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Category:    Home > Reviews > Biography > Documentary > Military > Transgender > Sexuality > Civil Rights > Drama > Comedy > Lesbianism > Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story (2014/CNN Films/Wolfe DVD)/Tru Love (2014/Wolfe DVD)/What's The T? (2013/MVD Visual DVD)

Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story (2014/CNN Films/Wolfe DVD)/Tru Love (2014/Wolfe DVD)/What's The T? (2013/MVD Visual DVD)


Picture: C+/C/C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+/C/D Main Programs: B-/C+/C+



Here are three new releases dealing with transgendered situations, plus a lesbian drama...



Sadrine Orabona & Mark Herzog have co-directed Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story (2014), about a Navy SEAL who served for 20 years, yet concealed that he was not only gay, but a transgendered, now becoming Kristin Beck. Originally shown on CNN, the program is a biography of the honorably discharged soldier who is now trying to reach out to others who feel the same way and live the same way.


Ms. Beck is outspoken about how things could and should be, the lack of rights, support and the like for persons like her, et al. Turns out that in the military, the fighting abilities and service were exemplary and that alone breaks so many stereotypes, many of which are designed to keep minorities down. Running a decent 84 minutes, no stone is left unturned throughout and presents a well-defined portrait of the real life situation Beck faced and still faces. This is someone who deserves our thanks and congratulations, deserving happiness as much as anyone, even if no military service record was there.


Extras includes an Original Theatrical Trailer, segment of Anderson Cooper 360 with Beck and a look at where Beck is since this documentary was released.



Kate Johnston & Shauna MacDonald co-directed the drama Tru Love (2014), the latter of whom plays the title character named Tru, a middle-aged lesbian who surprisingly falls for an attractive woman (Kate Trotter) who happens to be 60 years old. It is enough having any such relationship out in the open, but the age difference causes additional ridicule, scrutiny and issues that make both question if they are on track to a real relationship or not.


Though I thought the script and directing was a bit inconsistent, this was very smoothly, professionally done and is one of the most professionally made films of its kind with its narrative that I have seen in many years. Performances are good, locations nice and certain points very observant and believable. Maybe co-directing threw this one off a bit, but it is not bad overall.


Deleted Scenes, an Original Theatrical Trailer and the short film Stormcloud are the extras.



Last but not least is the short documentary What's The T? (2013), directed by Cecilio Asuncion, covers the world of glamourous models who happens to be men who dress as women. These transvestites (some of whom are having sexual reassignment) are modeling and are in full swing with that world of clothes, hair and luxury that is chi-chi and expected when you open up the kinds of fashion magazines many read.


Several are interviewed and this runs a short-but-effective 65 minutes. I knew such persons existed, but this shows us what a permanent community this has become and how they take the fashion world and industry as seriously as anyone, participating in it with as much love, enthusiasm and vigor as any of their counterparts. Good for them!


There are no extras.



The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on all three DVDs are not bad, but oddly, Tru is the softest despite being the drama and having a consistent shoot and look. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Lady and Tru are not bad, but the former can have some rough archival audio, while the latter is softer than expected. That leaves the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on T a little better despite some minor location audio issues.



- Nicholas Sheffo


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