howard Wexler's low-tech cinematography struggles to maintain the fairy tale ambiance suggested by Mieczowski's ambitious script, and as usual, DeCoteau allows too many dialogue scenes to continue well beyond the limits of endurance. Hilariously, the director has chided critics who trashed his 'feel-good' approach in favor of the 'heavy dramas' which he himself seems to dislike, refusing to countenance the idea that some viewers simply weren't taken by his amateurish scribble of a movie!
There are minor compensations: Mieczkowski's script may be dramatically uninspired, but his dialogue is smart and colorful, and he manages to prick the bubble of pomposity which informs his company of eccentric Silver Lake characters. Similarly, the cast is a mixed bag of newcomers and cult favorites: Bradley is an experienced actor ("Urbania", "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss", etc.) and director of animated shorts (BACKSTAGE WITH LITTLE LORENZO), and he has the kind of dazzling good looks which can stop any movie dead in its tracks (his full frontal nude scenes here are genuinely impressive!). Exploitation fans will be surprised to see Nicholas Worth (THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT) stealing the show as an ultra-theatrical gay poet - his poem-readings are a hoot! - while fashion model Geoffrey Moody makes his only screen appearance to date as Tataryn's best friend, a sluttish pretty boy with a penchant for rough sex. Indeed, Moody would have been an ideal choice for the lead role (he performs an enthusiastic sex scene around the film's midway point), were it not for his aversion to full frontal nudity, though this could have been accommodated without compromising the film's erotic potency. Joe Dallesandro was considered for a major supporting role, but he couldn't be found in time! Also starring Andy Warhol/John Waters favorite Mink Stole (PINK FLAMINGOS, DESPERATE LIVING) and veteran gay activist Morris Kight. Watch out for a truly memorable stripper (Dennis Larkin), and a hilarious cameo from Bob Prest as an irreverent doctor who pierces nipples and other body parts for a living!