“Am I OK?” is a late “coming of age” story about friendship and self-discovery and tackles the agonies of coming to terms with yourself at a later age. Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a 32-year-old woman who has an unfulfilling work and personal life, and relies on her best friend Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) who provides some structure in her life, despite her being controlling. “Am I Ok?” tackles the reality of a lot of gay people, who only come to terms with their sexuality once they are older, and it seems like they cannot do much about it because they have run out of time. Despite being 32, Lucy had never fully considered that she was in fact gay and was dejected and at peace with having mediocre relationships with men despite not fully enjoying the experience.
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“Challengers” Movie Review
The Challengers I watched and the Challengers that has swept the internet seem to be two completely different movies. The Challengers I watched was about Tashi and her feral need for control, her need for winning and how she viewed her life through the lense of the game of tennis, and how her own life was a microcosm of the game, instead of the other way round. The relationship between Tashi (Zendaya), Art (Mike Faise) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor), was to me less sexual than it was merely passion for the game that translated itself into this raw energy that none of them knew exactly how to deal with. In as much as there was excitement about the menage a trois, what I saw was Tashi playing with Art and Patrick the moment that she met with them, antagonizing them, making her ken dolls kiss, the way a child playing with her dolls would. Sure Art and Patrick in turn because very moldable in those roles, but it wasn’t sexual but a different kind of passion and tension that the oblivious onlooker has no choice but to wonder if they just need to f*ck to get it out of the way.
“Heartbreak High Season Two” Series Review (Ep.1 to 8)
The second season of “Heartbreak High” is as drama-packed as one would expect, with friendships blossoming, relationships and characters developing, the titular heartbreaks of course and Amerie (Ayesha Madon) never really catching a break. “Heartbreak High” deserves the same treatment that its predecessor did, with many seasons and more episodes, because it is not only entertaining, but tackles a wide variety of issues that teens deal with, that could be handled with more nuance if it wasn’t limited to the 8 episodes that Netflix has doomed it to. There is a lack of topical, fun teen dramas that are engaging and pop cultural in the way that “Pretty Little Liars”, “Gossip Girl” and all the ABC and CW dramas did back in the day, and “Heartbreak High” fills this gap, with a queer-forward diverse cast and tackling real issues in a way that it seems like it must go on forever.
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“Takumi Kun Series” Movie Review
The “Takumi-kun Series” is a romance drama that follows the lives of high school students Takumi (Yanagishita Tomo), a reclusive guy who has a PTSD from being sexually assaulted, which results in him having a phobia against being touched, and Saki “Gii” Giichi (Kato Keisuke), a popular guy who woes Takumi and helps him overcome his phobia. The series highlights the importance of friendship, and although the first movie shies away from the notion of toxic masculinity in such an important way that it highlights the triumph of friendship and love both in the romantic and platonic aspects of life. Takumi and Gii are surrounded by their friends who help them whenever they are experiencing difficulties in their relationship, and they in turn are always there for their friends. While heavier subject matters are confronted, the audience is safe in these movies as the writers do not devastate for the sake of devastating the audience.
“Whisper Me A Love Song” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
“Whisper Me A Love Song” is an endearing series that takes us through the main characters’ first love and how they are able to navigate their feelings and watch them grow from admiration, into romantic love. The series reflects on the different forms of love, platonic, admiration, romantic love and walks us through the characters’ development through different forms of love as they learn to accept, grow and find confidence in love.
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“Dead Boy Detectives” Series Review (Ep.1 to 8)
“Dead Boy Detectives” is a fun show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, while also providing the audience with a wide range of themes from existential life and death lessons about growing (and dying) pains, to mystery, drama, friendship and romance. The series keeps you engaged from the beginning to the end, and while Netflix does a horrible job at marketing such stories, it is worth the watch, and I hope they have the good sense to keep making these CW-esque shows as they do grow a cult-following, especially with the more episodes made and the rewatch value of these shows are exceptionally strong.
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“We Are Series” First Impressions (Ep.1 to 4)
At first glance, “We Are” seems like a cliché bubblegum show without much substance, however, as you delve deeper into the show, without any cynicism it is pure swoon worthy romance and presents a genre I quite like which is equivalent to the early 2000s chick flicks. Although it doesn’t have much to say or has no edge, it gives us heartwarming love stories, actual courtship and although there are elements of slow burn romance in some of the couples, the show balances it out by giving us different solid story lines to follow that are all wholesome and you can’t help but root for each single couple. Comfort shows with low stakes, that are written to make the audience feel good are severely underrated and its easy to write them off as bubblegum shows that lose flavor quickly, however, you cannot deny that when they are sweet, they are indeed sweet.
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“Monster” Movie Review
“Monster” is an intriguing movie, told from the perspectives of 3 individuals, a single mother who is overprotective of her son and wants justice for him, a well-meaning teacher who finds himself in the middle of an almost impossible situation in which he is falsely accused of hitting a child, and a young boy who is coming to terms with himself and his feelings for a friend. Although not quite the psychological thriller one would expect, “Monster” does a great job in shifting our perspective, in as much as we are constantly being asked “who is the monster?”, while viewing the movie. We are not looking for a monster, but rather seeing victims of circumstances that we empathize with throughout the film and the question of who the monster is becomes the furthest from the audience’s concerns.
“Dead Friend Forever” Series Review (Ep.4 to 12)
“Dead Friend Forever” (DFF) started out rather slowly paced, gained a lot of momentum in the middle, however, by episode 8, the show provided too much unnecessary exposition and plot that did not quite tie in, and fell short in their resolution which resulted in a subpar finale. However, as a slasher/horror series, it delivered on the scares, gore, and delved into the horrors of the human mind which acts as a cautionary tale against bullying and being complicit in the face of others’ wrongdoings.
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“All of Us Strangers” Movie Review
“All of Us Strangers” is a melancholic drama, filled with so much sadness and emotion that it took me a long time to settle in and get into it; the movie truly rocked my world as emotions flooded due to Andrew Scott’s perfect performance of grief, sadness and loneliness which pulls us in, and we are right beside him throughout the journey. The movie tackles loneliness, confronting our inner child and healing them, grief and catharsis. (I have left out a huge spoiler point from the twist in the movie to avoid ever spoiling this for anyone who hasn’t seen it because it will take away from this perfect sad movie).
The BL Xpress 