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Us, Regardless (2013)
Can we .. will we .. make it?
An Indian guy (Indrit Kasapi) and a white guy (Dan Bertolini), in a long and developing relationship, are preparing to go to bed. They hear through the wall that their straight neighbors are breaking up their engagement. The conversation between the two men is an assessment of where their relationship has come from and where it might go. They talk about what they might do to protect their relationship. They speak of the pressures they feel from each other and from their families, and the pressures they perceive from outside .. friends, co-workers and even facebook. There is good character development and the cinematography is worthy of a longer work. This seven-minute "short" from Canada is well-written and believably acted.
Naked Dragon (2014)
police procedural drama with some romance
Naked Dragon [2014] is a more than pleasant directorial debut by G.A. Houser, who was also author, co-screen writer and executive producer. It is a police procedural drama with a large dash of romance set in unspecified modern times in Los Angeles. Davon Williams plays a rookie police officer (Dave Harris) who is, from the opening scenes, competent and confidant. Jesse Seann Atkinson plays a psychic FBI Agent (Robbie Taylor) assigned especially because of the gruesome nature of a mega-serial killer's multi-state rampage. As a drama, I give this film a B-. The story is compelling and played with enough enthusiasm by all the actors involved. As a police procedural, I give it a B+ with interplay between LAPD and FBI, the biggest fault being the action taking place off-screen and we pick up with the aftermath and the FBI guys being wooden (doh) until the last 10 minutes. But as a romance, I give Naked Dragon an A. Williams and Atkinson make a very attractive and believable couple. Williams' shy awkwardness is well-balanced by Atkinson's "knowing." The kisses are actually credible. The intimacy scenes are mostly shrouded in shadow but without holding back. All-in-all, it was a good and well-developed plot played believably by competent actors who, as it happens, were not afraid to kiss each other. That makes for an excellent LGBT film in my book.