Release Year: 2013
Director: Monika Mitchell
Writer: Rick Tae, Monika Mitchell
Language: English
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 88 min
Studio: Skycorner Entertainment
Cast:
Chris McNally, Kent S. Leung
McKenzi Scott, Jag Bal
Aurora Chan, Drew Conlon
Artem Fomitchev, Matthew Graham
A playboy learns to love, while a virgin learns to live -- a queer romantic comedy set inside the restaurant industry... 'John Apple Jack' brings East and West together to create one sumptuously heart-warming dish. When John discovers his sister's fiance is Jack, his childhood crush, passions ignite and his life spirals out of control: losing his job, his playboy reputation and his underwear, all while rushing to the altar to finally confess his love!
Một tay chơi cố học cách để yêu, trong khi một gã còn trinh muốn học cách sống - Một bộ phim hài đồng tính lãng mạn được đặt trong bối cảnh của ngành công nghệ nhà hàng.... Bộ phim John Apple Jack mang phương Đông và phương Tây lại gần nhau để tạo nên một món ăn xa hoa làm ấm lòng người. Khi John khám phá rằng vị hôn phu của chị mình là Jack, người anh say đắm từ thuở nhỏ, những nỗi đam mê bùng cháy trở lại và cuộc sống của anh ta xáo trộn vượt tầm kiểm soát: mất việc, mất danh tiếng tay chơi, và cả quần lót. Mất tất cả, chỉ để cuối cùng chạy vội đến nhà thờ mà thú nhận tình yêu của mình.
SYPNOSIS
As kids, John and Jack were best friends.
Twenty years later, they've grown apart and now barely recognize each other.
A handsome gay man and heir to a restaurant empire, John lives with extravagance -- champagne, fast cars and fast men -- bedding nearly every hot guy in town. But witnessing his sister Vivienne about to marry his childhood crush Jack a light bulb flicks on, passions ignite and the wedding must immediately be stopped!
Jack is a line cook at Johns flagship restaurant, ready to build a future and a family. He has quietly given up hope that John would ever fall for him and support his dreams of running a super restaurant together one day. As years of mounting tensions culminate into an over-heated argument in the kitchen, Jack throws an apple at Johns head -- bruising his bosss ego and unfurling a series of ill-timed events that teach them both good reason to grow up.
John tries to out Jack to save his sister from eventual heartache by outing himself to his family. This revelation is secretly old news for everyone, no one had cared but yet Johns parents use the opportunity to push their aimless son to make something of his life by cutting him off financially.
The spoilt promiscuous John was once easy for Jack to ignore. But a newer, penniless, more soulful man may soon prove too hard to kick to the curb. Before the fresh, bountiful ingredients rot away in a glamorous but empty kitchen the challenge for both John and Jack is to find a way to blend money, sex, love and family into one sumptuous recipe for life.
BEHIND THE SCENES
‘John Apple Jack’ – An Adorable New Gay Romantic Comedy
Author: Patrick
Date: Nov 8, 2013
A new gay romantic comedy called John Apple Jack is making it’s world premiere tomorrow (Saturday, November 9) here in Vancouver at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF). John Apple Jack tells the story of a modern-day boy-meets-boy romantic comedy about finally finding love… after having slept with everyone else. I had the opportunity to watch the feature film ahead of time and I definitely recommend checking it out!
The film is written and produced by Vancouver’s Rick Tae, directed and co-produced by Monika Mitchell, and produced by Selena Paskalidis. Here’s a little more about the plot of the film: When a glamorous playboy realizes that his dream guy is about to get away, he turns his life upside down in a mad rush to confess his love. Tae’s semi-autobiographical tale unfolds around the escapades of John (Chris McNally), a handsome gay man and heir to a restaurant empire. John lives a lifestyle of extravagance – champagne, fast cars and fast men. But when he discovers his sister is about to marry his childhood crush, Jack (Kent S. Leung), John realizes that the wedding must be stopped. His life spirals out of control as he loses his job, his playboy reputation…and even his underwear.
“John and Jack were childhood friends whose lives have taken different paths. One is living a life of privilege but finds emptiness under its slick veneer. The other is earnest and lovable, but struggling to face his true desires. How do they bridge differences and find each other?” explains Tae. “At its heart, John Apple Jack is a universal love story of ‘opposites attract’ that will resonate with a wide audience. I’m excited to debut my first feature right here at home in Vancouver as it’s a tribute itself to the city’s culturally-diverse community.”
Since the feature was filmed in Vancouver, you may recognize some familiar faces (ahem… David C. Jones). There are some great performances in the film and many laugh-out-loud moments. As with most romantic comedies, the film has a really cute and satisfying ending that will leave you longing for Mr. Right yourself, if you haven’t found him already.
Following its world premiere at VAFF, the film will be presented at Montreal’s IMAGE+NATION Film Festival, which begins in late November, and the Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival in Kingston, Ontario in February 2014. Additional festival dates will be announced.
John Apple Jack is full of sex, food and passion
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Mark Robins in Arts
With the Vancouver Queer and International Film Festivals now over for another year, it’s time to get a little “naugty or rice” with the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) and the world premiere of the locally shot gay film John Apple Jack.
Chris McNally and Kent S. Leung in a scene from John Apple Jack.
“Over the past few years, VAFF has continued to grow and this year’s theme, ‘Naughty or Rice’, invites our audience to challenge their own perceptions about Asian film, and has brought in an interesting array of talent,” says Grace Chin, festival director.
Along with over 40 feature-length films, documentaries and shorts screening over four days, the 2013 VAFF line-up includes John Apple Jack, a feature length movie that definitely fits within the festival’s naughty spectrum.
The semi-autobiographical film from Vancouver writer Rick Tae, John Apple Jack tells the story of a glamorous playboy who realizes that his dream guy is about to get away and how his life turns upside down in a mad rush to confess his love.
“At its heart, John Apple Jack is a universal love story of ‘opposites attract’ that will resonate with a wide audience,” says Tae. “I’m excited to debut my first feature right here at home in Vancouver as it’s a tribute itself to the city’s culturally-diverse community.”
Directed by Monika Mitchell, the movie’s gorgeously bright cinematography brings to life the film’s West Coast setting, something Mitchell said was deliberate.
“I’m an optimist,” says Mitchell. “I want my films to represent that visually and Lindsay [cinematographer Lindsay George] is ingeniously capable of it at any budget… John Apple Jack is a ‘blue sky’ comedy and damn it, we wanted a blue sky, even in Vancouver.”
Preferring films that are “luxe and with great depth”, Mitchell’s optimism was augmented by her desire to evoke something specific in the audience from the luscious look of the film.
“With sex and food and passion you should be able to taste it,” she says. “I wanted the audience to have the full sensual experience of the characters, and the photography had to deliver that. Lindsay knocked it out of the park though; she really exceeded expectations. Even when we’re crying, the film just looks like it’s so full of love!”
John Apple Jack belies both its small budget and the inevitable challenges that making an independent film entails, but Mitchell says the tenacity of its producers has given way to a wonderful film.
“We had technical difficulties, as many low budget pictures do,” says Mitchell. “[Producers Selena Paskalidis and Rick Tae] had to do so much begging and had to be so determined. Lesser producers would have quit… but those two just slogged through it; they never stopped. And now they have a world premiere on the big screen in their home town.”
No doubt part of the fun that appears on screen comes the cast and crew dealing with some of the challenges of working on a low budget film, even something as basic as feeding everyone on set.
“Our craft service was donated by a big box grocer and every day, the white van would pull up and dented cans and packs of buns one short of a dozen would spill out,” recalls Mitchell. “And every day there would be some birthday cake that somebody had failed to pick up for some reason. Our desert would read ‘Happy birthday Timmy!’ with a Pokémon or something. It became a running joke to see whose birthday it would be for desert every day. And the ultimate debate: were they naughty and so did they not get a birthday cake or did alcoholic Mommy space out and order two?”
Fast-paced, sexy and witty, John Apple Jack will also be screened at Montreal’s IMAGE+NATION Film Festival in November and the Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival in Kingston, Ontario in February 2014.
John Apple Jack receives its world premiere at the 2013 Vancouver Asian Film Festival at 7pm on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas. For tickets and more information visit http://ww.vaff.org.
A FILM REVIEW “JOHN APPLE JACK”
A playboy named Jack learns to love, while a virgin learns to live a queer romantic comedy set inside the restaurant industry When John discovers that his sister’s fiancé is Jack, his childhood crush, passions ignite and his life spirals out of control, losing his job, his playboy reputation and his underwear, all while rushing to the altar to finally confess his love! A movie about understanding your sexuality.
I really liked the movie, because the romance in the movie was very cute and the story was very interesting. However, there were definitely parts that did not seem to be too plausible. For example, I don’t totally buy into the idea that John’s sister is completely fine with him stealing her fiancé. In the very least, most people would expect that she would be heartbroken but she is totally cool with it. The movie John Apple Jack sends out a great message about how people should not hide their true interests and understand their own sexuality.
This film generates discussion around the nature vs. nurture argument surrounding homosexuality and ultimately argues that people are born gay. I found this perspective appealing because provides comfort for those who have or are grappling with sexual desires that one feels they have no control over. For example, Jack had feelings for John since he was a kid. He has always desired and had interested in John. He cannot control his desires for John, just like John could not control his desires for Jack. And I found it interesting that though Jack was supposed to marry John’s sister, Jack decides to follow his feelings. Jack feelings does send a message that if a person is a homosexual, they will always be one, and that no matter how hard one tries to hide their sexuality, their sexuality will be revealed. In the film there also exists a sexual script which is defined as a characteristics that delineate how one it to perform their sexuality. For example, Gendered Worlds argues that people become sexual in the same way as they become everything else. Without much reflection, they pick up directions from their social environment. They acquire and assemble meanings, skills and values from the people around them….People learn when they are quite young a few things that they are expected to be through the rest of childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
In the film, parts of John’s private life are revealed through various actions. For example, his wealth suggests that he has a privileged position in society. As well, he also has a sense of arrogance as he often acts like he can do whatever he wants depending on his surroundings. His behavior reflects that fact that he is a spoiled brat who engages in risky behavior. This role seems to reflect a stereotypical or archetypal macho male who is confident in his sexual prowess. However, he refuses to come out and actually believes he is passing as straight. Yet his family already knows he is gay and a comedic interchange between him and his family ensues when does eventually decide to come out.
Another instance of society pressures as they pertain to performativity in this film is that marriage is to take place between a man and a woman. For example, Jack was supposed to marry John’s sister because that is what John’s family and Jack’s mother expects from him.
At the ideas of race, Jack is Asian and his mother behaviour falls in the line of the Asian stereotype. That his mother is super strict with Jack and expects him to be good at math (in the beginning of the movie). It was almost like the movie was to make fun of how Asians are. Like for example, she had a thick accent, and that she had spiritual advice for the other characters. All of her character traits sends a message to the audience is what Asians are suppose to be like.
This film also highlights the pervasiveness of “hook up culture”. According to Gendered Worlds, hooking up is also hooking up has a wide range of meanings, anything from a kiss to sexual intercourse to sexual assault (citation). At the beginning of the film, John has so many “hooks ups”, highlighting how accepted this kind of behaviour is in western society. Both John and the supporting characters were completely fine with his behaviour suggesting that hook ups have been normalized.
At the end of the film, I was left feeling a little confused because I could not relate to the fact that John’s sister could be completely fine with her fiancé leaving her for her brother. It was a typical cliché Hollywood ending that did not really make any sense at all. I think that it would have made more sense if, perhaps, Jack would confess his feelings for John to John’s sister (his fiancé) and then perhaps try to be with John. I just find that the film turns to traditional narrative conventions to appease the audience.
My cultural experience going to the Reelout was actually very normal to me because back home in Toronto my dad and I go to a lot of independent movies in small theatres. The experience is always really cool and I always enjoy watching non-Hollywood movies. Going to Reelout and seeing the amount of people who participate in the festival is a really awesome experience because I get to see a community who is open-minded about a lot of things. I think it is good for Queen’s University to explore and be more open to different groups. As an educational tool, Reelout teaches students about different sexualities and types of different people who make up our community. Students are, therefore, able to discover new ideas about life and understand what goes on in people who are other than heterosexual.
GNDS125
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