Stealth ( Comme des voleurs ) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a surprising treasure this film is! Congrats to Water Bearer for bringing eclectic "STEALTH" to USA audiences. If I could rate it a "10", I would. Everything about it - the extremely personal twist n' turn plot, the competent and attractive actors, the crisp European cinematography, the gorgeous Ravel music weave pure unadulterated magic. Hey, the dialogue is French/Polish with English subtitles. I usually run for the provincial hills at such a disclosure but in this case the bilingual factor is (for whatever reason) an unexpected PLUS. In so many ways "STEALTH" slyly seduces you to sit up and take notice. And take notice you will.

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Mad About the Boy Review

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(More customer reviews)This is not the hottest soft porn movie I have ever seen, but it is definitely one of the best. The fact that the movie is made up of four stories--based on real letters telling the stories of how these four different relationships began and what their status was at the time the letter was written--adds a real human element that is sadly lacking in many of the soft porn films out there. Out of the four stories only one of them had a sort of unhappy ending, so that made me happy because I am a romantic and love happy endings. One of the stories was a gay version of "Pretty Woman," which makes me wonder if the person, who sent the letter in, was just having fun writing a short story, but that is totally irrelevant, it was a very sweet story and I enjoyed it very much. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in this kind of movie. Mike Esser, who directed the movie and narrated the stories, has made some of the best soft pornography I have ever seen. Out of all the soft porn videos that I have seen, I have, by far, enjoyed his the best.

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First Love and Other Pains (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)You don't need flashy direction and big budgets when you have interesting characters, tangible dilemmas, and troubled human relationships. Here is a good example. A quiet love story taking place in Hong Kong between Hugh, a 49 year old professor of English literature and his Chinese student, 19 year old Mark.
The two men are from very different worlds. Hugh is a neurotic character, sensing that his life is slipping away from him. He is writing a play about a long-lost love-affair, but can't get it published. This frustrates him no end, and he has problems concentrating on his job at the University.
Into his life enters Mark, a polite, intelligent Chinese boy, very Confucian, but he seems more sure of himself. He wants Hugh badly, but Hugh is keeping a distance. The key scene happens near the end, when a failed phone-call proves critical.
This film benefits from several viewings. The people grow on you, and what seems like stiff acting is actually restraint, modesty, a reluctance to let themselves go. The good manners of Chinese culture is very much in evidence in Mark and Hugh. Yet, this doesn't retract from the movie, it merely allows you to project you own emotions into the characters. Very Checkovian, you might say.
As for the gay content, expect nothing explicit. But other than that, this is very good indeed.
Note: The film lasts 50 minutes.

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Delighting gay festival-goers around the world, the two audience favorites FIRST LOVE AND OTHER PAINS and ONE OF THEM explore the phenomenon of first love - the discovery, the thrill, the fear, and the heartache. In FIRST LOVE AND OTHER PAINS, student Mark (Alex Wong Shing-yip) begins an English Literature course under British professor Hugh Graham (Edmund Strode). Mark is one of the few bright lights in Hugh's class and, in truth, his life. Depressed by his inability to get his play published in the UK, while also suffering creative burnout and a feeling of increasing irrelevance, Hugh seeks solace from the bottle - and young men he picks up in bars. Mark, who has lost both of his parents and lives with his aunt, follows Hugh one day and discovers that his teacher is also a playwright. The youth catches one of the two performances the play receives (the actors on-stage are Wes Wong and Oliver Williams from STANLEY BELOVED) and begins to seek Hugh out--visiting his office, inviting him out for drinks--until one of these meetings ends with the two sleeping together. From the co-directors of the camp hit Desperate Remedies comes ONE OF THEM. Set in the 1960s, two gay teens grappling with their mixed-up emotions and emerging sexuality strike up a friendship fortified by frank talk about fashion design and ogling cute boys, all to make the taunts and boredom of small-town life almost bearable.

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Two Brothers and Two Others Review

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(More customer reviews)"'Two Brothers' and Two Others" is a DVD with three very different movies on aspects of contemporary gay life.
The feature film, "Two Brothers", is a micro-budget, black and white relationship drama with comic interludes set mostly in beautiful Vancouver, BC.
Producer, writer, director, and cameraman Richard Bell was took four actors, one voice, one editor (Dennis Tal), and one sound person (Paul Moniz de Sa) and $545 Canadian dollars to create this hour-long film. With these limited resources, one must overlook items like graininess, the spartan gay bar, and some stray street or airplane sounds and instead look to the script and acting. (The sound and music were actually pretty good, considering.) The money was so tight, even getting a pizza was worth a mention in the fine commentary track provided in the extras.
"Two Brothers" begins with younger brother Riley (21, played by Norbert Orlewicz) giving the eulogy at his mother's funeral. He settles the estate behind the scenes and then drives from Ashcroft, BC, to the apartment of his older brother Chad (Cody Campbell) in Vancouver. Along the way Riley picks up hitchhiker Gavin (Kevin MacDonald) who is also going to Vancouver. At Chad's place, Riley meets Chad's girlfriend Tobie (Karen Rae). We learn that Riley is gay. Later the group goes out to a gay bar where Gavin reappears and makes himself agreeable to Riley. Old family stories come out. When the brothers' strict father died, Chad moved away, leaving Riley alone to care for their sick, unstable mother. Gavin says he's eager and disease-free, but Riley has fears. Tobie acts as catalyst for everybody. Playful gay sex scenes; romantic straight ones. Twists, turns, and a mostly plausible ending. (The Riley-Gavin resolution needed work.) There is a summation in the voice of the dead mother Ruth Adamson (Wendy Vitter), taking a modified version of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 paired up with past scenes.
The story is engaging, and the characters are appealing. Extras include a trailer, out-takes, photos, director (including Tal and Rae)'s commentary, and a making-of short. Norbert Orlewicz does an especially good job of making Riley the key figure with a deft mix of light and serious touches.
"Birthday Time" has a bigger budget, more cast members, and color. Gay Topher (i.e., Christopher, played winningly by Cory W. Grant) wants desperately to be kissed before he turns 18 shortly. He doesn't quite manage it at school and gets himself kicked out of the bathroom of a gay bar. When his mother takes a trip to Pittsburgh, a classmate's father, Tom (well played by Simon Wolley), arrives as babysitter. Topher had seen Tom at the bar. Unexpectedly, Topher finds out what a real daddy does. Dressing, showering, and fantasy scenes provide eye-candy. Nicely ambiguous, happy ending. There is a behind-the-scenes and a photo gallery.
"Cruise Control" is a six minute elaborated joke set in a gay bar. The film illustrates the notion that some men may be great to look at, but as soon as they open their mouths... The beefy hunk first attracts and then repels several guys, until one figures out the magic, storied solution. For me the highlights were the comments made by the never-attracted Flotilla Debarge and Hedda Lettuce, playing Stall Queens. There are no extras to this short.

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Like It Is (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)Much better than expected, it was. Steve Bell turned in a terrific performance as the bare-knuckle street fighter who tries to turn is life around for the better once he meets an openly gay music producer (handsome Ian Rose). It amazes me when straight actors give such top-notch performances as gay characters (Get Real, Beautiful Thing, ect) and Bell's performance is right up there. I was expecting a two-second cameo by Roger Daltrey, however, he plays a strong role in the film as the aging, rich bitchy queen of yore - he was excellent and had few zingers in his scenes. Theme wise, this film is optimistic and engaging. There's a subplot involving the creation of a '90's boy band that is just too precious - they can't dance, who knows if they can really sing and their music is very Euro-disco and teeny-bopper oriented. The lead singer of this group comes between Bell and Rose at one point in the story - could you imagine the British tabloid press getting a hold of that factoid? Director Paul Oremland gives us a film as earnest and romantic as he intends to give (the character of fighter Bell was inspired by his own experience as he explains in the DVD's featurette) and I look forward to his next projects. As for the DVD: the picture is letterboxed to 1.66:1. The video is much crisper and clearer than I was expecting - it looks very good. The sound is clean and audible. Music sequences give quite a punch and there is no background hiss to be heard. Colors are stable and natural, but I really liked the scenes in the nightclubs which were fairly vibrant without "bleeding" or "smearing". There is also an original trailer that is incorporated into the informative featurette. I especially liked the ending of the film which wisely avoids the Hollywood-ish all's well that ends well bug. Overall, recommended but try to get the DVD version of this film - the quality is pretty darn good.

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Director Paul Oremland's witty, fast-paced love takes us into the gay nightclubs and pop music scenes of London where Matt (Ian Rose), a young, ultra-cool record producer visiting Blackpool, meets Craig (Steve Bell), a young northern lad who makes money from illegal bare-knuckle fights and is struggling with his sexual identity. The two have a brief and clumsy sexual encounter that becomes a liaison which changes both of their lives. As they try to form a lasting relationship amongst all the pretense of London nightlife, Matt's bitchy boss Kelvin (Roger Daltrey), and his flatmate and biggest star, Paula (Dani Behr), try their best to keep them from living happily every after. LIKE IT IS takes a candid look at "Cool Britannia"--London's cutting-edge club culture--with exuberance, and offers an enjoyable and positive look of gay life rarely seen in films. In 1998, LIKE IT IS played to sold out festival crowds, rave reviews and smash openings in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami and other US cities. "Studded with good performances" (The Advocate) by actors Ian Rose and Steve Bell--who has been called "an amazing talent--clearly gorgeous, with marvelously expressive eyes, a chiseled body, powerful charisma" (Bay Area Reporter)-- and the legendary Roger Daltrey of The Who who is "appealingly devilish" (NY Times), as well as British pop star Dani Behr as pouty, spoiled diva.

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Friends Forever (1986) Review

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(More customer reviews)'Friends Forever' (Danish, with English subtitles) is a 1980s coming-of-age film concerned with growing up and friendships. The principal character is Kristian (about 15 years old) who arrives at a new school and is initially drawn to an outsider, Henrik, who is - as always - taunted for his difference. Fearing that this friendship will be a liability, Kristian falls in with the 'in group', led by Patrick (14/15 years old), who quickly becomes his best friend. The film then follows the inevitable ups and downs of this friendship, applying the full gamut of coming-of-age experiences: first crush, homosexuality, alcohol, first sexual experience with an older woman, student rebellion, and so on.
While this probably sounds a tired theme, it is actually one of the better films of its genre. Absent the puritanical values that usually stem from mainstream US-made films, 'Friends Forever' has a relaxed, non-judgemental feel. In particular, it avoids gay/straight stereotypes, and certainly does not shy from male nudity (although the full frontal shots are the preserve of a couple of 20-something characters). The acting is well-done, and the characters come across as highly plausible; the soundtrack and production values are unmistakably mid-80s, which adds a additional ambiance. There is a great deal of humour in the film (not least the 1980s hairstyles and roll-up jacket sleeves / shiny short-shorts apparel ! - which, admittedly, only comes to us from our retrospective vantage point) and it ends with a hilarious French-farce-style song-and-dance number, involving the entire cast.
Whilst not emotionally challenging, or dark in any way, 'Friends Forever' is a thoroughly enjoyable, feel-good film which easily bears more than one viewing. It's great to see it finally brought to DVD, along with some of its peers (see, for example, 'Lakki'). Definitely one for the collection.

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Kristian is a shy 16-year-old starting at a new school.Like all boys his age he is uncertain of his new environment.He is drawn to to Henrik an androgynous, charismatic and independent older student, a warm friendship slowly develops.On the other side of the school s spectrum and Ktistian s radar is Patrick, a bully and troublemaker who stirs another kind of feeling in Kristian.Kristian's world gets turned upside down when Patrick introduces Kristian to his boyfriend. This leads Kristian to his first sexual encounter, but does not lead him to the man he really desires, Patrick. Friends Foreveris over 20 years old but still rings true today as a positive and potent film about growing up and coming out.It is a classic time piece from Denmark, a must for all DVD collectors.

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Fest Selects: Best Gay Shorts, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw several of these shorts at a film festival and hoped I'd eventually find them on iTunes or one of these comps, but in watching the entire collection, I'm now more of a fan of the ones I hadn't yet seen!
AFTER - 7/10 - Not gonna lie, if the object of the three guys affection was a little hunkier, I'd have maybe made this an 8/10, but I can totally identify with crushing on str8 jocks in school and I enjoyed this one more for not being so melodramatic at the end.
BEDFELLOWS - 10/10 - This one was such a knockout in terms of its visuals and its acting. I think its the first time I've ever cried watching a short film and yet by the end, I was grinning ear to ear. The soundtrack also really swept me along as a rather hypnotic dream sequence unfolded in a gorgeous way. Excellent, excellent stuff.
CURIOUS THING - 6/10 - I remembered this one a bit different from when I saw it first. I liked it again but the emotional reaction I had to it wasn't there this time, maybe because I had just watched After which is rather similar. A good film but it went by pretty quick.
GAYBY - 9/10 - Had seen this one and it holds up on 2nd viewing. The one film with a legit female character, and she really serves it in a great comedic performance, while her hot male counterpart is pretty funny too. The scene on the roof was very meloncholy and it was a great touch after making us laugh so much during the bedroom scene.
GAYSHARKTANK.COM - 7/10 - Another film that I remembered differently that maybe didn't feel the same on 2nd view. Really funny at times, but for whatever reason I felt there were moments where it dragged (no pun intened). Highlights were wife looking for her husband on the site and the trans hooker who offered 'parties!'
MY NAME IS LOVE - 6/10 - The one film I'd have maybe skipped. I guess I can understand if people like this kind of film but felt a bit too slow, the only one over 20 minutes. Also have to say that trying to make one of the characters' major indiscretions seem pitiable turned me off, plus the film just sort of ends in an odd place. Take it or leave it.
MOUSE'S BIRTHDAY - 7/10 - I watched this one twice just because it went by so quickly. Avant-garde stuff in queer films is always a welcome thing for me, it's where queer films started, and this is the queerest of the films on the DVD. Intriguing visual style, and it's better than the standard mindless gay comedies for sure.
STEAM - 8/10 - This is maybe the one film in the collection that seems groundbreaking, but yet its flawed as well. It is political, it is philosophical, and yet its sexy as well. The ending came out of nowhere and yet I was wondering what the director meant by it (is he/she straight??). But the fact that it makes me think about it after I watched it means the director came up with something weightier than a standard gay short, and we need more of those vs. the same.

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The Butch Factor (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Gay and bisexual men long have used "butch" and "straight-acting" to judge the perceived masculinity, or lack thereof, of other men and their own masculinity. Such terms have provoked debate within the LGBT community; however, not everyone uses those terms...at least, not to mean the same things.
The Butch Factor delves into this ongoing struggle to identify what makes one more or less of "a man." Filmmaker Christopher Hines scoured the United States for examples of men who represent the masculine end of the gay spectrum. He found police officers, rodeo cowboys, actors and athletes who define themselves as more straight-acting and less effeminate than other gay men. They aren't all anti-femme, and their masculinity seems natural rather than an act.
Hines also interviewed a handful of less-masculine gay men for perspective and balance. For them, their effeminate characteristics are innate and not something they consciously adopted. They are some of the strongest characters in the film because they overcame the abuse they suffered as children for being gay while their more straight-acting counterparts could hide it. The Butch Factor ultimately reveals that long-standing social mores and gender stereotypes are more to blame for the prevailing desire for more masculine traits in a partner, even among gay men. While the movie doesn't settle many arguments, it is an interesting exploration of this enduring debate.

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From the Castro culture of the 1970s to today s Bears and gym rats, this fascinating investigation of gay men and sexuality blows the lid off old stereotypes and showcases a battalion of interviewees including muscle men, rodeo riders, rugby players and cops. The men speak candidly on topics from homophobia to metrosexuality to embracing effeminacy as they reveal what it means to be a gay man in America today.

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Silverlake Life - The View from Here (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)One night I was up late flipping through stations when I found this playing on the Sundance channel. Like many of the reviewers before me, I was just going to watch a little until something better came on. However, after 5 minutes I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and my heart and emotions were 100% into this couple dealing with AIDS. At the end of this movie I cried as though these people were friends of mine. It touched me so much I have spent months trying to find its name. If you haven't seen it- BUY NOW! This documentary is a true life lesson for everyone- teaching the importance of living your life to the fullest, telling your loved ones how much you care for them every moment you can and for those who STILL do not believe there is such thing as true love in a ... relationship- this couple will show you a love that few people (straight or otherwise) will ever have.

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10 years following its theatrical debut, this landmark film continues to captivate audiences around the world with its raw and powerful honesty. Winner of over 10 International Awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, SILVERLA

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En Tu Ausencia (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)A coming-of-age tale with more than a few twists, director Ivan Noel's debut makes superb use of its setting--the gorgeous rolling hills and verdant fields of Andalusia in southern Spain--to underscore young Pablo's (a note-perfect Gonzalo Sanchez Salas) discovery of secrets, both about himself as a growing lad haunted by his father's death, and about his family in general.
While his put-upon mom tries to make ends meet, Pablo--whose father died in an accident, the nature of which is only revealed gradually in flashbacks--roams the fecund countryside, frequently accompanied by his vastly more mature tomboy friend Julia (spark-plug Ana Tutor, in a star-making performance). Alone one day, he comes across a man, Paco, (Francisco Alfonsin) lounging beside his broken-down car. A conversation is started and then interrupted by the nosey local postman, who warns Pablo about strange men. The postman gone, the conversation resumes--and where it leads shakes Pablo and everyone around him to the core.
Director Noel shoots the gloriously sunlit countryside around the village of Jerez with the eye of a painter while showing his expertise at playing with audience expectations. It is this sure-handed way with what turns out to be a surprising narrative, the naturalism of the local townspeople in their first acting roles, and the almost dangerous sensuality of the cinematography, that marks In Your Absence as a very impressive first film.
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN AMAZON'S LISTING:
13-year-old Pablo is a quiet, lonely boy with a troubled past. His only friend is Julia, a shameless 15-year-old girl who is more than willing to help Pablo with his transition from childhood to adolescence, and give him some advice on sex, love and life in general. On a quiet country road just outside of the village, Pablo meets Paco, an oddly calm, well dressed stranger whose car just broke down. Nevertheless, he seems more interested in the boy than fixing his problem. At first Pablo maintains a cautious distance from the stranger, vaguely heeding his fellow villagers' advice to keep his distance. However, the boy's subconscious quest to find understanding of his dark past and guilt makes him lose all of his protective layers. He sees a new friend in Paco; someone he can open up to and feel valued by almost like a replacement father. As Pablo's affection grows for the man, he is unknowingly and blindly being lead toward a tragedy that will scar him for life.

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Item Name: En Tu Ausencia; Studio:Vanguard Cinema

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Payton Collins Serial Rapist Review

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(More customer reviews)If this is an example of Payton Collins films then I won't be buying any more. Very slow moving.I had to use the fast forward button on many occasions. Just an excuse to have frontal nudity without any justification. The film badly needs a story -one can see nudity anywhere.Nobody in their right mind would let himself be picked up by such a weirdo .Seeing someone tied up with an ongoing erection when he should have been terrified makes one wonder about the director's intentions.Judging by the trailers the other films of his seem to be the same sort of junk.

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The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green brings to life Eric Ormer's long-running comic strip of the same name. Although it took a lot of choices to create an eighty-eight minute movie out of sixteen years of comic strips, the result does capture the social whirl, the promise, and the despair of Ethan Green's life.
Ethan Green (Daniel Letterle) is a 26-year old gay man who has joined with lesbian Charlotte (Shanola Hampton) to rent a house from Ethan's old heart-throb Leo (David Monahan). Ethan has just started a fling with a married, just-out-of-the-closet baseball player, Kyle (Diego Sorrano). When Leo decides to sell the house, Ethan gets a suggestion from cute 19-year old Punch (Dean Shelton) to use the services of depressed Sunny Deal (Rebecca Lowman) to delay any sale. Ethan and others get advice from Ethan's mom (Meredith Baxter) and the two Hat Sisters (Richard Riehle and Joel Brooks). Meanwhile Leo may have developed an interest in a Log Cabin Republican, and Kyle may like Jason Chang. Ethan's tendency to push people away if they get too close sets yo-yo relationships into action. It all resolves happily enough, although Ethan has the opportunity to spoil things enough to generate a sequel.
Since this is a lower-budget production, there was little opportunity to illustrate the science-fiction sorts of themes that were in the strip. To offset this, Eric Ormer was able to create an animated cartoon sequence illuminating one character.
The acting was pretty good overall. I thought the Hat Sisters and Ethan's mother were exactly as they were in the comics. Ethan here is nicer and more passive than in the comics. He is cruised but doesn't cruise, he can resist having sex even when his angel allows it, and he relies on advice to initiate action. In the strip, Ethan is frequently depressed or hostile; in the film Ethan slows down some to consider matters but doesn't get into a funk, other than one scene with Charlotte where he repeatedly calls his own behavior self-destructive. The movie is happy with a dash of farce. It's not a problem or unprecedented, just a choice.
Skin shots are plentiful. Ethan has the most, but Kyle, Punch, Leo, and Juarez (Ramon de Ocampo), an ex of Ethan living with his mother, get to show off too.
The extras are a commentary track by the director, screenwriter, and executive producer, an alternative opening scene with optional commentary, the trailer, a short featurette by Eric Orner giving the history of the comic strip, and some other trailers. You might check out Orner's Ethan Green comic books in the book section too.
The film is able to link many of the traditional brief strips together into a coherent story arc. Fans of the comic strip need not hesitate. People not familiar with the strip will not be disadvantaged. Go for it.


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This hilarious gay romantic-comedy follows Ethan Green, an adorable 26-year year old professional assistant looking for love in all the wrong places. A self-proclaimed serial monogamist, Ethan finds that no boyfriend is really "the one". -Based on the popular cult comic strip by Eric Orner, published since 1990 -Loaded with laugh-out-loud bonus features

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Making Love (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)Many movies that are now considered classics didn't start out that way. "Wizard of Oz" turned only a modest profit as a new release. "Casablanca" did okay, but it was forgotten for years until TV showings made it an audience favourite. "Citizen Kane" was little short of a box-office disaster.
"Making Love" is newer than those films, but it seems to be following the same path. In first release, it was dismissed as too softly soapy by gay audiences and as too much by straight ones, primarily because of one gorgeously sensual kiss between its two male stars. Twenty years on, we've all calmed down, and "Making Love" is looking better and better.
Although the script falls into the usual Hollywood trap of making everyone in the film devastatingly attractive and well over the median income line, Michael Ontkean, Harry Hamlin, and Kate Jackson deliver honest emotional connection with their characters. Jackson is the surprise of the film, turning in a powerful performance that will surprise "Charlie's Angels" fans. Ontkean's sensitive portrayal of a man who realises he's gay after eight years of marriage is a tour-de-force. Hamlin delivers, too, fleshing out the movie's love triangle as a writer who brings Ontkean's character out, then dumps him because he's afraid of commitment.
Yes, "Making Love" is something of a soap opera, and yes, it's a bit too determined to avoid giving offence. It still treads where very few movies dare to go, into the hearts of good people trying to make the best of a difficult situation. Even at its end, the film yields surprises. Kate Jackson's character is seen as content with her remarriage after losing Ontkean; using the most economical means, Jackson lets us know that her gay ex-husband was truly the love of her life, and that her ultimate act of love was to let him go.
There are two names seldom mentioned in connection with this movie that should be singled out: Dame Wendy Hiller and Daniel Melnick. Dame Wendy is a delight as Winnie Bates, a neighbour who is friend to the young gay doctor and his wife; her performance gives "Making Love" much of its texture. And Daniel Melnick, as producer, deserves kudos, too. Melnick's early career was in 1950's TV, when the tube still had some notions of social responsibility. That ethic carries over into "Making Love"; Melnick took an extraordinary professional risk putting his name on this movie, and he is owed a debt of gratitude by everyone who loves "Making Love". Melnick's next film was "Footloose", so he landed on his feet, if ever anyone did.
Again, it's a great little movie, and you won't regret making the acquaintance of the people so lovingly brought to life in it. To everyone who worked on the film: You had guts, and we appreciate what you accomplished more and more as the years roll by.

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What would you do if your husband fell in love - with another man? "Making Love" is about Zack (Michael Ontkean) and Claire (Kate Jackson) - two attractive, successful and playful affectionate partners who share the perfect marriage. He's a medic. She's a TV exec. And they're about to buy an absolutely gorgeous Beverly Hills home. Enter Bart (Harry Hamlin). He's a gay writer whose striking good looks pepper his social life with enough one-night stands so that he easily avoids commitment. When they first meet, Zack is merely curious. Gradually, he decides to take the plunge. Less about homosexuality than self-discovery, "Making Love" tackles the fundamentals of life - pain, loss, recovery - with astonishing sincerity and candor. Some critical scenes - such as when Zack tells Claire what's really happening to their marriage - are handled with a sensitivity rarely found in American movies. Highlighted by touching performances, "Making Love" really probes the depths of passion - in all of us.

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