He Just Wants to Be Loved.

Dare

Directed By: Adam Salky

Starring: Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, & Ashley Springer

I'm going to get the messy part of this review out of the way early, by going ahead to explain why I didn't give Dare a perfect four stars. Ironically, in order to start there, I must begin at the movie's ending. It is far too abrupt, ending before we have proper closure for any of the characters we have grown to love. I understand that the producers wanted to leave it rather open-ended and up to our own interpretation, but I didn't find there to be enough evidence to help the audience create their own conclusion. Whew, with that said, I can go on to tell you all about the rest of this movie, a movie that I actually loved more than I ever expected to. It is a low-budget independent feature that tells a rather conventional story in a fresh, vibrant, and intriguing way. It is no surprise that, with talent like Emmy Rossum and Zach Gilford, Dare is mostly aided by its cast. Gilford, especially, takes the forefront and stands out prominently. A relatively-unknown actor who has mostly done supporting and television work, he gives the kind of performance that could have jettisoned him instantly into stardom had Dare earned the attention it so fully deserved. Instead, I imagine, it will be one of the performances that, after he achieves A-list status (and, I can assure you, that will happen soon), we will all look back upon and say, "Man, how did we miss him for so long?"

Sex, the City, and Showtunes

The Big Gay Musical

Directed By: Casper Andreas & Fred M. Caruso

Starring: Daniel Robinson, Joey Dudding, & Jeff Metzler

It is no secret that gay cinema has been in a slump ever since Brokeback Mountain proved that it could be bankable; most gay-oriented movies are packed with handsome young men in varying states of undress, but lack fully-developed stories...or even stories at all. The Big Gay Musical has those aforementioned men (as seen above), but it is more than just eye candy. Telling the story of a new off-Broadway production called Adam and Steve Just the Way God Made 'Em, it is an uproariously funny movie that broadly covers a variety of issues, from the spread of HIV to the religious conspiracy to convert homosexuals. The play being put on in the movie states that, because Adam and Eve were bad and ate the fruit that God forbade them from eating, God went back to the drawing board and created Adam and Steve. They were cultured, handsome, and liked art...and their favor from God made Eve angry. She decided to write a book talking about how much God hates the gays...and, best of all, she says, five-thousand years later, they won't even know who wrote it! I'll give you one guess what book that is. You see, beneath the fluffy exterior and pretty boys that populate this movie, it has a strong bite behind its humor and, with its aim set firmly on religious wingnuts and the ex-gay movement, it starts attacking and rarely lets up.

There's Still Some Magic in Disney.

The Princess and the Frog

Directed By: Ron Clements & John Musker

Starring: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, & Keith David

I have truly missed movies like The Princess and the Frog...no, not because it is a return to the classic hand-drawn animation that made Disney so wonderful. Certainly, that is an added bonus; watching a movie brought to life without all of the bothersome 3D or slick (but now overused) computer-generated animation is simply refreshing. I felt like a kid again. But, that isn't what makes this movie so special. What makes it come alive is that it is an animated movie, perfectly appropriate for children and their parents, that is every bit as charming and lovely as it should be. This movie, so beautifully drawn, is a throwback to a simpler time, when family movies were made to actually tell stories rather than to sell products. The story is reminiscent of other classic Disney princess stories. Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) is a young woman living in a poor section of New Orleans. The daughter of an aspiring restaurant owner who died in war before his dream could come true, Tiana wants nothing more out of life than to fulfill her father's dream and open up the most beautiful and elegant restaurant in the entire city. Working two jobs and saving every penny she makes in tips, she finds her dream even more unobtainable when the amount she needs to rent a building is suddenly raised. All of that changes when Prince Naveen (voiced by Bruno Campos), a prince who was just cut off by his parents for his philandering ways and bad boy antics, comes to town looking for a wealthy bride.

Education Comes from Many Places

An Education

Directed By: Lone Scherfig

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, & Alfred Molina

I imagine that watching An Education is about as close to watching your own daughter make the same mistakes as Carey Mulligan's Jenny as you can get without actually having a daughter. You will feel angry, sad, and frustrated, but it is worth it. An Education is a marvelous movie, elegant and poignant. It follows Jenny, a naive sixteen year old schoolgirl who feels stifled by her strict father (Alfred Molina) and her schooling. She wants to have fun, to listen to French music, and to attend nice concerts. When a charming, but older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) happens upon her one day and offers her a ride, she is immediately smitten. He invites her to a concert, introduces her to all of his interesting friends, and promises to bring her to Paris with him. She knows that this is just what she needs and wants out of life...and even her parents, however intelligent they might be, are charmed by David, who has a way of making them agree to anything, usually by insisting that his Aunt Helen will be their chaperon. I'll give you a little hint; he doesn't have an Aunt Helen and, even if he did, I doubt she would be accompanying them on their overnight trip to Oxford. Alas, Jenny's parents fall for it hook, line, and sinker. Obviously, we know better. We know Jenny should be more cautious...but, then again, David isn't winking at us, is he?