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Showing posts from January, 2026

Avsar (Hindi) [Opportunity]

This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...

Open To It: Season 2 (Web Series)

I remember really liking the sassiness of the first season, so I was actually pretty excited to dive into season two. But honestly, I’ve gotta say this latest round was a bit of a letdown compared to the original. The jokes just didn't land for me, the humor felt like it was trying too hard, and the whole thing just felt a little off. There are seven episodes in total, starting with a special that aired a few months ago for Pride. In that one, Cam and his drag family try to do a story hour, but the crowd isn't exactly feeling the vibe. To catch you up: Cam and Greg are this solid couple who previously tried a poly thing with a younger guy named Princeton, which totally crashed and burned. They’ve got lesbian neighbors, and one of them is tight with Princeton. Even though the poly thing failed, the couple is still determined to have threesomes, so each episode follows their search for a third. In one bit, Cam brings home a guy from the gym who looks exactly like Greg—they though...

Griffin in Summer

This one turned out to be a really funny and sweet coming-of-age movie about a teenage boy who is absolutely obsessed with playwriting and the dream of living in New York. While he’s trying to finish his latest masterpiece, he ends up falling hard for a local handyman and has to figure out what those feelings actually mean. I honestly didn't have high expectations going in, but I ended up being pretty impressed. It’s a simple story, but it does a great job of showing that subtle moment where a kid starts to realize his sexuality at such a young age without making it feel forced. The story follows 14-year-old Griffin, who is the ultimate theater kid—he’s got all the drama and the ego to match. Every summer, he writes a play and puts it on in his parents' basement with his friends. His new project,  Regrets of Autumn , is a heavy drama about a messy marriage involving cheating and alcoholism, which kind of mirrors the fact that his own parents' marriage is falling apart. His ...

The Rival I'm Falling For (Vertical BL Drama)

This vertical drama is definitely one of the more straightforward ones I've seen lately. It keeps the focus pretty tight on the romance and how these two guys slowly fall for each other, without getting too bogged down in extra nonsense. The leads are honestly super hot—very much that "twink" aesthetic—and while the story doesn't exactly break new ground, it’s a lot less cringey than usual. Like most of these micro-shows, it’s probably going to slip my mind in a week, but at least I wasn't rolling my eyes every five seconds while watching it. The plot is about as simple as it gets. Alex is running for college president, and his main rival is Xavier, a handsome guy from a struggling background. During a big debate, they accidentally trip and end up kissing, which immediately sends the campus rumor mill into overdrive. Alex’s campaign manager decides to lean into the chaos and suggests they start fake dating to boost his popularity. Alex managed to talk Xavier into ...

Jezabel (Spanish)

This movie is such a sharp look at the way we mess with other people’s heads and even our own. It really digs into how unreliable and messy our memories get as we grow up, showing how we can basically rewrite our own history and lie to ourselves without even knowing it. While it misses the mark a few times in how it’s put together, the whole idea is super gripping, and there are some genuinely tragic moments that really stick with you. It’s not strictly a "gay movie" in the usual sense—the main guy is bisexual and has a boyfriend in the present day—but the plot is about so much more than just sexuality. By following four rich kids in Venezuela, it explores things like class tension, masculinity, and how fragile our past really is. The story jumps back and forth constantly between the past and the present. We meet Alain, a young guy who’s pretty troubled and seems totally bored with life. His boyfriend, Salvador, is a journalist, and their conversations end up triggering all t...

Gareth Thomas - HIV and Me (UK) (Documentary)

I recently checked out another one of Gareth Thomas’s documentaries, and this one apparently came out shortly after he decided to share some big news. It’s a pretty intense and emotional look at the rugby star finally going public about living with HIV. He’s very open about how keeping his health a secret for so long pushed him into a dark place, dealing with depression and even some really scary thoughts about ending his life. The film follows him as he leans on his family, doctors, and other people in the HIV community to try and tear down the old myths and stigma that still surround the condition today. The whole thing kicks off with the actual video Gareth posted to announce his diagnosis to the world. His main goal here seems to be changing how people think about HIV by fighting against prejudice and raising awareness. He spends a good chunk of the film talking to medical experts to show the audience that, with modern treatment, the virus isn't something to be terrified of any...

Maspalomas (Spanish/Basque)

This movie is such an interesting mix of laughs and heavy moments, diving into the whole idea of love and lust when you’re older. It’s a layered queer comedy-drama that puts a really fresh spin on what it’s like to be gay in your 70s. The story feels super grounded and real, especially since it sets the character study right against the backdrop of the early Covid-19 pandemic, which adds a whole other level of truth to the messiness of it all. The story follows Vicente, a proud 70-something who ditched his closeted past years ago to live a hedonistic life in the gay-friendly Maspalomas resort on Gran Canaria. He’s recently single and spends his days hooking up in the dunes and partying without a care in the world, mostly because an old friend handles all the bills for him and his dog. But after a major medical emergency, he’s sent back to his hometown, where his estranged daughter—who barely knows him since he walked out on her and his wife decades ago—sticks him in a retirement home t...

Shoot My Heart, My Mafia Boss (Vertical BL Drama)

Ugh, my obsession with these vertical dramas just never ends. I honestly love to hate on these micro-shows, but secretly I can’t stop watching them because they just keep getting pumped out. They almost always follow the exact same formula I’ve complained about before: you’ve got a mafia boss, a "straight" guy who won't stop insisting he isn't gay, a villainous woman, a few shootouts, and a happy ending where everything is magically fixed. This one doesn't break the mold at all. The story kicks off with a mafia boss named Sable getting shot while he's on the run. He gets patched up by a doctor named Daymond, who notices a specific ring on Sable’s finger and suspects this is the man who murdered his father during a cartel bust. It turns out Sable runs a gambling casino, and Daymond’s younger brother has racked up a massive debt there. Sable offers to wipe the slate clean if Daymond agrees to be his live-in personal doctor. It’s pretty obvious that Sable is tota...

Memoir Of Rati (Thai Series)

It’s a nice change of pace to step away from the usual Thai BL dramas and dive into a historical piece instead. Just like some of the other period shows I've checked out, this one has a ton of charm, and that nostalgic vibe of old villages and royal settings really makes it a fun watch. Of course, the main plot is about love winning out against the odds, but it’s actually deeper than that. You get all this quiet longing and a lot of tension between what people are expected to do and what they actually want. It feels very real watching these guys try to navigate their feelings while being stuck between strict social rules and what’s in their hearts. The show runs for 12 episodes, and each one is about 45 minutes long. The story follows Rati, an orphan of Thai descent who grew up in France and comes back to Siam to work as an interpreter. During his first few days wandering the village, he crosses paths with Thee, who he assumes is just a regular guy. He’s surprised to find out later...

Hag

This movie is supposed to be a psychological horror about a girl who becomes totally obsessed with a gay guy and won't leave him alone. It starts off feeling like a quiet drama about a guy dealing with grief, but it eventually tries to turn into this claustrophobic look at how trauma and proximity can get dangerous. Unfortunately, it was just way too boring to actually sit through. Even though the acting wasn't terrible, there was zero thrill or tension, and I found myself yawning through most of it. The story follows Rowan, a barista and aspiring musician who’s trying to pick up the pieces after his fiancé, Tucker, passed away. Out of nowhere, an old high school classmate named Mag shows up wanting to reconnect. They dated briefly back in the day, but now she basically forces her way into renting the spare bedroom in his apartment. Once she moves in, she starts taking over his entire life, though Rowan is weirdly blind to how creepy and intrusive she’s being. She calls herself...

A Keller Christmas Vacation

I’m always on the lookout for a few gay holiday movies every year, so I was pretty shocked when I realized 2025 didn't really have any. After doing a bit of digging, it turns out no major channel put out an exclusively queer-themed Christmas flick this time. The only movie that even had a major gay storyline was this one from Hallmark, and in their classic style, they made sure it stayed very "family-friendly"—which usually means centering everything around a perfect straight family. I’ll give you the gist of the whole plot, but for the sake of my review, I’m mostly sticking to the gay couple. The story follows the Keller family as they get ready for a big Christmas cruise down the Danube River. We meet their three kids pretty fast: the oldest son, Cal, is a football coach moping because the girl he likes is moving away before he could tell her how he felt. Then there’s the middle son, Dylan, who just proposed to his doctor boyfriend, William. The weird part is that Willi...

Kill To Love (Mandarin Series)

I totally get that I’m supposed to be obsessed with this show since everyone else is losing their minds over it, but I just couldn't get into it. It’s got all the ingredients for a hit—historical setting, flashy Chinese-style fight scenes, a revenge plot, and a big romance—but it just didn't click for me. Right from the first episode, they throw so many names and kingdoms at you that I was completely lost. I forced myself to sit through six more episodes to see if I’d finally catch on, but the fancy costumes and sets ended up drowning out the actual heart of the story. I’m probably the odd one out here, though, because the internet is basically a giant fan club for this series right now. The whole thing is 12 episodes long, with each one clocking in at around 40 minutes. The plot is centered on a brutal war between the Northern and Southern kingdoms and how it basically ruins the lives of two guys who love each other. Xiao Shu He is the Sixth Prince of the South, and he’s this ...

Stay By My Side After The Rain (Japanese Series)

At first, this series looks like your typical gay love story—and it is—but deep down, it’s really more about having the guts to be honest about who you are. It’s about how love keeps changing, how you bring your family along for the ride, and how you deal with everyone’s different beliefs. Don't go in expecting a ton of steam, because the show focuses way more on companionship and emotional connection. With 12 episodes at about 25 minutes each, it definitely has some dull spots, but I have to say its heart is in the right place. The story centers on two childhood friends, Kanade and Mashiro, who bump into each other again on a rainy day. They were always close, and Kanade actually had a massive crush on Mashiro back then, but he was too scared to ever say anything. He couldn't really accept being gay, so after graduation, he just bailed on his hometown and cut off all contact. When they finally reunite years later, Mashiro recognizes him instantly and is super excited to catch ...

Wicked Game (Vertical BL Drama)

Honestly, this is just another one of those vertical dramas, and it’s easily one of the silliest and worst things I’ve sat through. The story just kind of stops out of nowhere, leaving me wondering why they even bothered filming it in the first place. It felt less like a professional show and more like a poorly made school project where they just threw a bunch of random scenes together without any real plot or character growth. The "story"—if you can even call it that—follows a young thief named Bunny who is trying to outrun the mafia when he crosses paths with a guy named Marcus. It turns out Bunny owes 100k to these mobsters, so Marcus agrees to pay off the debt, but only if Bunny becomes his "slave" in return. Suddenly, we’re introduced to a guy named Sebastian, who is supposedly Bunny’s cousin, and he’s busy torturing Bunny to dig up dirt on Marcus. At the same time, Sebastian is trying to close some big business deal with Marcus. While all this is happening, Ma...

Juice: Season 2 (UK Series)

This show is back for a second season, and it’s still this wild, colorful comedy about a gay British-Pakistani guy named Jamma who just can't seem to grow up or commit to anything. Mawaan Rizwan is the lead, and he basically plays this fun-loving, "man-child" version of himself. He’s super relatable and puppyish, wearing his insecurities right on his sleeve while he struggles with the whole idea of being a "real" adult. It’s full-on slapstick and definitely leans into the cartoonish world of his own imagination. Picking up from where things left off, Jamma has been fired from his job and dumped by his therapist boyfriend, Guy. He’s currently crashing with his friend Winnie and working as a clown in a care home, while his brother Isaac is trying to make it as an artist. At first, Jamma is more into hooking up with random guys than fixing things with Guy, but once they run into each other, he decides he has to win him back. One episode is even filmed like an old-s...

Pillion (UK)

If you’re into queer movies, you’ve probably heard people talking about this one for a while. I was honestly super excited to see it, especially with all the hype and the trailer making it look like this intense BDSM "Dom-com" romance. But I’ve got to be honest with you—I came away feeling a little underwhelmed. Technically, the movie is amazing, and I get why critics are obsessed with it, but I always feel like if I don't ever want to watch a movie a second time, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The main thing to keep in mind is that you can’t try to judge these guys' desires as "healthy" or "weird." The movie isn't trying to lecture anyone; it just watches two people connect in a way they didn't know how to ask for. The story is about Colin, a really shy and awkward guy who works as a traffic warden and still lives with his parents. His life is pretty heavy right now because his mom is dying of cancer. He has a random run-in with ...

How Gay Is Pakistan? (Documentary) (UK)

I’ve known about Mawaan Rizwan for a while now, but I only just got around to watching this documentary he made a few years back. He’s a really popular, openly gay guy of Pakistani descent living in London, and he starts the film by talking about how he came out to his folks recently—apparently, it was the "worst news ever" for Pakistani parents. He ends up heading back to Pakistan to see what his life would’ve looked like if his family had never moved to the UK. It’s a pretty intense journey where he tries to figure out how the LGBTQ+ community actually survives in a place where being yourself can be genuinely dangerous. He starts off in Karachi, where he spends a lot of time with Kami and her partner Sid. They’re basically the life of the party for the underground queer scene, even though they don't exactly live a fancy life. Their big dream is to get married in South Africa by an Imam who actually supports gay marriage. Through them, Mawaan gets a look at the trans exp...

Kiss Kiss Sxx (Korean Short Films Anthology)

This is an anthology of 8 short films, each of approximately 15 minutes. Most of them are too short to matter, but always end in a kiss (hence the title, I suppose), and you're usually left watching characters kiss before you even know who they are. Only a couple of the stories have potential and some genuine chemistry. Even though they are all so short already, you still feel there is a lot of fluff for no reason at all. 1. Raise Me? Since Seokmin is never home, he goes on an app and hires a freelancer named Jaeho for one specific job to look after 'Gamdong', his seven-year-old plant. Jaeho takes the gig even though he knows absolutely nothing about gardening. Before long, Seokmin starts getting annoyed because Jaeho won't stop blowing up his phone with endless questions and random updates about the plant's progress. The two leads don't know much about each other and they end up kissing which feels so not organic. 2. Folding? You! Woonhee is a university studen...

Rest (Thai Series)

This one is a bit different from your typical time-travel show because the main guy actually dies and then wakes up in the past with a chance to fix everything that ruined his life. Since it’s a BL, you already know there’s going to be tons of romance and drama. The plot really moves at the beginning and the very end, but the middle is mostly just watching the two leads fall in love and dealing with some random problems to keep the show going. There are 10 episodes, and they’re pretty long—about an hour each—so it’s a bit of a time commitment. The story starts with Armin, who’s this huge celebrity at the top of his game. But then his world falls apart: he finds out his partner is cheating, gets into a fight with a rival, and ends up dead. Turns out, someone actually poisoned him. Next thing he knows, he’s back in his early 20s as a struggling nobody. He’s wandering around confused and almost gets hit by a car, but this rich, handsome guy named Tada saves him. In his "first" l...

Got My Eyes On You (Filipino Series)

Here's another "enemies-to-lovers" story from the BL world, but this one actually has some real charm thanks to the two guys in the lead roles. It’s set at a resort, and the romance feels very grounded and life-like, which makes it relatable but still totally swoon-worthy. The chemistry feels real, and since it’s only six episodes, the story doesn't get bogged down in a bunch of annoying side plots. Each episode is about 35 minutes long, and the camerawork is honestly really pretty to look at. The plot is pretty simple. The General Manager of a resort is stepping down for health reasons, and he’s got three months to pick a successor. Drew has been there a while and seems like the obvious choice, but then a new guy named Shawn shows up and shakes things up. Shawn is super friendly, but Drew sees him as a threat to the promotion he desperately needs to support his family. Things change when they realize they both love dogs; it turns out Shawn and his sister co-own the d...

Grâce à Dieu (French) [By The Grace Of God]

I’ve seen quite a few movies about priests taking advantage of young boys and the fallout that happens years later. It’s a heavy subject that’s been covered in documentaries, shorts, and full-length films, but sadly, there are so many of these cases out there that there’s always something new to learn. This particular movie calls itself fiction based on true events, and it follows a group of grown men who were abused by a guy named Father Preynat back in the day. It’s crazy to see how brave they are to finally bring charges, especially when you realize the Church knew exactly what was going on and just covered it up instead of stopping him. The movie feels almost episodic because it focuses on three different guys and their own personal stories. First, there’s Alexandre, a successful guy with a big family and a nice life. He only finds the courage to speak up after a friend admits he was also touched by Cardinal Preynat at a youth camp. Alexandre meets with Cardinal Barbarin, the guy i...

DogBro (Thai Series)

Honestly, this six-episode series was a total slog. Each episode is nearly an hour long, but there’s absolutely nothing new here. The plot is about as basic as it gets, there’s zero drama to keep things interesting, and everything just drags on forever. I kept wondering what the point even was—like, why bother making a series if you have nothing to say? It felt like the creators didn't care about telling a story at all and just wanted to focus on "cute" couple moments. The story is about Meen, a guy who lives a pretty quiet, boring life on his own. He finds a stray dog in his backyard and decides to keep it, but his peace and quiet get wrecked when his mom sends Tul, her friend’s son, to live with him in Chiang Mai. Meen is super protective of his new dog and hates the idea of a roommate, so he tries everything he can to kick Tul out. Of course, he eventually realizes that Tul loves the dog just as much as he does. Tul has this clingy, puppy-dog personality that eventuall...

Ladybug

Deep down,  Ladybug  is a pretty unusual ghost story that uses a paranormal vibe to hide some dark themes like sexual trauma and violent streaks. I’m really not the type to watch horror movies, but luckily this wasn't the kind that gives you jump scares; it’s more of a mix between a thriller and a supernatural romance. It’s definitely a slow burner, though, so you’re going to need some patience to get through it. Plus, the ending is one of those open-ended things where you’re basically left to figure out what actually happened on your own. The plot itself is fairly simple to follow. We meet Grayson, an up-and-coming artist who’s just gone through a messy breakup because his boyfriend cheated. His agent, Wendy, is pressuring him to produce some new work, so he heads out to a remote cabin in the woods to get some peace. Once he’s there, he gets that creepy feeling like someone is watching him, and after finding a ladybug on his skin one night, he lets it go. The cabin is a bit o...

The Proper Way to Write Love (Japanese Series)

I was honestly pretty disappointed with this one. It felt like the show had some decent potential on paper—you've got the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, some high school drama, and a revenge plot—but the execution just felt really timid. The biggest problem for me was that I couldn't connect with either of the main characters, and they didn't seem to have any chemistry together at all. The only real saving grace is that, like a lot of Japanese shows, the episodes are short—just eight of them at 25 minutes each. But even with that quick runtime, the whole thing just felt boring. The story goes back to high school where Hiro was this shy, loner kid who just wanted to hang out with his plants. Because he was so timid, he got bullied a lot, which left him with some pretty nasty memories. Fast forward to today, and he’s totally transformed himself into this stylish, pro hairstylist. Then there’s Natsuo, who went to the same school. Natsuo wasn't exactly a bully, but he was...

Cosas De Amigos (Spanish)

This movie is actually a Peruvian remake of a Mexican film called  Hazlo Como Hombre , which I’ve reviewed before. One nice thing about watching so much stuff is that I eventually forget the details, so this didn't even feel like a repeat to me. It helped that the cast was new and the setting was different, but they definitely kept the same sense of humor from the original. We don't see a ton of LGBTQ+ stories coming out of Peru, so it was a nice change of pace to see them tackle this subject. The story is about three childhood best friends—Raul, Eduardo, and Santiago—who have always lived that typical, "alpha male" lifestyle. Raul is about to be a dad, and Santi is actually dating Raul’s sister, though she’s been complaining that their sex life is pretty non-existent. Everything gets flipped upside down when Santi finally comes out as gay and breaks up with her. Raul’s sister goes into overdrive trying to win him back with some pretty hilarious (but useless) schemes....

Hermoso (Filipino Series)

This is one of those BL series where the story is a total mess and the characters make zero sense most of the time. Honestly, it’s a total guilty pleasure because the focus was clearly on showing off skin, hot bodies, and a ton of sex, with just a tiny bit of plot thrown in. When you mix in some pretty bad acting, it’s entertaining in a "so bad it's good" way here and there, but overall it’s just not great and drags on way too long. There are 10 episodes that run about an hour each, plus a special episode, and yet the creators still didn't seem to know how they wanted to wrap the whole thing up. The story follows a young guy named Kyle who moves back to his hometown to take over his family’s sardine business. He’s basically hiding out from a financial scandal in Manila and trying to get away from his ex-boyfriend/business partner. Kyle is pretty distant from his dad, so he tries to stay under the radar by working at the company. That’s where he meets Andre, this incre...