Blog from Lubbock, Texas, Author Duane Simolke.
Today in Literature: Gertrude Stein.
The Twentieth Century: Modernists: Leo and Gertrude Stein.
Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
Three Lives and Tender Buttons
Stein, Gender, Isolation, and Industrialism: New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio
Want more? Click on the Gertrude Stein label, below.
Arise and Build! Gertrude Stein.
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
Do Let Us Go Away/Three Sisters. . ./Theatre Review.
Dr. Charles Perroncel at Home.
E. E. Cummings and Gertrude Stein.
Encyclopædia Britannica Article: Gertrude Stein.
Gertrude & Alice: This Week’s Adventure.
Gertrude Stein: Blood on the Dining Room Floor.
Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On (Opera).
Gertrude Stein Biography & Writings.
Gertrude Stein: University of Buffalo’s Guide.
Gertrude Stein: Classroom Issues and Strategies.
Gertrude Stein legacy has last jab at Oakland.
Gertrude Stein Repertory Theatre.
Gertrude Stein Quotations: MemorableQuotations.com.
Hemingway’s Paris: Gertrude Stein.
Heroine Worship: Gertrude Stein.
An Interview with Gertrude Stein.
An Interview with Paul Bowles on Gertrude Stein (excerpt).
Isle of Lesbos: Poetry of Gertrude Stein.
Modern American Poetry: Gertrude Stein.
North Side: Gertrude Stein Articles.
Oriental Aesthetics: Leo and Gertrude Stein.
Paris Was A Woman/Movie Review.
Perspectives in American Literature: Gertrude Stein.
Portraits by Carl Van Vechten.
Project Gutenberg: Gertrude Stein.
“Readings,” by Gertrude Stein.
Want more? Click on the Gertrude Stein label, below.
Sophistication: Miette’s Bedtime Story Podcast.
The Spartacus Internet Encyclopedia: Sherwood Anderson.
Teach or Write About Winesburg, Ohio.
Today in History: September 13.
Today in Literature: Sherwood Anderson.
The Victorian Literary Studies Archive: Hyper-Concordance.
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia: Sherwood Anderson.
The Winesburg, Ohio Photo Album.
Winesburg, Ohio/Self-Knowledge.
Stein, Gender, Isolation, and Industrialism: New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio
Want more? Click on the Sherwood Anderson label, below.
Google Authors Directory: Sherwood Anderson.
”Hands,” by Sherwood Anderson.
HarperCollins: Sherwood Anderson.
Hemingway in Michigan/The Torrents of Spring
Hemingway’s Paris: Sherwood Anderson.
Internet Movie Database: Sherwood Anderson.
Mid-American Review: Sherwood Anderson Contest.
Modern English Collection/E-Texts at Virginia U.
Ohioana Authors: Sherwood Anderson.
Open Directory: Sherwood Anderson.
Parallel Studies in American/Afro-American Literature.
Penn State’s Electronic Classics Series: Sherwood Anderson.
Perspectives in American Literature:
Sherwood Anderson.
Random House: Sherwood Anderson.
San Antonio College Sherwood Anderson Page.
Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941).
Sherwood Anderson: A Brief Biography.
Sherwood Anderson: The New Great Books & Philosophy Forum.
Sherwood Anderson at the Mad Cybrarian's Library.
Sherwood Anderson Classroom Issues and Strategies.
The Sherwood Anderson Collection.
The Sherwood Anderson Festival.
The Sherwood Anderson Foundation.
Sherwood Anderson: InfoPlease.
Want more? Click on the Sherwood Anderson label, below.
When a gay teen faces constant bullying, the last thing he wants is to play the faerie Puck in his senior class’s production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His drama teacher insists, though, sending him on a musical odyssey.
Tanner Cohen plays the gay teen, Timothy. Cohen previously appeared as Tad on CBS’s As The World Turns, as well as in stage and film roles. He is also part of the pop duo The Guts. Like his work with The Guts, this film’s soundtrack puts Cohen’s smooth vocals to emotional use.
Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie), the drama teacher, encourages Timothy to look for the meanings in the sometimes confusing words of Puck. Instead of just meaning, he finds a hidden recipe for a spell that turns people gay.
Timothy first dreams of using the spell on the object of his crush, the handsome rugby player Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker). That seems to work, but the plan quickly goes awry, and Timothy finds his town going from homophobic to homosexual.
Despite the comical tone, this film reminds me a little of Lillies, another film in which a play becomes blurred with fantasy and the real lives of the play’s actors. Fans of that film might enjoy this inventive musical, but it should also appeal in general to fans of gay films or musicals…not that those groups don’t already overlap.
The fantasy elements work within the world of the film, as Gustafson focuses more on emotions, imagery, and music than realism. The resulting film not only looks good and sounds good but also feels good. Gustafson delivers a light-hearted celebration of love, individuality, and acceptance, worthy of the acclaim this movie has received.
Besides the talented actors I already mentioned, Were The World Mine benefits from many more. Some cast members ground the film with dramatic performances, such as Judy McLane as Timothy’s mother and Zelda Williams as one of his friends. Others shine in purely comical roles, such as Jill Larson as a cosmetics guru and Christian Stolte as the insecure coach.
Everyone involved obviously gives all, resulting in a movie that will demand repeated viewings. The music often leans more toward pop than to Broadway, giving it a wide appeal that should help it transcend the audiences I mentioned before. I recommend it for anyone who would like an unusual movie experience.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my books, including the small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.
Tensions from a Visa marriage and a manipulative sibling strain the passionate romance of a gay man and his immigrant lover.
Text:
Casper Andreas previously wrote and directed the irreverent comedy Slutty Summer, and then co-wrote and directed its spin-off, A Four Letter Word. He is also planning a second spin-off and recently directed both The Big Gay Musical and a short film. But before all of that, the Swedish immigrant wrote a role for himself in his unproduced script Between Love & Goodbye.
Deciding on a younger actor (Justin Tensen) for the role of gay immigrant Marcel, Andreas focuses on his directing duties and finally brings this drama to life. Kyle (Simon Miller) falls in love quickly with Marcel, and they decide to live together in New York City.
Unfortunately, Marcel’s Visa marriage with their friend Sarah (Jane Elliott) and the arrival of Kyle’s transgender sister (Rob Harmon as April) both test their patience and their love. Made with the same reckless abandonment as the rest of their relationship, the lovers’ reactions to these problems change their lives in ways they might regret.
Kyle and April restart their band. Besides providing a good soundtrack and revealing Simon Miller as a talented singer, the songs help move the film along, flashing through scenes of falling in love or of betrayal and anger.
Justin Tensen smolders throughout the film, always keeping some of his emotions below the surface, yet convincing viewers that Kyle could instantly fall in love with him. He anchors the cast with his tender portrayal of a young man who just wants to stay in America and in his loving relationship.
Jane Elliott provides some of the film’s more comical moments but also adds to its humanity and helps readers identify with both sides of the growing struggles between the two lovers. Rob Harmon, on the other hand, comes in like a gale force, manipulative and spiteful in his roles as April and Cole. The part of Cole involves a complicated twist in the film that I won’t give away.
All the cast members deliver solid performances, though I hope Andreas will also step back in front of the camera in the future. While he mostly focuses on drama this time around, he still entertains his audience and tells memorable stories. I look forward to seeing his upcoming films.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about my books, including the small-town fiction collection The Acorn Stories and my free eBook Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.
