Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This Japanese series charts the beginning of Amane and Ryuuji’s friendship and eventual love story in a short and sweet format of 5 episodes of about 22 minutes each, making it w a very enjoyable and easy watch. This heartwarming BL series captures the intimate journey of falling in love. The best part if that it is non-pretentious, very down to earth and something that you can imagine happening in real life to someone. Surely, teenage romances can be a hit or a miss, but thankfully this one just flows like a river, nice and swift; thanks to the pure souls of our two individuals and their honest portrayal. A young student Amane is closet gay. Having ben debuted before by one of his classmates for being gay, he now acts as being cool and funny. He moves to a small town to live with his grandma, where he accidentally meets Ryuji while chasing a cat. As an apology Ryuji invites Amane at his restaurant for a meal, which he loves. Amane, who has a bubbly personality, praises the cooking eff...

I mean I knew this was a Signal23 TV's web series with black guys (popular for series like About Him shows etc); so I expected paper thin story, overacting or bad acting and a whole lot of sex. This show had it all. That doesn't mean that it makes it any better. It wad still as much of a trash as I expected. Also in certain places this show is knows as "First High" ; just in case someone finds it hard to find it. Latham’s high is blown when a pill pushing, pizza delivery guy, named Pax slips into his life. Instantly a lust-struck Pax is hooked on Latham - a handsome individual who indulges often in a mind altering affair with a medicine called ‘Pharm’. Latham’s delusional ex-lover Quentin and Pax’s desperate quest to settle his money problems adds unwanted conflict to their new bond that’s destined to become a formula for success - or disaster. I laughed so hard when I read that this from the director of the show "This series is similar to such shows as Breaking ...

A sequel to the 2018 film "Say Yes", this film takes the story forward in the truest sense. But even if you haven't seen the original film, this film still makes sense as a standalone experience. Despite the subject being nice and a lot of relevant issues being brought to the forefront, the aim somehow fails to make an impact. More on that later. It's been one year since Beau's wife Lily died and now Beau and Lily's brother Caden have been living together as a couple.  They receive a post dated letter from Lily informing them that she had frozen her eggs before she got cancer and she would love if Beau would have kids with that which would help Lily live on. Initially both Caden and Beau are not sure and they discuss all kinds of potential challenges and issues that could arise because of having kids. For one, Caden feels he has never been a responsible person and other, how will they manage. Eventually they agree and meet the doctors and decide to give it a g...

OK. This is like the lowest of lows when the shows can go. Surely, I have seen a few Filipino shows where the direction and execution was so poor but at least the story still made sense. But with this show, if anyone can tell me what was the plot of this and what really as happening, I would be really really glad. Because, u know what I really tried to keep my attention on this one hoping. That with every next episode, it will slowly make sense, but I was so wrong. And intakes 12 episodes of about 16-18 minutes each to constantly remind you that this series will not make sense how much ever you try. Right in the first episode, way too many characters are thrown at us. Almost 10-12 and we are not sure whom do we need to focus on, because even though they are being introduced, there is really nothing substantial happening. Who are they, who do they like, what is their relationship with one another? I wish they had focused on just 2 characters and made it shorter instead of having so many...

I am not sure still on how I feel about this show. The two love stories were interesting to watch at some level, but I feel that when it comes to editing there were way too many jumps and the characters just would change their mind in a second. One second they are lovey lovey, and the next moment they are avoiding each other. In any case, this 8 episode Korea series is about 25-30 minutes episode length. (Also, I don't think I have seen the original Thai version of this show, which is good because I don't have any reference to compare to and I can judge it as a standalone piece) There are two parallel stories going on. Two students are taking film classes in a university. One of them hopes to become an actor while the other is looking for a director career. They had an initial argument and cant stand each other but many times they are forced to work together on acting projects. Ice of the guys sister is writing a BL novel because somehow she thinks these two guys make for a gre...

India hasn't produced that many gay series or shows to talk about (although my blog will probably give you a different statistic). Amazon Prime's 'Rainbow Rishta' comes in as a breath of fresh air. At a time when queer relationship portrayal and dating is somehow focused on negatives, this show depicts life with all its burdens, joys, and the need to keep going on, day after day. It leaves you with a sense of hope, of finding moments of relief in everyday strife, and embracing life for everything it has to offer. Featuring six episodes focusing on three queer couples and three singles, this series gives a more balanced view IMO but also gives you hope. Gauhati-based lesbian couple Aneez and Sanam , tired of finding space for themselves in their parental homes, are in search of a flat. But their being a couple keeps becoming a deal-breaker, as they go through one refusal after another from prospective landlords. Trinetra Haldar , an MBBS doctor-turned-actor whose trans c...

Outdoors (UK) When Nathan meets Bim, there is an undeniable pull between the two of them and they soon embark on a steamy romance. However, as the two grow closer and start to form a relationship, Nathan discovers that Bim is homeless. As Nathan’s perspective is forced to shift and he decides to put love before preconceived stereotypes we see a heartwarming story of acceptance and hope play out on screen. Gulis (Philippines) [Lines] Andrei is a thriving painter whose father, Jun, isn't in full support of his passion. Their lives take a turn when, Andrei finds out he is HOV positive after taking a home test. The news brings family together  and help them heal their wounds of the mother's absence. Ice (South Korea) Seung Jin and Tae Yoon are friends with benefit, both of whom are drug addicts. When they take drugs, they experience utmost pleasure that can't be compared to anything in the whole world. However, as they experience this false pleasure, they also feel anxious in t...

Oh my god! This series was such a drag. Literally nothing happens ove the course of the exhausting 12 episodes (25-30 minutes) of this series. It just waxes and whines throughout. Even if I was to squeeze this into a short film, I wouldn't be able to make it longer than 10 minutes. So imagine having to sit through this atrocity for such a long time. There are no significantly strong moments in this series. Shot in the phone format, apparently for TikTok, you get used to it while watching but when the story itself has nothing to offer, there is only so much attention that we, as audience can pay to it. A young guy Vienh moves to countryside to take. Break from everything. He finds a cheap rental house because it has 'haunted' reputation. When he moves in, there is a cat lurking around and he takes it in. The next morning when he wakes up, he finds a young boy sleeping next to him. Soon, he realizes that somehow cat has transformed into human An. He just an accepts this inexp...

This 2024 Channel 4 special TV program cum documentary offers viewers front-row seats at an extraordinary gay wedding, which the grooms are staging as a musical, from sung vows to show-stopping ensembles and a duet from their mums. This has the twin advantages of being both a real musical and a real wedding. Grooms Benjamin Till and and Nathan Taylor both work in show business and they wrote, scored and staged a sung-through their marriage, with commentary by Stephen Fry, and various celebrities wishing them on their big day. Stephen Fry, who narrated the program in the inimitable style of his, for which he is so treasured, fittingly emphasized the paramount importance of the 29th March, 2014 in his opening monologue, describing the day as ‘extraordinary and historic’ and paving the way for a series of poignant reminders about the many highs and, unfortunately, many lows that LGBT people have faced through the years. Benjamin and Nathan had a mere seven weeks to write the lyrics and ar...

China hasn't done many BL series. We can count them on our fingers easily, so naturally when I heard of this show, Iw as keen to see it. Although, timely sense prevailed and I kept my expectations extremely low, just in case. The show was clearly shot during covid days likely because you don't see any single person in big buildings and offices and homes besides the actors acting. The show has 10 episodes of about 16-18 minutes and is an easy watch. This drama tells the story of Ding Junjie, the deputy general manager of a cosmetics company, and Ying Jiaming, the son of the cynical chairman of the board. Ying is always sleeping and his boss Junjie is always at his case, without realizing who he is. Things turn when Ying becomes his boss but Ying continues his playfulness, almost annoying Junjie. One day, to get rid of her possessive ex-girlfriend Ying introduces junjie as his boyfriend and request him to play gay with him. Things take a turn from there. Clearly Ying is too much ...

The first thing that you notice while watching, not just in the first episode itself, but in every episode after episode is that how many sizzling sexual encounters fill this steamy series. Surely, slowly Thai series were slowly coming out of shell; but the sheer numbers of kisses, sex scenes that fill this series is something not seen before in any Asian BL series IMO. This series also has a lot of Thai BL stars and many couple and all of them get equal footage. All the actors are confident and share a passionate chemistry with their partners. The show of 12 episodes of 50-60 minute episodes , although, is a show about friends, messy relationships, complex encounters, history and sexual promiscuity. Mostly what kind of hot mess young adult can be. This is a long show and will take up a lot of your time. The center is around 4 friends Mew, Ray, Boston and a girl Chuem. There are gonna be lot of names and characters, so I am going to try my best to summarize. For a college project, they...

This is a pretty simple straight forward (or complicated in its own way, depending on how you see it) story about exploring sexuality, finding love and accepting love for what it is. This 8 part series of about 15 minute each episode could easily have been a film and even shorter because from a story point of view it is pretty basic. The production and acting is above average, thankfully. The show initially reminded me of this other show 'Wedding Plan' but later it came on its own. Shao, son of a rich businessman is about to marry Louise. This is an arranged marriage purely for business reasons. Louise actually is lesbian and has a girlfriend, meanwhile Shao is a shy guy and is just going along with what his parents want. We then meet Briggs, an orphan living with his aunt who works in the bridal car business and is always busy to even look for love. When Shao comes to this store looking for a car, Shao and Briggs have instant chemistry and they decide to become friends and sta...

Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief. Some tackle it head-on, while others live in denial. In this series, a gay young adult Tore, our leading man walk a path of self-destruction. As audience it sometimes become frustrating for us to not be able to understand why Tore is doing what he is doing, but if you delve in the character depth enough, it feels like an honest portrayal of grief and escapism. The actor playing Tore also happens to be writer and creator of the show. And what's more interesting is that even though the show may sound all serious and drama; it's actually a dark-comedy, tragedy and drama. At six episodes of half an hour each, this Swedish Netflix series was a very good binge watch. The split is simple. Tore is a 27 year old gay, virgin, young adult, socially clueless boy who lives and works with his father at the funeral home. In the first episode we see father and son fighting over why isin't Tore leaving the house to live on his own. Essential...

As per the official synopsis of this show "Through the confessions of six professional pornstars, this humorous documentary series offers viewers an insider's look into Montreal's gay porn industry, a major hub on the international scene. Meet the actors, cult filmmakers, specialists in sex health, and model's entourage revealing all the secrets about the pornstar life." Spread over 10 episodes of about 25 minutes each, I wasn't vey sure what I am getting into, but I have to say that the candid confessions and the 6 chosen pornstars ended up being a lot more fun and informative to watch than cringe as I had thought going into watching this whole show. Meet Trent, Skyy, Guillaume, Edward, Teddy and River - the six pornstars of "Boy Boy Montreal." River and Cory Kane are doing a photoshoot together. Guillaume welcomes actors Teddy and Pierre Fitch for a spa at home. We see the steps that are taken and the business challenges when production companies w...

Touted as a wild ride thorough the world of Hollywood decadence as seen through the eyes of pumped-up, cross-dressing Tinseltown reject Beverly Johnson; this film was so bad that I can't even begin to start writing. Full of cringe, over the top everything, this is a good example of cringe with a paper thin plot that doesn't offer much, some good eye candy and weird Hollywood impersonators to add so called comedy to the whole film. It was bad on all accounts. Beverly Jackson, a buff, masculine guy in obviously absurd drag is a wannabe actor who is denied a role in an upcoming musical at the Pride Playhouse: this sets off the idea of revenge that is supposed to be the main line of the plot. But we have a few other side stories that take majority of the plot. There is a young gay man Shane who works at the theatre who gets dumped by his boyfriend for a hotter guy. He is also doing auditions for a lot of wannabe's who can pretend to be Hollywood impersonators for Shane and Beve...

With only 5 episodes of about 15-20 minutes each, the very first episode is so dman confusing. Characters are introduced, some relevant and some not and most things just don't make any sense. Eventually this series is like 2 parallel stories that have absolutely no bearing to one another. The way it is directed feel over garam tic lie a soap opera and even though the show has received good reviews, I think a school project would have been better. This is essentially two separate subjects just made into one series for no rhyme or reason. Hayden, who has just moved to a new place, coincidentally helps Damien's grandmother and meets Damien in the process. The two individuals, who had no connection before, start a complicated relationship after an unexpected kiss. They both have burdens form the past. After the grandma's unexpected death, Hayden helps Damien a lot and eventually love grows between them. The other story is of Kelvin and Archie, high school lovers who got separat...

Apparently tis film was adapted by a true story Well, true or not, movies/series about drugs are not easy to watch. I have always said that drugs is like the end of life for anyone. For those who sink into this sea of addiction, some manage to swim upstream to recovery, while others cannot make it to the shore. The film may not be the best, but it does have a noble intention to remind everyone of the evil affects of drugs and combining that with sex. Ah Zhe is in a happy relationship with his influencer boyfriend. On his partner's birthday, they end up going to a party, which interestingly is being hosted at a drug dealer's house and this is where for the first time he is exposed to the world of drugs. The duo somehow do it just enough and come back home but next day Ah She gets invited by the dealer Xiao Fei for a meal. The dealer has a soft corner for Ah Zhe, but before anyone realizes, Ah Zhe's life spirals out of control when slowly he starts doing more and more drugs, ...

A biopic inspired by real life story of Meghna Sahoo, India’s first Transgender cab driver and social activist, a real inspiration to the transgender community and to the global community. Sometimes even with decent noble intentions, it's the execution that can falter. Here I would blame director to a large extent, since the actors try to do the best they can with limited characterization and growth. For India community understanding eunuch and the trans community is not easy. This film also tries to Gove us a glimpse of how most of the Eunuchs are maligned in real life & are mistreated every day of their lives. Many are forced to beg & make a living by sex work. Some parts of the film did remind me of the recent web series Taali that I had reviewed. Vishnu is subject to abuse and ridicule as a child and attendee for his feminine behaviour. One day when he is hanging out with a friend , he sees two eunuchs being beaten up and he helps them, there getting an opportunity meet...

This beautiful queer sitcom from early 2000's from BBC Two caught my attention only because it has my favorite Olivia Colman in it. Spanning over 2 seasons with 6 episodes each, the sitcom is unapologetically happy, camp and very, very gay. The show is based on the book by Simon Doonan, who is Creative Ambassador of the New York clothing store Barneys. The book tells of his upbringing in Reading during the ‘50s and ‘60s intertwined with his adult life as a gay man. So the show writers took situations from the book and relocated the setting to the more contemporary 1990s. Each episode of the series 1 opens and closes with the adult Simon, working as a window dresser in America, and the lion’s share of the story set in his teens. In season 2 Simon moves back to England after his relationship with his American boyfriend ends, which allows us to see interactions between Simon and his mum as adults. In a typical sitcom style. The show is a big and brash exploration of identity and the c...

Hey hey.. look at that. A Thai Series which is not set in university. How novel!! Sarcasm aside, but it indeed was a good change to not have a show in either a university or a hospital. Here the two leads are a grocery store owner. Somehow this series has a heart. Despite some very glaring problems, loopholes and odd scenarios, if you choose to keep those aside (in addition to some of the most obvious product placements in the show), the sho was somehow still fun to watch an mostly due to a very crackling chemistry between its leads. They are both very likeable and charming with one another. To top that we have only 8 episodes (yay!!) still about 45-50 minutes each. Yang is a Chinese immigrant in Thailand and years to open a grocery store which was his father's dream, but it turns out that he needs a Thai citizen to be his business partner. Enter Phumjai, a young aimless man, who spends most of his time crushing on Tammy, a Chinese origin social media influencer in Thailand. His bo...

Look, I will always be slightly partial to Ferzan Ozpetek's films. He is probably the only gay film director who I know by name, have loved almost all of his films and am always looking forward to what he would be coming up next. This film is no different. Released recently exclusively on Netflix, this is a beautiful story of unrequited love. A love which was never meant to be together but still so complete just knowing that you loved and you were loved with so much intensity and passion and just pure form of love. Once again, the director surprises me with small little things in the film like his previous works focussing on relationships and love and friendship. The story is simple, yet complicated. Two young men, a film student Enea and a medical student Pietro meet in 1978 in a movie theatre. The theatre is also occasionally used as a cursing spot for men. Enea wants to get it on but Pietro wants his first time to be special and so Enea finds a place for their rendezvous. They c...