Upstairs at 8:30 PM
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2 Minutes Later
(2007, 68 min)
Country: U.S.
Director: Robert Gaston
Studio: TLA Releasing
SYNOPSIS:
When a Philadelphia photographer with a talent for rubbing people the wrong way goes missing, it is up to his twin brother and a lesbian gumshoe to track down his whereabouts or possible killer among a bevy of possible suspects.REVIEW:
2 Minutes Later is a thrilling, sexy and often sharply funny noir-ish thriller. It begins literally with a bang as handsome photographer Michael (Michael Molina) is being chased through dark rural woods by a determined, gun-toting stranger. One of the bullets hits its mark and flash forward two weeks later as Kyle, Michael's twin brother, arrives in town to get to the bottom of his brother's recent disappearance. And he quickly finds, when mistaken for his brother, that his brother was a far from liked figure.
Enter Abigail (Jessica Graham), a private investigator who already knows a thing or two about Michael: he's a jerk. And may have been murdered. As the pair investigate Michael's recent goings-on and rather lurid, Mapplethorpe-ian work -- "I need a shower," Abigail quips after sifting through his portfolio -- it's clear that motive is in no short supply. Many local men have been humiliated, disgraced and angered during Michael's abusive photo sessions and many personal relations. But when that determined stranger with the gun believes "Michael" is alive and well, he sets his sights on Abigail and Kyle.
Director Gaston adds decidedly modern twists to the hard-boiled film noir template – openly queer protagonists, tartly contemporary dialogue, full-frontal nudity and intense eroticism – while delivering taut action and memorable performances. Think a queer The Thin Man as the witty repartee flies between the sassy and sultry Graham and the hunky Molina. All that's missing are a few stiff drinks – that's on you.
-- Lawrence Ferber