By Hook or by Crook

Starring:Carina Gia, Silas Howard, Joan Jett, Stanya Kahn, Kris Kovic, Nancy Stone (IV)
Director: Silas Howard
Studio: Wolfe Video
Product Type: DVD

Description

Written and Directed by Harry Dodge (Cecil B. Demented) and Silas Howard (of the punk band Tribe 8) with additional dialogue by Stanya Kahn. Shy is a handsome small-town loner who dumps his diner job and thumbs to San Francisco in pursuit of a life of petty crime. Along the way, Shy stumbles into the off-kilter Valentine, who is on a quest to locate his birthmother. An unexpected and magical friendship sparks as they steal and grift their way towards understanding themselves and the crazy world around them. "The humanity of the characters shines!" - New York Times "Impressive!" - LA Weekly

Customer Reviews:

A Movie for the Septic Tank.......2006-08-09

I bought this DVD because the back makes it sound like it is about two troubled kids who join together to find one's birth mother and along the way discover a higher understanding of themselves. When I finished watching it, I felt as if I'd fallen into my neighbor's septic tank. In short, the description of the movie is as much a lie as the characters themselves. Indeed, my wife thought they must have men playing women and women playing men. Whatever they were, this is one movie to add to the septic tank. The only reason I gave it an 'F+' is that it shows how seemy and degraded this side of life is and, hopefully, can be used as a bad example for traditonal values families to discuss.

Do we need legislation for a "Truth in DVD Descriptions" Act?

Great.......2006-07-16

A classic of lesbian / butch / FTM film.
Harry Dodge shines as Val, and Stanya Kahn, Dodge's real-life partner, shines as Billie, Val's partner in the movie.
Silas Howard (previously of the band Tribe 8) plays Shy, who travels from her hometown to San Francisco looking for something. She and Val become friends. The movie touches on their pasts, who they love, friendship, having nothing, having everything because you have someone, mental health issues, relationships / loyalty / love.
Kudos to the filmmakers for overcoming obstacles and making a work of art that represents those who are historically not represented. For those interested, filmmaker Silas Howard is currently working on a film, "Exactly Like You", about musician Billy Tipton, who lived his life as a man though born a woman.

One of the Best .......2005-09-29

I think that if you come to the film looking for long red fingernails and hetero versions of lesbian relationships (and lots of lesbian sex) that you're coming to the movie for the wrong reasons.

This film is a break-out work; the characters are complex, and their relationship is one that I can certainly relate to. The idea of a buddy-flick with two butch women as the main characters that shadows the stories found in Midnight Cowboy and the Wizard of Oz is quite an accomplishment.

What you can expect from the film--witty dialogue, some incredible allusions to literature, film, and pop-culture. In addition, you'll find a film that doesn't fall into the trap of butch-femme in the traditional sense. The film shows that there are shades of gray in the lesbian landscape, and it also demonstrates that two lesbian women can be friends without falling in bed with each other. Few movies focus on friendships between lesbian characters, but this one does so artfully.

If you are looking for a film that has two women who discover they have the hots for each other and fall in love against the odds, this is not the film for you. If you are looking for the kinds of lesbian love scenes in the L-Word, this is not the film for you.

If you are looking for a slice of life of two characters who happen to be butch and are complex with a soundtrack that I truly wish had been released as a CD, this may be the movie for you.

What a waste.......2005-09-28

This is the biggest waste of time and money not only mine, but that used to make it. I would say it was a waste of talent, but apparently none was used in the making of this piece of garbage (and thats being kind) this story is weak and incomplete the acting worse then second rate. If I was suppose to care for these characters I never did 20 min. in I wished they'ld jump off a cliff and end the agony (mine) and it never got any better. To erase this movie from exsistance would only improve the world of queer cinema. Don't fall for the hype.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant........2005-07-21

This film reinvents queer cinema. It depicts life never before seen on the screen, deals with people and events previously shied away from. It is the film for gender-variant people, for queers living in the shadows of even queer culture, just
trying to get by.

Confronted by homophobia, transphobia, violence, homelessness, being broke, the desire to live on the edge, and only the comaraderie of each other, three friends team up to forge a place for themselves in San Francisco. With few options and a
slew of barriers, Shy, Valentine, and Billie show us what life is like for the outsiders, the queer outsiders.

A revolutionary and oh-so-important tale for today's queers. If you haven't seen it, you must. It's that simple.

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