Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This is a documentary that serves as an overview and examination of the lives and careers of aspiring and professional gay and lesbian athletes from all over the world. Chronicling the present, framed within a historical context of those that came before, this film highlights the experiences of athletes who have fought and struggled, both in and out of the closet, to represent the LGBT community and their true selves. This film is told through the voices of pioneers, present day heroes, tomorrow’s superstars and the people who’ve helped them succeed.  By casting those who’ve come out in the past as “heroes” — including women’s tennis game-changers Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, NFL vet David Kopay, retired baseballer Billy Bean and ex-NBA pioneer John Amaechi — the film aims to chip away at the potentially career-ending stigma that intimidates many athletes into keeping their identities a secret. Though Sam himself isn’t interviewed in the film, his publicist Howard Brag...

This horror musical was definitely not my cup of tea. It is one of those productions that throws everything against the wall in hopes that something will stick and resonate with the viewer. In particular, the project attempts to tackle several different genres; romance, comedy, horror, mystery, and musical. The result, as is often the case with films bogged down in excess, is a bit of a muddled mess that is impressive one moment only to transition into aggravating tedium. Martin is on a quest. Long ago, before he understood his sexuality or what it could mean for him socially, he fell for one of his friends, a skinny blond boy called Daniel. Not so long afterwards, Daniel disappeared, and nobody knows what became of him. Sometimes he thinks he catches sight of him. He is now hiding in his aunt's coastal house away from everyone. There his cousin also shows up with her boyfriend and other friends. Martin meets Lucas, a neighborhood boy and together they wanna search for the mystery ...

This 90s German film feels like an absurd satire about German society and sexuality in those days. 90s were different times and this indie film tries to portray its own understanding of likely how things were during those times. The film gets slightly confusing at times but is very much focused on sex and sexuality. 14 year old Axel comes from a broken home with a substance-abusing mom and an abusive stepfather. Rather than go to school, Alex hangs out with his friends in the center of town and cruises a gay bar to try and find johns and make some money. Axel mostly appears quite assertive in his behavior, he is smart-mouthed, sometimes violent and sports a giant Elvis-like hairstyle. Things change when he meets an older guy, who is unhappily married, has a son and is likely hiding his sexuality. Their affair starts off as a blackmail event but slowly the relationship evolves. All this while Axel using his place to have sex with his girlfriend, who is also sleeping with his best friend...

Though not explicit and in your face like most gay films, this is a queer coming-of-age drama focusing on the intense, manipulative, and toxic relationship between 20-year-old Yuri and the older, charismatic entertainer Agostino. The film explores themes of sexuality, freedom, and power dynamics within their nomadic journey through southern Italy. The narrative focuses on Yuri's transformation from a nervous and confused young man into someone who gradually asserts himself within the tumultuous relationship. 20-year old Yuri has been living in the protective village environment raised by his aunts. He is quiet and shy, with the social skills of a toddler and some visible learning difficulties. Yuri becomes fascinated by the cocky Agostino, around 10 years his senior, with formidable piercing eyes, flame-red dyed hair and the perfectly chiseled face. He lives in a camper van and barely scrapes a living by conducting children’s birthday parties. The highly seductive and manipulative ...

Thriller films are supposed to excite you and create the thrill.. Somehow it's only after 25 minutes into the film , I could figure out what exactly is going on. Taking the principal e that thanks to surveillance cameras these days, anyone can be monitored from one place to another and it's easy to catch folks. Not that fifths wasn't there, this film would need to change its story, because even in that case, it would have stayed the same. Adam, an IT teacher at an illustrious public school, is picked up by a charming photographer Jake at a gay bar. After spending the night at Jake’s flat, he leaves, but manages to pick up the wrong mobile phone by mistake. When he returns to give it back, he witnesses a couple of thuggish men carrying something that looks suspiciously like a body in a sack out of the flat. Unfortunately, it seems that they were also after the very same mobile that he now happens to be in his possession, and they want it back. Knowing he’s out of his depth, ...

Gay Rights is an issue heard around the world, including Cuba. Free Havana paints a vivid picture of what it has been like to be gay in Cuba through the candid stories of six gay and lesbian individuals. Free Havana exposes the evolution of gay life from a time when homosexuality was considered a punishable crime to current efforts to promote a greater acceptance of freedom of sexual orientation. Honest in approach and poignant in content, the stories of the six Cubans will inform and inspire as they touch your heart. The six interviewees are interviewed one by one and tell their personal stories. First we have a guy who at the age of 17 was enlisted for 'military' but in reality was a group where all suspect LGBT folks were rounded up and taken to a village and were made to work non stop hours in a field, hoping to get cured. Then we hear from a guy who knew he was different and when his love letter o another boy was found, his father threw him out. But thanks to his mother...

Covering the topic of death in film can be done successfully in many different ways, but it's very difficult to make the subject matter beautiful and something that people can connect with. Especially hard is to make it funny and poignant. Interestingly this film is whimsical, funny, and also touching at the same time. Supposedly inspired by a true story (if the end credits are to be believed), this thoughtful script is quite alright. Jimmy, an elderly gay man suffering from Alzheimer's, decides to die on his own terms, as he is aware that his condition will only worsen with time. This spurs him to host a “FUNeral,” a final get-together with loved ones, meant to play out more like a farewell party to honor the rich, vibrant life he has led. Jimmy is a man of many talents. Apart from being a musician, he also has a deep interest in space, is the founder of a famous soft-toy line named Moonie Babies, and has helped people from numerous walks of life embrace their authentic selves...

How did Hollywood pitch movies about gays and lesbians between 1953 and 1977? Here are theatrical trailers for 27 mainstream and art-house films, presented chronologically from "Tea and Sympathy" to "Outrageous!" More than half are films released between 1968 and 1972. Half are dramas and half are comedies, with farce dominating the films released after 1971. At least three advertise X-rated films: "The Killing of Sister George," "Midnight Cowboy," and Visconti's "The Damned." A collection of vintage movie trailers offering a crash course in lesbian, gay, bi and transgender movie history. Features virtually every major mainstream queer-themed film produced during that time. This fast-paced overview offers a crash course in gay and lesbian movie history and a colorful look at the best (and worst) Hollywood hard-sells of gay and lesbian "subject matter." Archivist Jenni Olson is one of the world’s leading experts on LGBT fil...

This was more like an extended short film running to about an hour or so, which could easily have been squeezed into a 25 min film. There a re a few obvious scenes that can be eliminated and the message that this film is trying to say would not have been diluted. Story is about 18 year old boy who is obsessed with universe, space and astrophysics. He is also a religious boy thanks to his mom and how his knowledge of science and religious interferes with his confusion when he starts to have feelings for his friend. Thiago is a young man of 18 who is simple, Christian, and passionate about astrophysics. He lives with his religious mother and sister in a happy family. His best friend is Lucas, who is not very good at studies and Thiago helps him a lot. His life takes a turn when he realizes that he is developing feelings for his best friend. As their friendship deepens, Thiago is confronted with unexpected feelings that go beyond his comprehension. Intrigued, Thiago embarks on a quest for...

As it happens most times, I am not too familiar with the "celebrities" of American pop/porn culture. This documentary is a love letter from cult filmmaker Toby Ross to male model and gay adult film superstar Bill Eld and  tells the story of one of the gay film industry's sexiest man (because he had one of the most beautiful cocks) and attracts the international sex symbol's meteoric rise and unfortunate decline into the abyss. For those like me, who do not know of him, it is an introduction to not only the man but to the culture in which he lived. Eld was an underground icon who became the most "beautiful male pinup in the world". For as much of a queer icon as Eld became, the life behind the man was a mystery. Virtually no biographical information about him was published during his lifetime, and he drifted around the country with such regularity that he hardly made any lasting connections. Ross- who knew Eld during two key periods in both mens’ lives- seeks...

With a duration of just under an hour, this film from back in 1989 is a short, quirky, and romantic story about two men, one an astronomy-obsessed worrier and the other a free spirit who enjoys breaking into places. The charm of late 80s set in Auckland is what makes this film worth watching. It is atale of opposites: coming together and coming out. Richard, an astronomy-obsessed worrier spends his time fantasizing about outer-space and the cosmos, an activity which antagonizes friends and family. He lives with his sister in an apartment. One day, he meets Johnny, a handsome Italian man at the library, with an enormous appetite for life, whose idea of a holiday involves breaking into the nearest small holiday home. The next day he shows up at Richard's door and asks him to join him at the beach. The two have sex there and Johnny mentions that he will soon be back in Italy after 3 weeks and offers Richard love and an escape from the monotony of work. The duo spend sometime together ...

I thought the first season of Wreck was pretty average, so I wasn't quite keen on the sequel. While looking at the stuff backlog that I have to watch, I chanced upon season 2 and watched it and I have to say that I was so underwhelmed with the season 2. After watching the show, I started wondering how do I qualify of a content is LGBTQ+ enough for me to review here or not. Should it focus on issues and sexual identity (which is what my definition has ben most times), but then there comes shows like this, where we have plenty queer characters but it is not about sexuality. They are just in situations they have to deal with and they happen to be gay. Normally I stay away from such because if not for gay storyline or identity or something, I may not have watched some of these series/films in the first place.  Taking it away from the cruise ship, we see Jamie and Vivian now living together alongside Lauren and working to bring their enemies down whatever the cost. The trio are having l...

This documentary delves into the phenomenon of adult entertainers creating, shooting and starring in their own productions, with popular and far-reaching platforms such as JustForFans acting as de facto film distributors that monetize these productions directly through their sites. JFF founder Dominic Ford, featured throughout the documentary, enthused about the project says "This documentary is important because it peels back the curtain of the ‘fan’ economy; it shows how empowering it is for male models to work on their own terms and become financially independent while doing something they love, safely from their homes." Men at Work explores the early days of ‘Porn Valley’ when performers made their fortunes through the studio system; that is, until the rise of the Internet shifted the industry’s onscreen offerings from VHS and DVD formats to free streaming via ubiquitous tube sites that effectively removed the ‘pay for your porn’ business model. With this, the rise of ‘cr...

This film is a gay coming of age film of an angry teenager. The film takes us on a journey into the life of a 16-year-old boy, grappling with his intense emotions. I thought the film was extremely basic and amateurish. The dialog is bad, the acting is awful, and the camerawork needs help. But the story is quirky enough to be interesting. Alex is a misfit at school, enduring bullying and harsh scrutiny at the hands of the hall monitor. Alex takes solace in the world of puppetry and filmmaking. His neighbors are quick to judge his every move. At home, his father is a strict disciplinarian, constantly demeaning Alex and never trying to understand him. His mother attempts to bridge the gap, but Alex remains distant. She herself is dealing with issues of her own, dealing with identity crisis and likely extremely unhappy in her marriage. When Julius, a new student joins the class, things start to change for him. They have instant connect and friendship and start to hang out. As their bond de...

The first gay disco, Studio One in Los Angeles, was a safe space for the gay community from 1974-1993. This documentary is a loving look at the iconic gay disco and its legacy. Replete with pictures of events at Studio One and at its adjoining music and dining venue The Backlot that vividly recall its heyday, the film remembers it as a vital place where gay people could be themselves and which also became a popular spot for celebrities eager to demonstrate Hollywood's liberal side. The building was slated to be demolished in 2018, and this film provides an oral and visual history of the club as the local board determines its fate. A handful of “survivors” of Studio One, including comedy legend, Bruce Vilanch, return to the club to recall its glory days. With a capacity of over 1000, this cavernous club and adjoining cabaret called The Backlot attracted hordes of mostly white gay men and the Hollywood elite throughout such historical touchstones as the sexual revolution and the heig...

This is a rather simple low production BL series from Cambodia. Playing on the age old, enemies turned lovers turned misunderstanding turned lovers is played here as well. Keeping this simple story to go on for 7 episodes felt like an unnecessary stretch. Each episode is about 20-30 minutes long. The actors felt new and story could have used more gravitas. Also the title of this series made no sense to me, in the context of it all.  Hengly is like the bad boy of his class. He doesn't conform to rules and often blame onto everyone else except himself. On morning he runs into Same on his motorbike and the two have an altercation that doesn't end well. Same is a studious student who stands up for himself. After a few misunderstandings, their friendship starts to grow when it turns out that Same's brother is close friends with Hengly's cousin. They spend sometime together, and it seems like Hengley is almost flirting with Same. Same’s feelings for Hengly grows stronger and ...

It is quite obvious that our community really needs lessons in tolerance. The fact that films comes from Ukraine, a country from which I had not expected that I will be writing a review on my blog, an attempt at LGBT comedy (or somewhat in that genre), is big surprise to me. As the name would suggest, the film is literally lessons in tolerance of LGBTQ+ community members told through 10 chapters using a regular Ukrainian family as the center point. We have a simple family of husband, wife, a son and a daughter. The family is reeling debts, the husband is lazy, daughter is a wanna be actress and the son is just aggressive good for nothing mechanic. The mom has had enough of it. There’s money available for any family that signs up for and completes a state LGBT+ awareness training course, and it’s quite a considerable sum, too. The way it works is that a course representative who is gay will come and live with the family for three weeks, during which time he will conduct a number of LGBT...

This was yet another one of those Thai teenager gay dramas that just feels wrong too watch. These boys barely look 13 or 14 years old and having to watch them talk about love, sex and be naughty made me very uncomfortable. Thankfully, it is only 4 episodes of about 20-22 minutes each, but still a simple yet uncomfortable story to see Tankhun is a young boy who loves to drive his scooter fats. Worried bout that, his father takes away his scooter and instead asks his friend's son Kim to pick and drop from school. The friendship starts blooming. Kew knows he is gay but Tankhun is interested in a girls ho he realizes just liked to get gifts from boys. When another boy in the class starts sowing interest in Kim, that makes Tankhun jealous and he doesn't know what's happening. But everytime he sees them together, he doesn't like it and tries to break thier bond. Eventually he confesses to Kim that he likes him. But Tankhun still is uncomfortable accepting that in public which...

The fruit machine was created as an ostensibly scientific way to detect homosexuals, so they could be fired from their government jobs or pre-screened before being offered employment in the first place. This was during the Cold War, and the prevailing fear was that homosexuals would be at a greater risk of blackmail by Russian spies. They needed to be identified and removed, the thinking went, so they wouldn't reveal the nation's secrets. This documentary throws some light on the homosexual witch-hunt of public servants and military personnel in Canada from the 1950s through the early 1990s and its effects on the people whose lives and careers were disrupted or destroyed by it. The first half of the documentary focuses primarily on the historical context of the LGBT Purge, including the Cold War. Intertwined with this historical section are the stories of a number of men Civil Service Purge survivors who were investigated and lost their jobs. The producers anchor the film in th...

I had not heard of this film at all and was actually very pleasantly surprised with this touching mechanic meets India-British drag queen romantic drama. The sis such an involved and heartfelt queer love stories, something that we all have been waiting to see for a while now. No exaggeration, no over the top drama, yet true tragic love while the protagonists confront their notion of love, sexuality, family, religion, friendship and more. Luke isa single dad of a 5 year old son. He works as a mechanic in a garage run by his dad. He meets Aysha, a drag queens fact unknown to him at their first meeting and they indulge in a passionate kiss. There are clear sparks but as soon as Luke realizes that Aysha is a man he runs away. Aysha is living a closeted life away from her relies muslim family in the big city. Aysha need sa driver and car to take her around for her shows. She tracks down Luke and he agrees to do the job in hopes to save money for his son. After a few drives, the attraction r...

Translated to English as "An Andalusian Bitch", this is a 7 part series each of about 25-30 minutes. Focusing on a lot of LGBTQ+ characters, this series focuses on certain individuals (some connected, some not). Like many kids their age, some of these Gen Z folks feel quite lost, and they try to find their way, a path greatly influenced by the relationship (repressed, released or overstimulated) they have with sex, and which can only be defined as "drama". They are racked by loneliness and desire in a society that intensifies their struggles.The show is supposed to be comedy as well, but we will leave our thoughts on that later. We meet an interesting mix of people including Sofía, Samu, Marcos, Tamara, Sylvia and Judit. Samuel or Samu is a young gay man, who enjoys hooking up a lot but is almost at a point where he wants something serious. He eventually meets Gabi, a boy with whom he starts as friends, take it slow and eventually as they start to get serious, somet...

'Gayliens' is a 4 episode anthology series from HereTV ranging from sci-fi to comedy, where each episode details an encounter between gay men and extra-terrestrials. I have to say that the concept sounded quite interesting, and of course, you have to keep your expectations extremely low, so form that perspective it was an interetsing mix. EP 1 - Love and the Mothman Two neighborhood boys (both likely in closet) decide to go on a drive to get away from family. The black guy makes sure to tell th other boy all about his girl crushes but eventually when dark falls, they both start having banger sex in the car till they are eventually terrorized by the legendary Mothman.  EP 2 - Lapdance from Outer Space Ace, a space-themed stripper in a gay nightclub, agrees to give an odd man a private Lapdance, but is surprised when the patron reveals that he is an alien...and Earth is about to be invaded. This was actually quite funny with the kind of dialogues that were being exchanged. Comedy...

This mini series from South Korea is a light hearted romance and is just sweet and simple and straight forward. To be honest, I dont know why this was needed to be told in 6 episodes, each of 20 minutes, The story could have easily been told as a simple short story. The series tries to tease a love triangle, which fails to be engaging and even the interactions between the main couple are pretty basic and dull. Min Jae is a new study in the music faculty of a university. Here, he mets Yoon Chan a couple of times, including in the library where Min Jae works part time. For no obvious reasons, Yoon Chan falls for Min Jae and starts conversations to befriend him. Turns out Yoon Chan is a taekwondo student and seems has no other friends. They both decide to become friends after some random meetings between the two. It is more evident that Yoon Chan is putting more effort. Initially Min Jae is a bit irritated by this but slowly he comes around and starts liking the guy. As they spend more ti...

I am catching up on some of these old documentaries in my hard drive and came across this one. This documentary from back in 2006 is about gay Christians– and the reconciliation of both identities. The documentary brings visibility to a marginalized and at-risk population on the big screen, and despite the content having aged since its original release, this was still an interesting perspective. A patchwork of interviews comprises this film: self-identifying gay Christians, including seminary students and clergy; family and friends of those lost to suicide, and scholars of the Bible are all included. Major focuses of discussion include scripture related to homosexuality, and how different translations of the Bible over time have impacted its interpreted support or non-support of gay life. All of the subjects have a strong religious background and relationship with God, something that has been severely tested at some point in their lives. The opening section has them talking about disco...

Firstly, I don't think Throuple is the right Tiel for the film. Sure the film ends up in that direction, but I felt that the film was a lot more to that. It was about self discovery, loving one self, about close friendships and people insecurities and vulnerabilities seen thorn various lenses. Having said that, this film overall brings an interesting perspective, even though there were many faults in the film. Michael, is a lonely, gay singer-songwriter, who is just better about love and is fully convinced it's a sham. He also struggles to express what he needs from the people in his life. His social circle is his best lesbian friend  Tristan, who sings in a band and her girlfriend Abby. Much to Abby’s chagrin, Michael leans on them to fulfill his needs for emotional intimacy. One night in the club, Michael catches the attention of Georgie and Connor, a married gay couple looking for a third to spice up their life. A nonchalant hookup becomes a night of vulnerability that none ...

Oh god! This was such a disaster film. I heard that this was a series also at some point, and I can only imagine what that would have been like. I have always said that some of these Thai series need to be squeezed into a film size format, but even in that form, some of these can be really bad. The film is about 90 minutes long and doesn't have a proper ending. It ends with scaring us with a promise of part 2. Not sure when that will come out (of it will ever come out) Through flashbacks we are told that 6 months ago, Night was seduced by a guy named Gear, who sleeps with him and make sure a video of them having sex, leaving Night into mental trauma. But we are never told what he does with that video. Back to present, when Gear sees Night in a club, his feelings of him get very strong and he wants to pursue him. Meanwhile Night's older brother Day wants to take revenge about. This incident and he kidnaps Gear's best friend Itt, who was the master mind behind making a video....

I am sure, anyone who has seen first two seasons, would not have expected the change of pace and the storyline that is offered to the audience. The plot is a bit heavier than the usual lovey-dovey ones we have watched in first two seasons. It is not to say that the romance is not there, but the plat also focuses on some very meaningful and deep changes to the love story of Nick and Charlie. I also have. To say it that I did miss my favorite Olivia Coleman. I so wish she was there even just for a cameo maybe. All the various couple are doing well in this relationships and we just see how they are all growing. The main focus. This time is on Nick's concerns around Charlie's struggles with eating and the possible disorder that he has. Alongwth help of Charlie's very supportive sister, Nick eventually gets to share etc burden of noticing something odd about Charlie and wanting to be there for him. These are kids and they just dont know what is wrong with Charlie and how they ca...