Pretender.AKA * Written and directed by Duncan Roy * Starring Matthew Leitch, Peter Youngblood Hills, Diana Quick Diana Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress. She grew up in Kent, the third of a dentist's four children. Quick was born in London, England. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. * Third Rock/Bard Entertainments You know you've entered Dynasty territory when a film trots out dialogue like "I brought you here first-class, I'm sending you home steerage steer·age n. 1. The act or practice of steering. 2. Nautical a. The effect of the helm on a ship. b. The steering apparatus of a ship. c. ," spoken by a handsome, aristocratic British queen to his American kept boy, who has clawed Iris way to the top by virtue of "his biggest asset." There's more where that came from, and it's all here in AKA, the ambitious but messy debut feature by writer-director Duncan Roy. Based on events in Roy's life, AKA's story concerns the rise and fall of young Dean Page (Band of Brothers' Matthew Leitch), a sexually abused working-class teenager who runs away and lands a job in a gallery run by Lady Francine Gryffoyn (played by veteran British character actor Diana Quick). After being dissed by Gryffoyn's son Alex, Dean spiffs up his accent and style. Next he assumes Alex's identity and hops off to France, credit cards in tow. There he befriends David (George Asprey), sugar daddy sugar daddy n. Slang A wealthy, usually older man who gives expensive gifts to a young person in return for sexual favors or companionship. to Benjamin (Peter Youngblood Hills), and the three get started on a love triangle--until those stolen cards are laid on the table. Roy's storytelling Storytelling Aesop semi-legendary fabulist of ancient Greece. [Gk. Lit.: Harvey, 10] Münchäusen Baron traveler grossly embellishes his experiences. [Ger. Lit. style--splitting the screen into three images, apparently to mirror Dean's personality--succeeds mainly in making everything on the screen seem small. And the tone shifts back and forth from Mike Leigh-inspired kitchen-sink drama to upper-crust BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. soap opera soap opera Broadcast serial drama, characterized by a permanent cast of actors, a continuing story, tangled interpersonal situations, and a melodramatic or sentimental style. . Still, Roy's debut aims higher than most American gay indies. AKA, like its protagonist, wants more. It just doesn't quite know how to get it. |
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