Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

A pretty good indie film with art-house character study, embellishes some great performances from its lead characters. Mad win s a very small budget. Christopher Plummer deservingly won the academy award for his supporting role in this film. The story of the film is very simple and straight forward. The first half of the movie focuses on Oliver and his ailing father. After his mother's death, Oliver's father told him 2 things: first he has cancer and second he is gay. Oliver is shocked but he still tries to keep his calm and understand his father. Apart from his father's lover, he is always there for his father whenever he needs it, be it for any gay party, gay events or just taking care of him. We see a lot of incidents that Oliver and his father spend time with each other striving to cultivate their relationship and grow it. We also see Oliver's childhood in flashback where the parents are attempting to make the best of their marriage of convenience. After his fa...

No Soy Como Tú ( I am Not Like You) (Spain) A so called straight guy spends alight with a gay guy but refuses to accept his homosexuality. When city drama forces the 2 men to spend some time together, he realizes that he cannot suppress his feelings for long and it is time he opened his heart for some love. But its too late. (7/10) The Tie That Bind Me (UK) 2 men, supposedly straight, get into a conversation on a rainy evening. Filmed in a theatre setting, it has only 2 characters in their whity tights and just talking. And it seems that in the end, one of the guys is coming out. Totally random film. (2/10) First Time (Israel) A young gay guy arrives in Tel Aviv. He is supposed to stay with someone but cannot find him. He is now stranded on the streets. Till he meets another cute guy on a bus stop and after their eyes meet, he just follows him. (3/10) Keel (UK) Two teenage boys get stoned in a boat shed, lie in a boat and make an imaginary journey, until moment of intimacy ...

Hit and Runway was a formulaic film school comedy. A film about budding friendship, it shows how friendship between 2 most unassuming people just naturally grows. The film doesn't take anyone's side. It just shows how 2 people from 2 different world in terms of ethnicity and sexuality are brought together with a common goal: to become a good screenwriter. All actors are pretty unknown and hence the film becomes more believable.  Alex is a budding screenwriter but the reality is that he is not much of a writer. After his father passes away, he is forced to work at his family's cafe. He wants to write this major story but is hindered by his lack of screenplay writing abilities. He meets Elliot, a regular looking Jewish guy, at his cafe. Elliot is there to meet Joey, the server and part time actor on whom he has a crush on. When Elliot leaves his play for Joey to read, Alex finds it and recognizes that Elliot is the only one who can help him write his script. Overcoming his ph...

I am not too sure what the point was behind this film. Agreed the film had a lot of nude scenes, a few penis shots, decent looking boys. You could say the film explores or tries to explore the intergenerational relationships between gay men. Men in their twenties, thirties vs men in old age who rely mostly on prostitutes to get off. Also the constant murders and all were not really explained. Was this all for love pro for money? Vassili is 30 odd something hustler. He meets old men and murders them. The motive is not explained. He meets Angelo, a 19 year old boy, who is beaten up in one such hustling incident. Vassili brings Alex home and they start falling for each other. They together prostate as a couple and sometimes when guys are not into Vassili because he is old, they just go with Angelo. He soon tells Angelo about the murders. Initially shocked, Angelo still stays because he loves Vassili. Once they are out in a club, they see an old man whom he had once attacked and thought t...

This is a very new and different style of film making. A cross between cinema, play and musical setting, the whole arrangement of the film is different. The sets are minimal , modernistic theatre style. I thikn the film is set sometime in future. Even the narration style of the film is very different. Some of the scenes are randomly shown and then we see what happened that followed to that scene. Yes, it does you leave confused at many a times but still makes for a viewing pleasure. The movie has great potential if it is remade as a typical thriller movie with the same story but very different screenplay. After a very artistic start and a very beautiful dance, we are introduced to the 2 lead characters. Ariyoshi seems fragile and passive. He has come here for murder. He murdered his innocence and a man who was using his innocence. He years for love. Kazuki is tough and aggressive and picks up fights with everyone.He acts first and talks later. He is full of pain. The 2 characters are ...

When you see this film, you have to remember that this film came out way back in 1981. Things were way way different then. Despite this disclaimer, I am going to review this film as what I felt today after watching it. What things left impression on me and what were the things that I was bothered with. Moreover, I strongly believe that the title of the film is just not suited for the story that was presented. Sometimes, the title make s huge difference. Based on autobiography of the actor-director himself, the film shows the life of Frank Ripploh. He is in 30's, gay man and a school teacher. He hides his sexual orientation from school but then is very very active in his sex escapades. He is constantly thinking whom and where to meet next. In fact, he even checks student papers in toilet while cruising. During one such instance, he meets Bernd. Their one night stand soon turns up into a stable relationship. Bernd has eyes for only Frank but this is not the same case with Frank. He ...

I am not big into religion but at the same time I do not judge anyone at all for what religion they follow and what their beliefs are, as long as I am left to do and believe what I want to. I don't judge and i do not want to be judged. I am not an avid or devout churchgoer but I would like to believe that this film touched upon some very real issues of faith in a way that were both authentic and unique.  A group of high school students who are members of a church youth group are preparing to begin their adult lives in South Carolina town. We follow 3 close friends: Brea is the minister's daughter, Tim is an aspiring film maker and Laura who is totally devoted to God and religion. Tim realizes that he is gay but hasn't acted on it. Brea is very comfortable with this fact but when Laura finds it out, she is shocked and frightened. She tries to help Tim reconcile between his sexuality and religion. At the same time, Brea is questioning her faith and prayers. Then we have Austi...

Set in 1950's, this film is one of those over the top, romantic gay comedies, which I probably would have rated higher few years back. It is funny how perception on a film changes from an individual's perspective within a span of few years. My tastes in movies has also changed accordingly. These days, forced comedies don't do much for me and this is where this film also failed to keep my attention. It wasn't boring or anything but I just didn't get any laughter from any of the scenes shown.  Guy Stone, is a matinee idol and macho star who hides his homosexuality and leads a double life. He is the perfect bachelor for the outside world. In his private life, all he is looking for is the next male hunk who he can sleep with. Desperate to get the lead role in Ben-Hur, on the studio head's persistence, he agrees to marry the head's secretary Sally who is completely in awe of him. Everyone knows it is a sham except Sally. Some funny scenes follow with the closet h...

I had no idea about the Māori clan in New Zealand. If nothing else, I at least got some information on Māori clan and the fact that they are natives from New Zealand. The Māori culture and language is strikingly similar to Hawaiian — indeed, the Māori name for their mythical ancestral homeland is Hawai‘iki. The film interestingly shows us family expectations and responsibilities, while being true to yourself. Kawa is a mid 40s man. He has a secure job in a flashy corner office, a big house, a nice car, and a loving wife with two happy kids. However he harbors a secret. Yes, he is gay. He has ben spending some time away form his family because he needs time to think. Everyone including his wife and parents cannot figure out what has suddenly gone wrong with Kawa (since they do not know the truth). He is seeing this guy and is living in a portent on his own but still struggling. After some bathhouse trips and an affair, he realizes that he can't do this to his family and returns back...

This movie deals with the subject of boundaries. Boundaries of race, of nationality, of sexuality, even generations. It pits father against son, American-born Mexican against an immigrant, an adopted sister against her older brother, and for one brief moment, a strong friendship versus romance. A small budget film, it does show the conflicts of stepping out from comforts of family to the unknown world.  Set in a small town somewhere close to US-Mexican border, the story deals with 3 friends: David, whose father Slater is rich and has something to do with cross border patrolling and who sent David away for higher studies to become a lawyer; George, an insecure boy whose father is cab driver and he has an adoptive Mexican girl, whom he never gets along well with and Gregorio, a young teenage of Mexican origin, now US citizen but still struggling every day to find his identity in US. These 3 men are part of the group called 'The War Boys' from college days where they do their own ...

What the hell was this? All this hype and such mediocre execution. The story had potential and if entrusted with an able director and better actors, this could have been something totally different. Touted as India's answer to Brokeback Mountain, I wonder if the actors feel really embarrassed when they go back and see this film and their association with it. Margaret lives with her daughter in law Rebecca and her 3 grand kids - Ashley, Sam and Linda. Ashley is married to Jenny and have a daughter. Although the family pretends to be close-knit in front of the world, there’s a lot of tension between the members. Rebecca and Jenny hate Margaret because their ideologies don’t match. Rebecca's husband left her years ago in search of spirituality. Ash works in a MNC and Sam is looking for a job. Sam is in love with his sister in law Jenny and wants to settle down with her. One day suddenly Ash is shown to be gay and meets Aryan and they start dating. Then, one day, Ashley and Jenny h...

This was a fantastic film. Inspired by true events and story of Ahmed Yildiz who was murdered for being gay, this is a heart wrenching story. I am not sure how the whole gay scene in Turkey is like but I do know that all the military scenes that were shown for gays are pretty real. The fact that my boyfriend did go for the turkish military and had some interesting tidbits to share made this film a close to home film. Can is a free spirited youngster, who is trying o avoid military and is hiding at his aunt's home. He works as a zenne (male belly dancer) in a nightclub. He is trying to hide from cops and thats the reason he works at night. We also have a German photographer Daniel, who himself is trying to run away from his past and is spending time in Istanbul. FInally we have Ahmet, a university student in Istanbul, born and raised in very traditional family in South-Eastern Turkey. As the friendship between the trip progresses, the viewers are shown some other facets of their lif...

This new and latest edition of Boys On Film introduces you to the queer and wonderful world of new British cinema. From the cliffs of the Isle of Wight to an abandoned swimming pool via a broken down lift in Lambeth, Peccadillo Pictures presents an eclectic mix of ten UK-set short films from scorching new British talent that depict LGBT characters in situations both funny and heart-rending, definitive and unique. I Don’t Care In the tumbleweed coastal retirement community of Porthpunnet, Luka cares for his bedridden mother. One day he meets Dan, a young manwho lives in a camper van and shares his interest in art. Initially he sees Dan as a kindred spirit until Dan proves to be gay. This film could have been much more interesting but I think a lame ending was the fault. Downing Amidst a vibrant house party, John, the isolated local gay lad, finds an opportunityto exact revenge on his straight oppressor, the popular and handsome Daniel. Boykisses boy, drinking, fucking and regret: just a...

At the core of heart, "Pariah" is a street-smart story of an African American teenager's struggle to come of age and come out — to the father who still calls her "daddy's little girl" and the mother who quotes the Bible and buys her pink frills. It's hard to portray adolescence in film without nostalgia or fantasy. The film captures adolescence in all its awkwardness and tragedy. The plot follows Alike, a black teenager girl, from home to school to the local gay social scene just a few bus stops from her Brooklyn neighborhood. We see her day to day life. She's an A student, a writer whose poetry speaks from her inner depth. She's wary of her classmates, but they seem merely curious to know the answer to the is-she-or-isn't-she a lesbian question. Certain about her sexual orientation, she's insecure about where she fits in as a young lesbian woman. Her closest friend is Laura, a very obvious butch lesbian who is hated by Alike's mothe...

I liked this film lot. It was modern and yet contemporary and as a viewer I was very engrossed and eager to know what is happening and I was invested in the film. This according to me is a sign of a good film. Set in the city of Sao paulo, Brazil; the film tells the story of 2 teenage brothers, discovering greatest and most important things in life growing up. This is technically not a gay film but nevertheless it is ok to put this film here since part of there growing up years get affected by something major 'gay'. Mano is a 15 year teenager like any other. He concerns about going to school, playing the guitar, parting with his friends and trying to score the most beautiful girl in school. He tries to keep his life normal even if his relationship with his parents is falling apart. His parents have decided to separate because his father finally realizes that he is gay and does not want to lead a double life. Mano's best friend is Carol, a girl about his age who shares with ...