I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
A Valentine For Nelson (1990)
A short meditation on the nature of building relationships. A long overdue love letter. A relationship is as hard to build as a cathedral -- it takes more than one lifetime. A film in which virtually every shot is intended as a metaphor. Tender, loving and unsentimental.
Blues (1982)
On September 29, 1982, police raided Blues, a Black, Gay bar on West 43rd Street across from the New York Times. They brutalized the customers and destroyed the bar. On October 8th, after the mess had been cleaned up, they raided the bar again. It was the last Gay bar in the history of New York City. On October 15th, hundreds of members of the community demonstrated against the raid and its brutality.
Don't Do It! (1999)
A structural film and meditation on the closing of gay sex venues in New York City.
Elegy In The Streets (1989)
Exploring the AIDS crisis from both a personal and a political perspective, the film intertwines two main motifs: memories of Roger Jacoby, a filmmaker who died of AIDS, and the development of a mass response to AIDS.
June 12, 1982 (1982)
This footage is of the Lesbian and Gay Contingent at the Anti-Nuke March held in New York City on June 12, 1982. This was the largest political rally ever held in New York up to that time.
May 21-22, 1979 (1980)
This is footage of the protests in New York after the extremely lenient sentence handed down to Dan White for the assassination of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone of San Francisco. The reaction in San Francisco, known as the White Night Riots, was much more militant and historically significant, but since Jim was in New York so he filmed the demonstrations here.
Speak for Yourself (1990)
An oral history of ACT UP. Jim interviewed 7 ACT UPpers and amassed 10 hours of footage. This film is the edited version of the hard collected archival footage.
Stop the Movie (Cruising) (1980)
This was a summer of great ferment in the gay community. The first National March for Lesbian & Gay Rights would be in October and planning was in full swing. The Dan White decision came down in May. So the entire summer was filled with protests. Collection of 4-7 different demonstrations.
The Dance (1992)
An intimate portrait of songwriters, performance artists and lovers Dan Martin and Michael Biello, “The Dance” explores the interconnectedness of their domestic life, art work and selfless devotion to a community of artists they have helped to create and support.
Two Marches (1991)
The first March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights took place in October 1979, and another eight years later. In a non-violent juxtaposition of footage from both marches, Hubbard allows us to reflect on subtle and distinct shifts in the modes of protest expression, atmosphere, and shared perspectives.
As much as these archival footage films of various demonstrations etc are very important part of gay history, from an engagement point of view, I can only see popes from those days trying to relive some of those moments from before. If you see these films today, I am sorry to say, but they don't really offer much even in terms of education and information. (3/10)
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