Review by D. Phillips
Rating:
This an interesting assortment of films that manages generally to be diverse, entertaining and generally thought provoking.The first film is the charming “Crush”. The film starts with a preteen girl looking at a picture of hunky, teenage star and then cuts to a slightly older young man looking at the same picture. The film goes on to follow the eventual friendship of the young man and girl (who of course develops a crush for him). The actors in the film all seem very natural and most of the fun is watching them interact with each other as well as how they’re going to work out their differences. A very satisfying and enjoyable effort about a potentially painful subject.The next film “The Mountain King” is also fun to watch but less satisfying dramatically. It begins with a man reading alone on a beach and another man who comes asks for a light then strips and runs into the ocean inviting the other man to come on in. The film follows these two men as they talk about their lives and eventually couple in a fairly graphic sequence. The film has a strong narrative pull and is always interesting but the resolution is not very satsifying (still this film is as good as anything in Boys Life 3).”…Lost” is just a shade away from being porn. It is extremely brief (just a few minutes) and then ends with a smack and punch line. There is a tone of seriousness at the end that seems to be meant to justify pushing the sex on the viewer but really the film is just about the act itself. The worst film of the lot.The final film, “The Confession” maybe the best. It deals with subjects that are typically not dealt with in these short film collections. It is about an older gay couple–one of whom is dying of an unspecified disease (although we are told early on it is not aids) and wants to confess his sins to a priest for absolution. His need causes a rift in the thirty plus year relationship. This brief film manages to tackle mortality and gay suspicion of the church all within its brief running time and to do it with poignancy, humanity and humor. There is a lot here and yet the film does not feel (as many ambitious shorts do) as if it is too stuffed with material for its running time. It manages to resolve itself gracefully and it ends this collection on a high note that leaves the viewer with much to ponder.An enjoyable generally worthwhile collection of films that will please any fan of the genre. It’s the best collection I’ve seen since the first Boys Life.

Review by T. Hulse
Rating:
All of the shorts are good however the short called “Crush” was outstanding. This is a must for the video collection. I must say that this is an adult film because of the sexual content and the full frontal nudes in some of the other shorts. Crush was “PG” however most of the others are “R” or NC17. Put this gem in your collection. ( Not for conservitive viewers)

Review by Amos Lassen
Rating:
“Boys to Men”

Gay Shorts

Amos Lassen

“Boys to Men” is not a new collection but I just rediscovered it and so while it is fresh in my mind, I decided to go ahead and write a review. This is a diverse collection which both entertains and provokes thought.

“Crush” is a story of teens and a coming-of-age story about a young girl who has a crush on a guy who is gay and it depicts the emotions of youth beautifully as well as the insecurities.

“The Mountain King” begins with a man reading on a beach when he is approached by another man for a light. He then strips and runs into the water and motions for the other man to join him. We watch as the two men talk about themselves and eventually they come together in quite a graphic sequence.

“Lost” is a very short almost pornographic film that knocks you right in the face.

Finally, “The Confession” deals with an older gay couple of which one of the partners is dying and he wants to confess his sins. This causes some disagreement between the two men who have been together for about thirty years. We get a look at morality and the idea of gay distrust of the church but there is also humor and poignancy and humor.

All in all, it is an interesting collection with something for everyone.