“As single-minded as an excited phallus,” the film at least allows older queens to see Wrangler’s schlong for the first time since the days of eight tracks-which may be its own reward.
The only documentary in the lineup, Jeffrey Schwarz’s puff piece Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon “traces Jack Wrangler’s rise from a no-name thesp in rat-infested Manhattan to one of the first superstars of gay porn, ending with Wrangler phewing that he dodged AIDS” (taken from my Village Voice Newfest coverage). TLA Releasing presents for one week (and in three cities only) “a mini-fest of the six hottest gay films of the summer!” Most are sad reminders of the sorry state of gay cinema today, both here and abroad, with none appealing to the ladies and only one, Dog Tags, refusing to make a fetish out of its subject matter.
