Skip to main content

Being at Home with Claude (Canadian French)

By Golu
This one falls into that darker corner of gay cinema. There was real potential buried in here, but the execution feels so flat that at points it plays out more like a filmed stage play than an actual movie. It's a dark psychological drama built around a street hustler confessing to a brutal, confusing murder of his own lover. Black and white flashback sequences do a solid job laying out the details of what happened, but the real focus stays on the dialogue and the writing itself. Right at the start, a young hustler has already killed his male lover Claude. Three days go by before he calls the police to turn himself in for the murder. But instead of just reporting it somewhere ordinary, he actually summons the police and the local press directly into a judge's private chambers. Yves has keys to the place, which tracks given what he does for a living, but having the press waiting right outside makes the whole scene look like some elaborate blackmail scheme against the judge. The ...
Post a Comment

Newcastle (Australia)

By Golu
Newcastle is actually a surfing movie. Labeling it as gay cinema would be injustice. Just because one of the characters happens to be gay does not move us away from the main emotion of the film. It's about emotions, trials, tribulations, wanting to do something in life.

Jess and Fergus are brothers. Their elder half brother Victor as an up and coming surfing champion but he could never reach the pinnacles that he always aspired to. He sees the same talent in his brother Jesse. He has a natural talent for surfing. No wonder Victor harbors a resentment towards him. Fergus on the other hand is a flamboyant character who keeps changing his hair color and is comfortable with his sexuality. On the day os selection for the national championship, Jesse comes in third that completely upsets him since only top 2 will be sent for championship. One of his friends Andy from his circle of 4 friends gets selected who actually is not interested but because of his father is pursuing this. The friends decide to go on a weekend together and take Fergus as well with them. They have fun and they all practice surfing. Fergus and Andy have some chemistry going on between them. Victor shows up there next morning with his 2 other friends and starts surfing. A pseudo competition starts happening and in the process Victor gets killed and Andy gets badly hurt. This is the time when Andy gets a chance to represent himself in the Newcastle surfing championship and he is ready to prove himself.

As mentioned Fergus character was just there and happened to be gay. Actually his character acts as a catalyst between the family and also amongst the friends. Acting wise I think everyone did a decent job. Mu inability to fully understand Australian accent sometimes acted as a blocker. I have no idea about surfing but the scenes were beautifully shot. I think there should have been some more clarity on Victor's past, why he behaves the way he does etc. Chemistry between Fergus and Andy also could have been developed but then I am being a little selfish here. A lot of naked young bodies to see :)

A decent movie overall. Not bad. (5.5/10)
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Seeing as how I had to watch the "edited" for US TV version of this movie it might be worth me renting this one just to see what all I missed. LOL! Other then the super hawt guys with interesting accents I am not sure how this was a gay themed movie. Well other than the one scene the two hotties were having this toss off session between each other. Overall a touching movie about family and friends and the troubles one had with all of them! Worth at least being watched.
July 8, 2010 at 6:51 PM
ILHiker said…
Agreed, I don't like it being pigeonholed as a gtm when there's really just a gay character and his sexual orientation isn't what the plot turns on. Even so, a very scenic movie for sure. It felt more slice of life than plot-driven, though you gradually get some backstory on the different characters it isn't part of the drama. And, my rewatch spree continues.
September 18, 2022 at 10:12 AM
Golu said…
you are definitely on a roll. And here I am stuck with BL shows.lol
September 19, 2022 at 1:25 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

By Golu
When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...
25 comments
Read more

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

By Golu
Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...
19 comments
Read more

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

By Golu
Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...
23 comments
Read more