Paul Creeden
I was thrilled to see a famous gay male porn star break through to a mainstream gay film. Frankie Valenti/Johnny Hazzard brought more than his killer looks and ink to this film. I think he saved it. His masculine and unshakable character rang truer than most portrayals of sexual gay men in small gay films. He was hot and natural.The other lead character, Chet, played by writer Mark Strano, was well written. I think Strano did his best to translate his script but the character came across as clinically depressed rather than likable and conflicted. Nothing that a little anti-depressant might have cured probably. Not to say that the character was unrepresentative of closeted gay men in the hinterlands. Just that depression isn't that interesting to watch.A good Netflix addition. Not too badly gay-genre typical. Still not "A Single Man" or "Stranger by the Lake".
meaninglessbark
Tiger Orange is a generally quiet, small town queer drama, much like the film Pit Stop. The film looks good and is adequately acted.The story feels believable even with a sort of gimmick of two gay brothers, one an I'll-do-what-I-want rebel and the other a do-what-needs-done good son.The character of the good son nails the small town gay man who is single and avoids drawing attention to himself. The rebel son is something of a shallow character and though he definitely seems realistic there's little to like about him, the only reason to even care about the character is he's important to the good son.Tiger Orange's greatest shortcoming is it runs a bit long. two thirds into the film I was losing interest and when the film ended I realized I'd only half paid attention to the final scenes. Still, I'd rather have quite believably than melodrama that feels tacked on for the sake of spicing things up.It's worth watching if you're a fan of queer film and it's definitely than a lot of queer film options.
Tom Dooley
Set in a small town in rural California we meet Chet played by Mark Strano of 'Out to kill' fame. He has just organised his father's funeral and taken over the reins to run a small hardware store. He lives in what some would call a rural idyll and others would call 'the sticks'. His brother is Todd played by Franki Valenti (aka Jonny Hazzard of 'Lair' fame and also the intriguingly named 'Hole Patrol' – which I am sure is about an annoying rabbit problem) who is more free spirited and has gone out and immersed himself in the World. Both brothers are gay but have chosen different paths, Chet of service and self denial and Todd of getting his rocks off and taking all the gay world has to offer. He is though a drifter and ends up home where they start to reconnect and explore their past.Now this is actually a really good little indie effort. Valenti is very believable and plays the likable rogue perfectly. The direction is spot on from Wade Gasque and the camera work is mostly very good but the scenes that are beautifully framed and shot are let down by wobbly camera action in some of the dialogue scenes – seriously if it looks good and works then stick with it. It is an original story line too and deals with many issues – this is not 'porn fest' though so if that is your thing then best look elsewhere; if you like well acted and thoughtful gay based drama then there is a great film here waiting to be seen.
ksf-2
Two gay brothers reconnect after the death of their dad. Mark Strano is Chet, who stayed in the family home, and even runs the family hardware store. (Strano was also in Out to Kill). Frankie Valenti is brother Todd, who has left LA to return home, after a bad breakup. (Valenti also has a thriving career in the "alternative film industry"... which explains why we keep seeing him get undressed and dance around naked. In the adult films, he's known as Johnny Hazzard). Chet and Todd are two completely different people. Chet is quiet, conservative, and keeps a low profile. Todd is the loud, rowdie one, and they butt heads right off. And Todd likes to start fights, so we can tell its going to be a huge problem. It's a great story. Good script. MOST of the actors do a great job, but there are a couple weak apples in the crowd. or am I mixing my metaphors? All kinds of cussing and adult gay guy talk in this one, so its definitely NOT for the kiddies.Directed by Wade Gasque, who had only directed short films before this. I was looking for a production company name on IMDb, but i see at the end of the film, this was funded by kickstarter. That's the website where people donate to the fund to get it made, and they have their name listed at the end of the credits. Glad to see it succeed. Quite entertaining.
AD
