Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

With a duration of just under an hour, this film from back in 1989 is a short, quirky, and romantic story about two men, one an astronomy-obsessed worrier and the other a free spirit who enjoys breaking into places. The charm of late 80s set in Auckland is what makes this film worth watching. It is atale of opposites: coming together and coming out. Richard, an astronomy-obsessed worrier spends his time fantasizing about outer-space and the cosmos, an activity which antagonizes friends and family. He lives with his sister in an apartment. One day, he meets Johnny, a handsome Italian man at the library, with an enormous appetite for life, whose idea of a holiday involves breaking into the nearest small holiday home. The next day he shows up at Richard's door and asks him to join him at the beach. The two have sex there and Johnny mentions that he will soon be back in Italy after 3 weeks and offers Richard love and an escape from the monotony of work. The duo spend sometime together ...

Looking for Langston is a lyrical exploration - and recreation - of the private world of poet, novelist and playwright Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967) and his fellow black artists from the Harlem Renaissance. I have to be honest that I have no idea who Mr. Langston is or the historical importance of the documentary, so here I went in with a very open mind hoping to learn something interesting and new. Shot in black and white by cinematographer Nina Kellgren, the film combines archival footage with newly staged set pieces, fantasy sequences, and an imagined love story. The film reclaims and celebrates Langston Hughes as an important black gay voice in American culture. Hughes’ homosexuality is the obsession here, with a Hughes-inspired figure (a man in a tuxedo who bears no physical resemblance to the poet) ogling hunky men who dance and play together in a 1930s nightclub setting. Occasionally, the tuxedo-clad man is walking on a beach, where he discovers a nude man; the two later retire ...

An old film from 1989, 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' is about underbelly of New York in the 50s, where a gallery of Brooklyn's finest and filthiest folks undergo change against an imposing back drop of union corruption, violence and neon lighting. Shown here, Brooklyn is a place awash with misery, and its inhabitants are the lost, the dreamers who grew bitter and jaded, or those so ingrained with gloom that that they never once thought to dream at all. Based on the novel of the same name, the story follows the lives of several characters trying to survive the hardships of lower class 1950s Brooklyn. So, again, this is one of those films that doesn't really fall in LGBT category but has a strong gay character, so warrants a review here. There is a long factory dispute going on which leads to strike and Harry is the secretary f the strike. Using the union's strike funds, he buys beer, pretzels and the temporary recognition of the neighborhood toughs he admires. He feels see...

This short film (just under an hour) is a character study of sorts of an again gay man in New York city. This film came way back in 1989and I am sure it must have traveled through many festivals. The film may not change your life but it made me think of the times of 80s and 90s, when being gay wasn't easiest and what life could have been like for a gay man. Also salute to the courageous film makers who dared to tell different stories. From a story perspective there is not a whole lot thats happening. 60-something old Biel lives alone in his flat in New York. As he walks through the streets of New York, seeing different places, triggers the three loves of his life and his past. Told us through fatbacks, we are told how he once had a girlfriend, but one summer changed things. A random meeting with a stranger man changes him and he finds himself more attracted to men. The guy, though, treats Bill as a source of money after great sex (probably he is into drugs). Somehow Bill manages to...

This one is a pretty straight forward simple sweet (maybe) film. It doesn't really have conflicts or drama, instead it is more of a positive portrayal of a single man coming to terms about his sexuality, embracing it and a making a new life for himself in the big bad NYC. I feel like, some of this may still be true for a lot of people who come to the big city with eyes full of dreams trying to discover themselves.  Buddy, is a young man who lives with his family in Upstate New York. His sister always jokes about him being gay. One night when she discovers Playgirl magazine in his room and Buddy decides to move to NYC for sometime. ON his first night there, he has his first gay encounter by a guy named Joseph. In a sensitively handled situation. Joseph takes him under his wings and introduces Buddy to New York, get him his first room, show the gay scene, and also lecture and educate him about safe sex. He gets a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant and is pretty content in his life. ...

When I started watching this film, it kept reminding me of the UK mini series that I had seen sometime back called Des, which I had reviewed here . The similarities were quite striking but since the names of characters name was different, I couldn't be sure. And No wi read that indeed this film also was a fictional account of the same serial killer Denis Nielsen (here named Jordan March), who disposed of at least 13 young loners and losers. February, 1983. Detectives are called to a residential address in the London suburbs following reports that the drains have been clogged by human remains. One of the property’s residents, Jordan March is called in for questioning. Slowly he accounts for how he lured young gay man, mostly homeless and jobless, got them into his apartment and eventually kill them. He would bury them under his floorboards and take them out and sometimes sleep with them or just sit with them till the bodies get too smelly. The film is shot in a very documentary like...

This is definitely a controversial subject but it also depends on the outlook of an individual towards the film. SOme can be offended while others can see it as a poignant tale of love that can never come together. In either csae, the film still leaves a lot to be desired and explained and as a viewer I felt a little cheated when I did not get explanations to certain events n the film. Lorenzo is a college student doing a student teaching assignment in a small Italian Village. He has recently lost his mother, is estranged from his father and has no family to speak of. One of his students Duilio atkes an instant liking for him and invites him home. Duilio's family is made up of his grandparents, his father, and a stepmother, and Lorenzo very much appreciates becoming a kind of surrogate cousin in the family. He is in the middle of a deteriorating, though short relationship with a woman and the human companionship is enjoyable. He ignores whatever sensual undertones there may be in ...

I believe that the film was one of the first ones to come out from Germany depicting trial and tribulations of gay life in the country. Though the film might not be perfect but given the time and setting it shows to a great extent the confusion that a man can go through trying to find the true self. Philipp is a popular high school teacher (of course in closet) whose chance encounter with single and much looking Tanja leads to an affair between the two of them. Philipp thinks that his sexuality is cured. BUt when Tanja invites a friend of hers to the house, old feelings in Philipp are aroused again as he recognizes to have had some sexual encounters with the guy in the past. Enters Mathias, a young gay guy whom Philipp meets in a gay bar, they hang out and they ultimately have their first fulfilling physical encounter. Before things could get better, Philipp finds out that Tanja is pregnant. Philipp realizes his mistake, marries Tanja and everything is a secret from her. Mathias is de...

This film I believe is one of the earliest films to throw a light on what actually happened when the HIV virus was discovered and how the whole gay community reacted to it. The film revolves around a group of friends who are shown related to one another in one way or other. It shows what's the affect of the virus on the lives of these people as it devastates the lives of our characters. As the film progresses, we are introduced to a group of gay friends and their mates, who spend much time together in vacationing on Fire Island, the gay resort, and in the hospital visiting each other when stricken with the unknown disease that has become a plague amongst us today. It is difficult to tell the plot as one specific story because there are many characters inter-woven but again, this has to be the arguably best movie which truly depicts gay life in 80s and the fact that how people reacted to it. Plus the fact that there can be true friendship even within gay community was very heartwarm...