Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

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...

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 ...

It is interesting how many films there are that deal with AIDS issues and show the whole thing with sensitivity and respect that it deserves. I had never heard of this film. It never gets mentioned in any list of recommended LGBT films, but that should change. And surprisingly, this film was apparently the first film ever made on AIDS. This film, though just a 2 man focus story, shows a very very interesting perspective from not just a patients point of view but also for a person who has never had to deal directly with someone having the virus. The film follows a New York City gay man in a monogamous relationship becoming a "buddy" or a volunteer friend to another gay man dying of AIDS and the friendship that develops. Robert is the AIDS patient and one day he gets a visit from David, a complete stranger, who has volunteered at gay center to be Robert's buddy. The visits in the beginning are formal and David in his daily logs even mentions that he is not a fan of Rob...

I know a lot of people have loved this movie over a period of time. I saw this film , I guess 6 years ago and vaguely remember not being too impressed with it. But now, with time gone by and my experience with gay themed movies being much broader, it was time to revisit this film for my blog. Sadly, despite some decent performances, the film still did not manage to rise beyond average in my mind. It is quite possible that I amassing seeing something in the film that the others are. Nasser and his ally Saleem have a number of small businesses and are doing very well for themselves. Meanwhile his brother, a once famous journalist  and now alcoholic Ali, lives in a seedy flat in a poor neighborhood with his son Omar. To help his brother, Nasser gives Omar a job doing menial labor. But Omar, with bigger plans, talks Nasser into letting him manage Nasser's run down laundrette. Enters Johny, a friend of Omar's since they were kids who has been a street punk for a while. Omar inv...

One very important thing to remember when you watch this film is that the film was made for TV way bak in 1985. That was the time when homosexuality was not widely accepted. In fact, it was not even openly talked about. It was some sort of disgrace to a family, so the reactions that you see in the film are more relevant.  Ken and Tess are a happily married couple and Ken is just fought cancer and is healthy. They have a son Jeff who studies in college and a daughter Margie who is expecting her baby. Both parents are very proud of Jeff. After having struggled very hard with himself and lying to everyone, Jeff decides to tell his mother that he is gay. Though his mom is unnerved by the revelation, she tries her best to remain supportive in front of him—despite insisting that he seek therapy to "fix" the situation. But for Ken, it is devastating for him to know that his only son is gay. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, he starts avoiding his son on purpose. Soon the v...

Another Spanish movie, which before it started, I thought would be interesting with an interesting title like this. After watching the movie, I realized that it was interesting in bits and parts but the main crux was somehow lost on the movie. Dona Herlinda is this rich woman whose son Rodolfo is a doctor and is a closet gay. Though there have been instances when Dona realizes that Rodolfo is gay and has seen him fooling around with his ex boyfriends but purposely ignores everything. Rodolfo is in love with Ramon and they go out together often. Dona likes Ramon and enjoys his company. Dona is desperately trying to fix Rodolfo with a girl though she knows that there is something special between the 2 men. After months, Dona invites Ramon to live with them. Initially hesitant, he moves in because his place is rally small. Slowly he realizes that his moving in was more for Dona Herlinda's company rather than him being with Rodolfo. Slowly Rodolfo starts getting cozy with this girl Olg...