Amazon.com video review:
An older artist, shunned by the white-hot media of the contemporary world,
begins to glow again when he meets a handsome, not-altogether all-American
boy. In 1998, two writer-directors brought extraordinary care to this
subject, creating films that appeared on several top 10 lists. Gods and
Monsters won an Oscar for Bill Condon's screenplay and a nomination for
Ian McKellen's acting. Richard Kwietniowski's Love and Death on Long
Island was forgotten during the award season. John Hurt has rarely been
better as Giles De'Ath, a renowned British author of dry, laborious text.
By sheer accident he sees a Porky's-type comedy at the theater:
Hot Pants College II. About to leave, he spies on screen his very
idea of beauty: a near-talentless American actor named Ronnie Bostock
(Jason Priestley, in another deft, underseen performance). So starts
De'Ath's very long trek out of his shell. He is so out of touch that when
he purchases a VCR (to see the original Hot Pants College, no less),
he doesn't realize he needs a TV set to view the picture. By film's end, he
will meet his idol and jump into an abyss. Kwietniowski's debut film has
uncommon sensitivity in the realm of fantasy and dream makers. As with
Gods and Monsters, its homosexual undercurrent can play comfortably
in front of straight viewers looking for crisp writing, fresh
perspectives, and great acting. --Doug Thomas
