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...