“Carol” is a bitter-sweet movie about the realities of closeted gay white women in the 50s. Cate Blanchett (Carol) embodies the titular character well; she expresses the tension between the life she has to lead as against her desires. Carol meets Therese (Rooney Mara), a young aspiring photographer, working in a department store where she is shopping for a Christmas present for her daughter, and the chemistry between the two characters becomes instantly apparent. After Carol leaves her gloves at the counter, Therese mails them back to her, which allows the two to meet again.
All posts by reveeiws
“Down Low” Movie Review
“Down Low” is a raunchy, dark comedy about Gary (Zachary Quinto), a divorced gay man, once stuck in a heterosexual marriage and fully repressed, who hires a young sex worker Kory/Cameron (Lukas Gage) to give him a happy ending massage, and this results in a rollercoaster ride of a night for the two.
“Of an Age” Movie Review
This coming-of-age story is such a universal and yet unique story at the same time, that it’s both widely relatable and yet also such a personal story. “Of an Age” gives us a window into the story of Kol, (Elias Anton) a recent high school graduate and amateur dancer, who experiences his first intense romantic, sexual awakening in the space of 24 hours with his friend Ebony’s (Hattie Hook) older brother Adam (Thom Green).
“Bottoms” Movie Review
“Bottoms” is your “typical” teen/high school (sex) comedy in which the losers try to weasel themselves out of their low social standing at school by lying their way to end up with the hot girls, except this time its lesbians. PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) are considered losers in this world (we have to suspend our disbelief here) and come up with a plan to start a “fight club” or self defense class in order to meet girls and lose their virginity before college; based on a lie that they had spent their summer in juvie and could defend themselves as well as teach other girls to defend themselves. The movie is funny, bloody, disastrous and may be cringeworthy at times, but isn’t that just what high school is? The plot of the movie is a little patchy, which might be why a lot of movie makers are ditching the 1hour 30 minutes format for the 2 hours to provide a more fleshed out story.
MALEC: A Love Story of a Lifetime
Warning: I did not read the books and am very late to the Shadowhunters world.
“The Mattamachine Family” Movie Review
I like to review movies based on what they are and not what I want them to be or hoped for them to be. The Mattamachine Family, while not entirely unenjoyable due to the cast which did an adequate job. The story itself leaves a lot to be desired. The movie tries to tackle the important and interesting theme about the ways in which queer people can have families, children and how fulfilling such families are, regardless of how they get there (be it IVF, adoption, foster care). At the end of the movie, you are left wondering exactly what the movie was about and what the point of it was, because it doesn’t say much and you are left feeling like you just overheard a story from someone who was being too loud on the train.
“You Are Mine” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
“You Are Mine” is your typical office romance with the uptight boss who finds himself with a well-meaning naïve assistant, about to improve his life. Although riddled with BL cliches such as the slipping and falling into someone’s arms, watching them sleep and realizing they are cute, spilling food on their clothes and then removing the said clothing item, the show and the actors’ chemistry quickly engage the audience and you pretty much know what you’re in for from the beginning.
Continue reading “You Are Mine” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
“Stay by My Side” Series Review (Ep.3 to 10)
“Stay by My Side” is a very adorable show and the actors’ chemistry really shines through, making this fluffy series worthwhile. The show is a bubblegum show, doesn’t really give you much, but it is fun and sweet, as such it’s important to review it for what it is. “Stay by My Side” focuses on Bu Xia (Hong Wei Zhe) and Jiang Chi (Yang I Hsuan); since there aren’t any secondary couples, it allows the show to focus on these two leads and their relationship. Although the show has supernatural elements, which are used to cement Bu Xia and Jiang Chi’s relationship (because the ghosts that torment Bu Xia are only silenced when Jiang Chi is close to him), the supernatural world isn’t really tackled with but only used as a vehicle to establish the two’s relationship and then to bring the two closer.
Continue reading “Stay by My Side” Series Review (Ep.3 to 10)
“Kiseki: Dear to Me” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
Like most of the Taiwanese BL series, “Kiseki: Dear to Me” takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions and the first two episodes have set the ball rolling for us. The show has action, drama, comedy and romance packaged into 25 minute episodes. The pacing and plot of the story, together with the characters’ chemistry, already pops from the first two episodes.
Continue reading “Kiseki: Dear to Me” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
“Spoiler Alert” Movie Review
I do not usually like to watch a tearjerker, but this movie handles the audiences so well (considering that it is based on a true story), it’s easy to tell how cathartic telling this story was to the author and how graceful he is in presenting it to us in a way that somehow also comforts us as much as it comforts him.
The BL Xpress 