tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39824127730409077022024-03-28T23:29:52.449-04:00Movie Reviews - Gay ThemedStarted in 2007 to keep a track of gay films that I watched, this blog has come much further than I had planned. There are tons of movies that I need to watch and review here. Through this blog, I want to give you genuine, my personal heart-felt review of the films that I see. These are my personal thoughts and opinions about the films and I would love to hear your thoughts on these films as well.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2622125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-38018564818353069612024-03-28T10:25:00.002-04:002024-03-28T10:25:00.135-04:00Gay Short Films : 111<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UKo24zxcbpWcnrhdMTL3qz8QewgjwcoonuQqySa6Ut0kKWsYoeGQcbj27N4O_xDm7d2Z1dSnMASX7n5CMXmvWY-cuoF168B1HE6DPvRBlvVlicLrw-ct8gsJK6xJaaRZ6_kb7lsKI3aeGlzDAJdbeg_6h1gxFPtprpeYphVdMGe9YT8skKzSroLrrK4/s1680/MV5BYWQ4ZDk3MzctOWZmNC00ZTk5LTkwMjAtZDFkYjRiYjNjYmRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMwMzEyMTQ4._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="1260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UKo24zxcbpWcnrhdMTL3qz8QewgjwcoonuQqySa6Ut0kKWsYoeGQcbj27N4O_xDm7d2Z1dSnMASX7n5CMXmvWY-cuoF168B1HE6DPvRBlvVlicLrw-ct8gsJK6xJaaRZ6_kb7lsKI3aeGlzDAJdbeg_6h1gxFPtprpeYphVdMGe9YT8skKzSroLrrK4/w150-h200/MV5BYWQ4ZDk3MzctOWZmNC00ZTk5LTkwMjAtZDFkYjRiYjNjYmRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMwMzEyMTQ4._V1_.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><b>Bytost (Slovakia) [Only Human]</b></div><div>Pornstar Philip and pianist Christoph are in love, but they are from completely different worlds. A collision of their professional lives leads to tension and questioning the nature of their relationship. While Christoph persuades Philip to change his career, he feels trapped in the vicious circle of the industry. Are porn and romance disparate? An interesting subject indeed but I wish the treatment was little different. It fails to make the impact, that a subject like this should.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0TX2wybxr7pKXfMz_6sNRVaK4bnzHGU4uS6ZwioDPhGTUt0Fn8eZkz5cSPuZ8wpyycMLlBLmiFPQrTUu1mPQVLJN8C00cMM64R5QOCQxqWgRLEZV5yZw94wQqgcSTB8RpqjWqncFlW49qt3u8b-rxxk7Lq-0EuUpujO8-L0hf_xmhEwJWwflqXVC8vc/s1499/MV5BOWNlNWQwYWQtZTQ0Yi00NmM5LTk5ZDMtYjc2NTY4NWQ3N2Y1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODA0MjgyNzM@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0TX2wybxr7pKXfMz_6sNRVaK4bnzHGU4uS6ZwioDPhGTUt0Fn8eZkz5cSPuZ8wpyycMLlBLmiFPQrTUu1mPQVLJN8C00cMM64R5QOCQxqWgRLEZV5yZw94wQqgcSTB8RpqjWqncFlW49qt3u8b-rxxk7Lq-0EuUpujO8-L0hf_xmhEwJWwflqXVC8vc/w133-h200/MV5BOWNlNWQwYWQtZTQ0Yi00NmM5LTk5ZDMtYjc2NTY4NWQ3N2Y1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODA0MjgyNzM@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>The Pass (USA)</b></div><div>On holiday, Ben declines an offer from a handsome man, Sam, to go to a private beach, The Pass. There, Ben meets Christopher who grows aggressive as he struggles to mask his desires for Ben, leaving him afraid to get out of the water. The film is disturbing and ambiguous with probably trying to delve into some complex relationship shit but overall was strictly ok.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIc5dE9osZn3_pULP2pakHAwt9J6mVWnnbuMopIPnOslI0QOD9UciqmuI3OPCKBDTIghULVD8ByWWx-smXGOcoPFfLj2HSNq1Kgf80MMUu4GjOj-ofFReve-JRe_RJ-Rhl4Fz8oD5Xp2QLAmyaR1nJ-AizeiYvIkKdhiBfcATC43ce8b1QqwoBI8GZpOc/s1008/Screenshot%202024-03-06%20at%209.18.33%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="830" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIc5dE9osZn3_pULP2pakHAwt9J6mVWnnbuMopIPnOslI0QOD9UciqmuI3OPCKBDTIghULVD8ByWWx-smXGOcoPFfLj2HSNq1Kgf80MMUu4GjOj-ofFReve-JRe_RJ-Rhl4Fz8oD5Xp2QLAmyaR1nJ-AizeiYvIkKdhiBfcATC43ce8b1QqwoBI8GZpOc/w164-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-06%20at%209.18.33%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="164" /></a></div><b>Estranghero (Philippines)</b></div><div>A farmer finds a young man badly wounded and he nurses him to health. Turns outthat the guy was wounded in the same attacks where the farmer's wife was killed. Trauma and sadness brings these two strangers closer, hatred turns to lust to eventually love. A soft porn ish kinda film where you keep wondering why was it made and leaves a bit confused. Good thing is we get to see a couple penis shots.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKZNNiPqkxVDi8cuJfNQUbqel94rjtNh1osLUmUue5uxxueBPnYrFF1tx1eUKfXw1laT7w51UY_XJd83BXF_vq0GjWu2QJ57PaUW-MARy8yFLYRlC4bQsmNGX-AQrnD_110X_wHgF8Alkur7KAwIT_kGJvMO9HzCDUGk3IsrrQKgHuG626inDuP_04uk/s1176/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.14.57%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="850" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKZNNiPqkxVDi8cuJfNQUbqel94rjtNh1osLUmUue5uxxueBPnYrFF1tx1eUKfXw1laT7w51UY_XJd83BXF_vq0GjWu2QJ57PaUW-MARy8yFLYRlC4bQsmNGX-AQrnD_110X_wHgF8Alkur7KAwIT_kGJvMO9HzCDUGk3IsrrQKgHuG626inDuP_04uk/w144-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.14.57%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="144" /></a></div><b>Don't Be a DICK! (Germany)</b></div><div>Short animation about the representation of the male body image in adult websites, and how racism defines the ideal body image in the western culture. The film inveighs complicated ideas about racism, history and colonialism. This is NOT a gay short film, but anything with dicks in it, gets an honorary invite in the gay world.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8c-iaVVyxNkW0OyhBbE6vJvfAECMv5LzwW7TUfFXKg6ew8hyphenhyphenb85qRNXCLjUbf-wlVBW00_0-4WMo_QSdDugkot9tJ8yuxUG4PXEJFPEKfbezblnTTUIycrBpdzmuNBRWyY4sNt3dlcgVVu59vEGCWIADLf7IwNdRmUmTztI7Q4NAX96RUkSxpx4RsAT8/s1170/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.23.40%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="848" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8c-iaVVyxNkW0OyhBbE6vJvfAECMv5LzwW7TUfFXKg6ew8hyphenhyphenb85qRNXCLjUbf-wlVBW00_0-4WMo_QSdDugkot9tJ8yuxUG4PXEJFPEKfbezblnTTUIycrBpdzmuNBRWyY4sNt3dlcgVVu59vEGCWIADLf7IwNdRmUmTztI7Q4NAX96RUkSxpx4RsAT8/w145-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.23.40%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="145" /></a></div><b>Lui (Brazil)</b></div><div>Lui likes playing with the routine, with sex, with the gender. As a circus teacher, he is discovering the beauties of a light and fun love, but he gets disappointed when realizes that, deeply, the person he loves cannot understand that he is simply a free person to live and love the way he wants. This was confusing tbh.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjH4cKTHWhsko-3Oy8it7BnjKb1Zv0jySWgWi1E5T2QQ0FWH_YoROVvycj5d_j9gILZyhzKztwKrGTH9h-Gd154W-_cY7SDHxadZeC3re_SPzXVI8FH1tVCdK8yg1B3HZTJCgqPmI50H7NBPJVMeqXLO7L_4s06vmDtH7JZqE6wPeGb-uG38ReVDpfeE/s1168/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.28.49%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="850" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjH4cKTHWhsko-3Oy8it7BnjKb1Zv0jySWgWi1E5T2QQ0FWH_YoROVvycj5d_j9gILZyhzKztwKrGTH9h-Gd154W-_cY7SDHxadZeC3re_SPzXVI8FH1tVCdK8yg1B3HZTJCgqPmI50H7NBPJVMeqXLO7L_4s06vmDtH7JZqE6wPeGb-uG38ReVDpfeE/w146-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.28.49%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="146" /></a></div><b>Best Wishes (Australia)</b></div><div>Two young queer Chinese men who have feelings for each other connect over the phone just as one of them is preparing to be married to a woman. This was a really short film of less than 5 minutes. Not very impressive IMO.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcQwBe03mkqQ6CHewRy4xaJk9tsZP56vBZ4fBcXnfQEtAzo6sg_nsXdiUrxE3Jh2BsQ4hyphenhyphenGXnR_3kDN_EAEBzjsIQTdgfdJWhDa3HGWqHdqVxMaVNLO-uVypbG4RJHZyNlcoqZNUiW4-cOfCHTiz92l4yeLF00nB8ZDpSWSH2ykfJtRfXQTfICOWksJU/s1170/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.36.16%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="790" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcQwBe03mkqQ6CHewRy4xaJk9tsZP56vBZ4fBcXnfQEtAzo6sg_nsXdiUrxE3Jh2BsQ4hyphenhyphenGXnR_3kDN_EAEBzjsIQTdgfdJWhDa3HGWqHdqVxMaVNLO-uVypbG4RJHZyNlcoqZNUiW4-cOfCHTiz92l4yeLF00nB8ZDpSWSH2ykfJtRfXQTfICOWksJU/w135-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.36.16%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="135" /></a></div><b>Photo Op (USA)</b></div><div>A lonely Brooklyn photographer gets the courage to come out from behind his camera to capture his crush, but there is more to the picture than meets the eye. This short came back in 2015 and I am not sure somehow I missed it. A simple story, a powerful twist. And a sort of realism with real cold breath.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrC0UpqmEx13yYFSaPikYTgrbiOtmYJPs2AWj7B9rwmSjlAgMi7T3nNa0waNzT_DxGgbagyukgU_ITAK0NOhrn4MLa7tCio2aP8CtQYPPfxgKw4a_AMiwobgNBh_6ZdLPaFp2HUHWbjT7FR4qY9J3u0AdEE0fwipL7E6TV2RDF7ZvoXd_vT5ka3VeV-Y/s1200/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.53.17%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="806" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrC0UpqmEx13yYFSaPikYTgrbiOtmYJPs2AWj7B9rwmSjlAgMi7T3nNa0waNzT_DxGgbagyukgU_ITAK0NOhrn4MLa7tCio2aP8CtQYPPfxgKw4a_AMiwobgNBh_6ZdLPaFp2HUHWbjT7FR4qY9J3u0AdEE0fwipL7E6TV2RDF7ZvoXd_vT5ka3VeV-Y/w134-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-20%20at%209.53.17%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="134" /></a></div><b>El Intercambio (Argentina) [The Exchange]</b></div><div>Mateo and Lucas, best friends, go out to party in a hot summer night, where Mateo meets a girl and takes her home. Next morning he wakes up with his dick stolen by the girl and him now having a vagina. Since Lucas has never done with a girl, he asks Mateo to be his first who agrees. This short film exposes sexuality without fear, without labels, without holding back. A film that shows the beauty of sex, love, friendship, and innocence. This has to be one of the most innovative story ideas in recent times.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoSko0eq4x0p8K5N-ekYm22uGfzNNxS5Sd5Xg0nq32VYTHvxFhldACxPSIA_ftNYvYBHW8XEuLsWLOUV2AZOWn-KJL5ht4nIw7CC8mUAcOItZyj0cfod8a8KYLTibo0_BUKjpC0KgYrWMou19kHeQo-kTCap_kYrdkEN2sZEWQmvZXI9c4zBNcULDZ10/s1179/Fu_Guo_-_Floating_Melon_Poster_International_(dir._Roberto_F._Canuto_&_Xu_Xiaoxi).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoSko0eq4x0p8K5N-ekYm22uGfzNNxS5Sd5Xg0nq32VYTHvxFhldACxPSIA_ftNYvYBHW8XEuLsWLOUV2AZOWn-KJL5ht4nIw7CC8mUAcOItZyj0cfod8a8KYLTibo0_BUKjpC0KgYrWMou19kHeQo-kTCap_kYrdkEN2sZEWQmvZXI9c4zBNcULDZ10/w136-h200/Fu_Guo_-_Floating_Melon_Poster_International_(dir._Roberto_F._Canuto_&_Xu_Xiaoxi).jpg" width="136" /></a></div><b>Floating Melon (China/Spain)</b></div><div>A journey of passion, a bitter night. Xiao Cheng ask for help to resolve a big trouble, the guy with whom he spend the afternoon is dead on his bed from the effect of a drug, not something the Chinese authorities look kindly on. He needs to take a decision that risk his future for the consequences of the strict rules of the society. He is surrounded by the confusion present on some members of the young gay Chinese community, with no moral referents apart from the official doctrine.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvblXki9uEohBtOHjXcFz3OxBvnnM9caduWwhVwM5v7160O8E5acmMq2H9XQp-H5_WYnJTj7dw4_m9VAw0K000KJ3ADVUnyu0XlRzrgv1RjmL0tQ-bSwdv7hZbNTJCGcFGkH7El9aclFYml9EP_9Mox4HKHgVpCpQxbiYpnt0EA0qj711ev1TJcYfnHY/s408/hacia_la_tormenta-574684392-mmed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvblXki9uEohBtOHjXcFz3OxBvnnM9caduWwhVwM5v7160O8E5acmMq2H9XQp-H5_WYnJTj7dw4_m9VAw0K000KJ3ADVUnyu0XlRzrgv1RjmL0tQ-bSwdv7hZbNTJCGcFGkH7El9aclFYml9EP_9Mox4HKHgVpCpQxbiYpnt0EA0qj711ev1TJcYfnHY/w147-h200/hacia_la_tormenta-574684392-mmed.jpg" width="147" /></a></div><b>Into The Storm (Spain)</b></div><div>What appears to be an erotic exchange between two strangers is revealed to have much deeper implications in this thoughtful relationship drama from Spain. Lovers Pol and Lucas are trying to spice things up while on vacation. They laugh, dance and scream together, but it’s the words they’re afraid to say that carry the most weight. A short film resulted from a breakup. This is the album of a relationship that hangs in the balance. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00i5uo2yweRxFN5Vs7PTzJWHjniUreCYZYnRp6rHJxYh_JLJUIVDpJEHm9OMceOXg1fvEiQTeStxqlVt5xAY6OSxcIxICmwQcZvgq0Lw9Ewdt-JtI333DUahwbolvmWZpQCdcx0go5ALzqAc2-1Sw1XiDG6Iu7VC8vxeOyiGL8JOXIIZFHaabhxLCKnk/s1188/Screenshot%202024-03-23%20at%2011.59.47%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="844" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00i5uo2yweRxFN5Vs7PTzJWHjniUreCYZYnRp6rHJxYh_JLJUIVDpJEHm9OMceOXg1fvEiQTeStxqlVt5xAY6OSxcIxICmwQcZvgq0Lw9Ewdt-JtI333DUahwbolvmWZpQCdcx0go5ALzqAc2-1Sw1XiDG6Iu7VC8vxeOyiGL8JOXIIZFHaabhxLCKnk/w142-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-23%20at%2011.59.47%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="142" /></a></div><b>The Carer (UK)</b></div><div>Ari, a sophisticated and urbane gay man, moves into a Care Home after his partner and love of many years dies and encounters Beau, the beautiful, heterosexual, illiterate former thief who is now his Carer. Their unlikely meeting changes the future for both of them.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdq4wFzLJ1xYGqG9B36q6IpqRGUe7HY5ThsVgqWXVt5e76yu0vyAPJLbEvsa3n7TJ1xvwLqDqwHO2OwsRgNdSFKjpwrBlQh87-0JmxuDZUvq-L2Kp_hrlXN_LiAeryQIx45MG14P3KCVJlkWRwUsCHj-hbrshOnGoyZKAW4wTJ_JcHut2nHPwxiUZ9I8/s1182/Screenshot%202024-03-24%20at%209.39.42%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="848" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdq4wFzLJ1xYGqG9B36q6IpqRGUe7HY5ThsVgqWXVt5e76yu0vyAPJLbEvsa3n7TJ1xvwLqDqwHO2OwsRgNdSFKjpwrBlQh87-0JmxuDZUvq-L2Kp_hrlXN_LiAeryQIx45MG14P3KCVJlkWRwUsCHj-hbrshOnGoyZKAW4wTJ_JcHut2nHPwxiUZ9I8/w144-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-24%20at%209.39.42%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="144" /></a></div><b>Ayor (Netherlands)</b></div><div>During the national commemoration of Remembrance Day in 1970, two men try to make a statement against gay discrimination. In the moments before and after the incident, their doubt, fear and firm belief becomes clear.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoDAH0UxTM0xv3vSK3hQYeFIU3TKOw2hCUQt_hYQcWehkQUtJZBAwv7G2oXemeeF3z_oOMrEj65LuISitDTRt2q6bQ9BCFxFB_-7JF21VGrSpFCvmRkZL4M3VobgH6MijabgwyJQpPt8cPuZF66peJGicI9Dip5zxmkYD4fmrNdym75ga_4feV2NuYI8/s1132/Screenshot%202024-03-24%20at%209.45.30%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="944" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtoDAH0UxTM0xv3vSK3hQYeFIU3TKOw2hCUQt_hYQcWehkQUtJZBAwv7G2oXemeeF3z_oOMrEj65LuISitDTRt2q6bQ9BCFxFB_-7JF21VGrSpFCvmRkZL4M3VobgH6MijabgwyJQpPt8cPuZF66peJGicI9Dip5zxmkYD4fmrNdym75ga_4feV2NuYI8/w167-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-24%20at%209.45.30%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="167" /></a></div><b>All The Way (UK)</b></div><div>Rayvenn and Lourenço find themselves in new relationships but will their political differences drive them apart? This is story of two black friends ( a girl and a guy) dealing with their individual relationships made in a 4 part miniseries, using animation and live action.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJPpKPHUEKrxFUKA7KtiOl4uPmlgEcGRVvjK6BXr5Y3biE1p_eKIqAX84FjGXj9AHDN4fj_e27LEfsweshpwdaK5q4FgGe2nY8rS7YRl2hr2U5iRzcQMiGGtvmE6MNVLjcOFnwvxXYgM_3rFPkiXFXPq3FO8JIDZO1XNTypv4tTIIBtqsQS11SVKM4CA/s1180/Screenshot%202024-03-24%20at%209.48.42%E2%80%AFAM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="928" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJPpKPHUEKrxFUKA7KtiOl4uPmlgEcGRVvjK6BXr5Y3biE1p_eKIqAX84FjGXj9AHDN4fj_e27LEfsweshpwdaK5q4FgGe2nY8rS7YRl2hr2U5iRzcQMiGGtvmE6MNVLjcOFnwvxXYgM_3rFPkiXFXPq3FO8JIDZO1XNTypv4tTIIBtqsQS11SVKM4CA/w158-h200/Screenshot%202024-03-24%20at%209.48.42%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="158" /></a></div><b>Gay Camp (USA)</b></div><div>In a world where most of the population is gay, children who exhibit "straight' tendencies are sent to camps in order to convert them back to a natural homosexual lifestyle. Camp Sohomo will convert your child in record time. An interesting funny sattire.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA8W4CgwwzsGxH_-KdJAWtR8lGi_47q9jwQ-jWlGj9Lgms6S1F4PyZkC3Sg9ZyNEnQN5MHHIqgwFuTm4fsjPYfCp63skBPXJSEDA4Rp6rwGDl3M0vkeENipa7TJTGLMxcNUl2XgvhTzf9Bo1PUB2i4z-sJM9xLL0C5kR8HVOrkVB0hdMHHLWmFhMYTVo/s1240/Rq05z_4f.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA8W4CgwwzsGxH_-KdJAWtR8lGi_47q9jwQ-jWlGj9Lgms6S1F4PyZkC3Sg9ZyNEnQN5MHHIqgwFuTm4fsjPYfCp63skBPXJSEDA4Rp6rwGDl3M0vkeENipa7TJTGLMxcNUl2XgvhTzf9Bo1PUB2i4z-sJM9xLL0C5kR8HVOrkVB0hdMHHLWmFhMYTVo/w145-h200/Rq05z_4f.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><b>My Friendship 2 - Before the Rainbow (Thailand)</b></div><div>This 2 part 45 min series is actually a prequel to the previous show. This show sus the story of how Jack and Bank came to be together. Shown in two parts, we see how the duo are just friends while Bank likes a girl but Jack likes Bank. Slowly, the curiosity gets better of them and they start fooling around leading to full on sex a semester later. But eventually they need to go their own paths. Essentially story of teenagers discovering their sexual identity. </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-35289764213762049292024-03-27T09:19:00.001-04:002024-03-27T09:19:00.242-04:00LCV - Lütfen Cevap Veriniz (Turkish) [RSVP - Please Respond]<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLq0h3Ig8E1BIoSxCilalILbBBKdVpQgHr8d_Ean4xdyzfIlQQgUClo9UZ_6hHkwWGIEYA7SiGjsJ7MypOj2idJoTiEBgmKY4oOXflzcEPH7Z3Mh9iQEN7URNAhqJ3qYPLk5USdCnthmT2z_9Jeux3gf_AfG2vXUwQT0f5aoGe2XWOGi7d49IzSLBPDE/s1600/304802701_156544200324740_8442460168746105594_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1142" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLq0h3Ig8E1BIoSxCilalILbBBKdVpQgHr8d_Ean4xdyzfIlQQgUClo9UZ_6hHkwWGIEYA7SiGjsJ7MypOj2idJoTiEBgmKY4oOXflzcEPH7Z3Mh9iQEN7URNAhqJ3qYPLk5USdCnthmT2z_9Jeux3gf_AfG2vXUwQT0f5aoGe2XWOGi7d49IzSLBPDE/s320/304802701_156544200324740_8442460168746105594_n.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>This script was likely written as a play and pretty much plays out like that. A film with just 3 characters in a large room just talking. Sounds boring, isn't it? But trust me it is not. It is such a wordplay. With each of these conversations layers and layers of deceit, truths, lies, friendships, love, relationships all come out. The title LCV is like RSVP in English, which is an interesting title for sure for such a film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Semih (a pilot) and Ceren (flight attendant) are about to get married. Semi and his best man Mert are spending time getting ready whenever Ceren also walks in saying she needs a break form her family. With the three of them together, Mert, begins questioning if the couple is really ready for this marriage. He pokes and makes them question fifths is too soon or are they marrying under family pressure. A weird seed gets planted but Mert doesn't stop here. He then asks each of them if they have ever cheated. Of course, both say no, but slowly the players are peeled one after the other. Turns out Semih and Mert have been lovers for 7 years and for Semih this is more of a cover up, who is getting married to Ceren but will continue to be with Mert. Ceren is no saint either. Turns out she has cheated as well a couple of times. Mert continues to push their buttons literally forcing them to not get married so he can be with Semih, but they are both super confused and even with so much drama, they feel obligated to get married and maybe get divorced later. Things get thrown in a spanner, when two of the biggest secrets are revealed. First is that Ceren is pregnant and second is that she has known about Mert and Semih for a while and has just pretended ignorance. This and more secrets threaten this wild rode of a film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh my god!! What a film man. I had no idea what turn the film and the conversation would take and this was just brilliant. I did have an inkling that maybe the friends are gay couple and somehow this will come out but the way Mert approaches one question at a time, asking and forcing the marrying couple to think through is so interesting. They literally do not know each other. But more importantly it raises questions around all of our moralities. There is a scene where Mert says to Ceren that she is ok with Her fiancee cheating on with a man but would not have been with a girl. Because with a man makes it a Semih problem, but with a girl would a Ceren's problem. Stuff like this and ideas around masculinity are also discussed. I was so pleasantly surprised by peeling of layers like an onion. Just when you think, they have discussed a topic through, Mert keeps throwing spanner after spanner. This film is brilliantly directed and acted and the screenplay, direction everything is top notch. It is very easy to get bored with only 3 characters in a room kind of a film, but the proceedings keep you engaged throughout. The three actors are all brilliant. They all go through their motions of dealing with various emotions. For me, Mert stand out. He feels he is the person who is being wronged in all this and his love is being taken away, but is he really so innocent that he chose till the very last moment to bring this issue up? Semih, of course is a closet gay man. He asks for Ceren's forgiveness when it comes out he is gay but is furious when he hears about Ceren's infidelity. So as an audience, you question where his morality lies. And then we have Ceren, the girl who we feel is wronged in this whole thing, but she is no saint either. She has known the truth all along and has still decided to pursue. The film is an excellent example of how complicated we as human beings are and when it comes to judging others and ourselves we use totally different parameters. Great engaging film with good looking actors who can really act. With a runtime of just under 70 minutes, this was really worth the time. <b>(7.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-78441653189810275322024-03-26T14:10:00.001-04:002024-03-26T14:10:00.130-04:00Dead Friend Forever - DFF (Thai Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4f1FfcIH2v_sC3HSdFFDEwOHvDQEeL-Uz1IPFFWSzCV1F-i3GIEzZ5jHUm8_yHNxC9WWIGUon8xrfYhCyuWNhPpYa1XbAUJRqMDTcKuOE94Hrwj7Mq9R4806-Eli3XCK2D4cdy3C4muG1Hg4NffToP43OUBCyCYxk1ETpravlaz6xI786lPEurg75fg/s1125/Xdey3x_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4f1FfcIH2v_sC3HSdFFDEwOHvDQEeL-Uz1IPFFWSzCV1F-i3GIEzZ5jHUm8_yHNxC9WWIGUon8xrfYhCyuWNhPpYa1XbAUJRqMDTcKuOE94Hrwj7Mq9R4806-Eli3XCK2D4cdy3C4muG1Hg4NffToP43OUBCyCYxk1ETpravlaz6xI786lPEurg75fg/s320/Xdey3x_4f.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>Horror in one genre that I have tried my best to stay away from. It's just not my thing. So, when I came across this Thai BL horror series, my expectations were very low. I expected either one of those old trashy campy gay horror American films from 90s or just very dramatic show. To my extreme surprise, the script if this series is a huge winner. Will talk about this more later, but this show offers a captivating horror story with constant thrills. There's never a dull moment and how everything comes together is really nicely done full of twists, suspense, shock and drama. There are 12 episodes of average 50 minutes each so this one is quite a dedication.</div><div><br /></div><div>8 friends decide to go to a cabin in the woods for farewell o one of their friend Jin who is going abroad for further studies. We slowly find out that 5 of these friends have been friends for a long time while 3 of the others joined them almost in the end of high school, one of them being Phee. Phee and Jin hooked up but Phee wanted to be only friends and hence Jin keeps avoiding him. For fun they decide to reshoot a horror film that they had shot 5-6 years ago as a school project, between they do that, eerie events begin to take place, including ghosts, murders, attacks etc. The 5 friends thing they are under curse by Non, one of their other friends who is missing, but no-one wants to talk about it. The remaining three claim to have no idea who Non is and try to find out what really happened to him and why the rest refuse to reveal any details. Murders, unexplained attacks and horror continues for a few more episodes, until around episode 4 or 5 when we start getting the back stories of each of these. 8 characters and who Non was. The shy kid Non who was always bullied was the actual script writer of the short horror film. Slowly layer by layer we see how each of these friends in some way or the other do wrong with Non. In fact, there is even a teacher who doesn't spare Non. Almost 5-6 episodes are dedicated to back story of how bad and how much worse it got for Non. Back in present time, Phee tells Jin the truth about who he really is and why these murders and unexplained events are happening. I am not going to ruin the suspense here, but I have to say the twists and shocks and the reasons were quite well put together.</div><div><br /></div><div>The show begins like a typical horror , mystery show with gore, blood and some unexplained events and I wasn't sure if the show will manage to hold my attention, but the show actually picks up when it goes into flashbacks and you start seeing the layers of everyone's secrets, scandals, suspicions and hidden truths. And this continues for a while, and there is a reason because almost everyone of them, including Jin who loved Non, did wrong by him. You realize how these 8 friends are not the innocent victims as we originally think. They are all devious plans, distinct motives, personal hidden agendas and how poor Non gets wrapped up in all this. In most shows they would show character like Non being wronged once or twice, but here the bad deeds continue for a while and at some level I feel that was necessary to eventually make a reasonable case for what and why these killings eventually happen. The interesting twist by episode 9-10 on who these 3 new students are, how they planned to avenge Non etc was a master stroke. I was not expecting that. There is plenty of skin and sex as you would expect in B grade horror cult films. The relationship moments come in rapid succession. Each impactful scene ushers a tidal wave of seduction, sensuality, and turbulent emotions. It avoids typical BL lovey-dovey moments and goes straight on raunchy sex.</div><div><br /></div><div>As actors everyone gets a good opportunity here. Instead of only focusing on the leads, the screen time is spread evenly among the cast helping them get into spotlight. Unfortunately not everyone really fits the mould. They all somehow look school kids and the maturity needed to carry out the events that they do felt missing. Definitely Non was the star, whose downward spiral is the centre pit of the story. He clearly stands out and then is the guy Jn, who is just a good eye candy. Phee's character stands out too and then we see who really Tan is. All of these unfolding keeps you hooked. The provocative finale challenges viewers to examine questions about morality. Which characters deserved to live or die? Did everyone receive proportionate punishments for their crimes? We will have to ask ourself. As a show, this definitely surpassed my expectation. The screenplay, story writer, and director have clearly tried to give it all. As much as I am not a fan of horror, and hence lower rating from me, but if you like the genre, this is a very good, novel and brave attempt to mix this with BL, the definitely will hold your attention. Yes, its impact would have been higher if this was crisply edited, but despite all this, still watchable. Don't go with my rating here, but watch it. <b>(6/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-67699879234403600532024-03-25T10:42:00.001-04:002024-03-25T10:42:00.131-04:00Little America: Episode 8 'The Son'<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxg1PGzBlf9zhzE3fpjG9qhcAuQNEETXiamyp9smgxuTWEbWMV_r-uY-otyyM_i7epRAECWgYeEgwrHKLn0tMch_Bs732liPrQ_N-cxUX_wzpe5-4anL-f0DnBPUp2kb23iTwRZ6i2k1azkdE4dPmUpY7dG98j2LN5tD7PCXvNPC4jeR5CVYLf9IzCTg/s1200/little_america_the_son-659420821-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="811" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxg1PGzBlf9zhzE3fpjG9qhcAuQNEETXiamyp9smgxuTWEbWMV_r-uY-otyyM_i7epRAECWgYeEgwrHKLn0tMch_Bs732liPrQ_N-cxUX_wzpe5-4anL-f0DnBPUp2kb23iTwRZ6i2k1azkdE4dPmUpY7dG98j2LN5tD7PCXvNPC4jeR5CVYLf9IzCTg/s320/little_america_the_son-659420821-large.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>An Apple TV original series inspired by the true stories, the show goes beyond the headlines to look at the funny, romantic, heartfelt, inspiring, surprising stories of immigrants in America, more relevant now than ever. I am here reviewing only episode 8 from the season 1, called "The Son", the story of a Syrian gay man's journey of seeking asylum weaves a brutal story of homophobia.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a small town in Syria, Rafiq is having dinner with his family when he gets a text from a male lover. The father suspects something and he finds his son and the other guy kissing after they hook up. The father burns his arm in the name of protectional Rafiq moves to Damascus, where he is now working in a restaurant. There he meets Zain, a local effeminate gay man, who tells him that he’s filled out his asylum papers and will be moving to America soon. Although afraid to be seen with him, Rafiq finally finds a friend who understands him for who he is. But all along Rafiq's brothe has been looking for him. One morning Rafiq goes to the restaurant only to find that Zain has been badly beaten and that the restaurant is completely destroyed. Given he is not safe, Zain asks him to move to Jordan immediately and to straight to UN and apply for asylum and just wait. Months pass, Zain is now in US while Rafiq is still waiting for his asylum approval. After months of waiting, his asylum request is approved. He finally makes it to Zain’s quaint house and the two embrace before heading out together to a gay bar. As he looks on in wonder, he sees people embracing their sexuality openly – something he’s never seen before. At the end we are told that Rafiq met the love of his life in the same bar and that they are married now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most of us are very aware of the fact that even today, homosexuality is considered a big sin and many families to go to any extent to not be shamed because of this in many parts of Africa, middle eat and Asia. So, it is not surprising to see what Rafiq goes through in Syria. But this specific episode is about hope and comfort. In his very hard and treacherous journey, Rafiq learns the true value of friendship and solidarity, while indulging in some much-needed freedom of his sexuality. Actor playing Rafiq has been seen in many shows and films before and the short 35 minute episode captures the essence very well. The actor playing Zain is the star of the show. Unapologetically and fabulously gay, who claims if he could hide this flamboyance, he would. Zain's initial attempts at breaking through Rafiq's walls make the latter call him trouble, but Rafiq eventually comes around and decides to give the friendship a chance. And that the best thing to have happened to Rafiq. It’s incredible the empathy Rafiq shows for his family despite the harsh treatment that he can still send them a letter letting them know that he is okay. It’s a harsh world out there and this episode perfectly captures how much the Western World takes for granted sometimes without feeling overly preachy or pretentious.<b> (7.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-63938108690720024422024-03-24T12:10:00.002-04:002024-03-25T11:14:41.755-04:00Diving Into Love (Filipino Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSguysib2Dj8cTkNwbq0K7u1wfQP9xQqsIVIKLm6uGTNoZ6-5plp5Q2Ib9I5xw-hiYLRlUNwT-_vX46UkxXt6CU9eXNyhyphenhyphenbmPdH4DmTJcH3jk3RXsqLBaz_lXrJTUbki8Ws3sHl4QMrW4DjVLzIivy_zMnaWopWgfdcCBkvtcdK4RNOlhKbTvYBIu9dU/s960/4AnxJ_4f-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSguysib2Dj8cTkNwbq0K7u1wfQP9xQqsIVIKLm6uGTNoZ6-5plp5Q2Ib9I5xw-hiYLRlUNwT-_vX46UkxXt6CU9eXNyhyphenhyphenbmPdH4DmTJcH3jk3RXsqLBaz_lXrJTUbki8Ws3sHl4QMrW4DjVLzIivy_zMnaWopWgfdcCBkvtcdK4RNOlhKbTvYBIu9dU/s320/4AnxJ_4f-2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>One more of those Filipino series that were probably made right when the BL content is Asian countries was starting to pickup big time during the covid crisis. It is an extremely basic and simple story with a very confused ending that didn't make any sense at all. Anyway, there are totally 8 episodes of about 13-15 minutes each.</div><div><br /></div><div>Andrei has just broken up with his girlfriend is taking a trip an island. In the journey he meets Sam, who turns out also just broke up with his boyfriend. Surprisingly his ex-boyfriend also shows up at the island annoying Sam very much especially since he cheated on Sam multiple times and there is no way Sam will take him back. Sam and Andrei get rooms next to each other and strike a friendship. Turns out Andrei's girlfriend was trans and he considers himself bisexual but is not ready to come out. They both start hanging out as friends and at some point feelings start to develop. One night Sam confesses his love to Andrei but he is still confused about himself despite clearly having strong feelings for Sam, but he snubs him and the vacation is over. Flash forward one year later, Sam has flashbacks about how it was the wrong time then and he concludes by saying it's the right time now and the visuals are Sam & Andrei getting married. And it just ends. WTF!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Not that the series was any great shakes in the first place, but the ending just completely ruined it. To be fair, there were a handful of things that the show does well. Sam and Andrei both talk about gender identity, their sexuality and pronouns. After annoying Sam, his ex and he eventually get to talk it out like mature adults so that they can both move on. And of course the beach setting was nice. But besides that, there is nothing much to talk about. The story is simple, the pacing is slow an this love with a stranger on a holiday setting could have easily been shown in a 20 minute short film. Also there is not much explanation on why would Andrei not reciprocate feelings for Sam when he clearly loves him and he himself confesses that. The two guys are strictly ok in terms of both looks and acting chops. If you have already seen this one, fine, otherwise feel free to skip it. I mean, its not horrible but it gives you absolutely nothing new or anything at all for you to remember even just 10 minutes after you are done watching it. <b>(2/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-6706346843322339642024-03-23T10:15:00.001-04:002024-03-23T10:15:17.996-04:00Anything's Possible<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRXTMmFElwzdpI6y_XBcwa4HqmFRYeUFBS094Rhaz5KBjmF3e2I_WLF6ldkvgAp3-iiYbQOwnV78x_zNlx9y4_j1D-5ovc6WVKtnC2djQx2Mjbwx2Dg-MGmr_9_F_ttt1yIDz5rzGC9tpK06ptIwVVYq4F_dh9b_sjIYSKPepRTfqjB5DRRoxudgoNFI/s1180/Screenshot%202024-03-23%20at%2010.14.27%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRXTMmFElwzdpI6y_XBcwa4HqmFRYeUFBS094Rhaz5KBjmF3e2I_WLF6ldkvgAp3-iiYbQOwnV78x_zNlx9y4_j1D-5ovc6WVKtnC2djQx2Mjbwx2Dg-MGmr_9_F_ttt1yIDz5rzGC9tpK06ptIwVVYq4F_dh9b_sjIYSKPepRTfqjB5DRRoxudgoNFI/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-23%20at%2010.14.27%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="220" /></a></div>Portraying marginalized identities can be a tricky business for celluloid. You wanna make sure you do a fine balance on just representing / identifying them, but instead you wanna show the faces and their stories that starts normalizing things. This is what this simple rom-com tries to do. The story is primarily of a black trans teen, who wants to thrive in her senior year of high school rather than just survive, while also navigating potential love with a person who wants to be with her and not because she is trans and that would be woke. I had no idea until after I finished watching this film, that it has been directed by the now famous Pose actor Billy Porter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kelsa is trans teen who along with her two other girlfriends are ready to go back to school after summer. Kella wants to soon finish school and move to a bug city like New York. As a trans teen, she is also trying to find balance between unihibited expressions (like loud clothing) while also expecting to be treated like normal teenager and nothing different just because she is trans. Enter Khal, a nice and shy muslim boy from an Egyptian family. They dup meet in an art class and there is a connection. Kelsa knows that one of her friends like him so she stays away but Khal make a move and proposes her to be his girlfriend. They duo fall in love, falling hard for each other while being a little shy and awkward in each other's presence. BBUt you can expect drama when Khal's friend and the girl who liked Khal get together and lodge a complain against Kelsa. So of course there is a bot of drama, even within the relationship when Kelsa keeps saying that she doesn't need anyone's help and can handle everything on her own. Of course, eventually everyone talks it out, misunderstandings are cleared and Kelsa and Khal take upon themselves to be who they are - a young couple very much in love.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kelsa is cool and confident and shares her innermost feelings through YouTube vlogs. On the other hand, Khal is quiet, mild-mannered, and anonymously gives relationship advice on Reddit. He is very cute meets shy boy and the actor plays the role really really well. He even leaves friendship with his best friend since kids because he is bigoted and transphobic. As actor, the film definitely is all around Kelsa and she take the opportunity and come out in flying colors. Throughout the narrative, Kelsa is hesitant to express her feelings and wary of letting anyone love into her heart, but Khal manages to break that. She often says she wants to be loved and accepted for being who she is, but is also always questioning everyone's motives which makes it difficult for people around her. With Khal she find the love and pleasures of experiencing teenage love. Despite a healthy dose of standard teenage romantic troubles and friendship drama, I feel like this film could have been a lot more. I wish there was a little more of adult time. I mean, I do understand that the film primarily wants to be a teen rom-com but the positivity that is shown for both Khal's parents and Elsa's single mother could have used a little more of that in the film.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film does just bring an authentic display of trans identity for a teenage, but it also somehow gets lost in making it a normal rom-com (which could have as well been the intention, and nothing wrong with it, because we want it to be normal). But I just expected little more. <b>(5.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-39339022801512189912024-03-22T11:22:00.000-04:002024-03-22T11:21:59.998-04:00Drifter (German/English)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2e4qp8prM4zMv8rQJw-baA0DNXz2r37E4aiyEU-k6MyGum-g1GOjSgN8Uk1g-DTU1MJEhvIBfE6vkYj6BjRqL1pr8RV_NmsQ5lFomSwYU4sS_H1WfSMVPxKr8ozcJnxGdHup_ED0iDiMVebjApevzjWs2DLKbLxsqGaAzvmgk8CoyM5egOacRJY0RAo/s1198/Screenshot%202024-03-22%20at%2011.21.35%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="860" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2e4qp8prM4zMv8rQJw-baA0DNXz2r37E4aiyEU-k6MyGum-g1GOjSgN8Uk1g-DTU1MJEhvIBfE6vkYj6BjRqL1pr8RV_NmsQ5lFomSwYU4sS_H1WfSMVPxKr8ozcJnxGdHup_ED0iDiMVebjApevzjWs2DLKbLxsqGaAzvmgk8CoyM5egOacRJY0RAo/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-22%20at%2011.21.35%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="230" /></a></div>In very simple words, this film is about a young gay man's journey of self-discovery through Berlin’s progressive LGBTQ+ community. You could say that there I snot much happening in the film, but actually, there isa lot going on. You see how circumstances and people around him change him and how a young man is learning to break free of cultural expectations and fully embrace his true self, with very fluid ideas of gender and sexuality.</div><div><br /></div><div>Drifter is the story of a 22-year-old boy named Moritz who moves to Berlin to be with his boyfriend Jonas. But his life and future soon change when Jonas, who wasn’t hugely committed to their relationship, breaks up with him. But this also happens when we are given a hint that as a person Jonas is more outgoing, clubs and party kinda guy where Moritz prefers comforts of home, a more heteronormative life style. So now shunned as a person with no place to live, and feeling lost, directionless, and alone, Moritz finds himself drawn into the lifestyle he had previously shunned and, in the process, tests the boundaries of his own personal limits. We see him meet different people at different points and how every small thing is changing him as a person. These include, a straight couple, an older gay man who also is not ready to settle, a gender fluid friend, a failed opportunity at BDSm, and more and more drugs. But one thing thats happening in front of you is you see a once shy Moritz coming out of his shell. In an endearing end, Jonas comes back into the picture, meets a now very changed Moritz and asks him out again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Drifter carefully selects the moments we get to see, focusing first of all on a young man who’s trying to belong to a community that is not only incredibly diverse, but also scarred by trauma in many different ways. The people are confident, freethinking and modern; which is all very different from what Moritz is used to. But with all these people he meets over time and gets to learn a thing or two from each of them and grow. The film comes alive in its quieter moments, where glances are enough to convey what’s left unsaid and our protagonist simply exists, in a community in flux, searching for his own identity in the midst of it all. The actor playing Moritz is really good. The thing I like about the film was that it never gets too loud or over the top. In addition to Moritz, each and every single one of the people he meets are multifaceted, complex characters, coping with their own burdens and expressing themselves in their own way. In their presence Moritz is never alone but he still feels lonely, but he also inevitably does find himself in the end, in his own quiet but assured way. This film is a poignant watch that depicts dynamics you’ll probably recognize and relate with. Despite not having a clear beginning or ending, we see a snapshot of the life of a young man who is vulnerable even while he is growing as person defying preconceived notions of masculinity. This is the kind of film that will likely grow on you in second viewing. As I wrote this review, I suddenly feel lot more appreciative of what I just saw. <b>(7/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-24544739759523837432024-03-20T18:03:00.001-04:002024-03-20T18:03:00.131-04:007 Days Before Valentine (Thai Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEo5CnAt7EPuIrPsZAmTY3ev-uwiNcRJ24N2aJaCJQ7ZGBQPazlJ0sWLErIL0cy8qMF4F_dZaTpfLR0fMtLeurCOmGCtoPmx-k74UHyHKHQXayDH9necSUtvizS9ZW2vJ-__BaxBYYAjW36hkHfGB1bmWn_L-WLNMr9Of1lk1HVfEVukZYYUVQBs0e2c/s1125/QJ5OZg_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEo5CnAt7EPuIrPsZAmTY3ev-uwiNcRJ24N2aJaCJQ7ZGBQPazlJ0sWLErIL0cy8qMF4F_dZaTpfLR0fMtLeurCOmGCtoPmx-k74UHyHKHQXayDH9necSUtvizS9ZW2vJ-__BaxBYYAjW36hkHfGB1bmWn_L-WLNMr9Of1lk1HVfEVukZYYUVQBs0e2c/s320/QJ5OZg_4f.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>This Thai fantasy series about supernatural powers is not something I would classify in the BL genre. Sure it has elements of it since our protagonist is trying to win back over his ex-boyfriend, but when you go into the details, the story doesn't focus on romance at all. Instead it focuses on morality and moral dilemmas and philosophical messages encourage viewers to think about how we lead our lives. So the fact that this was not strictly a BL already reduced my excitement for the show. And then secondly it takes 12 episodes of 45 minutes each to come to the point. The slow narrative gets tedious after a point with too long and heavy dialogues and excessive angst.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is simple, straight forward yet weird. Sunshine is an actor who has got his first major role. The shoot takes a break of 7 days before making the big announcement of the project n valentines day. And this is the day it happens his boyfriend Rain decides to breakup within saying it is not working between them. Demoralized, he comes back to his apartment drunk, where a mysterious man Q is waiting for him. Introducing himself as the cupid reaper, he gives Sun a wish that for next seven days, every day he can eliminate anyone's existence from the universe. All Sun has to do is think and ask. He gets excited and the first day as expected he asks for Rain's current boyfriend to be gone so he can win him back. But he realizes that Rain has another boyfriend now. Rain's new lover disappearance didn't change the fact that he broke up with Sunshine. The politician disappearance changed the policy against gays. The ex-lover disappearance made Rain forget Sunshine. Then, Rain 's best friend disappearance made Rain kill himself. All those actions made Sunshine question himself about who he is, still not accepting the fact that Rain disappeared because of his choices and blaming Q. HE then wishes himself to disappear since he seems to be the problem, but this is when everyone comes back. He realized that he was, in fact, in love with the only person who understood him and helped him : Q. Unfortunately, to make the world as it was, he wished for Q to disappear.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite an interesting premise, the narrative is so tedious and lethargic, I lost my interest very early on. Q and Sunshine talk and talk and talk and there is very little focus on actual action. Yes, this is more philosophically focused drama and in a normal setting, it would have even worked. But when I sit-down to watch BL shows I expect romance and drama, and this one gave me zero feeling at all about watching a BL at all. Sun gets on my nerves with his pettiness, recklessness, and cluelessness. His decisions to erase certain people seem irresponsible, but he acts shocked and outraged by the repercussions. Sun and Q's bond eventually grows but by then it's already too late. Personally, when I lost the interest in the show early on, I wasn't even ready to give it a chance since I ha made up my mind. In my opinion, this show will only appeal to a very niche audience who wants to talk and debate morality and philosophy and have nothing to do with eating to see cute boys romance and kiss. The show is about looking back into yourself when bad things happen into your life and how to move on without blaming anyone and such things are never easy to look back at. For me, this show was a big bore. <b>(2/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-15806407209706550232024-03-19T16:50:00.004-04:002024-03-19T16:50:28.748-04:00Young Royals: Season 3 (Swedish Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0ZWMBakQyLN1Xoy7sVycdr2QylPWqM1ie11tQzGUHg-IZNypzQSi8W-AxgCFkxKeUWwrxXVyv_YQkhQIdRCk_A-B-O0s8HyfCgljQsAQRbJ3v5Rzi1-vsSi-ssJM5-HyOHm0Us0oXbXC1tz5lGzNskBruZshZAe420hrVbW92B42cZZWKuMLTTdmT2s/s1382/418972037_681655344164786_928778841671021653_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0ZWMBakQyLN1Xoy7sVycdr2QylPWqM1ie11tQzGUHg-IZNypzQSi8W-AxgCFkxKeUWwrxXVyv_YQkhQIdRCk_A-B-O0s8HyfCgljQsAQRbJ3v5Rzi1-vsSi-ssJM5-HyOHm0Us0oXbXC1tz5lGzNskBruZshZAe420hrVbW92B42cZZWKuMLTTdmT2s/s320/418972037_681655344164786_928778841671021653_n.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>Almost everyone's favorite show, the third and final season of Young Royals just finished with a bittersweet farewell, packed full of emotion, scandal, and unexpected twists. Although there are many painful goodbyes, it’s a refreshing change for a queer show to conclude on its own terms—no sudden cancellation or rushed conclusion. I think the edn was predictable but the show uses enough twists, sweet and tense moments and a finale which is both emotional , tense yet very much justified. Like previous season, this time also we had 6 epodes and I could not wait to see where Wille and Simon are headed in their relationship.</div><div><br /></div><div>The private school has to now deal with aftermath of Crown prince's speech the end of season two where he comes out as gay. Simon and Wille still have to reel with the aftermath of their leaked video. While we get moments of joy and fun between the two leads, there’s still drama or tension. Homophobia is rife as Simon contends with online abuse as journalists snoop for a scoop on the young couple. Wilhelm is encouraged by Simon to use his platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ issues as Wilhelm struggles with whether being a royal is something he wants at all. It’s also made clear by the end of the season’s fifth episode that the differences between Wilhelm and Simon, who comes from a more working-class background, could ultimately get in the way of their relationship, which even leads to a temporary breakup. At the center of it all we also have Sara, who was the reason the news of August's involvement comes out and then we have August, who is dealing with his own issues, doing everything that he can possibly, but as someone whom crown prince will never forgive. Tensions arise when there are threats that can lead to school closure thereby jeopardizing the graduation os third year students (August's class). There are a lot of parallel stories going on but they all get nicely ted up together in a very warming finale. </div><div><br /></div><div>The show also deals with some interesting topics of the importance of monarchy in today's society and what it means. We have seen that Wilhelm was never interested in being the king but was forced to become crown prince after Erik's death. The queen still has not come out of grief, and in one of the most important sequences of this season, Wille finally lashes out all of his inner anger and frustration towards his parents. All this happens while Simon is trying to figure out how to be there for Wille in all this while not losing his whole identity. The two actors give nuanced and moving performances as two teens in love yet constantly being pulled apart. The chemistry is apparent every time they share the screen and is charming to watch. You can relate to them both and it's hard to side with one's ideas over the other's. They are both right from the perspective of the world they come from. And then we have August, who I started to like as a character from the last season. The actor, who is smashingly handsome, gives a touching portrayal of a teen constrained by the toxic culture around him, at home and school, but who longs to be better and for something else, an option presented to him in the form of Sara.</div><div><br /></div><div>The show released 5 episodes together with the finale episode releasing a week later and I thought that was a brilliant strategy. Even when there is the hint of break-up; the series finale episode just beautifully brings it all together. The duo can't stop loving each other. The onus is on Wilhelm now who is struggling between his heart and his head. Of course, it ends with him choosing his heart—and though it was predictable, his denouncement of his royal title and commitment to being with Simon is still a rousing moment. With Wilhelm chasing after Simon and the pair kissing through tears of happiness, the Young Royals grants these characters a royally good goodbye. I will have the most beautiful memories of this show and will cherish them beautifully. The realism of this show, the teenage love, confusion, friendship, responsibilities etc are so well done and shown, it is almost perfect. <b>(9/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-7802237349675142962024-03-18T12:04:00.002-04:002024-03-18T12:04:48.042-04:00Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwanese Sereis)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXSpjbTHYW5f2_07EHBaMvVEbijGigSXuZfDf8Y3nkWsvhCqmz19tEBU8kIlFSFW-MY4I63MBwwJQvVt2mo3KFqHQtz2HMMf_6qam_6IMStcxR7FBt1VnKhVcnaVk85CcaHZBGYjptwHyvzsqnrAPT5xMDeBfWuPa2CvQX-sZC0v8ATQj0Na8p78TPcU/s1365/RBePrr_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXSpjbTHYW5f2_07EHBaMvVEbijGigSXuZfDf8Y3nkWsvhCqmz19tEBU8kIlFSFW-MY4I63MBwwJQvVt2mo3KFqHQtz2HMMf_6qam_6IMStcxR7FBt1VnKhVcnaVk85CcaHZBGYjptwHyvzsqnrAPT5xMDeBfWuPa2CvQX-sZC0v8ATQj0Na8p78TPcU/s320/RBePrr_4f.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>This series started off really well, especially given the sizzling chemistry that the leads have and the situations that lead to their first meeting and eventual spending time together. Things go on fine till episode 8, but oh man!! what a nosedive after that. The show completes different route from there on and it feels like I was watching another show altogether. The focus suddenly shifted on many other things and it felt that the main couple was sidelined only to be brought back in the last episode. I am not sure what happened there. Anyway, with 13 episodes of about 24 minutes each, at least it goes by fast.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bai Zong Yi, a 17 year old exemplary student has dreams of becoming a doctor and he works hard for it. One day he finds an injured stranger Rui, who literally forces himself on Bai to help him out and nurse him by getting bai's fingerprints in the knife. Bai's medical knowledge helps Rui's recovery and somehow he starts falling for Bai (or maybe just flirting, we don't know). Bai and Rui grew close after living together for a while. Despite Bai's grumpiness, he treats his tenant with kindness. Rui also brings a lot of cheekiness and playfulness to the relationship. Over time, their interactions become increasingly affectionate. A heartfelt connection genuinely forms. Now Rui actually comes with a gangster background. We see that he had got injured because of an internal fight and now he needs to go underground to find who is smuggling drugs into the school. In a random twist, he shows up in Bai's school as a teacher to find this out. Bai has no idea what Rui really does in life. But one day they both are walking and are attacked. This is when Bai finds out the truth about Rui. Rui's boss (or father or grandfather, I was so confused) gives Bai an option to walk away from Rui's life, take blame for one the murder or something random like that and in return they will support the heart surgery and full recovery of Bai's father. He agrees. Few years later, suddenly we are told Rui has lost memory (or is at least pretending), Bai has shorter memory loss. Bai has given up on medicine and has now opened a bakery shop making only strawberry cakes that Rui loved. Eventually dramatically everything falls in place and Bai and Rui are back together. In between all this, there is parallel story of a young gang member of Rui's gang who gets almost 40% of th show's time footage and this weird thing of way too many male couples.</div><div><br /></div><div>The whole gang aspect and what's really going was so damn confusing. I tried my best to understand but eventually gave up. Also there are lot of easy routes that this show takes and gives us situations which are likely not possible. Showing up in school a a teacher and a student, sudden gang fights, clumsy time transitions, bizarre love stories; the list continues. The narrative doesn't flow smoothly, omitting crucial details or failing to offer clear explanations. And as I mentioned, the later episodes disintegrate into senseless chaos and bewildering melodrama and made me wonder if this was the same show which I was enjoying watching till an hour back. The gangster aspect goes into al kinds of different directions with various characters introduced at multiple times and somehow still not adding value at all. We see these gang leaders with their right-hand man, and somehow all of them have some sort of gay love story going on. It just did not make any sense. On a brighter side, the way chemistry between Rui and Bai works and grows in first 5-6 episodes is done well (minus the whole gang angle). They are both hunky looking with great physique which they display in numerous shirtless scenes. The camera loves highlighting their bulging biceps, broad shoulders, sculpted pecs, and washboard abs. The guy playing Rui is absolutely hot. This is true of the secondary couple as well although, even after the shows end I am not very sure why they behave so abusively towards each other. Also the sudden twist of one the school members being theban person leading to Rui's attempted murder.. WTF!!! The show keeps getting weirder.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like some of the Thai dramas , this BL series tries to merge crime genre into a BL love story but somehow muddles it all. If you focus on just the growth of love story between the leads in the first half, it is nice and heartwarming. However, I can't excuse the outrageously nonsensical plot, which hinders most of my enjoyment. In each episode, I'm baffled by the story's absurdity. So , by the time the show ends, you are left bewildered and disappointed overall. <b>(4.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-39971129287338927522024-03-17T11:29:00.001-04:002024-03-17T11:29:32.006-04:00Ossan's Love Returns (Japanese Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGp_Uw_lXRnQqVNP3YCbdZj-_rV1O7OmCUD702LRKEbfjWsoD2i7Rv0eeTN31d7LbX08mn4D_58pqyMcjpXF-2FhJVnbHFW-gnIosOyXT9bWVOfSwrOmgDPaHbOD8v5zGNLwTGFpPm5stEGyjC3Lh4SpnOpShaE1vC0bQZUvSxMka_69MfhyphenhyphenmoHN14Xw/s1199/0w061Y_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGp_Uw_lXRnQqVNP3YCbdZj-_rV1O7OmCUD702LRKEbfjWsoD2i7Rv0eeTN31d7LbX08mn4D_58pqyMcjpXF-2FhJVnbHFW-gnIosOyXT9bWVOfSwrOmgDPaHbOD8v5zGNLwTGFpPm5stEGyjC3Lh4SpnOpShaE1vC0bQZUvSxMka_69MfhyphenhyphenmoHN14Xw/s320/0w061Y_4f.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>And we are back in the world of Haruta and Maki. I was so excited when I saw the first episode came out. This was definitely a show that I have enjoyed watching multiple spin offs , not just within Japan but also the Thai version. Although I guess since they came in quick successions, somewhere the novelty had worn off. I am glad that this well deserved sequel came after a gap, where people like me had started to miss the characters. And man this show doesn't disappoint.. In fact, I will say that the show has grown with the characters and in many surpasses the original. This 9 episode show of 45 minutes each was so much fun to watch.</div><div><br /></div><div>Haurta and Maki have now been married for sometime and Maki is returning from his stint in Singapore. The couple will finally get to love together and experience each other's company. But with increased work pressure, how do they maintain. Enter the chief (remember him, the guy who was and still is madly in love with Haruta). Chief now runs a cleaning, cooking service , almost like a one man army. Maki is not sure to hire him but they eventually give it a try and of course it helps them immensely. Maki now works in head office while Haruta is still in his old one. He gets a new trainee under him who ends up living as his neighbor. There is something suspicious about him and we soon find out that this guy used to have a lover who looked exactly like Haruta, when he was in secret services. While all this is going on, we also see a couple of episodes of Haruta and Maki dealing with each other's parents and making them part pf their life and becoming part of their life. We have almost everyone from the original season reprising their role and in their own way becoming a part of life Maki and Haruta and completing it. We have the new station chief, who used to have a crush on Maki an dhow is he dealing with his single life. We have chief's ex wife who is now married to the younger guy and their life. We have the bartender / restaurant owner who still experiments with his cooking feeding his friends and more. Haruta and Maki bring tenderness in their fun ways. As husbands, they have dealt with and overcome so many problems, thanks to pure love and faith towards each other. Towards the end, there is another hilarious episode(s of chief getting health scare, how he makes everyone emotional and how it is all false. The show is just so unique in presenting us with such comical situations.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we have talked before, the humor style of the show is unique and different. For people like me who have seen something like this before, it is awesome. For others, it will take time. The over the top, showing your feelings through expressions and loud humour just somehow works for this show and Haruta and the chief are clearly the two main experts of this genre. Each episode is a true work of craftsmanship with its chaotic plot and, to top it all off, a satisfying ending. Every time I think that the entire cast, both technical and artistic, cannot surpass the last episode, they do it effortlessly in the next one, reaching greater heights. There are so many things happening here. We are focussed on Maki and Haruta and their love and so many people around them but somehow you also feel that proper attention is paid to almost every character. The importance of friends and relationship is something that is a lot more emphasized in this season. I love how many genres they mixed in together, without it ever seemingly like too much. They covered every possible theme they could, from loss, to acceptance, spanning every kind of relationship and bond, narrating stories of confusion, happiness, satisfaction, anger and so much more. Each episode is chock full of thought and tear provoking quotes and at the end of the nine episodes, you come out feeling like a part of the family. The characters are so much more lovable, the conflicts as silly or as serious they are get resolved fairly quickly, respecting that all the characters are adults who can, more or less, communicate and solve their issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>My one issue with the show is that between Maki and Haruta, their relationship feels more platonic and companion. There is no hint of sexual compatibility or closeness, which I have noticed in other Japanese shows too. Maybe this has to do with censor restrictions, but despite that I still appreciate how they grow as a couple. Watching Haruta and Maki figure out their lives together, what it means for them to be married, how to balance their personalities, talking to each other’s parents, where they set boundaries, what they want from a family together…it all felt very heartwarming and domestic. Even the chief's relationship with Haruta and Maki develops in a much healthier way, still being competitive to Maki, which is even addressed directly here. The last two episodes of the show were near perfect. How all the characters are brought together, respect each other for who and what they are the emphasis on this made-family over boron with family. I guess this is a goodbye to the series for good. But oh man, what a show. This is the perfect dose that can bring smile and contentment to one's face. Highly recommend. <b>(9/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-89879064389144507772024-03-16T09:03:00.001-04:002024-03-16T09:03:15.966-04:00Swallowed<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d0oIplF202yf-v5MT0qZblym97k11HakJdB-hHmYdaV7AKeI7KHwXeA_7SzvuXpQzK2lD_rNH4HvODjOWc_d4zsQat_yVG8eLAVpAwBjd-ks-hmog-llRTymJvjrGwj7ZQs9XAV9urfxFmBXY_uzz5xlXDqhSK5_G6GjZVKND3UV-Lx6wOy9JOVW2eU/s1170/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%209.02.42%E2%80%AFAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="834" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6d0oIplF202yf-v5MT0qZblym97k11HakJdB-hHmYdaV7AKeI7KHwXeA_7SzvuXpQzK2lD_rNH4HvODjOWc_d4zsQat_yVG8eLAVpAwBjd-ks-hmog-llRTymJvjrGwj7ZQs9XAV9urfxFmBXY_uzz5xlXDqhSK5_G6GjZVKND3UV-Lx6wOy9JOVW2eU/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%209.02.42%E2%80%AFAM.png" width="228" /></a></div>Swallowed, a very low-budget sci-fi/body horror with an out-and-proud gay angle, although I would still not call it a film that belongs in the LGBTQ+ genre. The film starts well with potential but somehow just goes downward hill. On a bright note, the lead actor is gorgeous, but sadly that can only take one's interest so far.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is Ben's last night in town. He is moving to LA to become a gay porn star. On his last night, he parties with his closest friend, Dom, a straight guy who loves Ben in a profoundly platonic way. But Dom is also bit of a mess. He wants to send off Ben with some cash, so due to poor judgement from Dom, they both find themselves involved in smuggling of some dodgy looking parcels (that they are made to swallow) across the border. Turns out that the little slug-like thingies the boys swallow are not conventional drugs but living bugs that have aphrodisiac properties if harvested correctly, but which cause grave harm if they hatch while inside the couriers’ bodies. They find this out the hard way when they have an altercation with a gay bashing redneck who just hits Dom in stomach making one of the packets burst in his stomach. The du call for help to their supplier who forced them to do this and she takes them to her boss Rich's house, an older creepy man who will help but maybe after Ben gives him a taste of him. But the night turns out a fight for survival. Dom is in agony in pain with a hard dick and is being almost posted by Ben on force to get remaining packets out. Creepy Rich has eyes on Ben and when Alice tries to help them, they get shot. Now it's upto the simple yet hot Ben to save the night and get his friend out.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned before, IMO the film doesn't strictly fall in the gay genre, but the makers very smartly add queer fantasies at every step. While Dom is straight, he also deeply loves Ben, who is secretly smitten with him. Both men get naked, but not in a sexual way. Not in a sexual way, but Ben can't help when Dom has a raging erection because of the worms, or even later when he has to pull things out of Dom's ass. The mandatory creepy older guy leering over Ben's hot body completes that cycle. The film is less horror , more thriller but this is genre that personally I am not a fan of. Ben and Dom have an amazing chemistry as friends and you a feel the sexual tension, but you also see how Ben needs to think quickly to save them out of this tricky situation. Sadly, the plot has plenty loose ends and how I wish the makers maybe reworked the script a few times. Characters continually do things that don't quite make sense, while the setting itself raises questions that go unanswered. Those expecting a more straightforward horror movie with gnarly body horror will likely come away disappointed. The film eventually becomes one of those campy gory thrillers, who have 'wannabe' written all over them. <b>(3.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-46115231907682705152024-03-15T12:08:00.001-04:002024-03-15T12:08:00.120-04:00Abu: Father (Documentary)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD_-UvQKKSd5g9A-_yzrOg5auLGwEy8KRrCZvarmzdaZ2kB7jsdUQBC3p2vR_b9tetrlory7A5_zswyeps7jLMkKsPaHUZ31NW0VR39lwCeDMxyQv1C5D3Ho8rTSxbQOHgBPT9mVuEl7jimo0nmHdydNwBrpcLyqaxAu8_HLRLnD4-LPsNZhBMA0vhqA/s1204/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%208.09.11%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="812" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiD_-UvQKKSd5g9A-_yzrOg5auLGwEy8KRrCZvarmzdaZ2kB7jsdUQBC3p2vR_b9tetrlory7A5_zswyeps7jLMkKsPaHUZ31NW0VR39lwCeDMxyQv1C5D3Ho8rTSxbQOHgBPT9mVuEl7jimo0nmHdydNwBrpcLyqaxAu8_HLRLnD4-LPsNZhBMA0vhqA/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%208.09.11%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="216" /></a></div>Abu (father) is an autobiographical film about a gay son’s relationship with his devout Muslim father. Arshad Khan, the filmmaker and subject, examines how his father ABU went from an open-minded man to a devout Muslim and breaks down the reasons for such a radical change in personality. Issues of psychological, sexual and physical abuse, and the pangs of rebirth through migration and through coming out, are laid bare using over 30 years of archival family footage that give a glimpse into an extraordinarily well documented family.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story of the Khans begins around the time of Partition. Arshad Khan’s father, orphaned, comes to the newly formed Pakistan with his siblings. Under the care of relatives, he gets educated, enrolls in the Pakistan Army, gets married and has a brood of children. He is among the few in his social circle to own a video camera, and he records picnics, home parties and festival celebrations. And many of the footage from these home videos is used. We are told how Arshad was sexually abused as a child, leading to anger and self-loathing. As Arshad grows older, he begins to understand that he is gay. He finds love as a teenage which lasts too short. Meanwhile, his father resigns from the Army and launches a string of businesses, some of which work and some of which don’t. The family emigrates to Canada in 1991, but their problems only seem to be beginning. Arshad Khan’s father struggles to make a living, while Arshad Khan battles homophobia and racism, conceals his sexuality from his parents and branches out in the opposite direction in terms of his career. But this cant be kept hidden. Slowly he comes out to his siblings and friends and eventually his parents also find out. But by this time, both his father and mother have gone to the deep end of religion. The story ends with Arshad finding a loving partner and with the death of his father having filled his wish of religious pilgrimage and taking his last breath in his home country of Pakistan.</div><div><br /></div><div>This documentary is like a meditation on his troubled relationship with his father, given Khan’s identity as a politically active gay Muslim and his father’s turn to an increasingly conservative relationship with Islam. Through the usage of many home videos, interviews with his mother and sister, many hindi film songs and though Arshad's own narration we are deeply involved in this family. It was interesting that the film maker doesn't hesitate to show how his mother still to date doesn't approve of his sexuality. There are times when the home videos – usually of birthday parties – feel a bit repetitive, and Khan’s narration is a tad too deliberate. But these are quibbles in an otherwise well-made documentary that manages to charm you. It does get dark at various places but tries to humour you at places. The film’s straightforward confessional style won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. In 80-minutes, Abu compresses the arc of a man’s entire life’s story — the love, conflict, and final absolution — and lays it bare for the world to see. The story’s details may be specific to the Khan family but Abu’s themes will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to fit in — and hopefully, even those who haven’t. <b>(6.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-67952273762624362032024-03-14T13:20:00.002-04:002024-03-14T13:20:00.136-04:00The Revival<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8FgTvTl2lb_BUFhvVt5nBQCa9avC_L3fveTyzpvgK7e8NNvyF8rEV5XRuBP_553s4Xse5ZzzS782YI5MTLb7lJ7Z-BLJrU7yUrMJa6G_RbY1OxM8l8N49tXhufgu_HLtUQoSRQNJVuU11wbu21aQBTWVqwhzjC-s0GyIZOmJDsNtiveMrI_Cim1-KcM/s1180/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%205.21.12%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8FgTvTl2lb_BUFhvVt5nBQCa9avC_L3fveTyzpvgK7e8NNvyF8rEV5XRuBP_553s4Xse5ZzzS782YI5MTLb7lJ7Z-BLJrU7yUrMJa6G_RbY1OxM8l8N49tXhufgu_HLtUQoSRQNJVuU11wbu21aQBTWVqwhzjC-s0GyIZOmJDsNtiveMrI_Cim1-KcM/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%205.21.12%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="220" /></a></div>We have seen a few films that looks at a person's inner turmoil when it comes to balancing religion with homosexuality. Some all these films have christianity as the religion. I cant remember many other films where a similar theme has been tackled. So in that sense this film is not breaking any ground. But in its own subtle way, it tries to tell a story at the excruciating inner tug-of-war between a preacher's homosexuality and his religious devotion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eli, a young educated preacher has recently returned to his hometown with his pregnant wife to take over services at his late father’s struggling church, where he delivers cerebral sermons intended to “bring progressive thinking” to tradition-bound parishioners. Since he needs to compete with more modern churches, at the insistence of a pushy alcoholic man, Eli agrees to host a revival to help boost attendance and fill the coffers. One day in church, he meets a homeless drifter Daniel. He is dirty and looks homeless but you a still appreciate his chiseled face and body and can tell he is handsome. The flirting is very obvious between two and you can tell Eli falls hard and fast for him. He provides Daniel shelter in a secluded cabin out of town that he owns. After a couple of meetings, Eli cant hold back anymore and they finally start having a full ons sexual affair. Soon, it becomes hard to carry on and someone takes pic of them together and sends to his wife. He promises that he will give up on this affair. But Daniel will have none it and he shows up at church confessing he is gay. Father Eli pretends to 'heal' him which causes Revival's tickets to sell out. His wife urges the alcoholic man from congregation to beat up Daniel. When Eli finds Daniel unconscious, he burns the cabin down and the film ends with him giving the sermon at Revival.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film is unexpected, bold take on the hypocrisies of Southern Baptist Christianity and the dangers of sexual repression. It is even more relevant being set in a small southern town of US. But having said that, these kind of films used to be lot more desirable back in early 2000s. I feel as a society we have moved on. I could be wrong, but at least in terms of subject, we definitely have. And when you have an ending like this, it is essentially showing sexuality in a bad light IMO.The film is more interested in advancing arguments about the hypocrisy and oppressiveness of religious orthodoxy than in presenting plausibly fleshed-out people and situations. Daniel is a sign of temptation into whom the preacher gives in, but sadly we could have used more moments of them together. The climax feels rushed and we honestly never get to fully see the struggle preacher faces between sexuality and religion. As soon as the wife finds out, he is ready to give it all up; which didn't make much sense to me. As a character, it would have been nice to see more of the inner guilt and also not have the religion win over. I am definitely upset about the way the climax is handled. <b>(5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-56592115292634852532024-03-13T10:13:00.004-04:002024-03-13T10:13:00.240-04:00I Can't Reach You (Japanese Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuZIQI1JkhCVnIMtcdXK22O10UOdfAWxk2fbF6LTnk8m0pv9ODda3spB_G-LGsxlADeBKCu-832KJADjR76SQNMJ1MEoxAGis6gzT1HpAvuVAASMbY5GTcNzuyO2QSZPC52Owu73rsvjwLmlqWUM-anGmD2cvwykEa3fo2y33mAdca0Gg0UuyWYgy4yQ/s900/WP11gO_3f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="900" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPuZIQI1JkhCVnIMtcdXK22O10UOdfAWxk2fbF6LTnk8m0pv9ODda3spB_G-LGsxlADeBKCu-832KJADjR76SQNMJ1MEoxAGis6gzT1HpAvuVAASMbY5GTcNzuyO2QSZPC52Owu73rsvjwLmlqWUM-anGmD2cvwykEa3fo2y33mAdca0Gg0UuyWYgy4yQ/s320/WP11gO_3f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Childhood friendship urning to love can be a fascinating story if done right. The names escape me, but I am sure I have seen many in the past that fall in this category. This show started off really well. Our protagonists and their friendship had some amazing chemistry. Clearly both care and love each other but neither can make up their mind or muster the courage to confess to the other which leads to indecisiveness and erratic mood swings. All the time spent in weird drama could have been instead channeled into romance which is barely there towards the last episode. The show is standard 8 episodes of 20 minutes each, so thankfully it is an easy watch.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is extremely simple and straight forward. Yamato and Kakeru have been childhood friends and are in same class. Yamato is a brilliant student, is a good athlete, is gentle and soft and good looking, so naturally all the girls are after him. But besides Kakeru, he can barely manage to chat with anyone else in the class. Despite their connection, Kakeru has a drastically different personality. From terrible grades to athletic ineptitude, he doesn't share his friend's talents. Yamato often helps mentor his buddy in their school assignments. But Kakeru is extremely outgoing, has many friends. When one of the friends invite the two to a couple's mixer, fir the first time Yamato loses his inhibition, but that is also the time he feels jealous that Kakeru may end up liking some girl. Turns out Yamato has feelings for Kakeru for a while now but he is very hesitant to say anything because that will disrupt their friendship big time. When one girl likes Kakeru, Yamato almost confesses but backs out. Since this incident Kakeru starts wondering if his friend likes him romantically , but he cant ask because again this will jeopardize their friendship. This state of confusion fo both of them last for full 5 episodes when one day Yamato finally kisses Kakeru , who is shocked and doesn't know how to react. Anyway, with the support of Yamato's sister and a very cool and considerate group of friends who try to bring these friends to lovers together, the duo finally realize and accept that their feelings for one another goes beyond the boundaries of friendship.</div><div><br /></div><div>The two guys playing the lead roles here were just perfect. Guy playing Kakeru was too good. He brings a lot of giddiness, enthusiasm, and funny responses. There's a bright spark to this young actor's charisma. He reminded me of the character from Ossan's Love. There is something about Japanese drama's 'awkward' acting that makes the scenes authentic. They have definitely mastered this art. This is how we are in real life, and the way they talked to each other makes you really feel like you are watching the blossoming of love, the coming of age, raw and somewhat unscripted. Yamato on the other hand is definitely good looking but somehow lacks the charm and the 'it' factor. Anyway, the show starts with some amazing and cozy moments of their friendship. You root for them and it warms your heart to see them together. I enjoyed th scenes where they share lunch and the silence with each other. But the facet of neither of them saying what's going in their head for fear of breaking friendship, even though makes sense, goes on for way too long. Each time Yamato appears on the brink of expressing his feelings, he backs off. His perpetual cycle of self-pity and indecision is tedious. I also grew tired of the discourse around his relationship troubles. Other characters encourage him to reveal his secret crush, but he'll mumble some pessimistic excuse. The relationship only really evolves mostly in last two episodes by which it is already little late. On a brighter side I did enjoy the friend who literally would use every opportunity to push the two friends together and make them see that they just love each other so much. I guess the message here is how important is to communicate and why it is really important to express your feelings sometimes. Nevertheless, the hidden teen girl inside me still enjoyed the fun short show. <b>(6/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-52342809840316256422024-03-12T10:26:00.001-04:002024-03-12T10:26:00.129-04:00Mary & George (UK Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqnXzF1mMV9F1SeeLmbc7ucD-TSzKelO7imtnqLK3gM0otvec6Dmh3Xss65WdiVE4pmDBFy6NwWyggbhyphenhyphena2kPkY3vHTidD5GkkvOgGUE8lLWfvphUUK21ds_SWB4U7hsU2e34X9wpJPJB5MppT4Q92AQhNQfqQ2FJC5GP8hJ1xfYVR0WmgbcK93alTNE/s1500/MV5BYzk1Y2FiZDgtMTVlMC00MDYzLWJjMDAtMzFkNmEyMjE2ODM2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqnXzF1mMV9F1SeeLmbc7ucD-TSzKelO7imtnqLK3gM0otvec6Dmh3Xss65WdiVE4pmDBFy6NwWyggbhyphenhyphena2kPkY3vHTidD5GkkvOgGUE8lLWfvphUUK21ds_SWB4U7hsU2e34X9wpJPJB5MppT4Q92AQhNQfqQ2FJC5GP8hJ1xfYVR0WmgbcK93alTNE/s320/MV5BYzk1Y2FiZDgtMTVlMC00MDYzLWJjMDAtMzFkNmEyMjE2ODM2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>When the synopsis of a show reads "The Countess of Buckingham who molded her son to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover, through intrigue, becoming richer, more titled and influential than England has ever seen", anyone who enjoys historical drama and bring in the gay angle; this is gold! So I was totally sold on watching the show as soon as I could. This mini series is 7 episodes approximately 50 minutes each. Sky’s new miniseries Mary & George takes on the flamboyant and outrageous reign of King James I and his ‘favorite’ the Duke of Buckingham. The result is a funny, debaucherously and riveting tale, bolstered by a fantastically catty Julianne Moore.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is about Mary and her family. After the death of her husband, the family is in financial stress and Mary decides to take matters in her hand. She sends her meagre, feeble son George off to France to learn how to become a gentleman. Meanwhile, she attempts to cling to financial security by marrying a rich widowed suitor. . As George garners the confidence to seduce and conquer, Mary sets her sights on him seducing King James I, and to rise the family up the royal ranks. King James was famous to have lot of male lovers, of which one was always prominent. We see episodes focusing n how eventually George manages to get attention of the king, how multiples cat and mouse games and political plotting is done, primarily by Mary, to up herself and her family in ranks. All this while, George has to try to get the kings attention away from his very manipulative and smart current lover onto himself and him becoming the One. This eventually happens, but Mary's hunger for power and money knows no bounds. She has other unwed boys (one of them mentally unstable) and she would go to any lengths to secure their future. Also, rising tensions from Spain threaten to destroy all that Mary and George have built.</div><div><br /></div><div>First things first, let's talk about the two standout actors from the series. Julian Moore's performance is impeccable. She spits out profanities and ultimatums in a clipped, crisp accent, wearing a series of increasingly to-die-for costumes and never faltering in the face of those above her on the societal ladder. She maintains a sense of fear and vulnerability about her precarious state as a woman without money, and her need to overcome that, meaning Mary never really comes off as a villain despite her many dirty deeds. And her son George, played by Nicholas Galitzine (the star from Red, White and Royal Blues) also fits his role to the T. At the start of the episode, George is cowardly but quickly becomes the confident lord of the manor, who equally delights in his mother’s devious schemes becoming the sexually confident seducer that the series is building him towards. His chemistry with the king is strong, flitting between pure passion and quiet tenderness.</div><div><br /></div><div>The show has a uniquely dark and twisted sense of humour. Right from the first scene, the newborn George is immediately dropped on the head by his nurses. There is sharp wit, violence, seduction, lot of F bombs and also plenty of sex and nudity. The story moves at a brisk pace, although I do feel that many a time when a new episode would start, it felt as if some time has passed and we are expected to assume what happened. Also on a flip side, there are too many characters to keep a track of and as hard as I tried to pay attention to all the plotting by multiple characters, it was really hard to keep up after a certain time and I just gave in to just simply sit and enjoy. There are multiple parallel storylines of King James current lover, George's elder brother and efforts to try to get him married, Marys' lesbian lover relationship with a brothel owner, a priest, king's ministers and many other folks. Who cares if there is any truth to any of this, at least the characters taken are real life. The way the show has been modernly handled will remind you of films like The Favourite or shows like The Great, but the formula works well for this particular story. It might not break new ground, but the results are deliciously entertaining, despite it going off the rails at many points and also if you overlook the convenience with which Mary is able to put everything and even execute it. <b>(6/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-41481679129660625382024-03-11T12:56:00.001-04:002024-03-11T12:56:00.133-04:00Boy Culture: Generation X<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-3GnvVHZLnweYFy4cXLs57HmaqAio12XBk3YocQOVMk8fQ7mmgFvi2biRpnazofQ4I_N2A02Wqc6_dxAmEsScGvjoFGSV2wGXlKpCy4Mlt1gWgc1h1FDEqDMUKj7S1Tq5-diyN7E0TJOEaaufRTsXnlJZ6m82Wb-dYBgkkxvbeb_X1hyphenhyphenNkpAB3ODL0w/s1060/Screenshot%202024-03-10%20at%2012.59.34%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-3GnvVHZLnweYFy4cXLs57HmaqAio12XBk3YocQOVMk8fQ7mmgFvi2biRpnazofQ4I_N2A02Wqc6_dxAmEsScGvjoFGSV2wGXlKpCy4Mlt1gWgc1h1FDEqDMUKj7S1Tq5-diyN7E0TJOEaaufRTsXnlJZ6m82Wb-dYBgkkxvbeb_X1hyphenhyphenNkpAB3ODL0w/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-10%20at%2012.59.34%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="226" /></a></div>The 2006 film ‘Boy Culture’ returns for a TV series sequel, and original stars who played X and Andrew are back to reprising their roles all these years later. I had to go back and remind myself what the film was about (blame it on my age), memories came back and then I was excitedly looking for this sequel. This on-again, off-again couple, now both 40, broken up and tensely sharing a home out of financial necessity go through the changing dynamics of the gay world and especially escorting.</div><div><br /></div><div>X and Andrew are now no longer a couple. So X decided to get back into the escorting business after more than 10 years, but he’s in for a rude awakening. He’s no longer the flavor of the month, and the entire industry has been transformed by changing attitudes, online platforms, gen Z thinks. We meet a young Twink Chayce, who surprisingly became friends with X at one of the tricks house and who takes on upon himself to guide X back into the business. As X keeps his aging body fit, and his unusual roster of kinky clients happy, he’s also dealing with the realities of still living with Andrew, who’s aiming to move on from their former romantic entanglements. The film (combined version of the series, which is what I saw), shows us Chayce guiding X through today's gay world, while also dealing with the realities of still living with Andrew, who’s aiming to move on from their former romantic entanglements.</div><div><br /></div><div>I actually thought the series/film was done surprisingly well. Sure, the central conflict is of an aging escort and how to stay relevant in the business, it's the sass that Chayce brings which is a game changer. His words sound harsh, but they are so true and applicable for today's world. With reservations, X deals with his guidance (also known as pimp), but sees the benefits of it. He guides him through pearls of social media, branding yourself and making an effort. So these scenes are fin to watch. But what is different and nice here is that with every client that X meets, the makers have tried to deal with various themes including race, age-gap issues, safe sex, bisexuality, gay nerds and social media. The actor playing X continues with the character as grumpy, confused, and with frustratingly deadpan looks; which actually works for the character. On e a flip side, the paper-thin arc of his romance with Andrew is just touched upon. I guess the idea was to not focus on it but rather explore what happens when escorts start aging. It may not be the best thing out there, but with its slightly campiness yet honesty, a great character of Chayce and some well meaning socially relevant topics it tries to address, it is still worth giving a shot. <b>(6/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-12700666709473740682024-03-10T10:41:00.001-04:002024-03-10T10:41:00.152-04:008 Años (Spanish) [8 Years]<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtQSI9MXzvSeoSM1WJe5e_9_gFXisGFbjcISae9w2AKwDUU-CBpQaorhSUSPisY9s6ZPAGxFf7fZrmxFqwmf8FkoqEPqQSRyx33Be-6soD_WYy3OYuyizVKd3ggGEYv69dsimvnyEey1m_YdDjpgQnix2HF9N_0aDdphTV5HZ5ote00cgMwmULUCe0mM/s1234/MV5BOWRjNjgwZjEtNDA0NC00OGJkLWIzY2UtYzQwMzIzNDU5NTQ1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTE5MjYyNjU@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtQSI9MXzvSeoSM1WJe5e_9_gFXisGFbjcISae9w2AKwDUU-CBpQaorhSUSPisY9s6ZPAGxFf7fZrmxFqwmf8FkoqEPqQSRyx33Be-6soD_WYy3OYuyizVKd3ggGEYv69dsimvnyEey1m_YdDjpgQnix2HF9N_0aDdphTV5HZ5ote00cgMwmULUCe0mM/s320/MV5BOWRjNjgwZjEtNDA0NC00OGJkLWIzY2UtYzQwMzIzNDU5NTQ1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTE5MjYyNjU@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>Almost always, there is a reason that people in relationships split. Some try to get back together but very few are successful at that, but overnight, as humans, its hard to overcome the differences that must have led to the split in the fist. But maybe both parties don't feel the same and this is different. And this is what probably this film is trying to show. How to overcome your love and move on. Different people react to these situations differently, even though sadly the outcome is gonna be the same eventually.</div><div><br /></div><div>José and David used to be a couple but then split. 8 years after they first met, they decide to spend together in La Palma island where they met, to see if they can give their relationship another shot. Immediately falling into bed together, José and David naïvely believe that they can rekindle what they once had but a wild few days tests their relationship and stirs up past issues. They meet their lesbian couple friends and it's not too late that the cracks start showing up. You can see the José is desperate to get back together while David is trying to take it as it comes. We see their various shenanigans on the island. Things change with entry of Raul, a confident and handsome sexually fluid party boy. A wild night with Raúl including a threesome leads to some poor drug-induced decision making that turns into jealousy and anger. Somehow this is when it goes onto a whole another trip. Anyway it's hard for José to get over jealousy when he sees David kissing another man. After a series of events, it turns out that David had slept earlier with Raul and that he tried but he doesn't love Jose anymore. This is hard to digest for him, but eventually he has to accept the reality.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film has an interesting premise but it does go off the rails at many points. It starts focusing in this interesting chemistry of its lead couple and if the story had kept on track, it would have been an excellent film. But then it goes to this trans club, the drugs, the acid trip and the violence and I wasn't sure what the point that the film is trying to make. I guess they wanted to show how small things are thrones that define whether a couple is truly compatible or not, but I dont know. At one point I was like, can we focus back on the main couple and their dynamic please! While the film does make a valid point, and reaches a conclusion that feels inevitable, I would have loved it to dig much deeper into the central couple’s original relationship. We see none of it. It would have given more context to understand why the two men have so much difficulty rekindling their relationship. Also, the way it is shown, José comes off as a free spirit person, very possessive and clearly someone who wants to stick with David all the time. Personally, I find such people full of drama and I would wanna stay away from such folks who are not even ready to give you a breathing space. In fact, it is like he is in form of paranoia all the time. Sadly, the film just doesn't give any such details that could help us understand the psyche of these two individuals better.</div><div><br /></div><div>On a brighter side, the film is visually stunning. I like the films where the location becomes a character and it literally makes you wanna visit the place asap. La Palma is now added to the list of places I would like to visit in my life. But as a film, it does leave a lot to be desired. Two gorgeous hunky men who are also good actors can only do so much when it's the script that needs some help. Having said that it was refreshing to an attempt to do something different. <b>(5.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-54159391623579974592024-03-09T13:19:00.000-05:002024-03-09T13:19:00.235-05:00Sort Of: Season 3 (Canadian Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H0Jn17_Y8VaueEJlvqECLB8X82AkMXwewZW9uPUti1oL3cen2vkhegbUvw6rAhc0Q-D4sC9kqd-LCuMbHGNxwKjozngReBE4xY3e99O3uDaQ-onSILHcyHXdAng0VCuzwFIWcb1DKhvKEG6Fcy2gUqbdLTqedPQXGQAnebnnrpvcv-Srls0paGxaGuM/s1214/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20at%203.05.04%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H0Jn17_Y8VaueEJlvqECLB8X82AkMXwewZW9uPUti1oL3cen2vkhegbUvw6rAhc0Q-D4sC9kqd-LCuMbHGNxwKjozngReBE4xY3e99O3uDaQ-onSILHcyHXdAng0VCuzwFIWcb1DKhvKEG6Fcy2gUqbdLTqedPQXGQAnebnnrpvcv-Srls0paGxaGuM/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20at%203.05.04%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="215" /></a></div>I just finished watching the third and final season of this dark comedy drama. As I had mentioned in my previous post, thatches kind of situational and sharp comedy may not be everyone's cuppa tea and I know this, because I recommended this to a close friend of mine who cannot sit beyond the first two episodes of the show. But after the first two seasons, which personally I enjoyed quite a bit, I was looking forward to the final chapter. This. Time also the show is 8 episodes of 20-24 minutes each.</div><div><br /></div><div>The season starts with Sabi still reeling with two incidents: their father's death and the kiss with former boss/complicated friend Bessy. As always Sabi mean is good at keeping all of their complicated emotions bottled up and ignoring Bessy and her entire family. Life is people around them also is show in detail. We see how the father's death has changed some family dynamics. Sabi's sister decides to move out and later in the season becomes pregnant, adding more to the drama. Sabi's art club with best friend 7ven is still starting to take shape and they have their own issues. Sabi and Wolf are trying to figure out what their newfound relationship is and where it will take them. While all this is going on, Sabi also finally decides to take the plunge of gender transition and decides to tell no one. When their longtime family doctor questions their timing, they admit that it's just easier to take these steps when the person whose reaction they’d dread most is no longer around. Back to Sabi and Bessy, they try to sort out what happened, but it becomes even more awkward. Sabi's interactions with Bessy's husband, who has always been a good friend of Sabi also becomes interesting because Bessy tells him what happened. Eventually, with everything going around and Sabi going through transition, they take the biggest decision of their life and book a one way ticket ticket to Berlin to see what life has in store for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sort Of has always been a show of uncertainty. Sabi was a nonbinary protagonist who could never quite commit to a decision. And so there’s something quite touching about watching Sabi make this one big decision — and to see how making this decision frees them to start making others. Also, I feel this season gives a good breathing space to all the characters that were introduced and are a part of this show. Sure, it's still primarily about the creator, actor Sabi, but the way screenplay has been written this season; it feels a lot more matured. The way some emotions and situations are handled, I absolutely loved it. Give these sub plots proper time and space to grow, both as story and as people, worked big time for me. Every single actor playing their roles does a fantastic job. I feel the big strength of show is not just the crisp writing, but also the casting person, who has mangled to assemble some perfect actors for their parts. </div><div><br /></div><div>The series has been groundbreaking for its nonbinary representation. Beyond Sabi, many of the show’s supporting characters are also queer. The show beautifully finds the balance between showing a rich tapestry of queer characters, while also allowing each character to be more than their identities and not putting labels on them. By the end, the series leaves Sabi and all of its characters with just the right balance of having some kind of “closure,” and inching into a new chapter of their lives, with all of the uncertainty that comes with it. Only this time, they’re all better equipped to deal with that uncertainty. Isn’t that what personal growth is really about? <b>(7.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-26813746961521188322024-03-08T13:20:00.001-05:002024-03-08T13:20:00.270-05:00Perfect Propose (Japanese Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFFopu0HIH69-E7bEfCU1ruHu7MlccQZ_IJybmEX4F_Bc_DdA-fu3r0U4S7fgDCz15t4vssROPe1xKs-JOFE8lz5ySf3FXrlRl68dajQ5vIHP9t5dBXhyphenhyphen1YNgSHHfAwyy1EVBXaHfbvlqfg643-bIJ6ZlFP4hVQOtOnfBltBZNCmyzPmM_edpvkWXaNE/s1600/Z81n1k_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFFopu0HIH69-E7bEfCU1ruHu7MlccQZ_IJybmEX4F_Bc_DdA-fu3r0U4S7fgDCz15t4vssROPe1xKs-JOFE8lz5ySf3FXrlRl68dajQ5vIHP9t5dBXhyphenhyphen1YNgSHHfAwyy1EVBXaHfbvlqfg643-bIJ6ZlFP4hVQOtOnfBltBZNCmyzPmM_edpvkWXaNE/s320/Z81n1k_4f.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>There’s very little that sets “Perfect Propose” apart from the dime-a-dozen romantic series out there, and the pace of the show is quite flat. Still with only 6 episodes of about 24 minute each, it did manage to hold my attention. Yes, things get repetitive with very little focus on romance and more on one of our protagonists workplace madness; but still I would look forward to the genuine interaction between two friends who are lonely in their own ways and are looking for company but wont admit. My brain says the show is strictly average but I was still able to cherish it. Having said that, I will not remember much of it in a few weeks time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hiro works in an IT company is grossly overworked. His manager continues to give him more and more work Hiro endures all the workplace abuse, lacking the courage and motivation to defend himself. One night suddenly a guy named Kai enters his life. Turns out Hiro and Kai were briefly friends as kids and Kai used to joke that he will marry Hiro. They have not seen each other for 10 years. Kai explains that the restaurant he worked for, his owner has taken ill and he needs a place to stay. Kai brings up their engagement in the past, a memory that Hiro didn't take seriously. Kai also reveals he's gay, shocking Hiro. Hiro lets him stay and in return Kai returns the favor by cooking delicious meals for him, which Hiro had forgotten all about given his over work. Hiro slowly realizes that he enjoys Kai's companionship. Since moving in together, he doesn't feel as depressed anymore. Even though Kai keeps telling him that he will hopefully ignite romance in Hiro. Day pass and Kai still loves Hiro and would like to know if Hiros feelings have changed. Eventually as you would expect, Hiro comes to realize that there is more to life than just work and he also realizes how much he crushes Kai's presence. We finally have a happy ending.</div><div><br /></div><div>Workplace toxicity is areal thing and this series shows a mean boss who is always on his team's case. It was nice to see how the story portrays emotional and psychological struggles of Hiro, illustrating the nuances of occupational burnout. His monotonous life changes with arrival of Kai. But how I wish we knew more about these individuals. Sure, Kai's father died when he was young leading to him being a loner. But why does he think of only Hiro when he doesn't have a place to stay. If he was so much in love within, why didn't he try to connect with him earlier? These questions and more are not explained. But to be honest, I didn't care. It is like Kai enters like a miracle in Hiro's life to make his life better. Although eventually we fid that in their own ways both Hiro and Kai are helping each other out. But since both these boy shave subdued and reserved personality, their romance doesn't develop fast enough (despite Kai offering to keep Hiro a handjob so he can sleep better on the second day itself, which by the way was a nice funny scene). I think the show demands it, but the spark between the leads was missing and as shown , it did feel like an arrangement of convenience. This again is one of those shows that uses food as a common pint to bring two lonely souls together, but how I wish there was more of romance involved this time. Despite its shortcomings, personally the show kept me engaged with its short episodes. <b>(5.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-71815705312640358562024-03-07T13:34:00.005-05:002024-03-07T13:34:00.239-05:00Twins (Thai Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzxzBIG342GVOb71yiHYNmMdQo65oN_vg1bRfpWU_U8e_1UV32LwsxkuZDAsesmLAcd7ssTpyStFbwPMOKEcLJCIvyK1MgDxB2foUl8ehMEgy7QEu4ARyeTUHIk4__r-zBK1xeerWcBHMBaJG37w2FcQmf0jANDZUvb3oXSKlkI5M5ZSeDa73svPPIGI/s1274/2wdQ22_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1274" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzxzBIG342GVOb71yiHYNmMdQo65oN_vg1bRfpWU_U8e_1UV32LwsxkuZDAsesmLAcd7ssTpyStFbwPMOKEcLJCIvyK1MgDxB2foUl8ehMEgy7QEu4ARyeTUHIk4__r-zBK1xeerWcBHMBaJG37w2FcQmf0jANDZUvb3oXSKlkI5M5ZSeDa73svPPIGI/s320/2wdQ22_4f.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>I really tried and hoped that I would like the series. I had heard some favorable reviews of the show and hence was hoping to see something nice. But the show just did not click with me. The premise of twins taking each other's place is something we have seen before (albeit not in BL world), but in this series one person has to take up dual identity which makes the story more interesting. But sadly, the BL content and romance is minimum and occasional scenes of muscular physiques and steamy encounters of other characters can hold your attention only so much. Plus the series is 12 episodes of almost 50-60 minutes each. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sprite and Zee are identical twins, separated at childhood after their parents divorce. Zee is now a star volleyball player while Sprite trains in his university's jujitsu club. Zee doesn't get along with the others. Everyone else hates his arrogance and alienates him from the group. The only friend he has is the girl Salmon, the team's manager. Another star player First holds the biggest grudge against him since he sees him as a rival since childhood. One night Zee is mistaken for Sprite and gets attacked and is hospitalized. Zee's mother is upset and together her, Sprite and Salmon decide that Sprite will pretend to be Zee and continue playing on the volleyball team until Zee's full recovery. As. You can imagine this creates plenty of funny, awkward, suspenseful scenarios. Sprite now has to live a double life and also learn volleyball and get good at it while continuing his own jujitsu love. Salmon helps him get used to his new role. However, the other teammates notice Sprite isn't as mean or arrogant as Zee. They also think his volleyball skills have worsened. For some reason, Sprite (in Zee's avatar) takes a liking for First and their flirting starts while everything else is going on. We also have 3-4 other couples besides these main characters but I could care less about them. When Zee is healthy, he is upset to know what Sprite is doing and asks to go back, but Sprite tells everyone that he likes First and wants to pursue. Zee and Sprite alternate their days, which confuses First because some days he gets a lot of love from Zee and other days he doesn't. Eventually more drama happens, truth comes out in a small group, Sprite apologizes to First and the duo are together. Meanwhile turns out Zee has had a crush on Salmon and they both make another couple.</div><div><br /></div><div>As mentioned before this show has interesting premise that could lead to many comical situations, which we do see. We see how Sprite struggles to maintain double identity playing two different sports and dealing with new friends. But sadly this gets repetitive and somehow failed to captivate my attention. Also there are many side characters, whose love stories, flirtations etc keep coming in between. I know this is now a norm in BL shows but somehow in this show it was even more glaring. On a positive side, all these characters are hunky with amazing bodies and there are plenty scenes with them shirtless. There's a constant display of sweaty torsos, muscular arms, and bare thighs. We also do get a couple of steamy locker room and bedroom sex scenes although they last barely any time. But then the dream keeps getting convoluted and boring. I understand that Sprite wants to continue to pursue First, but there are better ways to do that rather than continuing the charade of deception. Also the sevens which lead to Sprite, as Zee, making his enemy teammates to now friends is also a bit clunky and hard to swallow. </div><div><br /></div><div>The actor playing the lead is really good and does a good job to separate the two characters. This is a good opportunity to display your acting chops. Sadly, First barely has any characterization and comes out as very dull. IN contrast, the girl Salmon has more appeal and charisma and better role and another reason for me to be confused whether it's truly a BL show at heart. Overall, it's hard to overlook the many problems that this series has. If you are looking for a proper BL show, I'd not recommend this since the romance part is very minimal here, but yeah there is enough eye-candy.<b> (3.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-64351110655133351332024-03-06T14:44:00.000-05:002024-03-06T14:44:00.134-05:00Want To See You (Vietnamese Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_36fVXtQwePRoUvpAJAUcCMM2bhv5t7VsTRGfTv8TQ8rAi_M31ABz6z67m8_3hANGNqfFjTTezyv6e-ig-P_sfQZIKdfRYaKJ155Wf-sUEwTEGaP5iVlaqEAoxi3RvcHabLPGOErEWFIRaH-WZmb0F8Rm2l5lXoFnkWQ21f1IxMch8JirPetReDEqIK0/s1629/MV5BMmI5MGZjMWEtNmMxNi00YWM3LTkwMzItOWY3YWM1YjI1MmZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI3MTYyMTkx._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1629" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_36fVXtQwePRoUvpAJAUcCMM2bhv5t7VsTRGfTv8TQ8rAi_M31ABz6z67m8_3hANGNqfFjTTezyv6e-ig-P_sfQZIKdfRYaKJ155Wf-sUEwTEGaP5iVlaqEAoxi3RvcHabLPGOErEWFIRaH-WZmb0F8Rm2l5lXoFnkWQ21f1IxMch8JirPetReDEqIK0/s320/MV5BMmI5MGZjMWEtNmMxNi00YWM3LTkwMzItOWY3YWM1YjI1MmZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI3MTYyMTkx._V1_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Another one of those Vietnamese series which has all kind of toxic traits, stereotypical characters, predictable storyline and you , as an audience keep wondering why was the series made. The plot is outrageous, most side characters are despicable and totally hate-worthy, not that our lead character is any better; and worst of all the editing of the show is so bad that at many places you just keep wondering what and how did that random scene pop in between. Also at 14 episodes of about 20 or more minutes each, this is stretched beyond it needed to.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thach is a wealthy restaurant owner who lost his eyesight in accident. His ex-girlfriend Linh checks up on him and pretends to show concern. However, she only cares about going after his fortune, especially his restaurant chain which Thach vehemently refuses. She then hopes a caretaker Phuc, a university student to take care of him (so far sounds like a recent Thai series that I saw, but trust me, the similarities end here). Phuc has a lousy first impression of his employer, who is sullen, stubborn, and prideful. Thach tends to walk around naked, with attitude and the duo dont get along. Despite their spats, Phuc is good at his job, attending to Thach's needs responsibly. The two slowly start to warm up and out of nowhere Thach starts to flirt with Phuc on all sorts of way. His younger brother comes to live with him and then another girl, who apparently is in love with him but he treats her as a sister. She plays all kinds of weird mind games other than first get Linh out of house and then later forces her love on Thach. But by now, for inexplicable reasons Thach is totally into Phuc. It is never clear if Phuc is also into his employer but somehow after 10 episodes they do end up sleeping together. This is when Thach's mother intervenes and asks both of the guys to go their separate ways, since Thach father is a politician and his son being gay will not go down very well. Thach moves to us. 6 years later, he gets surgery, gets his eye sight back. Now he is looking for Phuch whom he has never seen, but is also right in front of him. Finally, he figure out that Phuc is the same guy whom he fell in love with and despite their previous rocky relationship dynamic, the lovers reunite (now that the mother is no more).</div><div><br /></div><div>A love story with a blind protagonist is a bold, intriguing concept but sadly the show just doesn't utilize the premise properly. When the shows focuses on Thach's newly found life of being unable to see and getting use to his new routine, including his work, hobbies, and romance; the series shows promise. But instead, it decides to focus on trashy subplots. Gold digger ex-girlfriend, a girl plotting all her moves carefully since she is almost obsessed with Thach, despite his younger brother longing for her. By the way, I also cannot figure out when the younger brother can clearly see how manipulative this girl is, he still decides and wants to be with her. This is one of the worst decisions any human can make. Also, not very imaginative slurs are said against gay couples and that was also odd. Thanks to the extremely shoddy editing, each episode is messier as its previous one. Thach and Phuc have decent relationship moments, sharing sassy banter, sweet exchanges, and sexy encounters. The actors also have chemistry and make an attractive couple. The problem is that Thach comes across as a raging asshole. I tried sympathizing with him because of his condition, but this guy is belligerent, condescending, and disrespectful. He doesn't treasure his love interest or treat him as an equal. Phuc deserves somebody better than him. The actor playing Thach, I have seen him now in a lot of shows, but its Phuc whose handsome face, and smile caught my attention. But all this cannot save the fact that there is so much of melodramatic nonsense in the show and it makes no sense. Its like a series was made just for the sake of it and I'm sorry, the is unacceptable in todays time. Despite upscale and good production values, the series just doesn't manage to hold your attention. <b>(4/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-35405367267882010272024-03-05T13:15:00.002-05:002024-03-05T13:15:11.749-05:00After School (Taiwanese)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLT-09JtxbIOMCeYSuCAO3yEczUi3hFyq3ecj19jYwGAsGvHR8vyCIycUXvE_BBaENpDsEiJkMonueOJd2mpDJurduFA4fr9GblMWLVuFp9r1IC35dX8SNG5V2vNM_ADgFOB0WyIqI8HgVV3rK5FqtHgaJvUpV3ZNr3RyCNIBX2YHxMK2uNE2yKmwX4k/s1350/eYgEJY_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLT-09JtxbIOMCeYSuCAO3yEczUi3hFyq3ecj19jYwGAsGvHR8vyCIycUXvE_BBaENpDsEiJkMonueOJd2mpDJurduFA4fr9GblMWLVuFp9r1IC35dX8SNG5V2vNM_ADgFOB0WyIqI8HgVV3rK5FqtHgaJvUpV3ZNr3RyCNIBX2YHxMK2uNE2yKmwX4k/s320/eYgEJY_4f.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Let's start by saying that this is NOT a gay themed film. If anything, this falls more in the category of coming-of-age movie about students and friendship with a very significant focus on the LGBTQ+ aspect of people, life and things and hence it deserves to be reviewed here. It tries to deal with various spectrums, what is love etc and evokes a sense of nostalgia, capturing the whimsical adventures of youth. It may not be trying to say anything new per se, but I think the way the screenplay is set and the interactions between the friends is shown, I found myself quite enjoying the film.</div><div><br /></div><div>The setting is a cram school in 1994 where not so brilliant students are coached to pass the university entrance exams. We meet friends Cheng Heng and Cheng Hsiang, who are just treble makers and do not focus on studies. Cheng Heng wants to study film making but his family is opposed. The friends live together since Change Hsiang comes from a very poor background and Heng's family essentially treats him like their own son. They are also close to the son of the director of the school Ho Shang, who is very shy and occasionally is bullied. Then there isa girl in the mix whom Cheng Heng likes very much. A new substitute teacher arrives in school who is very different from everyone else. He doesn't impose his authority on his students. Instead, he brings refreshingly progressive views to the classroom. He is open about sex education and encourages his students to think liberally. Teacher is also a budding filmmaker. Due to their similar interests, Cheng Heng feels a kinship with him. We witness various shenanigans between all these individuals and this is what makes the core of the film. But doing the course we find out that the teacher is gay and is teaching just to save money to go abroad. While the students hang out with the teacher, slowly Cheng Hsiang comes to realize that he is actually in love with his best friend, who unfortunately doesn't reciprocate his feelings. After a brief misunderstanding, the two talk it out and patch up and decide to be lifelong friends. Cheng Heng finally also proposes to the girl. Meanwhile Ho Sang has been dealing with his secret of wanting to dress like a girl and be one. Through the support of the teacher, how each of these students come of age and be their authentic self. The film starts and ends in current times where they have all grown up, exactly how they wanted to be and they are meeting each other to celebrate their teacher's life who taught them to Love, like you've never been hurt and Live, like today is your last.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is something very positive and reassuring about watching this film. The way it shows and captures the nostalgia of growing up in 90s is funny and adventurous to watch. Many of us relive the moments when the protagonists play pranks, indulge in playful banters, wild shenanigans. It al reminds you how carefree our youth pre internet and social media age was. Friendships were for keeps. The chemistry between Cheng Heng and Cheng Hsiang is so so believable and real. They act goofy and silly but are true friends forever there for each other. From schoolboy banter to rowdy mischief, their easygoing rapport amuses me. I like how comfortable they are with each other,. It feels like this may have been a semi-autobiography for the director, but I am not sure since he sort of gives a tribute to his real life mentor. It does feels like a sincere tribute to his him also focusing and honoring the LGBTQ+ themes that defined the teacher's career. I appreciate the movie's sentimental value and social advocacy. I appreciated how the themes of gay man's love for straight friend was handled maturely (even though I believe that this is not the easiest), and also how the trans themes were explored.</div><div><br /></div><div>For people expecting a gay love story or anything will be disappointed. It's at best a story of bromance between two of its actors but again done really well. We do get to see just one kiss but thats it. The story in itself is nothing new. It feels like an attempt by the director to honor his mentor, which he does a good job of. I am a sucker for positivity and the film does that with sincerity and cheerfulness. If you keep expectations minimum, you may find the film decent enough to give it a go. <b>(6/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-31645882243118878482024-03-04T11:31:00.003-05:002024-03-04T11:31:39.741-05:00Gemmel & Tim (Documentary)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_gC_YqCZzy2L7NmZffyPKw5vwo4pEZYJFFkGfMf5zBWYdB7KonPxWfF3nCbnxgCUWGULoxTPgiL2CwYiuP4MAM6tb3QkTbnBWovAffLZxvfUWifpDuMIcRhh2qMKq_NOeMj7YfLSJztbjfpogLPhIRe2mnzlDocvBSqVPjmU5Ir7AEh0EUj95lBBiMY/s2823/MV5BNmE2Y2U0NDYtYzBhYi00OGU2LWIyZDktOTQ4OWQ1Y2ZjN2ZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODYxNjY5NDA@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2823" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_gC_YqCZzy2L7NmZffyPKw5vwo4pEZYJFFkGfMf5zBWYdB7KonPxWfF3nCbnxgCUWGULoxTPgiL2CwYiuP4MAM6tb3QkTbnBWovAffLZxvfUWifpDuMIcRhh2qMKq_NOeMj7YfLSJztbjfpogLPhIRe2mnzlDocvBSqVPjmU5Ir7AEh0EUj95lBBiMY/s320/MV5BNmE2Y2U0NDYtYzBhYi00OGU2LWIyZDktOTQ4OWQ1Y2ZjN2ZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODYxNjY5NDA@._V1_.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>Gemmel & Tim is a documentary about Gemmel “Juelz” Moore and Timothy “Tim” Dean, two black men who died of methamphetamine overdoses, administered by political and LBGTQ activist Ed Buck in his West Hollywood apartment. First of all, I am almost embarrassed to say that I had no clue of tis case so far till I watched this film. And secondly, it's a shame hen you realize how some marginalized sections of the society have to go through all kinds of hurdles to get justice. This meticulously researched and moving documentary is almost a must watch for folks out there. It is a true crime documentary done really really well.</div><div><br /></div><div>We start the documentary by knowing that Gemmel and Tim does in 2017 and 2019 respectively. They were both young, gay, Black men who lived in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles, and whose paths crossed with a man named Ed Buck. Buck is a well-known donor to the Democratic Party who would invite young Black men to his apartment and give them drugs. Gemmel and Tim went to Buck’s apartment numerous times, and they both died there from lethal drugs overdoses. Gemmel and Tim are basketball players, ballroom enthusiasts, friends, hikers, and more. This documentary ensures that their stories are more than the circumstances of their deaths. Interviews with friends and family members seek to give real personalities to these men, and it succeeds admirably. Journal entries are read, and friends choke up at the memories of these men and what they went through. They were more than just troubled drug addicts. They were men who were cared for by people who fought tirelessly to bring Buck to justice. Even after Gemmel’s death, Buck was allowed to continue his habit of inviting young men of color to his apartment unabated until his September 2019 arrest. In addition to being a cautionary tale about drug abuse, this is also a story of white privilege, racism and homophobia. This documentary is about the tireless efforts pit in by his friends and family and community to get these men the justice they deserved. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ed Buck is currently serving time in federal prison for his crimes, but the documentary rightly doesn't focus on him. Instead it examines what makes Gemmel and Tim such unique humans in the West Hollywood community. Through intimate recollections of their lost friends, each interviewee exposes their own personal journey in dealing with grief and this is what makes this film extremely powerful. Using stunning hand drawn animation, the makers bring life and color to the memories of Gemmel and Tim in a way that celebrates these men and the multitudes they contained. While the filmmakers had access to some actual footage of Gemmel and Tim, the animations allow the audience to truly memorialize the lives of these men. The film organically shifts from celebrating chosen families, to the grieving process, to activism, all while keeping these men at the forefront. The survivors bravely sharing their stories about dancing with the devil helped finally bring justice for those no longer alive to share their testimony. This country's justice systems needs to change. These two young men should not have died. Ed Buck took that privilege away, but this extremely well made documentary will hopefully take their legacy alive and also teach men within the LGBT+ community how and why to stay away from the evils of drugs especially meth. <b>(7/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982412773040907702.post-51696348522004737252024-03-03T09:00:00.003-05:002024-03-03T09:00:36.189-05:00Bake Me Please (Thai Series)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzA6HpminR-0SO58A0P15EPpBIpTmgbGYNXlWX6o2LmfjtGLqzE57h4fQQ2DuOXkmM8u_Y4T7XPKsv91RooaWN2u4wb9W3K3fSP0DFMDMolE4wj6Re3EkPfrJCRRsfz6RynEANoQIhtO0LzxLNEchxDr8MJ_bDbLPf8sl0UUKQsPupcYvbEl7R221sX4/s1349/d04J6W_4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzA6HpminR-0SO58A0P15EPpBIpTmgbGYNXlWX6o2LmfjtGLqzE57h4fQQ2DuOXkmM8u_Y4T7XPKsv91RooaWN2u4wb9W3K3fSP0DFMDMolE4wj6Re3EkPfrJCRRsfz6RynEANoQIhtO0LzxLNEchxDr8MJ_bDbLPf8sl0UUKQsPupcYvbEl7R221sX4/s320/d04J6W_4f.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I think I mentioned before that food based BL shows are the new genre that I have found enjoying myself, so with a title like this, I was looking forward to it. And honestly the first two episodes were rock solid. The character introductions were nice, their chemistry was good and the way they go from enemies to friends to possible lovers was done really right. Their sweet and delightful flirting has a touch of sentimentality. But as happens with most nice things, the makers had to mess it all up by creating conflicts that were so forced and just so ridiculous. Also why focus on a toxic trait of one of the leads making him so dislikable, I don't understand. Anyway, on a positive note, the series is only 6 episodes each lasting almost 50-55 minutes long.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peach is a baker who sells homemade cakes with his grandmother at low price to keep customers happy. He dreams of running his own restaurant someday. At the same time we meet a bakery Temptations, who head chef Shin makes his specialty cake and sells only 20 pieces every day, along with other items as well. So naturally the bakery does well. But the chef has attitude and doesn't talk nicely to anyone. Around this time, Peach's friend Atom arrives with a job offer. Atom invites him to work as an assistant at his older brother's bakery. He can learn from Shin, a talented patissier. Atom, a recent graduate, will also begin working at the family business as an employee. Initially they both get rejected by Shin but when Peach challenges him on testing his bakery skills, he gives in and agrees to Peach being his assistant, but the constant belittling of every effort really infuriates both Peach and Atom. One day Peach find out that the secret customer who buys all their cakes every month to distribute Amon orphan kids is none other than Shin, and the reason is that it was Peach's grandmother's cakes that used to comfort him when he lived there. Peach starts to understand Shin's pov and after some drama they do start to loosen up and in fact start dating. Grandma is happy to know about it but Shin still prefers to not let people at work know. A stupid conflict gets thrown in when suddenly, Atom's elder brother, and the bakery's partner confesses his love to Shin. This is around the same time when an ex chef of this bakery tres to pursue Peach but he sees him only as a friend. Shin acts very immaturely to the whole situation and despite repeated attempts made by Peach to clear up the situation between them, Shin continues to act as an asshole. Peach leaves the job, and soon the customers start slowing down. This is when the ones reach out to Peach for help and Shin also realizes that eventually it is love that matters.</div><div><br /></div><div>As mentioned early, when the show started I thought I am finally going to get to see something interesting. Even though the situations and scenes were cliched, but the delightful camaraderie between all characters was fun to watch. I appreciated the fact that how through simple stories we are told why shin possibly behaves the way he does and eventually Peach understands his Pov and the whole things brings them both closer as friends and lovers. But the clunky conflicts out of nowhere made no sense at all and it just annoyed me very much. From dumb misunderstandings to petty reactions, each scene is needlessly infuriating. Worst of all, Shin's character development regresses as he behaves disrespectfully and becomes a toxic lover. It tries to salvage itself by the end, but by this time the damage is already done.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's talk about actors here. Peach is so cute and man that dazzling smile. The actor infuses the role with dignity, and warmth and cheerfulness. In the opposite is Shin, who though, does have a towering personality but his character is all over the place. His moodiness and trying to insult almost everyone in his path is just unacceptable. What I surprisingly enjoyed were all scenes that had Peach's friend Atom in it. His characters is supposed to be goofy but the way he interacts with peach is extremely natural. There are only a handful of scenes with him but I think this is the closest I have seen in BL shows where a character acts hi age and is goofy and not formal all the time. I liked that. But guess what, the real should have the show in this one is the endearing grandmother. She is heart and soul of the show who imparts wisdom to her grandson is her own ways through various gestures. her presence offers a constant supply of sweetness. Sadly, even her presence cannot salvage how the show goes a strong nosedive in last 2 episodes. How I wish! The show had continues enforcing its positive vibes and feel good optimism and that would have made this show so much better. For now, we have to live with this. <b>(5.5/10)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4