Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

Maricón Perdido (Queer You Are) is an autobiographical comedy inspired by the life of Bob Pop (also known as Roberto Enríquez) a critic, writer and host recognized for his blog writing and appearances on late night TV in Spain. In all honesty, I have no idea who Bob Pop is or was before watching this show. But this show, told to us through there different timelines of Bob Pop's life shows us a coming of age story of a town boy in search of his own identity blending comedy and drama on his journey towards self-acceptance. The show is 6 episodes of 25-20 minutes each. We meet Roberto Enríquez, a teenage dreamer in a small town who suffers constant episodes of harassment and who deals with a family situation of incomprehension in which his only support is his grandfather. We follow his journey as a teenager in school, his bullying, to his first few sexual encounters including rape in a park. Told to us through a non-linear fashion, we see his journey to present days as a successful wr...

This Japanese BL was a mixed bag. At one end I do like that we are shown a lot of physical intimacy, kisses and affection between the two leads but at the same time, the whole premise of their relationship is something I find questionable and unable to digest. I am not a fan of power dynamics where someone uses their position to force themselves in the name of love. Also there is very little actual development in the love story. Nonetheless, at 8 episodes of 23 minutes each, it does have its bright moments. Yoh is an aspiring manga artist thought a lot of his work doesn't get published and he is not making much money. He lives with his college mate Segasaki, who is a very popular weatherman. Right after college, Segasaki gave Yoh a tempting offer. Segasaki will pay for Yoh's expenses, including rent and food. Yoh can work as a manga artist without financial concerns. In exchange, Yoh must obey Segasaki's commands. So in first few episodes we see more of a Dom-slave kinda re...

I have to say that I am annoyingly getting tired of the same BL tropes now being used in these Korean shows. A quick love story marred with misunderstandings and total lack of communication; entrance of a toxic ex who is devoid of any self respect and will do crazy things to win back the love and then a puppy fourth who crushes on one of the leads but will end up being the sacrificer in love. Do not even get me started on the peck on lip kiss devoid of any chemistry or passion. This was all nice and good when these shows were few far and between , but now there are episodes almost every day and watching shows like these is getting tiresome(says me, who day and day again still continues to watch them. Lol). This series was again 8 episodes of 25-30 minutes each. Dohoon is works for an advertising firm and has long working hours and just eats whatever. One night after a long day, his new neighbor Yoonsoo rings his doorbell and introduces himself. Initially annoyed, Dohoon finds a mysteri...

My Dear is a self-reflective documentary about the will of a young Chinese director Yao to express his own sexual identity in Europe. Shifting between observational footage, paper puppetry, and poetic symbolism, he explores expressions of sexual identity in this essay about queerness, immigration, and performance. (A question I have is, since Yao was living in Budapest, why is the country of origin shown as Portugal?) Yao, a Chinese national, is nearing the end of his two year European college education.  Yet the 26-year-old is reluctant to return to China because he is already being pressured by his parents to come back home, get married and have kids. This closeted gay man has been in a relationship with Asim, a gay Iranian living in China for almost 6 years now, but no one in China knows this. He thought that coming to Europe would liberate him but now that he is finishing studies and finding a job is becoming increasingly hard, choices for him are minimal. He realizes that mayb...

Bump Up Business dives into the nitty gritty reality of queer baiting, obsessiveness, and exhaustion inside the industry while exposing what being gay inside the industry can mean. How the scandal, exposure, and stigma of being gay can threaten a career. I personally do not understand or relate was idea of concepts attached to pop groups, but its ok. The idea of this show was interesting and if executed could have done really well, but I cant help but wonder at the amateurishness in the way it was shown. At 8 episodes of 16 minutes each, it's a quick easy watch, but how I wish in this case more emotional background story was established for the characters rather than rushing into everything thats being shown. Eden and Jihoon are selected by a performance company as their two idols. The CEO comes up with the idea of  "Business Gay Performance", to describe this relationship dynamic. The company will promote them as a very much in love gay couple. Eden is new to the industr...

Oh man! Where do I even begin. More than just how bad and basic the film was, I hate to say but I was actually embarrassed to watch this film. The script was so basic, the dialogues were terrible and don't even get me started on the acting. Character, plot, visuals and script have all been hastily assembled by a filmmaker that clearly hasn’t a clue how to tell a story. Jamal is promising college basketball player almost on the verge of signing up a professional contract at nationals level. Trevor, is a reporter on the college's TV channel who frequently interviews Jamal following a game. One night the pair meet via online gay dating app having not seen each other's face. They are surprised to see each there but have a good time and they start secretly meeting every night. Initially Jamal is in denial of his sexuality but eventually embraces it. Even though his mother pressures him for marriage and grandkids, she is eventually supportive of him at the end. We have Trevor...

I had no idea that this show was a lot about time travel as well besides being a BL story. The plot of the series portrays the life of a man in a mid-life crisis who failed to live up to his potential despite his hard work. He travels back in time with this notion of what his life should have been and tries to make changes by being more open and outgoing, saving lives, and putting himself out there. In doing so, he realizes that life is not always as we think it should have been. With 12 episodes each of about 45 minutes, this is a signifiant investment of time. Although, on a brighter side, the no doesn't spend time on unnecessary side plots. It stays very focused on therein protagonist and what he is going through, which is a welcome change from useless sidebars that a lot of Thai shows have. University student Kawi is a shy boy, no friends, little money and low self esteem. He develops a secret crush on a girl in his class Pear, who is the only one who shows him some compassion ...

The story of this 8 part Korean series is extremely basic, which even with short duration (the episodes are just 15 minutes each) still feel stretched. A simple misunderstanding that can be cleared by a simple chat, keeps gettin stretched just because our two protagonists have created this image in their head and they would rather believe that than talking. The story had potential of a nice romantic outing but by the end of it it just feels quite bland. Seon Ho is a professional artist who draws a steamy 19+ webtoon. He is recently struggling with inspiration and still has deadlines to meet so his Production director Lee suggest hiring an assistant. After a couple of interviews, he hires Mu Yeong. The duo start working in the home studio environment. We later find out that Mu Yeong has been a secret admirer of the artist because of his talent for a while now since his youth and is almost also in love with him, but he is not sure of the artist reciprocates his feeling. He thinks that Se...

In the brand new Dekkoo-Original Comedy Series Marriage of Inconvenience, two total strangers entering a witness protection program must pretend to be a happily married couple in order to hide their identities from the dangerous people who want them dead! On paper this sounds like it could be a fun match, but oh boy! This was so badly acted and directed in the name of comedy. Thankfully with only 6 episodes of 20-22 minutes each, it finished quickly, but there is imminent danger of a possible sequel, because it just ends abruptly. Owen, is a messy, street smart dropout who was dealing drugs and having an affair with a gay married man. His anger issues faced in to this life of crime and is now in a witness protection program. We also meet Franklin, an even tempered English professor, who prides himself on his attention to detail in every area of his carefully structured life. But when one of his students turns into a stalker and would not even take a restraining order seriously, he also...

This 10 episode Taiwanese series was surprisingly good and novel and entertaining at the same time. At the onset it feels another one of those enemies turned lovers story, which it is, but the story's supernatural twist adds unique scenarios and nuanced relationship dynamics to keep the romance compelling. This visually dazzling series delivers many BL-friendly moments, which will delight fans of the genre. Sure, it's not without its flaws but I was willing to ignore them because of the extremely cute lead. Also like many shows from Taiwan the episodes are about 22-23 minutes long and the whole show is a very easy binge watch, if thats your thing. Bu Xia is a university student who lives alone in his dorm room which is rumored to be haunted. He and his sister were raised by their grandfather who was a spiritual medium and he has some history of ghosts trying to reach out to him. Like most youngsters, he is messy, love himself and is great at basketball. Enter Jiang Chi, a new t...

BL animes are starting to get the recognition that they deserve. I am also one of those people who initially didn't think much of these and was rather just dismissive. Having seen a few by now, I can say, they do give. You the same butterflies as any BL series of teenage love gives you. I quite enjoyed the simple teenage love story of Sasaki and Miyano when I saw it, so naturally when I saw the film version come out, I was quite curious to see how the makers will take the story forward. This excellent sequel contains the same genuine charm and compassionate spirit as the original. In the series we saw how Sasaki and Miyano eventually became a couple while they are both in high school and also told their friends about their relationship. Sasaki is a year older than Miyano. Currently a high school senior, Sasaki is about to graduate. He is busy preparing for university entrance exams. Miyano does his best to provide moral support. Their usual high school life is changing; they’re get...

I suspected this while watching the film, but it was not until the film ended that I was sure the film was based on the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, who became known as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre”, this is a giddily entertaining and celebratory drama that hints at the emotional bruises under the sparkly lurex leotard and false lashes. For the uninitiated This is Mexican wrestling 'Lucia libre' and 'Exóticos' are male wrestlers dressed in drag portraying gay caricatures. But n this case Saul was gay. In the hierarchy of the luchaverse, they were treated like something between a gimmick and a target. And they never, ever won, battings were about to change. We meet Saúl Armendáriz, as aspiring luchador who lives in El Paso, Texas, he’s been wrestling on the semi-pro circuit for a while. Saúl’s sexuality is an open secret among his peers, who mock him on and offstage and despite him playing the macho wrestler he still gets abuses hurled at because he is gay. He lives wi...

This low budget, just an hour series is about two friends who slowly discover their feelings for each other, and how their relationship changes from friends to lovers. Spanned across 6-7 episodes, each of about under 10 minutes, this does feel like either a hushed project or something that had to be changed midway because of covid. The show may feel low budget but thankfully the actors do a decent job and do their best to pp up the show. Xiaotian used to be a gang member but when one day they bully a young boy Xingkong, he stood up against them and has been away from the gang since. He became a better person with his new friend Xingkong and two other friends. While hiding after being chased by the gang, he realizes that he actually loves Xingkong. This feeling s new for him a din fact the feeling is seen reciprocated by the young boy but neither is willing to accept and confront. Going through some denial and confirmation, he finally begs that the gang leave Xingkong. He does get beate...

How did I not know about this beautiful gay German series and why is the snot being talked about all over? We, the audience gets to see lives of four beautiful, young group of gay friends trying to navigate life, searching for love and security in the age of Grindr. The show has 2 seasons so far with 6 episodes each. So watching this 12 episode gem is an easy breezy thing, especially when they are only like 25 minute each. The show combines great, diverse casting and light-hearted, yet serious, storylines and takes us on a journey that will leave you wanting to know more about these guys. I have to say at the onset that I loved this show (despite the fact that the version I saw had really bad subtitles) and again, why is this not being talked about? Vince, a gay black medical student and Levo are best friends and roommates, living their best queer lives, making the most of Berlin’s legendary nightlife. Neither man has ever had a long-term relationship and they are both happy that way. ...

There are bad series and then there are terrible ones. As you can imagine, this hodge hodge of a series falls into the latter category. With a title like this, I have to admit that I was actually quite looking forward to watching this one, but this show is almost impossible to enjoy, how much ever you try your best to not overthink anything. The plot is just nonsensical, the jokes are outrightly bad, the romance is forced and hardly exists; essentially almost everything about this is a disaster. But you know, I always look at the bright side. This show was only 6 episodes (although it did scare us at the end saying there maybe a sequel coming up), but still each episode was about 40-45 minutes. Luv works as a vegetable vendor who is an orphan and lives with an uncle who looks after him. The uncle's son is Inn, who is good friends with Luv and also romantically likes him, although Luv is unknown to that. Enter Butler Soon, who is a butler for a wealthy family an this younger brother...