Director:
Robert Gaston
Studio/Production Company:
Gaston Pictures
Genre:
Crime
Sub-Genre:
Gay/Lesbian
Length:
Feature
Awards Won:
Tampa International Gay/Lesbian Fest - Best Actress
Website:
http://www.2minuteslater.com
Score:
2.5/5
Less a compelling, coherent narrative than a whimsical exercise is style, mood and atmosphere, Robert Gaston’s “Two Minutes Later” is not for everyone, in fact, in might only be for the very, very savvy few who are able to pick up on the vibe of the film and groove to it.
On the surface –not that the film is deep enough to have much more than a surface – there is a story here about a bland, gay, insurance claims investigator, Michael (Michael Molina) who decides to visit his estranged twin brother Kyle, a notoriously arrogant Philadelphia photographer known for his homo-erotic work. Unable to reach Kyle (also Molina) when he gets to town, he becomes concerned, digs a little deeper –even posing as his twin – and an unpleasant scenario emerges. Not only is Kyle as despised by the local community as he is acclaimed for his work, he might now be the victim of foul play. Michael soon crosses paths, bumps heads and eventually joins forces with a tough talking, hard drinking, “love ‘em and leave ‘em” lesbian private investigator Abigail Marks (Jessica Graham) who has been hired by Kyle’s agent to find him.
However, by the point that any of the above happens, the film has already established itself as a flashy, shallow, short and sort of sweet piece of (queer) cinema, much like a Top 40 bubble gum pop hit and, like that inherently transient genre, the film burns bright briefly, stylish, maybe subversive, but before too long, it is, ultimately, somewhat inevitably forgettable.
Of course, it is unlikely that Gaston was really going for depth here, the pronounced lack of character development and narrative substance are dead give-aways, and, maybe taking this into consideration, the film can really be enjoyed for the surprisingly playful piece of fluff that it really is. What leads Molina and Graham lack in dramatic firepower, they more than make up for with a deliriously appealing Odd Couple rapport, it’s fun to see the role reversal of the tough broad wearing the pants (though Marks, a distinctly lipstick lesbian, seems to favor skirts and heels) as she drags the wishy-washy, somewhat dense beefcake dude through the ins and outs of the investigation, which sort of wraps up, thanks to a barely convincing plot contrivance.
The point here is that, taken with a grain of salt, some people might find “Two Minutes Later”, good, goofy fun, a severely under-written story that, while handsomely produced on a low budget (Philly has rarely looked so good on film) is not especially well acted (though Graham certainly has presence, charm and a way with snappy dialogue) but others might find the whole affair pointless and the surplus of full frontal male nudity more than a little gratuitous. It is clear that Gaston was going for something special and different here: gloss and grit, menace and humor, gay and lesbian, fluff and spectacle and, in that regard, he succeeds.
Robert Gaston
Studio/Production Company:
Gaston Pictures
Genre:
Crime
Sub-Genre:
Gay/Lesbian
Length:
Feature
Awards Won:
Tampa International Gay/Lesbian Fest - Best Actress
Website:
http://www.2minuteslater.com
Score:
2.5/5
Less a compelling, coherent narrative than a whimsical exercise is style, mood and atmosphere, Robert Gaston’s “Two Minutes Later” is not for everyone, in fact, in might only be for the very, very savvy few who are able to pick up on the vibe of the film and groove to it.
On the surface –not that the film is deep enough to have much more than a surface – there is a story here about a bland, gay, insurance claims investigator, Michael (Michael Molina) who decides to visit his estranged twin brother Kyle, a notoriously arrogant Philadelphia photographer known for his homo-erotic work. Unable to reach Kyle (also Molina) when he gets to town, he becomes concerned, digs a little deeper –even posing as his twin – and an unpleasant scenario emerges. Not only is Kyle as despised by the local community as he is acclaimed for his work, he might now be the victim of foul play. Michael soon crosses paths, bumps heads and eventually joins forces with a tough talking, hard drinking, “love ‘em and leave ‘em” lesbian private investigator Abigail Marks (Jessica Graham) who has been hired by Kyle’s agent to find him.
However, by the point that any of the above happens, the film has already established itself as a flashy, shallow, short and sort of sweet piece of (queer) cinema, much like a Top 40 bubble gum pop hit and, like that inherently transient genre, the film burns bright briefly, stylish, maybe subversive, but before too long, it is, ultimately, somewhat inevitably forgettable.
Of course, it is unlikely that Gaston was really going for depth here, the pronounced lack of character development and narrative substance are dead give-aways, and, maybe taking this into consideration, the film can really be enjoyed for the surprisingly playful piece of fluff that it really is. What leads Molina and Graham lack in dramatic firepower, they more than make up for with a deliriously appealing Odd Couple rapport, it’s fun to see the role reversal of the tough broad wearing the pants (though Marks, a distinctly lipstick lesbian, seems to favor skirts and heels) as she drags the wishy-washy, somewhat dense beefcake dude through the ins and outs of the investigation, which sort of wraps up, thanks to a barely convincing plot contrivance.
The point here is that, taken with a grain of salt, some people might find “Two Minutes Later”, good, goofy fun, a severely under-written story that, while handsomely produced on a low budget (Philly has rarely looked so good on film) is not especially well acted (though Graham certainly has presence, charm and a way with snappy dialogue) but others might find the whole affair pointless and the surplus of full frontal male nudity more than a little gratuitous. It is clear that Gaston was going for something special and different here: gloss and grit, menace and humor, gay and lesbian, fluff and spectacle and, in that regard, he succeeds.