Dog Tags (2008)

Emotionally daring and bristling with powerful performances, Dog Tags explores the cost of self-discovery as two unlikely souls connect. Abandoned by his father and raised by his single mother, handsome and sexually confused Nate obligatorily joins the Marines to support his fiancée. On leave, the detached Marine meets Andy, a magnetic and seemingly free-spirited young man with big dreams of Hollywood. Initially their bond is purely platonic, but the smoldering chemistry they share is undeniable as it sizzles into something sensual and intimate. Together they plunge headfirst into waters of vulnerability and desire, while the identity of Nate s father finally rises to the surface. Product Description

disappointed

The movie didn't go far enough. Too many flashbacks that seemed pointless. The acting was questionable at best. December 16, 2008

Gloomy Guses

Two very different men, a marine in search of his father and a gay Goth, embark on a road journey to find themselves. The film attempts to explore a variety of issues including parent/sibling relationships, responsibilities in life and a thin gay romance that seems to be thrown in for good measure. This morose film never really gets off the ground and the characters simply do not click. A film like this needs viewer empathy to care about the characters plight but they only come across as flat and uninteresting. It is hard to tell if the lead characters are suffering from severe mental depression or just plain stupdity (they both do a lot of dumb things in the film). The only thing I did like about 'Dog Tags' was the acting, which is very good. It is not enough to save this film which is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
December 11, 2008

Misses The Bullseye

A story that has it's heart in the right place, this film none-the-less suffers from uninteresting characters doing unlikely things for no reason whatsoever. The main character, a marine who has no drive in life and apparently no personality either, somehow manages to forge a connection with someone even less likable, a gay loner who prefers heavy eyeliner and who reluctantly takes his own child with him on his own personal quest to "find himself." This leads to the marine trying to find out who his own father is, and gee what a shocker when we find out who it is. Oh, and did I mention that about two-thirds of the way through the marine and the loner get it on in a hotel room, after having known each other for about 24 hours and with no prior indication that the marine even remotely liked the loner?
All in all, it's not the worst film I've seen, but it's still pretty listless, with not much to recommend it. Some may be intrigued by the fantasy of a gay guy making it with a marine, but the reality here will be a disappointment for most. I would be more interested in seeing how a real friendship between them would have developed, but the filmmakers had other ideas. November 27, 2008

"Did the Director ever find out what...........

.........his true sexuality is?"

((Here is my approach to obtaining/viewing/reviewing Gay tales in film form. Simply, it's seeking the holy grail of that genre, or looking for the "Addictive Film"---that movie one returns to time and again). Selection/purchase is based mainly on finding new releases by favorite directors/screenwriters and/or your comments/reviews at major online film sales or review sites. Sometimes I feel correctly steered by you (the "Keepers" filling my DVD shelves), other times mislead, occasionally badly (the "Throwaways"----and I do toss 'em). Rarely, I come across the "Addictive," those watchable every couple of months or so (see below starred *** area for a list......and some "near-Addictive" as well). For some movies, I'll share a review with you, as follows. Thanks for sticking with me so far.))

When buying this film, I had hoped for something perhaps as well done, and along the lines of, the recently released "Shelter" a film highly received by many of we everyday, nonprofessional reviewers. However, that hope was quickly turned topsy-turvy (learn the primary reason for this by continuing on to the Postscript, below).

To this viewer, this is NOT a "Gay Romance" and certainly not a "Gay Drama." (Oh, I know, I know, those of you who've seen the film will say: "what about the bed and shower scenes?" Then I'd come back with: "maybe he was just getting to that 'you-show-me-yours-I'll-show-you-mine' life phase a little later than most"). But to continue, what this film is, is a story in drama form of two young men trying to find themselves and their roles in life. One is heterosexual (Nate), one is gay (Andy); one is more a goalless, live-day-to-day type who's looking for a way to change all that; one is, simply, a free spirit......with a haunting memory. Our lead character, Nate, is someone at the most vulnerable point in his existence, someone desperately in need of comforting----and it just happens that the person who then comes into his life is gay. And, now that you know bare details for each character, you should also be made aware that, because of strong needs brought about by problems in both men's lives, they do fall into sex.........but they do NOT fall into love. Still, Paul Preiss (Nate) and Bart Fletcher (Andy) are, together, able to achieve quite a high degree of "chemistry" (not of the Trevor Wright / Brad Rowe caliber), which is very important to making their characters believable to us.

But, wait, there is yet another character of note making up this interesting little group of ours: Nate's mother, Deb (nicely played by Candy Clark). In this character we have someone who, to avoid a hurtful situation, sets an even more painful event into play. She seemingly loves her son, but whether she's always honest with him, as would be hoped, remains for us to find out.

I do have to especially address Paul Preiss's performance because, as a newbie to filmed acting, he most definitely gives this viewer a sense of his being "a natural" to acting (similar to, I would say, the case of Wright). Further, unlike Fletcher who is very good in his role, it is Preiss who takes control of / commands our attention.

One especially jarring note, for this reviewer, involves the writer / director's apparent need to insert what I consider gratuitous gay sex into the film's first twenty minutes. A heterosexual sex scene, on the other hand, seemed appropriate to developing aspects of Preiss's character. Again, I certainly did not see any real need for the nude male frontal scenes associated with Fletcher's character building (I've already got others of that type DVD). What was the director trying to do, anyway, shout out: this IS a gay movie?!! Obviously, Dietz chose not to aim this production for the mainstream market---too bad for Preiss's and Fletcher's futures; they deserved more. (Extra Point / Star given for Preiss and Fletcher performances..........none extra given for the director's)

PS--To, finally, address this review's subject question about sexuality, we know that character, Nate (representing the Director), at the most emotionally low and vulnerable point in his life, has a "gay event" with likely the most understanding and encouraging person he's ever met. But, from that point on and through film's end, is there anything that tells us, definitively (or even near definitively), what the sexuality future of Nate / Damion is going to be? Please don't give me conjectures in trying to answer this.

((NOTE to Director Dietz: Check your Dog Tags, Damion............maybe in addition to name, SSAN, blood type, they'll tell you your sexuality.))

***This DVD won't get tossed out in the trash----but it certainly won't make it onto this viewer's "Addictive" list either. Other, but not all, films which are habit formers: "Just a Question of Love" / "Brokeback Mountain" / "Boy Culture" / "All Over the Guy" / "Second Skin (Unrated Version)" / "The Man I Love" / "The Man of My Life" (maybe for older/gay thinking man viewers) / "Oh Happy Day" (do youselves a big favor and see this one / no longer available here, but see DVDPriceSearch.com) / "Fashion Victims" (only if you have an all-regions player---then try Amazon.com.UnitedKingdom)
November 26, 2008

Highly recommended!

Excellent performance from newcomer Paul Preiss who plays Nate, on a life long mission to find his father. Director Damion Dietz does a fine job of keeping the audience into the minds of both Preiss and Bart Fletcher who plays Andy who cannot forget his love for a marine in his past.

At first I thought there was a bit too much character development with the other characters but everything fits nicely in the end. I also thought that the scenario of how the two men meet could have been more creative.

Wonderful film about 2 men confronting their pasts, finding their path in life and the valuable moments they share with each other on the way.

Highly recommended! November 26, 2008

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