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Amos Lassen wrote on 02/21/2011:

“PHOENIX”
A New Kind of Gay Film
Amos Lassen
Director Michael D. Akers, Jr. who previously made “Gone, But Not Forgotten” gives us a raw and emotional drama. Made on a small budget, the movie has no special effects but it does have a great script. “Phoenix” will mesmerize you so much that you will not want it to end.
When we first meet Dylan Wells, thoughtfully portrayed by Chad Edward Bartley, he appears oafish and slow. Yet as we get to know him we realize that he is simply the product of naiveté. He has a good job and a great apartment but something is not quite right. It seems that what is wrong s his relationship with his boyfriend Ken (Gaetano Jones). Ken just never is around when Dylan wants to introduce him to his friends. Until he was 23, Dylan made peace with this arrangement but after an argument, Kate leaves and disappears. Naturally worried, Dylan goes on a search for his lover and it takes him to Phoenix where he gets a surprise. Ken has been having an affair with another man, Demetrius (Jeff Castle) who is very sexy and even more than that, he is earthy. Now Dylan and Demetrius become allies as they begin, together, to search foe Ken and to find out what went wrong in their relationships.
What then happens is that in their search for their lover, the two men fall in love with each other and the sex they experience hot and passionate sex which also heals the pain of their losing Ken. What else happens in the film will be up to you to find out.
Inspired by the great Italian film, Antonioni’s “LAvventura”, this is a film that explores the nature of relationships and loves and does so in a beautiful and touching way. What Akers does with this film is push the envelope and in pushing the envelope has moved gay cinema forward.
This is a beautiful film when taken as a whole. There are parts that drag a bit but when looking at the entire film; we find the creation of a new genre for gay film.
I love this movie. It was enjoyable to watch but it was even more enjoyable to think about when it was over. There is so much to consider, there is much reflection on things seen. “Phoenix” redefines the nature of relationships and while doing so presents us with an interesting story line bolstered by good acting and an intelligently literate script. In fact there is so little in this film that does not go to make up a sensible viewing experience that it is not worth mentioning. See the film, think about it and draw your own conclusions. As you watch, I bet you will close out the world as you become engrossed in an excellent film that raises movies to an entire new level.

JANORM wrote on 07/17/2009:

This film gives the audience that all to rare view of Gay love, with all of it emotional highs and lows. We follow one character in his attempt to attach himself more firmly to his lover. It is a journey of extremes, superb highs and the depths of H--l lows in in the main characters' discoveries. The final scenes are are one of consolation and redemption. This one film that can be said to be an emotional roller coaster for the audience! This is one film that should be added to your collection. LOVE, TRUE LOVE, HAS ITS OWN AGENDA AND TIME SCHEDULE!!! NJMJr!

Musss7 wrote on 11/07/2008:

Ehmmm... not bad. That's my opinion for this movie. The story line is good enough. After all, how often do we have chances to watch two gay guys fighting for another gay guy? (Specifically in a drama movie... not the comedy kind movie). The casts are great. Not the main-stream gay actors but they still suit their characters. Its just that in some scenes (especially crying scene), I could see that the actors were trying too hard. Too much effort that making the scene look a little bit awkward. But other than that, it's all okay (especially the romance scenes). However, if I you ask me which one I like the most, I rather choose Gone, But Not Forgotten than his one... and clearly, TLA's review for this movie was too sweet...

A Guy wrote on 02/19/2008:

I, too, can be very forgiving. Unlike the previous reviewers, I found the acting, plot turns, etc. to be okay. I mean, come on, I own a copy of Under One Roof - possibly the worst acted/edited (but still worthwhile) gay film ever. That said, and to save some potential purchasers (especially sensitive gay men) some grief, stay away from this film!

Look, I don't like to be a spoiler. But it's called for here, because otherwise the hype will sucker you in to a bad experience. This film is toxic. When the TLA review tells you about staying glued to the screen for 96 minutes, they're overlooking your reaction at the end. The premise is that two guys who've been burned by the same jerk can get together and make it right. By the end, we believe they are soulmates. (No, I really did. The script led us to that point, and nothing other than angst learned from straight stereotypes of the impossibility of gay men ever finding true love stood in the way.) Having been in a 20+ year relationship myself, I felt like the writer and the director were going to make the obvious jump to "of course we belong together" at the end, after the appropriate delay for effect.

But then, they didn't. The boys split, and we understood that evil won. I screamed at my screen, but it didn't help. There was no directors commentary nor actors' remarks nor deleted scenes to even help me understand what went wrong -- and in the end, that means that the setup and the letdown were intended. That the promulgators of this film intended for us to go away believing that love, in the face of the adversity of an a**hole of a previous lover, cannot triumph. That the old queens who told our heroes that it was folly were right.

Well, I'm sorry, they were wrong. These two men belong together, and at the end it was clear that they both knew it, and yet right did not triumph. If this was a cynical ploy for the sequel that will set everything right, I won't buy it. If the message was intended to be that gay LTRs can't work, I'm here to say I've proved you wrong. If the writer just ran out of ideas and couldn't keep the plot moving toward its true logical conclusion, I hope he kept his day job.

Rudy wrote on 09/30/2007:

I am about as forgiving of gay films as anyyone in his right mind should be. I'm willing to forgive all sorts of shortcomings - unrealistic dialogue, uneven acting, illogical plot turns, and certainly poor production values - if a gay-themed movie has at least some decent qualities. That said, this film was absolutely AWFUL. The actors were cute, but the acting was downright gruesome. I haven't seen performances this bad since my high school acting class (mandatory, believe it or not, which tells you just how bad some of those "actors" were). Add to that the almost non-plot and syrupy background music, and this movie is just unbearable. Don't waste your time!!