Skip to main content

On The Sea (UK)

By Golu
This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Post a Comment

John Apple Jack (Canada)

By Golu
Touted as a comedy, 'John Apple Jack' supposedly brings East and West together to create one sumptuously heart-warming dish. Unfortunately, I will end up remembering this film for how annoying and irritating the characters were, pretty much all of them. I mean, how to expect that with a wafer thin plot line, stereotyping asians, bad over the top acting, can actually make people laugh and appreciate the film. Trust me I have sen worse films; so giving a balanced opinion, this film is not terrible; but it sure is very irritating.

John, a handsome young gay man lives a privileged luxurious life. He is a playboy who beds anyone. Jack works as a chef in one of John’s restaurant. Barring an incident hat maybe the two boys had a crush on each other in childhood, there is no other scene that shows that either had a crush on the other. Maybe to a certain extent Jack had crush on John. When Jack finds out that John is marrying his sister Vivienne, he is confused. Meanwhile, we also suddenly see that Vivienne and John have a 10 year old son. By this time, I am totally confused as to what the hell is going on. John thinks that Vivienne should not be marrying Jack because he is gay. Or maybe because he finally admits to himself about his feelings (love) for Jack. When his father cuts off John to push him to make something of his life, John gets more focused on life and even confesses his love to Jack. A fake marriage for Jack and Vivienne is arranged to have some fun, but finally John and Jack unite.

The film is as confusing and irritating as it may have sounded while reading the synopsis. There is no mention of how long have been Jack and John in touch. How and why did John not know about Jack working in the restaurant. Why did the 2 men even lie each other. They had nothing in common. Vivienne’s angle and her need for family was totally ill-fitted. A weirdo mother in the family might have been added for comic relief but even that doesn’t help. The only good thing is good looking guys and perfectly toned bodies. But the screenplay is TERRIBLE. The gross depiction of certain gay activities with john’s boytoy Mario are pure annoying. The dialogues are awkward. In my opinion, the actors were not bad but the screenplay and the direction was all over the place.

Low-budget albeit good and crisp production values; I would only recommend of OOT comedies are your flavour. I was thankfully able to sit through the whole film without needing to fast forward it but i found the overall experience annoying. (4/10)
Labels:

Comments

Foesnacha said…
You definitely got the characters mixed up midway through, but I agree with this post completely. Movie was so confusing and is a complete mind fuck. Honestly the way John acted throughout the movie is a prevalent attitude you can find in the gay community and it's quite disgusting.
October 1, 2020 at 10:27 AM
ILHiker said…
This was the latest comfort food rewatch. I do agree with the 4, but it amused me. It's sort of a by-the-numbers romantic comedy with things sort of randomly slapped onto the formula. I love that the son wants Jack to marry John and should dislike Jack for pining after John for no reason for decades but I find him endearing. Sometimes I wonder if I should keep more opinions to myself. I'm lonely for a movie-watching friend and tried to set something up with a guy on Scruff who sounded really nice and interested. Nice conversation intermittently over a few days and suddenly he's completely gone, or has blocked me I suppose. I"m trying to think what it could have been, other than par for the course for these apps, and I remember the last thing I told him was I love 1950s radioactive giant monster movies. Perhaps I had opened up too much, too soon. I'm Alex and Leo next, but we'll see later.
September 16, 2022 at 2:15 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