Weekend (2011) directed by Andrew Haigh

After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.

Director: Andrew Haigh

Writer: Andrew Haigh

Stars: Tom Cullen, Chris New and Laura Freeman

Taglines: A (sort of) love story between two guys over a cold weekend in October.

Genres: Drama | Romance

Storyline: On a Friday night after a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club, alone and on the pull. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special. That weekend, in bars and in bedrooms, getting drunk and taking drugs, telling stories and having sex, the two men get to know each other. It is a brief encounter that will resonate throughout their lives. Weekend is both an honest and unapologetic love story between two guys and a film about the universal struggle for an authentic life in all its forms. It is about the search for identity and the importance of making a passionate commitment to your life.

Awards: WINNER - Emerging Visions Audience Award at SXSW 2011
WINNER - Grand Jury Award, OutFest 2011
WINNER - Grand Jury Prize / Best Actor, Nashville Film Festival 2011
WINNER - Audience Award, Toronto Inside Out Film Festival

@IMDb
@Amazon: Weekend (2011)



( more pictures )

Cast (in alphabetical order)
Tom Cullen ... Russell
Chris New ... Glen
Kieran Hardcastle ... Sam
Sarah Churm ... Helen
Laura Freeman ... Jill
Jonathan Race ... Jamie
Vauxhall Jermaine ... Damien
Jonathan Wright ... Johnny
Loreto Murray ... Cathy (as Loretto Murray)
Steve Blackman ... Straight Man in Bar
Joe Doherty ... Justin
Julius Metson Scott ... Paul

Weekend (2011) directed by Andrew Haigh

After a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special.

Director: Andrew Haigh

Writer: Andrew Haigh

Stars: Tom Cullen, Chris New and Laura Freeman

Taglines: A (sort of) love story between two guys over a cold weekend in October.

Genres: Drama | Romance

Storyline: On a Friday night after a drunken house party with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a gay club, alone and on the pull. Just before closing time he picks up Glen but what's expected to be just a one-night stand becomes something else, something special. That weekend, in bars and in bedrooms, getting drunk and taking drugs, telling stories and having sex, the two men get to know each other. It is a brief encounter that will resonate throughout their lives. Weekend is both an honest and unapologetic love story between two guys and a film about the universal struggle for an authentic life in all its forms. It is about the search for identity and the importance of making a passionate commitment to your life.

Awards: WINNER - Emerging Visions Audience Award at SXSW 2011
WINNER - Grand Jury Award, OutFest 2011
WINNER - Grand Jury Prize / Best Actor, Nashville Film Festival 2011
WINNER - Audience Award, Toronto Inside Out Film Festival

@IMDb
@Amazon: Weekend (2011)



( more pictures )

Cast (in alphabetical order)
Tom Cullen ... Russell
Chris New ... Glen
Kieran Hardcastle ... Sam
Sarah Churm ... Helen
Laura Freeman ... Jill
Jonathan Race ... Jamie
Vauxhall Jermaine ... Damien
Jonathan Wright ... Johnny
Loreto Murray ... Cathy (as Loretto Murray)
Steve Blackman ... Straight Man in Bar
Joe Doherty ... Justin
Julius Metson Scott ... Paul

Intercession: First Impressions by Rosemary Cross

“When Lucifer looked upon God's works, he vowed to destroy it all. He followed Adam and Eve from the Garden and stole Abel's soul before his drew his final breath, thus creating the first vampire. Since then all vampires have been damned creatures, their souls lost without hope.”

This is the incipit of this vampire/angel paranormal novella, first instalment in a continuous series (be warned, if you like it as I did, you will want to read them one after the other). David is a 50 years old vampire turned when he was barely 18 years old; being a vampire he should not have a soul and for sure he should not believe in the mercy of God, but David’s mother was a pious woman who made David promises he would find his brother Danny, lost when he was only 10 years old. After 50 years of useless search, David realizes he has only one last chance, to ask help to God. And surprisingly, God decides to answer to his pray and send Jophiel, an angel, as David’s aid.

Jophiel is the first one to be surprised since he was taught vampires have no soul, but he soon finds out David is different, and if at first he had questioned God’s mission, considering it a punishment, now he is very much involved.

There is sexual tension between David and Jophiel, but nothing that in this novella will be consumed. David is gay, but Jophiel is, like angels should be, asexual. I love how the author presents Jophiel, and is blinking to express every emotion, blink to disapproval, blink to surprise, blink approval, is so cute, especially since David is able to understand him even without words.

I like the author played with common paranormal elements in an original way, there was nothing really new in this novella, but how she mixed them together made for a very nice reading.

http://www.rainbowtrailpress.net/2011/10/intercession-first-impressions_12.html

Amazon Kindle: First Impressions (Intercession)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Intercession: First Impressions by Rosemary Cross

“When Lucifer looked upon God's works, he vowed to destroy it all. He followed Adam and Eve from the Garden and stole Abel's soul before his drew his final breath, thus creating the first vampire. Since then all vampires have been damned creatures, their souls lost without hope.”

This is the incipit of this vampire/angel paranormal novella, first instalment in a continuous series (be warned, if you like it as I did, you will want to read them one after the other). David is a 50 years old vampire turned when he was barely 18 years old; being a vampire he should not have a soul and for sure he should not believe in the mercy of God, but David’s mother was a pious woman who made David promises he would find his brother Danny, lost when he was only 10 years old. After 50 years of useless search, David realizes he has only one last chance, to ask help to God. And surprisingly, God decides to answer to his pray and send Jophiel, an angel, as David’s aid.

Jophiel is the first one to be surprised since he was taught vampires have no soul, but he soon finds out David is different, and if at first he had questioned God’s mission, considering it a punishment, now he is very much involved.

There is sexual tension between David and Jophiel, but nothing that in this novella will be consumed. David is gay, but Jophiel is, like angels should be, asexual. I love how the author presents Jophiel, and is blinking to express every emotion, blink to disapproval, blink to surprise, blink approval, is so cute, especially since David is able to understand him even without words.

I like the author played with common paranormal elements in an original way, there was nothing really new in this novella, but how she mixed them together made for a very nice reading.

http://www.rainbowtrailpress.net/2011/10/intercession-first-impressions_12.html

Amazon Kindle: First Impressions (Intercession)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Just Don’t Mess With Us, Family Matters by Andrew Ashling

This is a funny romp but do not search a realistic story in here; unless you don’t compare it to some frat house type of story where the boys involved always try to prove that, under 21 years old you are really not an adult. Don't get mistaken by the cover, there is very little of innocence or naivete in this book.

Actually one of the four boys, Matt, is 22 years old, and then there is Jason, 19, Jamie, 17 and Alan, the narrative voice, 19. Alan doesn’t say much about how they are together, I did my own version, probably Matt found all three of them in different moment and they ended living together in Matt’s house. Since there is no parents in the picture, and apparently no one of them is working, actually Jamie is still going to high school, my idea is that Matt is a trust fund boy and he is maintaining all of them. If you are wondering how Jamie, that is underage, is allowed to live with them, add to the picture that Jason is a tech wizard and not they are “officially” brothers, even if nothing brotherly is happening between them. Matt, Alan, Jason and Jamie are in a foursome, and apparently it’s working really well, and that is the main incipit of each chapter, that is a single story of its own: Alan wants to prove to the reader how good they are together and how they can overcome all issues.

I have to say that some of the tricks they organize against people who did them wrong are really wicked, to a level that I almost felt pity for the object of their vengeance. Truth, it’s a backslash, they attack only when attacked, but nevertheless they are merciless. That is where the not-realistic side of the story comes into view, it feels a little impossible for them to not being questioned, but I don’t think realism was what the author was searching, this is a funny romp, and as such, it accomplishes its task.

Building the story in this way, each chapter a story of its own, allow the author to have an endlessly source of inspiration; Matt, Alan, Jason and Jamie’s story is not a circle that is closed with the last chapter, but it’s more like a series of vignettes, and if the author likes them, as I think, they are always there ready for more “devil” adventures.

Amazon Kindle: Just Don't Mess With Us: Family Matters
Publisher: Ormidon Publishing; 2.0 edition (May 1, 2011)

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Just Don’t Mess With Us, Family Matters by Andrew Ashling

This is a funny romp but do not search a realistic story in here; unless you don’t compare it to some frat house type of story where the boys involved always try to prove that, under 21 years old you are really not an adult. Don't get mistaken by the cover, there is very little of innocence or naivete in this book.

Actually one of the four boys, Matt, is 22 years old, and then there is Jason, 19, Jamie, 17 and Alan, the narrative voice, 19. Alan doesn’t say much about how they are together, I did my own version, probably Matt found all three of them in different moment and they ended living together in Matt’s house. Since there is no parents in the picture, and apparently no one of them is working, actually Jamie is still going to high school, my idea is that Matt is a trust fund boy and he is maintaining all of them. If you are wondering how Jamie, that is underage, is allowed to live with them, add to the picture that Jason is a tech wizard and not they are “officially” brothers, even if nothing brotherly is happening between them. Matt, Alan, Jason and Jamie are in a foursome, and apparently it’s working really well, and that is the main incipit of each chapter, that is a single story of its own: Alan wants to prove to the reader how good they are together and how they can overcome all issues.

I have to say that some of the tricks they organize against people who did them wrong are really wicked, to a level that I almost felt pity for the object of their vengeance. Truth, it’s a backslash, they attack only when attacked, but nevertheless they are merciless. That is where the not-realistic side of the story comes into view, it feels a little impossible for them to not being questioned, but I don’t think realism was what the author was searching, this is a funny romp, and as such, it accomplishes its task.

Building the story in this way, each chapter a story of its own, allow the author to have an endlessly source of inspiration; Matt, Alan, Jason and Jamie’s story is not a circle that is closed with the last chapter, but it’s more like a series of vignettes, and if the author likes them, as I think, they are always there ready for more “devil” adventures.

Amazon Kindle: Just Don't Mess With Us: Family Matters
Publisher: Ormidon Publishing; 2.0 edition (May 1, 2011)

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle