Seeing You in Circles

OK, this posting is not about hot, rough sex or cum-filled cavities. Here's my attempt to get culture on you. It's a movie review. Anybody who has ever seen my profile on either xTube or DudesNude knows that I plug a short film titled "Seeing You in Circles."

It was written by Sam McConnell and Nick Citton, directed by McConnell, and stars Michael Cavadias, Sean Labbe and Caleb Lane. You might recognize Michael Cavadias from his brief role as the transvestite in "Wonder Boys" with Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire and Robert Downey Jr. ... And if you've been paying attention to hot male media the past few years, you might recognize Caleb Lane.

When I say it's a short film, I'm talking about 20 minutes. The first time I saw it, it was on the Logo network's Click List of gay shorts. I was totally blown away by this film. Not only is the writing original, it's true to life. The characters, in so short a time, become real people, even the peripheral characters like the drunk at the bar, the piano player, and, my god yes, the classic waitress. So even though it lasts only 20 minutes, the actors put their heart and soul into their performances and you won't forget them after seeing this.

But I guess the thing that really grabbed me about this film was the way in which it was presented by Sam McConnell, the writer/director. The title is something of a clue here. The word "circles" basically refers to how the movie progresses. If you love films and are familiar with Quentin Tarantino, think "Pulp Fiction." That movie technically doesn't begin at the beginning, but through very subtle moves you begin in the middle, progress to the end, then revert back to the beginning, all rather seamlessly.

I first came across this technique in college a few years ago when I read John McPhee's "Coming Into the Country," a neoclassic written in the 1970s about the Alaskan wilderness. McPhee goes on a journey down a wild river in Alaska and you don't realize until a certain point that he has started his narrative halfway downstream, takes you to the end, then magically starts you on the beginning of his trip halfway through the story. The ability to tap this technique with skill is so rare, these are the only three examples of it I can cite. Some better-read, more well-versed folks may be able to cite scores of such works, but I'm happy to at least have recognized it when I saw and fell in love with "Seeing You in Circles."

Without giving away too much about the story itself, it's basically about 3 guys. Two are current lovers, and one of them is the former lover of the third guy, played by Cavadias. It is his character's 33rd birthday, something of a crisis for him, and to help him get over it, his former lover, played by Sean Labbe, meets him at one of their former hangouts -- an all-night diner in Brooklyn. The former lover brings along his current boyfriend, and that's where Caleb Lane comes in.

OK, here's one of the secrets to Will (me) for anybody who didn't already know: Caleb Lane is one of my idols. He's the hottest fucking stud I've ever had the chance to say hey to, and have him say hey back... Yeah, sounds like a girlie-like crush on Taylor Lautner, I know. But fuck, bros, he is hot, sexy, smart and funny. Check out his pics here... Do his guns look familiar? LOL. Not an accident. But getting back to the movie, Lane holds the key to understanding this little gem. So pay attention to him. ;-)

One other ode to this piece and another shoutout to Sam McConnell is the use of music in this film. There are only 3 songs throughout the piece, other than some music in the background being played by the piano man -- a Billy Idol tune that plays a small part in the plot, some Gershwin, and "Eleanor Rigby." The three other songs that he uses fit the mood and storyline of this film perfectly, so kudos to Sam for his choices here. It's that kind of attention to detail that makes this flick so nice.

The attention to detail, by the way, extends to the on-site location used in the filming. It was shot almost entirely inside an actual, classic greasy spoon called the Miss Williamsburg Diner in Brooklyn. I wanted to make a pilgrimage to it after I first saw this film, but sadly, it burned in a fire shortly after filming was done. Nothing much is left of the place nowadays but it lives on in Sam McConnell's film.

If you're interested in seeing this film now that I've made it immortal (lol), you can check it out through Amazon.com. You can download your own copy for $1.99.

--Will