I'm honestly not sure why I keep watching these Signal 23 gay shows. I guess they're a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, and I usually tune in just hoping to see some hot Black guys or a few decent hookup scenes. The problem is that these series almost never have a real plot, and the acting and directing are always super amateur and just plain bad. Unfortunately, this one didn't even have the "eye candy" going for it, as most of the guys weren't even that attractive. The whole thing is really short, only six episodes, and each one lasts about 12 to 14 minutes. The main guy in the story is D, a young 16 year old Black guy who is basically at his sexual peak and spent his summer just looking for action. In the first episode, he meets a 19-year-old online for a hookup, but the kid’s dad walks in right in the middle of things and kicks D out. The rest of the show follows D hanging out with two of his buddies—one who is straight and one who is gay. They’re trying to...
The film starts with the fact that Franco and his Travis are looking to recreate the lost 40 min censored footage from the film. The film follows their process of finding the actors, whats their motivation behind doing this film, a mix of gay and straight actors preparing for the role and this documentary. Everyone is apprehensive, some are doubting, some are questioning while others are condemning. The major focus is on Franco’s friend, an actor, who is trying to make mark of himself and is now being asked to reprise the role of Al Pacino. Very soon we find outfit we will actually not get to witness the 40 minutes of loss footage. The film is actually the footage of the process of making the film. Only towards the end did I realise that all the talking an interactions are all scripted (at most improvised). Even if all the actions captured by the filmmakers were truly spontaneous, you'd still question how "spontaneous" they were, because almost everyone onscreen is a professional actor.
I did not know anything about the 1980 film, but thats kind of irrelevant to this film. Even now, I personally fail to understand the motivation behind this film. It’s like a bait-n-switch. Yes there are 2 graphic sex scenes but whats the point. The scene where Franco and his actor friend discuss what is normal sex and why is gay sex considered ‘deviant’ was a good part but apart form that, I just kept waiting for something to happen. It just didn’t. "Interior. Leather Bar" is ultimately more an idea for movie than a movie itself and it feels half-baked by the time it ends.
The only good thing is that it wasn’t unnecessarily stretched. With the running length of just about an hour, it is bearable. (4/10)
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