Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

Yet another high school coming-of-age stories. We have seen plenty of these by now and can guess in most cases on what’s going to happen, but occasionally we also do get something interesting to watch. The film was recommended by one of my followers here and Iw as really looking forward to it and wanted to like it quite bad but sadly, I think over expectations killed this movie to an extent for me. Mike, is our main protagonist, a gawky and nerdy teenager in high school. He lives with his mother at home and works at a video store. He is constantly late to school and is bullied by school guys and is called faggot occasionally. A new hot and good looking student Will joins his class and a class project brings the two guys together to present their own interpretation of ‘Romeo & Juliet’. The duo decide to give a spin to the story with Frankenstein’s monster and the Wolfman as two societal misfits who want to be lovers.   The two boys slowly get very close and we also get an i...

Transitioning from a teenage to adulthood is never easy and we have seen quite a few films, mostly coming-of-age kinda stories that shows us what goes on in an individual’s mind. This film is a bit different, because our character is not only going through this phase and struggling through his sexuality; but also he has to deal with guilt, grief and identity. At this point, I do have to mention that the title of the film is neither inspiring nor flattering for the kind of story that this film brings to forte. The film is definitely not about teenage romp, instead it is a drama that leaves you thinking. Mik lives with his elder brother and migrant parents. He is questioning his sexuality and finds himself madly in love with his best friend Dan, with whom he indulges in masturbation while watching lesbian porn. The duo have plans to escape their homes in search for better life. But sudden death of Mik’s brother Tomi (partly because he is running away from Mik who watched him naked a...

This is a 4 part mini series that aired on ABC channel, which is a dramatization of the real life San Francisco centered fight for LGBT rights from 1972 to 2015. The LGBT community which arguably has had the most numerous organized campaigns against them of any minority group to suppress those rights in the United States during that time period; is shown with some real life snippets thrown in for people to relate to it better. In totality it is a long watch but absolutely essential for us to appreciate the fights that our seniors have fought for us to get us the rights that we have today and live relatively stress and hassle free. The series focuses on the advocacy and other supportive work of three primary individuals, Cleve Jones, Roma Guy and Ken Jones, whose experiences focus on different aspects of the issue. At the center we have Cleve Jones, a gay teenager barely surviving on the streets of San Francisco, who eventually goes on to become one of the most prominent figures of...

I dunno exactly how I felt after this film finished. This was a very average film, where conveniently strained situations are created and by the end of it all life goes back to being very rosy; which all feels too good to be true. Touted as a teen comedy, I personally did not laugh at ay point and I couldn’t really connect with the actors either. Three oddballs in a school ultimately come together: Dan is a new boy in the neighborhood, openly gay and wants to start a gay straight alliance but the school board would not allow. We then have Diwata, an aspiring outspoken wanna be actress who is heart broken when she is not selected for a school musical because she is against the changes made to the story to suit the sensibilities of the conservative town. Finally we have Solomon, who has a lot of thoughts and topics that he wants to write about but the school newspaper is heavily censored because of board rules and hence he is also frustrated. Among the only options available to them...

After a long time i saw a gay film whose subject wasn’t run of the mill. Complexities of living with a sugar daddy is something new, maybe it has been handled in a few short films or side stories but a full fledged film on this subject is a great idea. Sadly personally for me, it didn’t translate too well on screen as I would have liked to, and I will write more details about it but nonetheless I really appreciate an interest in bring something new to the table. Good looking and hot Dennis lives with his sugar daddy Farleigh who works in reality TV production. Dennis has never worked in life and has enjoyed his time as Farleigh’s kept boy, and unfortunately his production is not doing too well. So on his 30th birthday, Dennis is asked to look for a job to support himself a little bit. This comes as a shock to him since he has never worked in his life and his circle of friends also include Lonnie & Paulette who themselves are living with a much older woman and a man respectivel...

And finally the third and the last film in this bear trilogy, brings back all principal characters back from the first two films and continues to what’s the latest happenings in everyone’s lives. As enjoyable as the first two films were, I was looking forward to this film as well. Though it didn’t disappoint, it also did not bring anything new to the table. Lets look at all the major characters and couples that we are introduced to and will watch. Fred who has started making a documentary on bears, is now about to have a baby with his husband Brent. While Brent has completely taken over the responsibility of doing all preparations for the arrival of the baby, Fred is busy with his documentary, making Brent feel that Fred is not taking the baby’s arrival with as seriousness as it deserves. Then we have Michael, who although still mourning the death of his past lover is building a new relationship with Dalton. Dalton’s daughter Emma, a very tough teenager and very protective of her ...

Johnny (US) An older man hires a young sex worker named Johnny to be his first sexual experience with another man. The night they share forces them to face the difficult truths they've been trying to outrun. Johnny is a story about finding the strength and courage that it takes to accept responsibility for the choices you have made. Camchat (US) An experimental look at online sexual encounters through one young man's interactions. Yawn! Lily In The Grinder (US) Ryan struggles to find meaning in his provisional existence, exploring sex and death and the idea of 'becoming something.' This surreal film, enveloped in a classical string quartet piece, is a rumination on death, time, and the nature of existence. What if human life cannot be said to truly begin or end? This one was way too weird for me. Never Too Late (US) A teenage romantic short film that shows that even with HIV+, its never too late to find love if you truly look for it. Dans Les Yeux (Fr...

This is a film that examines long term relationships, (definition of long-term is debatable) over the course of weekend in a nice picturesque beach town. At the onset it seems another one of those improvised, low budget, indie films, but its thankfully saved by some really good acting. The actors maybe unknown but they definitely don’t come out as novice and that’s a good thing because otherwise, a film that relies heavily on dialogues can very soon get very boring. 3 couples (gay, lesbian and straight) come to a beach town near New York for the weekend. Each one wants to have a good time but internally each of them is going through their own problems. James and Spencer have been together for a while and are very much in love but Spencer has just been accepted into a grad school in Chicago and that seems to have put a discord in their relationship. Alex and Jackie, the lesbian couple , hasn’t had sex in ages and Alex is trying her best but feels constantly rejected by Jackie who h...

Set in the backdrop of a boarding school, this film is another one of those coming-of-age stories for a teenage boy or boys. What’s a little hard for me to believe is the fact that neighborhoods and societies in general can be still so homophobic in Ireland, but then I don’t live there, so its not fair for me to comment on that. It may not be the easiest for  a teenager to come out but but something tells me that its highly unlikely that a whole high school community would be harsh including the teachers. Ned, teenage gay outcast, joins a boarding school since his parents work in Dubai. Taunted and laughed at because of his ginger look and non-interest in rugby, he has learned to live that way. He is soon joined as his room mate by Conor, who also joins this school because of suspension from his previous school for picking up fights with students. A quiet and shy guy by nature, it turns out that he is a rugby star and now the only hope for the school to being them back the win...

I had mixed feelings 15 minutes into the film. I was wondering whether this is going to be another trash, budget independent bad movies or will it bring something different in perspective. I have to admit that less than half way into the film, I forgot and didn’t care about the low production quality or even the use of hand help camera at different points. I was engaged in the chemistry of the leads and was just trying to figure out what the relationship between the leads is, because it is never made clear to us until quite late in the film. A complicated but love story would be an appropriate way to describe this film. Sahil, is a young budding musician, who has a huge fight with his roommate(?) Alex before heading to the airport to meet his childhood friend Jai. Jai is now a successful banker and is in India for a meeting and Sahil plans a weekend getaway to Western Ghats with his friend. The two are from very different worlds which we see n first few minutes of the film but des...

One thing gets very clear after you have started watching this film, that this is definitely a book turned into a film. The dialogues seem something like you would read in a book and even otherwise things are not. at a consistent pace and that was my biggest problem with the film. An otherwise beautiful love story spanning over a period of few years gets wasted when you don’t work at all in characters behaviour or clothes or attitude to reflect the changing timelines. The film starts with Benjamin, openly gay 17-year old high school student. He is completely infatuated with a new student Tim in class. Gorgeous Tim is popular, very handsome and apparently straight and so Benjamin stands no chance. An accident when Benjamin trips over him brings the two boys together when Tim confronts Benjamin if he indeed is gay. Soon their love story begins and both the boys are very happy but Tim still can’t come out in open, forget telling his friends about Benjamin. They eventually break-up ev...

What’s happening to me! Why can’t I find a couple of hours at a stretch to watch a nice decent gay film? I hate being busy. But thankfully web series or short TV series dont require a commitment of a couple of hours at a stretch and hence, they come to my rescue. MIQVA is one such series which has 8 episodes, each of about 8-12 minutes in duration. The primary events happens between 4 close gay friends over an evening and our primary man is Juan, who is also the host of the party. He is obliged to attend a family event with a boyfriend. "I imagine that you will come accompanied" (“Me Imagino Que Vendrás Acompañado” thus the abbreviation MIQVA) says his mother, who has accepted him being homosexual but cannot accept that her son is single. This happens every time and all his friends have already exhausted pretending to be his boyfriend. In the urge to avoid problems and prejudices, he hires an escort as a companion, and gather his friends to give them the news and ask the...

I know I am posting after months. But I have ben way too busy with a lot of things happening in life, and am not sure how and when I will be back to watching and reviewing films regularly. Anyway.. What is happening with this whole series? Something that started off with a brilliant collection of stories is turning into something barely relatable. At least I feel so. Its quite disappointing. Golden (Germany) As a golden boy becomes a golden man, his carefree spirit wanes under the weight of being different. As he grows up he becomes more introverted until, one day he discovers he’s not alone. I had seen this before. Something that shows you may not be alone. Jamie (UK) Shy, quiet Jamie, spends a revealing afternoon with Ben after meeting on a dating app. As they chat, Jamie finds himself opening up and letting loose his hopes and fears in an unexpected awakening. Interesting! B. (Germany) Torn between a cold relationship with K. and her feelings for another woman, shy and i...

This film is very important not just for the black community but also very much for the African-gay people, who like a lot of other communities struggle to be themselves. This film especially becomes important form a US standpoint when politically things are going downhill and people are very quick to judge anyone who doesn’t cater to the social norms. I have been hearing so much about the film, especially after winning the Oscar award, so naturally my expectations from the film were quite high and I have to admit that the film actually meets expectations to a large extent. It is important to understand and relate to what and how a child goes through and how any small thing can infest a kids mind and ultimately shape his or her future. The movie is told in 3 parts and focusses on life of Chiron, a young boy. Drug dealer Juan watches Chiron being chased after by school boys shouting faggot behind him. He rescues a boy but in a manner that doesn’t shelve his self-respect and bring h...

A beautiful and touching film, although not-necessarily a centrally gay-themed one. The film deals with issues of friendship, acceptance, rebel, self-confidence. Equal focus is given on all three primary characters in the film. More than anything it is about friendship and how one kiss could change the lives of friends. Slowly, three of our primary characters are introduced to us. Lorenoz is new to town. He is outgoing, exuberant, very gay and likeable (if you want to). He has been adopted by very liberal parents and brought to town. Parents are ready to fight with school authorities if they have to, to make sure Lorenzo is comfortable with who he is. He becomes real close friends with Blu, daughter of hippy parents. She has been labelled as rebel and slut because of an infamous incident where she slept with her bf and three other friends of him. She gets called names in school, so she prefers to be by herself. And finally we have Antonio, a gorgeous young boy and basketball star ...