Lane Janger Movies
- 2000
The third entry in the Boys Life series collects another set of gay-themed indie shorts. In Inside Out, writer/director/producer Jason Gould -- son of Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould -- plays Aaron, a slightly fictionalized version of himself. Over the course of 30 minutes, Aaron dodges paparazzi, dates a closet case, hangs out with his best friend (Alexis Arquette), and attends a celebrity child support group run by writer/guru Christina Crawford. Gould's father and his stepbrother, Sam Gould, appear as thinly veiled versions of themselves, while several other celeb offspring make cameos. Des Majorettes Dans L'Espace (Majorettes in Space), by French writer/director David Fourier, examines AIDS, religious values, and sexual freedom through a mixture of playful animation, tongue-in-cheek narration, and sometimes mournful live-action scenes. Hitch, directed by Bradley Rust Gray, maps out the sexual tension between two chain-smoking young men, one bisexual and one straight, as they travel the Southwest in a retro van. Writer/producer Christopher Landon's $30, directed by Gregory Cooke, portrays the unorthodox meeting between a matter-of-fact young hooker (Sara Gilbert) and a skittish teenaged virgin (Erik MacArthur) whose father has purchased the girl's services as a gift. And in the seven-minute Just One Time, triple-threat filmmaker Lane Janger plays a ménage à trois-obsessed man who begs his girlfriend (Joelle Carter) to have sex with him and another woman. Things heat up when their gay and lesbian neighbors (Guillermo Diaz and Jennifer Esposito) overhear the couple fighting. The entire cast of Just One Time reunited for Janger's feature of the same name, which appeared around the same time as Boys Life 3. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
Producer-turned-director Lane Janger also stars in this sexual comedy of manners about a woman who turns her groom-to-be's sapphic fantasies back on him. Just a few weeks before he's due to be married, fireman Anthony (Janger) decides that it's now-or-never time for his fantasy of making love to his fiancée, Amy (Joelle Carter), and another woman at the same time. Although she has repeatedly rejected such a scenario, this time an angry Amy agrees -- as long as Anthony will make love with her and another man at the same time. Soon, the couple find themselves going on "dates" outside their relationship. Anthony grudgingly allows Victor (Guillermo Diaz), a closeted, inexperienced college student who's had a crush on him since high school, to hang out with him and his firehouse cronies, hoping all the while that Amy will call his bluff. Amy, meanwhile, befriends Victor's pal Michelle (Jennifer Esposito), a lesbian furniture maker recovering from a recent breakup. Anthony's fellow firefighters adjust surprisingly well to their colleague's new friend, but problems ensue when Amy's expatriate parents show up early for the wedding, interrupting their daughter's tentative experimentation. Just One Time began its life as an eight-minute short that premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival; it was screened with the feature Ma Vie En Rose during that film's Canadian theatrical run and was later included in the collection Boy's Life 3. Principals Esposito, Carter, and Diaz reprise their roles from the short, while Janger shares screenwriting duties with Columbia film school alumna Jennifer Vandever in a novel arrangement that allowed them to collaborate on the first act and then split up, with his scribing the second act and her the third. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lane Janger, Joelle Carter, (more)
- 1999
A road comedy that touches on issues of racial and personal identity, Fools Gold was the feature-length debut for writer/director Jeffrey Janger. Flimp Lopez (Billy Gallo) is Hispanic and Sam Wechter (Blair Singer) is Jewish, which makes both of them outsiders in Oiltown, OK, where they work in a salvage yard. When Flimp hears that a wealthy Latino has moved into one of the town's most expensive dwellings, he's naturally curious and wants to stop by and take a look; Sam tags along. When they get to the house, they discover that something has gone horribly wrong and suddenly they're leading suspects in a violent crime. The pair makes tracks out of town, picking up two sales clerks from a roadside stand along the way, but soon the FBI is following close behind. Fools Gold was shown as part of the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Blair Singer, Billy Gallo, (more)
A group of old college friends work through their long-standing sexual tensions when they reunite for a wedding in this comedy-drama. Bob (Alexis Arquette), a student at George Washington University, has a mad crush on his buff, beautiful roommate, Brendan (Christian Maelen). Brendan senses the attraction, but rejects Bob violently during a play wrestling match that goes a little too far. A few years later, the young men's mutual friends -- Matt (Jamie Harrold) and Carol (Lauren Velez) -- decide to tie the knot, and the old gang reassembles. TV writer Bob brings along his conceited soap-star boyfriend, Sterling (Tuc Watkins). Brendan comes dateless, but old flame Sarah (Marianne Hagan) -- now a conservative senator's aide -- puts the moves on him. Meanwhile, their friend Eric (Guillermo Diaz) vacillates between hooking up with long-lost lady friend Beth (Maddie Corman) or with the nubile sister of the bride. During the wedding reception, Brendan corners Bob and confesses that he, too, is now gay -- and that he's in love with Bob. This doesn't sit well with the newly self-sufficient Bob, who's finally found a backbone and doesn't want to relive painful college memories. But with stick-in-the-mud Sterling around to remind him that his new life isn't exactly perfect, Bob soon finds himself alone in a hotel room with the object of his youthful affection. The debut feature from writer/director Brian Sloan, I Think I Do was produced by Lane Janger, a fellow participant in the Boys Life anthology series. Janger would go on to cast Guillermo Diaz in his own debut feature, Just One Time. Actress/singer Marni Nixon has a cameo as Carol's wise old Aunt Alice -- her first screen role since appearing in 1965's The Sound of Music. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alexis Arquette, Christian Maelen, (more)
A Hispanic woman unexpectedly discovers a new outlook on life after taking a new job in this heartfelt, observant comedy-drama. Young Bronx mother Lisette (Lauren Velez) has enough to deal with without taking a job, as she is struggling to raise her three young children and keep her marriage to bicycle messenger Chino (Jon Seda) afloat. When Chino is jailed after committing a robbery, however, Lisette turns to the want ads to find a new source of income. Expecting a one-time modeling gig, she stumbles into a position as assistant to Stephen Price (Griffin Dunne), a white music executive handling Latino music. Lisette proves a natural at the job, finding a new sense of purpose and self-assurance. Unfortunately, Chino isn't particularly grateful for her efforts, especially after hearing a rumor that Lisette has been cheating on him with Stephen. Director Darnell Martin populates her debut film with a mosaic of colorful supporting characters, ranging from Lisette's transsexual brother (Jesse Borrego) to Chino's meddling mother (Rita Moreno). Though the film presents a relatively old-fashioned story of self-realization, the knowing presentation of a multi-racial Bronx neighborhood enhances its vital feel. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lauren Vélez, Jon Seda, (more)
As if losing both her husband and her money isn't enough, a woman in her mid-20s also finds herself married to a 12-year-old boy (who doesn't even like her) in the comedy Holy Matrimony. Havana (Patricia Arquette) is an aspiring showgirl who is working at a sleazy carnival while she dreams of her big break. Short on cash, Havana's boyfriend Peter (Tate Donovan) comes up with a plan; while Havana flirts with her boss, Peter will swipe his keys and lift the day's take from the carnival's safe. After grabbing the cash, Havana and Peter hightail it to Canada, where Peter figures that they can hole up with his family. However, Peter didn't always lead a life of crime; he was raised in a Hutterite community, and while Peter's Uncle Wilhelm (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and younger brother Ezechiel (Joseph Gordon Levitt) are glad to see him, they don't think much of Havana, whose brassy personality convinces them that she was the one who led Peter down the wrong path. To make peace with his family, Peter marries Havana, but not long after, he dies in a car wreck. Hutterite custom demands that when a man dies, his widow is to marry his brother; the catch in this case is that Ezechiel is only 12 years old and understandably not interested in matrimony. However, Havana agrees to the marriage, largely because Ezechiel knows where Peter stashed the earnings from the robbery and Havana does not. Havana's ignorance of Hutterite traditions and lack of enthusiasm for their austere lifestyle is a matter of no small annoyance to her, but Ezechiel shrewdly uses his knowledge about Peter's hidden bankroll to persuade Havana to lead a more righteous life. Holy Matrimony was directed by Leonard Nimoy in one of his periodic breaks from acting. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patricia Arquette, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (more)
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