Category Archives: Movie Review

Movie Review

“Mr. Nice Guy & The Lonely Man” Movie Review

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Sometimes a title to a movie is so spot-on that nothing more needs to be said about it. The summation is expressed, quite literally, in this title. It is a story about a very lonely young man who by chance meets a very nice man and love is awakened. Not only is a love awakened but a reckoning and a realization of oneself is as well. You get all of that in just over 30 minutes of pure cinematic magic in this beautiful love sonnet that reads more like poetry than prose.

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Movie Review

“Grand Guignol” Movie Review

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Wow! What a ride this movie is! Be warned, however. This movie is a ‘hack-and-slash’ gory romp of blood and guts. So, if this is not your thing, I suggest you do not watch it. Even though I generally dislike these types of movies, I loved this one because it is so Avante-Garde. Despite what you might imagine, while it is a gay-themed movie, there is no romance here, however. Certainly not a BL by any stretch of the imagination. It is just sensual.

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Movie Review

“Nuovo Olimpo” Movie Review

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Set in the picturesque locales of Rome, Netflix’s latest Italian romance “Nuovo Olimpo” is a nostalgic reminiscence of lost love and endurance. Directed by Turkish-Italian film director and screenwriter, Ferzan Özpetek, the film leaves a lot to speculations and random “What if’s”. Maybe it is because the film’s trajectory was designed to showcase a cinematic experience shadowing the lives of two closeted men in 1970s. The rustic cinematography does bring back fond memories of old cinema, but the nostalgia ends once the main leads are separated. If you have watched “Your Name Engraved Herein”, then “Nuovo Olimpo” might strike a jarring resemblance to the Taiwanese classic. Ferzan Özpetek does his level best to depict a gay romance in difficult times and the message does resonate with the current times as well. Homophobia is still prevalent and existent, so the deliverance isn’t lost. And yet, something is missing. Join us as we talk about this movie in depth!

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Movie Review

“Carol” Movie Review

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“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.

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Movie Review

“Of an Age” Movie Review

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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).

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Movie Review

“Bottoms” Movie Review

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“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.

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Movie Review

“The Mattamachine Family” Movie Review

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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.

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Movie Review

“My Beautiful Man Eternal” Movie Review

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The Japanese queer film My Beautiful Man Eternal starring Hagiwara Riku (Hira Kazunari) and Yagi Yusei (Kiyoi Sou) is a passionate adaptation of the novel He, Who is Beautiful (美しい彼) by Nagira Yuu that captures an innate look at inner emotions, insecurity, and personal strength.

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