Capital Games (2013)

Lists are easy: Terrible movie Abysmal acting Lousy plot development Abysmal acting Occasionally there's a good gay themed movie but sifting through the crap to get there is painful. This movie is evidence that star ratings mean nothing. Officer Steve is adorable & probably the only person in the cast that can almost act. In search of a good independent gay themed movie? Well, this ain't it.

I worked in advertising, so I'm used to seeing ad agencies on screen that have nothing to do with what that world is really like. And that's the case here.But I also began to feel that nothing about these characters seemed real either. And that wasn't just because of the atrocious acting (particularly from supporting characters). So I looked at the other reviews here and see a couple extolling this as a good version of the G. A. Hauser book. Never heard of G.A. Hauser, so looked "him" up.It's not a him. It's a her. She's written over 120 gay (M/M) romance novels/stories. Now, I'm not saying women can't write about gay men. Some of the best novels of our world were written by women (Highsmith, Renault, Yourcenar). But those were literary works, not romance books--the kind that the French describe as "a book to read with one hand."So. This is a cartoon story that doesn't really have anything to do with how gay life really works. This is somebody's fantasy of what gay life might be like with a couple of stereotypical hunky guys as the primary characters.This is garbage. Story and production. Every aspect. However. If you're gay and you found this entertaining, well, I'm guessing you don't have a lot of experience in a gay community and that most of your knowledge of gay life is from secondary sources. That's okay, especially if you're young, or inexperienced, or closeted, or living in the boondocks. Just please don't think that there is anything real or authentic about what is presented in this movie. It's more like fanfic or Yaoi. If you can enjoy it on that level, fine. But for gay men looking for something authentic, you won't find it here.

Even the doubtful acting of, I think all, of the actors, it is not survivable to look at the out of blue editing cuts, horrible music and trashy image compositions that probably belongs to 90s soap operas from south America (and I am probably being too harsh to that genre).

CONTAINS (small) SPOILERS: I loved this movie. I recently re-watched it and was amazed at how well it was done, especially given its limited budget. Some of the supporting cast's performances were good and some not so good. But the pacing, set design and cohesiveness of the plot were exceptional. The cinematography was stellar, using great aerial and freeway footage of L.A. And the music, much of which I believe was written for the show, was incredible; it really intensified and deepened key scenes like the beach, the car drives (all of them) and the scenes in Steve's bedroom.The two leads were superb and their portrayals are not only passionate but, importantly, ring true to people who have been in this situation. Both Eric and Gregor are incredibly handsome men, in very different ways, and their chemistry and attraction for each other poured off the screen. They both deserve future consideration for meaty, demanding roles.I have to say that the movie was intensely and beautifully erotic, but never slipped into any semblance of pornography or even soft-porn kitsch. The scene with Steve in his officer's uniform "frisking" Mark against the wall could be studied by novice filmmakers on how to depict explosive sexual tension without the need to bare a lot of skin. And the few subtle scenes of the naked male form lovingly caught both the power and vulnerability of a man's body and soul.Best, the ending was joyful, as it had to be for these two characters. I note from people who read the novel that this was a pretty faithful interpretation of a great and romantic book.Give this movie a chance. It's tastefulness, attention to detail (especially in some wonderful music) and, most importantly, some great acting by the two leads paint a worthy image of two men deeply in love.