Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

L.I.E. is the coming of age story of a boy who must quickly develop resiliency to cope with the loss of the things closest to him; his mother to the L.I.E., his father to the criminal justice system, and his best friend Gary to the lure of California. This story rings true because it's something that happens in the real world all the time, whether people want to admit it or not. The film captures events and emotions that are complex, challenging, and confusing. But does it make up for an interesting viewing, lets see ahead. Howie belongs to a well affluent family and his father is a lawyer. He alongwith his friend Gary, and a few others have been robbing the expensive houses of their Long Island neighbors just for the excitement of seeing how much they can get away with. Howie clearly doesn't need any money but Gary does. One of their escapades takes them to the house of Big John, a macho ex-marine well known in the neighborhood as a man who likes to have sex with young men. D...

What the hell was that film. Certain things about this film just made no sense whatsoever. What was the point that the film makers were trying to put across? Why did they have to set this film in future? It was all just too bizarre. Agreed they wanted to show what could potentially our life be in next 50 years or so but it is still not good enough reason to make a bad film with some really bad acting. We are in future where every human body has a chip and that is how government keeps a track of you. Somehow there are a couple people here and there who have managed to stay away from being chipped. Middle aged Gary keep all to himself till he meets 20 something Danny. Danny and his mother have just moved to town to stay with her mother until they can find work. It turns out that David's mother was once married to Greg's lab partner. Greg and his partner were the ones who invented the idea of human chips. She is furious with both men for selling out humanity with their invasive ...

The film is named Kambyo because of the term “Joy ride”. It is about the journey of 4 gay men (we dont even know if they are really gay) wanting to take a break in their own busy and sometimes pointless life. During the trip, they soon discovered themselves and find the direction they take to move on in their own lives. The film originally hows 2 of the 4 men questioning about their sexuality but then after a while it just presumes everyone is gay and goes along with that assumption. Cousins Macky and Manuel start on a road trip to look for the Macky's long lost friend Philip. They bring along with them their fun loving friend Xavier, who tags along a hunky guy named Aldo, whom he just met right before their trip. Along the trip they just talk about normal regular stuff that doesn't add much value (actually no value at all) to the movie. As they drive their way up north of Manila, this unrestrained group of three friends and a stranger explore the boundaries of their friendshi...

This was such a bad film on all accounts. I waited for a while hoping there would be something nice and tender that the film has to offer but I was so wrong and finally I reached a stage where I just could not wait any more or bear the film. There is no concept of screenplay in this film. Combined with a pathetic direction and acting, this film tests your patience.  Based on the real lie story of poet William Meredith and his partner of 17 years Robert. When William suffered a stroke that left him almost helpless, Richard stood by his lover and fought for the right to be his caregiver against the wishes of William's family and aware of the restrictions that would be put on his own life. The film is set against the backdrop of training for and running of the New York marathon. We watch Richard gain the strength to work with his partner and see him help him through his illness, therapy and healing and we certainly feel the love they share.  The film was like random scenes put to...

I saw this film the second time recently. I have to admit that I did not enjoy it as much as I did the first time. I still remember when I saw it the first time, I was completely bowled over but then that was the time when I had just started watching gay cinema. This does not mean it is not a good film. It is a gay romantic comedy which also uses some of its time to also focus on a straight couple as well who happen to be friends of Adam and Steve.  In the 80s in New York, goth makeup guy Adam meets a glam rock dancer Steve and they end up back in Adam's apartment. All the drugs and laxatives get the worse out of them and because of some very unhygienic reasons they never have sex. Fast forward to 17 years Adam again meets Steve who is now a doctor and love blossoms over a period of time. Neither of them remembers the past. Their affair starts with awkwardness, angst over saying ' I Love You' and weird meetings with respective parents. In the meantime we also have Adam'...

This film was made for TV Uk film. I am by now very surprised how open Uk is about telecasting TV movies on gay subjects on BBC channel. I wonder when will America ever be so open about these things. Anyway. coming back, this film is autobiography of famous write Christopher Isherwood and his life in Berlin in early 1930s. The film is based on his book which itself became controversial when certain things were written about certain people who now enjoyed a healthy, successful and scandal free life. Christopher is leaving England to go to Germany against the wishes of his mother. He meets Gerald on the train who suggest he can live in the same boarding house as him run by the landlady. Once in Berlin Christpher meets his friend Wystan (who we later find out that Wystan actually loves Christopher) who takes him to a seedy gay club populated by hustlers. In the boarding house, he becomes good friends with Jean, an aspiring actress. Christopher stars an affair with Caspar who is a hustler...

Drowning (Australia) Things are changing for Mik. His world has been turned upside down by the sudden death of his big brother forcing him to redefine his place in his family and the world. The one solid thing in Mik s life is his best friend Dan. But Dan has a new girlfriend. BUt dan also will go to any length to be there for Mik because he knows Mik is gullible and all he has is Dan. Franswa Sharl (Australia) On a family holiday to Fiji, twelve year old Greg s creative pursuits fail to amuse his father. Setting out to win back his admiration, he enters himself into a competition for a beauty pageant and wins. Apparently based on a true story, this film for a change has a happy ending. Tanjong Rhu (Singapore) A former military officer makes a film about a man he encountered in Tanjong Rhu, a secluded cruising ground. He narrates his experiences of how he was caught and put in jail and publicly ridiculed in the media. Again, inspired from a real incident that happened in 1993 in SIngap...

Another brilliant film from the Turkish director who has settled in italy and has made some real good cinema with some pretty prominent gay characters. This film might not come as close to some of his other gems but nonetheless this one also make for a very very pleasant viewing and makes you think that not everything is so pleasant and good as it seems on the outside. Everyone is going through their own issues, problems and solutions. Giovanna and her husband Fillipo are both not happy with their jobs specially since they work day and night shifts respectively. They constantly argue about everything which kind of shows that their marriage is crumbling but they are together only for the sake of their kids. Once walking they met an old man who is totally disoriented and is carrying a lot of money with him. Despite Giovanna's protests, Filippo brings him back to their home for the night so that he can take him to the police the next morning. 1 day stretches into many days. This old ...

The title refers to Madrid's central square. This film is a comedic look at the love lives of 14 different people and how they interconnect during one hot August afternoon around this central square. Mistaken identities and second chances are among the results of this comedy of errors. It is actually somewhat of a surprise for its frank treatment of all kinds of sexual relationships. You are introduced to 14 persons who meet at KM0 on a hot afternoon. Of course, everyone meets people who they think are there to meet them, but they are all meeting the wrong people. Pedro, a young film student is looking to meet his sister's conservative friend ends up mistaking a prostitute for her only to realize the truth later hen it is too late. An old lady bored with her husband decides to meet a hot male hustler but comes to realize a little late in the game that he might actually be her lost son. An uptight accountant, who was supposed to meet a hooker to experiment before his wedding is ...

This film tackles the subject of gay rights and human behaviours in the beautiful Bahamas. Among the sunny background of this Caribbean paradise, there is a huge social and religious unrest. The film is a moving, thought-provoking, funny and brilliantly poetic love story of an artist and a closeted musician. Johnny is an art student in Nassau whose technique is perfect, but he’s creatively blocked. His teacher sends him off to the rural island of Eleuthera where he meets Romeo, a hot musician. They begin a clumsy dance of attraction and romance. Romeo has a fiancé and is identified as straight, but he’s been known to play with the boys on the side secretly. The Bahamas are bound by religious traditions that discourage homosexuality and end up forcing gay men into the closet. Lena is a pastor’s wife. Her husband demonizes homosexuality to further his career, yet he is the one who plays on the side outside his marriage. When Lena discovers that her husband has infected her with STD, she ...

The subject of this film was touching and new, in fact it was very touching. Only if the performances in the film would have been better, this could have taken the film to a whole new level. Not many gay films have dealt with the subject of gay father and his straight son. We have seen many with the other way around, but this film in that sense brings something new to the table. It also mixes religion with homosexuality which tends to make it preachy at times.  Grant is a soon-to-be father, who has been behaving strange ever since him and his wife Sara have been pregnant. There is something about his childhood that bothers him. Grant privately wrestles with his embarrassment and anger toward his own father. Things take a turn when Sara receives a call informing them that Grant’s dad, Jeff, is terminally ill and his last wish is to see his son. Grant tells Sara that he abandoned his father at the age of 10 and told everyone that he is dead. Now he doesn't know what to do. On Sara...

I thought this was a very weird movie. Actually had I seen it around the time when it came out in early 90's , it is slightly possible that my view could have been different but watching it today made me feel that the viewer was at times being taken for granted. This film can easily be classified as one of those artsy gay films. You need patience and time to watch this film because there is a whole lot going on and actually nothing going on at the same time. Jean, a professional photographer living in Paris discovers that he has contracted the HIV virus. He is young, fll of life and is shown gay. He meets Laura, a young actress whom he meets at an audition for a commercial he is working on. For some reason he has this instant attraction towards here and they start having sex without any protection, she being unaware of his HIV status. Meanwhile, Jean also continues having random gay encounters, as well as a sexual relationship with Samy, an aggressive and narcissistic young bodybu...

There are emotional films and then there are films that touch you. This film is one such case. A heart-wrenching story of the sudden death of a young girl’s mother, the film shows the extreme and even absurd lengths a father will go to to make his daughter happy. Some of the steps that the father takes might seem weird but it works in the film because there is nothing else that matters to him except his daughter. Leo and Alicia live together in Madrid with their 4-year-old daughter, Dafne. Although they both work, Alicia is the one that spends the most time with their child. Leo is more concerned with his job at a law firm and spends more time away from home. Alicia's sudden death changes things. Dafne is missing her mother terrible and when she meets Marta (an old friend of Leo), she asks her if she would like to be her fake mother which surprises both Marta and Leo. Leo wants to give a try but he soon realizes that no one can take Alicia's place and he can never forget her. H...

I loved this film. There is so much more to gay cinema than just petty repeatable themes. It is no nice, warm and refreshing to see something different that comes along the way and touches your heart completely. This film is a very good example of how you can have emotions, drama and a small touch of comedy and still make a film that talks to you and makes you think. It is not to say that the film did not have any flaws but despite everything, it made for a wonderful viewing. Moritz’s mother is an epileptic who seems to be the only person taking care of the boy.She ignores the severe headaches, until one night she feels so bad that she has to go to the neighbors to ask them to keep an eye on Moritz. The neighbors are a gay couple Ralph and Andi who themselves are struggling in this small neighborhood. The two men are not entirely happy with this new responsibility as they are already having some relationship difficulties, one is under a lot of pressure due to a possible promotion at wo...

I have seen worse movies , so it is kinda hard to say all bad things about the film. There were some decent moments but they were so few and far in between that the negatives take over completely the few decent parts of the film. There were times I had to just fast forward the film because they were just random dialogues which after a point became so boring that it was unbearable.  David is a young gay actor. During one of his shows, he meets Amanda and they soon become thickest of friends. David is forever with Amanda. He tells her about his relationship with this guy from his acting class and how their relationship grew and then finally it ended. David then meets Xan who is the director of his play and they go an a date. As always David is again completely smitten by him and says that he is for keeps. Things go on well but David soon gets so clingy that they also break up. He can't understand what's wrong. This is the time that Amanda tells him that she has got a job and she...

I feel like of late I have been staring my blogs by saying how this or that film is not particularly a gay film. The reason being that just because a couple of characters happen to be gay, does not make it a gay theme movie which was the original intention behind my blog. But since I happened to see this film because of the gay content, I feel the need to review it here. I dont think I would have even heard or watched this movie otherwise. This film is an emotional coming of age story of a young teenage boy. A well-acted film in which sympathetic and complex characters drive the story (which is nothing much to boast of in the first place)  For financial reasons, Van is taking time off from school and taking care of his handicapped double amputee father. 2 of his close buddies also come in the countryside with beautiful lakes and stuff. Van finds out that his buddies have been stashing their break in loot and weed in the cellar of Van's mother's up for sale house. Unexpectedly a...