Mr. Leather

We’ve all heard about “pageant moms”, but “pageant daddies”? Not so much. Mr. Leather, a new documentary by Jason Garrett, features a few memorable pageant daddies, though they’re nowhere near as frightening as their distaff, Middle America counterparts, despite what you may think. In fact, they’re downright cute and cuddly in comparison.

Actually, cute and cuddly are apt descriptions for the whole of Mr. Leather, which follows nine regular Joes (well, gay regular Joes who like to dress up in leather) as they pursue the title of “Mr. Los Angeles Leather.” Sure, the objects of the cameraman’s attention are a group of gruff-looking, cigar-chomping, chaps-wearing men, but beneath their hard and hairy exteriors lay surprisingly soft and snuggly interiors.

Take contestant Rob Green, who with doe-eyed earnestness explains the differences between various police uniforms while the cameraman chides him with silly questions (“Do you still have your boy scout uniform? What about a Star Trek uniform.” The answer to both is am ever-so-slightly annoyed, “No.”). Likewise, contestant Chris Woods looks to his partner for help when he can’t zip up the legs of his too-tight chaps (“Baby, you’re never going to get them on,” he coos).

That’s not to say the nine guys vying for the title are a bunch of real-life Care Bears.

There’s plenty of kink to go along with the cute. Contestant Dan O'Leary, for instance, shares that he’s into flogging and fisting. Other contestants discuss their fondness for additional fetishes that tend to go hand-in-hand with a love of leather.

Conundrums abound in Mr. Leather, and that’s seemingly the point. Even within the broader gay community, leathermen are considered part of an unknown, underground subculture.

Garrett’s documentary shines a light into that previously murky world and reveals it’s not as scary as we may have imagined.

(4 out of 5 Stars)

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Will & Grace: Season Six

If you’re a huge fan of Will & Grace, get this DVD now. If you’re not, why are you wasting your time reading this?

Honestly, the hit TV show’s super fans probably had this DVD set’s release date circled and highlighted on their calendars long ago. What about the rest of us? Well, there’s plenty here to warrant a purchase, especially if you’ve spent at least some time watching (and enjoying) the misadventures of Will Truman (Eric McCormack), Grace Adler (Debra Messing), Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) and Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) over the years.

What’s the crew up to in season six? Well, the usual hilarious hijinks, of course, though you may feel as though things are just a bit “off” this time around, mainly because one of the show’s titular characters (Grace) is missing in action for much of the season. There’s a reason for her tardiness, of course—Messing was pregnant at the time and her character wasn’t, so to make things a bit easier on everyone Grace’s screen time was reduced until the proverbial bun came out of the oven.

On the show, Grace’s frequent disappearances generally result from her being in Cambodia with husband Leo (Harry Connick Jr.). Eventually she returns to New York alone, and spends the remainder of the season depressed about her marriage’s downward turn.

That’s not to say the season is a big pity party, though. On the contrary, even in Grace’s absence, Will, Jack and Karen find themselves at the center of a slew of laugh-out-loud situation. An immense cast of special guest stars helped perk things up as well. Among the celebrities making an appearance in season six episodes are Candice Bergen, Jack Black, John Cleese, Geena Davis, Dave Foley, James Earl Jones, Jennifer Lopez and Mira Sorvino. Cleese is given the meatiest role of the bunch as Lyle Finster, the father of Karen’s ex-husband’s mistress. Sparks fly when he and Karen meet, and the pair eventually head to the altar as the season comes to a close.

If you’ve at least caught an episode of Will & Grace before picking up this DVD, you know what to expect in season six: Will and Grace continue their co-dependent relationship filled with neuroses, while Karen and Jack yuck it up in over-the-top splendor from the sidelines. All four actors offer up top-notch performances, as do the many side characters and guest stars.

The DVD’s extras are a nice bonus, but hardly worth writing home about. A blooper reel provides some well-deserved chuckles, though you’ll probably only watch it once or twice. The same goes for the 14 “themed featurettes,” which are montages of comments and moments from throughout the season that deal with a specific subject.

(4 out of 5 Stars)

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