East Side Story
by Carlos Portugal
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DVD details
Actor: Rene Alvarado; Cory Schneider; Steve Callahan; Gladise JimenezDirector: Carlos Portugal
Brand: WOLFE VIDEO
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-12-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: WOLFE VIDEO
DVD Reviews of East Side Story
DVD Review: East Side Story
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie on tv and enjoyed it. I liked this movie for its authenticity. There are parts that are very lighthearted. Takes place in East Los Angeles and defines the joys and struggles of a relationship that wasn't meant to be and then an attraction to a new neighbor who is already in a doomed relationship. It is a well written film and the cast is excellent. It's actually a very believable story. DVD Review: Latino Romance in East LA
Summary: 4 Stars
"East Side Story" has the feeling of a home-made production which is almost standard for TLA releases. The quality of acting is so so at best (and mostly uneven) and it is the story that either saves or kills the effort. "East Side Story" fortunately has a plot which should keep the viewers (gay viewers most likely) interested.
Diego works in a family restaurant owned by his grand-mother Sara. He is gay but he believes that nobody knows about it except his closeted lover Pablo. He is obviously wrong. His affair with Pablo goes sour when he refuses to continue playing his friend's erotic games. Fortunately, his neighbourhood begins to change and as a part of the change a gay couple moves next door.
Pablo makes an attempt to turn straight and marry Diego's crazy aunt Bianca/Blanca but Diego stops her short of taking the vows. In the meantime Diego starts falling for his neighbour Wes but Wes moved in with his BF Jon who only dreams of leaving the barrio and cashing in on the price increase (remember, it's 2006!). In the process Diego changes his restaurant into a fashionable haunt for the newly gentrified neighbourhood and Wes sends Jon away and... See for yourself!
If you can't find the title on the list of Academy Awards nomination (let's not set our hopes too high...) it's not by chance. This is just a feel-good movie with little ambition. But sometimes it's good to have a few of them handy.
DVD Review: Overcomes poor film technique
Summary: 4 Stars
Set in east LA about a gay Latino man, Diego, and his coming out who has hidden furtive encounters with Pablo, a successful real estate broker who lives in denial and loves roleplaying. Anglo homo's are moving in and gentrifying the neighborhood to the concern of many folks. Bianca (formerly Blanca) breezes in from Europe and everything is in place for the free-for-all.
It was interesting, and frustrating, to watch the back and forth nature of the plot: Two characters get together...break up...back together... There is some tension between one GWM (a twink from Mississippi) and a hilarious moment with an AA group meeting in his house. Even with the predictability of the plot several characters grew on me, notably the sister who I was ready to kill at the beginning and hug at the end.
The movie could have used a better lighting engineer, there were many scenes that were difficult to see because low light was ill aimed. However, it wasn't a deal breaker.
DVD Review: Minority man with a brain
Summary: 1 Stars
Although I try to avoid Gay Cinema at all cost because it is usually terrible, I decided to get this movie due to the fact that I saw on a rating that it had four and a half starts. What a bunch of crap and waste of time this is! Geez, can you put any more Mexican and Gay stereotypes in this instulting and derrogatory movie. Give me a brake, what Gay man (especially a Mexican Gay man)really looks like that or acts that way? It is no wonder that gay and straight men grow up with such problems as to the way they look. In addition, I feel that this type of movie creates more danger for gay teens' self-estem that any bigotry and discrimination that straight society can dish at them. In conclusion, if you really want to exercise your mind and feel proud about being Gay or a member of any minority, then watch a creative and well-done movie such as "Milk" and skip this garbage.DVD Review: what the...?!
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie, and I use the term loosely, was atrocious. It was HORRIBLE. It was...I can't even explain it. Filmakers should know better than to make a movie on vhs. It just ends up looking like a well...a vhs a home movie. SSSSOOOO BAD!!!! The acting was bad, the writing was bad, the cinematography was bad, the directing was bad and the editing was bad. There was nothing new or exciting about this film. I had high hopes for it, and the worst part was the boyfriend of the neighbor guy who was completely over acting his stereotype. It was gross. The best part of the of the movie was the ending, you know...when the credits roll up. Skip it. Trust me.
Description of East Side Story
Called a "feel good movie" by its fans, this appealing debut film of director Carlos Portugal suffers from no freshman errors, as Portugal confidently tells the story of Diego (played by the wonderful and charming Ren? Alvarado), a young, closeted Latino, who helps his grand-mother (standout Irene DeBarri) run the family restaurant while carrying on a clandestine relationship with equally closeted Pablo (the delightful David Beron).Diego has long felt trapped by the conservative culture of East LA and plans to move away and open an upscale restaurant, hopefully with his lover. But Pablo views their situation very differently - a point driven home when he begins dating Diego's spirited Aunt Bianca (hilarious sexpot Gladise Jimenez). At the same time, white gay men like Jonathan and Wesley are moving in, gentrifying the neighborhood. The attraction between Wesley and Diego is immediate and electric, forcing both men to reexamine their state of affairs in this entertaining comedic drama.
A "coming out" story that avoids all the tired cliches and stays committed to telling the stories of these characters, East Side Story examines bias of all kinds and features stirring performances by incredibly attractive actors. This story sweetly appeals to the romantic impulses of us all, gay and straight.
Handsome restaurateur Diego (Rene Alvarado, Fall to Grace) thinks he has the perfect boyfriend--until Pablo (David Beron, Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Murders) makes it clear he's not coming out of the closet, in case it might threaten his real estate business. Of course, Diego himself isn't out at work--until his flighty aunt Blanca (Gladys Jimenez, Tremors: The Series) casually reveals this to the homophobic staff. Heartbroken and alienated at work, Diego gets distracted when Wesley (Steve Callahan, Nine Lives) and Jonathan (Cory Schneider, The M.O. of M.I.), two hunky guys who are apparently allergic to shirts, move in next door. But as sparks start to fly with Wesley, Jonathan attempts to use racial strife as a tool against Diego. For a low-budget gay romance, East Side Story has broad ambitions, juxtaposing racism and homophobia without getting too heavy-handed with either. The script and the acting are a little wooden, but sincere warmth, flippant humor, unapologetic directness about its characters' lives, and a lot of well-muscled bodies give this movie its appeal. Irene DeBari, as Diego's grandmother, provides a lot of the movie's heart. --Bret Fetzer
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