Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This one came out in 1988 and was apparently HBO's very first gay themed TV film. It was adapted from a play and that becomes obvious pretty quickly because almost the entire thing takes place inside an apartment with just two people talking through their grief and going back and forth about whether that grief even belongs to both of them equally. The story picks up after the death of a man named Colin. His ex-wife Marion, who was with him for over a decade, and his lover Arthur, who was by his side through the brutal final months of living with AIDS, are brought together in the loft they've both inherited half of as per Colin's will and now need to sell. What follows is the two of them sitting with old grievances and new ones, circling each other, confessing things, and slowly working through a shared loss that neither of them quite knows how to carry. Marion reveals that she herself has been infected with the virus. Arthur, understandably but also a little selfishly, want...

There haven't been many films about aging gay men , so its always nice to see a film trying to address the subject is some capacity. This film is not as much about love but more about what could happen to certain gay men in the prime of their life when their families don't want them anymore and they are so lonely. Friendships and love/admiration can bring a spark in your life anytime of the day. Friendship between two old men becomes love in their own way. Slightly-unkempt, tired, and frail, Philippe Lanctot moves into an old age home. He is single and apparently his younger sister used to take care of him, but now after his death, he is almost forced to be in this community and he is not happy about it and is almost grumpy. The staff there tries to cheer him up but it's like he has given up on life. Suddenly a man named Victor arrives in his room on wheelchair. He is brash, talks a lot, has no theory of personal space or boundaries and is a chatty Kathy. Philippe finds him...

Even if you've already seen the Sean Penn film, this 1984 documentary about Harvey Milk hits differently. When I found out it had won the Oscar for Best Documentary that year, I was curious to see what it covered and how much of it might have actually fed into the feature film we all know. Watching it now, it feels like so many things at once, a piece of archive history, a political case study, a study of a city, and something genuinely emotional to sit through. The filmmaker builds this really vivid picture of Harvey Milk by weaving together old stock footage with interviews recorded nearly a decade after his assassination, and by the time it's done you walk away with a deep admiration for the man and everything he managed to do. Milk worked under San Francisco mayor George Moscone on a city supervisory board that was headed by Dianne Feinstein, and he wasn't just fighting for gay rights, he was speaking up for everyone who felt left out of the system. We get a look at his...

To start with, the version of this movie I watched was just terrible. It looked so old that I felt like I was watching something from the 1950s. Since it came out in 1985, the movie doesn't shout about the main character being gay; instead, it gives you small, subtle hints. But even if the picture quality had been perfect, it wouldn't change the fact that this movie is really strange and just plain boring. The story takes place in the city of Querétaro in 1957. It shows the mean things, violence, and hate that gay people had to deal with in Mexico during that time, especially in small towns. The main character is Jardiel, a young guy who lives with a mother who controls everything, a sweet father, and several brothers and sisters. He is secretly in love with his friend Carlos, who he went to college with and now works with. When Jardiel finally gets the nerve to tell Carlos how he feels, Carlos says no. This rejection sends Jardiel into a deep sadness, which gets even worse bec...

It’s really too bad that we had to head back into the lives of Renato and Albin for this one. The first movie was a total blast and the second was still pretty decent and easy enough to watch, but this third go-around just wasn't fun at all. To be honest, it feels like they only put this together to make a quick buck off the characters’ popularity while they still could. The writing is just plain weak, the repetitive acting starts to get on your nerves after a while, and the whole thing just feels off from the start. The plot kicks off when our favorite drag queen, Albin, finds out he’s actually in line to get a massive inheritance from a relative he barely knew.  He decides to play the part of a "normal" guy and heads to Scotland for the reading of the will.  He’s set to get all that cash, but there’s a huge catch: he has to get married and have a kid within 18 months, or every penny goes to his other cousin instead.  Albin is obviously floored by this and keeps it a sec...

It’s no shocker that when a movie does well, a sequel usually follows, so I wasn't surprised at all to see this campy comedy get a second chapter. It’s a fun new addition to the adventures of Albin and Renato. Even though turning a character-driven comedy into a spy spoof felt like a bit of a weird pivot from the original vibe, you eventually just roll with it. One big difference is that this one moves out of the nightclub and takes the characters from France all the way to Italy. The story kicks off with Albin having a bit of a mid-life crisis about whether he’s still got his "mojo," so he heads to an outdoor cafe to see if he can still turn heads while Renato watches from a distance. Suddenly, a guy running for his life grabs Albin, drags him to a hotel, and hides a microfilm capsule in Albin's dress right before he’s killed. This obviously sparks a huge mess, forcing Albin and Renato to go on the run. The secret service shows up at their place wanting them to help ...

I find it very fascinating that back in the 80s prominent gay films had started to emerge where the central theme was gay and not just a side character. This crime thriller with a gay romance at its center must have been quite a stir when it came out in 1984. Although I do have to say that French and German cinemas were always way ahead of times, so part of me is also not surprised. Sure, they don't show any intimate in-your-face scenes but it's all very obvious here. Set in Bordeaux, the emcee of local drag nightclub is killed one night, and Inspector Michel is called in to investigate. The film started with us seeing Michel with another man in Paris, so we know that likes men but we are then told that back home he has a loving wife and a kid. Back to the murder, As Michel starts to interview various staff and performers, he pays special attention to cute blonde musician Bernard. He is young and cute and before they both realize, they eventually have an intense love affair.  W...

With a duration of just under an hour, this film from back in 1989 is a short, quirky, and romantic story about two men, one an astronomy-obsessed worrier and the other a free spirit who enjoys breaking into places. The charm of late 80s set in Auckland is what makes this film worth watching. It is atale of opposites: coming together and coming out. Richard, an astronomy-obsessed worrier spends his time fantasizing about outer-space and the cosmos, an activity which antagonizes friends and family. He lives with his sister in an apartment. One day, he meets Johnny, a handsome Italian man at the library, with an enormous appetite for life, whose idea of a holiday involves breaking into the nearest small holiday home. The next day he shows up at Richard's door and asks him to join him at the beach. The two have sex there and Johnny mentions that he will soon be back in Italy after 3 weeks and offers Richard love and an escape from the monotony of work. The duo spend sometime together ...

This was probably one of the earlier Israeli gay films to have come out back in 1982. Our main protagonists have only two things he cares about - his homosexuality and the fact that he is making a 'gay' film. This would be film maker always says ''I'm busy with my film right now'", except you never see him do anything about it, because he is much more interested in sleeping around with different guys. People simply wander into and out of Robi's life, and if his character evolves during the course of the story, the change is difficult to decipher. Robi is a young Israeli who lives his grandmother and works at her store. He dreams of finding true love and becoming a movie director, both of which seem increasingly difficult. He has a friend with benefit situation with another guy named Han, who is married but they have good thing going. They both go to a cruising park, where Robi is supposedly looking for someone who looks like him and can play lad in the ...

I had no idea that anime films have been there for such a long time. This film came out back in 1987. The film is a very bizarre story of two male lovers, if you can call that, probably inspired by manga. A tragic romance between Gilbert and Serge,  two students at an all-boys boarding school in late 19th-century France. The film is set in late 19th century in France. Son of a viscount and a Roma prostitute (both deceased), Serge is intelligent, sweet, talented, and alienated by his family due to his heritage. Upon being sent to his new school, he rooms with Gilbert, a gorgeous loner of a boy who sells his body for reasons unknown. He is ostracized by the school's pupils and professors for sleeping with most men in the school. We are never told the reason. His promiscuity is the result of a lifetime of neglect and abuse, as perpetrated chiefly by his ostensible uncle Auguste Beau. The man has physically, emotionally, and sexually abused Gilbert since he was a child. His manipulatio...

I cant believe this film came back in late 80s. It I snot an obvious gay film, because I guess those days it wasn't easy to make something in your face, but everything about our two leads seem to suggest the two are just friends whose attraction for one another is still in the early stages. Yet these handsome boys joyfully touch, hug, and rough-play with one another in a manner that is far more explicitly sexual, and immensely more sensuous. The simple film is just under an hour and an easy watch. Climax gives us an impression of the difficulties of a male romance in a homophobic rural community. The story is simple. Set in countryside we see Mike who works in a small farm and has his close friend Dan working for him. Mike is obviously attracted to Dan and it seems Dan returns the favor. But Dan is to satisfied being and living at the far, . He is a drifter and wants to travel but Mike seems content. We meet Gary, a young teenage boy who lives in the neighborhood with his abusive s...

Follow up to the film I just reviewed, and I really don't even know why I'm watching these films. I really need to stop. But here is a quick review of this soft porn Japanese Pink film which continues to focus on the gay S&M word. This time it becomes a murder mystery of sorts interspersed with a whole lot of sexual scenes as you would expect. The story here is again basic. Of late there have been a couple of murders where after a fierce S&M play, young men are found dead strangulated. So a police detective is put on duty to find the culprit. To find the details, he needs to visit the famous S&M club in the area. In the course of the investigation, the journalist of course discovers a love of s&m himself and indulges multiple times with one the performers and is eventually courted by the killer himself. Thankfully when things go out of hand, his lover from the S&M club is there to save him, but in al likelihood, the investigator has learnt something about hi...

I am sure I have mentioned before in my blog the concept of "Pink Films" from Japan. Pink films are films that deal with sexual, adult content, but compared to the typical adult film, a Pink film features much tenderer or much more artistic expressions. This film probably doesn't have tender love, but it's focused more on the S&M practices of gay sex. I wonder of this was really a thing back in the 80s in Japan. As you can expect, the plot is paper thin. Yuki is a young man who lives with his brother. One day while walking he meets an old friend of his and they reconnect. When he goes back home that night, he finds out that his brother has a girlfriend, so he leaves home (don't ask why). He goes back to his friends house and they make passionate love. Interestingly this friend works in a. Gay S&M club that puts up shows for audience so Yuji also gets a job here. But after a while he has had enough and both Fuji and his friend want to quit job, but the owne...

An old film from 1989, 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' is about underbelly of New York in the 50s, where a gallery of Brooklyn's finest and filthiest folks undergo change against an imposing back drop of union corruption, violence and neon lighting. Shown here, Brooklyn is a place awash with misery, and its inhabitants are the lost, the dreamers who grew bitter and jaded, or those so ingrained with gloom that that they never once thought to dream at all. Based on the novel of the same name, the story follows the lives of several characters trying to survive the hardships of lower class 1950s Brooklyn. So, again, this is one of those films that doesn't really fall in LGBT category but has a strong gay character, so warrants a review here. There is a long factory dispute going on which leads to strike and Harry is the secretary f the strike. Using the union's strike funds, he buys beer, pretzels and the temporary recognition of the neighborhood toughs he admires. He feels see...

How many ever number of films we may end up watching on the subjects of AIDS, but every time most of these films touch our core as a reminder of what things were and where we are today. I think as a mandatory viewing, us gay men should be mandated to watch an AIDS related movie or gay struggles movement films every year just as a reminder to not take things for granted. The freedom that we have today has come at a cost of a lot of things and AIDS epidemic is just one of them. This 1985 made for TV film was a very risky proposition, but it is interesting and different in the sense that not only does to educated common people about the disease, but it also address the homophobia and most importantly the slow but certain coming around of our lead's family members into accepting him for who he is.  Michael is a very successful lawyer who has been with his boyfriend Peter for over 2 years. But he has never come out to his family, which is sometimes a bone of contention between the coupl...

Contrary to the public stereotype of a youthful homosexual community, gay men and women do grow old. Silent Pioneers presents an upbeat focus on the lives of these people today, showing them living full and diverse lives and sharing concerns on ageing, health and housing, with other senior citizens. It also considers how support networks within the gay and lesbian community have enriched and strengthened their individual lives. The documentary takes us through many conversations and chats and interviews where these elderly gay folks share their experiences growing up at a time when many homosexuals considered homosexuality shameful, of their efforts to make peace with their deepest inclinations and their responses to changing times. It is a diverse sample that includes a male couple who have been together for 54 years, a black great-grandmother, a former Catholic monk who has become a rancher, a German Jewish refugee from Hitler. Every single one of these people found their way out of ...

The formation of the Gay Black Group was a landmark in gay black history. Meeting at Gay's the Word, a bookshop in Bloomsbury, London, it provided a sounding board and support for gay and black communities of the 1980s. Sitting on the outside of both by virtue of their sexuality or ethnicity the group attempted to negotiate a path through the complexities of cultural and sexual identity. Through interviewing Black and Asian members of the Gay Black Group (GBG), the film forces viewers to reflect on the marginalisation of LGBT+ people of colour and the importance of intersectional safe spaces. The film begins with Ahmed who is from Hydrabad in Southern India. He talks about coming out to his family and how it was a disaster and explains that there is no word in Urdu that he could use to the family members who do not speak English. Paula then talks to a woman with Nigerian roots about her realisation that she was a lesbian. The next interviewee has Kenyan Hindu heritage who had to st...

A psychological mystery thriller, this film was a weird watching experience for me. Using religion as the background, the film does feature a lot of dream-like/nightmarish sequences with the leading man, often to that extend that you don't always know for sure if he is awake or dreaming himself. This is also not a user film per say, but yeah the lead is bisexual man who is obsessing over another man. So even though the central theme of the film is not gay, the character trait is gay. Gerard is a bisexual writer. On his way to give. Lecture, he sees a hot man on the train station and completely obsesses over him, but the man soon leaves. During one of his lectures, he meets Christine who asks him to say the night at her place and they have a one night stand. She runs a beauty salon and apparently was married before thrice. Next day, Gerard sees a picture of Christine's boyfriend, a man named Herman, who is the same guy he saw at train station. He decides to stay longer hoping to...

This historical film is set in a troupe entertaining British troops in Southeast Asia fighting against the communist insurgents. Musicals have not been my scene and even thought this is a famous film and well reviewed throughout, somehow the film just failed to capture my attention in any space. One of the main problems is that this cannot seem to make up its mind on what to be; a comedy or a war-drama. Neither of them are achieved particularly effectively, separate from each other, and whenever the two are attempted at the same time, it's even worse. It is 1947, the year of the communist rebellion in Malaya and the British army’s SADUSEA (Song And Dance Unit South East Asia) are called to the Malayan Jungle to entertain the troops. The eccentric, bible-bashing Major Giles Flack is in command of the unit. Flack is accompanied by an ageing, theatrical drama queen, Terri Dennis who hopes to entertain the troops with his flamboyant impressions, but the bored troops find other ways to ...

This short 45 min film which came back in 1980, must have been something of a game changer. I am guessing that this 'coming of age' genre barely existed then. An interesting love and power dynamics between two school lads leading to awakened and heightened sexual curiosity, this film can get confusing at times, but is a very interesting case study. In the first interaction we meet Philippe and Claude and it seems they have some previous connection. Claude is the younger of the two boys. Claude wants Phillipe to be near him in the train in literal sense but latter is a bit of a tease, goes and sits on another seat and a smile on his face watching Claude sleep. Soon, their friendship starts to develop where Philippe becomes sort of a mentor to Claude. The next day, it is Philippe who is saving a seat for Claude. They spend a lot of time together and one night in bed, Claude brings topic of masturbation and asks Philippe to teach him. He refuses and we know they are both playing a...