Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

I'm honestly not sure why I keep watching these Signal 23 gay shows. I guess they're a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, and I usually tune in just hoping to see some hot Black guys or a few decent hookup scenes. The problem is that these series almost never have a real plot, and the acting and directing are always super amateur and just plain bad. Unfortunately, this one didn't even have the "eye candy" going for it, as most of the guys weren't even that attractive. The whole thing is really short, only six episodes, and each one lasts about 12 to 14 minutes. The main guy in the story is D, a young 16 year old Black guy who is basically at his sexual peak and spent his summer just looking for action. In the first episode, he meets a 19-year-old online for a hookup, but the kid’s dad walks in right in the middle of things and kicks D out. The rest of the show follows D hanging out with two of his buddies—one who is straight and one who is gay. They’re trying to...

Vietnamese shows can really be a hit or a miss, and this one was no exception. The plot definitely had some good ideas, but it felt like they dragged it out way longer than necessary. Honestly, they could have finished the whole thing in eight episodes, but instead, we had to sit through fourteen installments that were 35 minutes each—and the finale was almost an hour long! Also, I’ve got to say, the "amnesia" trope is getting so old in the BL world. Writers really need to find some fresh ideas. The story is about Viet, a young artist who is going through a really rough time. He’s lost his parents, gets picked on by his boss, and eventually quits his job. To make things worse, his boyfriend has been ghosting him, and when Viet finally goes to see him, he finds out the guy has moved on to someone else without even bothering to break up with him. His only support is a female friend who sticks by him through everything. To clear his head, Viet heads to a quiet mountain village a...

This is one of those typical low-budget indie gay holiday movies that probably didn't get much attention when it first dropped. It used to be called 'Red Lodge' before they changed the name. While there are a few moments of actual comedy and sweet romance tucked away in here, they’re mostly hidden under a pile of mediocre acting, weird camera angles, and some really annoying choices by the characters. On the bright side, the whole thing only lasts about an hour, so it’s a quick watch if nothing else. The plot follows Jordan and Dave, a couple who have been together for a few years. Right before Christmas, Jordan pops the question, expecting a big "Yes!" but instead, Dave basically says, "Can't we just stay the way we are?" They head off on a train to spend the holidays with Jordan's aunt, bringing along Jordan’s "sister" Lisa—who was raised by the aunt—and her boyfriend. Most of the movie is just them bickering and talking through Jorda...

Right from the start, this show makes it clear that its name isn't just for show. Almost every person in the story is playing their own "wicked game," whether they’re doing it because they’re ambitious, traumatized, or just desperate for attention. The plot is packed with twists, and basically, everyone is busy stabbing everyone else in the back. Since it’s a BL, there is a gay love story, and it’s definitely important to the plot, but I honestly don't think it’s the main focus. It’s more of a messy web of family power struggles and danger. The series has 10 episodes, and each one is about an hour long. The story is a big power struggle between three siblings who have the same dad but different moms. Their father is a wealthy, powerful guy looking for someone to take over his empire. The oldest son, Chet, is hungry for power and thinks everything belongs to him. The daughter, Risa, is just as greedy, but her dad constantly ignores her because she’s a woman. Then there...

This documentary is basically a love letter to a super specific and mostly forgotten slice of queer history—the world of all-male magazines between 1955 and 1973. It’s a really interesting guide that shows how these images changed over the years, eventually moving from still photos into the world of film. Before 1966, these gay magazines were all about musclemen in jockstraps posing like Greek Gods. But then, everything flipped. In this "golden window" from 1966 to 1973, the pages started featuring young guys between 18 and 22 who had boyish faces and totally normal bodies. They weren't gym rats; they were just ordinary kids, often drifters or runaways, who modeled for unknown photographers for just a few bucks. They’d show up in a magazine for a minute and then just disappear. After 1973, the "hardcore revolution" happened, and these softcore magazines became old news almost overnight. Just like that, the whole era was gone. The movie mixes together old photos,...

Most Korean BL shows usually have a decent story to tell, even if they aren't always filmed perfectly. But this one is just cringey. None of the things the characters do make any sense at all. The writing is terrible, the "romance" is actually pretty creepy, and the main guy is a total controlling jerk. A lot of scenes make abuse and power trips look like they're okay, and the show tries to pretend this messy relationship is actually romantic. Instead of being sexy, the intimate scenes feel more like a scary hostage situation. From start to finish, the whole thing just made me feel really uncomfortable. It’s a short series with 10 episodes that are only about 12 minutes each. The plot is about Kim, a broke art student who is desperate for money because his mom needs a surgery he can't afford. As a last resort, he gives up his pride and becomes an escort for a rich businessman named Han. Han is a very closed-off guy who is heavily into the BDSM lifestyle. He wants ...

The Office is Mine (USA) Cute and funny, Zac thinks he's the most popular gay man in the office, but when a new, younger, funnier and gayer colleague, Tristan, joins the office, Zac worries that he's being threatened and possibly replaced. As jealousy and anxiety grow, a gay power struggle erupts. The balance of horror and comedy works really, and its lighter tone helps make the horror more jarring. The Personals (China) After many years together, one man yields to social pressure and decides to marry a woman, posting marriage ads around town. His lover quietly follows behind, tearing each one down in silence. But when a woman responds to the ad and wants to meet him, the couple is forced to confront the truth they've avoided for years—must they choose between protecting their love or letting each other go? Les Contre-Courants (France) [The Countercurrents] Nathan, in his twenties, in the middle of his studies, no longer feels at home in his life. In order to take stock of ...

This BL actually has a pretty cool fantasy hook using the old-school mermaid legend, except this time around, it’s all about mermen. Because the concept was so different, I was really intrigued and wanted to like it, but after a promising start, it just falls into the usual BL traps with poor execution and some pretty bad acting. I’ll give the makers credit for coming up with a unique idea, but they just couldn't pull it off. In this world, mermen can live on land and blend right into human society, but there's a catch: during a full moon, they have to head back into the ocean to wash away "toxins" from their bodies. The show runs for 8 episodes, and each one is about an hour long. The story centers on Nawa, a handsome and charming mixologist at a popular bar on a small Thai island. He’s secretly a merman, a fact known only to the bar owner, Phana, and his close friend. Everything changes when a flirty stranger named Phu walks into the bar, sparking some serious sexua...

It’s no shocker that when a movie does well, a sequel usually follows, so I wasn't surprised at all to see this campy comedy get a second chapter. It’s a fun new addition to the adventures of Albin and Renato. Even though turning a character-driven comedy into a spy spoof felt like a bit of a weird pivot from the original vibe, you eventually just roll with it. One big difference is that this one moves out of the nightclub and takes the characters from France all the way to Italy. The story kicks off with Albin having a bit of a mid-life crisis about whether he’s still got his "mojo," so he heads to an outdoor cafe to see if he can still turn heads while Renato watches from a distance. Suddenly, a guy running for his life grabs Albin, drags him to a hotel, and hides a microfilm capsule in Albin's dress right before he’s killed. This obviously sparks a huge mess, forcing Albin and Renato to go on the run. The secret service shows up at their place wanting them to help ...

This is such a fun, entertaining French comedy from the 70s. I first saw it maybe 15 years ago and only had a blurry memory of it, so I figured now was a great time to revisit the classic and its sequels for my blog. You definitely shouldn't judge this one by today's standards—you have to think about the era when it actually came out. Since it’s been remade a few times, it’s really interesting to come back to the original after all these years and see how silly and over-the-top it still is. The story is about Renato and Albin, a constantly bickering couple who run a flashy nightclub called La Cage aux Folles. Renato is the more level-headed one who manages the place, while Albin is the star drag performer who gets a bit hysterical but always plays to a full house. Their lives get flipped upside down when Renato’s son, Laurent—who came from a one-time fling years ago—announces he’s getting married. The big catch is that his girlfriend’s dad is a leader of a super conservative po...

A Road to Home  is a documentary that follows six LGBTQ youth over a year and a half as they navigate being homeless. Their lives are a snapshot of what about 500,000 young people in America go through every single night, and it's a huge wake-up call to realize that 40% of those kids are part of the LGBTQ community. The film takes this heavy subject and introduces us to six young adults, showing us how they ended up on the streets and how they eventually found community centers that stepped up to provide housing, food, school, and even help finding jobs. We also get to meet the people running these organizations who are right there backing these kids up every step of the way. And given that the documentary is set in my home city, it makes it all the more relatable for me.  The six people the documentary focuses on are honestly the perfect choice for this story. They all have really sad backstories about how they ended up where they are, but there’s so much warmth and hope in t...

This movie is a pretty wild "what if" story about Abraham Lincoln being gay and having a secret thing with his legal assistant, Elmer Ellsworth. It’s all told through the eyes of Taffeta, who is a Black, plus-sized queer person working behind the scenes. Taffeta uses this old history story to try and make sense of their own life and all the crappy treatment they deal with in the modern gay scene. Honestly, the whole thing feels a lot like a stage play, and it just wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be. The story follows Taffeta, a stage manager for a small theater putting on a show about Lincoln. Every day is a drag because the audience ignores them and the actors treat them like a maid. Things get really awkward when Taffeta walks in on one of the male leads hooking up with a guy Taffeta had just seen on a dating app. To make it worse, the actor playing Lincoln actually tries to sexually assault Taffeta later on. After fighting him off, Taffeta goes out onto the e...

This show is a bit of a weird mix, blending old-school folklore with a modern-day BL setting. It feels like it’s trying to be both ancient and contemporary at the same time. I have to admit, the first four or five episodes really pulled me in, but unfortunately, I just couldn't stay interested as it went on. The whole supernatural plot and the folk story elements got pretty confusing after a while. Luckily, the funny back-and-forth between the characters was enough to keep me watching. The series tries to draw parallels to the legend of Bi-hyung, the Goblin King, but since I don't really know that story, I'm not even going to try to explain it. Altogether, it’s 12 episodes, and each one is about 25 to 30 minutes long. The story kicks off with Geum Bok, a guy from the countryside who moves to the big city because he wants to be an actor, but he immediately gets scammed out of his apartment. He’s stuck sleeping on the streets until he has a random run-in with a stranger who p...

This is a sweet summer love story set on an island, and the title honestly couldn't be more perfect. The series follows a few different people whose lives cross paths in a seaside town, and it deals with things like grief, healing, and the random ways people fall in love. It takes a pretty familiar romance setup but adds a little twist, which makes the whole thing feel very heartfelt. It’s got 10 episodes that run about 50 to 55 minutes each, and it's a really nice blend of being playful, tender, and romantic. The plot centers on a young guy named Lava, whose mom sends him to live with his Uncle Pheng in a quiet coastal village with his uncle Pheng. This move forces him to grow up a bit and deal with some loss. Everything kicks off when Lava rescues Davin, a prince who has lost his memory after an accident. Since the stranger doesn't know who he is, Lava names him "Wave," and they start this back-and-forth relationship full of teasing and bickering that eventually...