Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

Gay Days is a documentary that dives into how the LGBTQ+ community really started to find its voice in Israel. Back in 1985, there were literally only three gay men who were officially out in the whole country, but by 1998, that number had jumped to 3,000. It’s a look at this super short, intense, and dramatic window of time where Israel went through one of the fastest and most vibrant social revolutions at the end of the 20th century. What’s wild is that this whole shift happened without any blood being spilled; instead, it was this rare team-up between professors, sex workers, trans people, singers, barbers, and even military officers. The director, Yair Qedar, was right there filming it all for his own newspaper called  The Pink Times . He uses some really cool old footage, personal stories, and his own private diary to piece together this energetic and bittersweet musical mix of a movie. The film follows Qedar’s own path as a kid from middle Israel who moved to Tel Aviv in...

This movie was honestly just terrible. It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed this hard at a flick for all the wrong reasons, and I knew within the first ten minutes that things were going to be a total mess. Once you move past how awful it is, you can actually have a great time just wondering how this ever got made. It makes you wonder if anyone involved even bothered to watch the final version after they finished shooting. The plot is about as basic as it gets. A group of Black gay couples all get invited to a resort for a weekend trip where everything is paid for, but they all think the invite came from someone different. Since a few of these guys have some messy history with each other, the tension is pretty high as soon as they arrive. Nobody actually knows who is picking up the tab or who started the whole thing—A thinks B invited them, B thinks it was C, and it just keeps going like that. Pretty soon, a slasher starts picking them off one by one. The killer’s identity eventual...

This vertical gay drama claims to be a US production, but every character has a thick accent that makes me think the cast or the entire crew was actually from Eastern Europe. I tried to look up more details about where it was filmed, but I couldn't find anything. The official summary describes it as a story where a lonely dancer and a troubled cop find a connection through lies and danger, starting with a rescue that turns into a risky attraction. I’ve definitely seen the lead actors in something else before, though I can't put my finger on what it was. Let's get into the plot and what I actually thought about it. The story follows Tino, a young nightclub dancer who is stuck under the thumb of a brutal club owner. This guy uses debt and intimidation to keep Tino in line and was apparently a friend of Tino's late mother. Tino feels a massive weight on his shoulders because he’s desperate to help his sister, who is really sick, so he just stays quiet and tries to survive....

This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...

This Vietnamese show isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it definitely keeps you hooked. It’s a quick watch with 10 episodes that only last about 15 to 20 minutes each, and even though it uses all the usual BL tropes, it really works because you can't help but root for the underdog. The romance actually takes its time to show up and then wraps up pretty fast, but the characters still feel way more relatable than in a lot of other shows like this. The story follows Phuc, who moves from Hanoi to Saigon to open his dream bar and live with his girlfriend. Things go sideways immediately when he arrives a day early to surprise her and catches her cheating, so he breaks up with her and leaves. He ends up reaching out to his old childhood neighbors, Cong and his sister Han, who he hasn't seen in years. The siblings are struggling on their own with a massive debt and Han’s poor health. Han thinks her brother works at a convenience store, but Cong is actually a heavy for a criminal gro...

Light Up  is an intimate documentary that focuses on the lives of five people in Atlanta—four Black gay men and one Black transgender woman. It’s a really personal look at their backstories and how they’ve dealt with prejudice and mental health struggles because they felt they had to hide who they truly were. The big thing they all share is that every person interviewed has found a way to push through those hard times. Now, they're all at a place where they feel totally comfortable being themselves and speaking their truth. The five people sharing their journeys are Simone Tisci, Derek Jae, Octavius Terry, Obio Jones, and Benjamin Carlton. Derek Jae is already pretty well-known from reality TV, while Simone Tisci is a successful makeup artist who is now working on breaking into acting. Then there’s Octavius Terry, who used to be a record-breaking track and field star. He actually cut his athletic career short because he was so scared his coaches and teammates would find out he was ...

I really didn't like this BL series at all. The story was weak, the timing was all over the place, and I just couldn't connect with any of it. Everything about how it was made felt totally mechanical. To be fair, I'll give credit where it's due—the idea behind the show was actually pretty interesting, and I'm sure some people might like it, but it just didn't work for me. The series is 10 episodes long, and each one runs for about 50 minutes. The main story is about two guys named Punn and Ramil. Punn runs a shop where he fixes up old antiques, and he gets hired to restore a painting in a gallery. Without knowing it, his blood actually ends up freeing a vampire named Ramil who has been trapped inside that painting for 100 years. Ramil comes out without his full powers, so he’s hunted and really vulnerable, which means he has to depend on Punn for help. Punn isn't sure about it at first, but he gets pulled into this secret world of vampires and old feuds, rea...

Marco Berger has come out with another movie that’s really beautiful and sexy, but it’s definitely not like the ones he usually makes where guys are just full of sexual tension. This one is filmed in black-and-white and looks amazing. The director found a really weird way to show how humans connect and how sexuality works by using a "man as a dog" idea. It’s a pretty strange but interesting movie that makes you think. The story takes place in a world that’s parallel to ours, where two straight couples are on vacation on an island. You see two guys on a boat calling out to someone, and then this naked, lonely, and really good-looking guy shows up. In this dreamy kind of world, the group calls him a "man," but he basically acts like a pet dog. In this setup, the word "men" refers to naked male humans that people own as pets, just like we own dogs. People are scared of stray men just like they're scared of stray dogs. There are also "women" who ...

The Call (UK) Amir a prospective university student struggling with their sexuality, calls switchboard for advice and connection at three crucial moments. With each phone call, we see Amir take steps on their own personal journey towards self-acceptance. It shows some of the vital work helpline volunteers undertake daily, but also explores contemporary themes surrounding LGBTQ+ culture unravelling truths about the community from a wide range of topics. This short film was made to raise awareness of Switchboard’s new 0800 number showing the breadth of support the charity offers. Regreso A Xanadu (Spain) [Return To Xanadu] A young man caught in the vortex of addiction and chemsex through fleeting encounters and endless nights. His friend Marcos seeks to intervene directly, confronting him with the reality of his actions and their consequences. Other friends choose to distance themselves, feeling unable to handle the weight of the situation. The guy goes to another night of chemise party ...

The Canadian web series  Cam Boy  is back for a second season, and I'm a bit late getting to it. While the first season really stuck to Aston’s story and his struggle to make ends meet, this season spreads things out much more. Across six episodes, the show gives us a bunch of mini-stories about different guys in the industry, while still showing us how things are moving along for Aston. Like I said, there are about 21 or 22 tiny stories packed into these six episodes. Aston is now in a relationship with the handyman from the first season, but he’s still working as a cam boy. One day, he accidentally starts streaming a live sex show with his boyfriend. He realizes what's happening halfway through, but he doesn't stop because he sees the money pouring in. When the boyfriend finds out, he’s furious and walks out on him. Then we have Riley, another guy who usually sells a "boyfriend experience" to his viewers. Things get creepy when one of his clients just shows up a...

The movie is set in Caracas, and I've got to say, it definitely isn't going to be for everyone. The way the story builds up is actually pretty strong, but for me, the point of it all felt a little fuzzy. It's a story packed with gay desire and a lot of violence, giving you a really interesting look at the city through its two main characters. However, what’s actually driving each of them stays in a bit of a gray area, which was a little bothering. The story follows a middle-aged gay man named Armando who spends his time cruising the streets and buses looking for young, working-class guys. He pays them to come back to his place, but he gets his kicks just by watching them pose half-naked without ever actually touching them. One of these meetings goes south fast when a street teenager named Elder brutally beats Armando up, steals his cash, and makes a run for it. A few days later, Armando tracks the boy down, and Elder steals from him again, but for some reason, Armando becom...

This Thai BL is set in the 1960s, and while it's a love story at its heart, it feels a lot more pure and honest than most. It really captures that difficult, long battle of fighting to love who you want and giving your heart to the person you actually choose. It shows how winning that fight usually means getting hurt along the way. The show is a real slow-burn romance that mixes trust and betrayal with some pretty intense emotional moments. When you add in the sneaky relatives, the political backstabbing, and a suspiciously high number of evil adults, the show becomes a pretty long watch. It's 12 episodes that are about an hour each, and the very last one runs for almost two hours. The story takes place in the 60s when the political regime is changing, and a military leader wants to take all the property away from the kings and princely families. Since he doesn't have another choice, the king sends his son, Prince Saenkaew, to Bangkok to stay at the home of one of his close...

I'm guessing the whole point of this movie was to show a realistic "slice of life" look at gay men in Tokyo and how they connect with each other. The idea behind it is actually pretty interesting, but the film spends a good 35 to 40 minutes just setting up the characters. The problem is it feels so disjointed that you start wondering why they bothered giving these people backstories when those details are never mentioned again later on! The story kicks off by introducing us to Tomayo, a student in his early 20s who is hanging out with two close friends. He meets a gay bar owner who takes an interest in him right away, which basically starts Tomayo’s journey of figuring out his own sexuality. Then we meet an 18-year-old guy who is more on the effeminate side; he’s desperate to find love and be in a relationship, but he keeps getting rejected. He ends up sleeping with one of Tomayo's close friends. After that, we meet Akiko, a 33-year-old corporate worker whose coworker...

This was the first big Brazilian drama that HBO worked on, and it’s a five-episode miniseries that lasts almost five hours in total. It’s a really emotional and political story set in Rio de Janeiro during the late 1980s, and it does a great job of showing what that era felt like while the country was dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis. Since the world feels so divided today, the show is a beautiful reminder of how queer people can find power by standing together when things are hard. The story is actually based on real things that happened, specifically about flight attendants who smuggled AIDS medicine from the US into Brazil in the 80s. It works as both a history drama and a strong political message. The show is mostly about three people: Nando, his best friend Lea (they both work as flight attendants for Fly Brasil), and Raul, who is a performer and an activist. A lot of the story happens at a club called Paradise, which was one of the few open gay clubs back in the 80s. Nando is a h...