Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This film was both deep and touching. What happens when a man loved 2 people and how the 2 people now come face to face to deal with their loss and make their own friendship. The film doesn't have any clichés. It consumes in the interesting characters that it has. The whole gang of Michele is colorful, funny and full of life. Antonia was living the life of most women would dream of. A good medical career, a loving husband, and a wonderful marriage. All that came to a crumble one day when he died in an accident leaving Antonia is grief and mourning. But an accidental discovery of a painting hinted that Antonia's husband Massimo has another lover. Burning with anger, Antonia sought to find out more about this lover. But there is a catch; Massimo's lover is a man, Michele. Which shocked Antonia more to realising that her husband had lead a double life; one a straight married man, the other a gay lover. Through Michele, she learnt more of her husbands secrets. A circle of fr...

What the heck was the film about. I know I was paying all attention to the film but it never explained why certain things were happening. It seemed like the film was divided in 2-3 parts with them being linked some way but never an explanation given. By the end of the film, I wanted 2 hours of my life back. Mark Anton in 90's was a famous porn star who made a few films, was on top and then suddenly vanished into thin air. Flash forward to current time: Michael is researching a book about porn. He's interviewing people who have long wondered what happened to the elusive Mark Anton. The trail leads him to a Brooklyn loft apartment that he and his partner feel compelled to move into. The vibe is definitely unsettling, and there are mysterious holes all over where it looks like cameras used to be. Michael finds a VHS tape hidden in the wall. He plays the tape but is not sure what he sees. He brings the tape to a video store friend to get it fixed but mysteriously then he also disa...

This is such an OTT movie. Just about everyone in this film was loud mouth except the lead played by Delilah Leigh. The film had interesting theme but since it was made on such a low budget, the surroundings etc just did not gel with the film. It gave a very boring look to the entire film.  Delilah Leigh used to work a lot in C-grade horror films. She used to be known as the scream queen and has not been in any movies for 25 years now. An Indian guy Bhuvan Bannerjee operates a tour bus 'Bannerjee Tours'. He is totally smitten by Delilah and for him she is still that super star. IN hopes of catching a glimpse of her, he daily passes outside her house with tourists. Delilah has a young son Devin who has got the looks of his mother. He is gay and when he wears his mother's clothes he looks exactly like Delilah. When Delilah (aka Devin) finally make an appearance on the porch, Bhuvan immediately falls in love with her and offers her a script to do a film totally oblivious that ...

A sexy, melodrama set against the operatic score of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. A multi-star cast, it explores the complexities of human relations and the tests that your life takes and things it makes you do. A pitch perfect and beguiling ode to the all-encompassing pull of desire, David's Birthday stands out as an example of gay European cinema at its most potent. Two married middle-aged couples head out to the stunning Italian coast for an ideal holiday in the sun. Diego and Shanny don't live together anymore because Deigo could never get his act together. She now lives in New York city with her 18 year old son David who is an underwear model in NY. She and Deigo had their baby when they were very young. The other couple Matteo and Francesca are also happy with a young 8 year old daughter. With their relationship seemingly solid and unflappable, the group of friends settle in for a typically serene beach holiday. When David arrives for the vacation, it is not just the youn...

This movie was different, very different; in terms of story, style execution, reality vs execution and everything else. You might or might not like the film but the fact will remain the same that this is a new and a novel experience.  A young hustler comes with a man to his apartment building. We right away realize that he likes to please his men, and their pleasure is his top priority. After he gives pleasure to this man, he is on his way out. SOmehow he can' find his way out and thats when starts his encounters with other gay men in the building while our hero trying to find his way out of he building. He first meets a cocaine filled older guy where he strips dance, blows another man and sees some tenderness in another man. Next he meets a straight man with issues who wants to blow him. When the deed is done , he hits our hero wherein he gets saved by another older man in the building. After a series of very mature discussions with the man, they get physical and the old man doe...

You can't help but notice this very attentive title of the film. The title gives an impression that this one is going to be a laugh riot. The film actually does manage to give you few laughs here and there but overall I personally felt that the film was a little mish mash of skits and unnecessary drama was created/added towards the end.  Nelson lives with his partner Angelo but remains closeted to his family, while they continue to try to fix him up with a nice Jewish girl. After they mistake centerfold neighbor Sybil for his fiancee, he finally comes out. The mother and father are shocked. Mother slowly starts accepting but the father has harder time. Starting here is just a series of events that just show struggle of the parents including meeting Angelo's family and then Angelo and Nelson's quest for a baby and fighting for gay rights to be able to adopt a baby. In my opinion the film should have just focussed on the other's struggle for accepting her son's sexua...

My first reaction after I came out of the theatre watching this film was that the film was alright. The problem was that sometimes too many subplots spoil a film and in my opinion this is what happened in the case of this film. Had the script focussed more on Violet and less on all the sub plots, it could have been a better movie. too many plots in this movie gave it an episodic feeling which I personally didn't quite as much as I would generally have.  Violet, a 40 something fag hag is the life of every party. She is a successful PR executive for an NYC-based fashion line and has everything except she realizes that all men in her life are gay and she need someone to love her too. By way of comfort, co-worker Riley reminds her that you're surrounded by men who love you, so he and his novelist partner, Markus (director Caspar Andreas), volunteer to find her a fag stag, a heterosexual who prefers the company of homosexuals, though her roommate, Luke (writer Jesse Archer, reprisin...

For every bad film in the QFest film festival, thankfully we also get to see some good films too. Even though the entire subject matter of incest might repel to a few people, the film is fearless and daring in many ways as its touches on some very taboo subject matters. It slowly creeps up to you. There is a very haunting aspect to this film that will leave you lulled and wanting more. Set in a sun-burnished Brazil, two boys, Francisco and his younger half-brother (same mother, different fathers) Thomás, are being raised in upper class comfort in Rio by their doting mother. Five years apart, the boys are best friends and unusually close to each other so much so that their intimacy brings vocal concerns from relatives that maybe they are too close. But the parents reluctantly brush away the concerns. There are several instances when Francisco says thathe will forever take care of his brother Thomas. After having focussed quite a substantial amount of time on their childhood, the movie ...

My days of bad movies are not over yet. Not even in the film festival. Here comes a bizzare story with an ending that leaves you saying WTF. And the fact that it is director's autobiographical doesn't help. I can empathize but thats no sorry excuse to make a lousy film.  Ben is attractive, successful, and looking for love…in all the wrong places. Failed attempts with video dating, his uproarious friends setting him up, and bad gym run-ins have this perennially single 35-year-old ready to call it quits. He figures maybe romance is just not in the cards for him. Except there is this hot stud who runs by his house each morning as he waters his lawn. It takes a fair amount of courage for Ben to speak with Grey, well actually, he’s pushed into it by his best gal pal Callie, and the chemistry is instant. But here's a problem. Grey cant be monogamous. He likes to play around while Ben is a 1-man person. Neither of them hides this from the other but after a while Ben can't take...

Plan B is one of those films which is not everyone's cup of tea. The heart is in the right place but the pace at which the film is shot is lethargic specially in this day and age. The film is raw, the acting is raw, none of the lead characters are buffed up or anything; they are every real like you would see someone in everyday life; so in totality it either works or doesn't work. Personally for me, it worked to an extent but could have been improved drastically. Tall, confident wild-haired Bruno is pissed that he’s been dumped by his girlfriend and upset that she’s seeing another guy, Pablo, a sweet metrosexual charmer. Although she has dumped him, she still sees Bruno occasionally for sex. Determined to get even and get back his girl, Bruno devises a plan that involves befriending Pablo, making him fall in love with him, and then dumping him in the hopes that his ex will run into his arms again. But have things ever remained same the way you plan it. Bruno starts hanging out ...

After watching loads of crap in the film festival, here came the pleasant surprise in the form of this Peruvian small film Undertow. I am so glad I got to see this film. It is such a beautiful depiction of human emotions. Not only does the film depict the unmatched beauty of the Peruvian coastline, this bittersweet tale of a unique love-triangle set within a small fishing village explores the quest to define contemporary sexual identity.  Miguel, a respected fisherman and his beautiful bride Mariela are about to welcome their firstborn. But Miguel harbors a scandalous secret; he is also in love with a man, Santiago, a visiting artist who has been ostracized by the local community because of his sexuality. Even though Santiago is frustrated with Miguel's closetness, he still loves him and yearns for him alot. When Santiago drowns in a tragic accident involving the ocean's strong undertow, his spirit returns to Miguel in a form that only he is able to see. For the first time, the...

Oh my God!! I haven't laughed so hard in a gay film. If you are an avid reader, you will see that most of my high rated films are usually romantic but boy this movie was a laugh riot. I was expecting nothing but it just turned out to be such a pleasant experience. I think specially when you watch with other queens, it is all the more funny. Comedy is contagious.  Mae is southern mother who lives with her sister Rose. They always invite Mae's son Brian every weekend and introduce him to a special girl but Brian always brings his special friend and roommate Dennis with him. Brian doesn't have the guts to tell his mother that he is gay. One night the sisters finally catch on – with the help of an "Is Your Son Gay?" survey in a magazine. The sisters then wonderfully change their course and try to find Brian a man. They’ve heard that the Internet is the place, so they ask a teenage neighbor to set up a computer for them. They goto manhunt to find the man but soon give ...

Does the name ring any bell? I mean, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you read the title? Nasty huh? Well, thats how the film was. It was an interesting concept of a common man falling for a famous porn star but the culmination was bad. In fact the whole story id told from a mature point of view would have been more interesting. Sean is a young inexperienced gay man whose just moved to LA and is struggling to find his place in both his professional and personal life. While renting a gay X-rated film one night, he becomes intoxicated with its leading man Johnny Rebel. So he hightails it over to the company that made the film and gets himself a job as a P.A. This leads him to an encounter with none other than Johnny Rebel- who after some "difficulty" shooting a particular scene, carouses young Sean over to him and asks him for a little "help". Hence, Sean becomes a sort of personal "fluffer" for Johnny when he has this difficult momen...

Steam (USA) Moving between anxiety, reflection and fear, two strangers try to make sense of their predicament...stuck in a steam room. Heat increasing, they need to get out but can't find the door. What is this place and how did they get here? A very interesting, novel and new idea. Protect Me From What I Want (UK) Daz is looking for love. Saleem is looking for sex. Cruising at an underground archway, these two worlds collide. Back at Daz' bedsit, Saleem embarks on a dangerous, thrilling sexual adventure. Both characters disparate worlds overlap and collide to tell a tale of loneliness and longing in a city late at night. Reminds you of your teenage days. The end brings a smile on your face. Heiko (Portugal) A carefree young man really puts his foot in it with his obsessive lover when the old man obsessed with feet kills the young hunky man like all other men before and preserve their feet. Odd and weird but good direction. Postmortem (USA) Two ex-lovers meet after years a par...

This story of a father-son relationship was very interesting in a good sort of way. The film has been handled with reality and tenderness with great performances by the principal cast. Set in the Mission district of SF and the thriving Latino culture there, it shows a father's struggle to accept his teenage son's gay tendencies.  Che, a recovering alcoholic and a reformed inmate is a powerful man respected throughout the Mission area for his masculinity and his strength. He is a bus driver who spends his nights and weekends lovingly restoring vintage low-rider cars. He hangs out with his friends who are all now into vintage cars and their families. He has a loving son Jesse for whom he wants to do everything. When the neighbor Lena comes to their building, he initially dismisses her but slowly warms upto her. Things fall apart when Che finds out that Jesse is probably gay and that he has been hanging out with a blonde guy at gay bars. Che reacts with anger and violence and this...

After a series of not so decent films in the QFest film festival, the day ended with a decent film. The film was apparently shot in just 12 days (At least I was surprised to find this out). No where did the film leave an impression that it was such a quick job. The premise of the film was romance and comedy. Of course, like me you would also say that main character was dumb and he could have done much better but then who cares. Sometimes there is no logic. This film is a refreshingly witty take on one gay boy’s search for Mr. Right.  Blaine, a newspaper columnist has low self esteem issues. Unaware of how cute he is, he can’t seem to meet guys, let alone form a relationship. His beefy go-go boy roommate Cameron— who has no shortage of willing partners —can’t understand why he doesn’t pounce and enjoy some one-nighters. So one such night on internet, Blaine meets Zander, a shy guy who recently has relocated from Texas. They chat and talk on phone for few days for long hours and ther...

Now this film was a surprise. I had no idea what to expect from this film. The write up said that the film is a comedy but these kind of films can easily be a hit or a miss. Thankfully this was not a miss. Like someone says in the film, you just need to get to know the bears, they can be equally sarcastic and katty and katty they were in this film set in NYC.  Tyler is a young white man, a budding actor who is a bear chaser. He shares room with a twink Simon who is all after Tyler. Tyler meets Brent and hence Fred in an audition and then at a bear club. They introduce them to another one of their bear couple friends Michael and his Spanish lover. Introduce Roger, a muscle bear who apparently everyone wants to sleep with and who spends all his time with his gang banging group orgy friends. When Tyler sees Roger, he also has instant crush on him but knows that he probably is out of his league. WIth Simon's help, he tries various ways of getting Roger's attention and finally succe...

Another film that I was excited about watching on the big screen in the Philly film festival, specially because the film has been set in Philly and I lived there. By the time the film ended, I was disappointed to the core. The film had some really bad acting and direction. There were some really funny one liners and scenes but they were so few, far and between that overall the film left very little impression on me.  Wealthy 50ish bachelor Paul is finally retiring from work. His work was his only routine and so he has no idea and interest in either socializing or finding someone for his life. His socialite sister Elise is after his life to get married and determined to find him the perfect female companion. Elise is so interfering and disapproving of everyone else that she has lost the love and respect of her only son Brian, a buddy artist. Elsie gifts Paul a dog and now he has to take the dog for walks where he meets Andy who comes to the park to walk his own dog. Andy is comforta...

I had high hopes with this movie primarily because of the actors involved in the film. I have seen other films of Matthew Montgomery which have been quite decent but this film was different, odd different. Real life couple play the main protagonist in the film. The chemistry s there but there is lack of script and storyline. Hunky soap star Graham is suddenly outed when a sex tape scandal breaks out. Because of this he is seeking refuge at an exclusive Palm Springs resort and is planning about his next steps. ENter Trey Reed, a gay marriage activist who is now going through his divorce because apparently as per media , he has been cheating on his husband. After initial accusations to each other, a friendship and passion starts building between them in which each one questions the other of reasons that led them to the current situation. They force each other to confront their professional downfalls. As it turns out, Graham had personally himself leaked the info so that he could come ou...

My first film in this year Philadelphia's Qfest and I am so excited. Although after watching the first feature, my excitement was a little short lived. I would actually this film more as a docu-drama style rather than a full fledged commercial movie. But hey when have most gay movies been commercial anyway.  The basic plot of Howl takes an interesting look into the life of Allen Ginsberg. A new information to me, Allen was one of them most noted writers of today's time but this film shows what happened when he came out with his first set of poems Howl in 1957. Apparently when the poems were published and confiscated for its obscenity. A trial then started for the publisher of the book. The film is back and forth shows scenes of the trial where prosecutors argue about why or why not is Howl obscene or is it just a freedom of expression. We also see that Allen is being interviewed by someone and he shares with us moments of his life that brought him upto this moment where a trial...

The film could have had an interesting premise and it actually did start off well as well but somewhere it completely lost the steam. The film started to drag and the scenes were unnecessarily extended to the extent that my interest in the film starting to loose. It would have been better with a crisp script. It s the night before Halloween and everyone is trying to finish their costumes for the annual Parade! Fredrico, a hot young Latino spinning instructor; Dave, a successful African-American stockbroker; Evan, a stylish young interior designer; Harvey, Evan s equally fabulous business partner and boyfriend; and Emme, a quirky young woman obsessed with style and vintage movies, have been waiting all year for this day to come. Originally they decided to dress up as Wasabi Tuna but then ultimately they decide to dress up as gangsters and this is when a full on comedy of errors with many more people involved Evan & Harvey unknowingly have been dealing with a drug dealer Anna. A gan...

Sometimes when you watch a movie, the context makes a lot of difference. This movie if made in the 90s would have appealed much more to the audience than it does having been made in 2000 for the reason that it tackles a very basic view of an individual coming to terms with his sexuality because of fear of parental pressure. The story is good but the in today's context just does not fit well.  David and his little brother Ricky have traveled with their divorced father Brian from their big city home to Brian's beach hometown to visit Aunt Lillian for the summer. There Brian reunites with his old buddy Tommy who has taken in his younger brother Seth as a favor to his family. As Brian and Tommy re-bond, both having losses in their lives since their boyhood, David and Seth get to know each other and gradually discover an attraction that goes beyond friendship. After a tender and quiet kiss at night on the beach, they acknowledge their attraction, only to be betrayed by the threat yo...

Nine Lives takes us through the lives of 9 men who are interconnected by the fact they are all participants in the roundelay of casual sexual encounters. The technique used is that of each actor speaking to the audience about his background and how each ended up in the rather sad state of living in which they find themselves. Ronnie is something of a sex addict; an HIV-poz man who uses random encounters and booze as narcotics, to dull the pain of memories of lost happiness that has faded from his life, and the stark reality of his limited future. Connected by him and his story, we get to meet a twenty-something Latino handyman who met Ronnie through a website and get to know his story. Ronnie works for an upscale and unhappy gay couple. He occasionally sleeps with both of them on an individual basis without the knowledge of other. One half of the couple has a personal trainer who is also a hustler whom he sleeps with. The trainer once tricks for free with a drug dealer who has a disa...

Episode 1 | The Perfect Penis For some men bigger - whether by mechanical, herbal or surgical means - will always mean better. The penis is the organ most central to a man's sense of self, and the quest for penile perfection has driven some men to extraordinary and dangerous lengths. This programme meets the Russian surgeons who chopped off a man's penis and re-grew it on his arm, the man whose penis has real pulling power, and the man for whom too big is just not big enough.  Episode 2 | Chopped Off: The Man Who Lost His Penis In 1993 one short brutal act guaranteed John Wayne Bobbitt a notoriety he can never shake off. His wife Lorena sliced off his manhood with a kitchen knife, drove off and discarded it in a field. What followed - one the biggest live TV trials of all time - turned the former marine into an unlikely celebrity. Twelve years on, after a brief porn career, a job as a Las Vegas minister, a stint as a limo driver for a brothel and a spell in jail, film-maker V...

I have seen much worse gay films, so it will be wrong to call this is a disaster but it comes pretty close to that. Specially when you have talentless actors, lousy plot, shaky, grainy camera and not so good direction. You dont expect great shakes. It could be a mindless comedy (or was it?). Hong and Shin have had a special friendship since childhood. As adults they have drifted only in that Hong holds a menial job and likes girls while Shin is a rock star and likes boys. Hong has now discovered that his self absorbed girlfriend has run up a hefty amount of debt on his credit cards and all the world is after him. In order to raise the money to pay everyone off he enters the G-Boys Beauty Contest. Of course the only problem is that all the entrants have to be gay. To help him get through the ordeal, Shin also enters the contest. Our two heroes are joined by a crew of hot, handsome asian guys all vying for the title of G-Boy of the year, and the million dollars that goes with the crown. ...