Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This documentary is nearly twenty years old now, and it follows a gay couple as they navigate the stressful and exciting journey of their first pregnancy through surrogacy. You get to see it all— the hope, the nerves, and the dramatic hurdles they have to clear along the way. Back in the day, this was probably a massive deal, but since I’ve known a few gay couples who’ve gone through this exact process, some parts felt a bit dated to me. I liked bits and pieces of it, but I also felt like the film stays pretty surface-level. It doesn't really dive into the deep, complicated reality of life after the baby actually arrives. If only raising a kid were actually as simple as this movie makes it look! Erik and Mark have been together in New York for ten years, and since they feel solid in their relationship, they decide they’re ready to raise a child. They start the hunt for a surrogate and eventually connect with Wen, a wife and mom from Maine who agrees to carry the baby for a standard...

I had such a blast watching this series, and honestly, it’s been a long time since I felt this way about a Thai BL. Lately, it feels like all these shows are starting to bleed together, especially those typical university romances, or everyone is jumping on the historical drama bandwagon. But this one was a totally different beast. By having the lead character identify as trans, the show finds this perfect sweet spot between drama, comedy, raw emotion, and even politics. I’ll get into the nitty-gritty, but the lead actor is a total riot. If it weren't for his addictive, over-the-top performance, I don't think the show would have worked nearly as well. It’s a 13-episode run, with each part lasting about 45 to 50 minutes. We’re introduced to Prince, a pop singer who is completely flamboyant and totally out of the closet. He’s got a massive fanbase, but he also deals with a ton of hate for being so unapologetically queer. After a freak accident, he suddenly wakes up in the body of...

I really didn't see this dark and gritty Japanese BL coming, and honestly, it wasn't a pleasant surprise. The whole plot centers on a Yakuza bodyguard who gets the order to take out his young boss. While that sounds like a cool setup for a thriller, the way they actually handled it was just bizarre. The show is packed with major red flags like extreme violence, abuse, and moments of sexual coercion that made it really hard to watch. It eventually tries to turn into a romance, but it’s mixed in with a bunch of nonsense that just doesn't work. Luckily, it's a short one, with only six episodes that wrap up in about half an hour each. The story follows Kataoka, a respected Yakuza leader whose old boss is getting too frail to run the show anymore. Leadership ends up passing to the boss's son, Keito, who brings in Odajima to be Kataoka’s new handler and keep him on a short leash. Kataoka is a total loose cannon who treats Odajima like a servant, even forcing himself on hi...

So,  Midnight Kiss  is part of that  Into the Dark  horror anthology on Hulu, where every episode basically feels like its own standalone movie. This one is about 90 minutes long and leans hard into the slasher genre. The whole setup is centered on a tight-knit group of gay friends who head out to a fancy house in the desert to ring in New Year’s Eve. They have this long-standing tradition of playing a game called "Midnight Kiss," but things take a super dark turn when a masked killer starts picking them off one by one. It’s one of those stories where the pressure of trying to survive ends up airing out everyone's dirty laundry and testing how strong their friendships actually are. The movie kicks off with a countdown from 2013, showing us snapshots of the group’s New Year's celebrations over the years until we hit 2019. Right at the start, we see a guy in Turks and Caicos get taken out by a masked murderer. Then we get to know the actual crew: there's Cam, who’s ...

Identibye (Iran/USA) This tis the story of a married man grappling with his gender identity. He is married, so there is additional pressure from everyone. He wants to get a divorce and maybe even get a gender reassignment surgery, but. The last minute news of his wife being pregnant puts him in a further dilemma. He knows that one's true identity is what matters the most but will the society let him make this change? Muy Difícil (Spain) Eloy, a 26-year-old man, remembers his first homosexual experiences in his hometown, entering a journey full of subjectivity and the anecdotes that have marked him. He remembers how the school father took his virginity and how he secretly enjoyed it all, the idea of being spanked or working as a hustler to avoid beatings form his father. Eventually he left home and is working in a cafe living life on his own terms. Enquanto Ainda é Tempo (Brazil) [While There is Still Time] Lucas and Caio are studying in the last year of high school and they are two...

What happens when a queen is asked to film her life and herself on tour? The queens are raw, real, and unfiltered in a new series that explores the lives of iconic drag artists from across the globe. Spanning over 8 episodes of about 10-12 minutes each, the series takes us for a behind-the-scenes look at what happens backstage, on stage and everything in between. Unplugged, uncensored and untucked, it's all happening on "My Untucked Life." EP 1 - Aja gives an inside look at the Haus of Aja UK Tour with sisters Kandy Muse, Xunami Muse and Dahlia Sin. We see how they prep for their tour, their dance practices, some arguments related to choreography and what happened sometimes when the show doesn't go as planned. EP 2 - Joey Jay shares a glimpse of their life in Phoenix, Arizona, and their recent tour of Canada. Extremely handsome as a man and gorgeous in drag, Joey also had the most handsome boyfriend. EP 3 - Get a behind-the-scenes look at the life of Los Angeles di...

I really didn't click with this series at all. I've got to be honest, while there were a few spots where the humor actually landed, the whole thing just felt like a massive miss for me. There was definitely some potential in the idea, but I just couldn't find a reason to care about the main guys or any of the side characters. On the bright side, the show is a quick watch since it’s only eight episodes and they each run about 16 to 20 minutes. It's definitely a cute and fluffy type of story, but it makes this big promise of building a vampire world and then just doesn't explore it. To me, that just feels like some pretty lousy scriptwriting. The plot is about four college housemates who are actually vampires living together, and they're looking for a fifth person to move in. Their big issue isn't even about covering the rent; it's that they are desperate to bite into a fresh, living human! They're all pleasantly shocked when this young, innocent guy n...

I really had a good time with this little indie gay flick set in a tiny town in Peru. The production value is definitely on the lower side and it isn't the sharpest-looking thing you'll ever see, but honestly, I felt like that actually worked in its favor. It kind of reflects that conservative, old-school vibe of people living in small cities where life is all about God and sticking to the "straight" path. Because of that, a part of me was able to really connect with the movie and the characters on a much deeper emotional level than I expected. The story kicks off when Sebastian has to rush home to Peru from LA because he finds out his mom had a stroke. He sticks around to look after her and ends up reconnecting with old friends and his ex-girlfriend, Lucia, who’s working as a nurse. It turns out Lucia has a son, and after Sebastian sleeps with her, he eventually discovers that the kid is actually his. Lucia never breathed a word about the pregnancy before he left for...

Just like every other vertical BL series I’ve stumbled across lately, this one—which was filmed in China but comes out of the US—relies on the same old tropes I’ve seen a thousand times. Since it’s a gay series, it basically takes that classic plot where someone is manipulated into a seduction and just swaps the targets: instead of a guy going after a woman, the lead is told to go after another man. The whole foundation of this pretty simple story is built on power plays, fake romance, social status, and messing with people's heads. The plot centers on three people: Logic, Leo, and Celine. Leo and Celine are actually step-siblings, but for some really bizarre reason, Leo is trying to get with his step-sister. Then we have Logic, who is the university student president and the son of the school’s president. Their first meeting is a total disaster. In a weird turn of events, Celine makes Leo a deal: if he can seduce Logic, make the guy fall head over heels, and then totally crush his...

This BL is easily one of the worst things to hit the screen in recent memory, and I’m saying that after having sat through plenty of truly bottom-of-the-barrel shows. The plot is paper-thin, the acting feels totally amateur, and the direction is just a disaster. It drags on for ten episodes that are forty-five minutes each, which feels like an eternity when there is just about nothing in the entire series worth talking about. The story is about a university student named Sia who is trying to make it as a musician, though his life is mostly just quiet and full of uncertainty. He goes out for an audition to join the music club, and he's actually shocked when the club president picks him—which also catches the rest of the members off guard. Things take a weird turn when he gets home and finds a guitar sitting in his room. The second he starts playing it, the ghost of a singer named Blue pops up. It turns out Blue was a senior at the same college who died a few years back. Blue’s sudde...

Sometimes even the best intentions and a concept that looks perfect on paper don't actually turn into a good movie. This is an independent film that puts a spotlight on Australian Sign Language, or Auslan, and builds its main plot around a character who stutters and another who's deaf. It's meant to be this big story about love, betrayal, and finding redemption, specifically dealing with what it's like to try and fit into a society that's so quick to point out how people are different. Unfortunately, the way it was put together is so rough that it feels like you're watching 1980s television—and not even the good stuff, but a soap opera where every single scene just drags on for eternity. This thing desperately needed someone to go in with a pair of scissors and tighten up the editing. Since it runs for about two hours and twenty minutes, most people are probably going to lose interest before they even hit the one-hour mark. The story follows Reuben, a guy who re...

I have to tell you, this series was such a blast and the perfect guilty pleasure. I’ve really been craving something like this lately—it’s got skin, a fun vibe, plenty of suspense, and sex, but it never feels like it’s dragging its feet. Since the eight episodes only run about 10 to 12 minutes each, I never once felt bored. There was always something happening to keep me hooked. The creators called it "Agatha Christie by way of Fire Island," and honestly, that’s the perfect way to put it. It’s a group of guys at a nude resort in a show that’s steamy, campy, and full of sexy actors. They’re trying to crack a murder mystery while getting into all sorts of spicy trouble along the way. The plot kicks off right after the death of this loaded businessman named Nikos, who passes away right after throwing a massive orgy for his birthday. His son, Aaron, is now the one running his dad’s nude resort out in the middle of the desert. Ten guys get these invitations that were sent out afte...

I’ve got to be honest, if I’d caught this documentary right when it dropped back in 2011, I probably would’ve felt a lot differently about it. But looking at it now, it hasn’t aged well at all. The whole thing is built on the history of Section 377, that old law from 1860 under British rule that made same-sex acts illegal by calling them "against the order of nature." Back on July 2nd, 2009, the Delhi High Court finally scrapped that clause in a huge landmark ruling, which was basically the biggest win the Indian LGBTQ community could’ve asked for at the time. This film uses that massive moment as its backdrop to introduce us to the lives of its three main subjects. The doc follows three people: a gay man, a lesbian, and a transgender woman. Their stories all hit pretty similar notes—they talk about the terror of trying to accept their feelings while growing up and the struggle of eventually facing those fears to find some peace. We listen to the trans woman explain how she s...

This show is all about two guys, Kaishin and Ai, who couldn't be more different if they tried. They grew up in totally opposite worlds with values that don't match up at all, which leads to them constantly bickering and being at each other's throats. But as things go on, they realize they can’t really stay away from one another. It’s got ten episodes that run about thirty minutes each, and it hits all the usual beats like falling in love, feeling insecure, dealing with messy misunderstandings, and finally getting back together. One thing that stands out, though, is that these two strangers actually jump into bed and have sex in the very first episode, so at least we’re seeing some real progress in that department for once. The plot kicks off with Ai, a writer who decides to head out to an island to find some inspiration for his next romance novel. While he's there, he's looked after by Kaishin, the local tour guide who basically everyone on the island loves because ...