Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

The first gay disco, Studio One in Los Angeles, was a safe space for the gay community from 1974-1993. This documentary is a loving look at the iconic gay disco and its legacy. Replete with pictures of events at Studio One and at its adjoining music and dining venue The Backlot that vividly recall its heyday, the film remembers it as a vital place where gay people could be themselves and which also became a popular spot for celebrities eager to demonstrate Hollywood's liberal side. The building was slated to be demolished in 2018, and this film provides an oral and visual history of the club as the local board determines its fate. A handful of “survivors” of Studio One, including comedy legend, Bruce Vilanch, return to the club to recall its glory days. With a capacity of over 1000, this cavernous club and adjoining cabaret called The Backlot attracted hordes of mostly white gay men and the Hollywood elite throughout such historical touchstones as the sexual revolution and the heig...

This is a rather simple low production BL series from Cambodia. Playing on the age old, enemies turned lovers turned misunderstanding turned lovers is played here as well. Keeping this simple story to go on for 7 episodes felt like an unnecessary stretch. Each episode is about 20-30 minutes long. The actors felt new and story could have used more gravitas. Also the title of this series made no sense to me, in the context of it all.  Hengly is like the bad boy of his class. He doesn't conform to rules and often blame onto everyone else except himself. On morning he runs into Same on his motorbike and the two have an altercation that doesn't end well. Same is a studious student who stands up for himself. After a few misunderstandings, their friendship starts to grow when it turns out that Same's brother is close friends with Hengly's cousin. They spend sometime together, and it seems like Hengley is almost flirting with Same. Same’s feelings for Hengly grows stronger and ...

It is quite obvious that our community really needs lessons in tolerance. The fact that films comes from Ukraine, a country from which I had not expected that I will be writing a review on my blog, an attempt at LGBT comedy (or somewhat in that genre), is big surprise to me. As the name would suggest, the film is literally lessons in tolerance of LGBTQ+ community members told through 10 chapters using a regular Ukrainian family as the center point. We have a simple family of husband, wife, a son and a daughter. The family is reeling debts, the husband is lazy, daughter is a wanna be actress and the son is just aggressive good for nothing mechanic. The mom has had enough of it. There’s money available for any family that signs up for and completes a state LGBT+ awareness training course, and it’s quite a considerable sum, too. The way it works is that a course representative who is gay will come and live with the family for three weeks, during which time he will conduct a number of LGBT...

This was yet another one of those Thai teenager gay dramas that just feels wrong too watch. These boys barely look 13 or 14 years old and having to watch them talk about love, sex and be naughty made me very uncomfortable. Thankfully, it is only 4 episodes of about 20-22 minutes each, but still a simple yet uncomfortable story to see Tankhun is a young boy who loves to drive his scooter fats. Worried bout that, his father takes away his scooter and instead asks his friend's son Kim to pick and drop from school. The friendship starts blooming. Kew knows he is gay but Tankhun is interested in a girls ho he realizes just liked to get gifts from boys. When another boy in the class starts sowing interest in Kim, that makes Tankhun jealous and he doesn't know what's happening. But everytime he sees them together, he doesn't like it and tries to break thier bond. Eventually he confesses to Kim that he likes him. But Tankhun still is uncomfortable accepting that in public which...

The fruit machine was created as an ostensibly scientific way to detect homosexuals, so they could be fired from their government jobs or pre-screened before being offered employment in the first place. This was during the Cold War, and the prevailing fear was that homosexuals would be at a greater risk of blackmail by Russian spies. They needed to be identified and removed, the thinking went, so they wouldn't reveal the nation's secrets. This documentary throws some light on the homosexual witch-hunt of public servants and military personnel in Canada from the 1950s through the early 1990s and its effects on the people whose lives and careers were disrupted or destroyed by it. The first half of the documentary focuses primarily on the historical context of the LGBT Purge, including the Cold War. Intertwined with this historical section are the stories of a number of men Civil Service Purge survivors who were investigated and lost their jobs. The producers anchor the film in th...

I had not heard of this film at all and was actually very pleasantly surprised with this touching mechanic meets India-British drag queen romantic drama. The sis such an involved and heartfelt queer love stories, something that we all have been waiting to see for a while now. No exaggeration, no over the top drama, yet true tragic love while the protagonists confront their notion of love, sexuality, family, religion, friendship and more. Luke isa single dad of a 5 year old son. He works as a mechanic in a garage run by his dad. He meets Aysha, a drag queens fact unknown to him at their first meeting and they indulge in a passionate kiss. There are clear sparks but as soon as Luke realizes that Aysha is a man he runs away. Aysha is living a closeted life away from her relies muslim family in the big city. Aysha need sa driver and car to take her around for her shows. She tracks down Luke and he agrees to do the job in hopes to save money for his son. After a few drives, the attraction r...

Translated to English as "An Andalusian Bitch", this is a 7 part series each of about 25-30 minutes. Focusing on a lot of LGBTQ+ characters, this series focuses on certain individuals (some connected, some not). Like many kids their age, some of these Gen Z folks feel quite lost, and they try to find their way, a path greatly influenced by the relationship (repressed, released or overstimulated) they have with sex, and which can only be defined as "drama". They are racked by loneliness and desire in a society that intensifies their struggles.The show is supposed to be comedy as well, but we will leave our thoughts on that later. We meet an interesting mix of people including Sofía, Samu, Marcos, Tamara, Sylvia and Judit. Samuel or Samu is a young gay man, who enjoys hooking up a lot but is almost at a point where he wants something serious. He eventually meets Gabi, a boy with whom he starts as friends, take it slow and eventually as they start to get serious, somet...

'Gayliens' is a 4 episode anthology series from HereTV ranging from sci-fi to comedy, where each episode details an encounter between gay men and extra-terrestrials. I have to say that the concept sounded quite interesting, and of course, you have to keep your expectations extremely low, so form that perspective it was an interetsing mix. EP 1 - Love and the Mothman Two neighborhood boys (both likely in closet) decide to go on a drive to get away from family. The black guy makes sure to tell th other boy all about his girl crushes but eventually when dark falls, they both start having banger sex in the car till they are eventually terrorized by the legendary Mothman.  EP 2 - Lapdance from Outer Space Ace, a space-themed stripper in a gay nightclub, agrees to give an odd man a private Lapdance, but is surprised when the patron reveals that he is an alien...and Earth is about to be invaded. This was actually quite funny with the kind of dialogues that were being exchanged. Comedy...

This mini series from South Korea is a light hearted romance and is just sweet and simple and straight forward. To be honest, I dont know why this was needed to be told in 6 episodes, each of 20 minutes, The story could have easily been told as a simple short story. The series tries to tease a love triangle, which fails to be engaging and even the interactions between the main couple are pretty basic and dull. Min Jae is a new study in the music faculty of a university. Here, he mets Yoon Chan a couple of times, including in the library where Min Jae works part time. For no obvious reasons, Yoon Chan falls for Min Jae and starts conversations to befriend him. Turns out Yoon Chan is a taekwondo student and seems has no other friends. They both decide to become friends after some random meetings between the two. It is more evident that Yoon Chan is putting more effort. Initially Min Jae is a bit irritated by this but slowly he comes around and starts liking the guy. As they spend more ti...

I am catching up on some of these old documentaries in my hard drive and came across this one. This documentary from back in 2006 is about gay Christians– and the reconciliation of both identities. The documentary brings visibility to a marginalized and at-risk population on the big screen, and despite the content having aged since its original release, this was still an interesting perspective. A patchwork of interviews comprises this film: self-identifying gay Christians, including seminary students and clergy; family and friends of those lost to suicide, and scholars of the Bible are all included. Major focuses of discussion include scripture related to homosexuality, and how different translations of the Bible over time have impacted its interpreted support or non-support of gay life. All of the subjects have a strong religious background and relationship with God, something that has been severely tested at some point in their lives. The opening section has them talking about disco...

Firstly, I don't think Throuple is the right Tiel for the film. Sure the film ends up in that direction, but I felt that the film was a lot more to that. It was about self discovery, loving one self, about close friendships and people insecurities and vulnerabilities seen thorn various lenses. Having said that, this film overall brings an interesting perspective, even though there were many faults in the film. Michael, is a lonely, gay singer-songwriter, who is just better about love and is fully convinced it's a sham. He also struggles to express what he needs from the people in his life. His social circle is his best lesbian friend  Tristan, who sings in a band and her girlfriend Abby. Much to Abby’s chagrin, Michael leans on them to fulfill his needs for emotional intimacy. One night in the club, Michael catches the attention of Georgie and Connor, a married gay couple looking for a third to spice up their life. A nonchalant hookup becomes a night of vulnerability that none ...

Oh god! This was such a disaster film. I heard that this was a series also at some point, and I can only imagine what that would have been like. I have always said that some of these Thai series need to be squeezed into a film size format, but even in that form, some of these can be really bad. The film is about 90 minutes long and doesn't have a proper ending. It ends with scaring us with a promise of part 2. Not sure when that will come out (of it will ever come out) Through flashbacks we are told that 6 months ago, Night was seduced by a guy named Gear, who sleeps with him and make sure a video of them having sex, leaving Night into mental trauma. But we are never told what he does with that video. Back to present, when Gear sees Night in a club, his feelings of him get very strong and he wants to pursue him. Meanwhile Night's older brother Day wants to take revenge about. This incident and he kidnaps Gear's best friend Itt, who was the master mind behind making a video....

I am sure, anyone who has seen first two seasons, would not have expected the change of pace and the storyline that is offered to the audience. The plot is a bit heavier than the usual lovey-dovey ones we have watched in first two seasons. It is not to say that the romance is not there, but the plat also focuses on some very meaningful and deep changes to the love story of Nick and Charlie. I also have. To say it that I did miss my favorite Olivia Coleman. I so wish she was there even just for a cameo maybe. All the various couple are doing well in this relationships and we just see how they are all growing. The main focus. This time is on Nick's concerns around Charlie's struggles with eating and the possible disorder that he has. Alongwth help of Charlie's very supportive sister, Nick eventually gets to share etc burden of noticing something odd about Charlie and wanting to be there for him. These are kids and they just dont know what is wrong with Charlie and how they ca...

This series had been on my list of TV shows to watch for a while. But man, I was so disappointed. The show is primarily about young gays on their own and making a life in Memphis, Tennessee; about love, loss , friends and survival, but it just did not connect with me somehow. Billy is dealing with life after the loss of a relationship.  Daniel is trying to figure out how to express himself without hurting others.  Their friends are working on other issues like coming out and addiction. The only big difference here was setting it up in a small city instead of the two coasts. The show is 8 episodes of about 18-20 minutes each. Story is about these two friends and roommates Billy and Daniel. Daniel is an average promiscuous young gay man/wannabe artist with a huge personality and a fondness for a bit of fun with whoever comes along. HE also secretly has drug issues. Billy is a more reserved and laid back independent movie director who is on the look for something a little bit mor...

A Korean BL with one of the leads being a Thai actor. Sounds fun, isin't it!! But trust me, this show was really awful and disappointing. There was no plot, no chemistry, no romance, no anticipation to watch the next episode and I really didn’t care about what will happen next. Even the romantic track felt so forced, almost unnecessary and awkward, even the confession part, I didn’t feel anything watching it. The series felt like some random plot thrown with the awkward romantic scene. The series was 12 episodes each of about 18 minutes. Uno, a This actor working in Korea is popular for his good looks. But because of his aloofness, there is a perception that he is arrogant and hence not many folks want to work with him. His manager, CEO Choi, wants to soften Uno's image by signing him up for a reality show that can restore his goodwill. One day, Uno finds an injured dog on the road and he ask his assistant to take him to a vet, despite his fear of dogs. He is treated but the ve...

I can't even begin to write how awful this mini series is. The story is so paper thin that it could have easily been told in less than 10 minutes. But these folks take 6 episodes of 25 minutes each, with long silences and scenery and flashbacks, just to extend the time. Agreed, this was likely made on phone on super low budget, but still. And then there are people like me, who are actually watching shit like this and continue to ask myself on why am I wasting my time. I think, I need a life. Simple story. Two friends Efres and Carlos are best buddies are in love with one another madly but neither has the courage to tell the other person. They both fear that they will lose friendship. Enter third guy Zander who likes Efres and has told him a few times that he likes him, but Efres makes it very clear he has feelings only for Carlos. One day Carlos sees Efres and Zander spending time and Zander's meek attempt to kiss Efres, it makes him angry and he decides too leave town thinking...

For those in the LGBTQ+ community who reside in the West, the greater freedoms and civil liberties that have emerged in recent decades have made life more fulfilling for this once-persecuted constituency. But, for those who live in more conservative lands, such rights and privileges have been slower to surface (and in fewer numbers at that). This is true even in somewhat more lenient countries like Turkey, where the somewhat more tolerant and cosmopolitan nature of cities like Istanbul have shown some progress but still lag behind other locales. This has compelled gay, transgender and bisexual individuals to continue to lead more subdued lives than their Western counterparts, keeping low profiles and even unwillingly engaging in traditional marriages to give themselves socially acceptable cover, particularly in more rural and remote areas. This is Not Me tells the story of unhappy gay men who have had to marry women to hide their sexual orientation in the face of societal and family pr...