Fridae

In German with English subtitles

Answer this: What was the gayest film you've seen on the big screen this year? Lan Yu? Summer Storm? Mysterious Skin? Rice Rhapsody?

Well, would you believe that there's a German film playing at Orchard Cineleisure that is even more gay than all these four films put together?

Yes siirrr, Dreamship Surprise is its name. And it is such a wildly hilarious spoof of Star Trek and Star Wars that it became the No. 1 box-office hit of 2004 in Germany. Not only that, the film is said to have restored hope among German audiences in their local film industry, which - like every other film industry in the world - faces tough competition from slick, big-budget Hollywood movies.

Rave reviews from both critics and audiences as well as repeat attendances from its fans have helped Constantin, the company that produced Dreamship Surprise, make a profit of US$7.8 million in 2004, after being in the red in 2002 and 2003. Now, who says that fags can't be the heroes of a country and a company?

The makers of Dreamship Surprise must have known this all along, since the movie is all about fags saving the world - hoorah!

Written and directed by Germany's popular gay comedian Michael Herbig, Dreamship is a penis-shaped spaceship that probes deep into space and promises to "call if they find anything." Led by the handsome and queeny Captian Kork (Christian Tramitz), the spaceship receives a call for help from Earth, which is under attack from evil forces.

Captain Kork and his right-hand man Spock (played by Michael Herbig himself) are reluctant to return to Earth because they are about to participate in a beauty pageant. But they finally respond to the call of duty and hop onboard a space-taxi to Earth driven by a very handsome straight man called Rock (Til Schweiger), whom Spock inevitably falls for. Romance, hilarity and some ball scratching ensue.

What exactly is the recipe for the comedy's staggering box-office success? The answer lies undoubtedly in its offbeat gay humour. Michael, Christian and the other actors are not shy about playing very gay. They're like broken-wristed Queen Midas - everything they touch turns to pink. Every step they take ends with a bum swish. And every other joke they make has to do with boys, blowjobs or butt fucks.

The movie has surely gone boldly where no sci-fi movie has gone before. Though considering that actor George Takei, who plays Mr Sulu on the actual Star Trek show, recently disclosed to the press that he is gay, maybe Dreamship's jokes aren't that far-fetched after all. Incidentally, Patrick Stewart, another Star Trek actor, is long rumoured to be gay too.

For movie-savvy audiences, Dreamship Surprise is a first-rate spoof. They'll have a whale of a time picking up references, not just from Star Trek and Star Wars, but a host of Hollywood hits like Terminator, Silence of The Lambs, Shrek, High Noon, A Knight's Tale, Austin Powers and Men In Black.

Indeed, we can't believe how gay this film is. And needless to say, this is the must-watch of the month - nay, of the year - for all gay men.